Burial Beer Co. Enlightened Aren’t We All India Pale Ale

Posted on by Evan

It’s been a while since I’ve had and reviewed a Burial Beer IPA. I have been trying and reviewing their non-IPA beers. But I thought it was time for one of their IPAs. This one is Enlightened Aren’t We All. It is 7.2% and made with oats and wheat. It’s whirlpool-hopped with Mosaic, Incognito, and hand-selected Mosaic Cryo. This IPA is also dry-hopped with 3 different kinds of hand-selected Mosaic hops grown in Oregon’s Lakeside Ranch and in Idaho at Central Cove. Burial usually does a lot to make an IPA. This beer pours a hazy yellow with a two-finger white head. The aroma is fruity and hoppy. There are light wheat aromas with some piney notes. The flavor is juicy fruit, pine, and light wheat. It has a nice hoppy taste. The mouthfeel is medium. This IPA has a bitter and fruity finish. The aftertaste is faint wheat and a nice piney/fruity flavor. This is a good beer, and a lot went into it. I give Enlighten Aren’t We All an A. As I drank this, I thought it was a B+. But that went up while writing. This IPA has good flavors that all come together for a delicious IPA that is worth drinking! Please stay safe, be kind to each other, and remember to enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

Birrificio Baladin Birra Nazionale

Posted on by Evan

I hadn’t really bought beer from World Market before, until this past Saturday, when I bought two. This is Birrificio Baladin Birra Nazionale. This Italian beer is a 6.5% Belgian Blonde ale from Piozzo, Italy. It’s from the province of Cueno. I have been to their brewpub restaurant in Rome for Pizza and beer. That is a must-visit brewpub. This beer pours a deep gold with a one-finger white head. The aroma is spiced with light coriander; it’s fruity and sweet. The taste is lightly spiced with coriander; sweetness comes from light fruity notes. This beer has a warm and semi-sweet finish that isn’t great. The aftertaste is a faded sweet/spiced flavor. I have had much better versions of this style of beer. Birra Nazionale gets a C-. It wasn’t bad enough not to finish; I did finish. I wouldn’t recommend it. But I wouldn’t say that it was terrible. The flavor was a bit weak overall, and it had a strange finish. I have one more beer from this brewery, which I will be reviewing soon. Please stay safe, be kind to each other, and remember to enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

Aslin Brewing Company Summer Fruittata

Posted on by Evan

Sour beers are an interesting style. They can range from tart to sweet, and even mildly sour. This beer is Aslin Brewing Company’s Summer Fruittata, a sour ale with 6% ABV, featuring plum, peach, blueberry, vanilla, and milk sugar. That is an interesting combination. This sour ale pours orange with a two-finger off-white head. The aroma is vanilla, sweetness, and peach. Smells pretty good. The taste is sweet with vanilla, peach, and light plum. There is the faintest blueberry flavor here. This has a lightly thick mouthfeel. The finish is sweet and has a sour bite. That all fades into a peach aftertaste with a weird blueberry note. This beer could do without blueberries. That gives Aslin Brewing Company’s Summer Fruittata a D+. The peach flavor was decent, as was the plum. But the blueberries did not play nice with the rest of the flavors. I wouldn’t drink this. I got through this beer and will not do that again. Please stay safe, be kind to each other, and remember to enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

Burial Beer Co. Silhouette Rice Lager

Posted on by Evan

I don’t see rice lager-style beer from any craft breweries. That is, until yesterday, when I was at my local Harris Teeter grocery store and spotted Burial Beer’s Silhouette Rice Lager. Rice Lager is a lager brewed with a substantial amount of rice (10% to 30% or more). Rice lagers are usually associated with brands such as Sapporo and Kirin.  This rice lager is malted with Extra Pale Pilsner malt, Eraclea, and rice. They also whirlpool this beer with HBC 1134 and Saaz hops in collaboration with Nation of Language (a Brooklyn-based indie/synthpop band). I find that rice lagers are great with Chinese and Japanese foods. This lager pours a clean golden color with a light white one-finger head. The aroma is clean and crisp with bread notes. The flavor is crisp and clean with sweet floral notes and a bit of sweetness. This has a light-bodied mouthfeel. The finish is clean and crisp with a fading floral note. The aftertaste is crisp and light with a lingering, faded sweet note. Silhouette Rice Lager is a high B+. It has a bit more flavor than the macro rice lager I’ve had. But I do think that if you get halfway through the fourth one, the flavor becomes a little boring, but not bad, and yes, I would recommend Silhouette Rice Lager. Please stay safe, be kind to each other, and remember to enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

Belleflower Brewing Co. Light Bearer

Posted on by Evan

I visited the Belleflower Brewing Co. in Portland, Maine. I had Hidden Vine (a good beer), a wild ale with Sauvignon Blanc grapes, while my dad had Light Bearer, a 10% ABV triple New England haze IPA. Halfway through my beer, I had an Icelandic hot dog from Gunnar’s Icelandic Hotdogs food truck. An Icelandic hot dog, known as pylsa, is a popular street food made primarily from a unique blend of local lamb, pork, and beef. It is served in a bun with everything.  Very delicious and a must-eat! After my hot dog, my dad bought a 4-pack of Light Bearer to bring back home. This big IPA uses Nelson Sauvin, Nectaron, Motueka, and Alora hops. Light Bearer pours a hazy yellow with a two-finger white slow head. The aroma is fruity, pineapple, tropical, and bitter. The flavor is pineapple, tropical, smooth, and bitter. This beer has a full and creamy mouthfeel. Then it finishes with papaya, pineapple, and bitterness. The pineapple lingers in the aftertaste along with some bitterness. But this IPA finishes smoothly. Belleflower Brewing Co.’s Light Bearer is a good beer; I give this an A. It is refreshing, especially on a hot day, even if it’s 10% ABV. It does not drink like a 10% beer. The delicious flavors do a good job of masking that. So I would recommend Light Bearer. I wish I could buy more. Please stay safe, be kind to each other, and remember to enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

