I’m not a huge Halloween fan in general.
Don’t get me wrong: I don’t begrudge anyone their fun in dressing up for the holiday, and it certainly is a delightful time for most kids. (I mean, free candy? What’s not to like?)
But personally, I can take or leave it.
So it probably seems odd that I found myself back in Salem last week. Salem is home of the infamous witch trials, so October is peak season for the town, where thousands of tourists jam the streets there in search of spooky shenanigans. I, of course, forgot about that October aspect when I took an impromptu trip to visit my friend Cornelius.
But not only did the visit turn out fine (we avoided the actual weekend, when things really get chaotic), but I also fortuitously found a great topic for this week’s column: A new microbrewery right in downtown Salem named Couch Dog Brewing.
Now, regular readers will know that if there is one thing I love more than beer, it’s dogs. So when I happened upon the place while doing a quick Google search, my interest was piqued. I had just visited Cornelius in May and visited the only two breweries in town: Notch Brewing and Eastern Regiment Brewing. How could I have missed a place with “dog” in its name?
As it turned out, I didn’t miss it. Couch Dog had just opened in June. So it quickly became a stop I absolutely had to make. And it was well worth it.
As the name might imply, it’s a dog-friendly venue – and even more than just “friendly.” Every canine visitor gets its photo taken and placed on the wall. To give you an idea of how popular the brewery has been: There are already more than 300 pooch pictures on display. Not bad for a place that hasn’t even been open for four months yet.
But although being dog-friendly is wonderful, it’s not going to matter much if the beer doesn’t cut it. But I’m here to report that not only does Couch Dog make really good beer, it often adds unique flavors that often add complexity to the brews without being gimmicky.
I ordered a flight of four of their offerings to get the best overall glimpse of what they do there.
First up was the Session Rice Ale with Yuzu. This 3.4% brew features yuzu, an Asian citrus fruit that combines the tartness of a lemon with the juiciness of grapefruit. It happened to be unseasonably hot that day, so this brew was the perfect refreshing thirst-quencher. It even might have been my favorite of the trip.
I opted for Sneak Attack APA next. This was a solid and balanced American Pale Ale that didn’t stand out in any particular way, but certainly ticked all the boxes for being a really good beer. And as I have learned over the decades, sometimes that’s the exact kind of beer you want. You don’t always need something with a lot of bells and whistles, shouting, “look at me!”
Third was Snob of the People New England IPA. As I’ve said repeatedly, I’ve sort of lost my enthusiasm for hazy, New England IPAs. That doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of good ones, but I just think there’s too many of them. But this is one I really liked. The haze wasn’t overdone and the citrus juiciness was well done.
Last was Portergeist, a clever name for a tasty porter. It was a solid entry in a beer category that is underserved here in the U.S.
All in all, Couch Dog gets two thumbs – um, I mean four paws up. Check it out when you’re in Salem.
