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Throwback Thursday: Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. Otra Vez Gose-Style Ale

Posted on by Evan

Orginally posted February 6th, 2016.

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There are so many different styles of beer out there. Some tend to be more popular and also tend to leave other styles behind that then become forgotten. Gose is one style of beer that is a nearly extinct style. But thanks to the many craft beer brewers out there is it making a come back. Sierra Nevada Otra Vez, 4.5% ABV is Gose-Style Ale brewed with prickly pear cactus and grapefruit. Otra Vez pours a crisp golden color with the slightest of haze to it and a one and half finger of brilliant white foam up top. The aroma is tangy with some sweet notes of fruitiness and grapefruit. Smells refreshing. The taste is slightly tangy up front that comes from the prickly pear cactus then you get a tart flavor in the middle with a quick subtle watermelon then on the end you get a wash of grapefruit for a moment. Taste refreshing too! The mouthfeel is light with a nice tart finish and a sweet citrus aftertaste. Many this on good beer, but in the whole Gose style from Westbrook is still my number one. I give Otra Vez an A. This is a solid drinkable refreshing beer. I recommend trying Sierra Nevada Otra Vez for yourself. Everything about this beer is well balanced and taste great. But there is one small negative though; this beer should be just the slightest bit more on the tart side, but still good. This is my second best Gose. Cheers! Please drink responsibly!

The Beer News

Posted on by Evan

Here are this week’s news and events happening in and around the Charlotte, North Carolina area.

