I've got a Wandering Haze Hazy IPA from Cisco Brewers (Portsmouth, NH). The word "hazy" is apt, at least, because it is only a bit translucent. The flavor profile is pretty one-dimensional, with some mildly bitter citrus, so it's not nearly as complex as a present-day NEIPA. #BeerSky #BskyBeer

I've got an Oktoberfest Märzen Bier from Austin Street Brewery (Portland, ME). It's got a very nice color, and the roasty flavor and mild hoppiness are there, so it's good around the edges. But there's not much of a bready center, so the flavor vanishes on you a bit too fast. #BeerSky #BskyBeer

I hadn't had a hard-to-find Focal Banger (The Alchemist; Stowe, VT) for a while. This unfiltered West-Coast IPA seems to set off taste receptors on every surface of your mouth! They (correctly) say to drink from the can to preserve all those volatile flavor components, so I am. #BeerSky #BskyBeer

I was at my largest walkable beer store today, and I took the gamble on a 4-pack of Breaking Enigma D(NE)IPA from Equilibrium (Middletown, NY) because I trust that brewery. This has a solid earthy component to it, fresh fruit, and a bit of sharpness at the end. A very good one! #BeerSky #BskyBeer

Sooo many American Oktoberfests now! Here's Oktoberfest Märzen Lager from Zero Gravity in Burlington, VT. It uses German malt and hops, so it's a faithful version whose profile is definitely up the right alley. It could be a teeny bit more flavorful, but I'm totally nitpicking. #BeerSky #BskyBeer

It's still in the 70s in Boston, but I opened up a Fall (milk stout brewed with coffee) from Maine Beer Company (Freeport, ME). Nice smooth even flavor, and the coffee comes across freshly, like you're biting into a coffee bean. I even get a little twinge of banana in there. #BeerSky #BskyBeer

Ruin a song by adding 'literally' to the title. We're Not Gonna Take It Literally

I grilled up some steak-and-shrimp kebabs this evening, and with them an Alexandr Czech-Style Pilsner from Schilling Beer Co. (Littleton, NH). It could stand to be a teeny bit more bitter but it has a nice floral tinge to it. I don't need to say it was a great match for kebabs! #BeerSky #BskyBeer

Ruin a song by adding 'literally' to the title. I'm Literally On Fire

I've got Elastic Cloud D(NE)IPA from Spyglass (Nashua, NH). It has oats and milk sugar, and sure enough there is an odd form of lingering bittersweetness at the end. This one doesn’t get very earthy or solventy, but I'd say the lactose aspect is its distinguishing feature. #BeerSky #BskyBeer

I've got a North Sky Stout from Allagash Brewing Company (Portland, Maine). It’s 7.5% ABV and pretty flavorful, so it’s a good go-to that you'll see on some drink menus here. Just enough hoppiness on a light malty/chocolatey background, and I love the allusion to the dark sky. #BeerSky #BskyBeer

This is [Into The] Citra Galaxy, a session (4.6%) NEIPA from Aeronaut Brewing Co. (Lynn, Mass.) The flavor is actually pretty good but of course shallow, more like NEIPA-flavored seltzer. This is why session beers aren't my thing; I'll take one robust beer over three meek ones. #BeerSky #BskyBeer

I've got Hello World DIPA (Spyglass; Nashua, NH). It's a retro NEIPA with fresh fruit and not latex-paint-creamy like many are now. It reminds me of Orange Line IPA from Turtle Swamp (Boston), which closed <snif> but is one of the reasons I got into NEIPAs in the first place! #BskyBeer #BeerSky

My daughter (who was a freshman at Michigan when they won the national championship) and I have been texting this evening about J.J. McCarthy's NFL debut with the Vikings. A seriously rough start, but then he goes on to account for 3 straight TDs in a comeback win. That was pretty remarkable!

I’ve opened The Substance IPA from Bissell Brothers Brewery (Portland, ME). There’s an unusually prominent mixed-cereal flavor to it, which is actually pleasant to have at the center. And then otherwise it’s a lighter proper NEIPA. I can’t say I’ve had anything quite like it! #BeerSky #BskyBeer

Swapped QBs by the Steelers and Jets both came out winners today. Steelers fans were reluctant about adding Rodgers, but he has comported himself well so far and was key to our win today. Fields is a good guy and just keeps steadily working hard and improving. He's gonna be around for a while.

