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Sugar Creek Brewing Company Path to Enlightenment West-Coast IPA

Posted on by Evan

We’re back after nearly a month off. I have been participating in dry January. No alcohol or non-alcoholic stuff. I find NA beer to be no good. This local Charlotte, North Carolina beer from Sugar Creek Brewing Company, Path to Enlightenment West-Coast IPA. This is a new beer from Sugar Creek that is 7% ABV. It won the bronze medal for American IPA at the 2023 U.S. Open Beer Championship. This IPA has a combination of Mosaic and Simcoe hops. This IPA pours a golden color with a one-finger white head. The head does quickly fade in decent lacing. The aroma is citrusy, grassy, little malt note, and hoppy. The flavor is where the malt is more pronounced, and you’ll find grapefruit, citrus, and grassy notes. The bitter/hoppy notes are more on the back of the tongue and as it passes the tongue. The beer has a medium feel in the mouth. Then this IPA finishes with a bitter, gassy, grapefruit flavor. The aftertaste is a bit like a malty grapefruit that lingers for a bit before fading as you take the next sip. This west-coast IPA is very similar to others in this beer style. The malt notes do help this beer stand out a bit, giving this Path to Enlightenment West-Coast IPA a B. I do recommend this beer if you are an IPA fan. Please stay safe, be kind to each other, and remember to enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

Fatty’s Beer Works High Style Italian Pilsner

Posted on by Evan

This High Style Italian Pilsner beer is from Fatty’s Beer Works in Charleston, South Carolina. This beer is made with Pilsner Malt, and Hallertau Mittelfrüh (the Kaiser of German hops). This beer is dry-hopped with Tettnang hops. This beer is 5% ABV. Fatty’s Beer Works is named after the brewery’s founder’s college nickname given to him by his fraternity brothers at Clemson University. This beer pours a golden color with a bright white two-and-quarter-finger head. The aroma is light hop note, lemon/white grape, and bread crust. The flavor is white grape, bread crust, light bittering notes (towards the back of the tongue), and tartness. This beer feels light on the pallet. This pilsner finishes with a light bitter note and some slight fruity flavor. The aftertaste is faintly tart and clean. This is a beer is one that I could go right back to over and over. I give High Style an A+. It should not be missed, I highly recommend this beer from Fatty’s Beer Work. It has an overall clean and balanced flavor and it is delicious. Please stay safe, be kind to each other, and remember to enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. Celebration Fresh Hop IPA

Posted on by Evan

This beer from Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. is Celebration Fresh Hop IPA. This beer is 6.8% ABV and is seasonally available from October through December with its Caramel Malts. This beer uses hops that haven’t been dried. This IPA pours a red/orange color with a two-finger white stead head. The aroma is piney, malted, hoppy, and citrus-fruited. The flavor is bitter, piney, orange/grapefruit, malty and hoppy. This beer has a medium body. Then it has a pine orange/grapefruit bitter finish. The aftertaste is less piney, but the bitterness intensifies and lingers with a bit of malted flavor. I have had this on many times before. I remember the first time I thought Celebration was so good and it still is. I think Celebration Fresh Hop IPA is an A+. I always look for it around Christmas time and you should too! Please stay safe, be kind to each other, and remember to enjoy responsibly! cheers!

Devils Logic #8 Oatmeal Coffee Stout

Posted on by Evan

This local Devil’s Logic Brewing (Charlotte, North Carolina) beer is #8 Oatmeal Coffee Stout. This stout is 5.4%. Devil’s Logic conditions this beer on Enderly Coffee Company’s Brazilian roast. This beer pours a black color with a steady two-finger tan head. The aroma is sweet with chocolate, malty, and a roasted coffee smell. The taste is sweet, roasted coffee, chocolate, malted, and oatmeal. This dark stout has a medium body. Then this beer finishes with a sweet roasted chocolate flavor. The aftertaste is roasted chocolate coffee. This beer is not as full on with the flavors but they are good. I give #8 Oatmeal Coffee Stout a B-. The flavors are medium and not as strong as other beers like this one. I’d still recommend it for the fact that it is good and not so big on the ABV. It is well-balanced in flavor. Please stay safe, be kind to each other, and remember to enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

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!