Best Beer Blog

Birdsong Brewing Co. Dressed to Chill

Posted on February 10, 2020 by Evan

Birdsong Brewing Co. Dressed to Chil, White Ale 5.0% ABV with Tangerine, Essential Oil, & Spices. is a Witbier style purchased from my local Harris Teeter grocery store and is brewed here local in Charlotte, NC. Dressed to Chill pours a semi hazy yellow color with a bright two finger white head that leaves behind decent lacing and gives off a floral-like aroma that is very similar to a room deodorizer, there is a little faint banana citrus spice whiffing into your nose. Taste is flowery with a bit of citrus tangerine spice that finishes with a floral citrusy potpourri finish that carries into the aftertaste with a nice faint spiced with a medium mouthfeel. This has a floral potpourri taste to it that holds it back and gives in a B-. The tangerine character of this White Ale does add a good aspect to the overall flavor but does not really interact with the essential oil, which sounds like a nice idea but isn’t terrible is okay at best. Overall Birdsong Brewing Co. Dressed to Chil, White Ale is the worst beer I’ve had. Please enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

Wilmington Brewing Company Lion Cake Double Dry-Hopped Triple IPA

Posted on February 6, 2020 by Evan

Wilmington Brewing Company Lion Cake Double Dry-Hopped Tripe IPA, 10% ABV which I purchased at Pop the Top Craft Beer Shop while I was enjoying the Burial Beer Co Tap Takeover. This big triple IPA is brewed with Lactose sugar, Pale Malt, Wheat, Oats, & Carapils along with Citra & Mosaic hops in the Whirlpool and in the first and second dry-hopping. Lion Cake pours a hazy yellow that looks a bit dark with a two-finger white head. Hold this beer up to your nose and you get a sweet juicy fruit aroma that is soft with a bit of a creamy yet hoppy note. Now take a sip and you get some juicy citrus fruit (orange, grapefruit, and very faint lemon) that has a little creamy sweetness to it with little/low bitterness to it that does grows a little as it passes the back of your mouth and finish slightly bitterer than it starts with some citrus fruits that do carry into the aftertaste with a bit of hoppiness and some strong alcoholic notes with a soft but fuller mouthfeel. The flavor of Wilmington Brewing Company Lion Cake Double Dry-Hopped Tripe IPA is soft and delicious getting an A-, the big nature of Lion Cake (the alcohol) does keep it down just in the slightest bit. If you like big Triple IPAs then Wilmington Brewing Company Lion Cake Double Dry-Hopped Tripe IPA is your beer I recommend it! Please enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

The Beer News

Posted on February 5, 2020February 5, 2020 by Evan

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

Thursday, February 6th, Limited Release: Purple Rain Blueberry Strawberry Sour! Birdsong Brewing Company. 3 pm-10 pm. The people have spoken!! We brewed a small batch of Purple Rain Sour with Blueberries and Strawberries back in December and the positive feedback was so overwhelming that we decided to make a big batch and throw it in cans! We hope you can join us for this limited release of Purple Rain on draft and in cans on 2/6/20 at 3p!
Fabulous and funky, Purple Rain is a smooth American Sour Ale with blueberries and strawberries. With big berry notes and a hint of effervescence, this beer is juicy on the palate with a pleasant, clean finish.

Thursday, February 6th. Sangria Zombie Release. Catawba Brewing Company. 3 pm-10 pm. A twist on an old classic! (Draft ONLY)
Try a Zombie Flight today!

Thursday, February 6th. CCCerveza Mexican Lager Release. Triple C Brewing Company. 4 pm-10 pm. Our traditional Mexican Amber lager is the result of a renewed focus on lager brewing. This Mexican-influence recipe features a lager strain from a well know Mexican brewery, a grain bill of primarily Vienna malt and flaked corn. This lager pours a copper-amber color with a fluffy white head. Aromas of clean malt character with a hint of corn and caramel. Medium-bodied with a balanced sweetness. Crisp and easy to drink!
5.7% ABV

Friday, February 7th. Dual Tap Takeover Featuring Resident Culture/High Branch. The Hobbyist. 5 pm-10 pm. Don’t miss out on having two amazing local breweries taking over the taps at The Hobbyist. Featuring Resident Culture Brewing Company and High Branch Brewing Co.– each bringing 3 kegs PLUS their fresh collaboration!
Starting at 5pm and going until close.
Also, free, live music every Friday and Saturday night- Jay Mathey will be playing Friday, Feb 7th!

