Seasonal Beer on Tap
The following beers are currently available. Also check out our always-available House Beers and Tuesday's Cask Special.
2009 Blunderbuss Barleywine
Aged in Vintage Port Wine Barrels
Release Date: Thursday, December 17, 2009
Barleywines are generally the strongest style of ale, with an alcohol content to rival most wines. In fact, it is this high alcohol content coupled with extensive aging which contributes to the very complex nature of our Blunderbuss. A beverage such as this is meant to be savored and appreciated much like a fine brandy or cognac, or, in the world of wine, a fortified sherry or vintage port. (But a barleywine is all beer!)
The process of creating our barleywine began by cramming our mash tun to overflowing with American and Scottish pale malts. We then extracted only the richest first runnings from the mash and boiled extensively to further concentrate the sugars in the wort. During the boil a touch of honey was added to the kettle, along with six varieties of hops to provide balance for the sweet malt. It was then fermented in stainless and sent to the CBC Barrel Cellar where it aged in a quartet of vintage port wine barrels.
The result is well worth this painstaking ordeal. A creamy, pale tan head rests atop this beautiful, hazy amber liquid. Captured within the rim of a snifter, the first aromas to greet the nose are of alcohol’s fruity esters, then rich caramel, and sweet malt. As it warms, more distinguishable notes of burnt sugar and toffee, vanilla, coconut and oak are detectable. The flavor more than meets the prelude of aromas. Its rich, full body contains notes of toasty malt, sweet caramel, tart flavors of grape, berry and dried fruit, and a subtle herbal hoppiness. This is finished by warming alcohol and a lingering finish with hints of vanilla, cocnut, and toasted oak. This ultimate after-dinner drink pairs well with many desserts, but is also certainly a dessert in and of itself.
CHEERS!
OG: 1.110 FG: 1.016 ABV: 12.75 %%
Bannatyne’s Scotch Ale
Traditional Scottish-style strong ale
This strong ale style comes directly from Scotland, boasting a huge, complex maltiness and very full body, which finishes with a long, herbal, hoppy dryness. We craft this traditionally big, malty beer from imported Scottish Maris Otter pale malt and a touch of roasted barley. We then caramelize the strong wort in the kettle and subject it to extended cold-conditioning to round out its myriad complexities. Intriguing flavors of caramel, chocolate, molasses, and a hint of treacle are not uncommon to those perceptive of palate, so slip on that old kilt (wear whatever you want underneath- we’re pretty open-minded.) and enjoy!
OG: 1.085 FG: 1.014 ABV: 9.2%
Big Man Ale
CBC's Winter Seasonal Beer
Our Winter seasonal beer is here! Originally brewed in September of 1992 at the request of three bartenders/managers (who have since gone on to great fame and glory) Big Man Ale has been a favorite seasonal brew at Cambridge Brewing Company ever since. Legend has it that the grist weight of Big Man Ale was their combined total weight –
770 pounds of malt!
Deep copper-colored and unfiltered (as are all of CBC’s beers), it boasts a full body complemented by strong, robust flavors. Its rich notes of malt and caramel are offset by very aggressive hopping—it is kettle-hopped with Columbus, Cascade and Centennial hops and further dry-hopped with even more Cascades and Amarillo. These hop varieties lend a fruity, citrusy character to this big malty beer, vaguely in the style of a strong stock ale or I.P.A. We just call it the Big Man.
Drink up and be somebody!
Cheers,
Will
OG: 1066 FG: 1014 ABV: 6.8%
Darkest Night
Winter Warmer
Release Date: Thursday, December 17, 2009
Created in celebration of the Winter Solstice, the longest night of the year, and to greet New England’s gradual awakening to longer days and (hopefully) diminishing cases of Seasonal Affective Disorder.
Darkest Night is a rich, deep, dark beer with garnet highlights, aged with Spanish cedar wood. Aroma and flavors are a balancing act of caramel and roasted malt, supported by subtle spicy notes from the wood of sandalwood and allspice. On the palate that balancing act continues with interplay between malts and hints of sandalwood, white grapefruit, and cinnamon/allspice character from the cedar wood. Smooth in the finish and lingering softly on the palate, this unfiltered and full-bodied ale is a small-batch special brew from your friendly neighborhood brewers to be savored over the holidays. Cheers!
