On tap at Ambulance, unconventional New England-styled pale ale undercuts its salty guava-gooseberry souring, tangy orange-juiced pineapple zing and mild yellow grapefruit bittering with arid spelt-starched wheat dextrin. Musky herbal tinge slides thru musty sourly fruited finish.
On tap at Growler & Gill, busy NEIPA collab with California’s Monkish Brewing utilizes subtle Muscat grape-juiced Chardonnay wining to integrate with waxy tropical fruiting and glassy juniper-licked vodka smoothness. Yellow grapefruit, navel orange, pineapple and mango tang overrides dank pine resin and lemondrop tartness above creamy oats-flaked wheat base – dusting the Muscat grape influence.
On tap at Growler & Gill, white winey Nelson Sauvin hops redirect wavering kolsch variant as green grape, gooseberry and guava tartness upends moderate lemon pith bittering, herbal white peppering and mild green tea sneak. Mineral grained pilsner malts and dry rye breading placate dextrin starching. Offbeat.
On tap at Ambulance, admirable NEIPA collab with Albany’s Fidens bursts forth with plentiful fruited luster. Creamy vanilla sweetness absorbs ambrosial orange-peeled yellow grapefruit zesting, sour gooseberry-guava tartness, peach marmalade tang, salted pineapple-mango zing, lemon meringue piquancy and swift nectarine nip above dextrose wheated oats. Desirable fruit salad alternative hides dank pine resin below surface. Highly recommended.
Lusciously decadent mahogany-bronzed full body (with well disguised 10.7% ABV) retains creamy Papua New Guinea vanilla bean splendor as well as chewy molasses-sapped brown chocolate sweetness, milk-sugared coffee bluster and sticky rum-sugared safeguard. Bourbon vanilla chocolate continuance gains bruised black cherry serenade, hazelnut-glazed chocolate caking and fudgy toffee snip to contrast oncoming ashen hop-charred nuttiness. Prestigious nightcap!
CANTON, MASSACHUSETTS
One of the premier New England beer spots, TRILLIUM BREWING COMPANY first operated only out of its original Congress Street location in South Boston. But it’s new 16.000 square-foot red-bricked facility 30 miles due southwest in Canton truly proves to be an absolute Beer Destination for any true ‘brewpie.’
When Trillium’s original flagship brewery opened in 2013 (with no tap room but bottles-growlers available), it immediately grew way beyond its Fort Point boundaries in Beantown.
Married founders JC and Esther Tetreault’s dream of developing sterling farmhouse-styles ales, microbe-cultured wild ales and other flagship or one-off varieties certainly came true as dedicated beer snobs keep gushing over their delicious suds. In their first two-and-a-half years, Trillium’s turned out over 125 beers. Some are ‘variations on core beers’ and many are ultra hazy, complex and highly expressive.
An illuminated metal Trillium sign welcomes patrons to the large draught room counter in the cement-floored stucco-walled office building in Canton. Barreled tables and minimalist art run throughout the rangy open space, leading to the slate-countered distribution center, where bottles, cans, growlers and shirts are sold and the efficient canning line jets back to the large brew tanks.
During my Friday afternoon jaunt to the Canton site in May ’17, I buy nine different canned ales (reviewed in Beer Index) while imbibing on the fabulous Coffee Porter – Nitro. Its velvety smooth texture, up-front coffee bean roast, creamy dark chocolate syruping and bitter cocoa powdering led the way above tarry oats-charred molasses sap. Mild bourbon, raspberry and cherry illusions added further depth.
Highly recommended.
www.trilliumbrewing.com
Superb flagship offering brings moderate piney fruited Galaxy hop bittering to the fore. Even richer, juicier and more complex than Trillium’s impressive IPA fleet, maintaining a cleanly smooth mouthfeel as its beautifully expressive orange-peeled grapefruit, mango, peach and pineapple tang picks up lemon-sugared melon, cantaloupe, tangerine and clementine subsidy above pasty dextrine-starched wheat malts. A veritable fruit salad.
Politely vinous white-wined Chardonnay adjunct affects tropical-fruited Citra-Galaxy hops. Yellow grapefruit pith bittering slides into zesty orange peel sweetness as grassy herbal musk and dry lime snip play backup alongside recessive mango, pineapple and peach illusions.
Summery dry-hopped medium-to-full body utilizes balanced blend of tropical fruit juicing to ride above moderately creamed sugar-spiced crystal malting, grassy hop astringency, wispy pine needling and sour lemongrass herbage. Sweet orange-peeled grapefruit, pineapple, tangerine, peach and mango tang stays brisk as lemony grape juicing teases the midst. Similarly styled to Trillium’s parade of IPA’s with subtle tweaking.
Bold medium-full body (with sly 7% ABV) brings tangy tropical fruiting to capacious sugar-spiced crystal malting, light piney hop bittering, dank floral tones and wheat flaked minerality. Mighty lemon zest, orange rind, pineapple, grapefruit, mango and tangerine kick retains juicy-fruited luster over earthen wood tones.
Audaciously bitterer dry-hopped version of Scaled regales sour lemon pith pungency with sweet orange-peeled mango tang, polite herbal hop musk and wafting floral aspect, retaining sinewy golden chartreuse haze. Sugared citrus tang gains zesty lemon tingle at the bright finish.
“Effervescent” hop-forward medium body offers dainty tropical-fruited tang to herbal lemon- dropped bittering and astringently grassy terrain. Understated Galaxy/ Nelson Sauvin hop combo scatters passionfruit, kiwi and papaya illusions as well as lightly candy-spiced peach, pineapple and grape wisps across the midst.
