Life On Tap

Dan gets enveloped by another from his from his Notch Brewing stash earlier with Černé Pivo, a Tmavé/Czech Dark Lager. Notch Brewing Company Černé Pivo…

The post Episode # 417: Černé Pivo appeared first on Life On Tap.

Dan downed another from his from his Notch Brewing stash earlier with Lost In The Dream, a Helles Rauchbier or Smoked Helles.

STYLE: Helles Rauchbier (Smoked Helles Lager)
INGREDIENTS: Bamberg Rauchmalt
ABV: 4.5%
IBU: N/A
AVAILABILITY: 16 oz. cans/Draft (Seasonal)

Stats above taken from the brewery’s can and website.

Golden in color and clear, with a white foamy head and some fine lacing on the glass.

A mix of smoke and smoked meat hits you right up front with some additional graininess behind it.

Graininess continues along with a gentle massage of smoke enveloping the palate like a well-toasted bun with smoked meat.

Light mouthfeel and body, with soft carbonation and a fairly dry finish.

Smoked Helles is a great way to transition to a full Rauchbier IMO. I love this kind of beer when the sun is setting and right before eating some grilled (or smoked) meat.

Cheers and remember:

Life’s a tap…drink up ’til it’s dry.

All music on this show came to us from the now defunct Music Alley.
Intro: “Meet Me At The Bar” by The Beer Drinking Fools
Outtro: “Bubblegum and Beer” by The Supersuckers

The post Episode # 416: Lost In The Dream appeared first on Life On Tap.

Dan delved into his haul from Notch Brewing in Salem, Massachusetts, with Altar, a traditional German-style Altbier.

STYLE: Altbier
ABV: 4.5%
IBU: N/A
AVAILABILITY: 16 oz. cans/Draft (Seasonal)
COLLABORATION: Die With Your Boots On

Stats above taken from the brewery’s can and website.

Deep, dark brown, with a fluffy, tan head.

Dark caramel malt meets bready elements.

Dark, pumpernickel-esque bread elements continue alongside the dark caramel malt notes with a pleasant minerality on the finish.

Foamy carbonation provides a “scrubbing bubbles” effect on the palate, with a light-to-medium and smooth body.

Surprise, surprise, I picked up another style I rarely see, so it came home. I definitely was feeling grilled meats a la bratwurst when I tasted this.

Cheers and remember:

Life’s a tap…drink up ’til it’s dry.

All music on this show came to us from the now defunct Music Alley.
Intro: “Meet Me At The Bar” by The Beer Drinking Fools
Outtro: “Bubblegum and Beer” by The Supersuckers

The post Episode # 415: Altar appeared first on Life On Tap.

Dan crack one more from Roundhead Brewing Company, Trapiche, another food-friendly brew in the form of a Belgian Strong Dark Ale.

STYLE: Belgian Strong Dark Ale
ABV: 5.9%
IBU: N/A
AVAILABILITY: 16 oz. cans/Draft (Year-round)

Stats above taken from the brewery’s can and website.

Deep, dark amber burgeoning on light brown, with a huge, tannish head.

Yeast character highlights with a mix of dried, dark fruit, and a hint of burnt sugar.

Overarching spice element like clove, mixing with dried dates and figs, brown sugar, and more along with a bit of that yeast character from the nose.

Soft carbonation with a medium and smooth body.

Again, this is another style I ever so rarely see, so I had to have it in my flight and take it home. My mind (and stomach) were screaming for a Belgian beef stew with frites with this.

Cheers and remember:

Life’s a tap…drink up ’til it’s dry.

All music on this show came to us from the now defunct Music Alley.
Intro: “Meet Me At The Bar” by The Beer Drinking Fools
Outtro: “Bubblegum and Beer” by The Supersuckers

The post Episode # 414: Trapiche appeared first on Life On Tap.

Dan pops the next one from Roundhead Brewing Company, Ojos Pardos, a food-friendly American Brown Ale with hints of chocolate and more.

STYLE: American Brown Ale
ABV: 5.5%
IBU: N/A
AVAILABILITY: 16 oz. cans/Draft (Year-round)

Stats above taken from the brewery’s can and website.

Deep, dark brown, but hints of ruby when light hits the edges with a thick, tan, fluffy head.

Hints of shaved, bittersweet chocolate with some other Maillard-related notes in the malt.

Roastiness hits later on the palate, with a mix of bittersweet and dark, tannic, chocolate proceeding it with some toasted bread crust.

This is fairly dry, with the fluffy carbonation matching a medium body.

You all already know…if I see a brown ale, I will try it and in many cases buy it. The style is well-known for being food-friendly, so it’s no surprise that I was feeling barbecue, grilled meats, etc.

Cheers and remember:

Life’s a tap…drink up ’til it’s dry.

All music on this show came to us from the now defunct Music Alley.
Intro: “Meet Me At The Bar” by The Beer Drinking Fools
Outtro: “Bubblegum and Beer” by The Supersuckers

The post Episode # 413: Ojos Pardos appeared first on Life On Tap.

Dan shares the first of a few with you from Roundhead Brewing Company, Contigo, which is described as a light and refreshing Peruvian Lager.

STYLE: Pale Lager
ABV: 5.2%
IBU: N/A
AVAILABILITY: 16 oz. cans/Draft (Year-round)

Stats above taken from the brewery’s can and website.

Light orangey gold, with a white, very fluffy head.

Graininess followed by breadstick with some earthy and floral hops notes after.

Bread and breadsticks continue, with a gentle sweetness hitting in the mid-palate with the light hop finish.

