Boston Pax East, Harpoon, Sam Adams, Doyle's.

Went to Boston for the weekend to hit up Pax East with a friend. Naturally, we hit up some of the local beer scene (though we missed out on EBF and Night of the Barrels) naturally. Had some seafood at Summer Shack where I've been before. Had Pizza at Reginas. Hit up the Sam Adams tour in the morning rain. This tour guide was not as funny as Kale and found out many of the jokes are scripted. Bummer. Still got to try a new beer in the tasting, a Maplewood Porter. There was a tap in the middle that didn't look familiar but I forgot to check it on the way out.

• Sam Adams Maplewood Porter - coffee nose and taste, brown sugar, oak-y finish, persistent head. I liked it.

We did head over to Doyle's for lunch which was decent. More importantly, we got the free sensory glass with our beer which was a half-and-half SA Cherry Wheat and Chocolate Bock.

I know I respected the Cherry Wheat as being the least terrible of fruit beer and the chocolate bock was tame in comparison to the other chocolate beers I've had, but this blend was pretty fantastic. Both beers showcase very well, and the effect is very akin to a chocolate-covered cherry. Spot on. Bummed that the winter seasonal pack is out of production and can't get the Chocolate Bock until next season.

CBC Banryu Ichi - OG 1.124, FG 1.009, 15%ABV. A rice-based beer in that it's essentially a sake blend. Dark, reddish amber, low carb, baked bread nose, sake finish, viscous but not sticky, expanding in the mouth, mild toast brown ale, too much sake. Overall, interesting but a definite miss.

CBC Project Venus - OG 1.082, FG 1.013, 9%ABV, supposed to be a dubbel, collaboration amongst lady-brewers from CBC, Stone, and Victory, malty, chewy, low carb, semi-translucent brown, no head or lacing, less intense version of a DHF Raison d'etre, served well with a tomato-based seafood soup. A miss for the style but a nice pairing with my meal.

CBC Spring Training IPA - OG 1.058, FG 1.010, 6%ABV. muted wet grass, blunted, dull, no head, no lacing, orange amber color, cool grassy finish, not as much hop as I would expected or liked, Ahtanum & Palisade hops, barley and wheat malt. An interesting miss.

CBC Resolution #9 - Had just a sample. OG 1.0754, FG 1.008, 8.8%ABV. Barrel-aged Sour Brown Ale. Sour to the point of vinegar, like Worcestershire without the salt. Always have to try a sour when I see one. Never a convert.

CBC Bannatyne's Scotch Ale - OG 1.085, FG 1.015, 9.2%ABV. dark brown-red, almost porter-like. Taste is really malty, more like stout, but less toast bitter and more hops. Sweet, continuous. Viscous mouthfeel. Too much molasses taste, toffee, caramel, treacle. Fuggle cold-conditioned. One of the tastier scotch beers I've had but still not a fan.

Tour at the Harpoon brewery was cool, unlimited tastings in a fixed time. Lots of great stuff on tap. I hit up Oyster Creek since that was long-aging keg. It loses some of its character, I think. Also hit the Belgian Pale Ale which was great and I drank mostly that; BPA is becoming one of my favorite styles. Most of the others were nothing special. The line of UFOs were on tap but not interested in those really. The raspberry UFO is red though. Hit the Munich Dark since I had never seen that in stores. Tasty, filling brew, as expected. Much new respect for Harpoon.