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450 North Brewing Co. & CLAG Brewing Co. Slushy XXL Slushy Charms

Posted on by Evan

This beer is a collaboration between two breweries. This beer is 450 North Brewing Co. and CLAG Brewing Co. Slushy XXXL Slushy Charms, 5.3% ABV. CLAGG is in Sandusky, Ohio, and 450 North Brewing in Columbus, Indiana. It’s made with double marshmallow, orange, mango, lemon, graham cracker, cream cheese, oats, & vanilla. This beer pours a thick yellow-orange juice color with no head The aroma is fruity with orange, and mango. There is some graham cracker and vanilla sweetness. The taste is big citrus, tropical fruits such as orange, lemon, mango. There is sweetness from the vanilla, marshmallow, and graham cracker. The mouthfeel thick and full. It then has a sweet pastry finish. The aftertaste is sweet and fruity. Flavor lingers for a bit. These types of pastry fruity-type beers need to be had fresh. They can go bad after a short while. I found this beer good, but he had a lot going on. I give 450 North Brewing Co. and CLAG Brewing Co. Slushy XXXL Slushy Charms a B. I found most of the flavor to be good, but the lemon seemed like it was faint and like it was out of place. But it was good overall. Now I would not have more than one of these, because it is thick and has many flavors. I finished this beer, but I wasn’t wanting another one. If you like sweet fruity pastry then this is good be for you. I do recommend trying it once. Please be kind, stay safe, and enjoy responsibly!

Westbrook Brewing Co. Santa Claws Hazy Holiday India Pale Ale

Posted on by Evan

The holiday season is here, and the holiday beer is already on the shelves. This particular beer is Westbrook Brewing Co. Santa Claws Hazy Holiday India Pale Ale, 7% ABV. This beer is from Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina. It has Cascade, and CTZ hops. It is dry-hopped with Citra, Centennial, and Azacca. They use Conan yeast. They Also Carapils, oats, pale, and wheat malts. 

This IPA is similar to all their regular IPA. Such as One Claw, Two Claw, and Three Claw. This beer pours a yellow color, with two-finger white head. The aroma is piney, almost like a Christmas tree. There is a Citrus note and some bitterness. The taste is piney, hoppy, bitter, citrusy with grapefruit and orange. It has a medium juicy mouthfeel. It then has a nice citrusy, bitter finish and a bitter citrus finish that lingers until you take another sip. This IPA is a good beer, and it’s not as piney as some other holiday IPAs I’ve had. I give Westbrook Brewing Co. Santa Claws Hazy Holiday India Pale Ale a B+. It is good, but it is not different from a good hazy IPA. Nothing stands out that would make it holiday-specific. If it were a hazy IPA and not a hazy holiday IPA. It would have a higher grade. It is a great flavorful IPA that is well brewed, and I wouldn’t accept anything less from Westbrook Brewing Co. Please be kind, stay safe, and enjoy responsibly! 

Imprint Beer Co. Schmoojee Sugeree Co.

Posted on by Evan

I have not had many smoothie fruit sour beers. But they sound interesting enough to try for review. This beer comes from Hatfield, Pennsylvania is Imprint Beer Co, Schmoojee Sugaree Colada, 6% ABV. This fruity beer has Mango, coconut, pineapple, lime, and cherry. This beer pours a thick yellow color with no head. The aroma is tropical with mango, pineapple, and a hint of a lime smell. The taste is a sweet and tropical fruit. There is some light coconut and big pineapple, mango, and lime. There is a cherry flavor too. The mouthfeel is thick and full. This colada coats your whole mouth. It finishes with tart cherry, lime flavor, and tropical notes. The aftertaste isn’t as tart as the finish, but it is tropical tasting. Imprint Beer Co, Schmoojee Sugaree Colada is not so bad, but it needs more sweetness. I’d give this a C+. It is average, but it is also very different from your typical beer. The tropical flavors are good, but the lime flavor gives it a bitter tartness that seems out of place. I wouldn’t go for this right off the bat, but it might be good on a really hot day. Please be kind, be safe, and enjoy responsibly! Cheers! 

Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Stout

Posted on by Evan

I saw this at my local grocery store, and I said to myself, you never see Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Stout 14.6% ABV at the grocery store. I have been hesitant to buy a bottle. It is because it is an expensive bottle. This beer was nineteen dollars at the grocery. Well, I gave in and bought it. This imperial stout is a blend of barrels from distilleries such as Heaven Hill, Wild Turkey, & Buffalo Trace. This stout aged for 8-14 months in freshly emptied barrels. You can then age it further in the bottle for up to five years. I didn’t do that. This stout pours a thick deep black color with a one and half beige head. The aroma is deep with vanilla, licorice, and boozy. The taste is strong, with licorice, vanilla, roasted notes, some coffee, and caramel. The mouthfeel is rich, and thick. This stout is a sipping beer. It has a slight bitter licorice finish and a bitter-sweet aftertaste that is boozy and warms your chest. I found Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Stout to be overwhelming and strong-tasting. It’s a C-. I felt the flavors did not come together as well as they should. I don’t think this stout is overrated. I like imperial stouts. It’s just this one was too much. It needs more sweetness and less boozy. A balance of the two flavor profiles would be good. Maybe this would be better if I let it age in the bottle for a while. Then it may mellow out some. Please be kind, be safe, and enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

Divine Barrel Brewing Somehow I Manage Imperial Brown Ale

Posted on by Evan

The seasons have changed, and now fall has come to winter. I’m seeing a little more fall/winter-style beers. This beer here, Divine Barrel Brewing Somehow I Manage Imperial Brown Ale, 8.1% ABV. This ale is made here in Charlotte, North Carolina, with toasted pecans, vanilla & maple syrup. It’s is going for a pecan pie-like taste. It pours a deep brown color with a one and half finger beige head. The aroma is nutty, sweet, and there is maple/molasses. The flavor is sticky sweet, roasted/nutty, cinnamon syrup, and biscuity. The mouthfeel is full. It coats your tongue nicely. Then it finishes like a slice of pecan pie. The aftertaste is nutty and semi-sweet with a syrup-like flavor. I found Divine Barrel Brewing Somehow I Manage Imperial Brown Ale to be a neat brown ale. It has decent brown ale qualities. I’d give this ale a B. A lot is going on in this beer. All flavors do come together, but not one-hundred percent together. It’s not a terr beer. It does feel more burly than it looks and tastes, which I find holds it back from a higher grade. I would have this again, but I would not have it right away. Please be kind, be safe, and enjoy responsibly! Cheers! 

450 North Brewing Co. Slushy XXL Crispie Cream

Posted on by Evan

My local craft beer shop Pop the Top Bottle Shop had an event where 450 North Brewing came down from Columbus, Indiana, with a few of their beers. So they had some to sell, and that’s how I came across 450 North Brewing Co Slushy XXL Crispie Cream, 5.3% ABV. This beer has blueberry, glazed donuts, lemon, and Bavarian cream. It is also a part of their XXL Slushy series. This beer pours a thick dark purple color with a thin one-finger white head. The head fades quickly. The aroma is sweet. I found blueberry aromas, with a hint of tartness from the lemon. The taste is much like a glazed jelly donut. There is sweet blueberry with creamy notes of the Bavarian cream. it has a tart lemon finish with a full mouthfeel. It coats your entire tongue with good flavors. There is a lemon, creamy aftertaste that lingers just a bit. 450 North Brewing Co Slushy XXL Crispie Cream is a neat beer. This is one that is an A+. it does taste like a donut. All the ingredients flow into a great beer. If you come across 450 North Brewing Co Slushy XXL Crispie Cream, buy it, and try it. Please be kind, be safe, and enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

Oxbow Brewing Co. Sap HAUS Smoked Lager with Maple Syrup

Posted on by Evan

I love a smoked lager. Some can be like barbecue in a glass. This beer h Oxbow Brewing Co. Sap HAUS Smoked Lager with Maple Syrup, 7% ABV. This beer takes eight weeks to produce in Newcastle, Maine, with real Maine maple syrup. This lager pours brown with a three-finger tan head that slowly fades. The beer has aromas of smoke with hints of maple sweetness. The flavor is sweet with maple and a little bit of smokiness. You don’t want too much smoke on a beer like this, nothing worse than drinking a campfire. Then this lager finishes with a light sweet smoked flavor that lingers in the aftertaste. When you get down toward the end of the maple becomes more pronounced. But over this is a good beer. Oxbow Brewing Co. Sap HAUS Smoked Lager with Maple Syrup is a B+. This smoked lager didn’t taste like you were drinking straight pure maple syrup. It had just the right amount of maple syrup flavor and smokey flavors. I would have this again. Please be kind, be safe, and enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