OG: 1.055 FG: 1.013 ABV: 5.5%%
Tripel Threat
Belgian-style Strong Ale
The tripels are generally the strongest specialty ales made by the Belgian and Dutch Trappist monastic breweries. Pale in color with a very distinct palate, they are painstakingly created as beers to be consumed on holidays and religious festivals. The Westmalle monastery originated this style in the 1920’s and continues to make the benchmark example. However, many secular breweries make a similar type. These are called abbey beers, as the term trappist is a legal appellation. The name tripel refers to the strongest offering in a range of three beers: single, double (or dubbel), and tripel (trippel). The name does not refer to triple fermentation,
or the number of malt types or yeast strains used.
According to Michael Jackson (the British one, aka The Beer Hunter), CBC was the first American brewery to create and produce a Belgian-style ale. Our tripel went on to win our first ever Gold Medal at the Great American Beer Festival, in 1991, before there was even a category for “Belgian Ales.”
Tripel Threat is fermented with our proprietary Belgian yeast strain and brewed using imported Continental malt, hopped with Spalt and Goldings, and very lightly spiced
with freshly toasted and ground coriander. It is light golden in color, full-bodied, fruity, and very strong. Aromas of barley malt, orange blossoms and a hint of coriander first greet the nose, then carry through to the palate. A warming sensation then takes over, and blends into a complex finish of bread dough, spices, citrus, estery alcohol, and hops.
OG: 1.084 FG: 1.008 ABV: 10.0%
Weekapaug Gruit
A modern take on a medieval, unhopped, herbal beer.
If you thought that Benevolence and CBC’s Heather Ale were pushing the envelope of strange creations from the extreme end of the beer spectrum, this is where we take that envelope, tear it into little bits, and light it on fire. The funny thing is, this beer is by no means new…
Welcome to the world of beer, circa 1200 AD.
Gruit Ale (pronounced “grew-it”) was what beer was throughout the Middle Ages in Continental Europe. Hopped beers came much later, and that story is perhaps too long to tell on this one page (but ask me and I’ll tell you, over a pint or two of gruit).
Gruit is primarily a combination of three herbs: sweet gale (Myrica gale), yarrow (Achillea millefolium), and wild rosemary (Ledum palustre). Additionally, individual brewers would add other herbs and spices as they liked to produce unique flavors and aromas in their beer. These herbs were known for their mildly stimulating properties, and when added to fermented beer were known to have said inebriating qualities amplified. I will make a bold statement now: Gruit Ale may be highly intoxicating and aphrodisiacal when consumed in significant quantity. Historically, it has been said to stimulate the mind, create euphoria, and enhance sexual drive. When you consider that hops contain large quantities of estrogenic and soporific compounds (in other words, they dull sex drive and make you sleepy), one wonders how that strange bitter plant became not just dominant but exclusive in brewing much the world over. All of the above herbs, hops included, have known culinary and/or medicinal benefits. And all have been used by humans for tens of thousands of years. They are all known to be bacteriostatic (meaning they keep beer from going bad) and offer bitter or astringent compounds to balance the sweetness of malted barley.
Anyone already a fan of our Heather Ale will find this beer not too far of a stretch. Utilizing the above-mentioned herbs plus wild licorice root and nettles, it has an interesting and pleasant aroma and flavor of green- (think good Japanese Sencha) with overtones of herbal- tea (think Echinacea/mint/chamomile/licorice). Of course, this is balanced by the faithful familiarity of Scottish and British pale and dark caramel malted barley, along with wheat malt and oats. It is medium in body, and deep amber in color. Full, rich, and malty on the palate and smooooth in the finish. And it is good.
Sharin’ in the groove…
~Will
Note: Pregnant or breastfeeding women should consider avoiding consumption of this beer due to the mild medicinal nature of the herbs used in crafting this beer. Please consult Hygieia: A Woman’s Herbal by Jeannine Paravati or Stephen Harrod Buhner’s excellent book, Sacred and Herbal Healing Beers.
OG: 1.046 FG: 1.010 ABV: 5.0%