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The Beer News

Posted on by Evan

Here are this week’s news and events happening in the Charlotte, North Carolina Area!

  • Thursday, November 15th.  Brown Bear Nutella Release. Catawba Brewing Company. 3 pm-10 pm. This week’s passport beer is a special one! Brown Bear Nutella is making its appearance in our tasting rooms for the 2nd year in a row! Our traditional Brown Bear Brown Ale has been enhanced with cacao nibs and natural hazelnuts, complementing the beer’s underlying dark chocolate notes and transforming our Bear into a rich, decadent dessert beer.
  • Thursday, November 15th. Science Is The Art Final Release Party with signed Print Raffle. Brewers at 4001 Yancey. 6 pm-10 pm. Join us Thursday, November 15th, for the release of Paradox of the Powerful, the 6th and final release in the Science Is The Art Collection. At the event, we’ll be raffling offprints of each design in the series, signed by illustrator Christopher Balaskas. The limited edition signed artwork will be sought-after, so don’t miss out on this chance to enter and win!
  • Friday, November 16th. First Ever CLT Brew’d Release. Brewers at 4001 Yancey. 6 pm-8 pm. It’s here! Join us for the tapping of our first two CLT Brew’d beers this Friday! We’ll be tapping Victory Grapefruit Kolsch and Southern Tier Orange Pale Ale. Come and taste the new beers, talk to our brewers and learn what other beers are coming out soon. We’ll have live music, samples, and great giveaways!  
  • Friday, November 16th. Cranberry Gose Release. NoDa Brewing Company. 2 pm-10 pm. Our delicious Cranberry Gose is back, and this time it’s in cans! Instead of reaching for a mug of something warm and cozy during this time of year, grab a refreshing and tart pint of this 4% ABV Gose. As always, TIN Kitchen will be here serving up plenty of tasty grub, plus we’ll have a free tour at 6 pm and live music at 7 pm! 
  • Saturday, November 17th. Up All Night Breakfast Porter Release. Triple C Brewing Company. 12 pm-10 pm. The best thing about New Years is the Christmas lights! Up All Night, our 10% Breakfast Porter is back on draft and in 22 oz bombers and 32 oz crowlers! Brewed with flaked oats, honey, lactose, chocolate malts, and Magnolia Coffee Company coffee! Don’t miss the taproom only draft variant with Cacao Nibs, Vanilla, Cinnamon and Cayenne.
    New Wrap Order Food Truck on site  
  • Saturday, November 17th. Juicy Lager Can Release. Sycamore Brewing. 12 pm- 11 pm. juicy Lager IPL Can Release! Juicy hops in abundance! Lively citrus notes of Valencia oranges, bright tangerine, and grapefruit!
    Live music all day from Pluto for Planet and LateNightSpecial! Best Greek Food in town by Gyro Twins Truck! 
  • Sunday, November, 18th. Tiki Time – Flip The Script Sundays. Wooden Robot Brewery. 12 pm-9 pm. We’re flippin’ the script this winter every 3rd Sunday of the month!
    Join us for our first Flip the Script Sunday as we transform the brewery into an island oasis for Tiki Time on Sunday 11.18.18!
    All day long we will be getting Lei’d, drinking Pineapple Tiki IPA with fresh pineapple & cherry garnish and dancing to tiki tunes! Coconut bras and grass skirts are highly encouraged.
    $1 off all Medium Brews ALL DAY LONG.
    Come party with us!
  • Sunday, November 18th. S’mores Golden Stout Release. Catawba Brewing Company. 11 am-8 pm. If you guessed that REI is the outdoor retailer that partnered with us on our s’mores-inspired beer collaboration, you were correct! In honor of REI’s annual Twinkie & S’mores Roast, we present S’mores Golden Stout. Come and try this scrumptious beer on November 18th at any of our tasting rooms. And if you’re in Asheville, be sure to swing by the tasting room to roast some Twinkies and Marshmallows with us! $1 per pint will be donated to the Carolina Climbers Coalition.

