Hello everyone, happy Saturday! I normally don’t put up new posts on the weekends because while I appreciate each and every one of you and the time you spend here, summer is very quickly coming to an end and I would rather you be outside spending time with your friends and family while you can!
So why am I making an exception this week?
Because we are officially only one week away from the Great Mass Collab and the official kick off to the first ever Worcester Craft Beer Week!!!
This week I am giving you a sneak peak into not one, but two of the collabs that will be debuting at the event, and they both feature the renowned and award-winning Cambridge Brewing Company of Kendall Square.
I am ashamed to say that when I first reached out to Will Meyers, the Brewmaster at CBC, I had zero knowledge of the brewpub’s history. In fact, the first time I had ever heard of them was when Dani Babineau of Redemption Rock Brewing Company described Cambridge Brewing Company as, “easily one of the best breweries” and “aspirational”. Dani’s recommendation alone was enough to make me want to visit, but sadly it wasn’t until a couple weeks ago that I actually had the opportunity to. (Read more of my conversation with Dani and about Redemption Rock here.)
I had no idea how iconic Cambridge Brewing Company is and what an absolute LEGEND Will is!
A brief history of Cambridge Brewing Company
CBC just celebrated their thirtieth anniversary this past May, and they have been fortunate enough to call their Kendall Square brewpub home since the very beginning. While there are currently over 120 breweries in Massachusetts, CBC was one of the first 100.
CBC was one of the first breweries in the United States to have a barrel-aged beer program. They are also the creators behind the Tripel Threat Belgian tripel, the very first Belgian-style beer produced in the United States. I absolutely love Belgian style beers, so once again I have no idea why it took me so long to get to CBC…
When I visited CBC a couple weeks ago, I obviously couldn’t have just one of their beers, so I treated myself to a flight. Flights are normally pretty hit and miss with me; I of course get beers that I am absolutely certain I will love then I try to go out of my comfort zone with a couple others. Because of this, there is normally at least one beer that I insist Mark finish for me because I just can’t do whatever it is.
This, sadly for Mark, did not happen at CBC. My flight consisted of the following beers: House Lager, Cambridge Amber, Kind of Blue (a fruited, kettle-sour), and Vienna Secession (a classic Vienna-style lager).
I’m thinking that I want to do a longer post soon about Cambridge Brewing Company, because not only do they make great beer but they are a truly incredible company, so rather than going into detail about all of the beers I am going to tell you about my favorite out of the four: the House Lager.
Lagers are fine. I wouldn’t say that I love lagers or that it is one of my favorite styles of beer, but a nice solid lager is great when you just want a quality, classic, no frills beer. The best lager I have ever had, that I regret not bringing home more of, was one that I had at Carlsberg in Copenhagen. I have not been able to truly enjoy a lager since my trip last year…that is, until now. House Lager is a Zwickelbier, which Google tells me is pretty similar to a Kellerbier. I truly don’t know much about this particular style of beer, and the articles I have found are too technical for this particular post, but suffice it to say that the difference between a Zwickelbier and a Kellerbier is in the way that it is made.
The most important thing is that this lager is freakin’ delicious! It is carmelly and warm, yet light enough to be enjoyed all year round. It is truly a fantastic lager and will be a new staple in my home.
The Great Mass Collab
Because this awesome event is being held on the Worcester Common, Will told me that it only made sense to collab with breweries based in the host city.
But they didn’t just collaborate with any old brewery, they collaborated with two of my absolute favorite breweries in the city: Wormtown and Redemption Rock.
The craziest thing about these collaborations is that both breweries actually have a long history with CBC. Wormtown Brewery co-founder and Brewmaster Ben Roesch started his brewing career with Will, and Wormtown has also been helping CBC out with their release of 16 ounce cans. Kevin Kirkness, one of the co-founders of Redemption Rock, was a bartender and manager at CBC for many years.
Cambridge Brewing Company and Wormtown Brewery Collaboration
The CBC and Wormtown collab is called Cortez the Keller, and it is being brewed at CBC. It is an India Pale Lager, “brewed as a proper Helles-style lager beer” with lager yeast and an experimental South African Hop, then dry-hopped with Amarillo, Mosaic, Citra, 7 C’s, and the experimental South African hops. Will describes this beer as hybrid between a Helles lager and an IPA. After my experience at CBC, I’m pretty sure Will can do no wrong so I fully anticipate this being a beer that both my husband and I will absolutely adore.
Cambridge Brewing Company and Redemption Rock Brewing Company Collaboration
The CBC and Redemption Rock collab is called Ultimate Frisbie Hoar and it is a double IPA brewed at Redemption Rock. This beer features Calypso, Amarillo, and Simcoe hops and I am here for it!
“Why the funky name?”
Alex Swensen, the head brewer at CBC, has some pretty deep roots in Worcester. His ancestor, Senator George Frisbie Hoar, was a member of an influential political New England Family of the 18th and 19th centuries and was a Massachusetts senator from 1877 to 1904. The senator’s portrait now hangs in the historical Mechanics Hall in downtown Worcester.
The Great Mass Collab Event Details
There are still tickets available to this incredible event and I would highly encourage you to attend if you are in the area! I am in no way sponsored by the Mass Brewers Guild or any of the breweries that will be participating, I am just a huge beer lover! Massachusetts is a pretty big state, and hitting up all 120+ breweries is close to impossible, so why not see what over 50 of them them have to offer, all in one place?!
Not only will there be plenty of beer, but there will also be plenty of food trucks, yard games, and other exciting activities to partake in while you sample all the awesome collaborations.
All proceeds from the Great Mass Collab will go towards benefiting the craft beer community in the form of providing resources, education, and government affairs support.
A complete list of all the collaborations happening is available now in the MBG app, Mass Craft Beer.
This event is 21+ only. No dogs other than service animals will be allowed (Copper and Henry are really bummed out about this). Per the event page, MBG is requesting that you help them stay green by bringing a reusable water bottle to fill with cold and filtered water.
Tickets for this event are $45 and include unlimited samples, or you can purchase a Designated Driver ticket for only $10. You can purchase your tickets directly through the Eventbrite page here.
I hope to see some of you there!
All event images provided by Mass Brewers Guild