New Brew Thursday: 'Middle Aged Genius' from Trillium and Bissel Brothers

I recently made the trip back to one of my favorite breweries in the world, Trillium. Now, while I was able to visit the Fenway location a few months back I had not been to the new Canton location and let me tell you it didn’t disappoint (thanks Freddy Foreshadowing for the next post) as it was beautiful. I made the trip so I could not only visit this amazing brewery but so I could also try the newest collaboration between Trillium and Bissel Brothers, something I look forward to each year and this year with ‘Middle Aged Genius’ it was another smash success.

‘Middle Aged Genius’ pours into the glass a hazy yellow with a small white head. it has notes of sweet tropical fruit that battle each other for nostril supremacy with none able to gain the upper hand that leads to a rich, sweet, and citrusy aroma. The taste is fantastic. While it has been awhile since I have had ‘Baby Genius’ it’s significantly older counterpart amplifies everything I loved about it. ‘Middle Aged Genius’ has a rich mouthfeel that coats the entire palate with a rich, creamy, and citrus flavor with a sliding scale of bitterness that starts at the tip of the tongue and mellows to the middle. Clocking in at a respectable 7% ABV you’ll be able to finish the glass and open a second… or third.

New Brew Thursday: 'Luxurious Tiles' from Trillium and Bissell Brothers

Two of my favorite breweries are Trillium and Bissell Brothers. so when they collaborated for ‘Luxurious Tiles’ I knew I had to have it. It is well documented that I love collaboration beers and both ‘Lux’ and ‘Cutting Tiles’ are two fantastic beers in their own right. With ‘Lux’ having a great lightness and taste from the mosaic hops with a soft bite from the rye and ‘Cutting Tiles’ having an amazing sweetness from the raw wildflower honey right from the start my hopes were high.

‘Luxurious Tiles’ pours a very hazy and deep yellow into the glass with a light white head. It has incredibly sweet notes that to me smell like candied oranges. This is really where the ‘Cutting Tiles’ portion of the beer shines and the taste is fantastic. A rich mouthfeel with great balance between sweetness and bitterness. The combination between the mosaic hops and the wildflower honey gives the beer an awesome juiciness and sweetness. It finishes with a soft bitterness that slightly builds. ‘Luxurious Tiles’ is definitely more ‘Cutting Tiles’ than ‘Lux’ but it is absolutely amazing

Maine Trip

We have been back from Maine for about a week now and it was an awesome trip. While we only went to two breweries, Maine Beer Company and Rising Tide we were able to get cans from Bissell Brothers, Liquid Riot, and Lone Pine. We also visited a bunch of restaurants and walked all around the Old Port. It was a bit surreal at times as it was empty due to various social distancing restrictions but it was still fantastic. Here are some highlights:

- It stunk not being able to get pours at Bissell which is always one of my stops in Portland. But I was able to pick up one of my favorite beers 'The Nuclear Whim With The Fuse Of A Mile.' It is an exceptional beer with an even better name. As I've written before I am always a sucker for a good name.

- We were not able to get to Allagash but had a few of their offerings at some of the nearby restaurants. I was a little disappointed they didn't have 'Sixteen Counties' but it has been distributed nearby so I will be on the lookout.

- The food was incredible, we did not have a bad meal the entire time we were there.

- There were a lot of good summer beers around. Very good lagers, pilsners, and sessions as well. However, one of the best beers from the weekend was 'Totally Tubular' from Orono Brewing. This double IPA was super juicy and really nice.

- While it was an awesome trip there were lots of breweries that were not open for pours that we couldn't get cans at: Sebago, Shipyard, and Austin Street just to name a few. We will definitely be back next year.