I've opened a Sow & Gather Foeder-Fermented IPA (Drowned Lands Brewery; Warwick NY). A foeder is a big oaken vat. The earthy undercurrent stands strong against the tropical fruit, so you've got a nicely developed flavor profile here. This brewery typically does not disappoint. #BeerSky #BskyBeer
November 15, 2025 at 2:14 AM
A little wet outside, but I did some grilling anyway, and with that, a classic I haven't had for a while: Orval Trappist Ale from ... well, Orval, in Belgium. Quite a punchy yeasty flavor that echoes through sectors of your head. Juuust a teeny bit of foam on this one as well. #BeerSky #BskyBeer
November 14, 2025 at 1:06 AM
OK, my post-singing-lesson beer this evening is a Son of Sapping Mammoth IPA from Maine Beer Co. (Freeport, ME), which I'd never tried. It’s a very nice IPA, not overly bitter, and what makes it interesting is that the malt character peeks through a little bit more than usual. #BeerSky #BskyBeer
November 12, 2025 at 2:25 AM
Made a turkey meatloaf recipe my daughter sent me, and it was good! Not only that, I have a Torque Hazy DIPA from Industrial Arts Brewing (Beacon, NY). Zippy pineapple and grapefruit up front, but not super creamy or complex. It's straightforwardly nice and refreshing, though. #BeerSky #BskyBeer
November 11, 2025 at 1:35 AM
I've got a Hen & Chickens DIPA from Devil's Purse Brewing Co. (South Dennis, MA). Right on the Cape! The fruit has a good core and depth to it, in a melon/earthy mode with some candied orange peel. There's a little booziness at the end, so I wasn't surprised that it's 8% ABV. #BskyBeer #BeerSky
November 10, 2025 at 1:06 AM
Tonight's pre-burrito beer was Fresh To Death DDH NEIPA, from Aurora Brewing Co. (King Ferry, NY), with just Citra and Mosaic hops. But it's very aptly named, because the fruitiness is *piercingly* fresh. I said "wow" out loud when I took my first sip. It is THAT distinctive. #BeerSky #BskyBeer
November 9, 2025 at 12:44 AM
What a totally delightful holiday brew this is! It's Chestnut Praline Imperial Ale from Southern Tier Brewing Co. (Lakewood, N.Y.) This would be uncannily good on a quiet evening sitting by the fire. You can count on Southern Tier to hit it like this on a variety of things. #BskyBeer #BeerSky
November 8, 2025 at 1:55 AM
This is my 3rd beer from Bissell Brothers (Portland, ME), and their slant on NEIPAs is bringing out an interesting quality of the grain itself as another dimension of it. Reciprocal DDH IPA has an aftertaste that goes corn-like, and then kind of musty. They do this theme well! #BeerSky #BskyBeer
November 7, 2025 at 2:33 AM
Tonight's brew is a CBS from Founders (Grand Rapids, Mich.), which they call a "bold imperial stout featuring chocolate and coffee that has aged in bourbon barrels with maple syrup", and as such, you know there ain't gonna be much to complain about. I definitely enjoyed it. #BskyBeer #BeerSky
November 6, 2025 at 1:52 AM
Eek - 2 or 3 days without a beer! But I'm back with a Hypercube DIPA from Spyglass Brewing Co. in Nashua, NH, which to me is a top-tier brewer of NEIPAs. This one has a strong earthy/grassy character, and the fruity part comes off very fresh. That there is an NEIPA done right. #BskyBeer #BeerSky
November 4, 2025 at 11:42 PM
A classic that I hadn't had in probably 30 years: Sapporo Black, now brewed in Escondido, CA, and also now in a giant 22 oz. can! I liked this back then because at least it wasn't boring American lager. It has nice malty and roasty flavors, but it is also pretty mild. #BeerSky #BskyBeer
November 1, 2025 at 2:03 AM
I’ve opened up a Dented TIPA from Frost Beer Works in Hinesburg, VT. The thing I’m not loving about it is that they let the volatiles get away, and so the fruit part comes off as not that fresh. At 9.5%, it’s certainly got punch, but I'd say it’s a bit of a missed opportunity. #BskyBeer #BeerSky
October 31, 2025 at 1:14 AM
It's been a while since I've had a Weihenstephaner Korbinian. This is a doppelbock that is definitely on the syrupy side, heavily malty with some sweetness. It's not overbearing, just assertive. They're right that you get distinct prune and fig flavors over the dark maltiness. #BeerSky #BskyBeer