Sugar Creek Brewing Company Big O Blood Orange India Pale Ale

Posted on by Evan

Pick up this local Sugar Creek Brewing Big O India Pale Ale, 7% ABV from my local Harris Teeter grocery store. Big O is brewed California grown “Moro” blood Oranges, which pours an orange copper color with a three finger white head with aromas of big blood orange with some hoppy grapefruit notes intertwined into some fant pine notes that give you a big grapefruit flavor with some hoppy grapefruit with hints of sweetness and some pine notes that give a blood orange bitter sweet finish and a very similar aftertaste that really lingers behind with hints of a hoppy flavor with a light mouthfeel. Sugar Creek Brewing Big O India Pale Ale is so good, and is well deserving of an A+. It has a big blood orange flavor with enough bitter hops to help make it great and the flavor is not to extreme nor does it become overwhelming. Well balanced and well brewed Sugar Creek Brewing Big O India Pale Ale is one that I highly recommend trying! Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!

Modern Times Beer Lomaland Saison

Posted on by Evan

Modern Times Beer Lomaland Saison, 5.5% ABV, brewed in San Diego, California I picked up from Total Wine is relatively new to the Carolinas and it quite popular in the craft beer community. Lomaland pours a bight yellow with a three finger white head giving off lemon pepper aromas with some yeasted notes with a bright lemon sweet/tart flavor with a pepper notes some though with a slightly funky finish that is semi-tart with a nice funky yeasted aftertaste with a light mouthfeel. Modern Times Beer Lomaland Saison isn’t the best Saison I’ve had but it’s not a bad one either, it gets a B-. It’s the lightness of it all that holds it back a bit but doesn’t make it bad. I think that it’s a light Saison that should be in the introduction to Saison, when you want to get into Saison this should be a beer that you should try. Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly

Kentucky Ale Kentucky Vanilla Barrel Cream Ale.

Posted on by Evan

Kentucky Ale Kentucky Vanilla Barrel Cream Ale, 5.5% ABV pick up from Total Wine, is brewed in Lexington Kentucky and is 100% barrel aged. Kentucky Vanilla Barrel Cream Ale pours a clean orange color with a one finger fizzing white head with sweet vanilla aroma with thin barrel oak that guides you into a sweet vanilla taste that washes quickly of your tongue with hints of a smooth sweetness with a lingering finish of vanilla that is soda like and a much similar aftertaste that lingers with vanilla with a medium mouthfeel. Kentucky Vanilla Barrel Cream Ale has lots of sweet vanilla to it with very little barrel notes and I think its C-. The sweet vanilla flavor hold the beer to be average but not great. This beer has more of a vanilla soda like quality to it that is okay at best and I don’t think I would hurry back to have Kentucky Vanilla Barrel Cream Ale again! Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!

Throwback Thursday: Innis & Gunn Oak Aged Beer

Posted on by Evan

Orinally posted on August 27th, 2016.

Here we have an import beer from Scotland, Innis & Gunn Original Oak Aged Beer, 6.6% ABV. This beer is aged in an oak barrel for seventy-seven day before bottling. This Innis & Gunn pours a caramel color with a one finger white fizzy head that fade kind of quickly. The aroma is sweet with hints a light vanilla and caramel with a faint toasted oak note. Original Innis & Gunn does have a sweet start to the taste, with a slight vanilla and some caramel notes then you get a bit of toffee in the middle with the oaky flavor towards the end. The finish is smooth yet semi-sweet with a nice lingering after taste of vanilla toffee. Not a bad oak aged beer; I give this one a B+. You can really taste how the aging really smoothed out the beer, usually, this Scottish style is a bit harsher but this one isn’t, it’s mellow and smooth with a nice subtle sweetness. I recommend trying Innis & Gunn Original Oak Aged Beer. It’s a nice beer. Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!

The Beer News

Posted on by Evan

Here are this week’s news and events happening in the Charlotte, NC area!

