About The Beer: The Pretty Things Beer and Ale Project have taken the east coast by storm, and they don’t seem to be letting up any time soon. Helmed by husband and wife team, Dann Paquette and Martha Holley-Paquette, Pretty Things has gained attention in part because of their status in the growing “gypsy brewing” movement, and in larger part because of their phenomenally creative beers. However, the genius behind Pretty Things lies not only in the beers they produce, but in their whimsical-yet-frank approach to the beer industry. Their labels are adorned with vested Rabbits and mustachioed Barleycorns, they’re steeped in lore and fun and poetry. According to their site:

These beers are for fun, not for display! Our beers are not precious jewels, they are happy peasants! Their motto is ‘Good Time Artisanal Beers’: hold them to it!

Pretty Things’ flagship beer, Jack D’Or – “Jack of Gold”, a character who embodies “the soul of beer” -  has become a Boston staple. And for good reason. Labeled a “Saison Americain” this brew blends classic saison elements with a healthy dose of hops and a splash of champagne yeast to make a sublimely unique and very “pretty” beer.

In a nutshell: A perfect beer for the summer, but Pretty Things’ Jack D’Or gets a gold star from us at any time of year.

Review: This beer pours as gold and tastes as playfully delicious as the name and the label would lead you to believe. There’s a bitter edge to Jack D’Or, but that bitterness is elegantly balanced by a host of other sensations. There’s an edge of sweetness, a smack of pepper, a tart bite, and a champagne dryness. All these flavors mix and play – you can almost imagine them dancing around in your mouth, each moving to the center, then back to the periphery, blending seamlessly with one another as they cross and flow. As it warms up to room temperature (porch temperature, backyard temperature, or just bar temperature) the flavor mellows, and some of that bitter quality dissipates, giving more room to the sweeter tones. This beer is delicate, imaginative, and well worth the time of any true lover of beer.

Rating: 5 out of 5

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!

The Attending Breweries:

• Blue Hills Brewery (Canton, MA)
• Boston Beer Company (Sam Adams) (Boston, MA)
• Brooklyn Brewery (Brooklyn, NY)
• Cisco Brewers (Nantucket, MA)
• Clown Shoes Brewing (Ipswich, MA)
• Harpoon Brewery (Boston, MA)
• High and Mighty Beer Company (Holyoke, MA)
• Ipswich Ale Brewery (Ipswich, MA)
• Magic Hat Brewing Company (South Burlington, VT)
• Mayflower Brewing Company (Plymouth, MA)
• Narragansett Beer (Providence, RI)
• New Century Brewing Co (Boston, MA)
• Notch Session (Portland, ME)
• Peak Organic Brewing Company (Portland, ME)
• Pretty Things Beer & Ale Project (Cambridge, MA)

The Attending Restaurants:

• Garden at the Cellar (Cambridge, MA)
• Petit Robert Bistro (Multiple Locations in Boston)
• South End Buttery (Boston, MA)
• Turner Fisheries (Back Bay, Boston, MA)
• Union (South End, Boston, MA)
• Gaslight (South End, Boston, MA)
• Wicked Kickn’ Cheesecake (Boston, MA)
• Trina’s Starlight Lounge (Somerville, MA)

On to the event:

Upon entry we were each given a fork, plate, tasting cup, and a few tickets for entrees and appetizers.

Ipswich Ale Brewery:

Ipswich rolled up in style with their signature beer truck.

Boston Beer Company (Sam Adams):

Along with their seasonal Octoberfest, Sam Adams brought with them their Latitude 48 IPA.

Brooklyn Brewery:

Brooklyn Brewery had their station equipped with recommendations for pairings with appetizers, entrees, and a dessert substitute. For their dessert substitute they hosted their delicious Black Chocolate Stout.

Harpoon Brewery:

Harpoon’s Glacier Harvest Wet Hop Ale paired well with the savory Lobster cupcakes we grabbed from one of the restaurants.

Pretty Things Beer & Ale Project:

One of Beeriety’s favorite local breweries Pretty Things brought three of their brews: American Darling, Field Mouse’s Farewell, and Jack D’or.



Peak Organic Brewing Company:

Their Espresso Amber Ale is definitely worth a try.

High & Mighty Beer Company:

These guys never let me down. I felt like I kept swinging by their booth to get my cup topped off.

Lobster Goodness:

(Susie of We are not Martha pictured on the top row.)

All great things eventually come to an end:

Enjoying some High and Mighty Two-Headed Beast with Adam.

(From left to right: Adam and Chris)

Cheers!

On Saturday The Pretty Things Beer & Ale Project debuted the first beer in their Once Upon a Time series of beers brewed according to historic recipes. The Beeriety team was lucky enough to be there to try this fantastic new brew at one of Boston’s finest craft beer bars, Deep Ellum.

