Best Beer Blog

New Anthem Beer Project Cinders and Rain Imperial Stout

Posted on May 7, 2020 by Evan

Not too long ago I reviewed New Anthem Beer Project and this another is New Anthem Beer Project, Cinders and Rain Imperial Stout, 12% ABV which I purchased from my favorite beer shop, Pop The Top Craft Beer Shop here in Charlotte, North Carolina. Cinders and Rain pours a thick oil black color with one and a quarter finger beige/tan khaki head that does stick a little with a nice aroma of bitter dark roast coffee with nice malt notes and some bitter dark chocolate wafting into your nose that leads you to a flavor it’s bitter with dark roasted coffee with hints of bitter dark cocoa chocolate that comes in on the middle that has a burnt malty quality on the back that all comes to a bar of bitter chocolate roasted coffee finish that continues into the bitter aftertaste with a full mouthfeel that coats your mouth. The bitterness on Anthem Beer Project, Cinders and Rain Imperial Stout didn’t really sit well with me and my tastebuds and I give Cinders and Rain a D+, and as this big beer warms up the bitterness grows. All that bitterness does affect all the other flavors of this Imperial Stout. I know New Anthem brews good beers, but this is not one of them and I may not go back for Cinders and Rain again. Please stay safe at home and please enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

Birdsong Brewing Company Paradise City Session IPA

Posted on May 4, 2020 by Evan

Not too long ago I received Birdsong Brewing Company Paradise City Session IPA 4.8% ABV with 45 IBUs, (International Bittering Units) from a coworker of my father. Paradise City is brewed here locally in Charlotte, North Carolina, and brewed with Two-row, Caramel 40L, Red Wheat, Oats, Carapils malts, Chinook hops, Cascade, Amarillo, and Idaho 7 hops. Paradise City pours a light orange color with a one-finger steady fading white head that exudes a litter bitter citrus hop aroma of light grapefruit and some orange to your sense of smell that leads you into a taste that is somewhat similar to the aroma with a slight bitter grass grapefruit and orange flavor with bites of hop flavor rushing in and out until the finish of bitter juicy citrus fruit that contiues at a faded capacity into the slightly bitter aftertaste with a light somewhat crisp mouthfeel. Birdsong Brewing Company Paradise City Session IPA is not bad but not the best, I believe it above average getting a C+ from me. Yes, I do think Paradise City is quite sessionable, you could crush a few of these, I know that I would. The overall flavor isn’t entirely memorable but I do vaguely remember how it tastes. Try Birdsong Brewing Company Paradise City Session IPA for yourself it’s not bad. Please stay safe at home and please enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

Newgrass Brewing Co. Crossed Out Double India Pale Ale

Posted on May 2, 2020 by Evan

Newgrass Brewing Co. Crossed Out Double India Pale Ale, 8.5% ABV purchased from Pop The Top Craft Beer Shop in Charlotte, North Carolina, and is brewed not far in Shelby, North Carolina. Crossed Out pours a hazy yellow near orange color with a one and a quarter white slow fading white head that gives off a juicy citrus fruit aroma with nice bitter hop notes and upon tasting Crossed out you get a nice juicy grapefruit and orange taste that hits the front and middle of your tongue with a smoothness that has a nice amount of bitterness that becomes hoppy on your tongue/mouth and finishes with a nice smooth bitter juicy fruit and has a citrus fruit cup aftertaste with a smooth bitterness with a medium mouthfeel. Newgrass Brewing Co. Crossed Out Double India Pale Ale is not bad, I would say it is a B. Crossed Out’s citrus flavor and the bitter to collide a bit but are okay none the less, and yes I would recommend Newgrass Brewing Co. Crossed Out Double India Pale Ale just not more than two. Please stay safe at home and please enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

Throwback Thursday: Olde Mecklenburg Brewery Captain James Jack Pilsner

Posted on April 30, 2020April 30, 2020 by Evan

Originally posted April 25th, 2012.