Royal Bliss Brewing Co. Citrus Jack Kevin Pale Ale

Posted on by Evan

I hope everyone had a most enjoyable and happy Thanksgiving. This beer is up for review is Royal Bliss Brewing Co. Citrus Jack Kveik Pale Ale, 5.8% ABV. This brewer is in Denver, North Carolina. It is not very far from Charlotte. Kveik is a Norwegian yeast that is slightly similar to a lager yeast. This yeast is used in a few different styles of beer. This beer poured a funk gray color, which isn’t how a pale ale is supposedly colored. It is more of a yellow, orange juice color. I think this beer is going bad. But I’m not going to let that effects how I very this brewery. I have never had a beer from this brewery, nor have I heard of it. It has a one and a half finger of white quickly fading head. This beer’s aroma is tropical and citrusy with pineapple, melon, some mango, and orange. There is a very faint bitterness. The taste is similar to its aroma. I found pineapple, mango, melon, orange, and bitter flavors. There is an ashy flavor that is from it being a bad batch or something. It has a bitter finish. It also has a slightly fruity aftertaste with that ashy note. Now I may have to re-review this with a better batch. So I think Royal Bliss Brewing Co. Citrus Jack Kveik Pale Ale is a low C-. I got pasted the ashy flavor and focused on the fruity flavors. I will have to review this Pale Ale again soon. Please be kind, be safe, and enjoy responsibly! Cheers! 

Westbrook Brewing company Rinse Repeat Galaxy Hallertau Blanc India Pale Ale

Posted on by Evan

I took a few days off from writing just for a break, so I wouldn’t develop writer’s block. But here is Westbrook Brewing Company Rinse/Repeat Glaxay Hallertau Blanc India Pale Ale, 7% ABV. This beer is no longer being made, but you can still find it on shelves. With that said, I could not find any other info on this beer other than the label. This IPA is made with Galaxy, Hallertau Hops & Blanc Yeast. This particular beer is part of the Rinse/Repeat series that features different types of hops/yeast in each beer. This IPA is a current series. This IPA pours a hazy yellow color with a two-finger bright white head. The home of this IPA is tropical, pineapple, and citrus grapefruit with a bitter grassy note. The flavor is tropical and juicy with pineapple, grapefruit, and grassy hoppy flavors. The mouthfeel is full. It finishes with a fruity hoppy grass flavor that carries of into the aftertaste then fades. Westbrook Brewing Company Rinse/Repeat Glaxay Hallertau Blanc India Pale Ale is a good solid IPA. I’d say it’s an A. This beer has a good hop profile that goes very well with the yeast combining for a delicious IPA. I highly recommend it! Please be kind, stay safe and enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

Shiner Beer Straight Shooter Juicy Dill Pickle Craft Brewed Hard Seltzer

Posted on by Evan

I haven’t had too many hard seltzers, and I find them as a whole to be a little one-sided. When you have a citrus IPA, you have the flavor of the IPA with the citrus. A hard seltzer has the bubbles and whatever flavor you have added. This seltzer is Shiner Beer Straight Shooter Juicy Dill Pickle Craft Brewed Hard Seltzer, 4.5%. It pours a clear color with loads of carbonation bubbles. The aroma is vinegary and spiced. The flavor is vinegary, light dill notes, spiced. The mouthfeel is lite and carbonated. This seltzer finish with a decent amount of carbonation and a vinegar pickle that carries into the aftertaste. This drink is just plain with a decent about of pickle flavor. I give This is Shiner Beer Straight Shooter Juicy Dill Pickle Craft Brewed Hard Seltzer a C+. The flavor on this is decent but not complex at all. If you like pickles and you love hard seltzers then this is for you. I found it average as best. Please be kind, be safe and enjoy responsibly! Cheers!