Lawson's Finest Liquids (2021)

I’m looking forward to getting my hands on some Little Sip. Haven’t tried it yet and it seems like a great golfing beer.

I’ve only been to their taproom once and it was an awesome experience. It’s a must stop anytime I’m at Sugarbush

 

Big Hoppy black IPA they made in the winter was excellent.

 

I would buy more of their beer if they sent out some different styles more often. I typically only see Sip, little Sip, and Scrag Mt pils. I loved Space Between and Saphouse IPA but haven’t seen them in forever. That new Porter they keep posting looks great but it’s taproom only. Definitely looking forward to visiting at some point this summer.

 

I am very pro-anything golf. But god speed of you can do 6.5% ipa on the golf course.

 

I discussed Little Sip yesterday in the NBW thread:

A Little Sip of Sunshine!

So, what does Sunshine taste like? Well, today I will be drinking a new brand from Lawson’s called Little Sip IPA which is advertised as being a relative of their established brand of Sip of Sunshine. As this beer is detailed on the Lawson’s website:

“IPA: 6.2% ABV

Our little cousin to Sip of Sunshine IPA has a juicy, fruit-forward character layered with tropical hop flavors and bright floral aromas. Notes of grapefruit and pineapple complement this delectably balanced beer.

Little Sip IPA quenches your thirst as you reach the summit of your favorite hike. It’s the beer you grab for the victorious celebration after that birdie during a golf game, and it keeps you company while you mow the lawn. It pairs best with outdoor adventures and fun, and it never disappoints! Coming in at 6.2% ABV, it is delightfully crushable.”

Well, I am a fan of Sip of Sunshine so I have high hopes for this ‘cousin’ beer.

Served in my Spiegelau IPA glass:

Appearance:

Golden yellow with a slight bit of haze. A big fluffy white head.

Aroma:

Mostly tropical fruit aromas but there is some citrus and even a very tiny bit of dank. Lots going on here!

Taste:

The flavor follows the nose with predominantly tropical fruit flavor but pleasantly accompanied with citrus and yup that tiny hint of dank as well. As Shrek would say: “layers”. There is a firm bitterness to this beer.

Mouthfeel:

This beer has a medium body with an off dry finish. There is also a very subtle aspect of ‘juiciness’ to this beer as well.

Overall:

I think this beer is very good! There is lots going on in “layers” and it all works well together.

Assuming this beer properly captures the flavor of sunshine I would describe sunshine as tasting like ‘layers’ of tropical fruit with some citrus and just a very tiny bit of dank.

Due to the firm bitterness, the mostly clear-ish appearance and just a very subtle nod to ‘juicy’ this beer is closer to the IPA spectrum of a West Coast IPA vs. being a Juicy/Hazy IPA.

Cheers to the folks of Lawson’s for producing a tasty ‘cousin’ sunshine beer!!

 

Lawson’s was one of the best tap room experiences I’ve had in Vermont. It’s a must stop on any beer centric trip to the state!

 

So was the 11% ABV listing for Triple Play a misprint all along that just happened to spill over to social media posts too? I didn't get any of the recent cans but I see it's back to 7% on the current site.

 

I was wondering this as well. Legit thought it was called Triple Play because it was a TIPA until I got to try it today...

I'm guessing someone confused it with Peril at some point and it never got fixed. I'll put in an ABV correction request now.

 

As I recall triple play is triple because of three hop varieties. First Lawson’s beer I ever had back in (I think) 2012 when you had to trek to the Warren Store (and a few other options) to get their stuff.

Drinking that foil wrapped/labeled bottle at the Old Stagecoach was heavenly.

 

Any word on when the taproom will reopen?

 

Super Session #5 is really impressive. Don’t think I’ve ever experienced Cashmere hops that are this good. I usually get something that resembles pencil shavings from Cashmere. None of that on this beer. Not sure I could ask for much more in a hoppy 4.8% beer.

 

Bought some on Pa, it’s more fruity than Sip of Sunshine like 6.2 abv, not quite as bitter as well. Worth a buy.

 

Little Sip gave me the same kind of experience as I remember from the first few times I had SoS however many years ago. Really stellar beer.

