Watch City 02154

Tonight, following Curly Stout's suggestion, we met up at the Watch City Brewery in Waltham. We hadn't heard much about the brewery, although their Hop Explosion IPA has garnered quite a bit of press.

The beers that we, as a group, sampled tonight included:

Chocolate Thunder Mocha Porter (on cask), Father Time Winter Ale 2006, Midnite Munich Lager, Biking Bobs Bohemian Pilsner, Titan Ale, Hops Explosion IPA, and the Moody Street Stout

Sean and I both started off with the Hop Explosion, and both agreed that "Hop Explosion" might have been a bit of a stretch for the name of this beer. Due to the balance in the beer, the hops weren't nearly as pronounced as say as in the Leatherlips IPA, which comes in at a lower IBU count, but provides much less malt character and is therefore much more bitter. Next, Sean had the Father Time Winter Ale, which I was surprised by given his well-documented displeasure with Harpoon's Winter Warmer, a similarly spiced ale. It wasn't as spicy however, but the nutmeg presence could be detected. The malty finish masked most of the nutmeg overtones, making it a much more drinkable winter ale.

My next selection was the Bohemian Pilsner. My expectations for this one were based on our experience with the same style beer brewed by Harpoon President Dan Kenary. Having greatly enjoyed that offering, I had high expectations, and I was not disappointed. A significant malt presence on the nose hinted at the smooth finish to come, accompanied by a sweet, yet balanced taste.

We followed those up by the Titan Ale and the Midnite Munich Lager respectively, and we were again both pleased with our choices. I was surprised by the character displayed by the Munich Lager, which was much more reminiscent of an Octoberfest style lager than a typical light lager. When the glass arrived and the contents were dark, I knew I was in for something special. Apparently "Midnite" wasn't just a clever name.

Overall, we would have to say we enjoyed our visit to Watch City, although for us, given it's distant location and more favorable local selections, we probably won't be making a return visit any time soon. That isn't to take anything away from Watch City, merely to say that we are very fortunate to have many fine choices closer to home. You stay classy, Waltham.