October 26, 2025 at 12:44 AM
Tonight's brew is a Double Dry-Hopped Imperial IPA called Space Diamonds, from Other Half in Brooklyn. Only Galaxy hops, and yet they managed to create an unusual flavor profile out of it, with a "green guava" tinge. I feel like that ability is what distinguishes this brewery. #BeerSky #BskyBeer
October 25, 2025 at 2:21 AM
Here is Pebble DIPA from Vermont Beer Makers (who are oddly in New Haven, CT). The fruit part is noticeably candylike, but then it does have a very present bite underneath. Cashmere and Mosaic hops, and 8.1% ABV. It's good - maybe not exactly Tier A, but more like Tier A½. #BeerSky #BskyBeer
October 24, 2025 at 12:08 AM
Following up on my first-ever Cushnoc (Portland, Maine) beer with another: All Souls IPA, which is essentially a West-Coaster in that it is clear and citrus-piney bitter. Color is a bit darker than some. It's very balanced, but to the point where it's mild and somewhat subdued. #BskyBeer #BeerSky
October 23, 2025 at 1:49 AM
My dinner beer is an Original Hefe-Weizen from Schneider Weisse (Kelheim, Germany). It looks a little dunkel in color for a hefe-weizen, and it turns out to be a yeasty little powerhouse. Lot of flavor for 5.4%. If you like the banana-clove vibe, this is boldly all about that. #BskyBeer #BeerSky
October 21, 2025 at 1:14 AM
Here's To Feeling Good All The Time! Well, that's also the DIPA I'm drinking, from Bissell Brothers in Portland, Maine. We've been seeing their stuff down here in Boston more recently. This is a good and proper NEIPA, and it has a depth to the grain that's distinctively tasty. #BskyBeer #BeerSky
October 19, 2025 at 10:09 PM
A new brewery to me! It's Cushnoc Brewing Co. (Augusta, Maine) with Double Dad Pants DIPA. This is so hazy it's got chunks in it, but it's not so New Englandy. It's indeed a little "dank", as the can claims, and it's pretty well balanced. Can't fit it neatly on either coast. #BeerSky #BskyBeer
October 19, 2025 at 12:26 AM
Why do chocolate and marshmallow in an imperial stout add up to a Cemetery Walk (Little Willow Brewing Co.; Florence MA)? Ghosts are marshmallowy? 9% ABV takes a couple minutes off your lifespan? In any event, the flavors are at a nice level, with a robust stout background. #BeerSky #BskyBeer
October 17, 2025 at 1:35 AM
Flight at Lamplighter in Cambridge, MA! Two stars: Queen Rabbit TIPA and Double Daydream DIPA. They're clear, so you think they'll be West-Coasty, but their pointedness comes less from the hops than from the grains themselves. A very interesting take, and I believe intentional. #BeerSky #BskyBeer
October 14, 2025 at 1:27 AM
A new brewery for me! It's Beer Tree Brew (Johnson City, NY) with Chromosphere NEIPA. The fruit is on the melon side and has a good vitality and depth to it, because they kept the volatile components intact. A little earthy undercurrent is there, but the fruit is the star. #BeerSky #BskyBeer
October 12, 2025 at 1:06 AM
More fall fun with Turkey Trotter Brown Ale from Berkshire Brewing Company (South Deerfield, MA). When pouring, you get a waft of bread-yeasty fermentation, and then the flavor is straightforward as described: hoppy brown. The two meld well together, and 7.5% lends some punch. #BeerSky #BskyBeer
October 11, 2025 at 1:09 AM
I have a Fürsten Trunk Fest Beer from Hofbräuhaus Traunstein (Germany), on a (finally) Octoberlike evening in Boston. It doesn't strike me as super Fest-y, but more like a hoppy German lager or a pilsner. It's very light and crisp. Not that there's anything wrong with that. #BeerSky #BskyBeer
October 10, 2025 at 1:27 AM
I have a Slerp Terp Remix (450 North Brewing Co.; Columbus, IN), flavored with pineapple, cherry, grape & strawberry hard candy, watermelon hard candy, and banana hard candy. It’s not nearly as god-awful as I feared. The dense, not-too-sweet smoothieness is not a bad sensation. #BeerSky #BskyBeer
October 8, 2025 at 11:54 PM