CulturAle Press

Sometimes We Just Stay Home and Drink: #10:  Brewport Hartman Gold Ale; Historic Gold Ale, Bridgeport, Ct.

Date:  June 7, 2019  —

The Story—  We sang Jeff Browning’s praises yesterday, but had to give him another day for this gem.

Once upon a time, when there were lots and lots of breweries in America, though fewer than we have now, brewers didn’t feel they had to be “unique” to be successful – or even useful for their communities,    Freshness mattered in the 19th century, and although the rail network made national distribution possible, it didn’t guarantee the beer would be treated well at every step along the way — any more then than now.   Brewers sold to local markets relying more of freshness than distinctiveness to sell beer.  The approach can still be found in Germany, though it gets harder every year: “why should we dink your beer?”   “Because it’s OUR beer!!”

This is a marvelous opportunity to step back to those days in America — a gold ale that’s just brewed to be good.  And it is good.  I so wish this brewery weren’t five hours away from our home town.

The Beer–  Chewy and malty and clean. Gloriously even pale malt. Almost fruity and almost lager-y. Stays even.  It’s just a good beer.

Value — Very good.   Maybe excellent considering…

Values:  “fair” is a good beer at an above market price, “good” is worth the money, “very good” is a bargain, and “excellent” is a steal.

Sometimes we just stay home and drink beer — hundreds of them over the course of the year as we hunt for a new favorite.  The searching for the beer of the day never stops, so for a while, there will be fewer travel-oriented posts and just some to-the-point descriptions of beers we’ve enjoyed.

We’re often asked to share our tasting notes on over 33,000 beers; this blog is in answer to those requests.   Not all our notes, though.  The great beer writer Michael Jackson admirably followed the Thumper Rule, and we’ll try to do the same.  (“If you can’t say something nice, don’t say nuthin’ at all.”)   All the beers we post are from the top half of our ratings and most are from the top quarter.   Of greater value, we think, are the stories behind the beers, and we try to give you enough about the brewery, the style and the places to find great beer to help you on your own beer journeys.   At CulturAle Press we try to write books and publish posts that will help you “Drink Well and Travel Safely.”