Tres Gatos is pleased to announce that we now have 2 Blue Hills Brewery beers on tap, the India Pale Ale and the Black Hops. As a small, young business ourselves, we like to celebrate and spread the word about other local businesses who add to the richness of our culinary/ cultural landscape.
Blue Hills Brewery founder and Head Brewer Andris Veidis started off as an unpaid intern with Harpoon, studied at the American Brewers Guild, and has installed brew systems at start-ups in Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Florida. He decided to locate Blue Hills Brewery in a modest one-story industrial complex on Route 138 in Canton, and since brewing his first batch in January 2009, he and the rest of the Blue Hills crew have won many accolades and fans.
Wanting to feature some local brews on our wine and beer list, the Tres Gatos team decided to carry Black Hops and India Pale Ale in bottles shortly after we opened, and it didn’t take long for both beers to win fans among our guests. Responding to their enthusiasm, we’ve decided to feature both beers on draft.
The India Pale Ale has a beautiful amber color and is 6.6% ABV. Blue Hills uses a blend of American hops to give the beer a refreshing citrus aroma, which, when combined with the malt and big hop flavor on the tongue, makes I.P.A. fans smile with delight. If you think you’re NOT an I.P.A. fan, try this beer and maybe you’ll change your mind!
The Black Hops is a black hybrid ale that doesn’t taste as dark as it looks. Hops rather than roasted malts are used to bitter the beer, resulting in a lighter brew than a stout or porter. Blue Hills uses their own house ale yeast to produce a full rich flavor, then the they “lager” or cold store the ale, toning down the aroma produced in top fermentation. The result is a singular brew with a chocolate and citrus aroma, and a taste that is malty and hoppy and not at all cloying. I recommend this is you’ve been wanting to try a darker beer, but find stouts and porters too dark and heavy.
Congratulations to the Blue Hills Brewery team on your success, and we look forward to spreading the word about your delicious, locally-brewed beers.