Epic Brewing Company Big Bad Baptist Solstice

Posted on by Evan

I picked up Epic Brewing Company Big Bad Baptist Solstice a few weeks ago from Total Wine. This is a 13.2% barrel-aged stout with clove, star anise, and pomegranate. I have been trying to review more stouts/barrel-aged stouts. This big beer pours black with a two-finger beige head. The aroma is sweet and dark, with spiced notes of licorice and light pomegranate juice. The flavor is cloves, licorice, pomegranate, and orange. This beer has a full (thicker) mouthfeel. The finish is boozy, with faded licorice and some spiced pomegranate. The aftertaste is light licorice and fruit, but fades as the booze lingers. This is not a bad beer, nor is it a good beer. I found it interesting, D+ interesting. I don’t think I would recommend Big Bad Baptist Solstice. I mean, this isn’t terrible. Please stay safe, be kind to each other, and remember to enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

Allagash Brewing Co. Curieux Belgian Style Golden

Posted on by Evan

I was in Portland, Maine, for a beer tour reunion and received a gift bag. It had Allagash Brewing Co. Curieux in it. This beer is 10.2% ABV. Curieux is a Belgian-style Triple aged in Bourbon barrels for seven weeks. Allagash uses Allagash 2-Row Malted Barley Blend and local pale malt grains. They also use their own house yeast, Nugget, and Hallertau hops. I took a tour of Allagash and found out that this beer is aged in Jim Beam Barrels and has been using said barrels since day one. I highly recommend visiting Allagash. This beer pours a deeper gold with a creamy one-finger white head. The aroma of Curieux is sweet, oaky, and light caramel. The taste is boozy (not too much), vanilla, oaky, caramel, and light crispness. This has a medium mouthfeel. It finishes oaky, with light booze and vanilla. The aftertaste is spiced, with fading sweet notes. This Curieux does not drink like it’s 10.2% ABV. I found it to be slightly refreshing. It is A+. This is not a beer I can drink multiples of, but I can’t just drink one. I would say that Curieux is a more everyday barrel-aged beer. I think this one is one I’d really recommend. Please stay safe, be kind to each other, and remember to enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

Birrificio Italiano Tipoplis

Posted on by Evan

I was in Portland, Maine, walking up the street when I spotted Birrificio Italiano Tipopils. This is the original dry-hopped Pilsner or Italian Pilsner. This 5.1% ABV Pilsner was created back in 1996. This beer pours a darker yellow with a one-finger white head. The aroma is light fruit and hops. The flavor is crisp with light hops and mild fruit notes. It is dry but smooth. I found this to have a light mouthfeel. Then it finishes dry, crisp, and light on hops. The aftertaste is fading fruit/hops. This was good but not mind-blowing, so it’s a B. This Pilsner is more drinkable than some other Italian Pilsners. That means I could have three of these before I am tired of drinking this Pilsner. I would recommend Tipopils if you are a fan of the style. Please stay safe, be kind to each other, and remember to enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

Pasta & Provisions x Divine Barrel Brewing Pally Pils

Posted on by Evan

I haven’t seen a beer collaboration between a brewery and a market/shop before. That is, until I walked into Pasta & Provisions and found Pally Pils. This Italian-style Pilsner is a collaboration between Pasta & Provisions and Divine Barrel Brewing. Both of these Charlotte, North Carolina businesses made this 5% ABV Pils with Hallertau, Mittelfruh, Magnum, and Grüngeist hops. This is a white label beer solely canned by Divine Barrel. This is Pasta & Provisions beer. That is according to North Carolina law. This Pilsner pours yellow with a two-finger white head. The aroma is clean and crisp, with a light hop note. The taste is crisp and clean, with a light fruity hop note. This has a light mouthfeel. Then it finishes clean, with a touch of fruity bitterness. The aftertaste is clean and crisp. The bitterness fades quickly. Pally Pils is an A+. I love the Italian-style Pilsner, which is just a dry-hopped Pilsner that originated in Italy. This is a definite must-have beer. It is only sold at Pasta & Provisions here in Charlotte. This is a beer that I would keep in my beer fridge for sure. Please stay safe, be kind to each other, and remember to enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

Royal Bliss Brewing Co. Other Worlds Hazy IPA

Posted on by Evan

If you don’t know about Royal Bliss Brewing Co., then you should! It’s a great brewery out of Denver, North Carolina. This is Royal Bliss Brewing Co. Other Worlds Hazy IPA. This beer is 6.8% ABV with Australian Galaxy and Vic Secret hops. I am seeing Australian hops more in IPA lately. This IPA pours a hazy yellow with a fluffy two-finger white head. That head leaves behind fluffy lacing. The aroma is citrusy and tropical, with a nice amount of bitterness. The flavor is pulpy orange juice, citrusy, with notes of passion fruit, pineapple, and bitterness. The bitterness is soft, along with the overall flavor. This has a medium mouthfeel. Then it comes to a citrus/tropical finish. The aftertaste is light orange, pineapple, passion fruit, and faint grapefruit. It is also bitter, but it fades. This is a great hazy IPA that gets an A+ here. I would highly recommend Royal Bliss Brewing Co.’s Other Worlds Hazy IPA. Please stay safe, be kind to each other, and remember to enjoy responsibly! Cheers!