Cambridge Brewing Company (2023)

I went on Saturday prior to starting Dry January and I really enjoyed the Southern Hemisphere pils and the Citra/Mosaic WCIPA. The Mild was good too. Barleywine fest is what I have to look forward to at the end of this month.

 

I liked their Winter Warmer too. Reminded me of different vintages of Anchor Christmas.

 

Looking forward to barleywine fest. One of the few annual events for me.

 

Especially that Finest Regards keg...

 

Finally going to check it out this year, after years of missing it. Does it get crowded? Looks like they don’t start pouring the BWs until 4 pm?

 

If I recall the sour fest gets really crowded, the barley wine fest less so.

 

I recall a couple barleywine fests where, when I showed up mid- to late-evening, it was standing room only (butts to nuts) and a healthy wait for a table. That said, haven't been several years. This thread has me thinking about it this year though.

 

I need it to last until 6. Please don't kick it before then!

 

I've had it a couple times recently, so

No, I'll definitely get some of that but I am more looking forward to tasting through all the variants and seeing which one is the favorite.

 

I'm swinging through for a 40th birthday party (not mine). So no promises unfortunately...

Yup, same. That's always fun. Hopefully I'll see you there, our 40th birthday crew will be there at 4 pm.

 

The fest is starting now(4pm) and it’s not packed so I wouldn’t worry too much about stuff kicking super quickly.

 

Wonder if there’s still stuff on today…

 

Fun event. We showed up just after 4 and got seats right at the bar. Definitely got more crowded as the night went on. The consensus favorite was 2011 blunderbuss. Delicious. Fun to be able to try a bunch of barleywines side by side. Surprising how different they all are.

 

I love how the first descriptor of Our Finest Regards is "cocoa puffs"

 

This was my favorite too. It was the most mellowed out of the bunch and the malt really shone.

Agree with @rhino88888888 that the 2016 Arquebus was tasting a bit off. I remember loving it last year. I don't know if the carb was off or what, but there was something lacking about it.

 

Indeed everything but Finest Regards was still on yesterday, and it was SUPER chill. Pro tip for next year! They'll keep four kegs (not sure which ones) on all week if people want to head back for more.

Loved my Arquebus flight! Liked it better than the Blunderbuss flight I had, the 2023 Blunderbuss Saturday was my standout out of the three years I tried. That one was delicious.

I had the 2016 Arquebus as well yesterday and thought it was excellent...then again I have no recollection of what it tasted like it in previous years, so I have no basis for comparison.