  • Thursday, March 8th Tap Take Over: Triple C Brewing Co. Growler USA Charlotte. 6 pm-9pm. We will have Triple C Brewing Company here to share some delicious brews and we will have Nate Randall Music here live as well! Make a date to head to the pub! 
  • Thursday, March 8th Kick the Keg Thursday. Carolina Beer Temple. 12 pm-10 pm. Kick The Keg Thursday is back on March 8th. The basic premise: you help us by kicking a bunch of partial kegs that tend to accumulate as we rotate kegs on/off for various events and we’ll help you (not only is whatever amount of beer in the glass free when you kick the keg, but you’ll get a bit of SWAG too). It’s a win-win! We’ll be offering flights and discounted drafts all day on select kegs. (The specific list will vary as we… Kick The Kegs!) We’ll see you Thursday, March 8th.
  • Friday, March 9th Small Batch Cider Release, The Emerald Curtin! Red Clay Cider Works. 3pm. For an early St. Patrick’s Day treat this year, we’re whipping up a special all-natural green-inspired cider with kiwi, cucumber, and lime; The Emerald Curtain! This semi-dry cider starts with sweet & tart kiwi, moves to cool cucumber in the middle, and culminates in a citrusy lime finish.
    This small batch specialty won’t last long, and will be served in our taproom only!
  • Friday, March 9th Design Your Own Sign. Good Road Ciderworks. 6:30 pm=9 pm. Come paint and design your own wood farmhouse style sign. Many designs to choose from.
  • Saturday, March 10th. Hazy River IP Collaboration Can Release. Triple C Brewing Co. 12 pm-10 pm. Our first New England style IPA to be canned is a collaboration with TheCatawba Riverkeeper Foundation. $1 from each pint and 4 pack of cans will be donated. Pints are $6 and 4 packs are $15 with a case limit. We will do several differently hopped variants of this taproom only release with 30-40 cases each time. “Because Beer can be Hazy, but not our Rivers.”
  • Saturday, March 10th. Pink Robots Release: Raspberry & Blackberry Kettle Sour. Birdsong Brewing. 12 pm-10 pm. Coming back by VERY popular demand, we have a release date for Pink Robots Blackberry/Raspberry Kettle Sour! Hope you can join us for the release on Saturday, March 10th 2018!
    Pink Robots is a light, refreshing kettle soured ale brewed with puréed raspberries & blackberries! Perfect for warm weather, this year’s 60 barrel batch will be soured in our kettle for several days before we boil it with over 500 lbs of puréed raspberries & blackberries!
    We will be releasing this beer on draft & in CANS at 12pm! Cheers! 
  • Sunday, March 11th. Ales and Tales Brew Tour; Legion Brewing. Legion Brewing. 12 pm=4 pm. Pet Wants Charlotte: The Urban Feed Store is bringing back its Ales & Tails Brew Tour for 2018! We are hitting all the cool spots, bringing you awesome all-natural treats and fresh, uniquely blended food for your pups + kitties. NEXT STOP: Legion Brewing on March 11th from 12-4pm. Come hang out with us and support our rescue partner, North Mecklenburg Animal Rescue, bringing some cute adoptable pups. We are donating a percentage of our sales to the rescue and Legion will be making them the beneficiary of their Adventure Tap.
    Need some extra puppy kisses? Step right up to The Ruff Life, LLC‘s smooching booth where kisses and cuddles abound. Continue this stress relieving journey by learning about all the services The Ruff Life has to offer; boarding, dog (or cat) walking, spa services, daycare, as well as your own personal pet Uber to help you keep up with your pet’s social life! The Ruff Life has personalized services that allow you to manage you and your pet’s needs hassle-free.
    A portion of treat, merch and brew sales will be donated to the rescue by Pet Wants Charlotte: The Urban Feed Store, The Ruff Life, LLC & Legion Brewing.
    Come hang out, get puppy kisses, drink and support locally.
    Follow our Event’s page to get notified of other dates and stops in the series.
    https://www.facebook.com/petwantsclt/events
  • Sunday, March 11th. Queen City Makers Market at Legion Brewing. Legion Brewing. 3 pm-7 pm. A solid group of local Makers coming together to drink some solid local beer and spend a solid Sunday together. What else could you possibly need? Delicious food?…Legion’s got that covered too.
    Where: Legion Brewing on Commonwealth Ave in Plaza Midwood
    When: Sunday, March 11th, 3-7pm
    Free admission, free parking in Legion’s lot and on Commonwealth Ave spots. Family friendly, as far as breweries go. Please join us for a day of fun a supporting local!
    We’ll have local artisans set up on the sidewalk in front of Legion AND in the Mezzanine. Make sure to cruise through the Mezzanine to shop our other vendors and see where all the amazing beers from Legion are brewed!
    Meet Your Makers:
    Maggie Loves Spike
    Lush Life QC
    Luna & Lee Designs
    C. Photography
    Bettermen
    Lather Labs
    Chef Boriqua CLT
    Purple Girl Designs by Amber
    Mo’s Art
    Christine’s Konditorei
    The vendor application is currently closed. If you’d like to be placed on the waitlist, please feel free to message Queen City Makers. To keep in the loop of other Queen City Makers vendor opportunities, please join our “QCM Vendors” group on facebook.
  • Tuesday, March 13th. Tap it Tuesday with Sycamore Brewing Company. The Casual Pint (Rivergate). 6 pm-8 pm. Join us for pint night March 13th with Sycamore Brewing company 6pm-8pm and finish off your Tuesday with a bang!
  • Tuesday, March 13th. Southern Tier Tuesday Night Bar Games. Bulldog Beer & Wine. 7 pm-10 pm. Join us on Tuesdays for Bulldog South End’s one and only Bar Game night! It’s FREE to play! There will be multiple games, winners and prizes provided by Southern Tier! All Southern Tier pints are $1 off. Grab some friends and head over to Bulldog Beer and Wine in South End for a night of fun, prizes, beer and games!