Delicious tacos are available from at Chillito Tacos!

**Draft list will be updated as we get the info **

Current Drafts:

*HIGH CULTURE* – 8% Hazy DIPA Resident Culture / High Branch Collab – Hopped with Mosaic, Simcoe, and Galaxy

– Resident Culture –
*OVER SOUL* – 7% DDH NE IPA featuring Strata and Citra Hops

*SLEEPING ON THE BLACKTOP – Other Half Collab
9.5 % Hazy Triple IPA DDH w/ Citra, Simcoe, and HBC 692 Hops

*BEAUTY HAS IT HARD – Other Half Collab
3.5% Rustic Table Lager featuring aged hops and Mandarina Bavaria

– High Branch –

*BOSSMAN* (w/ Chocolate, Peanut Butter, Vanilla, and Marshmallow)
10.2% Imperial Milk Stout **QCBF Best In Show Award Winner!!

*HERE WE GO*
8.3% DIPA Double Dry Hopped w/ Centennial, Azacca, and Citra Hops

*Plus One final Draft Selection*

Friday, February 7th. Small Batch Release: Cran Eye for the Orange Guy. Red Clay Ciderworks. 3 pm-11 pm. Cran Eye For The Orange Guy is coming back on draft and in CANS!
This semi-dry, semi-tart cranberry cider is infused with orange zest, fennel, and just a touch of coriander.

Soooo good!

Saturday, February 8th. Release Day Bottle/Can Share. The Barrel Room at Triple C. 11 am- 12 pm. Join us across the street in The Barrel Room at Triple C an hour before the Chocolate Covered Pretzel Stout Release for a bottle and can share! Bring a buddy and a beer to share. We will have plenty of glasses, ice and seating ready.

Saturday, February 8th, Goin’ Donuts! Chocolate Stout Can Release Party! Sycamore Brewing. 12 pm-11 pm. A baker’s dozen, fresh out of the oven, and all of the donuts knew. Time for the party, so into the mash, with coffee and chocolate, too! Fresh @SuarezBakery donuts AND @BeachShackCoffee will be dancing their way into this batch! See you on 2/8.

Tuesday, February 11th. Chocolate and Beer Pairing. The Unknown Brewing Company. 7 pm-8:30 pm. Tickets at eventbrite.com for $25. Chocolate and beer are a match made in heaven….. and there is an art of pairing them correctly.
Join certified chocolate expert Dr. Jessica Henderson learning about craft chocolate and the guidelines of how to pair chocolate and beer.
Come experience how sweet and bitter come together to create some amazing and interesting taste combinations.
After we cover the “rules” we will try some adventurous and unconventional pairs and experiment to determine what YOU like best.
Try something new – indulge the senses – and have fun with us.
$25 per person
Reservation Link coming soon.

Burial Beer Co. Finite Spectrum of Existence Triple IPA

Posted on February 3, 2020February 3, 2020 by Evan

Over the weekend I went to Burial Beer Co. tap Takeover at Pop The Top Craft Beer Shop I had Burial Beer Finite Spectrum of Existence Triple IPA, 10% ABV with 40 IBU brewed with Citra, Mosaic, Sabro, and Simco hops. Lactose and oats are mashed in and triple dry-hopped with more than 6 pounds per barrel of 2019 select crops of Citra, Strata, Mosaic, and Cashmere hops. I enjoyed it so much that to buy a thirty-two-ounce crowler of it filled from the tap to take home and give it a review. Finite Spectrum of Existence pours a hazy cloudy blonde color with a bright white three finger slow head. The aroma is juicy with tropical and citrus fruits with a light yet faint hoppy note. Taste on this TIPA is juicy with nice citrus flavor and some creamy, coming from the lactose, tropical notes coming through with bits of some bitter hops. You do get a strong alcohol flavor off this and Finite Spectrum of Existence Finishes with a light juicy fruit bitterness and an aftertaste of sweet hopped fruit with a full mouthfeel. I don’t think that Burial Beer Co. Finite Spectrum of Existence Triple IPA is something that you could not really drink a lot of because it is a big beer with a high ABV, so about maybe two would be enough. I did find Finite Spectrum of Existence to be a tasty beer, one that gets an A. It has a lower IBU (International Bittering Unit) with good juicy sweet fruit flavors to it that really meld quite well with the lactose sugar. I’ve never had a bad beer from Burial Beer Co. Finite Spectrum of Existence is one I recommend trying. Please enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