After a wild Steelers-Jets game, I've started on beer early with Hang About IPA from Finback Brewery (Queens, NY). This is very upfront with the citrus, especially grapefruit. It isn't very complex, and it's a bit light at 5%, but I find it perfect for the early-bird special. #BeerSky #BskyBeer

Your last saved pic is your moral philosophy. (I'd say that is not far off)

I realized I hadn’t had a Guinness in 20+ years! The stoutiness of it is pretty straightforward, but it’s hoppier than I expected. A noticeable lingering bitterness, with an almost plasticky quality to it. There are certainly other stouts I’d rather have, but it’s not bad. #BeerSky #BskyBeer

This is Crates Barrel-Aged Stout from Trillium Brewing Co. (Canton, Mass.) This is *crazy* thick and dense, like the engine oil from Willie Wonka's truck. Chocolate, raisin, and then fragments of smokiness and leatheriness. And at 12.5% it's a bit boozy. That's an experience! #BeerSky #BskyBeer

My other beer from Bolton Beer Works: Mother Apple IPA. It has a deep musty center like apple cider (though it’s not appley or sweet). It’s malty and a little hoppy, like a fuzzy outline of a Euro beer, and at 7%, it’s robust enough. It’s not bad, actually. It’s just … weird. #BskyBeer #BeerSky

Very local beer for me today: Oktoberfest from Bolton (Mass.) Beer Works, which I picked up there over the weekend. It’s got some pretty good Euro malt and hop flavors. It seems American breweries are getting better at this, because they are actually trying to do it right. #BeerSky #BskyBeer

I've got Pumking Imperial Pumpkin IPA from Southern Tier Brewing Co. (Lakewood, NY). Interesting color; I thought it was going to be dark like stout. I'd say it's very effective at bringing the pumpkin and spice flavors assertively but by no means overdoing it or seeming fake. #BeerSky #BskyBeer

I’ve opened Resin DIPA (Sixpoint Brewery; Brooklyn, NY). A tasty enough West-Coast IPA, but I feel like it’s not as well integrated as it could be, as if it has IPA flavor on top of a lagerish background, but you can still distinguish them, almost like two beers mixed together. #BeerSky #BskyBeer

I'm on the deck with an Any Tang Gose Tangerine Sour from True North Ale Company (Ipswich, MA). It does have all that’s claimed: tangerine, coriander, and saltiness. I’m not a huge fan of stuff like this, but I know some folks would dig it. I’m still glad I tried it, though! #BskyBeer #BeerSky

You have to buy Trillium Brewing Co. (Canton, MA) beer at the brewery, so I did yesterday. This is Scythe Practice DIPA, which is fruity (very ripe melon), creamy (like latex paint, probably because of oats), and earthy (getting into the mushroomy zone). A top-flight NEIPA. #BeerSky #BskyBeer

This isn't beer, but it's still good to know. Have you seen The Finnish Long Drink? It's gained in popularity recently (or at least in marketing). I tried some, and it is basically Fresca with a bit of alcohol in it. Quite unremarkable, and not worth your money, in my view. #BeerSky #BskyBeer

Here's Laser Cat Imperial IPA from Medusa Brewing Co. (Hudson, MA). I thought for sure this would be unfiltered, but it isn’t. So it *looks* like a West-Coast IPA, but its flavor profile is like a child’s drawing of a NEIPA, with orange candy drifting into mild actual cardboard. #BeerSky #BskyBeer

Here's Deep Terra D(NE)IPA from The Drowned Lands (Warwick, NY), with Citra, Mosaic, and Cashmere hops. What struck me right away is the white grape flavor within the fruity component. I do get a measure of peach, too. It’s tasty and a little distinctive, so thumbs up from me. #BeerSky #BskyBeer

Here's Oatmeal Stout from Ipswich Ale Co. (Newburyport, MA). The can has “IBU 60” right on the front, and that bitterness plays about equal fiddle with the stout flavors. This is a “black IPA” or “tropical stout”. Very good, but I’m still processing what I think of this style. #BeerSky #BskyBeer

License plate spotted in Newport, R.I. Fitting for our times.

My pre-dinner beer is Plum Island Belgian White from Newburyport (MA) Brewing Co. All the elements of a good witbier, but I'd put it just a little below Allagash White, because it could be a teeny bit more balanced. Happy to have it on this very pleasant summer evening, though! #BeerSky #BskyBeer

Here's Konstantin Austrian-Style Märzen from Schilling Beer Co. (Littleton, NH). You know what flavor this beer is? Malt. That’s it. But they roasted and blended it just right, because boy, is this tasty. That’s some frickin’ good beer. Schilling is moving up my list fast. #BeerSky #BskyBeer

We had beer at a work event the other day, so I brought home a Vibes Hazy Imperial NEIPA (Greater Good Brewing Co.; Worcester, MA). I always try to find redeeming qualities in beer, but this stuff tastes like canned fruit and baby aspirin. I don't see this as a proper NEIPA. #BeerSky #BskyBeer

