Wormtown Blizzard of 78

Having experienced first-hand the snowfall that was nicknamed Blizzard of ’78 (as in 1978), this week’s focus beer had a haunting attraction. At that time, I was a superintendent for a rather large brick apartment building in Newton, MA. Living in a basement apartment was nice and cool in the summer but winter was another story. I believe the snow was the result of two storms colliding over New England. It seemed like it snowed for days though and my basement windows were soon packed with the white stuff. When it did subside, the parking lot looked like it had small bumps in the snow. Digging out was a real nightmare. But the hearty spirit of those people who endured it made for amazing pictures when the clouds disappeared. Folks were snowshoeing and cross-country skiing down city streets. Groceries shelves were almost bare for days. Trucks and cars were stuck for miles on major highways and it took almost three weeks before kids could go back to school. Yes, it was an amazing time and this is why I focus today on a namesake beer from that era…
Wormtown Brewery is located on Shrewsbury Street in downtown Worcester, Massachusetts. The owners were going to originally name their enterprise Worcester Brewing Company but Wormtown just made more sense since that is the city’s nickname. Starting out in the back of an ice cream shop in 2009, Ben Roesch created some of his award winning recipes of awesome beers. The next year, with the help of a Small Business Administration (SBA) loan, Wormtown was officially opened. Their beer soon garnered more and more awards from national beer festivals gaining them the ability to grow. In 2015, their present location was opened where patrons can gaze upon the brew facility while sipping a pint of their many different styles of beer. Although Wormtown is most known for their India Pale Ales, varied styles helps to round out their offerings. Find out more about them at wormtownbrewery.com
Blizzard of 78 Brown Ale is an English-style beer that approaches a porter style but resists going all the way there. In other words, it has a deep reddish-brown hue with tan plentiful head and lots of malty goodness to go around. The addition of locally roasted coffee beans gives this brew an extra flavor kick and helps create a rich and smooth character. Caramel, chocolate and subtle earthy notes join in to make this charmer memorable. The majority of the hop bittering comes from the English Fuggle hop variety which balances nicely against chocolate grains. Pair this beer with heartier meats such as pork, beef or even duck. At 6% ABV, this ale will welcome you after any outside adventure, even shoveling snow.
BeerAdvocate.com has officially rated Blizzard of 78 as a ‘Very Good’ rating of 88 out of 100. You will want to try some of their other offerings, both seasonal and year-round.
You can find these 16 oz four packs at Case-n-Keg in Meredith as well as other fine beer providers. Though we may not get another record breaking 27” snow storm for a while, we can certainly look back in amazement and appreciate New England’s fortitude in the winter months.