Notch Tafelbier
I already get the fair share of quizzical looks with my beers (”No IPA?!”), and the new Tafelbier will ensure that continues. This is a Belgian influenced table beer of 2.8% ABV that relies on subtlety and created with a pretty simple idea in mind – a refreshing yet interesting thirst quencher for the heat [...]
Drink Craft Beer Collaboration
Beer? You love it. Coffee? Imperative. Brunch? A perfect excuse to drink before noon without feeling like Charles Bukowski. Notch has combined all three in the first ever collaboration beer with Drink Craft Beer! The guys from Drink Craft Beer (Jeff and Devon) were having a few pints with me and asked if I’d be [...]
The ABV Thing
It was Session Beer Day on Saturday, a creation of session beer pioneer Lew Bryson of the Session Beer Project. It was a simple idea, celebrate craft beers of moderate alcohol. A fairly modest concept, we all thought. And it became a bit of shit show on Twitter, mostly around ABV and what constitutes a [...]
Two Year Interview
I had every intention of writing a two year recap blog post, but session beer advocate Lew Bryson grabbed me this week for a Q&A, and I think that interview captures just about everything. So I’ll send you to the Session Beer Project website so Lew can get the traffic. We hope to see you [...]
The death of seasonal beers.
Well, the death of a Notch seasonal beer. Let me explain. Back in the day before modern refrigeration, brewers were forced into brewing cycles to coincide with the seasonal temperatures, and certain beers were released as a result. Many of these beers lined up quite nicely with the seasons (refreshing in the summer, bolder in [...]
Black Bitter – cask only series #3
The cask only series returns with Notch Black Bitter. Black Bitter? Yes, Black Bitter. It’s an odd (we love odd), yet intriguing little beer from Notch, born of my long desire to make a hoppy mild. But Black Bitter was a better reflection of the recipe, and it has a cool alliteration. Other than that, [...]
Spring Beer Releases
Notch Saison Six Packs. Workers unite! Our funky little farmhouse friend, Notch Saison, hits six packs in mid-March for year round consumption. This was always the intent, but the 22oz release was to test out the reception of a Saison brewed to its original, workers beer strength. I was a bit humbled with the response [...]
Valley Malt Event – GO!
Beer events in Boston happen almost daily. Every week there seems to be new beer release, brewery event, special cask, etc, etc. And it’s all good. Especially good for the Boston area beer scene that for too long has been dominated by breweries from far away places. Finally, the local scene has been stealing the [...]
Updates, including Saison news.
Some quick updates on beer releases and such. Notch Saison With little or no fanfare, as is warranted for a worker’s beer, Notch Saison has been promoted to year round status starting this week. This was always the intent, as Notch Saison is a “courante” saison (everyday saison), but I wanted to test the demand for [...]
BSA Harvest Ale
Notch’s second limited release, our new BSA Harvest Ale, was previewed at the Gulu Gulu in Salem during North Shore Beer Week last Thursday, and we’ll do the same tonight, October 7th at Clover in Harvard Square at 8PM. So it’s time for a bit of background on our first beer with an acronym in [...]