Beer of the Week

The beer: Harvest Lager

The brewery: Harpoon Brewery, Boston, Massachusetts

Description (from the website): "Brewed in the spirit of friendship, New England craftsmanship, and the idea that being outdoors is better together. Whether you’re a weekend warrior or an urban explorer, this beer was brewed for all of us who strive to 'be an outsider.' A smooth, crisp, and balanced Amber Lager brewed with Maine-grown malt and balanced with a mild hop spice delivers an easy-drinking finish perfect for any Fall occasion. Gather friends and get outside."

Would I buy it again? I don't know why L.L. Bean decided to collaborate on a beer, or why they went with a brewery in Boston when Allagash is plenty big and also in Maine, but I do know that Harpoon and L.L. Bean made a solid lager. It's easy to drink with a little bit of a hoppy kick to it. I would buy it again, and not just for the novelty.

Beer of the Week

The beer: Welcome to Razwell

The brewery: UFO Beer, Boston, Massachusetts

Description (from the website): "Natural raspberry flavor is added to this delightfully sweet and slightly tart raspberry hefeweizen to give it a delicate fruit flavor. The raspberries are balanced by the clean, wheat beer taste making it a delicious blend of sweet and refreshing for any season."

Would I buy it again? It is a well-balanced beer; the raspberry pairs nicely with the wheat flavor. I'm just not one who particularly enjoys raspberries. I probably would not buy this one again, but that's just me. I think it's a good beer, just not for me. I'll have to look out for other beers from this brewery though, I like their theming and their beer names.

Beer of the Week

The beer: Good Night Moon

Brewed by: Greater Good Imperial Brewing Company, Worcester, Massachusetts

Description (from Untappd): "Strong, bold, creamy and delicious. If you’re seeking a flavorful Porter that means business, here you go. We’ve created a traditional-style London Porter with the addition of unfermentable lactose to give you a creamier mouth feel, a technique famously found in milk stouts. The results are out of this world. Brewed with Chilean Coffee and Chilean Chocolate malts – you’ll get unbelievable hints of roasted flavors that only enhance the typical caramel flavors of traditional porters. We then cold condition our Imperial with Venezuelan Cacao nibs which impart a harmonious hint of chocolate and coffee to what we only call an 'Imperial drinking experience.' We think our Imperial Milk Porter is unlike that of any porter you will find."

Would I buy it again? Milk stouts are a fairly common thing, but a milk porter? Pretty sure this is the first one of those I've seen. Of course, I don't think I would have guessed this was a porter if you presented this beer to me blind. It does taste pretty good, of course. It's loaded up with chocolate, of course it tastes good. I would buy this beer again, but I'm almost more intrigued by the brewery than the beer. A brewery that only makes imperial-style beers? I'd like to visit that place.

Beer of the Week

The beer: Sauron's Nightlight

Brewed by: Brick & Feather Brewery, Turners Falls, Massachusetts

Description (from Untappd): "A (very) Robust Porter, packed with roasted malts. At 8% ABV, we taste tons of coffee, dark chocolate, and some dried fruits, complimented by a huge body."

Would I buy it again? "But they were, all of them, deceived, for another beer was made." I'm disappointed that this came from a random small little brewery 500 miles away, because this is honestly one of the best porters I've had. The malt taste is perfect, and there's a hint of chocolately sweetness, but not too much. Hopefully Sauron's beer doesn't have the same magical property as his ring, or I'm going to be doing my best Gollum impression very soon. It's the precious, and we wants it.

Uh oh.

Beer of the Week

The beer: Wanderer

Brewed by: Tree House Brewing Company, Charlton, Massachusetts

Description (from Untappd): "Wanderer is our unfiltered German-style Helles Lager. A meticulous, highly technical beer brewed utilizing traditional techniques and ingredients, Wanderer is crisp, bright, and immensely enjoyable. Wanderer pours a brilliant straw gold color in the glass with a puffy, bright white foam. It carries a flavor profile of doughy malts, light straw, clean lager yeast, and just the right dash of zippy noble hops. Beers that command your attention are a wonderful thing. Beers that can fade into the background and sort of be an unspoken companion to celebratory moments in life are also a wonderful thing and deserve to be held in equally high esteem. As a crisp, highly drinkable, and beautifully executed beer, Wanderer fits this profile beautifully."

