Trillium Brewing Company: Blueberry Soak

Trillium Brewing Company: Blueberry Soak

Style: Sour Wheat Ale

Special Notes: Aged in oak barrels and brewed with blueberries.

Hops: US Goldings

Malts: Pilsner, White Wheat, Flaked Wheat

ABV: 6.3%

IBU: N/A

Availability: Rotating

@untappd says: 4.33/5

Who’s ready to get soaked on the Windowsill today?

Have you ever had one of the brews from Trillium Brewing Company’s Soak series? I hadn’t, until my trip to their Canton location this past Saturday. Starting in 2016 with the Blackberry Soak in 2016, Trillium has released many versions of this sour wheat ale: Peach, Plum, Raspberry, Apricot, Black Currant, Cranberry, Sour Cherry, Piña Colada and Blueberry. (Not to mention a couple of Super Soak imperial versions that have come out, too).

As part of my haul—which you saw most of in yesterday’s post—I picked up three bottles of their Blueberry Soak for my wife. I got home at 10 p.m. or so, and my wife immediately popped this bottle. I grabbed a glass, poured it for her and took the photo.

Trillium Brewing Company: Blueberry Soak
Soak in this classy label! (Credit: Martin Stezano/Beers on Windowsills)

The way this beer is made is truly a work of art. I’ll let Trillium’s own words tell the tale… “We ferment the base beer with 60% wheat in large oak foeders for several months. Fermentation duties are shared gracefully between our house lactobacillus strain and our Native New England mixed culture. Loosely inspired by the cold-maceration process used in winemaking, we referment fruit in the base beer after primary foeder fermentation to ‘soak’ for a deep extraction of unique colors, aromatics, and flavors.”

Everybody got that? What does it all mean? It’s a bit above my paygrade, but the blueberry flavor was really nice in this ale. It’s light, refreshing, crisp and a little tart. And look at that color!

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. Trillium Brewing Company: Blueberry Soak . Who’s ready to get soaked on the Windowsill today? . Have you ever had one of the brews from Trillium Brewing Company’s Soak series? I hadn’t, until my trip to their Canton location this past saturday. Starting in 2016 with the Blackberry Soak in 2016, Trillium has released many versions of this sour wheat ale: Blackberry, Peach, Plum, Raspberry, Apricot, Black Currant, Cranberry, Sour Cherry, Piña Colada and Blueberry. (Not to mention a couple of Super Soak imperial versions that have come out, too). . As part of my haul—which you saw most of in yesterday’s post—I picked up three bottles of their Blueberry Soak for my wife. I got home at 10 p.m. or so, and my wife immediately popped this bottle. I grabbed a glass, poured it for her and took the photo. . The way this beer is made is truly a work of art. I’ll let Trillium’s own words tell the tale… “We ferment the base beer with 60% wheat in large oak foeders for several months. Fermentation duties are shared gracefully between our house lactobacillus strain and our Native New England mixed culture. Loosely inspired by the cold-maceration process used in winemaking, we referment fruit in the base beer after primary foeder fermentation to ‘soak’ for a deep extraction of unique colors, aromatics, and flavors.” . Everybody got that? What does it all mean? It’s a bit above my paygrade, but the blueberry flavor was really nice in this ale. It’s light, refreshing, crisp and a little tart. And look at that color! . ABV: 5.5, IBU: N/A, Rotating availability . @untappd says: 4.33/5

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Trillium Brewing Company: Peanut Butter Cup

Trillium Brewing Company: Peanut Butter Cup

Style: Imperial Stout

Special Notes: Brewed with peanut butter, chocolate, Madagascar vanilla beans and lactose

Hops: Hop Extract

Malts: Pale Malt, Caramel Malt, Flaked Oat, Black (Patent) Malt, Chocolate Malt, Munich Malt, White Wheat

ABV: 13.5%

IBU: N/A

Availability: Limited

@untappd says: 4.4/5

This past Saturday, I took a trip to @trilliumcanton with my good buddy, Brian aka the Galley Cookin’ Beer Snob, and I had what is now my FAVORITE BEER OF ALL TIME—Peanut Butter Cup from Trillium Brewing Company.

