I went to the New England Real Ale Exhibition on Wednesday the 2nd. NERAX is an annual real ale event held in Somerville, MA. All beers at NERAX are cask conditioned, and are served by gravity or hand pump. I'd been the previous year, and it had slipped my mind that it was coming up. Fortunately, I passed by the Dilboy VFW Post on my way home to do laundry and noticed the sign. It's only about three blocks from my apartment so I walked over at 5:45, but wasn't able to get in until 7:15 because of limited admissions.
The Dilboy Post
The firkins
I stuck to half-pints this year, except the last beer I had which was a pint. Overall it was a pretty good fest, a little expensive, but the beer was good. I wore my Cantillon shirt and counted eight comments from other people.
661. Portsmouth American Mild
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Portsmouth Brewery
Alcohol: 4.80%
Serving: Cask, Half-Pint
Style: English Pale Mild Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a hazy copper with a thin sudsy head. The aroma is nicely hoppy and citric with toasted malts and a heavy fruitiness. Malty upfront with toasty, bready and caramel flavors. The finish has a lingering resiny and citric hop bitterness. Light-bodied with low carbonation, and a touch oily.
662. Martha's Smoked Porter
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Martha's Exchange
Alcohol: 6.20%
Serving: Cask, Half-Pint
Style: American Porter, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a dark black with a thin, dense, brown head that fades quickly. The aroma is dominated by smoke, with some evident coffee and chocolate notes, swirling brings out fruity and hoppy aromas. Mildly sweet upfront that is a mix of fruit and chocolate. The finish is smoky with a nice roasted bitterness.
663. Hop Back Crop Circle
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Hop Back Brewery
Alcohol: 4.20%
Serving: Cask, Half-Pint
Style: Herbed/Spiced Beer, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a lightly hazy golden with a thin, white film for a head. The aroma is grainy with a bit of sulfur, as well as yeastiness and a hint of sour apple. Grainy with some sour apple fruitiness as well as a nice grassy bitterness in the finish. Light-bodied, moderate carbonation with a dry finish.
664. Hop Back G.F.B.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Hop Back Brewery
Alcohol: 3.50%
Serving: Cask, Half-Pint
Style: English Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Pours an almost clear copper with a sudsy white head. The aroma is much the same as the Crop Circle, with a hint of sulfur and some grassy aromas. The taste is also similar to Crop Circle, but a bit more bitter. Medium-bodied, moderate carbonation and dry in the finish.
665. Hop Back Summer Lightning
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Hop Back Brewery
Alcohol: 5.00%
Serving: Cask, Half-Pint
Style: English Bitter, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a clear golden-copper with a relatively dense, sudsy, white head. The same hint of sulfur gives this beer a characteristic "Hop Back" aroma, but the graininess is diminished and a hint of caramel takes its place. Sweet and fruity upfront followed by a significant grassy bitterness. Medium-bodied, low carbonation and smooth with a grassy dryness in the finish.
666. Hop Back Odyssey
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Hop Back Brewery
Alcohol: 4.00%
Serving: Cask, Half-Pint
Style: English Bitter, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a hazy amber with a sudsy, off-white head. The aroma is yeasty grassy and hoppy. Toasty malts upfront that become lightly sweet in the center. The finish is a nice mild herbal bitterness. Low-carbonation, light-to-medium-bodied.
667. Dark Star HopHead
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Dark Star Brewing
Alcohol: 3.80%
Serving: Cask, Half-Pint
Style: English Bitter, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a lightly hazy golden with a sudsy white head. Piney, resiny hops dominate the aroma with some graininess that appears upon swirling. Malty upfront, only lightly sweet, with a nice resiny hop bitterness in the finish. Light-bodied with low carbonation.
668. Harpoon Brown Session Ale
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Harpoon Brewery
Alcohol: 4.30%
Serving: Cask, Half-Pint
Style: American Brown Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a hazy, amber-brown with a beige head. The aroma is malty with notes of caramel as well as a nice dose of hops. The flavors are malty with notes of caramel, fruit and nuttiness. The finish is nicely hoppy. Light-bodied, low carbonation.
669. Moat Mountain Brown Spruce
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Moat Mountain Smoke House & Brewing
Alcohol: ?
Serving: Cask, Pint
Style:Herbed/Spiced Beer, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a dark brown with a half-inch, beige head. The aroma is malty with nutty and caramel aromas. The taste is much the same with a lightly bitter finish. The spruce is evident, but becomes much more noticeable towards the end of the pint. Light-to-medium-bodied, low carbonation.