Would I buy it again?: I've saved my favorite of the Tree House beers for last. Nothing fancy about this one, despite the rather long description, this is simply an extremely excellent lager. Smooth, tasty, drinkable, and perfectly hopped, it's a beer that easily passes my Yuengling test. I'm going to miss it once I've had my last one.

Beer of the Week

The beer: Old World

Brewed by: Tree House Brewing Company, Charlton, Massachusetts

Description (from Untappd): "Old World is our Scotch Ale. Brewed with a complex array of malts and fermented with a classic Scotch Ale yeast, this beer is a complex and smoky classic sure to delight lovers’ diverse flavors derived from authentic ingredients. Pouring a deep chestnut color in the glass, Old World carries intensely malty notes with gentle contributions of peaty smoke and caramel. The flavor follows suit with rich malt character, hints of kettle caramelization, and varied nuttiness. We are delighted to have this beer in our lineup. We hope that you love Old World as much as we do. Enjoy!"

Would I buy it again?: That rather depends on the time of year. When I first had one of these, I was in New Hampshire and it was unusually cold for late June. Cloudy and barely above 60. So a lot like Scotland. And in that situation, I loved this beer and would absolutely buy it again. However, drinking it on a 90 degree day in Maryland? I mean, it's still good, but this is not an easy-drinker. It's very heavy and complex, and definitely malt heavy. I'll save the one I have left for a more Scottish kind of day. 

Beer of the Week

The beer: Bear (With A Hint of Coffee)

Brewed by: Tree House Brewing Company, Charlton, Massachusetts

Description (from Untappd): "We are excited to welcome Bear back, this time with a tasteful and restrained addition of custom roasted coffee! After careful deliberation and assessment, we chose a coffee that exhibits delicate flavors of milk chocolate, cinnamon, and molasses. The base beer features flavors and aromas of toffee, caramel, chocolate, brown bread, and black coffee - a lovely pairing for the delicate, lightly roasted coffee for which it shares the glass. Though this beer is rich with flavor and complexity, it drinks smoothly and easily… an ideal pairing for a hearty winter meal or a day spent on the ice. A winter treat, indeed!"

Would I buy it again?: I think Coffee (With A Hint of Bear) would be a more accurate name for this beer. There is much more than a hint of coffee. Admittedly, I don't drink coffee too often, but I know the taste of coffee well enough. Does that make it bad? No, absolutely not, this beer is very good. It's more drinkable than you might expect as well. I probably wouldn't buy it again, but that's more because Tree House is apparently a very big, very popular brewery (No. 2 in the country, according to BeerAdvocate) with many, many beers. I got this from the brewery itself – along with a couple others which I'll get to in the coming weeks – and if I ever go there again, I'd get something different. Were it readily available in Maryland, then yes, I'd buy it again.

Review: George Wright Golf Course (Part 2)

It's time to take a look at the back nine at George Wright, go here if you haven't seen the front.

The tenth hole is the longest par 4 at George Wright, coming in at an impressive 460 yards. This is a better hole than the ninth because there's a bit more going on other than length. The fairway swings sharply to the left, and there are several bunkers in the corner of the dogleg that you'll have to deal with if you want a shorter second shot. The second shot is sharply downhill, but you'll still be using a mid or long iron. The green is built up on three sides, so chips shots from long, left, or right will be a bit tricky, but it's bunkerless and open in the front, so it's definitely possible and probably smart to run approaches onto the green. My only issue with the ninth and tenth is that they come one after the other; it would have nice to have a bit of separation between the two long par 4s.

The tenth hole.

Approaching the tenth green.

The tenth green.

The eleventh hole goes right back toward the tenth tee, playing uphill and swinging right. Ideally, the tee shot should get to the top of the hill so you can have a full view of the green. Long hitters may want to use a 3 wood so they can stop on the upper plateau rather than going down onto a bit of a downhill slope. Some restraint on the tee will mean approaching the green from a flat stance with a full wedge. There's a single bunker front right, and it's a deep one that you'll really want to avoid. While the green is sloped pretty significantly from back to front, this is still a pretty good birdie opportunity, a nice change of pace after the previous 2 holes.