First, a bit about our day. Brian got to my house at about 10:20AM and we hit the road to Canton, MA. We made no stops along the way and were inside the building at Trillium’s Canton brewery and taproom at 1:00 PM sharp. As was the plan, we went immediately to the taproom line to get a couple of 5oz pours each. I went with the Resolution Break, an Imperial Stout brewed with cold brew coffee, liege waffles, lactose and vanilla; and the Cape Elizabeth Light House, a double IPA. I’ll save the details on those for another post, because the attention today needs to be placed on the third 5oz pour I picked up.

Trillium Brewing Company in Canton
The sign outside Trillium Brewing Company in Canton (Credit: Martin Stezano/Beers on Windowsills)

Just from the smell, I knew I was in for something life changing. I don’t think I’ll forget that first sip for a long, long time. The creamy, viscous goodness coated the inside of my mouth like motor oil does engine lines. The flavors of chocolate, peanut butter and Madagascar vanilla beans and lactose transported me back to younger days, enjoying peanut butter milkshakes on hot summer nights. I’m pretty sure I floated off the ground for a minute, too. OK… but seriously, this was some unbelievable beer! I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it!

After taking time to make sure I was OK to drive, we went over to the retail shop section to pick up our to-go beers. I ended up buying a case of all different kinds of cans and bottles for me, my wife, a buddy and for an upcoming trade. Sadly, the Peanut Butter Cup was not available to take home. No cans. No bottles. Not even growlers. How disappointing!

Trillium Brewing Company: Peanut Butter Cup
Here’s hoping these aren’t the only 5oz of Peanut Butter Cup I ever drink. (Credit: Martin Stezano/Beers on Windowsills)

Anyway, we packed our beers into the back of the car and headed home. On the way, we stopped off at Castle Island Brewing Company, Grey Sail Brewing of RI, Cottrell Brewing Co., Beer’d Brewing Company (which was closed) and Outer Light Brewing Company. After grabbing food at the Half Keg Tavern in New London, we drove home. Our 12-hour, 4-brewery road trip was over! Amazing day. More to come on those stops soon!’

Check out this beer, and more from my trip to Trillium Canton on Instagram, now. Follow us for more upcoming beers from the trip!

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. Trillium Brewing Company: Peanut Butter Cup . This past Saturday, I took a trip to @trilliumcanton with my good buddy, @galleycookinbeersnob (Brian), and I had what is now my FAVORITE BEER OF ALL TIME—Peanut Butter Cup from Trillium Brewing Company. . First, a bit about our day. Brian got to my house at about 10:20AM and we hit the road to Canton, MA. We made no stops along the way and were inside the building at Trillium’s Canton brewery and taproom at 1:00 PM sharp. As was the plan, we went immediately to the taproom line to get a couple of 5oz pours each. I went with the Resolution Break, an Imperial Stout brewed with cold brew coffee, liege waffles, lactose and vanilla; and the Cape Elizabeth Light House, a double IPA. I’ll save the details on those for another post, because the attention today needs to be placed on the third 5oz pour I picked up. . Just from the smell, I knew I was in for something life changing. I don’t think I’ll forget that first sip for a long, long time. The creamy, viscous goodness coated the inside of my mouth like motor oil does engine lines. The flavors of chocolate, peanut butter and Madagascar vanilla beans and lactose transported me back to younger days, enjoying peanut butter milkshakes on hot summer nights. I’m pretty sure I floated off the ground for a minute, too. OK… but seriously, this was some unbelievable beer! I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it! . After taking time to make sure I was OK to drive, we went over to the retail shop section to pick up our to-go beers. I ended up buying a case of all different kinds of cans and bottles for me, my wife, a buddy and for an upcoming trade. Sadly, the Peanut Butter Cup was not available to take home. No cans. No bottles. Not even growlers. How disappointing! . Anyway, we packed our beers into the back of the car and headed home. On the way, we stopped off at @cibrewing, @greysail, @cottrellbrewing, @beerdbrewing (which was closed) and @outerlightbrewing. After grabbing food at the Half Keg Tavern in New London, we drove home. Our 12-hour, 4-brewery road trip was over. More to come on those stops! . ABV: 13.5%, IBU: N/A, Limited availability . @untappd says: 4.4/5

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Trillium Brewing Company: Amarillo Dry Hopped Sunshower Super Saison

Trillium Brewing Company: Amarillo Dry-Hopped Sunshower Super Saison

Style: Saison / Farmhouse Ale

Special Notes: Brewed with a high original gravity for a heftier ABV.