 

Yep I just had mine yesterday really good

 

How would you describe the aroma/flavor profile of that beer?

Did it come off watery at all to you?

Cheers!

 

I mean we are talking about a session IPA so yea sure the body was on light side but I still got some nice herbal and piney hop character with a touch of dankness. Not overly fruit forward and more on the earthy side.

 

Glad to hear it’s tasty. I’ll give it a whirl. And if you want a low abv/cal beer your going to sacrifice the body and some flavor(to an extent) it is what it is. It’s no different than drinking the mosaic beach ipa from Sam summer pack. Which I really enjoyed. Gave me the flavor I want and kept it light and refreshing for a beach day or backyard day. I’ll enjoy my little sip on the beach but not 2-3 of them when it’s 88 degrees and humid. My two cents at least

 

Little Sip is an exceptionally refreshing beer. Found some at my shop a little over a month old.

 

Here’s to hoping Chinooker’d makes it to the North Shore area....

 

Not sure if you saw but Chinookerd was taken off their distro calendar according to them. Guess that doesn’t mean it won’t but I don’t think it will. I was very sad about this as well. It is a top 3 ipa for me, like drinking a pine forest, I love it.

 

I too am sad.

I suppose because it is not a haze beer it did not sell well for them.

Cheers!

 

Maybe so but then again they added knockout blonde to distro so who knows. I’m holding out hope you and I will see it in distro by chance maybe. Or hopefully it will return next year...I can’t wait that long

 

To be fair I don't think Lawson's really makes any hazy beers, at least how the term is used these days, outside of that one pilot batch from last year. Even Homestead Haze looked clear to me compared to a lot of NEIPAs. Then again in a beer world were something like Sip gets called an old school IPA, I suppose Chinooker'd would be an ancient school IPA in comparison.

 

There are also not a lot of blonde ales at distribution. A bunch of breweries make them, but fewer send them out. They're a nice alternative to lagers.

 

I will chime in and say that I really enjoyed Little Sip as well- better than Sip in my opinion and this is coming from a guy who drinks plenty of double IPAs.

 

I hope you are right here.

Cheers!

 

Damn it. Another hit to us OGs who just want some local WCIPAs to sip on.

 

Personally I think it’s incredible for 4.8%. It drinks well above it’s ABV IMHO. They were able to pack a lot of hop flavor and aroma into this beer while keeping it somewhat in balance. I hate the term “balance” but for how impactful the hops are everything seems in its place if that makes sense. Cashmere to me is sort of generic “fruity pebbles” with some pine. I’ve definitely never experienced Cashmere that presents as well as this does. It’s usually too woody for me. I’ve seen a lot more breweries using it lately which boggled my mind cause my experience with it has been very lackluster. When I saw Lawson’s was releasing a single hop Cashmere beer I knew they must have some great lots of it. I’ve actually really enjoyed a lot of the Super Session beers. They might be some of my favorite sub 5% hop forward beers.

 

It is still available locally, so will likely ship sporadically in the future (but don't hold your breath this summer).

 

you would love Carton Boat Beer!

 

I’ve never had a Carton beer. I listen to Auggie every week on Steal This Beer and have a lot of respect for his approach to beer and his brand.

I think these are some of the hardest hoppy beers to brew well. Lots of respect for the breweries that can successfully pull it off.

 

Cashmere Super session is tasty af.

 

Drinking my last can of Big Hoppy. At almost five months old, it only got better. My all-time Lawson's favorite. I hope it will be brewed again and get into distribution.

 

Don't quote me on it, but I'm 75% sure that's the plan for next winter. Will definitely be brewed again.

 

I'm glad to hear that. The sooner the better.

 

Saw some Knockout Blonde here in central Mass for the first time recently. Picked up a four pack and didn't regret it. Really tasty stuff, though to me it could just as well be called an APA. It's hoppier than I'd normally expect a blonde ale to be.

 

Speaking of Knockout Blonde --- I've always been surprised and confused that they use that name. Given what is going on right now with Brienne at Notch and the many sexual harrassment stories being exposed, they should seriously reconsider. From everything I know and see about Lawson's, it feels like an outlier from what they are all about.

Is Sean Lawson on this board? Can we get a response?