  • Wednesday, October 7th. Hop for Homes. Birdsong Brewing Co. 5:30 pm-7:30 pm. Join us as we toast #HabitatCharlotte homeowners who have paid off their mortgage and support future homeowners at our #HopsforHomesevent! Our friends at #BirdsongBrewing are partnering with us in this new initiative and have helped us create a special recipe in honor of our 35th birthday! We’re calling it My House IPA and this small batch edition will be available for purchase at the event! Proceeds support #HabitatCharlotte as we continue to put a dent in the #affordablehousing crisis! Come taste and see why homeownership is so sweet! #BLDCLT #HeartsHandsHomes#cltbeer #ncbeer #Charlotte
  • Wednesday, October 7th. Hazecaramacchiato Frapamochachocochino – Pilot Batch Release. Triple C Brewing Company. 4 pm-9 pm. his Pilot Batch Wednesday, come to try out this Brown Ale with whole bean coffee & hazelnut added!
  • Friday, October 9th. Night Shift NC Welcome Party. SaludBeer Shop. 6 pm-12 am. Join us as we welcome Night Shift Brewing from Boston, MA
    We’re tapping
    Whirl Pool NE IPA
    Santilli IPA
    cases of Night Lite Lager
    Whirl Pool
    Santilli IPA
  •  Saturday, October 10th. Beer for Breakfast! A Donut & Beer Pairing. Pop The Top Craft Beer Shop. 10 am-2 pm. We’ve been holding onto a big keg of Skillet Donut from Burial Beer Co.and thought, let’s pair this amazing beer along with some other tasty beers for a Donut and Beer pairing. We’ll be opening up early at 10am and will provide FREE hand picked donuts from Your Mom’s Donuts for each beer. Best way to maximize your experience will be to get a flight of 4 and enjoy the start of your Saturday! Check out Pop The Top Craft Beer Shop for the list of special beer that will be on hand.
  • Sunday, October 11th. Fall Oyster Roast by Birdsong Brewing & Rappahannock! Birdsong Brewing. 1 pm-4 pm. Fall is upon us and we’re celebrating with an Oyster Roast! Our friends from Rocksalt Charlotte are bringing the oysters and the steamers down from Rappahannock River Oysters, LLC and Rocksalt Charlotte will be on site serving up their delicious oysters! Buckets of steamed/roasted oysters will be $15 & RockSalt will be shucking raw oysters to order for $15 a dozen!
    It’s Veteran’s Day weekend and we hope you can carve out a few hours from your busy schedules to relax with a few pints of delicious local beer and enjoy some super fresh oysters sold by the bucket! This event is family friendly, so all are encouraged to join! In honor of Veteran’s Day Weekend, we’ll be donating a portion of the day’s proceeds to Purple Heart Homes!
    11/11/18 1-4 PM.
    Rocksalt Charlotte, located in the Park Road Shopping Center, is our Oyster Roast event partner! They specialize in sustainable seafood and are proud to offer a variety of local craft beer and beverages as well. Check them out for daily oyster specials and more       

 

Boulevard Brewing Co. The Sixth Glass Quadrupel Ale

Posted on by Evan

Boulevard Brewing Co. The Six Glass Quadrupel Ale, 10.2% ABV picked up from my local Total Wine comes from Kansas City, Missouri and is a Belgian Style Quadrupel Ale with 22 IBUs (International Bittering Units) pours a deep brown color with a one and a half beige head that slowly fizzes down to a nice halo giving you aromas of sweet dark fruits, plums and raisins with alcoholic boozy notes that takes you to the flavor of more dark fruit taste with a strong note of boozy alcohol with touches of sweetness coming through with a nice sweet boozy dark fruit finish and aftertaste of boozy dark fruits with a fuller mouthfeel. The Six Glass Quadrupel Ale is slightly thinner tasting than some other Belgian Quadrupel Ales, still a good one but I think there are better ones out there so I give Boulevard Brewing Co. The Six Glass Quadrupel Ale a B. The mouthfeel could have been a little fuller and there could have been more robustness in the dark fruits but not a bad Belgian style Quad. Something that I would recommend? Yes, this is one that you should try, it nice to see how an American craft version of a Belgian Quad stacks up to a real Belgian Quad, and it to okay but not better. Cheers! please enjoy responsibly!