Hi-Wire Brewing Strongman Coffee Milk Stout

Posted on by Evan

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Picked up Hi-Wire Brewing Strongman Coffee Milk Stout, 5.5% ABV from Good Bottle Co. a few weeks ago. Strongman Coffee Milk Stout is inspired by the head brewers cafe con leche-fueled travels in Key West and is brewed with local Asheville coffee from Dynamite Roasting Co. and is cold-extracted and added post fermentation. Strongman Coffee Milk Stout pours black with light brown edges and a two finger beige head that gives off nice roasted sweet coffee notes that give a flavor of roasted sweet coffee with some malted taste notes with a slight bitterness on the back of the mouth with a nice cafe con leche finish that is a little sweet with a nice roasted and faintly spiced aftertaste that lingers with a semi-full creamy mouthfeel. Strongman Coffee Milk Stout is a good sweet stout with all the right amounts of flavor without being too over the top. Hi-Wire Brewing Strongman Coffee Milk Stout is one that gets an A. It hits all the right spots on your taste buds. I recommend you try Hi-Wire Brewing Strongman Coffee Milk Stout. Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!     

Knee Deep Brewing Co. Lupulin River Imperial India Pale Ale

Posted on by Evan

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Imperial IPA can be big & strong or they can be really big & strong. Some can be upwards of 18% ABV and near 100 IBUs. This Knee Deep Brewing Co. Lupulin River Imperial India Pale ale, 8.0% ANB and 76 IBUs is probably in the middle when it comes to imperial IPA. Lupulin River Imperial India Pale ale out of Auburn Placer County California pours a light orange color with a four finger white head giving off dank fruity aromas with earthy bitter notes and has a flavor of grapefruit (peels and all) with bitter earthy pine and slight dank oranges with a mild bitter finish that grows slightly more bitter as it fades into a bitter grapefruit aftertaste with touches of an orangey note all with a lighter to somewhat medium mouthfeel. This is not so big tasting for an imperial IPA but you do taste it’s 8.0% ABV even more so as it warms. Lupulin River Imperial India Pale ale is definitely an A. Solid IPA flavors and bitterness without going to the extream keeping it more on the easier to drink side of things. Lupulin River Imperial India Pale ale is something with trying and yes it comes in six-packs. Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!    

Anchor Brewing Co. Blood Orange Blonde

Posted on by Evan

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There is a lot of beer that has oranges in them but I don’t see much use of blood oranges, a deeper red-orange with a slightly deep sweetness too it. But I found this From Anchor Brewing Co. located in San Fransico California. This is Blood Orange Blonde, 4.5% ABV and is brewed with fresh blood oranges. Blood Orange Blonde pours a deep orange color with a one and a half finger of white head that quick to dissolve with loads of sediment or pulp floating in from the fresh blood oranges giving nice aromas of freshly squeezed blood oranges with just a pinch of a sour note that gives you a flavor of freshly squeezes blood oranges up front with a little sour note in the middle and a semi-bitter note on the end with a nice sweet finish and a zesty orange aftertaste with a light easy mouthfeel. Blood Orange Blonde is good and refreshing getting an A- here just missing out with a little bitterness that comes in on the end and as this beer warms but it’s otherwise a good drinking beer that everyone should try. Cheers! Please enjoy responsible!

Throwback Thursday: Foothills Brewing Torch Pilsner

Posted on by Evan

This post was originally posted July 13th, 2014.

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Sometimes it’s nice to have a simpler style of beer, something clean, crisp, refreshing and drinkable, like lagers and Pilsners. These are the most common beer styles around the world, and one of the most consumed styles in the world and a common staple here in the U.S.  Foothills Brewing in Winston-Salem brews a Czech Pilsner, Torch Pilsner, 5.3%, brewed Czech Saaz Hops. Torch pours a clear, crisp golden color with a bright white somewhat tight head that sticks around for a short while and forms thin lacing that looks very nice but spread out. I found tons of light coming through with nice herds of carbonation bubbles race from the bottom. The aroma is nice a biscuit scent that helps a nice breaded character. This beer really smells like the stereotypical beer. The taste on Torch Pilsner is clean with breaded flavors up front with a nice carbonated taste in the middle of the mouth and a very light taste of Saaz hops on the back with a hint of a biscuit flavor. The mouthfeel is light and Torch has a nice clean, crisp and refreshing finish and nice faintly sweet breaded aftertaste with a very light hint of a Saaz hop. I found Torch Pilsner to be a very true pilsner. I give this an A+, this is very easy to drink and most tasty. I think this beer is great and I highly recommend trying Foothills Brewing Torch Pilsner. So go and do that! Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!

