Hobbs Tavern and Brewing

After a visit to Sap House Meadery to enjoy a sampling of their delicious offerings - including their new red wine, which is absolutely fabulous - we headed off to Hobbs Tavern and Brewing for a late lunch and brews.


Hobbs is partly owned by one of the founder/owners of Sap House Meadery. You'll see their products offered at Hobbs.








The restaurant has an amazing warm, rustic atmosphere. The staff is friendly and attentive.

The food was fantastic. The hot wings were crisp and flavorful - spicy without being brutal. The grilled cheese and soup was wicked good. The burger was cooked perfectly and generously sized. All good stuff. And quite satisfying.









A couple of seemingly minor things really impressed me.

One was the use of slates for beer boards. They are reusable and continue the philosophy of sustainability that Sap House Meadery promotes and that is so prominent in this area.

The second was the chalkboard strips used on the beer flights to label what each beer is. It made it very easy to identify which beer was which without having to refer to a separate list that may or not be in the correct order.

Minor, like I said, but great ideas well executed.

Black Sheep Cream Ale (5.3% ABV)  is a hazy golden ale with a fresh and inviting aroma. The taste is initially mildly sweet grains with a whisper of tangy citrus. A gently hoppy bitterness balances out the sweetness for a crisp finish. A nice, light, easy drinking beer.

West Ossipee Winter Warmer (5.7% ABV)  is a lightly spiced brown ale. It is malty and flavorful without being heavy. A tasty seasonal ale that is delightfully drinkable.

Something Went A-Rye (5.2% ABV)  a good IPA with a clever name. The rye is clearly identifiable complimented by just the right amount of hoppy bitterness. A balanced IPA that is tasty without violating your tastebuds.

Born To Be Mild (2.8% ABV) is a brown ale that, despite its low alcohol content, is incredibly malty and hearty. Mild indeed! I am truly impressed with this offering. Very well done.

Bearcamp Brown  (4.1% ABV) has a lovely sweet caramel flavor that compliments a solid malt backbone with a hint of smoke. Barely a whisper of bitterness yet still well balanced. Tasty.

Leaf Peeper Rauchbier is what a rauchbier is all about - smoke. Not my favorite style by a long shot and I honestly didn't care for it. That being said, hubby likes smoked beers and he liked this one. So, there you have it.  Not every beer is for everyone but there's a beer for every taste.







I really enjoyed my Hobbs experience. I was comfortable in the surroundings and the food was delicious and well presented.


But, I was there for the beer. I wasn't disappointed. There is really is a beer at Hobbs for every taste; including beer from other breweries. Yeah, I tasted those, too. Cuz that's the way I roll.

I'll be back for sure.  :)

Bonfire Rye

Date night is the best night of the week; second only to Friday. Hubby and I have been going out for hot wings and cold beer almost every Wednesday since we first met. Let me tell you, that's a lot of wings and beer, but who's complaining? Certainly, not me!

The only thing that makes date night even more specialer is when our favorite wings and beer place has a new craft beer on tap. That's like the cherry on top of the whipped cream on top of the ice cream that's surrounded by bananas and covered in hot fudge and sprinkled with walnuts. Yep, it's that good!

This week I spied a new brew on tap from a brewer who has yet to disappoint me. In my experience, Sebago beer is consistent and delicious.

Bonfire Rye (5.70% ABV) is a small batch, autumn seasonal brew.

It is a lovely warm auburn brown with a floof of white foam the leaves behind wispy ropes of lacing on the glass.

The aroma is super! Super as in amazing. Super as in enormous. The nose is a big hit of piney hops. Drool worthy if ever a beer smell was.

The taste is initially resinous hops followed by a rush of rye. Bready, spicy, malty flavors all combine to make for a wonderfully tasty beer. The hops and malt balance and compliment each other and the rye is the finishing touch.  The finish is crisp, dry and gently bitter.

The mouth feel is medium with enough carbonation to tingle.

This beer goes down way too smooth and easy. I can totally imagine enjoying this huddled up  around a campfire on a brisk fall evening. Yum.

Overall: very good

Pork'n out on beer

Hubby and I have a standing date night every week.  Most times we go to our favorite bar . . . Porky’s Café in Shelton, CT . . .  because they have the best hot wings around, awesome pizza, and the staff is cute & friendly.

For all the years I’ve been going there  . . .  at least 10 years . . . they’ve had pretty much the same beer on tap.  Mostly your run of the mill big commercial brewers:  Guinness, Bass Ale, Budweiser, Bud Light, Coors Light, Blue Moon, Miller, Sam Adams.   But recently I’ve noticed a new trend towards seasonal beers and a rotating guest tap.