Moody Tongue Steeped Emperor’s Lemon Saison

Posted on by Evan

Moody Tongue from Chicago Illinois, Steeped Emperor’s Lemon Saison 6.3% which I think is using Meyer lemons in this Saison, which pours an orange color with a two finger quickly receding white head that gives of a lemon effervescent with hints of sweet but slightly tart aromas with a flavor of some sour lemon notes with a touch of sweetness with a bright effervescent that causes the beer to turn from tart to sour in a bad way, then finishes with a faint lemon dish soap like flavor with a bitter sour off-putting lemon aftertaste with a lighter mouthfeel. This beer was terrible and the lemon flavors were more of a sour bitter mess then pretty much anything else. So Moody Tongue Steeped Emperor’s Lemon Saison is an F+, I did finish all twelve ounces but that doesn’t mean I enjoyed it nor would I recommend it. The lemon aspect was just not something resembling the taste of nice lemon and the Saison aspect wasn’t very Saison at all and when you put two bad things together it comes out to Moody Tongue Steeped Emperor’s Lemon Saison. Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!

Throwback Thursday: Duvel Belgian Golden Ale

Posted on by Evan

Originally posted on December 23rd, 2013

Belgium is one of the best and oldest beer brewing countries in the world and produces some of the world’s best beers and most popular styles. One brewery in particular is Duvel Moortagt, which as been brewing since 1871 and has made a family brewery. This Is Duvel, Belgian Golden Ale (bottle Conditioned) 8.5% ABV. It comes in 11.2 ounce short stubby bottle. Duvel pours a bright golden color with a three finger bright white foamy, rocky head that sticks around for a quit while and leaves behind some thick amazing looking lacing. I found plenty of light streaming through the glass with decent amounts of carbonation. The aroma on Duvel is bright with a pineapple scent and nice hints of grainy, grassy notes. I also found a boozy aroma but none to heavy. The taste on this is big, with a nice light pineapple and a faint grassy note. Towards the back of the mouth I found it to be slightly boozier and stronger than the start with hints of carbonation. The mouth feel is medium with a boozy texture and finishes crisp and slightly boozy. The after taste on Duvel is nice faintly sweet, strong, and boozy with hints of hoppy yet grassy textures. Overall Duvel is a great beer so I would give this an A+. This is a great example of bottle conditioned Belgian golden ale. Duvel goes well with any season, and occasion. I found this beer to be very popular with concerning beer drinkers. I recommend that you try this and share it with you friends; you’ll look like a real beer connoisseur. Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!

The Beer News

Posted on by Evan

Here are this week’s new and events in the Charlotte, NC area!

