Best Beer Blog

Birdsong Brewing Co. Fake Plastic Trees Hazy IPA

Posted on August 17, 2020 by Evan

Brewed local in Charlotte, North Carolina Birdsong Brewing Co. Fake Plastic Trees Hazy IPA, 6.4% ABV is brewed with Two-Row, Red Wheat, Flaked Wheat, Flaked Oats, Munich malts, Comet, Cascade, and Sorachi Ace hops. This is a seasonal beer only available during the summer. Fake Plastic Trees pours a deeper yellow color with a two-finger creamy white head that fades slowly with aromas of semi-sweet malts with a bitter hops noes. The flavor is similar to its own aroma, semi-sweet at first then bitter with a bit of citrus fruit and some grassy notes toward the end that finish with a weird bitter note that is off-putting and it continues into a bitter after tastes with a medium mouthfeel. I usually like most Birdsong Brewing beer and Fake Plastic Trees wasn’t one of them, and I give it a D. The way Fake Plastic Trees finished was not good and it lingered too long for me and the citrus was very faint and was a bit off not really citrusy. I will not tell you to go and try this beer, all the flavor didn’t really come together. I didn’t like it. Please stay safe and enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

NoDa Brewing Company 1010 Pearl Lager

Posted on August 15, 2020 by Evan

NoDa Brewing Company 1010 Pear Lager, 4.8% ABV brewed locally in Charlotte, North Carolina named after a street in Columbus, Ohio which has a popular market. 1010 Pear pours a copper color with an almost two finger white fizzy head giving off a somewhat malted beady aroma with a little sweetness to it. The taste pretty much follows the nose with nice crisp malt bready notes with some sweetness that slowly arrives on your tongue with a nice semi-medium mouthfeel that finishes with a bit of a light malt note and has a crisp aftertaste of some yeasty bread that doesn’t stick around very long. NoDa Brewing Company 1010 Pear Lager is good getting a B-. The malts almost clash with the breaded notes and I found that to be just a little off-putting but nothing terrible. I could drink a few of 1010 Pearl Lagers the flavor isn’t too overwhelming nor is it too high in ABV. I find those things good about this. I would recommend NoDa Brewing Company 1010 Pear Lager is was not bad. Please stay safe and enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

New Anthem Beer Project Poets and Fools Pilsner

Posted on August 13, 2020 by Evan

New Anthem Beer Project Poets and Fools Pilsner 5.2% ABV is brewed in Wilmington, North Carolina with Hallertauer Hops, and Pilsen Malt. Poets and Fools pours a yellow color clean with a two and a half finger pillowy white steady head with nice lacing left behind with a nice crisp, faint hoppy aroma with bready notes as well. Taste is crisp with very faint grape and some nice light bready hop notes that come to a clean, slightly dry-ish finish with a light hop pilsner aftertaste that does not linger for more than three seconds with a light mouthfeel. New Anthem Beer Project Poets and Fools Pilsner is a tasty Pilsner that is clean crisp and refreshing with a nice flavor profile, and I give this beer an A+. Now with the world of craft beer being overfilled with sours and IPAs, it’s nice to have a nice Pilsner like this one that I highly recommend trying, I really enjoy it. Please stay safe and enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

Throwback Thursday: Luther Reformations Bier Pilsner

Posted on August 13, 2020 by Evan

Germany is probably one of the great countries for good beer, and could possibly be the oldest too. Germans are the originators of some beers styles, so it is good to go back and try some of these original German styles. One style that has origins not in German but in the town of Pilsen Czech Republic where the style is named after, but then came to Germany where it grew in popularity and the Germans crafted and brewed their own versions of Pilsner. Now we have Czech and German Pilsner. Most American Pilsners are decedents of the German Pilsner. For my birthday I received a rather interesting pint of German Pilsner, Luther Reformations Bier, 4.9% ABV, brewed by Neunspringe Worbis in Wobis Germany. Reformations Bier pours a bright golden color with a two-finger bright thick white head the slowly fades into bright thick whiffs of nice lacing. I found a great amount of light coming through the glass and a big heard of carbonation bubbles. The aroma has a nice light cracker and big buttery biscuit scent about it, and you can feel a light bubble on your nose. Reformations have a nice crisp buttery taste upfront followed by a slight biscuit and faint cracker. But as this beer warms a bit of a spice note comes through. It is sort of a spicy character like an herb. But the entire bottle is in German so I don’t know what it is. I am guessing it. The spicy herd is less present at cooler temperatures but still slightly there. The mouthfeel is light to medium and has a nice crisp but lightly spiced finish, with a nice aftertaste if spiced herbs and a faint buttery biscuit note. I liked Luther Reformations Bier and would recommend this to anyone, and if and when you find it please let me know where. I’d say Luther Reformations Bier Pilsner is a B+. The spiced herbs really add an interesting touch to a German Pilsner and make for a good Pilsner. So go out and try Luther Reformations Bier Pilsner and see what you think. Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!

