Sint Bernardus Brouwerij & Bayerische Staatsbrauerei Weihenstephan Kombine Unfiltered Helles

Posted on by Evan

Kombine is a collaboration between St. Bernardus in Watou, Belgium, and Weihenstephan in Freising, Germany. This beer is a 6% ABV unfiltered Helles. This beer isn’t bottle-fermented like St. Bernardus beers. This Helles follows the German Reinheitsgebot and uses Weihenstephan yeast, a blend of hops from both St. Bernardus and Weihenstephan. This Helles is the first bottom-fermented beer that St. Bernardus has brewed. This Helles pours a yellow that has a very light orange hue. This beer has a two-finger white head that fades at a steady pace. The aroma is semi-sweet notes, banana, and very light hops. The flavor is similar to its aroma. This beer flavor reminds me of Delirium, but a lighter Delirium. The mouthfeel is medium. Then this helles has a smooth finish of light, sweet notes. The aftertaste is very little banana with a light hop note. This beer is a very delicious Helles. I give Kombine an A+. I found it to be smooth, flavorful, and refreshing. I hope that you find it that way as well, because I highly recommend Kombine. Please stay safe, be kind to each other, and remember to enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

760 Craft Works Knower’s Arc

Posted on by Evan

Sometimes I buy beer based on the cool-looking label, the style of beer might be interesting, or I know and/or like that particular brewer. But Knower’s Arc from 760 Craft Works (www.760craftworks.com) is all the above. I have had and reviewed a few of their other beer. This beer is a 6.7% ABV Hazy IPA from Huntersville, North Carolina. This IPA has Citra, Talus, Simcoe, and Vista Hops. This IPA pours yellow with a two-finger white head. The aroma is a big orange citrus flavor with some bitter hops. The taste is pretty much the same, but with more intensity and less bitterness. There is a nice amount of bitter hop notes, though. This beer has a medium mouthfeel. The finish is bitter orange. The beer has a more bitter orange aftertaste. This beer reminds me of Sugar Creek Brewing’s Big O IPA. But Knower’s Arc is less orange than Big O. This IPA is an A-. I’d want more bitter flavors, but it is great otherwise, and a beer that I recommend trying. You can seek this out at Total Wine (www.totalwine.com). Please stay safe, be kind to each other, and remember to enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

Burial Beer Contrition Pilsner

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Contrition Pilsner from Burial Beer is a 4.8% ABV beer with 100% German Pilsner Malt, hopped with Grugiest, Saaz, and Hallertau Blanc hops. Burial Beer is in Asheville, North Carolina (Burialbeer.com). I am seeing a little uptick in the amount of Pilsner beer on store shelves. This beer came from Total Wine (totalwine.com). This Pilsner pours yellow with a one-finger white head. The aroma is clean and crisp. It also has some bready and malty notes. The taste is clean and crisp. There are light, sweet notes, bread, and malt notes. This beer is light in the mouth. Then this Pilsner finishes with a nice crispness that is clean with light malt notes. The aftertaste is more of the finish, but it trails off and doesn’t linger. This beer is a good, refreshing German-style pilsner that gets a B+. The overall flavor of this Pilsner does not jump at your taste buds. It tastes good. I would recommend Contrition Pilsner from Burial Beer. Please stay safe, be kind to each other, and remember to enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

Hi-Wire Brewing Cooler Nights ipa

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I bought Hi-Wire Brewing (hiwirebrewing.com) Coller Night ipa from Total Wine (totalwine.com). This beer is a Neighborhood Series 6.5% ABV West Coast-Style IPA, with Citra, Chinook, & Columbus hops. This IPA pours a bright yellow with a two-finger, fluffy white head. The nose of this beer has bitterness, hoppy notes, and light pine scents. The flavor is resinous, bitter, and hoppy, with a grassy/piney flavor. There is a slightly off note on the back ot the tongue. This beer has a medium feel in the mouth. The finish is bitter and hoppy, much like most beers of this style. The aftertaste is slightly fruity but muted and bitter. This IPA tastes much like all the other West Coast-style IPAs. I give this a Cooler Nights ipa a C+. It’s barely getting that grade. I found this IPA not different enough from every other IPA. But it was not terrible. It has decent bitter/hoppy flavors. I feel that the craft beer market has too many IPAs. I like IPAs. It’s just that they have been popular for so long, craft beer drinkers are tired of them and want something different. I will continue to enjoy IPAs. I would not rush out for this one. Please stay safe, be kind to each other, and remember to enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

Left Hand Brewing Co. Zesty Dreams Nitro Meyer Lemon Blonde Ale

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Left Hand Brewing Co. (https://lefthandbrewing.com) Zesty Dreams Nitro is a 5.5% ABV Meyer Lemon Blonde Ale that utilizes nitrogen (a widget) in the can to carbonate this beer. This nitro Blonde ale uses 2-Row Pale Malt, Wheat Malt, Crystal 40, and Rolled Oats malts. They also use Lemon Drop, Eldorado hops, as well as Meyer Lemon and natural lemon flavor. This beer pours a yellow color, with a one-finger creamy, white head. There is an aroma of fresh lemon, tart, dry, and fruity, of course.n The flavor is Lemon fruit, dry, creamy, and slightly tart. This beer has a medium feel to the mouth. Then it has a creamy lemon finish. The aftertaste is just lemony. The nitrogen adds a creaminess that enhances the lemon. This beer gets an A grade. I really would recommend drinking Zesty Dreams. The lemon flavor is excellent without being too tart/sour. Please stay safe, be kind to each other, and remember to enjoy responsibly! Cheers! 

