What's everyone drinking...?

Beton Brut

Beton Brut

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A combination of boredom and deep curiosity has inspired me to start this thread. We're a fairly discerning lot here, so I imagined this to be fertile ground for conversation and learning. If you'll pardon the pun, the spirit here is similar to this thread.

I'm a brown liquor person, single malts, bourbon, and rum. In hot weather, I enjoy a good gin and tonic. Occasionally, I'll have a properly made cocktail. I like learning about wine from people who know more about it than I do. I'm an omnivorous beer drinker, anything from Hamm's tallboys to small-batch cask conditioned quads.

So what's in your glass aB? If you like it and enjoy sharing it with friends, so far as I'm concerned, it's awesome...
 
Cool thought. I'm with you on much of what you wrote, Beton Brut. I enjoy scotch, bourbon, rum, and cognac for straight from the bottle spirits, although my interest in cocktails is really pretty limited to an exceptionally dry gin martini or a classic margarita containing only tequila, lime juice, and triple sec poured over ice with rock salt on the rim. Anything else that advertises itself as either a martini or a margarita isn't.

For wine, I know enough to know that I don't know enough, but there are certain favorites. I'm particularly partial to Piedmont reds: Barbera, Dolceto, and for gods' sake, Barolo.

Beers run the gammut. I do like an occasional Budweiser but more typically I run toward craft IPAs or Trappist ales as my two favorite types. Here's an interesting looking new offer from Trillium that I hope to try this weekend. It is particularly fitting for the entusiasms expressed at Archboston.

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The local beer scene in NYC, like many other places, has exploded over the last 5+ years. Other Half is probably the most well known but I'm a huge fan of Finback from Queens. I don't travel around as much as some people I know so what gets down to the city from upstate is as much as I'm exposed to. Hands down my favorite upstate brewery is Sloop (which just expanded and is canning now). Rushing Duck and Common Roots are two others that don't get enough play.
 
I mostly drink whatever I can get my hands on, at a pretty steady clip from 5pm till about 11.
 
On recent trips up north, I discovered some not-so-new beers that were outstanding:

Creatures of Magic from Burlington Beer Company. They label it a "New England Oatmeal Pale Ale" which apparently translates to "crushable"

El Jefe from The Alchemist. Its their seasonal black IPA with a cat wearing a santa outfit. Black IPA is a style I really enjoy and have missed since it declined in popularity. This is a good one.

And one more from VT that you can readily find all over Boston is Little Wolf from Zero Gravity. Its a regular old pale ale, not particularly of the New England style. Just a great beer, lower in ABV, and reasonably priced.
 
Forgive me- I'm not much of a beer drinker.

However, I am big on local ciders and would heartily recommend:

  • Stormalong Cider (Sherborn, MA) has great sweet and dry ciders along with heirloom apple varieties and interesting special editions (aged in whiskey or rum barrels, for example)
  • Far From The Tree (Salem, MA) is new to me but I love Bog, which is aged with cranberry juice and herbs. Their hopped cider is also great.
  • Cider Hill Cellars (Amesbury, MA) Disclaimer: Cider Hill is the orchard I grew up going to and I know the folks who run it. Regardless! They have some fantastic options and have garnered some well-deserved awards for their work. Their summer editions are flavored with strawberries or raspberries. Their winter edition is almost like an ice wine or apple brandy, if that's up your alley. A "special occasion" drink for me.
 
I went to Treehouse for the first time last weekend and I highly recommend it, one of the best breweries in the world not far from Boston. They're IPA heavy but they do others very well too. Lines can be long from what I've heard. If you want to quickly stop in without enduring long lines we went at 530 Saturday night and it wasnt too bad. They close at 7.
 
I've started to like bourbons and ryes on the rocks more lately but don't know too much. If anyone had specifics they'd like to share I'd be all ears. Would prefer mid shelfs that deliver good bang for the buck as opposed to over hyped top shelfs
 
On the amber liquids front: The Star Market across from Mt. Auburn Cemetery [Watertown/Cambridge/Belmont line] has a "Build Your Own 6-Pack" case with 40 or 50 different varieties, $10.99. I've been down with that for a while. It generally has a good variety of Harpoon, Dogfish Head, Sam Adams, Sierra, Goose Island, etc.

On the brown liquids front: "Coffee & Cigarettes" at Sycamore (Newton Ctr.) is exquisite. Laphroaig whiskey, bourbon [forgot which type] cold-brew coffee, bitters--delish.

Amber liquids postscript: best "new" beers I've discovered recently [in my palate's estimation]:

Mighty Squirrel Peach IPA

Wipeout IPA (available in 22 oz. brown bombers at aforementioned Star Market)
 
Killer recommendations all, and duly noted -- thank you!

Beerwise, I'm a huge fan of my "locals" at Mystic and Night Shift.

Suffolk 83 said:
I've started to like bourbons and ryes on the rocks more lately but don't know too much.
Click to expand...

To my knowledge and taste, the best value-for-money bourbon right now is Eagle Rare 10, ~$35, beautifully packaged, and craft presented. I usually take it neat, but it's great on the rocks or with a splash of cold water. I prefer it to the over-hyped bourbons with extortionate prices. If you want a good cocktail bourbon, Woodford or Buffalo Trace are winners.
 
Thanks for the tip on eagle rare, I'll check it out. I know the other two are decent. I also like bulliet

I have to disagree on mystic, I'm not a fan of their beers or their taproom sorry. I haven't been to nightshift, I think im the last to not go there.

One I absolutely love is lamplighter in cambridge, great beers, and their taproom is also a coffee house and has some good breakfast and great vibes, big fan.
 
^ No need to apologize -- Mystic isn't for everyone. The IPAs that they're canning are pricey, and lean pretty heavy on the red-grapefruit flavor profile, so if you're into resinous, piney IPAs, it's probably best to skip them. Last year, they did a dynamite coffee porter with George Howell coffee. One of their barrel-aged selections called "The Last & Final Judgement" will hit you like Mike Tyson; it compares to Allagash's Curieux.

The Lamplighter beers I've tried are really good, in particular the Quad and guava IPA. I need to visit their space.
 
Recent purchases of note:
  • Isle of Arran 14, a delicious and craft-presented springtime dram. It's floral and salty, great after a meal;
  • Mellow Corn, from Heaven Hill (home of Pappy van Winkle), a fun Bottled in Bond corn whiskey for sipping or mixing. A true bargain @ $12;
  • McCarthy's, a brilliant American Single Malt from Oregon, made with peated Scottish barley; compares favorably to a young Caol Ila, at half the price.
 
I'm a big fan of the beers at Mighty Squirrel in Waltham. They make some pretty good NEIPA's, and their stouts/porters are pretty good too. One of my favorite breweries in the Boston area.

I'm also a big fan of Jack's Abby. I've heard good things about Exhibit A, but haven't tried yet.

Nightshift is pretty solid. I'll probably head over there more once they open up their love-joy location.

Trillium is good, but there are better imho.

I mean if I feel like a trip Tree House lives up to their reputation, and with the new Charlton space there aren't the lines that it used to have.
 
Blanton's on the rocks, as we speak. Although I usually go with Buffalo Trace for simple financial reasons.
 
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