Westbrook Brewing Co. Orange! Creamsicle Shake India Pale Ale

Posted on August 10, 2020 by Evan

Westbrook Brewing Orange! Creamsicle Shake India Pale Ale, 7% ABV is another beer in Westbrook’s Shake IPA series that is non-homogenized, and unpasteurized, brewed with Cascade, CTZ hops, dry-hopped with Amarillo, Citra, Conan Yeast, Carapils, Oats, Pale, Wheat malts, Lactose, Vanilla, and orange. Orange! Creamsicle Shake India Pale Ale pours a hazy yellow color with a three-finger thick rocky white head that fades very slowly and gives off creamy citrus orange aromas with nice vanilla and some bitter notes. The flavor is similar to its own aroma with a creamy vanilla orange notes upfront of the mouth with bitter citrus notes on the back of the mouth that finishes with a nive vanilla orange bitterness and has a creamy bittersweet orange creamsicle aftertaste that does linger and Orange! Creamsicle Shake India Pale Ale does have a fuller thick mouthfeel that does somewhat coat your mouth. Westbrook Brewing Orange! Creamsicle Shake India Pale Ale is a solid tasty IPA getting an A. It has a good balance of orangey and vanilla flavors that don’t really interfere with the bitterness on this IPA. I recommend Westbrook Brewing Orange! Creamsicle Shake India Pale Ale if you like bittersweet fruity IPA like this hazy IPA. Please stay safe and please enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

J. Wakefield Brewing Ponch & Jon Northwestern Style IPA

Posted on August 8, 2020 by Evan

J. Wakefield Brewing Ponch & Jon Northwestern Style IPA, 6.5% ABV is a beer that I purchased from Pop The Top Craft Beer Shop partly because of the can neat looking artwork, partly because of the CHiPs connection and because I don’t see tomay J. Wakefield beers in my area. Ponch & Jon is brewed with Strata, Idaho 7, & Simcoe hops. This IPA pours a cloudy hazy yellow color with a very slow fading pillowy white fluffy three and a quarter finger head. Ponch & Jon gives off a nice tropical citrusy aroma that is dank and pine with a nice tropical citrusy dake flavor with some pine notes that hit the taste buds in the back of the mouth, that come to a nice thick bitter finish and a nice tropical hoppy aftertaste that linger just enjoy to enjoy and has a slightly thick mouthfeel. I do enjoy this style of IPA but not on the top of my list and J. Wakefield Brewing Ponch & Jon Northwestern Style IPA is good getting a B+. I think that the slight pine notes to be a touch out of place for this IPA style and does not really go all that well with the tropical flavors, but it was not the most terrible thing I’ve had. It had a nice about of good tropical flavors with some nice bitter notes that really were tasty and this was quite an interesting beer if you like New England style IPA I would say, sure go try J. Wakefield Brewing Ponch & Jon Northwestern Style IPA. Please stay safe and please enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

Hopfly Brewing Company Bocce Backspin IPA

Posted on August 6, 2020August 6, 2020 by Evan

Hopfly Brewing company Bocce Backspin IPA, 7.0% ABV is a Rocky Mount North Carolina Brewed IPA part of Hopflys Adventure Series. Bocce Backspin IPA is double dry-hopped with Citra, Azacca, and HBC 58C hops. Bocce Backspin IPA pours a somewhat thick, for an IPA, yellow cloudy color with a two and quarter white head. Aroma is tropical with juicy tropical fruit bitter notes that takes you for your first sip. Which has a nice juicy tropical fruit like mango with nice citrus orange bitterness that comes on a bit strong but in a pleasant way with a nice juicy tropical finish and a nice bitter orange and tropical fruit aftertaste with a bit lingering bitterness with a full mouthfeel. The lingering bitterness after each sip was just a tiny negative note for Hopfly Brewing company Bocce Backspin IPA but it was pretty good, getting an A-. I like the combination of tropical fruit flavors with a nice orange flavor. I think that this a good beer for you to try if you like bitter tropical IPAs. Please stay safe and please enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

Throwback Thursday: Fullsteam Brewery King Basil Bièr De Garde

Posted on August 6, 2020August 6, 2020 by Evan

Originally posted on September 21st, 2015.