The Beer News

Posted on by Evan

Here are this week’s news and events happening in and around the Charlotte, North Carolina area.

  • Wednesday, February 28th Welcome Ponysaurus Brewing Company! Temple Mojo. 12 pm-10 pm. Come out to Temple Mojo Growler Shop as we spotlight and introduce Ponysaurus Brewing from Durham, NC for the very first time! There will be four taps (TBD) dedicated to their delicious beer along with a brewery representative to answer questions about their brewery and their beers!
  • Wednesday, February 28th Sugar Creek Beer Dinner. Kid Cashew. 7 pm-9 pm. Sugar Creek Beer Dinner – Wednesday, February 28th 7p $50 per person $90 per couple. Check out Sugar Creek Brewing’s Facebook page for more information. 
  • Thursday, March 1st. Fresh Thursday: Sour Edition! Lenny Boy Brewing Co. 4 pm-9 pm. On Thursday, March 1st, we will be releasing not one, but TWO sour ales!
    Plumonary Groove
    5.25% abv
    This is a Golden American sour aged in reused Rose` barrels rested on NC Plums (Damsons) from Moretz’s Mtn Orchard for 8 months. We then blended it with a wild culture and our house ale yeast.
    The end result is a crisp refreshing funky sour that finishes with some oak notes and hints of tart plums that make your lips pucker up.
    Phantom Noir
    6.1% abv
    This is a Golden American sour aged in Pinot wine barrels on North Carolina Scuppernongs for 6 months. We then blended it with a wild culture and our house ale yeast.
    This sour ale has a big funk note with a mild sourness, but still tart and finishing with an oaky note!
    These sour ales have been deemed some of the best we have ever created! Come give these a try yourself and let us know what you think! #lennylenny
    The Hunter’s Wife will be providing us with their delicious food all night!  
  • Thursday, March 1st Happy Hour and Private Brewery Tour. Catawba Brewing Co. Charlotte. 6 pm-8 pm. Tickets at http://www.alumni.JMU.edu. Interested in seeing one of the hottest new breweries in Charlotte? Come join fellow Dukes for a behind-the-scenes tour at Catawba’s new location to enjoy some quality happy hour beverages accompanied by an onsite food truck! Catawba staff have generously agreed to provide our alumni friends with a tour of the brewery beginning at 6:30 p.m. Hope to see you there!
  • Friday, March 2nd. Peanut Butter Jelly Time Release. Catawba Brewing Co. 12 pm-11 pm. You know what time it is.
  • Friday, March 2nd. Mother Earth Brewing Girl Scout Cookie Pairing! Trackside Crafts. 5 pm-10 pm. Just wait until you have these cookies paired with unique beers from Mother Earth Brewing Co.! Kit from Trackside & Melissa from Mother Earth are setting up the pairings, and you won’t be disappointed. We will also have a real girl scout on hand to guilt you into buying more cookies, too. She’s adorable…I dare you to attempt escape without buying more cookies. 😉
  • Saturday, March 3rd. Hop Cakes Vs. Honey Pie: Battle of the DIPAs. Carolina Beer Temple Ayrsley. 12 pm-11:59 pm. Come one, come all to the battle of the century! Two of Charlotte’s heavy hitters face off this Saturday, March 3rd, here at the Carolina Beer Temple at Ayrsley.
    In the Golden corner, we have Birdsong’s Honey Pie DIPA, AKA ” Heaven in a Glass”. This DIPA is brewed with locally sourced honey. Weighing in at 8.9% abv Honey Pie floats like a butterfly and stings like a bee!
    And in the Amber corner, we have Noda’s Hop Cakes! Weighing in at 10.2% and brewed with Vermont maple syrup. This smooth DIPA has been known to knock it’s opponents out cold.
    Vote for your favorite contender and be entered into a raffle for prizes from each brewery!
  • Saturday, March 3rd. Lenny Boy Q and Brew: Texas Style BBQ (& Tropicalus can release.) Lenny Boy Brewing Co. 12 pm- 9pm. 
  • Monday, March 5th. Früh Bock Release. Olde Mecklenburg Brewery. 11 am-10 pm. Früh is “bock” on March 5th! Join us for the release of our spring seasonal.
    “Früh” (pron. “froo”) means “early” in German, and is also short for “Frühling,” meaning “spring.” Our seasonal “Spring Bock” captures the promise of warmer days ahead, combining a slight malty sweetness with a refreshing touch of citrus aroma from its noble Bavarian hops. The result is an amazingly fresh, crisp beer that masks a higher alcohol content in its smooth character. Big bodied and warm enough for chilly evenings, but bright and aroma-hop forward enough to compliment beers on the patio. Like all OMB beers, it is all-natural — brewed in strict accordance with the famous German beer purity law of 1516: the “Reinheitsgebot.”
    Früh Bock: Full-bodied, yet smooth and refreshing. Perfect for spring!
    Under 21 are welcome at OMB. Pets are welcome outside in our Biergarten.

