Craft beer?

Big Y has a really loose definition of "craft beer."

(Look carefully at the top shelf.)

Beer Review: Wicked Pissa IPA

The other day, I bought a variety of beers and other alcoholic beverages. Each of them interested me at the time I bought them - some, because I had had other varieties of the same brand; others, because the product was in a category I enjoy; still others, because the labels were so cool and interesting that I wanted to find out what was locked up behind them.

And then there was this. Wicked Pissa IPA, which I bought solely because it was a novelty.

The label claims all of New England as its turf, but anyone really from New England knows differently. The only place the word "pissah" is used as a descriptive meaning "excellent" is Boston and its immediate vicinity, and there are few things the rest of New England likes less than Boston presuming to know what's good for all of us. Especially when "all of us" means "Massachusetts west of Worcester" (trust me, I grew up in Western Mass, and if there were a way we could form our own state and tell Boston to shove it, it would have been done forty years ago.) Also, notice that I spelled "pissah" with an "H" on the end,  because that's the way it's spelled. goddamnit.

In other words, everything on the label of this IPA points to someone having a shitload of contract-brewed beer to get rid of, so they slapped a misspelled label that sounded "New Englandy" on it and put it up for sale in the Northeast.

But it was still an IPA, and I like IPAs, so I figured the worst that could happen was I'd get to drink an IPA that had a stupid label on it.

Wicked Pissa pours out medium amber with a short-lived white head. The aroma is fairly complex - the usual IPA hoppiness, of course, but also something slightly green and floral. The flavor was dry and hoppy, with just a hint of that floral quality wafting around - a good, bold IPA taste. Unfortunately, there was also a profoundly skunked quality to it that I really didn't enjoy at all. I really can't give it more than about a 3 stars out of 5, and one of those stars is because they were able to induce enough curiosity in me to buy it in the first place.

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Beer Review: Atwater Brewery's Vanilla Java Porter

I'm usually not a big fan of dark beers - I love IPAs, pilsners, and lagers. But on a recent trip to Yankee Spirits in Sturbridge, one of the largest package stores in New England with a selection of literally thousands of beers, Lynnafred (who is a big fan of dark beer) spotted Atwater Brewery's Vanilla Java Porter and asked if I was up to a bit of a challenge. I have to admit that the idea of a beer brewed with vanilla and coffee sounded kind of appealing, so we bought a sixpack to try with some friends.

Vanilla is the dominant element of this brew, and it's evident from the second you crack the tube. It's got a strong nose of vanilla and caramel, with just a hint of coffee coming through. It pours out with good body, though a little thinner than most other porters. The thin head dissipates quickly with very little lacing.

The flavor closely echos the aroma: strong on the vanilla, less so with the coffee, and backnotes of caramel and chocolate. It's a little on the sweet side as well, with a pleasant malty toasty finish.

Lynnafred and I both enjoyed this brew, as did the people we shared it with, who commented about how smooth and creamy it was. Two people actually told me that good enough "to be a dessert."

Review: Beer Chips

Beer chips. Potato chips made with beer.  Where do I even begin with these things?

Well, I like beer. And I like potato chips. And you know, I gotta admit that chips and beer go pretty well together.  But they don't go together this way if you know what I mean.

Beer chips are thick-cut kettle-cooked chips which are flavored with a coating of powdered beer, and there is no mistaking it. The taste of beer is quite pronounced and certainly unique in the snack universe.

And they taste disgusting. Kind of like piss. Really cheap piss. Cheaper than Pabst Blue Ribbon. Cheaper even than Falstaff or Milwaukee's Best. 

I've eaten some pretty weird stuff. Balut. Canned pig brains. A German-made cheeseburger sealed in a can. Some things have been worse than others. But Beer Chips? They're just nasty.