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BAD SONS Beer Company: Big Whoop

BAD SONS Beer Co.: Big Whoop

Style: New England-style Double IPA

ABV: 9.0%

IBU: N/A

Availability: Rotating

@untappd says: 3.89/5

Beers on Windowsills Returns to BAD SONS!

We’ll keep it brief for you Friday Instagrammers, but I wanted to give a quick shout out to BAD SONS Beer Co. with this photo that somehow got lost in my archives. Their top notch taproom is located in Derby, CT, and has only been around since the summer of 2017. Despite its short time in business, the brewery has always impressed me with the quality of the brews it puts out. If you’re looking for solid beer in CT, you can’t go wrong with BAD SONS!

Unfortunately, I don’t have too much information about the Big Whoop. It’s a pretty hefty double IPA that, at 9.0% ABV, packs quite a punch. That being said, it’s still very juicy and smooth, which makes it a little dangerous. I didn’t know it was so potent until I stood up after I drank it!

Big Whoop

BIG WHOOP comin' in hot to the taproom this Friday 3/16! Limited Can Release starting at noon. Can I get a Whoop Whoop!?! #DIPA #newbeer #canrelease #ctcraftbeer

Posted by BAD SONS Beer Co. on Thursday, March 15, 2018

I’ll actually be in the taproom with my good buddy, Brian and our wives this Saturday… Maybe I’ll see you there? Maybe I’ll have a Big Whoop?

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. BAD SONS Beer Company: Big Whoop . Beers on Windowsills Returns to BAD SONS! . We’ll keep it brief for you Friday Instagrammers, but I wanted to give a quick shout out to @badsonsbeer, with this photo that somehow got lost in my archives. Their top notch taproom is located in Derby, CT, and has only been around since the summer of 2017. Despite its short time in business, the brewery has always impressed me with the quality of the brews it puts out. If you’re looking for solid beer in CT, you can’t go wrong with BAD SONS! . Unfortunately, I don’t have too much information about the Big Whoop. It’s a pretty hefty double IPA that, at 9.0% ABV, packs quite a punch. That being said, it’s still very juicy and smooth, which makes it a little dangerous. I didn’t know it was 9% until I stood up after I drank it! . I’ll actually be in the taproom with my good buddy, @itsmeitsbmd1085 and our wives this Saturday… Maybe I’ll see you there? . ABV: 9.0%, IBU: N/A, Rotating Availability . @untappd says: 3.89/5

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Two Roads Brewing Company: 20 Ton Ale (2018)

Two Roads Brewing Company: 20 Ton Ale

Style: Blonde Barleywine

ABV: 13.0%

IBU: N/A

Availability: Rotating

@untappd says: 4.2/5

Can my Windowsills withstand 20 tons worth of barleywine?

A couple of weeks ago, my wife and I decided to use our cheat day (as it relates to diet, not… whatever you’re thinking) to get some pizza and drink some craft beer. I’d heard that PizzaCo, in Stratford, CT, had really great pies and a solid selection of crafty goodness, so we decided we’d go there to kill two birds with one stone.

When we got there, the pizza looked awesome, and the beer menu was on point. There was, however, one problem: it turned out they were directly across the street from one of my favorite breweries—Two Roads Brewing Company. As they say, “the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.” Our plans changed immediately. We decided to take our pies to go and saddled up to the Two Roads tasting room bar to eat it. Best of both worlds!

Two Roads Brewing Company: 20 Ton Ale
In case you wanted more of the backstory, it’s all on the back! (Credit: Martin Stezano/Beers on windowsills)

The 20 Ton Ale is one of the beers off Two Roads’ “Beers from the Vault” menu (and part of their Road Less Traveled series), but they also had bottles in the retail shop, which is where I picked this one up. Things got a little out of hand on Thanksgiving, and my friend Mike and I uncorked it and fired it up. It’s a blonde barleywine, which means you know it has some heft to it (12% ABV). It’s hopped aggressively with Northwest hops and made with heirloom malts. Overall, it was pretty tasty. Oh, and it’s named after the 20 ton crane that adorns the middle of Two Roads’ century-old building.