I’m really happy about this development because the guest tap is most often a little guy craft brew . . . my kind of beer!

Some of recent beers were new to me and I absolutely LOVE trying new beer!  

A recent tap featured Dogfish Head Indian Brown Ale.  Dogfish Head is a favority brewery of mine so there was no way I was going to let this one slip by untasted.  I liked it a lot.  There was the hoppiness of an IPA that I love so much along with subtle caramel notes that add delicious complexity.  The bitterness of the hops is balanced nicely with a light sweetness.   I would definitely recommend this beer!  Delish!  (7.2% ABV)

A couple weeks ago they had a Founders Rye PA . . . mmmm.  Hophead alert!! This one is for you!  Very hoppy and grapefruity . . . my fav!  The malts contribute a light sweetness that makes for an amazing beer. A lot of hops and a touch of caramel . . . oh my sweet heaven . . . YUM!  (6.6% ABV)

And just this past week Lagunitas A Little Sumpin Wild Ale.  A fairly strong beer (8.7% ABV) with big flavor.  There’s plenty of hoppiness . . . so, I’m not complaining . . . with an interesting array flavors: spice, fruit and candy.  No, I’m not insane.  I’m not sure of everything I was tasting in this complex flavorful beer but I know I detected some banana and, dare I say, bubblegum.  That’s right!  I said it!  Bubblegum.  Just the barest hint and it wasn’t at all bad.  As my favorite Vulcan would say . . . fascinating.  Really quite good . . . scrumptious, in fact.  Give it a whirl . . . you won’t be disappointed.   

Laughing Dog Tripleheader

Whilst out searching for new brews, I came across this trio of pups.  I couldn't decide which of these I wanted take home so I took all three . . . which is exactly the reason I never go into a pet shop.  


The canine inspired labels are what drew me to the bottles, the hoppy contents are what put them in my basket . . . I felt a need to quench my IPA thirst.  And, these puppies did the trick.


The Laughing Dog Brewery is located in Ponderay, Idaho . . . the land of potatoes and beer.


Inspired by Ben the dog and a love for good beer, the brewers aim for simplicity in their beers . . . in nearly all the Laughing Dog brews water, barley, hops and yeast are the only ingredients.



Their motto: "Fetchingly Good Beer"!


As we sat down to enjoy this trio of India Pale Ales we decided to go in order from lightest to strongest.

We started with Rocket Dog Rye IPA.  I'd never had a rye IPA, so I didn't know what to expect.  It poured a light golden color that was fairly cloudy with a decent amount of head.    Reading other reviews of this same beer, I expected it to smell of rye bread and a hint of orange . . . it did not . . . not at all.   Frankly, it smelled awful and it was tough to get past that.  But, I held my nose and took a sip.  

Of the three this was my least favorite, but at least it tasted better than it smelled.  It was hoppy but not overly so, citrusy and a little bitter with another flavor I couldn't quite identify . . . perhaps the rye.  


Again, other reviews I've read rate this beer much higher and describe a much better flavor than I experienced.  I'm thinking that maybe I got a bum bottle.  I'll have to try it again sometime.    



Rocket Dog . . . 6.9% ABV





Next up was the Dogzilla Black IPA . . . this was one way better from the get go.


As its name would imply, it is pretty dark for a pale ale.  This beer poured a dark reddish brown color with a seriously big rootbeer-like head.  It smelled citrussy, piney . . . mouthwateringly hoppy.  It was an interesting mix of grapefruit, bitter chocolate and roasted malt . . . balanced and delicious. 





If you like a bitter, hoppy beer you won't be disappointed . . . I wasn't.


Dogzilla Black IPA . . . 6.9% ABV

Last but not least, my favorite of the group . . . Alpha Dog Imperial IPA.  Strong and hoppy  goodly amount of head.  I drool just thinking about it.


It pours a bright gold fluffy head that diminishes quickly leaving a nice amount of lacing behind.   Citrus, pineapple, and pine infuse the aroma.  The taste hops, hops and more hops . . . wow.   From the nose to the palate . . . lots of grapefruity goodness, lemon and a touch of sweetness to finish it off.

 I could definately taste the alcohol but it didn't detract from the overall flavor of this beer.  Nicely carbonated, lightly sweet and smooth.  


Yum.


Alpha Dog Imperial IPA . . . 8.7% ABV

Visit the Laughing Dog at their website or on Facebook.