Brewpubs bottling their beers and extending their brand to retail outlets is nothing new to Massachusetts. Offshore, Opa-Opa, The People's Pint and The Tap / Haverill Brewing Company have all thrown their hats into this particular ring over the years, so it's not a huge surprise that the Beer Works mini-chain of brewpubs has followed suit.
For those who've never visited a Beer Works location, they started out in 1992 with a strategically placed location in Kenmore Square in Boston that is essentially across the street from Fenway Park. They added a second location in historic Salem, MA in 1996, another Boston location a stone's throw from the TD Garden in 2001 and their most recent addtion to the family is their Lowell, MA location, opening in 2008. The Lowell location also houses a bottling line, which means that this is of course the location from which all bottled Beer Works offerings originate.
Initial offerings from the company have just hit the shelves and include:
Fenway Pale Ale: This one comes in at 5.8% ABV and is "an an 'extra' pale ale, with lots of hops and more malt" than the regular Beer Works pale ale.
Bunker Hill Bluebeery Ale: Coming in at 4.8% ABV, Beer Works dubs this one "New England’s premier 'bluebeery beer' since 1992."
Boston Red Ale: 5.5% ABV. Beer Works calls this "a malty, Amber Ale that was our very first brew. 'High Dry' German roasted malt gives this ale its signature red color and malty flavor."
Having lived in Boston for about six years, I've certainly tried each of these on more than one occasion and while it's been a couple of years since my last sampling, I can't say that I recall anything memorable about them, good, bad or otherwise. Still, it'll be interesting to see how they translate to a bottled product and more importantly if they're successful, what other Beer Works beers would drop into the bottling pipeline. Call me when the Buckeye Oatmeal Stout or Peanut Butter Porter are available!
And finally, just to balance out the unfortunate amount of Red Sox related content in this post (minimal at best with the Fenway references, but too much nonetheless), I'd like to congratulate the New York Yankees on their 27th World Championship this past season...let's get 28 in 2010!
beer, Hopback, Beer Works, Boston, Salem, Lowell, Massachusetts, brewpub, Boston Red, Fenway Pale Ale, Bunker Hill, Bluebeery Ale