I had a repeat beer today, Menotomator Double Bock from Arlington Beer Co., and it was really good, but instead of rehashing that, here's what I stumbled upon today in Harvard Square at lunchtime. Just interesting to know this exists. Next time I'm over there, I'll buy some. #BeerSky #BskyBeer

Here's Black Cat Sees All DIPA (LongLive Beerworks; Boston, MA). LongLive to me is a top-tier NEIPA maker, and this brew emphatically checks all the right boxes. Fruity, yes. Creamy, yes. Third element here leans kind of nutty, maybe hazelnut or macadamia. A class-A NEIPA. #BeerSky #BskyBeer

This is Visible Spectrum Mango IPA from Finback Brewery (Queens, N.Y.) Not a silly "mango juice" IPA, because Finback wouldn’t do something like that! No, it was earthy, too, and not sweet. Not even dominated by mango flavor despite some added mango. I give it a thumbs up. #BeerSky #BskyBeer

Here's Peeper Pale Ale from Maine Beer Co. (Freeport, ME). It's got some sweet maltiness, then a light twinge of citrus and light bitterness, like projecting an IPA onto the basis of a German lager through a translucent window.  You have to pay attention to this beer a little. #BeerSky #BskyBeer

Long weekend down in the Newport, R.I. area, and this evening I had a Captain's Daughter DIPA from Grey Sail Brewing (Westerly, R.I.) with dinner. This is a full-force West-Coast IPA, and a pretty darn good one at that. Not something you'd expect to find in Rhode Island! #BeeSky #BskyBeer

Haven't had a kriek in a long time, so I'd been hankering for one, and Lindemans isn't hard to find. Man, THAT is some deep cherry flavor, but it also integrates with the malt, so it’s a little more complex than that. This is great when you're in the mood for it, in any season. #BeerSky #BskyBeer

Here's White, a Belgian-style wheat beer, from Allagash (Portland, ME), who make inexpensive but quality beers, so they’re pretty popular here.  White delivers that yeasty flavor with the banana-clove-floral thing going on, in the light, refreshing way a Weissbier should do that. #BeerSky #BskyBeer

I've got a Zwickl Unfiltered Lager from Hofbräuhaus Traunstein (Germany). Another very good German lager here, but the unfiltered nature of it allows some extra yeasty flavor to hang around, and I do enjoy that. Otherwise bready, not super-caramelly, but a little bit floral. #BeerSky #BskyBeer

Tonight's burger-grilling beer has been a Zesty Trichome IPA from Kettlehead Brewing Company (New Haven, CT). It's fine, and I'd say it barely clears the bar for what an NEIPA is now. It's honestly not that far ahead of an entry-level "hazy IPA" they'd give you in the Midwest. #BskyBeer #BeerSky

Another too-early stab at an Oktoberfest with the Oktober Fest-Märzen from Ayinger. It has breadiness, but also carameliness and a tinge of sweetness that make it well-rounded and give it that "German" quailty. Just had a generous Indian dinner, but not too full to handle this. #BeerSky #BskyBeer

Salty Crew Blonde Ale from Coronado. Of all the San Diego brews that could make it to Boston, I'm not sure why this one did, because it's pretty basic. It does have a twinge of breadiness, but it's very light and mild, checking in at 4.5%. It is "a boat beer", so there's that. #BeerSky #BskyBeer

Off the beaten path here: Peach Silhouette Sour IPA With New York State Peaches, from Hudson Valley Brewery (Beacon, NY). The backdrop tastes like sourdough yeast, and the peach flavor comes off fresh, not fake. I'm not a huge sour fan, but there is definitely some virtue here. #BeerSky #BskyBeer

Well, the Oktoberfests are starting to make their appearance, and I'm getting out in front of it! Here's Sierra Nevada's offering, and you know, for an inexpensive American version, it's actually not too bad. I see its appeal in early fall, but it works just fine in summer too! #BeerSky #BskyBeer

I've got a Swish Silver Pale Ale from Bissell Brothers (Portland, Maine). It's a half-the-alcohol (4%) version of Swish, so an atypical choice for me. But hey, it's warm today! It comes across like a grapefruit radler, although it derives all its flavor from hops, not juice. #BeerSky #BskyBeer

A terrific beer that comes with terrific news! I'm enjoying a Menotomator Double Bock from Arlington Brewing Co. (Arlington was once called Menotomy). The exciting news is that they will finally open their own brewery and taproom in Arlington (5 miles from me) later this year! #BeerSky #BskyBeer

Tonight's brew is a Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Porter from from Hardywood (Richmond VA). The chocolate and peanut butter flavors do come across nicely, but there is a slight chalky off-flavor that creeps up on you, so I’ll call it “good” but not “very good”. #BeerSky #BskyBeer