Hops: Amarillo, Columbus

Malts: Pilsner, White Wheat, Flaked Wheat

ABV: 8.5%

IBU: N/A

Availability: Rotating

@untappd says: 4.02/5

Dug to the back of the fridge and pulled out a flower!

For real, this is the last can of Trillium Brewing Company beer left over from my trip in September. Anyway, before we get into the Amarillo Dry Hopped Sunshower Super Saison, let’s talk about gravity!

No, I don’t mean the kind of gravity that caused Newton to get conked on the head by an apple back in the 17th century. I’m talking about gravity when it comes to brewing. According to Craftbeer.com, “A gravity reading refers to the total amount of dissolved solids in water. Since we’re talking about beer, those dissolved solids are sugars.” Basically, yeast needs to eat. Wort with higher original gravity (OG), or more sugar, means the yeast eats more, and produces more alcohol and other good things. So, the higher the gravity of a brew, the higher the sugar in it, which usually means a higher ABV. It can also mean a deeper, more intense flavor.

Trillium Brewing Company: Amarillo Dry-Hopped Sunshower Super Saison label
Love that flowery label. Can you see the rain? (Credit: Martin Stezano/Beers on Windowsills)

OK, now that class is over, let’s get to the Sunshower! It’s a high-gravity farmhouse ale which, according to Trillium, is inspired by the “ethereal refreshing mid-summer moments when we experience both rainfall and the heat of the sun in New England.” If you’re from New England, you know exactly what that means, and there’s no better way to describe it. The higher ABV (caused by the higher gravity, if you recall our lesson), makes an otherwise light and effervescent brew pretty punchy, which is a nice change of pace.

Although my leftover Sunshower can wasn’t exactly straight from the cannery—I had the rest of the ones I bought right after I bought them—the beer within was still pretty nice and quite tasty. The dry hopping with Amarillo definitely brought a little more complexity to the flavors, too. Really enjoyable. Need to review a fresh one next time!

Have you checked out Beers on Windowsills on Instagram yet? Get over there for more great craft beer!

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. Trillium Brewing Company: Amarillo Dry Hopped Sunshower Super Saison . Dug to the back of the fridge and pulled out a flower! . For real, this is the last can of Trillium left over from my trip in September. Anyway, before we get into the Amarillo Dry Hopped Sunshower Super Saison let’s talk about gravity! . No, I don’t mean the kind of gravity that caused Newton to get conked on the head by an apple back in the 17th century. I’m talking about gravity when it comes to brewing. According to @craftbeerdotcom, “A gravity reading refers to the total amount of dissolved solids in water. Since we’re talking about beer, those dissolved solids are sugars.” Basically, yeast needs to eat. Wort with higher original gravity (OG), or more sugar, means the yeast eats more, and produces more alcohol and other good things. So, the higher the gravity of a brew, the higher the sugar in it, which usually means a higher ABV. It can also mean a deeper, more intense flavor. . OK, now that class is over, let’s get to the Sunshower! It’s a high-gravity farmhouse ale which, according to Trillium, is inspired by the “ethereal refreshing mid-summer moments when we experience both rainfall and the heat of the sun in New England.” If you’re from New England, you know exactly what that means, and there’s no better way to describe it. The higher ABV (caused by the higher gravity, if you recall our lesson), makes an otherwise light and effervescent brew pretty punchy, which is a nice change of pace. . Although my leftover Sunshower can wasn’t exactly straight from the cannery—I had the rest of the ones I bought right after I bought them—the beer within was still pretty nice and quite tasty. The dry hopping with Amarillo definitely brought a little more complexity to the flavors, too. Really enjoyable. Need to review a fresh one next time! . ABV: 8.5%, ABV: N/A, Rotating availability . @untappd says: 4.02/5

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Trillium Brewing Company: PM Dawn

Trillium Brewing Company: PM Dawn

Style: Imperial Stout

Special Notes: Brewed with coffee from Barrington Coffee

ABV: 9.0%

IBU: N/A

Availability: Rotating

@untappd says: 4.30/5

Stout Season is still going strong on the Windowsill today!