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. Two Roads Brewing Company: 20 Ton Ale (2018) . Can my Windowsills withstand 20 tons worth of barleywine? . A couple of weeks ago, my wife and I decided to use our cheat day (as it relates to diet, not… whatever you’re thinking) to get some pizza and drink some craft beer. I’d heard that @pizzacostratfordct had really great pies and a solid selection of crafty goodness, so we decided we’d go there to kill two birds with one stone. . When we got there, the pizza looked awesome, and the beer menu was on point. There was, however, one problem: it turned out they were directly across the street from one of my favorite breweries—@tworoadsbrewing. As they say, “the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.” Our plans changed immediately. We decided to take our pies to go and saddled up to the Two Roads tasting room bar to eat it. Best of both worlds! . The 20 Ton Ale is one of the beers off Two Roads’ “Beers from the Vault” menu (and part of their Road Less Traveled series), but they also had bottles in the retail shop, which is where I picked this one up. Things got a little out of hand on Thanksgiving, and @dasmiguel and I uncorked it and fired it up. It’s a blonde barleywine, which means you know it has some heft to it (12% ABV). It’s hopped aggressively with Northwest hops and made with heirloom malts. Overall, it was pretty tasty. Oh, and it’s named after the 20 ton crane that adorns the middle of Two Roads’ century-old building. . ABV: 12.0%, IBU: N/A, Limited availability . @untappd says: 3.67/5

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Two Roads Brewing Company: Roadsmary’s Other Baby (2017)

Two Roads Brewing Company: Roadsmary's Other Baby

Style: Rum barrel-aged pumpkin ale

Special Notes: Aged in Caribbean rum barrels

ABV: 9.3%

IBU: N/A

Availability: Very limited fall release

@untappd says: 3.91/5

Is it too late for pumpkin beer? Not on my Windowsill!

In October of 2017, I posted one of my favorite local beers, The Roadsmary’s Baby from Two Roads Brewing Company. It’s a pumpkin ale aged in Caribbean rum barrels, and I dug it because it showed off Two Roads’ barrel aging program’s vast potential. It’s appropriate that I waited a year before trying, and posting, today’s brew—the Roadsmary’s Other Baby—because the only difference between this, and the original, is time.

Barrel aging deepens the flavor of any beer ale and makes it just a little more complex. What Two Roads did with this alternate universe version of the original Baby is age it even longer in those Caribbean rum casks. That extra aging made the flavors even deeper, and ingrained the beer with even more oak and rum character. The notes of pumpkin and vanilla also became more enriched, making Roadsmary’s Other Baby a really delicious and robust pumpkin beer… Even though I had this too late to post it for Halloween.

Head over to Instagram to check it out now!

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. Two Roads Brewing Company: Roadsmary’s Other Baby (2017) . Is it too late for pumpkin beer? Not on my Windowsill! . In October of 2017, I posted one of my favorite local beers, The Roadsmary’s Baby from Two Roads Brewing Company. It’s a pumpkin ale aged in Caribbean rum barrels, and I dug it because it showed off Two Roads’ barrel aging program’s vast potential. It’s appropriate that I waited a year before trying, and posting, today’s brew—the Roadsmary’s Other Baby—because the only difference between this, and the original, is time. . Barrel aging deepens the flavor of any beer ale and makes it just a little more complex. What Two Roads did with this alternate universe version of the original Baby is age it even longer in those Caribbean rum casks. That extra aging made the flavors even deeper, and ingrained the beer with even more oak and rum character. The notes of pumpkin and vanilla also became more enriched, making Roadsmary’s Other Baby a really delicious and robust pumpkin beer… Even though I had this too late to post it for Halloween. . ABV: 9.3%, IBU: N/A, Limited availability . @untappd says: 3.91/5

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Two Roads Brewing Company: Bière De CT

Two Roads Brewing Company: Bière De CT

Yeast: Uniquely sourced from the brewery hop yard

Special Ingredients: Honey from estate beehives

ABV: 7.6%

IBU: N/A

Availability: Limited

@untappd says: 3.85/5

Nothing like some locally sourced ingredients on the Windowsill!

Some breweries brag about using locally sourced ingredients. Two Roads Brewing Company took it a step further with today’s brew. The Bière De CT isn’t brewed with honey from just any local farm. It’s brewed with honey from the brewery’s very own estate beehives. The yeast is also sourced at Two Roads’ own hop yard! It’s part of their “Beers from the Vault” menu, so ask for it at the bar when you visit the brewery, which I did over the weekend.