The eleventh hole.

Approaching the eleventh green.

The eleventh green.

The twelfth hole is not an especially long par 4, but you can certainly rack up a big number here. The fairway disappears about 230 yards from the tee, falling away over a steep, rough-covered incline. There is some fairway winding around on the slope, but I wouldn't count on finding it. If you can hit a driver 300 yards, then you can get all the way down to the bottom where the fairway widens out. If not, a lay-up off the tee is the play, leaving a mid to long iron down the hill to a fairly narrow green pinched between a hillside and a large bunker. I'd liken this hole to the fourteenth hole at Cape Cod, a controversial hole bordering on excellence, if only there was just a bit more room to work with.

The twelfth hole.

The long, downhill approach to the twelfth green.

The twelfth green.

The thirteenth hole is not the best hole at George Wright, mostly because of its low-lying nature next to some marshy areas. Still, there is a reward if you hit driver into the narrower part of the fairway near the marsh: You get a clear view of the hole. Laying up right will result in an obscured second shot, as you have to hit over a small ridge. The green has notable tilt from right to left, and runs off significantly on the left side.

The thirteenth hole.

Approaching the thirteenth green.

The thirteenth green.

The fourteenth hole is 190 yards, and is normally the best par 3 on the course, but unfortunately there was a lot of damage on the right side of the green and half of it was closed. A right side hole location would be interesting, as it would be tucked behind a hill and trees would lurk nearby. There is a false front on the left side, as well as a bunker lurking nearby, so the portion of the green we did experience wasn't without interest.

The fourteenth hole.

The fourteenth green.

The fifteenth hole is the lone par 5 on the back nine, and the first one since the third. Unlike the third, this one is definitely reachable in two. The tee shot is completely blind, with the fairway being completely hidden by a hill. The hole swings right, but this is one dogleg you don't want to be too aggressive with. Overhanging trees 100-150 yards from the hole mean that, if you want a clear shot at the green in two, you need to be in the left side of the fairway. The opening in front of the green isn't very wide, and there are bunkers short and O.B. beyond to worry about, but overall it's not a hugely difficult green to hit in two. Eagle is definitely a better possibility here than on the third.

Not a lot to see on the fifteenth tee.

Approaching the fifteenth green.

The fifteenth green.

At 345 yards, the sixteenth hole is the shortest par 4 at George Wright. Like the eleventh, which is about the same length, the sixteenth plays significantly uphill. This time, the elevation comes on the second shot. Since the fairway narrows significantly past 250 yards, there's no good reason to use driver. A long iron or wood is plenty to leave a wedge second shot. There's a bunker right, but obviously the most important feature of the second shot is the fact that it's several dozen feet above the landing area. An extra club is probably recommended. The green is pretty big though, and it's subtly bowl shaped, so shots will funnel in toward the middle.

The sixteenth hole.

The steeply uphill approach to the sixteenth green.

The sixteenth green.

The seventeenth hole is exactly the same length as the eighth, though it's downhill instead of uphill. It largely plays the same as that hole and the third though. There are several bunkers guarding the green, the green is sloped from back to front, and there's not really an opportunity for a run-up shot. At least there's no false front here. The par 3s were not a particular strength of this course, in my opinion. Three of the four look and play too similar to each other.

The seventeenth hole.

Thankfully, the final hole at George Wright is not a brutally difficult par 4. At 390 yards, it's not particularly long, though it isn't a wide fairway. The tee shot calls for a draw as the hole bends slightly left, and potentially less than a driver. After crossing a stream that doesn't really come into play, the green is riddled with subtle contours, with a single bunker protecting the right side. It's not an easy hole, but it's not so tough that finishing with a birdie is out of the question.

The eighteenth hole.

Approaching the eighteenth green.

The eighteenth green.

