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Throwback Thursday:

Posted on by Evan

Originally posted on November 4th, 2012

Mike’s Discount Beverage is out of business on this date.

The last post I had a canned beer, well here is yet another canned beer. This here is Farmer Ted’s Farmhouse Cream Ale, 5.60% ABV. Farmer Ted’s is brewed with natural ingredients such as wheat, corn, American hops, and free-range yeast. Farmer Ted’s pays homage to the Original settlers of Appalachia. Farmer Ted’s pours a golden color with a bright white head that fades quickly into a nice tiny ring around the glass. There is not a lot of lacing on this one, but a nice amount of light coming through, and some carbonation. The aroma on this cream ale is of sweet ripe berries and a bit of a grassy note as well. I found there to be a tiny musty like a farm’s barn, but not in a bad way. The taste of Farmer Ted’s is sweet and creamy with a semi strawberry flavor there. Not much else on the flavor of this. The mouthfeel is light and smooth with a nice carbonation bubble on your tongue. The finish is nice clean and refreshing, with a nice sweet creamy fruity aftertaste. I’m giving this an A. Very good for a hot day. Good solid flavors on Farmer Ted’s. I would have this over and over again, and would highly recommend this to anyone. I would especially recommend this to someone that has yet to get into craft beer. Really great flavors on this just a wonderful beer! So head on over to Mike’s Discount Beverage’s 4700 Park Rd., Charlotte NC 28209, for all your fine wine and beer! Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!  

The Beer News

Posted on by Evan

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

  • Thursday, October 9th. Bik Belles Helles Lager Release. Triple C Brewing Company. 4 pm-10 pm. Brewed for and named by Sustain Charlotte – This Munich Helles Lager has aromas of bready malt and sweet yeast esters. Very low hop bitterness make this a very refreshing easy-drinking beer, perfect for sipping on after Biketoberfest presented by The Charlotte Knights!! ABV – 4.8%

    We are releasing it a few days early in our taproom on Thursday but will have plenty at the event Sunday too. $1 from each pour from the batch goes to Sustain Charlotte and their mission to inspire choices that lead to a healthy, equitable, and vibrant community for generations to come. Get those Biketoberfest tickets while you still can! https://www.sustaincharlotte.org/biketoberfest 

 

  • Thursday, October 9th. Enter the Dark Stout and Porter Showcase. Carolina Beer Temple Charlotte. 12 pm-11 pm. Free ticket at event.brite.com. Summer is over. The nights are getting longer. That means that the beers are getting darker as well. Join us as we tap a selection of the darkest beers we can get our hands-on. It’s been hot for way too long. Get in the mood for the latter half of the year with a night of black beer and warm company, right here at the Temple.

 

  • Friday, October 11th. GABF medal party with live music by Rick Challen. Sugar Creek Brewing. 2 pm-11 pm. We are so humbled but also so proud of the entire team here at Sugar Creek Brewing Company for bringing home the Silver in one of the oldest and most sought after beer styles in the world. Belgian Dubbels have been a treasured beer style for many years and it was one of our main goals here at the brewery to have one of the best Dubbels in the world. Come toast a pint with the team here at the brewery this Friday after work with Live Music at 7pm by Rich Challen and $3 Belgian Dubbels all day long.

 

  • Friday, October 11th. Hot Pistol Release. NoDa Brewing Company. 3 pm-10 pm. You’ve been asking, and we’re delivering. Join us in the taproom on Friday, October 11th for our draft AND can release one of your seasonal favorites. Hot Pistol, sitting at 7% ABV, is back! After just one sip of our chocolate, raspberry, and habanero Stout, you’ll be glad to have a to-go option.

 

  • Saturday, October 12th. Oyster & Seafood Fest! Sycamore Brewing. 12 pm-11 pm. Join us for Seafood & Beer Fest at Sycamore! We’ve partnered up with CCA North Carolina- a non-profit organization that focuses on promoting our coastal resources and preserving our fishery for the enjoyment of future generations. They will be joining us for this event to educate us on why it’s so important to maintain cleanliness in our coastal habitats.

    Live Music, Fresh Craft Beer, Wine, Wild Blossom Cider, Great Times! More details to come!

    Ryan Bethea, Baltimore Crab Cake Company – Charlotte, Lobster Dogs-Food Truck, Cuzzo’s Cuisine Food Truck, Feathered Fin and Gyro Twins Truck will also be in the beer garden all day and night, too!

 

  • Saturday, October 12th. Ground Up Coffee Milk Stout Release. Lenny Boy Brewing. 11 am-11 pm. GROUND UP / our favorite Fall seasonal will be available on Saturday, Oct 12th. We brewed Ground Up with Counter Culture Coffee from our wonderful friends in Durham, NC. This robust stout is packed with coffee to compliment the chocolate, caramel, and toffee flavors. 5.3% abv

    Ground Up will on tap and available in 4-packs for you to take home. This beer is perfect for all you coffee lovers. Make sure you get some while it lasts!

