Tremont Brewery - Tremont Ale

The red and white two-toned triangles on the label represent the tri-mountain terrain of old Boston. The obvious diacetyl note in the nose (a distinctly buttery flavor) signals this is a true-to-style English Pale Ale. Note the butterscotch sweetness and the citrusy hops. The butterscotch flavors are quick to start and are balanced by a moderately-lived, straightforward bitterness. Expect an increasingly floral hoppiness as it warms and a rounded, creamy bitterness with buttery tones and slightly aromatic hoppy floral tones (with very subtle hints of lavender) in the finish. Try this with a peppery Monterey or sharp cheddar cheese (visit www.cheesemonthclub.com for details on gourmet cheeses we offer our members).

The Tremont Brewery started right around the same time our beer club began over 12 years ago, and we’re not sure why it’s taken us so long to feature a few of their beers, but hey, better late than never, right? The brewery, which began construction in November 1993 in historic Charlestown, Massachusetts, was named for the original three hills of Boston. Originally, through the center of the peninsula that was Boston, rose what was called the Trimountain, a series of three hills known as Mount Vernon, Beacon Hill and Pemberton Hill (a corruption of the term Trimountain was “Tri-Mount”, and ultimately, “Tremont”). Much like their pronunciation, these three hills would ultimately be “rearranged” to created what is modern day Boston. By 1867 Boston’s population had greatly expanded and the swelling census numbers meant that the initial settlement of 786 acres, just wasn’t going to cut it. The original landscape of the peninsula was far narrower than today. How to expand land and widen the peninsula? Level them big Tremont hills and start landfill projects, that’s how! If you’ve been to Boston’s ‘Back Bay’ or ‘South Boston’ neighborhoods, you’ve stood atop these landfills. 200 years ago, a visit to the place where these towns stand would have meant taking a dip in the Charles River and Boston Harbor. The Tremont Brewery’s beers bring us back to a time when traditional English ales dominated the states. Even before the leveling of the Trimountain, the new colonies still produced traditional British ales. Today, many pale ales and IPAs have been redefined using American ingredients and audacity, resulting in stylistic changes. The Tremont Brewery formulated and maintains their recipes to evoke old English styles. What you get is a blend of authentic English-style ales that also manage to incorporate American ingredients. The results are more than pleasant for each of the five brews they currently make (in addition to those featured this month, they also produce a Winter Ale, a Summer Ale and a big-bodied Barley Wine). For more information about the brewery and scheduled tours, call (800) 347-1150 ext.7164 or check out their web site at www.tremontale.com.