When it comes to the Donald Ross munies of the Northeast, Triggs and Mark Twain are similar in quality. Both are good courses and good value (amazing value in Mark Twain's case), but neither are anything spectacular. Then comes Shennecossett a step above. It's a really good course with quite a few really good holes in a scenic setting. Then there's George Wright, which is absolutely a step above Shennecossett. It really is that good a course, with some incredible holes. The fourth through eighth are about as strong a stretch of golf as you'll find anywhere. Those five holes were mentioned in Tom Doak's Confidential Guide in the "favorite stretches of holes" section, a list that included holes at the National Golf Links of America, Pacific Dunes, Shinnecock Hills, Crystal Downs, Pine Valley, and Yale. That's some pretty heady company. 

Obviously, I haven't played any of those courses, so I'll have to compare George Wright with the one course I have played that is on the same level: Atlantic City Country Club. At the end of the day, I prefer Atlantic City. It's just more my kind of golf course (the kind with not a lot of trees). But George Wright is very close, and it manages this while being tree lined and surrounded by housing and city. There's no ocean nearby, no long views, no sea breeze, no links-like ambiance. It was carved out of a landscape that was distinctly unfriendly to golf, but Donald Ross made it work anyway, and the slow restoration has brought out some incredible golf. Then there's the value. To play arguably the best public Donald Ross course not within 10 miles of Pinehurst, we paid $50 per person. Massachusetts residents can get that down to $41. That's half what I paid to play Atlantic City, and there was no twilight rate involved here like there was there. If you want bang for your buck, George Wright blows just about any course out of the water. It was absolutely worth the trip, and I'd absolutely play there again.

Review: George Wright Golf Course (Part 1)

We finish off our trip to Boston with the only golf course that was actually in Boston. And it's quite a place too; in fact, George Wright is the main reason why we chose Boston for the trip.

It's not flashy or particularly scenic, but George Wright has some incredible golf nonetheless.

On the surface, George Wright sounds like several golf courses I've played before. It's a Donald Ross municipal golf course, just like Shennecossett, Triggs Memorial, and Mark Twain. Playing here completed the set of Northeastern Donald Ross munies, but that's not the only reason why we came. Fact is, this is generally considered to be one of the best municipal courses in the country, which is a welcome return to form after some difficult times. 

Built during the Great Depression, George Wright was quite the engineering project as it was blasted and carved from granite. It cost a million dollars to build, making it one of the most expensive golf courses ever built at that time. Even among such strong neighbors as the Country Club, George Wright was very well received when it opened. But then comes a familiar story. Decades of mismanagement resulted in a severely degraded golf course by the turn of the century. Things changed in the early 2000s, and new leadership began the slow process of restoring the course. It wasn't a quick project, and I'm pretty sure work is still ongoing. But it's been enough to transform George Wright back into the golf course it deserves to be. 

Like many Donald Ross courses, George Wright does not get off to a very exciting start. The first hole is just under 400 yards and traverses flat terrain. There's a pair of fairway bunkers to the right and the lone greenside bunker is also right, so if you're going to miss, left is the way to go. There is a small mound short left of the green, so it's not such an easy shot, but it's better than right. The green is gentle as well, sloped slightly from back right to front left.

The first hole.

Approaching the first green.

The first green.

The second hole is a fairly short par 4, but not driveable. There's a bit of strategy at play here, as the green is best approached from the right side. But there's a fairway bunker over there, as well as a few overhanging trees. I'm not normally a fan of using trees as a hazard, but I'm okay with it in this case, since they're not very obtrusive, and there's room to go underneath them. Worse case scenario, you have to hit a running shot that just carries up to to the ridge the green sits on. If you play save and go left, you'll have to negotiate a slightly awkward second shot over the corner of a deep bunker. 

The second hole.

Approaching the second green.

The second green.

The third hole is where things really kick off. After two par 4s playing over fairly flat land, standing on the third tee is a bit of a shock to the system, and a sign of things to come. This par 5 is 530 yards and uphill for most of its length. The fairway isn't very wide, but the sideslopes will funnel slightly wayward tee shots back toward the center, so there is a little forgiveness. If you're really long, the green is reachable in two, but it's a tall order to hit a wood or long iron up a big hill to an elevated green protected in front by several bunkers. The more prudent strategy is to lay up and play the hole as a standard three-shotter.

