Now on Tap: CI Jetty, KBS, Schilling Otto, & Brazo Fuerte K-Wags

CASTLE ISLAND Jetty

Style: Dry-hopped Sour Ale

ABV: 4.1%

Price, Size: 16 oz,  $7

A spring seasonal brew from Castle Island.  The beer is slightly tart, with a lemony start and a crackery finish.  Jetty is kettle soured with lactobacillus and gently dry hopped with Citra and coriander. Light and tangy, this crusher is a refreshing salute to boats, beaches, and backyards.

FOUNDERS KBS

Style: Bourbon barrel-aged stout

ABV: 11%

Price, Size: 12 oz, $11

This beer is a coveted annual release from Founder’s in Michigan.  They make a huge imperial stout brewed with a massive amount of coffee and chocolates.  They then barrel it in used bourbon barrels (check out that recycling!) and cave-age it for a full year before bottling.  It looks like motor oil and has very little carbonation, yet manages to be chewy instead of syrupy.  It smells like coffee, oak, and chocolate.  The bourbon flavor definitely comes through at the start of the palate, with a lot of complexity in the stout to back it up.  This is THE quintessential bourbon barrel-aged beer that completely lives up to it’s hype. Get it while you can.

SCHILLING OTTO

Style: Rauchbier

ABV: 5.6%

Price, Size: 16oz, $8

Otto Schilling was a famous German-born American mathematician.  Schilling makes progressive, continental-inspired beers, and apparently is run by nerds.  This beer is a nod to the famous, highly traditional smoked beers of Bamberg, Germany.  It’s a dark brown lager with moderate carbonation, aromas of “soft beechwood smoke” and an intensely caramelized malt.  The finish is clean despite the smoke.

BRAZO FUERTE K-WAGS COCONUT BROWN

Style:

ABV: 4.5%

Size, Price: 16oz, $7.25

The cat behind Brazo Fuerte is all about sustainability, sessionability, and the convivial aspects of beer drinking.  Her (!) beers are all session-styles and designed to be enjoyable with food and “post activities” (e.g. sports).  Brazo Fuerte takes its name from Bev Armstrong’s old rugby nickname, which literally translates as “strong arm.”  The brewery was selected as the winner of the 2017 Sam Adams Brewing the American Dream Business & Brewing Experienceship, which involves some help with funding, as well as a lot of mentorship ranging from brewing technique to ingredients sourcing to sales to package design. The K-Wags is a surprisingly easy to drink brown/porter made with toasted organic coconut to “round out the deliciousness.”  While dark in color due to a complex mix of chocolate malt the beer remains refreshing.  It takes its name from a former rugby teammate who plays for the US National Team.  Dope.