This is another Trillium Brewing Company brew from my trip in September, the PM Dawn. It’s one of many beers—of all styles—that the Boston-based brewery has made in collaboration with their Fort Point neighbors, Barrington Coffee Roasting. You might have tried some of the others, like the Night & Day, the Day & Night, the Coffee Cake and the Affogato.

Trillium Brewing Company: PM Dawn
Why show one, when I can show two? (Credit: Martin Stezano/Beers on Windowsills)

This is the first Stout I’ve ever tried from Trillium, and I can absolutely guarantee you I’m going to be looking for more of them when I go to their Canton location in February. It’s brewed with cold brewed coffee, which, in my opinion, is way better than regular coffee brewed hot. Why? First of all, it contains more caffeine than regular coffee. It’s also easier on your stomach, as the heat used in brewing a regular cup of Joe can add to the drink’s acidity.

Enough about the Java though. The PM Dawn is divine. The nose hits you with some solid earthy, roasted coffee and chocolate. The flavor follows suit with more chocolate, vanilla and rich and creamy coffeeness. One thing I like in my stouts is a heavier mouthfeel and, although it’s not quite motor oil, the PM Dawn is fairly heavy and thick. Very balanced, and just plain awesome.

Head over to my Instagram page to celebrate Stout Season with amazing craft beer!

Trillium Brewing Company: Permutation Series: Number Fourteen

Trillium Brewing Company: Permutation Number Fourteen

Style: American Wild Ale

Special Notes: Brewed with locally sourced apple juice

Hops: US Goldings

Malt: Pilsner, Valley Wheat, Valley Triticale, Maine Grains Flaked Triticale, Maine Grains Flaked Rye

ABV: 6.3%

IBU: N/A

Availability: Limited

@untappd says: 3.99/5

You guys liked the DDH Stillings Street so much, that I dug up another Trillium Brewing Company brew from my lost photos archive for you: The Permutation Series: Number Fourteen!

Trillium Brewing Company: Permutation Number Fourteen
There’s nothing quite like a big ol’ bottle of delicious Trillium beer. (Credit: Martin Stezano/Beers on Windowsills)

Have you heard of Trillium’s Permutation Series? Well, any good brewery worth its salt makes sure to do a lot of experimentation. You mess with recipes, ingredients, boil times and styles. If something sticks, or turns out really well, you give it to the people. Trillium describes their Permutation series like this: “Permutation is our experimental series of small batch offerings, showcasing the unique visions and innovative concepts developed by our brewing and cellar crew.” Thus far, there have been over 70 of these limited brews.

The Fourteen is an American Wild Ale brewed with apple juice from Lookout Farm in Natick, MA. It’s brewed with several types of malts and grains—Valley Wheat, Valley Triticale, Maine Grains Flaked Triticale, and Maine Grains Flaked Rye—and US Goldings hops. Flavors of apple and white wine really shine through on this funky, sour, wild brew. A solid experiment, for sure!

Check out my Instagram for more great Trillium brews!

Trillium Brewing Company: Double Dry-Hopped Stillings Street

Trillium Brewing Company: Double Dry-Hopped Stillings Street IPA

Style: Double dry-hopped Imperial IPA

Special Notes: The DDH is done with Nelson Sauvin hops. Named after a street near Trillium’s Fort Point Location

Hops: Nelson Sauvin, Columbus

Malt: American 2-row Barley, White Wheat, C-15, Dextrine, Dextrose

ABV: 7.2%

IBU: N/A

Availability: Rotating

@untappd says: 4.44/5

One from the back of the fridge on the Windowsill today!

