About the Beer: Oyster stouts are a very rare style of beer, but they’re more than worth your while if you can get your hands on one. The dark, grainy texture of stouts are a perfect pairing with oysters and other shellfish so it was only natural to bring the two together in a beer. The Harpoon Brewery in Boston uses real oysters from nearby Island Creek oyster bar for their take on the style.
On Saturday, October 16th @EatBoston hosted a lobster and beer fest dubbed the Boston Lobster Party at The Historic SoWa Power Station. 15 craft breweries set up shop and brought a plethora of kegs and bottles. In addition to all the craft goodness one can drink, there were 9 of Boston’s restaurants showcasing a number of lobster dishes.
If you are unfamiliar with @EatBoston and live in New England, you are missing out. Sure this isn’t your American Craft Beer Festival, but it’s a damn good time. Back in April they hosted the Boston Bacon & Beer Festival. See a trend forming here? The best food mixed with the best beer!
We’ve been discussing the many different beers that are associated with the autumn months lately. For many though, beer is not the only drink strongly connected to the fall. Hard cider is also quite popular this time of the year. Although it doesn’t get the same attention as the craft brewers, there are a number of great craft cider producers out there worth a try. Today we’re going to change gears a bit look at some cider worth a try.
Before we get to the particular ciders though, I should mention that just like there’s many different styles of beer, there are many different styles of cider. Because the sweeter varieties are the most popular here in the US, many folks think all cider is like that, but there are many different versions out there, made from many different apples. The taste of cider can range from syrupy sweet to dry as champagne, so before you cast off cider be sure you’re aware of the variety out there to try.
Magners - Possibly the most well known brand of cider around the world. Although Magners is not very respected among many serious cider drinkers, who find it too sweet, everyone shoot still try it just for the reference. This brand is actually known as Bulmers in its native Ireland, which should not be confused with the English brand of the same name.
Woodchuck – A Vermont producer which has a delicious Granny Smith cider available. It’s got a nice tart flavor to it that balances out the sweeter qualities of the apples.
Harpoon – This Boston-based craft brewer has making great craft ale since the 1980′s. Recently they began producing a line of cider, and it’s definitely worth a try.
Original Sin – A producer based out of New York City which makes great cider that’s a little bit dryer and less sweet. It’s a great introduction to the more sophisticated European styles of cider
Ace – The first American craft cider producer, this is the company that started it all. If you can get your hands on any of the cider from California, be sure to give it a try.
What do you think about Cider? Let us know next time you have one by tweeting it and adding the ‘#mybeer’ hashtag.
