On tap at Seven Lakes Station, dry lupulin flowered moderation relies on floral citrus hop sunshine to caress its dank pine resin. Subtle yellow grapefruit bittering, lemon rind souring and orange peel sweetness combine for soft-toned essence above tingly caramelized pale malt sugaring.
Milder ‘juice bomb’ lets zestful lemony grapefruit salting and mellow piney bittering embrace lightly creamed crystal malt sugaring. Mild orange, pineapple, nectarine and cantaloupe illusions aid daintily spectral fruitiness.
On tap at Growler & Gill, salted orange zesting picks up mild grapefruit bittering and wispy tangerine-clementine tartness over dank piney hop astringency.
SOMERVILLE, MASSACHUSETTS
A rustic hillside pub in the heart of Somerville and a mile east of Aeronaut, WINTER HILL BREWING COMPANY opened in 2016. Specializing in small batch beer as well as craft coffee and fine pub fare (BBQ, sausages and sandwiches) this freestanding industrial brewery-cafe overlooks the Boston skyline in a shop-filled residential neighborhood.
Winter Hill’s interior features a capacious lacquered wood serving station with a few chairs surrounding the bar and Edison lights plus exposed pipes dangling from a black ceiling. A four-tabled patio deck with Trex composite decking adds further seating.
My wife and I took seats at the front window across from the large refrigeration unit during our March ’21 rendezvous to try all three current draught offerings.
Sessionable saison, Testing Testing, bent stylistic boundaries as its expectant lemony perfumed herbage and earthen wood rusticity received intensified lemongrass tartness and quirky lavender-chamomile-mums florality.
Zestful hazy yellow glowed IPA, Johnny Juice Bomb, paraded sweet orange-peeled pineapple, mango and peach tanginess alongside salted lemon-candied grapefruit tartness, leaving floral-daubed pine resin upon its sharp citrus-spiced finish.
Bittersweet raspberry-pureed carob tartness anchored Raspberry Russian Ending (a fruited offshoot of Russian Ending Imperial Stout), picking up chocolate-covered cherry, strawberry rhubarb, raspy raspberry and blueberry compote illusions in a semi-sweet chocolate setting.
SOMERVILLE, MASSACHUSETTS
Inside a cavernous unfinished warehouse, Somerville’s AERONAUT BREWING CO. opened 2014 and soon after began operations at nearby Aeronaut Cannery. Just off Union Square down an alleyway to a glass-doored entrance, the huge cement-floored indoor facility features simple cafeteria tables and plastic seats plus a 20-plus seat L-shaped bar. Already crafting 100-plus seasonal, one-off and recurring brews in its first six years, Aeronaut has annually increased capacity.
My wife and I grab a folding chaired table near the Venezuelan cuisine booth in a dank room left of the bar area while others brave the cold March ’21 dinnertime breeze at the benched picnic tables outside.
We tried the flagship pilsner and a mocha dessert treat before heading to Boston’s Little Italy for an exquisite meal at Rabia’s Dolce Fumo.
Mild lager-malted Robot Crush coalesced lightly spiced apricot-dried peach tones with earthen raw-honeyed minerality and quaint Citra-hopped lemony orange zest.
Bittersweet creme bruleed dark chocolate engaged caramel-roasted Creme Brulee Pastry Stout, leaving dried cherry, vanilla cream and toffee illusions on the back end.
Bold and decadent coconut macaroon knockoff works subtle bourbon vanilla sweetness into tarry dark chocolate-fudged toasted coconut prominence, picking up rum-spiced sugarcane, sappy molasses and caramelized cherry Cordial snips. Perfect confectionary nightcap.
Decadent lactose-soured chocolate milking richness reaches vanilla-creamed coconut adjunct and toasted marshmallow seduction. Confectionery Mounds Bar knockoff suits sweet-toothed stout fans.
On tap at Taphouse 15, marvelous mocha-bound Manhattan-Brooklyn collaboration plies creamy Mexican-Ugandan-Madagascar vanilla beaning to bittersweet cacao nibs richness. Chewy vanilla-spiced cocoa frontage gains fudged brownie, buttered toffee, creme de cocoa, chocolate cake and caramelized cinnamon-hazelnut coffee illusions.
Dry medium-roast coffee frontage gains dark chocolate, espresso and caramel splendor for vanilla-daubed macchiato knockoff. Rigid nutty coffee bean essence picks up tertiary hop-charred blueberry and dark cherry whims.
On tap at Taphouse 15, creamily rich dark chocolate syruping draped in Utah bourbon barrels gains dry rye whiskey snip. Velvety smooth bourbon vanilla midst scatters tertiary espresso, cappuccino, caramel coffee, hazelnut and black cherry illusions.
On tap at Kitchen And Beer Bar, tantalizingly rich pastry-creamed salted caramel sweetness given butter pecan, spiced toffee, maple molasses, honeyed granola, creme brulee and butterscotch auxiliary to contrast cedar-burnt hop sear.
On tap at Beef Trust, nifty St. Patrick’s Day confection offers spiffy Junior Mint/ York Peppermint candied promise. Mildly creamed dark chocolate-centered vanilla and marshmallow adjuncts guard minty freshness.
