A pilgrimage to Jack's Abby

On my recent trip to the Boston area I was able to get to Framingham and stop in at Jack's Abby, Massachusetts' premier all lager brewery.

They distributed here in Madison very briefly and I was left with no choice but to head east when their beers disappeared from store shelves. I saw only some of their core beers here, brews available year-round. It seemed to me that, in order to stand out, they should have featured some of their unique, limited run concoctions. But what do I know?

I cozied up to the bar, retrieved a beer menu, and was delighted to find not one but two rauchbiers! The first one that I tried was Fire in the Ham.

While not endowed with catchiest of names, it was excellent and just what I needed after my flights and hiking around Walden Pond for a few hours. This seemed to be their take on Schlenkerla's rauch Helles. It was pale and had that classic beechwood smoke taste with a nice, soft breadiness too. The lovely maltiness was balanced with just the right amount of Nobley hops.

The second one I had tried last year in Boston and was eager for more - Smoke & Dagger. This stuff is a dark lager with a dash of smoke. It tasted extra smooth this time, almost as if it were on nitro. A generous roasty taste was aided and abetted by a smoky accent. Delicious. 

While it would be really nice to have Jack's Abby's brews here in Madison, I rather like having to go to their homeland to enjoy them. It makes them special and gives me yet another thing to look forward to on my annual trips to Boston.