On May 19, 1775, twenty-six local civic leaders convened the Mecklenburg Convention at the corner of Trade and Tryon in downtown Charlotte, NC. One day later on May 20th, the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence was unanimously adopted. It was the first such declaration by any civic body in the British colonies. Captain James Jack, a local tavern owner, volunteered at great personal risk to carry the Declaration more than 500 miles on horseback to the Continental Congress in Philadelphia. That’s the interesting story on this Old Mecklenburg Pilsner’s name, no on to the beer itself. This is a pilsner at 4.9% abv and has nice sharp gold color with a brilliant white head that is thick but is gone before you know it. It has a nice calm light hop scent with a sort of grassy aroma to it that smells like a spring lawn, not bad. On the taste, you get a crisp hop, not that is light and refreshing with the tiniest bit of bitterness. You get a nice clean crisp refreshing finish that goes down rather smooth, which makes this is a good everyday kind of beer when you just want to good plane beer. This Captain is good and drinkable, not to light not to heavy, a good balance of things. This is good on any day, especially a hot one. Old Mecklenburg Brewery seems to pride themselves on making each beer special, great and tasty in my opinion and that’s how you need to feel about most beer in general, pride, and happiness. That is key to good beer drinking. Try this and you’ll agree! Cheers! Please drink responsibly!

New Anthem Beer Project Dance Floor Heater

Posted on April 30, 2020 by Evan

New Anthem Beer Project Dance Floor Heater, 5.2% ABV is a New Zealand Hopped Pilsner brewed in Wilmington, North Carolina with Motueka hops, Mexican yeast, Pilsner Malt, and of course water. Dance Floor Heater pours a nice crisp yellow color with a one and a quarter finger bright white head that fizzes down to a thin layer giving of nice crisp beady aromas with some light hop notes and a bit of bitterness that beckons you to take a sip where you’ll find a nice crisp beaded/biscuit note with a light hop note in the middle of the mouth that continues to the end with a faint bitterness that shows itself in the back of your mouth. Dance Floor Heater finishes with a bitter crisp with a very faint lemon-like note that carries into the aftertaste with a light bitterness but with less of a lemon note with a light mouthfeel. New Anthem Beer Project really nailed it with Dance Floor Heater, this is a really good flavorful pilsner without being overwhelming and yes I think that many Dance Floor Heaters could be had without being too much on your tastebuds. New Anthem Beer Project Dance Floor Heater is an A+ beer and should be tried if you haven’t already. Please stay safe at home and please enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

Blowing Rock Brewing Co. Cloud Rise Hazy IPA

Posted on April 27, 2020 by Evan

Blowing Rock Brewing Company Cloud Rise Hazy IPA, 7.2% ABV from Hickory North Carolina was gifted to me through my father’s business associate. Cloud Rise is brewed Cashmere, Mosaic, and Simcoe hops. Cloud Rise pours light hazy orange with a three-finger sticky white pillowy, cloud-like head that gives off hoppy citrusy tropical fruit notes of orange and freshly crushed pineapple that gives you a taste of juicy orange and fresh pineapple with a nice bitterness on the middle of the mouth with a crisp flavor of grapefruit that comes together for a fruity juicy finish and aftertaste that of fresh hops with nice orange and light grapefruit pineapple with a medium mouthfeel. Blowing Rock Brewing Co. Cloud Rise Hazy IPA is a refreshingly fruity hazy IPA that gets a B+ here. I think that the 7.2% ABV and the bitter hoppy notes do tend to become too much after three of these and that is the only thing I found to be negative about Cloud Rise, the beer is good with nice flavors and you should try Cloud Rise for yourself! Cheers! Please stay safe at home and enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

King Canary Brewing Co.

