Grillaz is always searching for local gems, and we recently discovered Green Head IPA by Newburyport Brewing Company.  We discovered it entirely by chance while browsing the web on a lazy Sunday morning, and we new instantly that our mission for the day was to sip that beer.  The brewery provides tours, but not on Sundays, and we did not recall seeing their beer in stores.  To our good fortune, their web site lists establishments that serve their beer on tap – brilliant!

Being a beautiful, early-autumn day, we worked up a healthy appetite and corresponding thirst with a hike at Old Town Hill, one of the Trustees of Reservations properties.  Our hike ended with a view of an iconic New England salt marsh that borders woodlands; the tree leaves were just starting to change color.

We motored on over to Grog in down town Newburyport, spying the Green Head IPA tap as we took a seat at the bar.  This beer is categorized as a West Coast IPA, which, in Grillaz’ view, means that it is very bitter, has some citrus flavor, and has minimal malt sweetness.  The beer has a slightly unusual hazy, coppery color with a vibrant aroma of hops and citrus with perhaps something of a pine resin thrown in.  The taste was hoppy with, thankfully, only a slight bit of citrus that cleansed the palate, leaving it ready for another sip.  Ah, perfect.

As we dined on crab cakes and a second Green Head, we had a pleasant conversation with a young man who had moved from San Diego just the day before.  He fit right in Grillaz style:  he enjoys IPAs (he favors Stone Ruination from San Diego), tasty food (including creative uses of habanero peppers), and good conversation wherever it may be found.  And also like Grillaz, he is on the never ending quest to find a little time to relax and enjoy these things.  Grillaz next stop, by the way, will be at by Newburyport Brewing Company for that tour.