Pipeworks Brewing Co. Lizard King Mosaic Pale Ale

Posted on by Evan

This pale ale from Chicago, Illinois, is Lizard King Mosaic Pale Ale. This beer is 6% ABV from Pipeworks Brewing Co. This beer has Mosaic hops as it is part of the beer’s name. This pale ale pours a bright yellow. It has a one-finger quick white head. The aroma is tropical fruit and bitterness. The flavor is lemon at first, then light pineapple, then orange. It is bitter but smooth. This beer has a medium feeling in the mouth. Lizard King finishes with a pineapple orange fruit flavor that is a little bitter/hoppy. The aftertaste is bitter, with a tropical fruity flavor. This beer is tasty. I had another it was that good. This Pipeworks Brewing Co. Lizard King Mosaic Pale Ale is an A+. I highly recommend you drink this. This beer has delicious tropical notes with a nice balance of bitterness and hoppy flavors. It’s well brewed. Please stay safe, be kind to each other, and remember to enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

Trader Joes Josephs Brau Drive Thru Red

Posted on by Evan

Drive Thru Red from Josephs Brau (Trader Joe’s) in San Jose California is a dry-hopped red ale. This beer is 7.2% ABV and uses noble Tattnanger hops. This beer gets its name from the giant redwood trees in northern California that you can drive through. This red ale pours a red color with a one-and-a-half finger off-white head. The head is steady but does fade down to scattered clouds. The aroma is malty, hoppy, and bitter. There is a little sweet note as well. The flavor is malty, bitter, semi-sweet, and hoppy. This beer has a medium feel in the mouth. This ale finishes with a light bitter/hoppy note. Then you get an aftertaste of a light, semi-sweet bitterness. This beer is just average, getting a C+. I would like to have more hoppy notes with this beer. That would make this a good beer. I am coming to the conclusion that Trader Joe’s Joseph Brau beers are hit or miss. I like some, then I don’t like others. Please stay safe, be kind to one another, and remember to enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

Fonta Flora Brewery Pocket Lunch

Posted on by Evan

This beer is Pocket Lunch from Fonta Flora Brewery in Nero, North Carolina. This beer a Belgain-style Kölsch is 5% ABV and is aged on coriander, Earl Gray Tea, elderflower, fresh lemon, and orange zest. This beer uses fresh local well water and 83% local ingredients. This Kölsch pours a yellow color with a two-finger semi-quick fading white head. The aroma is earthy, floral, and spiced. The flavor is earthy, and floral at first. Then it’s spiced (coriander). There is a little burnt flavor. On the back of the tongue, you get lemon and orange. This beer finishes with a spiced floral flavor. The aftertaste is a combination of floral fruit with spices. This is a light feeling in the mouth. I can taste exactly where one flavor ends and another starts. That means the flavors aren’t melding with each other. That’s no good in my opinion. The burnt flavor in the middle is off-putting for a second until the fruity flavor comes in lightly. Pocket Lunch gets a D+. It was a rollercoaster of flavors in my mouth. This beer had been going back and forth between liking it and not liking it. I don’t recommend it. Please stay safe, be kind to each other, and remember to enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

Raleigh Brewing Company Holiday Bash Spiced Winter Warmer

Posted on by Evan

This spied winter warm is Holiday Bash from Raleigh Brewing in Raleigh, North Carolina. According to the brewery, they are using Mulling spice. This beer is 6.6% ABV. This winter warmer pours a dark brown color with a two-finger beige quick head. This beer has lighter brown edges. The aroma is spiced, roasted, nutty, molasses, and lightly bitter. The flavor is also spiced and nutty. There are cinnamon, molasses, and chocolate flavors with bitter-sugar cookies. This beer is fuller on the mouth. This beer has a slightly bitter finish. Then you get an aftertaste of burnt sugar and molasses. This beer is not something I liked, I give Holiday Bash Spiced Winter Warmer a D. I don’t think the bitterness is helping anything here, and it clashes with the chocolate that makes the molasses taste funny. I would not drink again, and neither should you. Please stay safe, be kind to each other, and remember to enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

Trader Joes Josephs Brau Winter Ride Double Bock

Posted on by Evan

Out of all the places that brew beer a grocery store or supermarket would not be my first thought of a brewery. But apparently, Trader Joe’s brews beer. They brew beer in San Jose, California under the Josephs Brau. This is Winter Ride, Double Bock. This beer is 7.5% ABV. This double bock uses dark roasted Caramel Munich malts. This bock pours a dark brown color with a tow finger off-white head. The aroma is nutty, roasted, malty, and caramel. The flavor has similarities to the aroma. There is roasted caramel and malty flavors, and a light bitterness. There is a slight metallic flavor. This beer has a semi-sweet finish. That leads to a caramel-roasted flavor with a metallic bitterness. This beer is okay, a C+. I think the metallic flavor keeps this beer from being any better. It’s not the end of the world if you have or don’t have this beer. It is just slightly above average. Please stay safe, be kind to each other, and remember to enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