Spoetzl Brewery Shiner Ruby Redbird

Posted on February 1, 2020February 1, 2020 by Evan

Spoetzl Brewery Shiner Ruby Redbird, 4.0% ABV is a brew that I’ve decided to rereview, I originally reviewed this back almost eight years ago on June 6th, 2012. Back then Shiner Ruby Redbird was only a summer seasonal beer, now it’s a year-round beer do to its popularity. Ruby Redbird is brewed with ripe Texas ruby red grapefruit from the Rio Grande Valley and fresh ginger. Ruby Redbird is only 95 calories, 31 grams of carbs, and 0 grams of fat, which the embellish on the can. Redbird pours a golden color with a one and half finger thin white quickly fleeting head without leaving a trace of itself behind. You get nice big ginger aromas wafting into your nose with faint grapefruit and then comes a taste of big ginger flavor hitting your tongue washing over your tastebuds with little bits of red grapefruit notes that are low on the acidic scale, and not too bitter but you get a nice tartness from the marriage of grapefruit and ginger. Ruby Redbird finish with a nice tart ginger flavor that has a slightly spicy ginger tingle with low but semi-sweet red grapefruit notes that then make for a ginger beer like aftertaste that does linger for a minute with a light mouthfeel. I see how this Spoetzl Brewery Shiner Ruby Redbird has grown in popularity to become a year-round beer. I still enjoy it and it is a B-. After a while, the ginger flavor starts to become a bit too much but I like ginger and ginger flavored things, but this a good sessionable beer and one that is worth trying. Please enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

Throwback Thursday: Unibroue Brewery La Fin Du Monde

Posted on January 30, 2020 by Evan

Originally posted on March 8th, 2014.

The Unibroue brewery in Chambly, Québec, Canada is probably one of the best breweries’ to come out of that country. They brew mostly the Belgian style of beer. In my opinion, Unibroue’s beer seems to have a classy aria about them, and have some of the coolest labels on their bottles. Here is one of their fine beers, La Fin Du Monde (The End of The World), 9.0% ABV a Triple. This is a bottle refermented, which means that it goes through another fermentation in the bottle, and yes there is yeast at the bottom of the bottle. La Fin Du Monde pours a hazy light golden color with a thin three finger head that is quick to fade away into light lacing. There are nice amounts of light streaming through the chalice with lots of carbonation bubbles racing to and fro. The aroma is slightly spiced and has a nice scent of a light apple and some pineapple along with a yeast character. The taste is big with lots of light spices, probably coriander, and you do get a nice yeasty fruity flavor that is slightly sweet with a bigger booziness alongside a nice effervescence. The mouthfeel is medium to almost a fuller feel with a nice spicy yet sweet finish that leads into a nice yeasty fruity sweet finish that lingers for a short while, just enough to enjoy. La Fin Du Monde is great from start to finish, so La Fin Du Monde gets an A+. I really love the Triple style of beer very much, and this Unibroue La Fin Du Monde is one of the best in my own opinion. It looks great, smells great, and tastes great. It is a top beer for sure. So go out and try this Unibroue La Fin Du Monde and see what you think of it, I highly recommend you do! Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly

The Beer News

Posted on January 29, 2020January 29, 2020 by Evan

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

Wednesday, January 29th. Beer & Wine Tasting. NoDa Company Store. 6 pm-8 pm. Join us for a FREE tasting with Faber from Mutual and our friends and D9 Brewing Company – plus Lobster Dogs-Food Truck will be on hand with their lobster rolls and avocado bowls!D9 will have:
Whiskers
Superstitious Pigeons
Defying Gravity: Infinite Improbability

And Faber will be bringing:
Proverb Chardonnay (2018)
Storypoint Pinot Noir (2017)
Proverb Pinot Noir (2017)
Barone Fini Merlot (2017)
Edge Wines Cabernet (2016)

Wednesday, January 29th. Resident Culture Event. Duckworth’s Grill & Taphouse Rea Farms. 6 pm-8 pm. We’re showcasing one of Charlotte’s favorite breweries… Resident Culture Brewing! Stop by for FREE swag & beer samples!On tap:
Double Universe
Free Skate
Turn Style
Re-Up Pilsner