    On Saturday, Oct, 12th, we will also have a Sip, Shop & Support market with 15+ local vendors for you to peruse locally craft goods! The HeartBright Foundation will also be on-site hosting a market and a raffle with prizes like a trip to Mexico, workshop classes, gift cards to local restaurants. There will be activities for all ages to enjoy!

 

  • Monday, October 14th. Bauern Bock Release/ Olde Mecklenburg Brewery 11 am-10 pm. Bauern Bock fans mark your calendar for October 14th!

    Our holiday “Farmer’s Bock” is a rich, malty, German-style doppelbock lager with a deep amber color that goes with the season.

    * It’s also one of our “biggest” beers with an ABV of 7.5% *

    Bauern Bock will be available on draft in the OMB Brauhaus and in select restaurants & bars. It will also be available in local stores in specialty 4-packs.

    Get ready to enjoy the Fall and holiday season even more!
    Prost! 

Heist Brewery Big Pick’n Berliner Weiss with Raspberry

Posted on by Evan

I have not really seen much of Heist Brewery beer in stores until I saw Heist Brewery Big Pick’n Berliner Weiss with Raspberry, 6.1% purchased from Pop The Top. Big Pick’n pour very thick raspberry red with a two finger pink head that steadily fades in to a little white cloud. There is a tart raspberry aroma with a bit of some sour notes and a very faint wheat note. Fruity tart raspberry flavor burst on your tastebuds with sone semi faint juicy sour notes that have a nice tart raspberry finish and fade in to aftertaste with a medium mouthfeel. Heist Brewery Big Pick’n Berliner Weiss with Raspberry is rather good and getting a B+. It isn’t overly tart but just enough for most tastebuds. Sone tend to over do it with the tart flavors and this hit the sweet spot. I recommend Heist Brewery Big Pick’n Berliner Weiss with Raspberry. I will have this again. Please enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

Tarboro Brewing Company Sexy Canoe

Posted on by Evan

Tarboro Brewing Sexy Canoe, 3.7% ABV is ode to light beer brewed in Tarboro, North Carolina will all malt. Sexy Canoe pours a golden clean, clear color with a one finger white head that disappears quickly leaving behind a white halo and clean biscuit aromas that have metallic malted semi sweetness to it. There’s not a lot of flavor on this beer, However there is some biscuity malt notes that have a metallic sweetness that finishes with a metallic bitter note and a clean crisp aftertaste that has a faint grain note and a light mouthfeel. Tarboro Brewing Sexy Canoe is not a great beer boring and gets a F+. The flavor hits you with an unimpressive quality and quickly goes away that is all boring. But this does drink quite easy. I would not try this you will be very unimpressed and very underwhelmed. So no I do not recommend Tarboro Brewing Sexy Canoe. Please enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

Flying Machine Brewing Co. Breakfast With Pegasus Hay Ale Collaboration Series

Posted on by Evan

Flying Machine Brewing Co. Breakfast With Pegasus Hay Ale, 5.5% ABV is brewed in Wilmington North Carolina as part of their Collaboration Series with Edmund’s Oast Brewing Co. in Charleston South Carolina. Breakfast With Pegasus is brewed with vanilla, Lactose and Tiffany Hay which is dry hay that thrives in the warm seasons. Breakfast With Pegasus pours a hazy orange color with one finger quickly fizzing white head with sweet vanilla aromas with some nice cream notes. The flavor is of vanilla sweetness that is creamy with no hay notes present that finishes sweet and slightly sticky with a vanilla candy-sweet aftertaste with a medium mouthfeel. Flying Machine Brewing Co. Breakfast With Pegasus Hay Ale is definitely an interesting beer style. I give it a B- After two pints the sweetness begins to be too much on your pallet, and it’s more on a dessert side of sweetness. Yes, I would have this again as well as recommend it. Please enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

Throwback Thursday: Foothills Brewing Company People’s Porter

Posted on by Evan

Originally posted on November 10th, 2014.