Hi-Wire Brewing Elated Winter IPA

Posted on by Evan

The beer is Elated Winter IPA from Hi-Wire Brewing in Asheville, North Carolina. It is 6.2% ABV with Michigan Chinook and Idaho 7 hops. This beer is a wintertime seasonal beer. Elated IPA pours a darker orange color with a marshmallow white two-and-a-quarter finger head. The head is slow to fade. The aroma is piney, citrusy, orange peel, and bitter. The flavor is citrusy with orange and orange peel. There is a pine note with malts, caramel, toasted bread, and bitter notes. This beer has a near-full feeling in your mouth. Then it has a piney bitter citrusy finish. Then comes an aftertaste of bitter pine with light citrus fruit. This Elated Winter IPA was good and reminded me of a more traditional IPA. This winter IPA is an A-. The malt and pine notes could have been a little more pronounced. Other than that it was good. I recommend Elated Winter IPA. Please stay safe, be kind to each other, and remember to enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

NoDa Brewing Co. Slurp Surfin West Coast India Pale Ale

Posted on by Evan


Slurp Surfin is a West Coast India Pale Ale produced by NoDa Brewing Co. and is part of the Slurp Series of IPAs. This IPA is 6.5% and is dry-hopped with Mosaic, Simcoe, and Centennial hops. NoDa Brewing uses the same mash hopes and Thiol (a type of yeast) as the Lil Slurp and mash hops; Experimental 177701. Mosiac Incognito is used in the whirlpool. This beer pours a yellow color with a three-and-a-quarter fluffy white head. The head is very slowly fading. The aroma is pineapple, grapefruit, tangerine, orange, bitterness, and light pine. The flavor is also tropical pineapple, tangerine, orange, and grapefruit. There is a good amount of bitter notes there. This beer has a lighter feel in the mouth. This IPA has a tropical fruity bitter finish. The aftertaste is bitter with tropical fruits. Slurp Surfin is a delicious beer and one that is an A. I enjoyed the tropical bitter flavors. So go find NoDa Brewing Co. Slurp Surfin, and the rest of the Slurp Series beers. I have previously reviewed the rest of the series. Please stay safe, be kind to each other, and remember to enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

Brouwerij St. Bernardus Christmas Ale

Posted on by Evan

Christmas is coming soon, and it might be too early for a Christmas beer. But here is St. Bernardus Christmas Ale. This beer is produced by Brouwerij St. Bernardus in Watuo, Belgium. This Christmas Quadruple ale is 10% ABV. St. Bernardus uses a unique yeast that dates back to 1946. The beer pours a dark brown color with a one-and-a-half-finger sticky beige head. The aroma is of Aniseed, dried fruits, sweetness, and light caramel. The flavor is on the rich side. The beer tastes sweet, dried fruits, boozy, roasted chestnuts, and hints of chocolate. This beer feels full in your mouth. This ale finishes with a little boozy, sweet, nutty, and light fruitiness. The aftertaste is semi-sweet and boozy with some light fruity and nut notes. This beer is tasty and sneaks up on you. Yes, it is on the boozy side. It does not feel strong on alcohol. St. Bernadues Christmas Ale is an A+. I highly recommend this one. It has no flaws and it is delicious. Please stay safe, be kind to each other, and remember to enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

Triple C Brewing Co. x Birdsong Brewing Co. Three in Flight New Zealand-Style Kellerbier Lager

Posted on by Evan

You don’t see Kellerbier Lagers from New Zealand. But Three in Flight is one. This beer is a collaboration between Triple C Brewing Co. & Birdsong Brewing Co., both here in Charlotte. This Kellerbier Lager is 4.8% ABV and has Motueka, Nelson Sauvin, and Nectaron hops. This beer pours a yellow color with a two-finger white head. The aroma is light hops, light sweetness, and light white bread. The flavor is lightly sweet, bitterness on the middle and back of the mouth, spicy, and clean. This beer has a light feeling in the mouth. This beer finishes with a bitter spiced note. The aftertaste is lackluster bitterness but not overly bitter. There is a bit of a sweetness in the aftertaste. This beer starts off well, then just fizzles out on average, making Three in Flight a C grade. It sounded interesting on the label, being a New Zealand-style Kellerbier Lager. But it is not great nor it’s bad.

Hardywood Craft Brewery Great Return IPA

Posted on by Evan

Hardywood Craft Brewery in Richmond, Virginia produces Great Return IPA. This IPA is 7.5% and uses Apollo, Cascade, Centennial, Columbus, and Simcoe hops. This IPA pours yellow with a one-finger white head. The aroma is bright, citrus, piney, and malted. The flavor is piney, citrusy, hoppy, and smooth. This beer is lighter on the mouth. Then it has a bitter hop finish. Then you get an aftertaste of piney grapefruit. The bitterness is stronger in the aftertaste than when it initially hits the tongue. This is just average in my opinion, so I give this a C. Nothing bad and nothing really stands out. This IPA is something that you can drink a few of without having the flavor overpower your mouth. The bitter aftertaste is a little off but not terrible. Great Return is not the worst IPA I’ve had. Please stay safe, be kind to each other, and remember to enjoy responsibly! Cheers!