Review: Watch City Brewing Company Waltham, MA

What could possibly be better than drinking on the company dime?! I love sales meetings...

Tonight had had the opportunity to visit the Watch City Brewery in Waltham, MA. First impressions were good. A Traditional Brick lined brew kettle and oak walled fermenter adorned the opening, both of which, I was told by our MORE than pleasant waitress are still in use, however the majority of the operations are completed in the basement in far more modern conditions. Overall, the experience was pretty good. I do have to comment, however that the beer FAR outweighed the food. The food at this event was cafeteria style so I'm going to give the team a pass on this given that I could not experience their single entrees. The spring rolls were decent enough, the crab cakes clearly frozen & overly breaded(inexcusable as we're so close to the Atlantic shore) and the fried raviolis were passable. The wings however were remarkable. I HIGHLY suggest them. They had a chinese style BBQ sauce which was, in the words of the dear departed Col. Sanders (aye with his wee beady eyes), finger lickin'good.

The beer at Watch City however was exemplary. I started off with the Chocolate Thunder porter (stats are on my cell phone... Can't... reach... too lazy). I ordered it mostly for the name. Awesome... any reference to Darrel Dawkins is fantastic. "Darryl, where was the declaration of Independence signed... At the bottom!" If I weren't so bloody white, I'd go by it myself... perhaps it can be one of those ironic nicknames like Tiny or stretch... I'm frankly not usually a fan of Chocolate anything really but the Chocolate Thunder was a thick and meaty porter with a taste that was not all together overwhelmingly Chocolatey. I can see it going well with a thick Stew or Chili.

Beer number two was a Portland (American Brown) Ale that they called the "Titan" (1.060 SG, 6% ABV, 47 IBUs). While I wasn't totally overwhelmed, it was a stand up beer which stood well enough on its own.

Beer number three wasn't truly a beer at all, rather it was a Barley Wine that they affactionately called a "Burley Wine". Outside of Sam Adam's Utopia, this was one of the most agressive beers I've ever had. Over 9% ABV and a whopping 75 on the IBU scale. However it ended up being a mellow and vibrant beer with flavors so intense that it caused me to nurse it for a good Hour or so.

By an Large, Watch City was a remarkable ride... I only wish that I had more time and a Designated Driver so that I could experience the Pub more completely. In addition, as an avid home brewer or brewster, check out their website. www.watchcitybrew.com. They have a whole section for Brew enthusiasts. Be mindful, however that their site has not been updated in quite some time.

Looking forward to my next posting and looking forward to your comments!

Rob