Burial Beer Billows Dry-Hopped Kolsch-Style Ale

Posted on by Evan

I picked this Billows Dry-Hopped Kolsch-Style Ale, 4.9% ABV from my local pasta shop, Pasta and Provisions. This beer is from Asheville, North Carolina. This beeris brewed by Burial Beer. This Kolsch is dry-hopped with Mandarina, Bavaria, and Centennial hops. It is also fermented, with Kolsch yeast. This beer pours a vibrant yellow with a three finger fluffy bight white head. The head fades slowly into decent lacy curtains. The aroma is hoppy, a little lemony, clean but dry. The taste is also hoppy with a lemon and a dry little chalkiness. This Kolsch is smooth, clean, and refreshing as well. The mouthfeel is light. This one doesn’t sit heavy on you. The aftertaste is slightly dry with a bit go hoppy notes. Then comes an aftertaste of hops and a light lemon dry flavor. This dry hopped Kolsch really surprised me with how good it is. It has superb flavors that meld together, making for a delicious beer. I give this an A+. It is fabulous, and I really recommend this beer. Please be kind, stay safe, and remember to enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

Legion Brewing Oktoberfest Oak-Aged Oktoberfest Lager

Posted on by Evan

This Oktoberfest Lager or Märzen Bier is Oakoberfest Oak-Aged Oktoberfest Lager. This beer comes from Legion Brewing in Charlotte, North Carolina and is a 5.5% ABV. This beer, is aged on charred American Oak. This beer pours a deep amber/copper color with a four finger slowly fading beige head. The aroma is of caramel, malted notes, spices, and vanilla. The flavor is a creamy caramel sweetness, spiced notes, malty flavors. It has a dry finish with a light bitterness. The aftertaste is a bit dry. There is also light spiciness, and some faint bittersweetness. I’ve had better Oktoberfest Lagers. This beer not so good I’d give this a D+. It’s not the worst Oktoberfest style beer I’ve had, but it comes close. It has more bitterness than I like, even though it has an International Bittering Unit of 27, which is low. This beer isn’t near the IBU’s of any IPA or Pale Ale. That is not what you typically find in a Märzen/Oktoberfest Lager. The fact that this beer is aged on American Oak is interesting. You don’t see this style of beer aged on or in anything. I wouldn’t say you should stay away, but I wouldn’t seek it out. Please be kind, stay safe, and remember to enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

Birdsong Brewing Co. Lazy Bird Brown Ale

Posted on by Evan

Here we have Lazy Bird Brown Ale, 5.5% ABV from Birdsong Brewing Co. This is one of their core offerings and is brewed right here in Charlotte, North Carolina. This brown ale is brewed with Two Row, Caramel 60L, Victory, Chocolate, Roasted Barley, and Red Wheat malts. It is also brewed with Columbus, Galena, Cascade, and Willamette hops. This ale pours a deep brown color with a three-and-a-half finger beige head. The head dissipates slowly leaving behind a beige bubble of lacing. The aroma is caramel, sweet, roasted malt, coffee, and tiny hop notes. The taste is sweet, caramel, with lite hoppy notes, roasted malts, and chocolate coffee. The mouthfeel is on the full side. Then it finishes with a hoppy roasted chocolate note with a hint of roasted malts. Then you get a nice caramel sweet hoppy finish. This is one of my favorite local beers. I give Birdsong Brewing Co. lazy Bird Brown Ale an A+. It is a get craft brown ale. I highly recommend this. It has all the great brown ale flavors with a lite citrus hop to it to make it interesting and tasty. Please be kind, stay safe, and remember to enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

Highland Brewing Gaelic Ale

Posted on by Evan

Highland Brewing Gaelic Ale, 5.5% ABV is the flagship red/amber ale of Highland Brewing in Asheville, North Carolina. This brewery has been in business since 1994. Gaelic Ale is Asheville’s first beer. This ale is brewed with Chinook, Willamette, and Cascade hops. This is also Munich, Caramel 40, Caramel 60, Extra Special Malt. This beer pours a deep rich amber color with a two-and-a-half finger off-white head. The aroma is sweet, and malty, with light hops. The flavor is also malty, sweet smooth with a hint of a hoppy note. The mouthfeel is medium. Then this beer has a malty, sweet, and smooth finish. The aftertaste is a little less malted but has just the right amount of sweetness. This is a fabulously delicious beer. I give this Amber Ale an A+. This is a beer that is worth keeping in your refrigerator year-round. I highly recommend Highland Brewing Gaelic Ale. I can see why it has been around twenty-eight years. Please stay safe, be kind, and remember to enjoy responsibly. Cheers! 

