Hop Swap Tastes Best at Craft Beer Event in Natick

By Susan Petroni (Patch staff)

Attendees at SKYBOKX 109’s second craft-acular beer tasting sampled dozen of beers and feasted on wings and pizza on Thursday night, Oct. 1.

The more than 100 attendees also voted for their favorite brew out of the dozens sampled and the winner received a three-month rotation on the restaurant’s draft system.

Sebago Brewing’s Hop Swap was the winner.

The Gorham, Maine craft brewery unveiled Hop Swap in 2012. As the name suggests, it changes it make-up annually.

Hop Swap is an American IPA. Annually, the Maine brewery experiments with the recipe swapping out different hop varieties.

2015’s Hop Swap features bold notes of orchard fruits, apricot, citrus, lemongrass and resinous pine.

It can now be found at SKYBOKX 109’s tap for the next three months for guests to order.

The Maine brewery, which served its first pint in 1998, also brought Bon Fire Rye and Frye’s IPA, to the event in Natick.

At the first annual event at SKYBOKX 109, Clown’s Shoes Space Cake won the tap.

Other craft brewing companies at the event included: Downeast Cider House;Clown Shoes, Bad Martha,Jack’s Abby Brewing, Harpoon Brewery, Wachusetts Brewing Company, Foolproof Brewing, Foolproof Brewing and Goose Island Beer Company.

As guests sipped ales, stouts, ciders, and IPA, they could also sample SKYBOKX 109’s wings and pizza. Executive Chef Noah Gagnon and his team produced all the pizza and chicken wings, including a delicious honey bourbon-flavored wing.

But taste was not just limited to the food.

Downeast Cider served up a pumpkin-flavored ale, among its four offerings to attendees on Thursday night.

Harpoon Brewery out of Boston also served up a pumpkin UFO beer.

Foolproof Brewing offered guests a peanut butter flavored porter to sample, along with three other ales.

Clown Shoes offered guests a chocolate pecan pie flavored porter, its award-winning Space Cake IPA, Tramp Stamp beer, and a chocolate sombrero brew.

Coming from the Vinyard, Bad Martha brought three ales for guests to taste, including a honey-flavored one.

The cost to attend was $25 at the door, and $20 in advance.

Check out more pictures from Petroni Media Company here.