Castle Island Brewing

Discussion in 'New England' started by wmannin2000, Apr 1, 2015.

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  1. Pwbres

    Pwbres Initiate (0) Mar 25, 2013 Maine

    Price check?
     
  2. mschofield

    mschofield Pooh-Bah (1,847) Oct 16, 2002 Massachusetts
    Pooh-Bah Society

    $11 for 4 16 ouncers of Candlepin and IPA, I think $13 on TBD the stout it was a little more

    Treehouse type setup where there is a sample line and a can line and you're in the brewery but in a separated space for retail, sounds like they're still building a retail shop on the other side
     
  3. soze47

    soze47 Maven (1,406) May 22, 2010 Massachusetts

    Stopped by today. Awesome beers - sounds like they are aiming for early 2016 distro through mba.

    The candle pin session has a good chance of being in my rotation in the future especially, but all offerings were real dialed in and solid.

    Congrats!
     
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  4. mschofield

    mschofield Pooh-Bah (1,847) Oct 16, 2002 Massachusetts
    Pooh-Bah Society

    just getting to the TBD, wow, I think this may be what they're known for

    last time I had this feeling was drinking batch #1 of Hoponious Union (opened w Redtape and Saxon Sons, HU was days later), it's a yeah we knew this brewery was good ... but damn
     
  5. CastleIslandBeer

    CastleIslandBeer Initiate (183) Jan 8, 2014 Massachusetts

    Cheers! Glad to hear you're enjoying TBD. Candidly, we weren't sure what to expect reaction-wise. We have a deep affection for this beer, but darker styles can be polarizing sometimes, so we're thrilled to hear you're digging it.
     
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  6. CastleIslandBeer

    CastleIslandBeer Initiate (183) Jan 8, 2014 Massachusetts

    The retail shop that currently exists in the warehouse will eventually migrate onto the office side when we build out the taproom, which will replace (and expand) the current setup. We don't have a timeframe for that yet, but are targeting late Spring/early Summer 2016 for that phase of construction.
     
  7. HevvyMetalHippie

    HevvyMetalHippie Initiate (0) Nov 16, 2010 Massachusetts

    Went there on Saturday.

    Candlepin: Hoppy Session IPA. Great!
    Keeper: IPA. Nice hop profile, interesting leafy/vegetal. Good for those who like that hop flower profile.
    TBD: Hoppy stout. The hops keep it on the lighter side for mouthfeel and body, and balances nicely with the sweeter malt profile. Impressive for 3 launch beers!

    TL;DR: Castle Island is an excellent destination location, so head over. Looking forward to visiting them and Trillium! Will be stocking up on these cans for Christmas, woo woo!
     
  8. PierogiSmash

    PierogiSmash Initiate (0) Jan 22, 2014 Massachusetts

    Really like the Candlepin. Keeper and TBD are very good as well. Anyone who is visiting Trillium Canton should take the few extra minutes to get to this place as it is not far at all. $11/4 Pk of very solid beers and no lines!
     
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  9. patrickcmcd

    patrickcmcd Initiate (0) Dec 25, 2010 Massachusetts

    Dug the session and stout. Great spot and helpful, engaging staff. And the price point is spot on. Can see myself stopping in monthly for a local fix.
     
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  10. pavement714

    pavement714 Initiate (0) Jul 21, 2010 Massachusetts

    Just checked it out for the first time today and agree with all the positive views. Definitely a quality product at a nice price point. Big production it looked like, enough to get Boston distro next month. What Lord Hobo should've been.
     
  11. patrickcmcd

    patrickcmcd Initiate (0) Dec 25, 2010 Massachusetts

    Quiet, unassuming. Organic, classy. Fun. Welcoming....without fanfare.

    Castle is the Anti Hobo.
     
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  12. Newport_beerguy

    Newport_beerguy Pooh-Bah (1,836) Feb 24, 2011 Rhode Island
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    I visited yesterday also and enjoyed it. If I have the cash and want to get the best beer at a premium price I'll go to Trillium (bought 200 oz at $82). Otherwise, CI offers very good beer at a good value only 10 minutes away (spent only $24 on 128 oz there). Their Candlepin will definitely be my golf league beer next year and between that, Whirlpool and Eureka, so many good session ales around.
     