Thursday, January 30th. Battle of the Brews Battle Royal! Carolina Beer Temple Charlotte. 6 pm-11 pm. We’re bringing back all of our 2019 Battle of the Brews winners for a Battle Royale competition! The first keg to kick or most pints sold wins a dedicated tap at Carolina Beer Temple!2019 Winners Competing for include:
Lenny Boy Brewing
Great Lakes Brewing
Fiddlin’ Fish Brewing
Catawba Brewing
Dirty Bull Brewing
Primal Brewing
Sugar Creek Brewing
Town Brewing

Come out and support your favorite brewery! Tap list TBA!
Thursday, January 30th. McScotchy McScotchface Wee Heavy. Triple C Brewing Company. 4 pm-10 pm. Deep ruby red in color, this Scotch ale has aromas of sweet caramel, milk chocolate, and a hint of fruitiness. Full-bodied and malt flavors of caramel covered candied apple, toffee bar, and warming alcohol notes.10.2% ABV

Friday, January 31st. Früh Bock Beer Release. Olde Mecklenburg Brewery. 11 am-11 pm. For your drinking pleasure, we are releasing Früh Bock this FRIDAY, JANUARY 31st!“Früh” (pronounced “froo”) means “early” in German. Our seasonal “Early Bock” combines 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, Früh Bock is all-natural — brewed in strict accordance with the famous German beer purity law of 1516: the “Reinheitsgebot.” In line with Reinheitsgebot, it was brewed using natural carbonation from the pure CO2 produced by the yeast during fermentation. We pull our brews from our lager tanks weekly, so you know it’s fresh. And, it was kept cold from production to delivery to you, because all beer should be kept cold to maximize freshness. We hope you enjoy this pure, fresh, cold beer. Prost!

Under 21 welcome at OMB. Pets welcome outside in our Biergarten.

Visit our website for more info on Früh Bock: https://www.oldemeckbrew.com/beer/fruhbock

Friday, January 31st. Tart t Finish Release. NoDa Brewing Company. 3 pm-10 pm. *This release will be available at both locations.*Join us for a Kettle Sour fermented on tart cherries and raspberry purée, resulting in a tart and fruity easy-drinking beer. Sitting at 4.5% ABV, this brew is the perfect combination of both light and flavorful.

Saturday, February, 1st. Queen City Brewers Festival. Queen City Brewers Festival 800 Briarcreek Rd. 10 am-9 pm, Tickets go on sale Friday, November 29th, come try our new beer releases at the festival.

Saturday, February 1st. PTT X Burial Beer Co. Tap Takeover. Pop the Top Craft Beer Shop. 12 pm-11:30 pm. This seems to be a reoccurring theme that we can’t help but get excited for EACH.AND.EVERY.TIME! Another Burial Beer Co. tap takeover. This time it’s on the 1st day after Dry January!! Wet your whistle. Don’t sleep!// Imbibable Liquids // ** NOT yet finalized**
> Finite Spectrum of Existence- Hazy Triple IPA // 10% ABV // – TDH w/ more than 6lbs/barrel of Citra, Strata, Mosaic, & Cashmere hops

> The Savages of Ruminating Minds – Hazy IPA // 7.2% ABV // – DDH w/ copious Mosaic, Motueka, & Idaho 7 hops

> A Doom For The Superorganism – Hazy Double IPA // 8.2% ABV // – DDH w/ 100% Oregon-grown Mosaic hops. Made with Wheat & Lactose

> A Modern Ballad of Self-Torture – Hazy IPA // 7.5% ABV // – DDH w/ 2019 crop of Galaxy, Simcoe, and Sabro, and finished with some Simcoe Cryo

> The Inception of Ritualistic Malice – Hazy IPA // 6.8% ABV // – DDH w/ 2019 hand-selected Cashmere & Citra, and finished with dank Enigma hops. Imbibe among berry-soaked dank, strawberry cream and tropical citrus candies

> Display of Vulgarities – Hazy Double IPA // 8.5% ABV // – DDH w/ Mosaic, Vic Secret & El Dorado hops

> Gang of Blades – Hazy Double IPA // 8.3% ABV // – DDH w/ Citra, Simcoe, El Dorado, and Amarillo Cryo

> To Wear The Feathers of Slain Beasts – Sour Ale w/ Peaches // 4.5% ABV // – Mixed culture ale aged for several months in the taproom oak puncheons. Then racked into steel upon 2000lbs of Carolina peaches. The resulting aromas are peach rings, white peach LaCroix, minerals, and prickly wine

> Griddle – Imperial Espresso Stout // 10% ABV // – Roasted coffee beans from Asheville’s Penny Cup Coffee and lactose sugars. The resulting aromas offer bold roast, dark fruit and the mild smokiness that drives the aroma

> The Mercy – Coconut Porter // 6% ABV // – Made with dark malts and a simple dose of lactose and experimental hops. The beer was actively fermented atop more than 10lbs/barrel of raw macaroon coconut. Think roasted coconut treats, mocha, tropical cherry cola and more.