The Dilboy Post
The firkins
I stuck to half-pints this year, except the last beer I had which was a pint. Overall it was a pretty good fest, a little expensive, but the beer was good. I wore my Cantillon shirt and counted eight comments from other people.
661. Portsmouth American Mild
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Portsmouth Brewery
Alcohol: 4.80%
Serving: Cask, Half-Pint
Style: English Pale Mild Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a hazy copper with a thin sudsy head. The aroma is nicely hoppy and citric with toasted malts and a heavy fruitiness. Malty upfront with toasty, bready and caramel flavors. The finish has a lingering resiny and citric hop bitterness. Light-bodied with low carbonation, and a touch oily.
662. Martha's Smoked Porter
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Martha's Exchange
Alcohol: 6.20%
Serving: Cask, Half-Pint
Style: American Porter, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a dark black with a thin, dense, brown head that fades quickly. The aroma is dominated by smoke, with some evident coffee and chocolate notes, swirling brings out fruity and hoppy aromas. Mildly sweet upfront that is a mix of fruit and chocolate. The finish is smoky with a nice roasted bitterness.
663. Hop Back Crop Circle
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Hop Back Brewery
Alcohol: 4.20%
Serving: Cask, Half-Pint
Style: Herbed/Spiced Beer, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a lightly hazy golden with a thin, white film for a head. The aroma is grainy with a bit of sulfur, as well as yeastiness and a hint of sour apple. Grainy with some sour apple fruitiness as well as a nice grassy bitterness in the finish. Light-bodied, moderate carbonation with a dry finish.
664. Hop Back G.F.B.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Hop Back Brewery
Alcohol: 3.50%
Serving: Cask, Half-Pint
Style: English Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Pours an almost clear copper with a sudsy white head. The aroma is much the same as the Crop Circle, with a hint of sulfur and some grassy aromas. The taste is also similar to Crop Circle, but a bit more bitter. Medium-bodied, moderate carbonation and dry in the finish.
665. Hop Back Summer Lightning
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Hop Back Brewery
Alcohol: 5.00%
Serving: Cask, Half-Pint
Style: English Bitter, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a clear golden-copper with a relatively dense, sudsy, white head. The same hint of sulfur gives this beer a characteristic "Hop Back" aroma, but the graininess is diminished and a hint of caramel takes its place. Sweet and fruity upfront followed by a significant grassy bitterness. Medium-bodied, low carbonation and smooth with a grassy dryness in the finish.
666. Hop Back Odyssey
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Hop Back Brewery
Alcohol: 4.00%
Serving: Cask, Half-Pint
Style: English Bitter, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a hazy amber with a sudsy, off-white head. The aroma is yeasty grassy and hoppy. Toasty malts upfront that become lightly sweet in the center. The finish is a nice mild herbal bitterness. Low-carbonation, light-to-medium-bodied.
667. Dark Star HopHead
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Dark Star Brewing
Alcohol: 3.80%
Serving: Cask, Half-Pint
Style: English Bitter, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a lightly hazy golden with a sudsy white head. Piney, resiny hops dominate the aroma with some graininess that appears upon swirling. Malty upfront, only lightly sweet, with a nice resiny hop bitterness in the finish. Light-bodied with low carbonation.
668. Harpoon Brown Session Ale
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Harpoon Brewery
Alcohol: 4.30%
Serving: Cask, Half-Pint
Style: American Brown Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a hazy, amber-brown with a beige head. The aroma is malty with notes of caramel as well as a nice dose of hops. The flavors are malty with notes of caramel, fruit and nuttiness. The finish is nicely hoppy. Light-bodied, low carbonation.
669. Moat Mountain Brown Spruce
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Moat Mountain Smoke House & Brewing
Alcohol: ?
Serving: Cask, Pint
Style:Herbed/Spiced Beer, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a dark brown with a half-inch, beige head. The aroma is malty with nutty and caramel aromas. The taste is much the same with a lightly bitter finish. The spruce is evident, but becomes much more noticeable towards the end of the pint. Light-to-medium-bodied, low carbonation.
Labels: American Brown Ale, American Porter, Beer Fests, Cask Ale, English Bitter, English Pale Ale, English Pale Mild Ale, Herbed/Spiced Beer, NERAX, Real Ale