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  13. CADMixes

    CADMixes Initiate (0) Feb 29, 2012 Massachusetts
    Deactivated

    it's really nice to hear a new brewery say loud and clear that they want to get a beer right before the release. looking forward to trying these when they hit distro.
     
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  14. KevTurnersBootburn

    KevTurnersBootburn Initiate (0) Jan 19, 2014 Massachusetts

    Had Candlepin and Keeper and both were very good. Definitely want to try the stout next.
     
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  15. nolanz14

    nolanz14 Pundit (791) Aug 31, 2009 Massachusetts
    Trader

    Had Keeper last night and thought it was very good. Looking forward to trying their other beers.
     
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  16. ManapuaMan

    ManapuaMan Pooh-Bah (1,601) Apr 3, 2015 Massachusetts
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    Just swung by after a visit to Trillium - so grateful to have the opportunity to hit them both up in one easy trip. Good vibe and nice set up: spacious lobby area, generous tasting bar with all their beers on tap, tons of space to support growth. Families, kids and solos milling about. Great scene. Picked up a four pack of Hearthside and I'm looking forward to cracking it open soon. Check it out if you're in the area, for sure.
     
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  17. Htg

    Htg Initiate (0) Sep 12, 2014 Massachusetts

    I have to agree these guys are doing everything right so far. Keeper and TBD were excellent. Set up, price point, service all on point. Great to have them as neighbors, and have a feeling this place will blow up as more learn about it.
     
  18. cmurphycode

    cmurphycode Initiate (0) Oct 3, 2010 Massachusetts

    I stopped in after dinner last night. Their hours are typically until 10 on Saturday, but I missed noticing that holiday hours had it closing at 8, so we only got to taste 2 beers before closing. Only a couple people in the room when we arrived, and they left before we did.

    The staff is friendly, the pours are very generous, and the beer is good. I tasted the Candlepin and the Keeper. As I said, we were rushed by the time, but the pouring staff member was happy to chat about the beer. The head brewer was busy (of course) but also seemed nice. They let us know that they had to stop pouring at 8, so I went over and bought a 4 pack of each of the 4 styles (Love seeing "Batch 001" on the labels!). Turns out the register was manned by the owner's father, nice guy as well.

    Word from the staff is that distribution will start soon. Sounds like they will be sending some kegs out, too. They were not interested in selling kegs direct at this time.

    As for the beer. My two favorites were Candlepin and TBD.

    TBD is *really* good. The smell is so intriguing. Looking forward to enjoying this one on colder days than last night. I'm going to share the rest of my 4 pack with my co-workers and get them pumped up for this new brewery.

    My taste of Candlepin was nice and fresh. Great hop bite, but went down very easy. When I got home, I put Candlepin (left) next to Whirlpool (right). Sorry for the bad pic, I didn't think to take one until mostly done.

    [​IMG]

    Obviously the appearance is VERY different. Candlepin is darker and very clear, where Whirlpool is very light and completely opaque. Here I'll admit my bias; Whirlpool looks exactly like what I want in a session hop-fest. Traditionalists will be delighted to see the clarity :slight_smile:

    On the nose, Whirlpool carries more of a fruity punch, in my opinion. It's perhaps most obvious right out of the can.

    Taste-wise, though, I thought Candlepin was just as good. Great hop character, and the mouthfeel was very good for 4.4%.

    Totally delighted to have this option right next door, $11 for a 4-pack of 16oz cans? Shut up and take my money.

    Excited to come back and spend a little more time tasting and chatting.
     
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  19. mpyoung215

    mpyoung215 Initiate (0) Dec 28, 2010 Massachusetts

    Excited for the release of Causeway Double IPA today!
     
  20. Herbnerds

    Herbnerds Initiate (0) Oct 10, 2015 Massachusetts
    Deactivated

    Same same... I had a TreeHouse Green last night to compare the two galaxy hopped beer
     
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