Smoked ales and porters, brewed with smoked malt and grains, have traveled from the old-world beer halls of Germany to the anything-goes micro breweries of America.
With deep mahogany hues and a rich, round taste, smoked ales are a smooth customer. West Coast brewers like Rouge in Oregon and Stone in California are starting to bottle smoked porters to add a twist to traditional dark beers.
"The days of loyalty to Budweiser are gone. There is so much going on with beer these days that brewers are trying to come up with the up-and-coming thing," said Rich Daly, head beer guy for Andover Liquors.
And thank God for that. If you haven't perused the beer section at Andover Liquors, you don't know ale. Even if beer isn' t your bag, their 300-plus selection is like a museum of beers. Obscure breweries from Vt, and Cail, Col., w/ cool labels are refreshing to see and try. Let' s put some pressure on the wine-loving owners to hold a beer tasting once in a while! Andover Liquor is on Main Street in the Market Basket Plaza.