Now for the actual review. The Bière De CT is, as you may have guessed, an ale brewed with honey! It came in one of those fancy bottles with the cork—the bartender offered to let me keep it, but I bought another bottle to go at the shop, so I didn’t—and the honey aroma powered its way into my nose. The flavor followed suit, and the extensive carbonation made it a pretty amazing experience. My wife and I both really loved it, and I can’t wait to drink that take home bottle, too!

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Aspetuck Brew Lab: Symbiosis Saison

Aspetuck Brew Lab: Symbiosis Saison

Hops: Mandarina Bavaria, Lemon Drop

ABV: 6.7%

IBU: 27

Availability: Rotating

@untappd says: 3.6/5

Going back to the lab on the Windowsill today. Get your white scientist coat!

Why is the now three-year-old brewery named Aspetuck Brew Lab? The word means “river originating at the high place” in the language of the Algonquin people—a group of Native Americans from New England, Canada and some of the plains states. The water that the brew lab uses for its beers comes from the Aspetuck watershed and Aspetuck River in the hills of Redding and Easton, Connecticut. It’s one of the cleanest rivers in the Nutmeg State, which makes for some pretty tasty beer.

The Symbiosis saison is a fruity, bright farmhouse ale brewed with oats, wheat and rye, fermented with Belgian yeast and then dry-hopped with Mandarina Bavaria and Lemon Drop hops. That melding of the two styles (the farmhouse ale and the hoppyness) created a pretty nice beer. Didn’t blow me out of the water, but it was pretty good. The Symbiosis is worthy of the 3.6 rating from untappd.

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Fat Orange Cat Brew Co.: FOC Less Monster

Fat Orange Cat Brew Co.: FOC Less Monster

Hops: Citra, Ahtanum

ABV: 8.0%

IBU: 48

Availability: Rotating

@untappd says: 3.91/5

Let’s see what’s on the Windowsill, right meow!

Fat Orange Cat Brew Co. is a small, seasonal farm brewery located in East Hampton, CT. Seasonal, you ask? Yep, it’s only open 9 months of the year, closing during January, February and March. I love the name of this place! It’s inspired by “Brewmaster Billy,” a former portly pet of owners Sheila Mullen and Mike Klucznik, who are married. Check out their website for more info about the brewery, including a photo of the brewery’s namesake.

The FOC Less Monster is the first beer I’ve ever had from FOC—a delicious New England style IPA brewed with Citra and Ahtanum hops. At 8%, it packs a solid punch, but it wasn’t very bitter at all. Really tasty and refreshing beer, and I love the can art!

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Thomas Hooker Brewery: Ode to Blumpy

Thomas Hooker Brewery: Ode to Blumpy

Hops: Mosaic, Huell Melon

ABV: 7.0%

IBU: N/A

Availability: Rotating

@untappd says: 4.01/5

Let’s pay homage to all brewery pets on the Windowsill today!

Every good brewery needs an official mascot. More often than not, dogs get the nod for this position, but not at Bloomfield, CT’s Thomas Hooker Brewery. Blumpkin (yep, that was her full given name) aka Blumpy the cat was the official mascot of the brewery for eight years. Unfortunately, a year and a couple of weeks ago, she passed away. The folks at Hooker decided to preserve her memory the only way they knew how—with a beer. The Ode to Blumpy was released a short time later.

You know the owners of a brewery known for solid beers weren’t going to skimp when it came to honoring their beloved pet. The Ode to Blumpy is an unfiltered IPA brewed with tons of Mosaic and Huell Melon hops. The citrus aroma got me salivating, and the flavor followed suit perfectly. Very light on the bitterness for such a hoppy beer, too. As Hooker says in the official description, it’s got a “remarkably unique character, just like its namesake.” Hope Blumpy is still running around a brewery in heaven. RIP!

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Two Roads Brewing Company and Lawson’s Finest Liquids: Typecast Farmhouse IPA

Lawson's Finest Liquids and Two Roads Brewing Company: Typecast Farmhouse IPA

Hops: Wye Challenger, Cascade, Centennial

Special Ingredients: Vermont White Cedar, Connecticut Balsam Fir Tips

ABV: 6.5%

IBU: N/A

Availability: Limited

@untappd says: 3.7/5

We have a really atypical collaboration on the Windowsill today!