The third hole.

Approaching the third green.

The third green.

The fourth hole is not a particularly long par 3 at 160 yards, but it's a distinctly unfriendly looking hole. The green is flanked by two bunkers on each side, three of which are quite deep. The green is shallow and has a sharp back to front tilt. Miss long by even a little, and you're left with a chip from a sharply downhill stance to a green that runs away. Good luck keeping that on the green. Oh, and there's a false front to the green as well, so shots that end up a little short will roll quite a way down the hill.

The fifth hole kicks off a three hole stretch of par 4s that represent the best George Wright has to offer. Not that the rest of the course is lacking, but the fifth, sixth, and seventh are especially strong. This hole is 425 yards and plays over extremely rolling terrain. While it's possible to hit driver, you have to negotiate tall trees and a narrow fairway that slopes away. It's better to lay up at the dogleg and the top of the hill. Of course, that leaves a nearly 200 yards second shot. At least the approach is downhill. The green is set in a punchbowl, so shots will gather in so long as they actually hit the green. Approaches hit right will bounce back, but left and long are not good options. Something to note that's difficult to see in the pictures: In the right center of the green there's a small depression, about 10 inches deep and 10-15 feet across. I've never seen anything quite like it, and it's the sort of small detail that elevates George Wright above a lot of other golf courses.

Plenty of decisions to make on the fifth tee.

The fifth green is obscured somewhat by a small ridge.

The fifth green, inside a punchbowl.

Another view of the fifth green.

The sixth hole is both simple and incredibly not simple. Subtle is perhaps the best word to describe. Unlike the previous and upcoming hole, the sixth does not have the advantage of rugged topography. It's essentially a straight and nearly flat 385 yard hole, but the fairway isn't quite where you'd expect it to be. It starts out to the right and swings well to the left, in essence conjuring a dogleg while not being a dogleg. The ideal line on the drive is down the left side, flirting with O.B., bunkers, and trees. Go out right and you risk being blocked out by more trees, and the side of the hill from the previous hole will obscure the view of the green. The green is perched in a saddle between two hills, and subtly drops in the front and at the back. There's a single bunker guarding the green left; the bunker short right is actually 20-30 yards short, a neat bit of visual trickery. The fact that this hole can stand up with the other two despite being nearly flat is a superb design feat, and if I had to pick the best hole at George Wright, I think I'd go with this one.

The sixth hole.

Approaching the sixth green.

The sixth green.

The seventh hole is just over 430 yards, but it is downhill the whole way. You have a couple of options on the tee: Either you lay up with a wood or long iron at the top of the slope and leave yourself a mid to long iron into a green you can see, or hit driver down the hill and have your view of the green blocked by a rise in the fairway. If you're comfortable with semiblind shots, as I am, it's a pretty easy decision, but not everyone is so inclined. The green is open to run-up shots, so if you do lay back you can still get at the hole quite easily. The natural contours will guide the ball toward the flag, especially if it's on the right side. There's a big dropoff right and long of the green, so I wouldn't advise missing it in those places. This is my least favorite of the three par 4s in this stretch, but it's still a really good hole.

The seventh hole.

Approaching the seventh green.

The seventh green.

The eighth hole isn't much longer than the fourth hole, playing just under 170 yards, but this one is uphill. There are bunkers short right and short and left, and once again shots that are on line but don't make the green will likely roll back down. I didn't get it in the picture, but there's a big dropoff to the left that surely makes hole locations on the left side a bit more interesting.

The eighth hole.

The ninth hole is admittedly a bit of a letdown after the last few holes, but it is something a lot of Golden Age courses lack: A truly long par 4. At 450 yards, even long hitters will probably need more than a wedge to get to the green, especially when you factor in the narrowness of the fairway once you get over the top of the hill. It's not unreasonable, but it's definitely not generous, and missing right in particular can easily lead to a lost golf ball. A fairway wood may be the more prudent play if accuracy isn't your strong point. The green is guarded by the hole's solitary bunker short and right.

The ninth hole.

A long approach into the ninth green.

The ninth green.

That's it for this week, next week we'll check out the back nine.