imagine a world where there are cases of ghandi-bot and 668 neighbor of the beast stacked as far as the eye can see

larsy, nebco’s matt westfall, and devo

where rivers of super fresh ghandi-bot pour from a huge “bright beer” storage tank

and where there are never ending sample cups of imperial stout trooper.

nebco’s rob leonard, larsy, devo, and all day josh

well, you don’t have to imagine all that, just get off your computer, arrange a ride,  and go visit nebco. you will be a-mazed. details up here www.newenglandbrewing.com/

thanks again to rob leonard and matt westfall for their hospitality, their ingenuity, and all their hard work in brewing such great beers. xoxo, lp

frigid temperatures in the forecast…

no football for two weeks….

you need something to look forward to, so we’ve arranged a veritable dogfish ipa fest to get you through the dog days of winter.

here’s your chance to try all the numbered dogfish ipas in once sitting.  so if you’ve got an hour or two, and a ride home, we’ve got a dogfish ipa for you.

60 minute ipa – 6% abv  and scored 98 on ratebeer (bottle)

75 minute ipa – 7.5% abv and scored 99 on ratebeer (bottle)

90 minute ipa – 9% abv and scored 100 on ratebeer (bottle)

120 minute ipa – 21% abv and scored 99 on ratebeer (on tap, while it lasts)

and for good measure, we’ve got dogfish hellhound as well. 10% abv and scored 97 on ratebeer (bottle and on tap)

we collected all sorts of great stouts for you to try.

1. brooklyn black ops: 100 on ratebeer  
2. stone imperial russian stout: 100 on ratebeer
3. brooklyn black chocolate stout: 100 on ratebeer
4. sierra nevada narwhal: 99 on ratebeer
5. hitachino espresso stout: 99 on ratebeer
6. clown shoes chocolate sombrero: 98 on ratebeer
7. allagash black : 98 on ratebeer
8. sam smith’s chocolate stout: 97 on ratebeer
9. lagunitas cappuccino stout : 96 on ratebeer
10. dogfish chicory stout: 96 on ratebeer
11. 20oz pints of guinness: 94 on ratebeer
12. sixpoint diesel: 92 on ratebeer

some of these are very limited supply (black ops, stone russian) and some are available all the time (guinness, allagash black) but all are good. so some on in.

I see the title of this beer has given you pause.  Hellhound on my Ale.  Pretty interesting name, dark and shrouded in mystery.  But sometimes, great things are crafted in dark and mysterious circumstances.

Take the music and the mythical persona of blues legend Robert Johnson.  He was born in Mississippi in 1911 and died at age 27. First known in the blues scene as a harmonica player, he mastered the guitar seemingly overnight in 1929, thus spawning the legend that he sold his soul to the devil in exchange for his virtuosic skill. Johnson would achieve relatively little success in his lifetime, despite vigorous touring until his murky demise in 1938.  The cause of his death is still unknown, though legend has it that he was poisoned by a jealous lover.

It was only when his recordings were re-released in 1961 that his legacy was unearthed and his myth began to unfurl.  Johnson’s influence quickly spread across the burgeoning rock and roll scene, inspiring musicians like Eric Clapton, John Lennon, and Keith Richards.  In fact, Richards had this to say about Johnson’s music: “You want to know how good the blues can get?  Well this is it.” 

Today, Robert Johnson is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of modern music, despite his mysterious, grim past. So, to celebrate the 100^th anniversary of his birth, the kind folks over at Dogfish Head brewed this beer in his honor.  Hellhound is yet another fantastic IPA in the long list of hoppy Dogfish concoctions.  It clocks in at 10% ABV, pours a beautiful orange amber color, with a slight head that diminishes quickly. The strong citrus flavors of the beer’s Centennial hops are accented perfectly by an infusion of lemon zest and juice, added in honor of one of Johnson’s musical mentors, Blind Lemon Jefferson.

It’s a powerful beer, but not overwhelmingly so, with a dry bittersweet finish that leaves you craving more.  Perhaps bittersweet is the best word for this beer.  Its flavors evoke the passion present in Johnson’s music. So if you find yourself at the Little Pub, at the crossroads of routes 7 and 102, and you want to shake the hellhounds of work and stress, you owe it to yourself to try this beer.

I got to keep movin’, I’ve got to keep movin’
Blues fallin’ down like hail, blues fallin’ down like hail
Umm mmm mmm mmm
Blues fallin’ down like hail, blues fallin’ down like hail
And the days keeps on worryin’ me,
There’s a hellhound on my trail… (Hellhound on My Trail)

Robert Johnson died at the age of 27 (like Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, and Kurt Kobain), and, as the myth concludes, he spent his final hours on all fours barking like a dog as the devil began to collect his debt in earnest.

sixpoint’s spice of life series  is an ongoing, monthly installment in which sixpoint produces a single-hop ipa with 12 different hop strains over the course of the year. all other elements of the recipe remain the same – the malt bill, fermentation regime, yeast strain, etc. the only ongoing variable is a different hop strain is featured each month. under this “controlled experiment” one can appreciate the dynamic difference between various hop strains, covering a wide spectrum of flavors and aromas. and that’s why we love sixpoint.

this week we have the last installment in the 2012 series, spice of life crystal. the crystal hop is known for its floral – spicy notes and low bitterness, making it the perfect choice for a cold beer on a hot august day. come check it out while it lasts.

we’re big fans of project limulus, a regional project  that studies the movement and migration of horseshoe  crabs up and down the eastern seaboard.  you know horseshoe crabs, they’re those creepy looking things that crawl up on the beach during high tides.  they may look just like that thing from the alien movies but they’re actually quite friendly as far as crabs go. probably because they know you can’t eat them.

anyway, every summer, hundreds of volunteers tag  horseshoe crabs with markers so that their summer travel plans can be studied by scientists.

so we took a set of the project  limulus tags and “customized” them with our sharpie. you might find a tag  with a hamburger on it. a dollar sign. or maybe a pint of beer.

so this weekend go to the beach and take a look around. if you find a crab, look for a tag on it. you don’t even have to pick the crabs up, just jot down the tag number, call the toll free number, tell the nice person on the line where you found it, and you’re participating in the study. but wait, keep that tag number and send an email to info@littlepub.com. if it matches up with our set, you’re a winner.

so get on out there and see what you can find. who knows, you might end up like charlie bucket finding a golden ticket to the wonka factory (albeit a golden ticket with 10 legs.).

learn more on project limulus here: http://www.sacredheart.edu/pages/13692_project_limulus.cfm

The other piece of good news was an  influx of new “world class” beers to the region. The arrival of Sixpoint, Green Flash, and Clown Shoes has been like Christmas morning for CT beer drinkers.

To help introduce these beers , we’re running an east vs. west coat ipa taste test all weekend pitting green flash west coast ipa, a beer that rated a perfect 100 on beeradvocate, against sixpoint bengali tiger ipa, a beer that rated a near perfect 99 on beeradvocate. you can come in, do your research,  and cast your vote for your favorite.

We’ve also got in bottles of Tramp Stamp Belgian ipa (96 on ratebeer.com) and Clementine white ale (95 on ratebeer.com) from Clown Shoes brewing up in Ipswich MA.

come on in and give them a try, xoxo lp

howdy! make plans to join us for a brooklyn beer dinner on tuesday may 22nd. we’ve got quite a line up planned including:

brooklyn’s newest beer; gold standard, sorachi ace, brooklyn blast ipa, and mary’s maple porter.

we’re still figuring out the menu so that will follow. these beer dinners tend to sell out quickly, so if you’re interested, send an email to info@littlepub.com and we’ll send you the details.