I hear that this afternoon will mark the home opener for the Boston Red Sox. On Friday the 13th. Hmm, with condolences to Mr. McL and a certain former but fondly recalled editor of mine*, this might just be a portent for the season to come.
But never mind all that. If you are planning to watch the game at 2:05 today, you might want to do it with a generous supply of Narragansett Cream Ale at your side. This is a beer I received several weeks ago with no great enthusiasm, but which surprised me with its character and quaffability. Here are my verbatim notes:
Narragansett Cream Ale (5%): Not one of my favourite styles, but let’s have a look. Rich gold with a fragrant aroma of fresh apricot, icing sugar and grain, and perhaps the faintest hint of banana. The body starts on the sweet side with fruit cocktail notes before developing more of a round and lightly caramelly body supported by a pleasing bitterness. The finish is a bit sharp on the hoppiness, but off-dry and quenching. No one would confuse this with a lager, given its roundness and fruity qualities, but I imagine that would have held true for the original cream ales, as well, which makes this a successfully nostalgic brew, and a pretty good one, too.
*Whoops, my bad. Turns out I was mistaken and she’s a Yankees fan instead.
My training of 49 years as a Leafs fan is coming in handy this April that seems a lot like last September. I also liked this one but not with that same attraction that their porter triggers in my beating heart. I do still have their Bock in the stash. That may be handy to take away the suspected pain to come.