Boston was a rushed trip. With a full slate of work activities and many of the city’s best craft breweries and craft beer bars a train ride away from the core of the city, I had to make due with some selective and time-efficient sampling. I got a good start by picking up six cans at The Urban Grape, an independent beer and wine store a ten minute walk from my Back Bay hotel. I got very lucky as these were all at least solid and interesting beers. Three were real standouts – the Devil’s Purse Kolsch (a style I’m really gravitating to lately as a result of this particular can), Whirpool’s American pale ale (the citrus, the crispness, the thoughts of summer it induced… perfect!) and the Lamplighter Cuppa (a British pale ale infused with coffee which sounds strange, but was a slice of alchemy) all made me very happy. What made me sad was the limited time and work responsibilities meant I wasn’t polishing off any of these cans in full. Pouring half of the Cuppa out almost brought a tear to my eye.

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