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I'd nearly avoid the beer works after looking at the Irish specials, but do want to go there at some point, but maybe not this time. Rock bottom looks more my kind of place. I'm meeting people tonight, so might just go to a really good seafood place as that's my other weakness when over here. I could come back to Boston on my own on Thursday night maybe, but might go back to john harvards as saw on their fb page that they are tapping a new ipa today, and its a bit more local to where I am staying. I should be back here in a few weeks anyway, so good to have options! The bar staff at Armsby Abbey also gave me a list of places, so will post them up when I get a chance.
Never knew about the bar at int dept's at Logan, and this is the one time I am going back via NY! There might be something in domestic depts though I reckon.

Ended up going to the Boston Beer Works for a couple of drinks before dinner last night. It was suggested by me boss, so who was I to disagree! Had a pint of their India Porter, which is a hoppy porter, and nice it was too, actually very similar to something I have on draft at home, that was supposed to be a Black IPA. Then had a glass of their Back Bay IPA, which was decent, but probably should have had it before the porter.

We then went to the Eastern Standard Restaurant and Bar on Kenmore Square. This was a real swanky place with prices to match, so I was glad that I was not paying! I had a pint of Back to Black, which is a Black IPA from 21st Amendment out of San Fransisco. Really nice and balanced drink, with good hop profile. I was told that the keg was super fresh, which I think is really important with the hoppier beers. I have a six pack of cans of this beer in my suitcase, so will be interesting to see how the compare against the draft. I then had a double IPA which was over 9%, that I can't remember the name of. It looked like it was brewed specifically for the restaurant as the label looked fairly basic. It wasn't hoppy enough and tasted too much of alcohol for me, but I've found that with a lot of the double IPA's that I have tried over here. The guy serving us was also the manager and a friend of someone we work with, so we got brilliant service, and he was very interested in the feedback that I gave. He even invited me to a beer dinner with Garrett Oliver that is happening next week, but unfortunately I'll be gone by that time. Would love to expense that one, but reckon that would go over the threshold for sure. The food was great as well. I had a load of seafood as usual. All in all a great night, where I felt like some sort of visiting dignitary!

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Will probably stay local enough tonight, as have a bit of shopping to do, but might go to John Harvards for a quck one, as it is next to the shopping center, and they have a recently tapped IPA. Might also stop at Julios when leaving work as it is close, and see if there are any beers that I just have to have. They have a decent enough IPA at my hotel, so might have to pop in there as well.

Taf,

Nice job you've got there. Need an old washed up computer programmer to carry your bags and write down the tasting notes for you ?? <!-- s:P --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_razz.gif" alt="" title="Razz" /><!-- s:P -->

Will

&amp;quot;Will_D&amp;quot;:xxudf008 wrote: Taf,

Nice job you've got there. Need an old washed up computer programmer to carry your bags and write down the tasting notes for you ?? <!-- s:P --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_razz.gif" alt="" title="Razz" /><!-- s:P -->

Will[/quote:xxudf008]

Ha ha, yeah I'm not great on the old tasting notes, so could do with some help there! The day job is not as glamorous as the night time activities, but I do my best to make the most of beer related opportunuities while I am away. I also try to look after people coming to Ireland as well, so they appreciate that. I normally only come over once a year, but they are implementing a new IT/Finance system at the moment, and they need additional help, so I might be back and forth a couple more times.

This trip has definitely been the best so far beer wise.

&amp;quot;Will_D&amp;quot;:2egxa7qp wrote: Ha ha, yeah I'm not great on the old tasting notes,[/quote:2egxa7qp]

Billys tasting notes consist of: Not hoppy enough or needs more hops. <!-- s:D --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_biggrin.gif" alt="" title="Very Happy" /><!-- s:D -->

Back in boston. Going to be here for 10 days, and will be heading to Conneticut at the weekend. Going to julios to pick up a few bottles in a while. I have a better idea of what I am after this time, as out of the 15 odd beers I brought back the last time, I'd say there was probably 4 that I really liked. A lot of them were just too strong in alcohol at the expense of the hops. I don't think I will be doing any reviews, but I will post up which ones I like best. I will probably go to the armsby abbey at some point, but might get my fill of seafood first, as not in the mood for carrot and bacon pizza at the moment!