Outside of Boston, I’m probably in the White Mountains up in New Hampshire more than anywhere else. I’m not going to claim to be Mr. Outdoorsy but, that said, I definitely enjoy a bit of hiking, skiing, camping, etc...and the White Mountains have plenty of that. You know what else outdoorsy places often have, though? Beer! The same people who like to do all those things I just listed also like to drink a good beer after they’re done, so inevitably places spring up to serve that need. There’s plenty of them up in the White Mountains but I always find myself near, and so frequent, the Woodstock Inn Brewery in Woodstock, NH. With hearty grub in the restaurant, great beer, a cask usually tapped and a ton of outdoor space in the warmer months, it’s easy to keep coming back.

Situated up in the White Mountains, Woodstock puts out beers that will satisfy the outdoors crowd after a day of hiking/skiing/snowshoeing/what have you...and with the deep caramel-copper color of Thru Hiker, you know this one will satiate you as you hike through! A big, cappuccino head needs just a minute to settle down into a super-thick, creamy topper to the beer.

You can smell some piney hops from this one the second you start pouring, and those don’t go away. Not many people think of Woodstock as putting out big, hoppy beers...and this one still isn’t huge...but they’ve definitely shown they know how to utilize the hops between this and 4000'er IPA. Behind the hops you’ll find some spicy rye notes that go great with the pine and a neutral-ish, if not slightly earthy, English yeast signature.

Taking my first sip I think, “Yep, I’d be more than happy to hike through this place and get this beer!” And I’d know! As a regular to the White Mountains and the area around where Woodstock is located, I’ve settled down for a pint or two after a day of being outside more times than I can remember. It’s got a creamy, full mouthfeel that doesn’t leave you thinking you’ve got yourself a weak beer. This has some sustenance to it! The hops are strong and bitter, but in balance with a significant bit of sweet, doughy malt. The rye kicks a bit of spice into the mid-palate, again complementing the piney hop flavors well!

All in all this is a great beer to sit and drink, either at the bar inside or out on their fantastic patio when the weather allows!

Living in New England has its perks. Boston, our homebase, has a vibrant and growing craft beer scene, delicious restaurants, and great access to the outdoors only a short drive away. Beyond that, though, we’re close to several other cities with their own, independent epicurian delights. Of those, we’ve found ourselves in Portland, ME the most over the past few years. Recently Devon and I took a trip up there to visit some of our brewer friends, make some new ones...oh, yeah, and to eat awesome food and drink delicious beer we don’t get in Boston, yet is made only a few hours away. While up there, we hit one of the many stores in downtown with a solid craft beer selection and picked up a few gifts for ourselves. One of these was Bull Jager Portland Lager.

Whoa! OK, so first and foremost, as you’re pouring this bad boy of a lager, watch your head...or, rather, its head. It’s big, puffy and white and it’ll come out of nowhere to overflow your glass. It took me 5 minutes to pour this beer, even pouring gently you’ll get more bubble than liquid, then you have to let it settle. The good news? The craggy, cream-colored head makes the crystal clear, golden beer look oh so good!

As a beer of this style should, the smell is muted with mild biscuity malt tones and just the lightest touch of that not-quite-sulfury smell that often comes with a good lager. The “lager funk,” we call it. This smells like it’d be good after a hard time shoveling snow (as I’m about to do) or after mowing the lawn come summer.

And just as I expected, this is one of those beers I could drink all day long. The malt is a serious presence, rich, smooth and grainy with a touch of toasted bread crust. There’s enough bitterness just to keep it from being sweet. Surprisingly, it coats your mouth in a way I didn’t expect, filling every last bit with a surprisingly full-flavored brew. For real, Portland, ME is doing everything well, from Belgian-styles on through to German lagers.

Sometimes I’m in the mood for something specific, and I’ll root around through the unnecessary amount of beer I have to find exactly what I want. And then, other times, circumstances are just too perfect for me not to crack a certain beer. This past weekend was Blizzard Nemo and the beer that was too perfect not to open? Slumbrew Snow Angel. The crew from Somerville Brewing made only one batch of this limited hoppy delight and I was lucky enough to find some. Before I went out to shovel (for the first of many times this past weekend), I checked this one out in an effort to stay warm in near-hurricane strength gales.

Just from pouring, you can tell that Snow Angel is a solid brew! An aggressive pour yields a flurry of bubbles throughout that almost looks like a nitrogenated beer as they settle into a creamy top atop the copper brew, clear enough to read the label through.

As mentioned, I could tell this was a full beer as I poured, but it was also apparent that this is one hoppy ale! There’s a ton of fruit forward hop aroma, citrusy orange zest brightens this blizzard of a day (seriously, it’s Blizzard Nemo out right now). Behind the hops are rich, smooth barley malt aromas and a bit of alcohol that warms my bones on this frigid day. I’ve got to get my beer blanket on to go shovel (and perhaps make a snow angel?).

There’s a lot going on as I sip this big IPA. Up front is a bitterness, not harsh and not overwhelming, but it’s there and letting its presence be known. As expected, a thickness coats the mouth, spreading that bitterness all over before turning itself over to the maltier side of life. For a moment, and just a moment, candied, sweet fruit comes through (probably from the malt and the fruity ale yeast) before the bitter hop bite comes back to linger...and linger...and linger. It’s still there in case you’re wondering.

With a bomber or two of this one, I’ll probably be out front making snow angels of my own! But, even short of inducing youthful fun, this is a damn good beer and a great example of what many have come to call an East Coast Double IPA, with big malt and huge hops. Unfortunately, I don’t think they’ll be bringing it to Drink Craft Beer Springfest: A Celebration of Hops in April...but they tell me they’ve got something else awesome up their sleeves for it instead!

On Saturday, February 2, 2013 Taza Chocolate let us take over their factory store for the second time to benefit The Greater Boston Food Bank. We were completely floored by the response that we got from our wonderful community; many of you waited over an hour to get inside while temperatures outside dipped into the low twenties. With nearly 700 attendees coming through the door and proceeds from Roxy's Grilled Cheese's chocolate-covered bacon grilled cheese sandwiches we raised $3,600, doubling the proceeds from 2012! That's enough money for The Greater Boston Food Bank to provide 8,496 meals to those in need. Pretty epic!

With that in mind, we want to thank each and every one of you for coming out, for braving the cold and for being a part of this great event!

The line before the doors opened. You can't see it, but it went all the way to the
end of the block, turned the corner, then half way down the next block.

The line for Roxy's Grilled Cheese...luckily the line to get into the event was right in front of the truck!

Of course, we couldn't have done it without our wonderful event sponsors either, all of whom donated their time and products. So we'd like to give a special thanks to:

• Taza Chocolate - Our hosts, for donating their space and their chocolate.
• Advanced Protection Services - For donating security services for the event.
  
• Backlash Beer Company - For donating their Famine Tripel Ale.
• Ipswich Ale Brewery - For donating their Rye Porter.
• Narragansett Brewing Co. - For donating their Bock.
• Roxy's Grilled Cheese - For donating a dollar for every chocolate-covered bacon grilled cheese sold.
  
• Slumbrew - For donating their My Better Half Imperial Cream Ale (and some bonus Porter Square Porter).

Again, thanks to everyone involved, from the attendees to the event sponsors! We could not have done it without any of you! We look forward to seeing you all again!

The first attendees in the door finally get some beer and chocolate. They got here an hour before the event!

The end of the line: inside the Taza Chocolate Factory Store after trying all four pairings.