king Canary Brewing Co. Under The Toucan Sun Italian Pilsner

Posted on by Evan

I’ve been seeing more and more Italian Pilsners around. Italian Pilsners are gaining popularity, and perhaps that is because the majority of the craft beer industry has focused on IPAs. Italian Pilsners are dry-hopped pilsners that use German noble hops. These hops aren’t very bitter, but when they are dry-hopped, they release a small amount of hop bitterness. This style originated in Italy. Well, Under The Toucan Sun didn’t originate in Italy, but in Mooresville, North Carolina, from King Canary Brewing Co (www.kingcanarybrewing.com). This beer is 5.1% ABV and made with Adriatic Pilsner Malt and a blend of noble and American hops. I bought this beer from Reid’s Fine Foods at Southpark Mall (www.reids.com). This beer pours bright yellow with a two-finger white head. The aroma is a little bitter, with crisp and floral notes. The flavor has a lemon-like note, with some bitterness. It is crisp, clean, and herbal, too. This Pilsner finishes with some bitterness, and it has a floral, herbal, and light lemon aftertaste. This beer is good, but it is a little more bitter than some Italian Pilsners. This beer was still good, and it’s a B-. Yes, you should be drinking this Italian Pilsner. I recommend it! Please stay safe, be kind to each other, and remember to enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

Newcastle Brown Ale

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Newcastle Brown Ale has been back for a while. It was produced in Chicago, Illinois, by Lagunitas until the brewery shut down. Now it is being made for the US market in Tadcaste, England by John Smiths and is the UK recipe. This beer is owned by Heineken. It is 4.7% ABV. This beer was one of the beers that led me towards Blue Moon and eventually into craft beer. This beer pours light brown with a very light beige, two-finger head. The aroma is malty, with light nutty notes and bread. The flavor is malty, sweet, and very lightly smoky. This beer is different from the Newcastle I had so many years ago. No hop notes in this. This ale has a light mouthfeel. This beer has a light malt finish and a sweet malt aftertaste. This beer is better than I remember. My palate has changed since. This beer is not as good as some brown ales I’ve had. I think Newcastle Brown Ale is a C-. It isn’t terrible, but it’s better than I remember, and I seek out better brown ales. Please stay safe, be kind to one another, and remember to enjoy responsibly!

Westbrook Brewing Co. Lemon Meringue Shake India Pale Ale

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Lemon Meringue Shake India Pale Ale from Westbrook Brewing Co. (westbrookbrewing.com) in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina, boasts a 7% ABV. This IPA has Cascade and CTZ hops. It is dry-hopped with Citra and Mosaic. They use Conan Yeast with malts such as Citra Pils, Oats, Pale, and Wheat. It also has Lactose (milk sugar), Lemon, and Madagascar Vanilla. This beer was purchased from Southern Spirits in South Carolina (www.southernspirits.com). This IPA pours a cloudy/hazy yellow, with a two-finger white head. The aroma is citrusy, Lemony, and vanilla. The flavor is citrusy, lemony, with notes of vanilla, sweet/bitter, and creamy. This beer has a light body and a medium mouthfeel. This beer finishes with bittersweet vanilla and lemon. The aftertaste is bitter, lemon/vanilla milkshake. This beer is delicious, and I would not expect anything less from Westbrook Brewing. This Lemon Meringue Shake IPA is an A+. You should be drinking this. It is just as the can says. It tastes like Lemon Meringue Shake. This beer is part of the brewery’s Shake. You should drink this and all of Westbrook’s beers. Please stay safe, be kind to one another, and remember to enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

Burial Beer X Halfway Crooks Beer Sturdy Belgian-Style Pilsner

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This Belgian-Style Pilsner, Sturdy, is a collaboration between Burial Beer (Charlotte, NC) and Halfway Crooks Beer (Atlanta, GA) for Burial’s 12th anniversary. This beer is 5.5% ABV, brewed with Belgian Pilsner malt from Dingemans in Belgium. This Pilsner is hopped with Brewers Gold. I went down to South Carolina and purchased this from Southern Spirits (www.southernspirits.com). They have a good selection of beer/craft beer. I recommend shopping there. This Pilsner pours a golden color with a two-finger, slow-rising white head. The aroma is dry, crisp, herbal, and biscuity. The taste is crisp, dry, herbal, and biscuity. It has a very light bitterness. The herbal flavor comes from the Belgian Pilsen malt and the hops. That is a good flavor. This beer has a light mouthfeel. This beer has a light herbal dry finish with a delightful dry note. The aftertaste is crisp yet dry and biscuity. This beer is interesting, and I give an A. A different take on a Pilsner. It is one that you should have. So get Sturdy Belgian-Style Pilsner. Please stay safe, be kind to one another, and remember to enjoy responsibly! Cheers! 

Sugar Creek Brewing Company Dubbel

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This beer is a Belgian-style Dubbel Ale from Sugar Creek Brewing Company. This beer won Silver at the 2025 US Open Beer Championship. This beer is 7.6% ABV. Available in 750ml bottles. It’s sold at Sugar Creek’s brewery (https://sugarcreekbrewing.com). This Dubbel pours brown with a one-finger beige head. That head fades slowly. The aroma is of dark fruits, malty notes, and sweetness. The flavor is of cherry, plum, raisins, and light chocolate. It is sweet and malty, with banana, clove, and brown sugar. This beer has a medium mouthfeel. It has a dark fruit finish with some malts. The aftertaste is of sweet dark fruits. This beer is not as heavy as some Belgian Dubbels, but close, and it does not feel overly alcoholic. This Sugar Creek Dubbel is delicious, I give it an A. I see why it won that silver medal. It has a good balance of tasty flavors. I highly recommend this beer. Sugar Crewing Brewing is one of my top favorite breweries. Please stay safe, be kind to one another, and remember to enjoy responsibly! Cheers!