Sunday, February 2nd. Superbowl LIV (54). A TV near you! 6:30 pm.

Throwback Thursday: Duck-Rabbit Brewing Milk Stout

Posted on January 23, 2020 by Evan

Originally posted February 18th, 2013

Well, it still is wintertime outside, well it sure looked like it here over the weekend with big snow hitting the Charlotte area, and I thought that would call for a nice dark stout. So I pick a few, one being The Duck-Rabbit Milk Stout, 5.70% ABV. This is a sweet full-bodied stout, brewed in Farmville North Carolina. This milk stout uses lactose or milk sugar to give this its nice sweetness. They also a nice amount of highly roasted gains. Duck-Rabbit Milk Stout pours a thick black color with a quarter finger tan head that quickly dissipates and does leave tiny amounts of lacing. There was no light coming through the glass and I found no traces of carbonation bubbles. The aroma is big sweet and roasted with a hint of bakers chocolate. The aroma reminded me a little of coffee with cream. The taste is first sweet followed be a chocolate roasted coffee flavor with a hint of baker’s cocoa. The mouthfeel is more on the full side, the flavor really coats your mouth to leave a full finish with an aftertaste of sweet roasted chocolate coffee. But I thought that this Duck-rabbit was easy to drink. I am giving this an A. Good flavors all around on this, and they all work well with one another to create one heck of a good beer. Nothing about this beer is overly done or bad. I do recommend this beer and will certainly have this again. Please go out and get yourself a bottle to try and see what you think of The Duck-Rabbit Milk Stout. Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!

The Beer News

Posted on January 22, 2020January 22, 2020 by Evan

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

Thursday, January 23rd. Small Batch Release: Tequila’n Me Softly. GoodRoad CiderWorks. 4 pm-10 pm. We’re tapping our first small batch of 2020 this Thursday, January 23! Tequila’n Me Softly is a cider with notes of oak, tequila, and citrus! Great with or without a salt rim.Very small quantity available, so come taste it before it kicks!

Thursday, January 23rd. New Release: Dressed to Chill Winter White Ale. Birdsong Brewing Company. 3 pm-10 pm. We’ve got a brand new seasonal coming and we can’t wait to share it with you! Join us for the release of Dressed to Chill Winter White Ale with Tangerine and Spices on 1/23/19! Dressed to chill will be released on draft AND in cans at 3p!Balanced and refreshing, Dressed to Chill has pleasant aromas of tangerine with complimentary spice notes of cardamom, coriander, and clove. With an unbeatable depth of flavor, our latest White Ale is perfect for celebrations or just relaxing in your PJs.

Friday, January 24th. Small Batch Release: Blueberry Crumble A Nitro Cider. Red Clay Ciderworks. 3 pm-11 pm. This month’s small batch is the Blueberry Crumble, a semi-sweet blueberry cider with vanilla, caramel, a touch of cinnamon and served on NITRO!Available in our taproom on draft only!

Friday, January 24th. Strataganza Release. NoDa Brewing Company. 3 pm-10 pm. *This release will be available at both locations.*Strataganza is a single-hopped lower-carb IPA featuring the amazing new hop variety Strata. 🤤 Strata offers an amazing complex aroma and flavor profile full of tropical and citrusy notes all in a lower-carb beer.
The beer still has an ABV of 6% and full of hop character but comes in a reduced carb package for those trying to keep their carb count in check.

Saturday, January 25. 2020 Barrel Aged Fat Boy Breakfast. Olde Mecklenburg Brewery. 9 am-11 am. Purchase tickets here:
https://shop.oldemeckbrew.com/collections/frontpage/products/barrel-aged-fat-boy-breakfast-ticket—–

Join us on Saturday, January 25th for our 6th Annual Barrel Aged Fat Boy Breakfast! The event will start at 9am and run until 11am. This is one of OMB’s most fun and unique events, so you don’t want to miss this!

This year’s batch of BA Fat Boy was aged for 2 months in Great Wagon Road Distilling’s Fat Boy Rúa barrels.