Posted on April 26, 2020 by Evan

King Canary Brewing co. Dark Side of the Loon, 5.6% ABV purchaser in Crowler form from Pop The Top Craft Beer Shop is an English-style Porter brewed with fifteen pounds of golden raisins, vanilla, and a touch of coconut. Dark Side of the Loon pours a black color with a quarter finger beige bubbly head that fades into nothing as soon as it from with no traces of it being left behind. I found there to be nice chocolate, black licorice with very faint raisin with some light coffee aromas on the nose that then lead into similar flavors of chocolate, black licorice, nice but light coffee notes with very faint raisin come in for a second on the back of your tongue that comes to a slightly bitter chocolate licorice finish with a licorice aftertaste. King Canary Brewing co. Dark Side of the Loon is not so great but not the worst Porter, I think its a D, and was something that I did finish two pints of from my crowler but I wouldn’t have again, the weird bitterness towards the end was not that pleasant nor was the chocolate and licorice together, when but together those two tasted weird and bitter. I didn’t enjoy King Canary Brewing co. Dark Side of the Loon, as much as I was thinking that I would I would not try this beer. Please stay safe at home and please enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

Catawba Brewing Company El Gato Mariachi

Posted on April 23, 2020 by Evan

Catawba Brewing Company El Gato Mariachi, 5.3% ABV is a Horchata White Ale brewed with Summit hops, 2-Row Pale, Malted wheat, flaked oats, flaked rice, vanilla, Lactose, and cinnamon. Horchata is a Mexican drink made with rice and is flavored with cinnamon and sweetened with sugar. El Gato Marichi pours a yellow color with a one-finger quick white fizzy head that gives off a sweet cinnamon and clove aroma a very very faint banana note that leads you to partake a sip in which you’ll find a nice cinnamon note that has a nice balance of banana clove with notes of vanilla that come to a sweet refreshing finish of vanilla and some cinnamon that give you a nice white ale aftertaste with touches of cinnamon with a light mouthfeel. I found that Catawba Brewing Company El Gato Mariachi an interesting take on a white ale and one that turns out to be good, and I wasn’t really to be the way it tasted I thought it to be more on the sweeter dessert side of things and it was actually refreshing and something that you can have a few of without wrecking your tastebuds. I give Catawba Brewing Company El Gato Mariachi an A+. None of the flavors of El Gato Mariachi weren’t too strong they were lighter than I was expecting and that is why this is a great beer that you should try. Please stay safe at home and please enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

Burial Beer Co. The Tranquility Amid Terror

Posted on April 20, 2020 by Evan

I purchased a crowler of Burial Beer Co. The Tranquility Amid Terror, 7.2% ABV a New England style IPA from Pop The Top Craft Beer Shop here in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Tranquility Amid Terror poured a deep cloudy/hazy yellow with a tich two finger white head that sticks around awhile leaving thick ropey lacing after each sip. The Tranquility Amid Terror give off a piney citrusy aroma with a tart bitterness wafting into your seance of smell that draws you to take a sip that brings forth a flavor of bitter creamy citrus orange and light grapefruit notes with a sweet yet tartness that turns into a faint vanilla note that then quickly becomes bitter with a nice tartness toward the end, then culminates into a creamy tart bitter finish with a juicy citrusy aftertaste with a medium, almost full mouthfeel. Burial Beer Co. The Tranquility Amid Terror is a good beer, a B+ beer, falls just a bit in my opinion with that tartness and bitterness together, I think they don’t meld well together but everything else flavor-wise with Burial Beer Co. The Tranquility Amid Terror is great and s beer worth trying. Please stay safe at home and please enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

Dancing Gnome Beer Lusta

Posted on April 19, 2020 by Evan

Thank you to Dancing Gnome Beer in Pittsburg Pennsylvania for sending me four fresh Lusta, 5.8% ABV their Pale Ale. Lusta pours a yellow straw color that is slightly cloudy with a nice rocky bright three finger white head with great sticking power and leaving behind thick ropey lacing. After looking at this beer you enticed by a citrusy aroma of light grapefruit and orange aroma with nice touches of creamy bitter notes wafting into your sense of smell that calls you to a taste of citrusy orange and grapefruit that has a creaminess to it with nice bitter notes that is somehow smooth that finishes with a juicy citrus fruit bitterness and a nice creamy bitter aftertaste with a medium mouthfeel. Dancing Gnome Beer Lusta is a great beer, an A+ beer, and one that should be a goto beer in any beer drinkers refrigerator. Every ingredient in Lusta just flows and melds very well. Dancing Gnome Beer Lusta is something that should not or ever be missed! Please stay safe at home and please enjoy responsibly! Cheers!