Ride to the Sky and Beer

After a thrilling Ride to the Sky up the Mount Washington Auto Road to clear amazing views at an elevation of 6288' above sea level and then on to more twisty turny fun through various notches and tree lined country roads, a fine meal of good steak and craft beer was well deserved.

An awesome meal of Delmonico steak au jus with locally sourced mushrooms and a big honkin' hunk of mud pie at the Red Parka Pub and Steakhouse was very well deserved and heartily enjoyed.

And beer. Three - count them - three new to me beers on tap. Of course, I had to try them all. A no brainer for sure.

Mostly Cloudy (4.70% ABV) a witbier by Long Trail.

Classic for the style. Light, drinkable, and refreshing.

It pours a hazy sunny orange with a pillow of white foam. The aroma is light and yeasty with a touch of fruity funk. The taste is much the same.  The mouth feel is gently effervescent. It goes down easy with smooth quaffability and finishes clean.

Overall: very good









Vacation Land Summer Ale (4.90% ABV) an American Blonde Ale by Gritty McDuff's.


Brisk and refreshing with a pleasant bitter snap that truly hits the spot.

It pours a deep gold with a white floof of foam that leaves behind layers of lacing. The aroma is hoppy with a sweet undercurrent of caramelized malt.  The taste is of piney and citrussy hops that is perfectly biting. Sweeter flavors linger in the background to add balance. The finish is dry and clean and hoppy. The mouthfeel is medium and bubbly.

Overall: good





Lost Sailor (5.5% ABV) an India Pale Ale from Berkshire Brewing

This is and English style IPA so, if you're expecting tongue stripping hoppiness, you won't find that here.

It pours a cloudy orangy red. The aroma is very malty.  The taste is somewhat light. Sweet heavy malts are upfront with some hoppiness on the back end and it finishes dry. The mouthfeel is medium with lots of carbonation.

Overall:  good.

Four beers in four minutes

I love it when a beer run leads to a beer tasting. This was one of those trips with a bonus waiting for me right inside the door. 

Berkshire Brewing Company was set up with several bottles of their beer chilling in a bucket of ice.  Did I stop to give them a try?  You bet your sweet bippy.

Colin, the BBC representative, was knowledgeable and professional.  he described the different beers as I tasted and we discussed my thoughts and opinions of the various brews. 

Steel Rail Extra Pale Ale (5.3% ABV) Extra Pale it is.  The aroma is very fruity and malty.  Based on the smell, I was looking forward to my first sip.  The flavor?  A huge let-down. The tasted of this beer is empty and featureless.  Bland. It really has almost no flavor at all.  Disappointing.

Lost Sailor India Pale Ale (5.5% ABV) a British style ale.  The aroma is very malty.  The taste is somewhat light. Malt is what comes through first with some hoppiness on the back end and it finishes dry.   This beer is good but not great.  Pretty much a middle of the road IPA.  Overall:  good.

Maibock Lager (6.5% ABV) Now this is more like it.  The aroma is malty and fruity.  The taste is rich and pleasantly sweet; loaded with caramel malt, bready yeast and a whisper of vanilla.  The sweetness is nicely balanced with a touch of bitter hops.   There is a boozy quality, but it is fairly well concealed and doesn't detract.  The mouthfeel was especially pleasant,  it is somewhat heavy and creamy on the palate.  If it's any indication of how much I liked this beer, I bought a bottle.  Overall: Very Good.

Dean's Beans Coffeehouse Porter (6.2% ABV) is a damned good porter!  The aroma is like a fresh cup of coffee.  Yeah, just like that and very enticing.  The flavor met every expectation the smell stimulated.  Loads of roasty coffee flavor with hints of cocoa and vanilla.  Bitter hops balance out the malty sweetness.    The mouthfeel is heavy but the carbonation lightens it up.  I bought two bottles of this brew because I liked it so much.  Overall: Very Good.

Based on this tasting experience, my opinion is that BBC does much better with their heavier, darker beers.  The light ones I sampled were okay, but nothing special.  I look forward trying more of their brews in the future.

Visit Berkshire Brewing's website for info on their other beers and "like" them on Facebook.