I love a good collaboration brew, so you know I was excited to find out that one of my favorite local breweries, Two Roads Brewing Company, and one of Vermont’s finest breweries, Lawson’s Finest Liquids, had come together to create a very unique Farmhouse IPA—the Typecast. For those of you know know Lawson’s story, it shouldn’t be a surprise that these two made a beer together. They already make a lot of beers together. If you’ve ever had any Lawson’s in a can, know that it was actually brewed at Two Roads. The two have had a solid contract brewing relationship for a while now.

Now onto the brew. A farmhouse IPA? Sounds wild, right? What is it? It starts out as a farmhouse ale (aka saison), and then it’s dry-hopped to perfection. One extra cool thing about this beer is that it uses all local ingredients. It uses Cascade and Wye Challenger hops grown in Connecticut, as well as Centennial hops grown in Vermont. The Typecast also includes Vermont white cedar and CT balsam fir tips in the boil. Overall, this brew wasn’t really for me, but it’s definitely an eclectic style, with some pretty good flavors that you might like. Cheers!

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Front Porch Brewing: Reverse Mermaid

Front Porch Brewery: Reverse Mermaid

Hops: Citra, Simcoe, Mosaic

ABV: 6.3%

IBU: N/A

Availability: Rotating

@untappd says: 3.9/5

Behold! A majestic mythical creature is on the Windowsill today!

A couple of weeks ago, I took a trip to Vermont. On the way home, needing to pee, I remembered that my good friend, @beer_shark, had told me about an up-and-coming brewery in Wallingford, CT named Front Porch Brewing. I decided to stop by, and picked up a couple of four-packs. Front Porch was founded in 2017 by four partners (I had trouble tracking them down, but one of them is West Haven, CT native Ryan Voytek. I’m hoping that, as time goes by and this brewery continues to grow, we’ll all know a lot more about these guys. Check out some photos from my brief visit!

The Reverse Mermaid was quite delicious. It’s a double dry-hopped IPA brewed with Citra, Simcoe and Mosaic hops. I love those hops on their own, and they combined really nicely in this beer! I also love the can art! It brings up an interesting philosophical debate. Would you rather be stranded on an island with a mermaid (human on top, fish on the bottom, like Ariel), or a reverse mermaid (fish on top, human on the bottom)?… Think about it.

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Veracious Brewing Company: 29 Pews

Veracious Brewing Company: 29 Pews

Hops: Citra, Other “Brewery favorites”

ABV: 6.1%

IBU: N/A

Availability: Year-round

@untappd says: 3.74/5

Pew! Pew! Beer and product review on the Windowsill today!

I’ve been looking to buy my own growler for a while now, and when I saw this Stanley 64oz growler on sale on Amazon I figured, why not take the plunge? This past weekend, I took it out for a spin! What’s good about this product? First of all, it’s stainless steel, which is good for many reasons. I love my stainless steel coffee cup because it keeps my coffee hot, or iced. This growler works the same way. It’s double wall vacuum insulation keeps your beer cold, and does a better job of keeping your beer pressurized than a glass growler with a screw top does. Speaking of the top, that’s lined with stainless steel too, so your beer only touches pristine stainless steel. My other favorite thing is the heavy-duty handle, which makes pouring super easy. Did I mention it’s leak proof and dishwasher safe? Really solid product. This growler, or any other stainless steel growler with a vacuum seal, is a better option. Glad I purchased this one! If you want a more robust review, check out my IGTV channel!

And now, the beer inside this kickass growler! I purchased this brew on my visit to Monroe, CT’s Veracious Brewing Company. The 29 Pews is their “house” IPA. Why 29 Pews? Well, the tasting room at Veracious is paneled with wood from 29 re-purposed church pews. That’s why it’s 29 Pews, and that’s why it’s the “house” IPA. As far as the hop build, it’s made with heavenly Citra hops as its base, and four other “brewery favorites.” It’s full-flavored and very drinkable. Solid choice for my Growler, I think.

For the purposes of full disclosure, I want to say that I purchased this on my own. However, I was approached by the company after posting it in a story of mine, so you will probably see more Stanley products on my sill in the near future. All reviews will be honest, though.