From Will Meyers, brewmaster at Cambridge Brewing Company:

Howdy, Kids.
Just a little pimp-out to announce the impending release of some new CBC beers.

Tuesday Nov. 27th (5pm) will see the release of our Winter seasonal, the one and only Big Man Ale. Nearly 7% of malty, hoppy goodness. Mmm. Being Tuesday, it's also cask night, and there'll be a cask-conditioned expression of the Big Man to go side-by-side (Centennial and Amarillo dryhopped).

Then, this coming Friday Nov. 30 (also 5pm) we'll roll out two more beers:

First, this year's version of our Late Harvest I.P.A., (6.5%abv)brewed with Chinook, Columbus, and Centennial, and a full hop-back load of fresh, wet, CBC homegrown added in. Mmm, homegrown. Hops, that is. What did you think I was talking about??

Second, it's also the release date of CBC's Blunderbuss Barleywine(!), with the first version out of the gates being 100% American bourbon barrel-aged. Don't expect a big bourbon bomb, as we allow most of the spirit to dry out of the oak before we rack the barleywine in to age. Instead you'll find lots of caramel commingling with toast, vanilla, and charred oak and a whisper of spirit in the finale. 11% on this one. Around NYE we'll release the second batch of Blunderbuss, this one with 100% stainless steel tank time.

Ok, that's it. Thanks, and we'll see you around.

Be kind to your beer,
Will

Will Meyers
Brewmaster
Cambridge Brewing Company

Umm yeah...I think we need to go

So we went on Friday. The Late Harvest IPA was quite good... a little overly bitter to drink a ton of, but great for a glass. The fresh hop character wasn't super prominent, but still definitely there.

The Blunderbuss was sweet, smooth and lightly bourbony. I loved it! Again, not something to drink a ton of, but great to savor. I routinely hold their stuff to such a ridiculously high standard and they continue to impress me. Well done!

Didn't try the Big Man (I was driving), but I still want to!

Jeff wrote:
Second, it's also the release date of CBC's Blunderbuss Barleywine(!), with the first version out of the gates being 100% American bourbon barrel-aged. Don't expect a big bourbon bomb, as we allow most of the spirit to dry out of the oak before we rack the barleywine in to age. Instead you'll find lots of caramel commingling with toast, vanilla, and charred oak and a whisper of spirit in the finale. 11% on this one. Around NYE we'll release the second batch of Blunderbuss, this one with 100% stainless steel tank time.

I would LOVE to give this one a try. This is the one you were talking about aged in Buffalo Trace barrels correct?

Mr Hammond wrote:
I would LOVE to give this one a try. This is the one you were talking about aged in Buffalo Trace barrels correct?

Yup! From their website:

The process of creating our barleywine begins in late summer by cramming our mash tun to overflowing with American and Scottish pale and German Munich malts. We then extract only the richest first runnings from the mash and boil extensively to further concentrate the sugars in the wort. During the boil a touch of honey is added to the kettle, along with Magnum, Centennial, Tomahawk, Cascades, and Fuggles hops
to provide balance for the sweet malt.
100% of this special expression of Blunderbuss has since been aging gracefully in a quartet of Buffalo Trace bourbon barrels in the now infamous CBC Barrel Cellar. A second batch of Blunderbuss, all stainless steel fermented and aged, will be released later in the season.
The result is well worth this painstaking ordeal. A creamy, pale tan head rests atop this beautiful amber liquid. Captured within the rim of a snifter, the first aromas to greet the nose are of alcohol’s fruity esters, then notes of rich caramel and sweet malt. As it warms, more distinguishable notes of burnt sugar and toffee, vanilla, and spicy hops are detectable. The flavor more than meets the prelude of aromas. Its rich, full body contains complex toasty malt notes, sweet caramel, tart flavors of berries and dried fruits and herbal hoppiness, followed by a warming alcohol sensation, and a lingering finish of spirit and oak.
This ultimate after-dinner drink pairs well with many desserts, but is also certainly a dessert in and of itself.

It's also got the slightest bit of funk going on... maybe some of the critters in their barrel cellar got loose?

Nice! I need to definitely check this place out and see if I can't find some of this when I come up there for the EBF.

Mr Hammond wrote:
Nice! I need to definitely check this place out and see if I can't find some of this when I come up there for the EBF.

Yeah, it's definitely worth heading over to! It's on the other side of the city, pretty much, but definitely worth the time. Also, it's on the same T (subway) line as Redbones, so you could do both in one day.

In case you don't know, this is Redbones.

Jeff wrote:
Yeah, it's definitely worth heading over to! It's on the other side of the city, pretty much, but definitely worth the time. Also, it's on the same T (subway) line as Redbones, so you could do both in one day.

In case you don't know, this is Redbones.

That's perfect. I was planning on hitting up Redbones for sure. I've seen them advertise all the time in BA and figured, well not sure how long it will be until I head back to Boston, so might as well stay the whole weekend and visit as many places as I can.