Edmund’s Oast Brewing Company The Co-Op

Posted on by Evan

Coming from Edmund’s Oast Brewing Company in Charleston, South Carolina this is The Co-Op a sour ale made with blackberry, grape, and lemon. This beer is 6% ABV and is a collaboration with The Co-op. This beer pours deep red/deep strawberry color with a four-finger light pink fizzy head. The aroma is tart with grape, lemon, and lithe blackberry. The taste is tart and fruity. It’s light on the grape and blackberries, but towards the back of the mouth, you get a tart lemon that throws the overall flavor into a bad spot. The mouthfeel is light. This beer then finishes with a grape/lemon tart flavor. The aftertaste is light tartness and light on flavor. This isn’t a good beer, and I think the flavors especially the lemon don’t go together. I usually like Edmund’s Oasts beer. But this one I am giving a D-. I mean the ingredients listed on the table sound dull if I’m being honest. I wouldn’t try this at all. Please stay safe, be kind, and remember to enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

Burial Beer End of Plagues India Pale Ale

Posted on by Evan

This beer is End of Plagues India Pale Ale, is from Burial Beer. This IPA is from, Asheville, North Carolina, comes in at 7.2% ABV. This beer has oats in it. It also has been whirlpooled, is a method used to separate debris (mostly hop pellets and trub) from wort after the boil, with Incognito hops. Then it’s double dry-hoped with Citra, Sabro, and Vic Secret hops. This beer pours a yellow, cloudy color with a three-and-half-finger creamy white head. The aroma is sweet (from the oats used), hoppy, and orange. The flavor is creamy hoppy, bitter, piney, and orange citrus fruit notes. The mouthfeel is full. Then this IPA finishes hoppy, bitter, and fruity with a little faded sweetness. The aftertaste is a creamy, bitter, citrus fruit flavor that slowly fades. This beer is a good beer, and it’s been a while since I’ve had an oat IPA. I would give End of Plagues India Pale Ale an A-. It just needs a little more bitter notes to make is spectacular and delicious. But I still think this IPA is a good beer that you should be drinking this as well as all other Burial Beers. Please be kind, stay safe, and remember to enjoy responsibly! Cheers! 

Burial Beer Sharp Summer Bock Lager

Posted on by Evan

Sharp, 6% ABV, is a Maibock style beer from Burial Beer, Asheville, North Carolina. This beer has German Pils, light German Munich Malts, and Herbrucker malts. There is also Saaz, and Grungiest hops. This beer pours a deeper orange color with a stick, creamy four-finger white head. The aroma is sweet, bread, malty, and somewhat floral. The flavor is honey, malty, and bread, with a grainy note. The mouthfeel is medium. Then is beer finishes with sweet bread and honey flavor. Then comes an aftertaste of light fading sweetness and light malts. This beer is not as good as I thought it was. Burial Beer Sharp is a C+. It is just average. There is a slight off-putting flavor not as you swallow the beer, but that is not too serious. It is a little bitter, and that’s not what you’d find in beer. It’s not the worst, and neither is this beer overall. I’ve had better, and I’ve had worse versions of this style of beer. I would say I recommend or don’t recommend this beer. If you do or don’t try this, you aren’t missing anything. Please be kind, stay safe, and remember to enjoy responsibly! 

Hopfly Brewing Company Shatter Hazy Pale Ale

Posted on by Evan

This beer Shatter from Hopfly Brewing Company is the first beer I have seen/had from their new brewery here in Charlotte, North Carolina. This beer is a 5.8% hazy pale ale. This beer is part of Dank Expressions and is double-dry hoped, with Amarillo, Nelson Sauvin, and Mosaic Spectrum hops. This pale ale pours a hazy yellow with a three-finger white head. The head has decent retention. The aroma is juicy melon, hoppy and bitter. The flavor is similar to the smell with juicy bitter melon and hoppy creamy notes. There is a light powdery taste on this beer that you might get from a dry-hopped beer. The mouthfeel is medium. Then this beer finishes with a hoppy semi-dry melon. Then you get a bitter fruity aftertaste last long enough to enjoy it. I enjoyed Shatter Hazy Pale Ale. I would give this beer a high B+. It is refreshing and not so heavy that you can’t drink a few of them. I think it has a nice balance of flavor, drinkability, and mouthfeel. I would recommend trying this. Please be kind, stay safe, and remember to enjoy responsibly! Cheers! 

Edmund’s Oast Brewing Company Hush That Fuss Hoppy Wheat Ale

Posted on by Evan

This beer, Hush That Fuss, is labeled on the can as a Hoppy Wheat Ale, but if you dig a little deeper, you’ll find it’s a Pale Ale. This beer from Edmund’s Oast Brewing Company is 5.5% ABV. This beer pours an orange color with a five-finger white rocky head. The aroma is orange, bitter, with light wheat notes, and bright. The taste is creamy, with orange pineapple, bitterness, and lemony. The mouthfeel is medium and creamy. Then it comes to a bitter wheat orange and tropical-like finish. The aftertaste is bitter, slightly hoppy, and fruity. This beer is more of an American Pale Ale than an ear of hoppy wheat, but you get a light wheat flavor. I give this beer an A-. It was close to being a wheat ale but not all the way there. Overall a nice tasting beer. I’d recommend it! Please be kind, stay safe, and remember to enjoy responsibly! Cheers!