This crisp and fairly dry, with the soft carbonation matching the lighter body.

This was a great leadoff beer for my first flight and to share contigo (with you). They serve a variety of empanadas and other food on premises, and I think any of those would be great to pair amongst a host of other food.

Cheers and remember:

Life’s a tap…drink up ’til it’s dry.

All music on this show came to us from the now defunct Music Alley.
Intro: “Meet Me At The Bar” by The Beer Drinking Fools
Outtro: “Bubblegum and Beer” by The Supersuckers

The post Episode # 412: Contigo appeared first on Life On Tap.

This was actually the first recording back from MA, as Dan popped open Brockton Beer NE Heartbreak, an (unfortunately discontinued) NE IPA.

STYLE: NE IPA
ABV: 7.2%
IBU: N/A
AVAILABILITY: 16 oz. cans/Draft (No longer in production)

Stats above taken from the brewery’s can and website.

Hazy, deep orange, and juice-like with a white, frothy head.

Tropical hits first with overripe pineapple followed by tangerine.

Tropicality from the initial taste through the mid-palate, with the overripe pineapple almost burgeoning on pineapple candy. Passionfruit and tangerine juice/zest add in after.

The soft carbonation matches with a medium body, resulting in a silky mouthfeel and a moderately dry finish.

I really enjoyed this one, as some NE IPAs can get a little cloying with residual sweetness. I hope to try similar Brockton brews to this one, as it is no longer in production. Pairing-wise, there’s a lot of different ways to go, but I was feeling Thai chili wings or Caribbean food.

Cheers and remember:

Life’s a tap…drink up ’til it’s dry.

All music on this show came to us from the now defunct Music Alley.
Intro: “Meet Me At The Bar” by The Beer Drinking Fools
Outtro: “Bubblegum and Beer” by The Supersuckers

The post Episode # 411: NE Heartbreak appeared first on Life On Tap.

Dan cracks open another from his trip to MA: Brockton Beer Faded, a key lime pie-like fruited sour, a collaboration with The Mix Boston.

STYLE: Fruited Sour
ABV: 4.5%
IBU: N/A
AVAILABILITY: 12 oz. cans/Draft (One-Time)
COLLABORATION: The Mix Boston

Stats above taken from the brewery’s can and website.

Medium gold in color with a fluffy, white head.

Freshly-grated coconut hits first before the full key lime pie experience continues with passionfruit coming next.

Pie flavor with a blended tartness from both the key lime and passionfruit and hint of graham cracker.

The carbonation is appropriate for the style, accentuating a light mouthfeel and off-dry finish.

This is a super-interesting pastry ale, one of which I can have, since there is no lactose. You can have this for dessert or with a smaller dessert, probably with whipped cream.

Cheers and remember:

Life’s a tap…drink up ’til it’s dry.

All music on this show came to us from the now defunct Music Alley.
Intro: “Meet Me At The Bar” by The Beer Drinking Fools
Outtro: “Bubblegum and Beer” by The Supersuckers

The post Episode # 410: Faded appeared first on Life On Tap.

Dan cracks open another from his trip to MA: Brockton Beer Yasuke, a fascinating and atypical Kolsch-style ale.

STYLE: Kölsch
ABV: 4.5%
IBU: N/A
AVAILABILITY: 12 oz. cans/Draft (Year-Round)

Stats above taken from the brewery’s can and website.

Deep, dark brown with a tan head.

A little roast, toast, dark caramel/burnt sugar with earthy/spicy hop notes.

Similar notes continue from the aroma, with those darker malt elements keeping a heavy presence, and a light-medium coffee roast on the finish along with a pleasant minerality.

The carbonation is super soft, coating the tongue, but is light and moderately dry on the palate like a more typical Kolsch-style.

This is a super-fascinating brew, as it’s not Kolsh per se, but it isn’t Schwarzbier or Tmave solely either. Pairing-wise, some lighter barbecue wings, yakitori, or teriyaki would be great…anything that wouldn’t have overpowering flavors beyond those similar flavor profiles.

Cheers and remember:

Life’s a tap…drink up ’til it’s dry.

All music on this show came to us from the now defunct Music Alley.
Intro: “Meet Me At The Bar” by The Beer Drinking Fools
Outtro: “Bubblegum and Beer” by The Supersuckers

The post Episode # 409: Yasuke appeared first on Life On Tap.

Dan will be mixing in brews from his recent trip to MA (first one since early March 2020), and leads off with Brockton Beer Frederick & Main.

STYLE: American Light Lager
ABV: 4.0%
IBU: N/A
AVAILABILITY: 16 oz. cans (Year-Round)

Stats above taken from the brewery’s can and website.

Beautiful, clear, straw yellow in color, with a fluffy, white head.

Graininess leads off, and there is that reminiscent sweetness typical in the style, perhaps from a flaked corn addition?

Grain continues on the palate and is true to style a lighter malt profile.

Crisp, light, refreshing, moderately dry with a smooth mouthfeel and pleasant carbonation.

This is no doubt a great “lead-off beer”, to drink while you’re deciding your progression and/or food order. I was definitely feeling typical bar food for this one. I had a great albeit shorter visit to Brockton than I would have liked, and I recommend you check them out, as I found their space inviting, clean, and definitely focused as being a support in the local community.

Cheers and remember:

Life’s a tap…drink up ’til it’s dry.

All music on this show came to us from the now defunct Music Alley.
Intro: “Meet Me At The Bar” by The Beer Drinking Fools
Outtro: “Bubblegum and Beer” by The Supersuckers

The post Episode # 408: Frederick & Main appeared first on Life On Tap.