  • Wednesday, October 31st. King-O-Ween. Brewers at 4001 Yancey,. 6 pm -10 pm. Pumking and his crew are getting ready to celebrate Halloween. Join them! On October 31st at Brewers at 4001 Yancey, we’re hosting a Halloween costume party fit for the king and his court…
    We’re partying SILENT-DISCO style and we’re taking music requests in the discussion leading up to next Wednesday. Come dressed as Pumking or one of his friends and you could win some pretty dope prizes. If we can give you one piece of advice…take Thursday off from work. GONNA BE LIT.
  • Wednesday, October 31st. New Beer Release: Pumpkin Saison. Pilot Brewing. 4 pm-9 pm. Celebrate Halloween with us with the release of our Pumpkin Saison. A Saison brewed with pumpkin, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice. This yummy traditional Saison has received a Halloween twist which will be the best treat you receive!
  • Thursday, November 1st. Day of the Dead Fiesta. The Unknown Brewing Company. 6 pm-10 pm. We have an incredibly special event lined up to celebrate the Day of the Dead. The event is complete with live music, face painting, “Day of the Dead” themed food and the release of “Horchata Lotta Lovin” beer! “Horchata Lotte Lovin” is an autumn seasonal ale this beer brewed in Celebration of loved ones past. We brewed this beer with cinnamon, almonds, milk sugar, rice, and barley to make it a sweet malty treat!
  • Thursday, November 1st. Seaboard Beer Release – Veterans Orchard IPA Release. Seaboard Brewing Taproom and Wine Bar.  5 pm-11 pm. Tickets at Eventbrite.com.  Seaboard Brewing has released several versions of the Hazy new England style Orchard IPA, first starting with single hop version Eldorado, then Mosaic, next up was the Galaxy and our most version was the Hallertau Blanc. We made this specifically to coincide with the Patriot Gala held at Quail Hollow Club on November 3rd as well as Veteran’s day November 12th.
    Now up, it’s our Veteran’s Blend Orchard IPA! 2018 Veterans Blend was hand-selected by a group of veteran-owned breweries from across the US, (Full disclosure Seaboard is not a veteran-owned brewery but we do support all branches of the military) representing multiple branches of the US Armed Forces. The blend is comprised of five different Pacific Northwest-grown varieties, providing a beautiful mix of tropical, citrus, and herbal aromas. The Veterans Blend version is a unique annual blend, dedicated to providing a fiscal donation of $3 per lb sold to a new veteran-support organization each year. This year’s donation will be made to the Semper Fi Fund, which is dedicated to providing urgently needed resources and support for post 9/11 combat wounded, critically ill and catastrophically injured members of the United States Armed Forces and their families.
    FEATURED HOPS
    CASHMERE
    MELON • LEMON • LIME • SPICE
    ALPHA ACIDS: 7.7 – 9.1% • BETA ACIDS: 6.4 – 7.1% • TOTAL OIL: 1.2 – 1.4 mL/100g
    CENTENNIAL
    LEMON • FLORAL
    ALPHA ACIDS: 7 – 12% • BETA ACIDS: 8.5 – 9.8% • TOTAL OIL: 1.5 – 1.9 mL/100g
    EKUANOT® BRAND HBC 366
    MELON • BERRY • LIME • APPLE • PAPAYA • GREEN PEPPER
    ALPHA ACIDS: 13 – 15.5% • BETA ACIDS: 4 – 5% • TOTAL OIL: 2 – 4 mL/100g
    MOSAIC® BRAND HBC 369
    BLUEBERRY • TANGERINE • PAPAYA • BLOSSOMS • ROSE • BUBBLE GUM
    ALPHA ACIDS: 10.5 – 14% • BETA ACIDS: 3 – 4.5% • TOTAL OIL: 0.8 – 3 mL/100g
    SIMCOE® BRAND YCR 14
    PASSION FRUIT • BERRY • PINE • EARTH • CITRUS
    ALPHA ACIDS: 11.5 – 15% • BETA ACIDS: 3 – 4.5% • TOTAL OIL: 0.8 – 3.2 mL/100g
  • Friday, November 2nd. High Branch 3rd Anniversary Pre Party with Salud and Friends. Salud Beer Shop. 6 pm-10 pm. Friday, November 2nd – join us for a pre-party to kick off High Branch turning 3! Over the short time we have been open we’ve met many new people and have made a bunch of new friends. To celebrate we’ve invited some of our Charlotte brewery friends to help us take over the taps at Salud Beer Shop!
    We’re so honored that the following CLT Breweries have agreed to join us (you know they’ll be bringing something tasty!):
    Salud Cerveceria
    Free Range Brewing
    Divine Barrel Brewing
    Wooden Robot Brewery
    Birdsong Brewing Co.
    Heist Brewery
    Resident Culture Brewing Company
