Tremont Brewery Music Festival – Review

Tremont Brewery Music Festival

by Valerie Smith & Lex Marburger

The folks at Tremont Brewery threw a party to celebrate the introduction of their new ESB. Tremont Brewery had three types of beer available for our drinking pleasure; the new ESB, an IPA, and, of course, their Ale. After extensive taste testing of all the beers, I came to the following conclusions: I ranked the ESB first on my list with its smooth, subtle hoppiness. I would have drank it all day but I felt obligated to give them all a try. My next choice was their Ale which, although it started with an assertive, hoppy, mouth extravaganza, it cleared away quickly so there really wasn’t much of an aftertaste. Last on my list was the IPA. That I found to be too aggressive. It invaded my mouth and throat with a bitterness that lingered an unbearably long time and left me looking like a teen after her first swallow of beer.

    • The IPA is my choice, however, for the ultimate Massachusetts beer. A hoppy, take-charge beer that makes you realize that, hey, beer is a serious concept that isn’t a pastime for worrywarts or weak drinkers. The Tremont IPA grabs you by the uvula and demands that you notice the boiled dead blossoms that were so lovingly tortured to bring you this brew.

Tremont Ale is an extraordinary brew, taking the firm stance of an IPA and blending it with the laid back feel of a lager. No wonder we are always supplicating ourselves in front of the keg at Lollipop parties (Tremont Breweries is the official sponsor of Lollipop).

It should be said at this time that I do not endorse Tremont because of its affiliation with the magazine. In fact, the mere fact makes me more critical of the product being lauded.

At 3:40 PM, the mob descended upon the unstoppable keg. Free beer lovers, foaming at the mouth (Pun intended?), pushed and prodded their way to the keg with glasses thrust out to get their taste. Older folk, forced aside by aggressive college boys, could be heard complaining about lines and people waiting turns, but after the initial youth push, the old convivial ones were left to catch the falling beer.

Oh, I almost forgot to mention the bands. Three performed while we were there but to tell the truth, it could have been the same generic, obnoxiously loud pop band the whole time. Their performances were the insistent buzzing of the militant mosquito that mercilessly dive bombs your exposed body in the dead of night. But the beer… ahh… the beer.