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** NEW FOR 2020 ** 3 new Barrel-Aged Fat Boy variants **

– Fat Boy aged in Great Wagon Road Distillery’s Rúa Port Wine Barrels

– Fat Boy aged in Muddy River’s Queen Charlotte’s 4yr Reserve Rum Barrels

– Fat Boy aged in Doc Porter’s Bourbon Barrels

*Available only on draft at OMB on the day of the event

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TICKETS

We will be mailing tickets to you this year. Please bring your ticket(s) with you on the of day of the event to gain entry. We will be checking everyone in by the main entrance.

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$40 ticket includes:

Admission
One 22oz Bomber of BA Fat Boy
OMB Snifter Glass with gold detail
Pour of BA Fat Boy at event
Buffet Breakfast (all you can eat)
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$50 ticket includes:

Admission
Two 22oz Bombers of BA Fat Boy
OMB Snifter Glass with gold detail
Pour of BA Fat Boy at event
Buffet Breakfast (all you can eat)

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BA Fat Boy Buffet Breakfast Menu:

Fat Boy Waffles and Cinnamon Pumpkin Pancakes (Attended) –
Maple Lager Syrup and Candied Pecan Butter

Freshly Cooked Eggs (Attended) –
Scrambles or omelets your way! Cheese, peppers, onions, mushrooms, shredded cheddar, avocado, and spinach

Freshly Sliced Fruits and Berries –
Pineapple, Honeydew Melon, Cantaloupe, Kiwi, Strawberries, Blackberries, and Raspberries.
Yogurt Dip and Nutella

Cheese and Cured Meat Board –
Assorted Meats and Cheese, Jams, spreads and freshly baked bread

Freshly Baked Pastry Board –
Blueberry Muffins, Croissant, Danish, Mini Eclairs, Cinnamon Buns, Fat Boy Biscuits

Orange Juice, Cranberry Juice, Javesca Coffee and Decaf

Saturday, January 25th. 2019-ish Chili Cook-Off. The Unknown Brewing Company. 12 pm-4 pm. Tickets at eventbrite.com.There’s always tons of chili cook-offs, but only ONE that matters in the Queen City! (We meant to have it last year, but something came up).
But January 25th, 2019-ish, 15 of Charlotte’s best amateur chefs battle for Chili supremacy!
$10 gets you endless samples of Chili, then you vote for the fan-favorite! Paired with live music + special guest judges + vendors + a portion of proceeds going directly to Purple Heart Homes to assist our Veterans! I will be attending this event! If ya see me say hi!

Throwback Thursday: Highland Brewing Company Thunderstruck Coffee Porter

Posted on January 16, 2020 by Evan

Originally posted on January 25th, 2014.

Brewer’s today use a vast array of ingredients to be many different types of beer, and more and more experimenting with new ingredients to brew with. One of my favorite ingredients to use in brewing a beer is coffee. Coffee is generally used in Porters and Stouts, and rarely used in IPA’s. Here is a local North Carolina beer, Highland Brewing Company (Asheville, NC) Thunderstruck Coffee Porter, which uses fresh fair trade/organic coffee beans from Black Mountain NC’s Dynamite Roasting Co. Thunderstruck pours a deep black color with a two and a half finger beige head that sticks around for a little while then forms thick ropes of lacing. I couldn’t see much light coming through the glass, but when held to the light the beer has a dark ruby color. I also found no signs of carbonation bubbles. The aroma on Thunderstruck is like a fresh cup/pot of coffee. There is a big roasted aroma that reminds of fresh coffee beans/grounds. There is also a slightly sweet scent. The taste on Thunderstruck is roasted like a nice cup of coffee with hints of faint sweetness and touches of bitterness. I found a nice hint of a chocolate note on the taste as well. As this beer warms it beings to have less of a roasted taste and more of the sweetness comes through with more hints of bitterness. The mouthfeel is full with a nice richness and has a nice coffee-like finish with little roasted sweetness. The aftertaste is like finishing a semi-sweet cup of fresh coffee. I enjoyed this Thunderstruck Coffee Porter, so I am giving it A-. Highland Brewing really did a good job of brewing a solid coffee porter, and not some ‘coffee-like porters’. Thunderstruck has a good balance among the coffee flavors and the porter flavors and really shines through on the aroma and the taste. I would love to have this again, and I do highly recommend this Thunderstruck Coffee Porter. So go out and try Highland Brewing Company’s Thunderstruck Coffee Porter and see what you think of it. Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!