Wachusett BOO-YEAH!

Work has been super busy lately and I have been trying to maximize every free minute possible. It has included me skipping lunch two days in a row, which is not good. Luckily, I pack a few protein bars in my bag, just in case, and I’ve been scarfing them down on my ride home. We’re getting Thai food tonight because I’ve been craving it. They just increased the wait time for delivery, which is annoying, but gives me more time to finish tonight’s review.

ABV: 6.6%

Style: Pumpkin Beer

Trivia: According to the brewery website, “This scary good ale will have your taste buds screaming for more! The flavor of fresh pumpkin with hints of spice makes for a spooky treat you won’t want to miss.”

Random: This beer was first brewed in 2017.

The beer poured with a finger and a half of cream-colored head. It dissipated quickly and left very little lacing on the glass. The body was a clear mahogany color with little carbonation visible. The nose had the expected pumpkin pie smells with cinnamon and nutmeg and some ginger as well. There was a caramel note as well. The taste was malt-forward with caramel and toffee. There was some nutmeg and cinnamon, but the taste was a bit muted and watery. It didn’t have huge pumpkin flavors. There was a grain taste as well. The body was on the thinner side with light carbonation. The finish was quick with caramel malt. This beer went down easily and if you’re looking for a lighter pumpkin beer, this may be a good fit for you.

Untappd Rating: 3.0/5.0

Wachusett Larry

I remember reading a review of this beer years ago. Needless to say, I forget if the review was favorable or not. Either way, I ended up with a six-pack of these cans and saved one for research purposes. I have only had a few beers from the brewery, although they do get some distribution to New Jersey. Let’s see how this beer was.

ABV: 8.5%

Style: American Double/Imperial IPA

Trivia: This brewery offers tours on every day but Sunday.

Random: The can art for this beer makes it look a bit dated. I think they should look into a redesign.

This beer poured with a one finger, thick, off-white head. It dissipated slowly and left a lot of lacing on the glass. The body was slightly hazy and high carbonation was visible through the cloudiness. The nose had light pine notes first and then a lot of caramel malt. The taste was a lot stronger than the nose. It had pine sap and grapefruit peel and an herbal note. It took me a few sips to place it. It reminded me of juniper. There was no malt on the taste. The body was incredibly thin with high carbonation. For a double IPA, I was shocked that the body was so thin. It had a lengthy finish with pine and juniper. This beer was another gift, so no commentary on price. I thought this beer was alright, but it’s just a middle of the road DIPA to me. I wouldn’t rush back to have it again.

Untappd Rating: 3.5/5.0

Wachusett Blueberry Ale

Here’s the last backlogged post before I start getting ready to run some errands on my day off. Since we’re in end of quarter, I only have one day off a week. That, in addition to working 80 hours a week is literally exhausting. Anyways, this is a beer that my other half wanted to try. I poured it for her earlier this week and she let me have a taste.

ABV: 4.5%

Style: Fruit/Vegetable Beer

Trivia: According to the brewery website, “Our Blueberry Ale defines the style. The slight aroma of blueberry is balanced by a subtle flavor that gets fermented into this delicious wheat ale. It’s the perfect, refreshing beer for any season.”

Random: Let’s go Eagles! Less than an hour until they play.

This brew poured with a two finger white head that dissipated slowly and left no lacing on the glass. It left no lacing on the glass, but a quarter-inch crown was left on top of the mildly cloudy, light yellow body. It had high carbonation visible. The nose was very strong with sweet blueberry extract that was unpleasant and it also had some wheat. The taste was the same as the nose. It was a lot of artificial blueberry along with wheat and a touch of metal. The body was very thin and the carbonation was high. The body was too thin and it really took away from the beer. Luckily, this beer had a quick finish that was cloyingly sweet with blueberry. This was one of the worst blueberry beers that I’ve had. I wouldn’t have this one again.

Untappd Rating: 2.5/5.0

Wachusett Green Monsta IPA

Today was a long day. My sister and I drove up to Massachusetts last night and finally got up here at 1:30 AM. Add to that, an entire day of walking through fields antiquing (and no, I hate antiquing, I’m just going to get some beers that I can’t get in my area and have a weekend away). I also had a sunburn already, so now it’s even worse. So, I decided to visit a beer store down the street from the hotel and grab some beer to chill out.

ABV: 6%

Style: American IPA

Trivia: According to wikipedia, “The Green Monster is a popular nickname for the thirty-six foot, two-inch (11.3 m) high left field wall at Fenway Park, home to the Boston Red Sox baseball team. The wall, which is only 310-315 feet from home plate, is a popular target for right-handed hitters.”

Random: I almost feel like a traitor to my Yankee fan friends by drinking this.

Since I couldn’t pour this out of the bottle, my notes on appearance and nose are going to be limited. From what I can get on the nose, it’s a bit of pine and a hint of sweetness. A hint of flowers is also apparent. On the taste, the hops are definitely more floral and citrusy than piney. There was pretty decent carbonation and the sweetness hits at the end of the sip. This is a very easy drinker with a mild finish that doesn’t linger for long. It’s definitely a crisp brew and at the end of a day like this, I could put a few down without a problem. I would have this again, even if it does say Green Monsta on it.

Untappd Rating: 3.0/5.0