    Salud Beer Shop plans to have their pizza oven up and running so be sure to have dinner with us!
    Stay tuned to see what beers will be available for the festivities!
    NOTE: We will still have our anniversary party at High Branch on Nov 10th. We’ll be releasing new beers and have a great time planned!
  • Friday, November 2nd. Apologize Less 5: Can Release (Birds Fly South Al Project). Salud Beer Shop. 12 pm-3 pm. Hey Charlotte, we’re coming for you. A special package release of Apologize Less: 5 is happening this Friday, Nov. 2nd at the Salud Beer Shop. This hazy IPA is citrus-forward with a soft mouthfeel and a subtle bitterness. We’re landing with just 10 cases of the newest batch in our Double Dry-Hopped series, this time brewed with Apollo, Comet, and Ekuanot. Available in 4-packs of 16oz cans starting at 12pm.
  • Saturday, November 3rd. White BlazeWinter Ale Release. Triple C Brewing Company. 12 pm-10 pm. Our popular Winter Ale – White Blaze returns on Saturday, Nov. 3rd in the taproom on draft and in cans!
    Golden Naked Oats give this amber ale a rich coconut malt flavor that combines with organic Ceylon cinnamon to make the perfect cold weather beer!
    Stayed tuned for more details!
  • Saturday, November 3rd. Can Release: Sherpa Winter Porter. Blue Blaze Brewing. 2 pm-7 pm. We are releasing Sherpa Winter Porter in cans for the first time and on draft in an exclusively small batch! Outside of the available kegs, we will only can one round of Sherpa Winter Porter in the amount of roughly 70 cases.
    Sherpa Winter Porter is a light-bodied brown porter style with very light hop flavor and aroma. We’ve introduced subtle notes of your favorite winter tastes: vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, tiramisu, and hazelnut along with light sweetness, caramel, and chocolate.
    Also, ask about our nitro draft option for Sherpa Winter Porter!
    Live Music – Matt Minchew
    Food Truck – A Worthy Dog
  • Sunday, November 4th. Fall Brunch at Sycamore! Sycamore Brewing. 10 am-1 pm. Join us for a Fall Brunch at Sycamore! TIN Kitchen serving brunch and Front Porch Sundays going on next door! Live music by The Clydes and ScOOt Pittman!
  • Monday, November 5th. Beer 101 Education Night. Pilot Brewing. 4:30 pm- 8:30 pm. The craft beer world has a wide variety of styles which run the gamut of flavors. Navigating through some of these styles can be a bit overwhelming.
    Join us for our first Beer 101 Education night, hosted by two of our Certified Cicerone, Jen Blair, and Rachael Hudson!
    Not only are Jen and Rachael Certified Cicerones, but they also come highly experienced in the beer Industry, and are award-winning brewers. Jen is also the president of the Carolina Brew Masters, sits on the governing committee for the American Homebrew Association and the Director of the Craft Maltsters Guild. Rachael has 7 years of professional brewing experience from breweries such as Hardywood Park, Left Hand, and NoDa Brewing Co.
    Throughout the evening, we will host 4 mini Beer 101 sessions in our brewhouse. Sessions will begin at 4:45, 5:45, 6:45 and 7:45, and will last promptly 45 min. Cost for the class is just the purchase of a pre-determined flight for $8. The flight will include four basic styles of beer in which we will guide you through the taxonomy, terminology, ingredients, and flavor profiles of each.
    This is part of our commitment to community involvement and craft beer education. 
  • Thursday, November 6th. Great Lakes Christmas Ale First Tapping Pint Night. The Casual Pint (Rivergate). 6 pm-8 pm. Santa will be delivering the first Great Lakes Christmas Ale of the season, tapping the keg and enjoying a pint!!! Buy a Pint and get a free Pint Glass, commemorative Christmas Ale mugs available while supplies last.
  • Tuesday, November 6th. NoDable Release: IPA with YCH Veterans Blend. NoDa Brewing Company. 4 pm-9 pm. Every single week, we release a brand new “NoDable” beer on Tuesday. This week’s brew is a delicious IPA with YCH Veteran’s Blend. While you’re here, be sure to try a few of our 25+ brews and some TIN Kitchen for dinner. And, don’t forget you can take this week’s NoDable and many of our other beers to-go in a crowler!