Pretty Things is a small craft brew project based in Boston, Massachusetts that has already made a strong name for itself among craft beer drinkers in the area since its founding less than two years ago. They are known for bold, unusual brews with equally off-kilter label art. It’s quickly become a favorite brewery of everyone at Beeriety, and we were thrilled to get the chanced to see what they were doing next.
London XXXX Mild Ale was the beer of the hour. It’s an historic re-creation of a beer first brewed on February 27th, 1832 at a Brick Lane London brewery. Using an historic manuscript given to them by beer historian Ron Pattinson, they  brewed the beer exactly as it had been over 150 years ago.

Beers of 19th century London were different than what we drink today in many ways, so although their version is called a ‘mild ale’ as it was originally, it’s anything but mild. It weighed in at 10.5%ABV and packs a super sweet taste. The beer has a rich copper color to it, and a light smell of caramel. The taste is bold and massively sweet, but its body is surprisingly light and smooth for such a heavy beer. The hops impart a bit of a peppery spice to them, different than the usual bitterness associate with hops. Overall the beer was unlike anything I’ve ever had before, and it was absolutely delicious.

In keeping with the theme of the day the beer was served from a wooden cask as would have been common in Victorian England. The brewers, Dann and Martha Paquette as well as the staff of Deep Ellum, all dressed in period inspired clothing with vests, top hats and bonnets. Dann and Martha even generously offered to buy a drink for anyone who came dressed in historical attire. The place was completely packed and by the time they tapped the first cask there was a line out the door just to get in. Clearly we aren’t the only ones who have been keeping a eye on this exciting new brewery.

It was a wonderful afternoon with a wonderful beer. Dann & Martha as well as everyone at Deep Ellum were gracious hosts and it was neat to get a glimpse of what’s next for Pretty Things. Martha was even nice enough to give us a special preview bottle of the stuff. (For a rough video of the cask’s tapping and an introductory speech by Dann, head over to the Pretty Things blog.) We can’t wait to see what’s next in the Once Upon a Time series. Whatever it is, it’s sure to be great.

American Craft Beer Fest

On Saturday, Team Beeriety and some friends including Susie from We Are Not Martha headed down to the American Craft Beer Festival on Boston’s waterfront. It was an amazing array of 75 American brewers with over 300 different craft beers to sample. There was a lot of unusual beers and beer lovers at the festival and we did our best to check out as many of them as we could.

Pretty Things Beer & Ale Project

The beer was fantastic and while we all had our individual favorites, there was a general consensus that Pretty Things Beer & Ale Project was the break away star. Considering this small brewery run by a husband and wife team has only been around for about a year their beers show an astounding amount of sophistication and deliciousness. Their labels also live up to their name as some of the prettiest I’ve seen in awhile. They are surely a brewer to keep an eye on.

Brooklyn Brewery

Another favorite was Brooklyn Brewery’s Intensified Coffee Stout. Brooklyn has long been one of the most prominent craft brewers in America and this new brew showcases why. I’ve known and loved many coffee stouts, but never have I tried anything that so thoroughly captured the taste and mouthful of French press coffee and stout.

For a more detailed look at what beers grabbed our attentions take a look at our individual favorite lists:

Carleton:

• Brooklyn Brewery – Intensified Coffee Stout
• Pretty Things Beer & Ale Project – Baby Tree
• Ithaca Beer Co. – Cascazilla
• Cambridge Brewing Co. – Imperial Skisbsøl
• Dogfish Head Brewery – Sah’ Tea

Chris:

• Brooklyn Brewery – Intensified Coffee Stout
• Southern Tier Brewing Co. – Jah-va
• Watch City Brewing Co. – HellHammer Oatmeal Stout
• Pretty Things Beer & Ale Project – Cofounded Mister Sisyphus
• Terrapin Beer Co. – India Style Brown Ale

Erin:

• Ithaca Beer Co. – Flower Power IPA
• Southern Tier Brewing Co. – Imperial IPA.
• Victory Brewing Co. – Wild Devil
• Pretty Things Beer & Ale Project – Jack D’or
• Terrapin Beer Co. – Sunray

Ryan:

• Brooklyn Brewery – Intensified Coffee Stout
• Pretty Things Beer & Ale Project – Baby Tree
• Brewery Ommegang – Three Philosophers
• Left Hand Brewing Co. – Oak Aged Imperial Stout
• Southern Tier Brewing Co. – Cherry Saison

Susie (from We Are not Martha):

• Pretty Things Beer & Ale Project – Baby Tree
• Terrapin Beer Co. – Side Project 90 Shelling
• Brooklyn Brewery – Intensified Coffee Stout
• Dogfish Head Craft Brewery – Midas Touch
• Left Hand Brewing C0. – JuJu Ginger

Woody Chandler, Beer Monk

There was also plenty of interesting people in attendance, like Woody Chandler, the ‘beer monk’.

Pretzel Necklaces were all the rage

Several people also had curiously placed a necklace of pretzels around their necks, which I’d never seen before but seems like a great way to snack while keeping two hands free for beer. We’ll have more on the beer fest and exclusive interviews from the floor with brewers and attendees alike once we have a chance to sort through it all.

Until then check out the rest of the photos from the fest on the Beeriety Flickr account and let us know if you attended and what you were drinking in the comments!