Hello Boston Hassle Readers! Welcome to the first article of our new beer section. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but you live in one of the most dynamic craft beer communities in America, so we’ve decided to give New England a Hassle style place to explore the big boozy beer world you inhabit.

Now, perhaps you are asking yourself “what could be so interesting about beer, and why would I take time out of my day to read about beer when I could just be drinking or doing like, literally anything?”

Excellent question beer drinkers!

There is an awful lot of beer journalism out there, but I think that New England has a unique craft beer and spirits landscape, and the Boston Hassle can help nourish it in the same special way that it has with other aspects of our culture. I think you’ll find we have a lot to talk about.

Enough back-patting though, let me tell you about some of the new beers coming your way.

Have you heard of the Sip of Sunshine by Lawson’s Finest Liquids? If you haven’t, it’s only a matter of time before this singular IPA enters your purview. It’s a bright, citrusy, self described “lupulin laden” beer that comes in an enticing Dr. Seuss-esque can. Now, maybe you are suffering from IPA fatigue like most craft beer people. In that case, look no further. This is one of the most balanced well made beers to come to Mass in awhile.

It’s not going to be easy to find though. Just like any fresh craft beer arrival, it is heavily allocated. You aren’t going to be able to buy it at your local corner store, at least not yet. Craft heavy stores may get a small allocated amount but your best bet is going to a large outlet store. I know for a fact that Marty’s will have the most because they also own the distributor that acquired it for New England. Happy hunting.

There’s another newcomer this month too. After many years of holding out, the Colorado based New Belgium Brewing Company has come to Massachusetts. This is an arrival that would be on par with New England getting an In-N-Out Burger or a Taco Bell being built on Centre Street. For reference, New Belgium sells about a million barrels a year; that’s half as much as Boston Beer Company and four times as much as Harpoon.

What makes this brewery so renowned is their flagship, a beer called Fat Tire, which is an amber ale beloved by many and generally ignored by beer snobs. I can’t really tell you much about it without parroting other beer journalists; it’s malty and I like the bottle, but at the end of the day, it doesn’t really hold up to our modern palette, but hey, try it. It’s probably the best beer you can get at the airport.

Obviously, that’s not the only style they have either. Like any well distributed craft brewery, they have about a dozen styles as well as a few smaller barrel series all of which will be available here in the coming months. Their tangerine IPA, Citradelic, is actually quite good if you’re a fan of the citrus IPA boom of the last two years.

Now this is hardly a summary of all of the exciting things happening in the beer world. I just wanted to poke my head in and tell you about some  things happening RIGHT NOW as well as brief you on some of the things you can expect from us in the future. There will be reviews, brewery spotlights, bar and specialty store profiles, editorial writing and the good news is you can help contribute! The great thing about the Hassle is it is a forum for all, so feel free to contact me about any of your writing, reading, or drinking interests. You can email me at [email protected], text/call me(765-430-8125) or ring my doorbell(31 Upcrest Road, Brighton MA). You can also write me by snail mail, but I will not write you back because I struggle with postage.

I see endless possibilities: beer stories, beer music, beer poetry, beer drawings, beer statues, beer mosaics, beer eulogies? You tell me!