The Double Dry-Hopped Stillings Street is named after one of the streets surrounding Trillium Brewing Company’s Fort Point Boston location. This is nothing new to any of you who are familiar with the Boston-based brewery. Their “Street” series includes several different New England-style IPAs, all named after streets in the area: The Sleeper Street, the Summer Street, the Congress Street, the Melcher Street, the A Street, the Farnsworth Street and the Pittsburgh Street. I think it’s a great way to pay homage to your home, don’t you?

Trillium Brewing Company: Double Dry-Hopped Stillings Street IPA
You can see the respect Trillium has for its city of origin in the map that adorns this label. (Credit: Martin Stezano/Beers on Windowsills)

For this beer, Trillium took its Stillings Street IPA and, you guessed it, double dry-hopped it with New Zealand’s Nelson Sauvin hops (to go along with Columbus and more Nelson Sauvin already used in the kettle). What else can I say about this beer? Once again, Trillium has knocked it out of the hazy, juicy ballpark. The smell and flavor are knee-shakingly delicious. I’m only disappointed that I left it in the back of my fridge for so long!

What about you, Windowsillers? Do you have any goodies in the back of your fridge?

As always, head over to Instagram for more great craft beer now!

Trillium Brewing Company (w/ Cloudwater Brew Co.): Exchange Student

Trillium Brewing Company and Cloudwater Brew Co.: Exchange Student

Hops: Citra, Galaxy

Malt: White Wheat, Pilsner Malt, Flaked Wheat

ABV: 8.5%

IBU: N/A

Availability: Limited (brewed once)

@untappd says: 4.18/5

Tree House last week… Trillium this week?!

Last September, I stumbled upon a collaboration release on my trip to Trillium Brewing Company’s Fort Point location. Lo and behold, when I visited this past September, another collab release was on the docket. This one was with Manchester, England’s Cloudwater Brew Co. Although I’ve seen Cloudwater all around the internet, I hadn’t yet tried anything of theirs. Glad I’m able to cross them off the list!

The Exchange Student isn’t just a collaboration of breweries, it’s also a collaboration of two separate styles. What the two breweries did was brewing a traditional German hefeweizen and a double IPA—styles familiar to the respective collaborators—and then blending them after fermentation. The result was a nice blending of fruity, juicy and hoppy flavors that was really pleasant for all my senses.

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Trillium Brewing Company: Raspberry Lineage Wheat American Wild Saison

Trillium Brewing Company: Raspberry Lineage Wheat American Wild Saison

Hops: US Goldings

Malts: Pilsner, Valley Wheat, Flaked Wheat

Special Ingredients: Raspberries

ABV: 7.4%

IBU: N/A

Availability: Limited

@untapp says: 4.21/5

It’s Trillium time on the sill again!

Every September, my beautiful wife, Jeannie, goes to Boston for an email marketing conference. For her, that means long days of fun email marketing sessions. For me? It means I get to go to Trillium Brewing Company! Oh, and enjoy the lovely Boston nights with my babe, too of course. This trip, we stopped by the Trillium location at Fort Point… and maybe at another brewery we’ll talk about later in the week. Hint: It’s Tree House!

The Raspberry Lineage Wheat Trillium’s latest member of their Wild Saison series. It features a heaping helping of local MA wheat, and it is gracefully aged on raspberries. It’s tart and funky, with flavors of raspberry, blackberry and some lemon peel for good measure. Very light, very crisp. I was a big fan, for sure.

Check this one out on Instagram. Make sure you follow us for more great craft beer!


Beers on Window Sills Goes to Trillium: Two Hundred Thousand Trillion

Trillium Beer Company and Other Half Brewing's Two Hundred Thousand Trillion

I hope you’ve all enjoyed reading about my prosperous pilgrimage to Boston’s Trillium Brewing Company. First, there was my serendipitous sojourn to Trillium’s Fort Point retail location, which ended up being only a 12-minute walk from my hotel. Next, I told you about my auspicious adventure at the Trillium Garden on the Green, which I accidentally stumbled upon while trying to get home after a rainy walk. Today, we have the final installment of the Beers on Window Sills Goes to Trillium series; the story of how I got my hands on 12 cans of Two Hundred Thousand Trillion. Continue reading “Beers on Window Sills Goes to Trillium: Two Hundred Thousand Trillion”