Foothills Brewing Co. Frostbite Black IPA

Posted on by Evan

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I picked up Foothills Brewing Co. Frostbite Black IPA at Good Bottle Co. a couple of weeks ago. I think that Foothills brews wonderfully tasty beers. Frostbite pours black with brown edges with a three finger beige head that slowly dissipates to the edges of the glass with aromas of roasted pine and slight chocolate sweetness with a very faint hoppy note that gives you flavors of nice roasted pine and chocolate with a faint hoppy note out back with a slightly roasted pine bitter finish and an aftertaste of bitter dark chocolate that has a fuller mouthfeel. When this beer warms it becomes more of IPA than a stout. This is very good, an A. Foothills Brewing Co. has made yet another taste beer with Frostbite Black IPA, a beer that I recommend you try but go quickly it’s a winter seasonal. Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!    

Gizmo BrewWorks Beekeeper Honey Wheat Ale

Posted on by Evan

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Gizmo BrewWorks Beekeeper Honey Wheat Ale, 5.5% with 11 IBUs from Raleigh, North Carolina is a nod to the beekeeping profession according to Gizmo BrewWorks. Beekeeper Honey Wheat Ale pours a deep yellow with a five finger pillowy white head with an aroma of sweet wheat, banana, and clove that leads you to a taste of some sweetness with nice honey wheat and clove with a floral banana that is easy to drink but not memorable and finishes clean with some sweetness, banana with clove and a semi-sweet wheat aftertaste that lingers a little with a medium mouthfeel. Gizmo BrewWorks Beekeeper Honey Wheat Ale is not bad but there are plenty of better wheat beer out there, and I give it a C. It’s average taste and I wouldn’t mind having it again. But it doesn’t really stand out/ Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!    

Catawba Brewing Co. LD’s Belgian Tripel Ale

Posted on by Evan

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In Belgium, strong golden ales are traditionally named after forces of evil, so this Catawba Brewing Company LD’s Belgian Triple Ale, 10.0% ABV shares its initials with the brewery says is the meanest little guy in the Catawba family, LD a.k.a. Long Dog, a.k.a. Little Devil, this is a dog of course. LD’s Belgian Triple Ale pours a sunset orange with a little yellow on the edge with a one and a half finger of white fizzy head that quickly to disappear giving aromas of a slight fruity banana with a bit of a sour yeasted note that flows to a similar taste of banana, slight sourness with some yeasted notes and a strong boozy note towards the rear of the mouth with a nice strong bubbly finish and an aftertaste of slight semi-sweet banana with clove bits and a medium mouthfeel. Catawba Brewing Co. LD’s Belgian Triple Ale isn’t the best Belgian Triple but it’s a B+. I enjoyed this ale and found it to not feel like a 10.0% beer, but close. It was a bit refreshing here and there and yes I would recommend trying it and would have it again. Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!