AUSTIN JENKINS

I wasn’t totally sure what direction I should go for the December issue. A beer gift guide would make sense, but that seems a little played out at this point. Covering light beers you can drink all day to make the holidays bearable would be fun, but seemed too cynical for this time of year. I finally settled on highlighting some of the best porters and stouts local breweries have to offer. Please enjoy my stout/porter tutorial before I pop off:

Stouts and porters, often intertwined in beer history, share several commonalities yet exhibit nuances that distinguish them. Both are dark ales crafted with roasted malts, offering rich, complex flavors with notes of coffee, chocolate, and caramel. However, stouts typically feature a bolder, roasted character and a heavier body compared to porters, which tend to be lighter and more nuanced in taste. While the line between them can blur due to overlapping characteristics, the distinctions often lie in the intensity of roasted flavors and the overall mouthfeel, making each style a unique exploration in the world of dark beers. Okay beer tutorial over, thank you for listening. 

Put on the Christmas songs and head out to the historic Oakholm Brewery at 80 Lake Road in Brookfield for beautiful scenery and great brews. Their milk stout, Cows Over the Moon, is rich, velvety and not overly boozy even though it clocks in at 6.5%. Oakholm’s 6% Coffee Porter tantalizes the taste buds with its intricate layers, subtle notes of caramel intertwined with the robust essence of roasted coffee beans. Cozy up and spend the day sipping these wintery favorites.

I remember when Flying Dreams Brewing first opened on Park Ave in Worcester next to Peppercorns. It was a great spot to grab a beer before or after dinner. Their Marlborough taproom on 277 Main Street is equally as fun and I highly recommend paying them a visit. Their Fuel America Coffee Stout is smooth and roasty, and at 4.5% you can definitely enjoy a couple. This beer is also really neat because they add coffee from Fuel America three days before the process is completed, which actually makes this a cold brew. 

Let’s keep the car running and take a trip to Upton for a visit to the Rushford and Sons Brewhouse, located at 8 Grove Street in the reclaimed Thompson Oil Garage. Rushford and Sons offers small batch beers that are creative and highly drinkable, plus they even have a number of “Dark and Roasty” options. Let’s put a pin in the porter and stout talk so I can shout out their 7.8% imperial brown ale, Emperor Bear. This is a big beer and makes for an excellent nightcap or a little something to sip on throughout the evening. Rushford and Sons 6.5% oatmeal stout, Bruce and Scout’s, has all of the classic oatmeal stout attributes: a malted barley foundation with a silky finish and subtle hints of sweetness. Their vanilla coffee porter, Sweater Weather, is a smooth 4.5% beer that is robust and fun. Sweater Weather is a seasonal selection, so make sure to get it while you can.

At the end of the day, this is the season to connect with family and friends and spread good cheer. Merry Beermas and hoppy holidays, ugh that was terrible I’m sorry you had to read that. My beer knowledge is way better than my puns, so grab a six pack or growler and share some cool, local beers with the ones you love.