I have never had the style Bière De Garde before till now. I found one from Fullsteam Brewing from Durham North Carolina. King Basil Bière De Garde, 8.0% ABV is brewed with five types of Basil. King Basil pours a copper/deep gold color with a two-finger white head that stays around long enough for a good look before fading into some halfway decent lacing. Not too much light comes through and with that said not so much of the carbonation could be seen. The aroma is perfume like with nice basil notes and a very faint yeast scent. King Basil has a nice light yeasted flavor followed quickly by a big rush of basil that hits the taste buds nicely. This taste is somewhat similar to Summer Basil but this one has a broader basil flavor. The mouthfeel is light to medium with a nice faint basil finish that leads into a nice floral after taste with little yeast notes. This is a great beer and a refreshing one as well. I say this is an A. I like how more than one type of basil is used in this to really broaden the basil flavor. That really makes this beer good and keeps it from being a stronger version of Summer Basil. I really recommend that you try Fullsteam Brewery King Basil Bière De Garde. Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!

Town Brewing Co. Cruise to Nowhere

Posted on August 1, 2020 by Evan

Town Brewing Co. Cruise to Nowhere, 4.8% ABV is a tropical session sour ale brewed in Charlotte, North Carolina, and fermented with mango, guava, passion fruit, blood orange & Hibiscus. Cruise to Nowhere is the 2019 Great American Beer Festival (GABF) gold medal winner. Cruise to Nowhere pours a pinkish-red color with an almost two finger thin white head that fades steadily with fruity tropical aromas that are sour with a touch of tropical flora. Now the taste has a nice tropical fruit flavor of passion fruit which is bigger than that of the mango and guava, and toward the middle and rear of the mouth, you get a nice blood orange citrus fruit. The overall tropical flavor is sour and tart without being too sour that it squinches up your face and finishes with a tropical sour/tartness and with a nice tropical sour aftertaste that is quite refreshing with a lighter mouthfeel. I can easily see how and why Town Brewing Co. Cruise to Nowhere won gold at GABF, it is definitely getting an A here. This sour beer is just the right combo of sour to tropical fruit make for a real gold medal winner that you should not miss out on, it a good beer! Please stay safe and please enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

Throwback Thursday: Mother Earth Brewing Dark Cloud

Posted on July 30, 2020July 30, 2020 by Evan

Originally posted October 1st 2012

It has been a bit of a crazy, but fun week around my house, this past week with my brother’s family came into town for his birthday. But I am here now with yet another beer review. This is another North Carolina brew, from Kinston, North Carolina, and Mother Earth Brewing. This is their Munich-style Dunkel Lager, Dark Cloud 5.10% ABV. This is the second time having this. First was during a beer tasting I gave this past week. This is a dark German lager. Dark Cloud pours a dark brown color with a rocky whitish two finger head, and very very little light was come through, hazy in the glass. The aroma on this is very malty and sweet with nice bread notes, faint coffee scents too but more of a lighter roast coffee. There was a very very faint raisin smell there too but it’s almost not existent. This Dark Cloud has a nice aroma overall The taste on the Dark Cloud is malt forward, yeah lots of malts, but not overly malty and yes it’s a bit sweet to semi-sweet. this has a lot of mouthfeel on this, you really get that nice malt flavor all over the mouth. I did find a somewhat of a coffee taste here, but none too strong like a stout or porter. There is a very faint somewhat of bitterness to the very end but was okay. But that doesn’t take anything away from the overall flavors of this Dunkel. The aftertaste is still malty but a little less, still good and sweet yet bready. There is no bitterness, but the sweetness does get a bit stronger in the aftertaste. Nothing overly sweet, but good none the less. I find the aftertaste a half tick better than the first taste still great. This beer is not heavy or thick, but it is a drinkable, sessionable and a good beer to have more than once. Overall I give this a B, just for the fact that I found a very tiny bitterness within the great malted flavor. I like this one, it is well done, well brewed and I will be looking forward to having his again, maybe if I have them again and again I will maybe become a B+. I think it could become better with me over time may be a short time. The bitterness was just a half-point off for me, but nothing that made me gives this fine Dunkel any lower of a grade or pour it out. I like it very much and glad it’s an N.C. beer. Try this! Cheer! Please enjoy responsibly!