As we get deep into the fall and closer to winter the store shelves are getting more and more dark beer upon them. I do enjoy dark beers, which has a wide range of styles, dunkers, dunkelweizens, dopplebock, schwarzbier, porter, and stout. Here is a porter from Winston-Salem North Carolina, Foothills Brewing People’s Porter, 5.8% ABV. People’s porter is an English-style porter. People’s Porter pours a dark rube to a black color with a three and a half finger brown thick head that slowly fades into wonderful foamy, creamy lacing. The aroma upon People’s Porter is chocolaty with light hints of some caramel. The taste is similar to its aroma with chocolate and caramel, also there is toffee notes with a slight herbal bitterness that follows that, but nothing overwhelming, People’s Porter has an IBU of 42.  This People’s Porter finish nicely with a pleasant hint of espresso and faint chocolate but more of the espresso is present. The after taste is a nice lingering chocolaty espresso flavor that slowly fades into the next sip of this beer. I enjoyed Foothills Brewing People’s Porter and I would give this a B+. This is a solid English-style Porter, and it is not too heavy or bitter on your taste buds, nor is it too strong. I found People’s Porter to be on the easier side of drinkability throughout the entire pint. I really have grown to like what Foothills Brewing is putting out there. They are brewing great beers! I recommend trying Foothills Brewing People’s Porter, so go out and pick this People’s Porter up and try it. Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!

The Beer News

Posted on by Evan

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

  • Thursday, October 3rd. Bier –  Geman Pilsner release. Triple C Brewing Company. 4 pm-10 pm. This German Pilsner pours a translucent straw color with a fluffy white head. Aromas of whole grain bread crust and a touch of hop spice character hit the nose. The flavor follows on the palate with balanced malt sweetness and subtle hop bite from Saphir hops. Crisp, dry finish and medium-bodied. 5.4% ABV.

 

  • Thursday, October 2nd Olde Mecklenburg Beer Dinner. Tupelo Honey. 6:30 pm-9:30 pm. Tickets $45 at eventbrite.com. Tupelo Honey is partnering with Charlotte-based brewery Olde Mecklenburg for a four-course beer dinner on October 3rd!

    This is a special menu featuring unique dishes created especially to pair with OMB’s delicious craft beers.

    In addition, an Olde Mecklenburg Brewery representative will be in attendance to share information about each pairing.

    Tickets are $45 per person and include all four scratch-made courses and beer pairings.

    Space is limited so purchase your tickets now!

    THE MENU

    Hors D’oeuvre
    – Beer Cheese Mac & Cheese Bites
    – Paired with: Dusseldorf Altbier

    Appetizer
    – Beer-Braised Pork topped with fresh chimichurri over mixed greens
    – Paired with: BA Anniversary Altbier

    Entree
    – Boneless Beer-Brined Fried Chicken with black peppercorn gravy
    – Paired with: Vienna Lager

    -and-

    – Beer Battered Fish and Chips with Meyer lemon aioli
    – Paired with: 704 Citrus

    Dessert
    – Chocolate Mousse with beer foam whipped cream
    – Paired with: Baltic Porter

    This event is limited to guests aged 21+.

 

  • Friday, October 4th. Sticky When Wet Release. NoDa Brewing Company. 2 pm-10 pm. Sticky When Wet is as fresh and sticky as it can possibly get! 🙌🏻This wet-hopped beer has an assertive bitterness balanced with bright aroma and flavors of peach and grapefruit derived from heavy additions of Citra and Mosaic hops. Sitting at 6.31% ABV, this brew is one you don’t want to miss. Dry-hopped with three pounds per barrel of Citra and Mosaic. 🍻

    Fun fact: these hops are shipped overnight to us from the west coast as soon as they are picked and we use them within an hour or two of receiving. Talk about fresh. 🤤

 

  • Friday, October 4th. First Firkin’ Friday. Pilot Brewing 6 pm- 9 pm. October’s First Friday will feature our new artist of the month, Chris Hood, as well as, music from Lenny The Band, and a 100% vegan dinner by Ve-Go Food Truck.

    The Firkin is an Island Hopper dry-hopped with experimental hops from HOPSTEINER. This new beer will have aromas of orange, citrus, pine, mint and tropical fruits. $1 from every pint sold will benefit Classroom Central.

    Joint Hopper will be on site with awesome CBD products. 

 

  • Saturday, October, 5th. PumkingFest. Brewers at 4001 Yancy. 11 am-11 am. join us at Brewers at 4001 Yancey for Pumkingfest 2019 to celebrate your favorite Pumking beer & other fall favorites.

    🏆 Corn Hole
    🎃 Pumking Ring Toss
    🎃 Pumpkin tic tac toe
    🎃 Pumking Food Specials!
    👑🎃 Pumking throne!
    🎃 500 ML To-Go Pumking on special for $7

 

  • Saturday, October 5th, Can Release: S’mores: Blonde Ale. Blue Blaze Brewing 2 pm-7 pm. Back by popular demand .. We are re-releasing S’mores Blonde Ale in cans and on draft in an exclusively small batch! (Limit 2 case per person)

    Made with real cocoa nibs & vanilla beans, this Smores Blonde Ale packs rich notes of chocolate & vanilla, while maintaining a medium body. The biscuit malt gives way to hints of lightly toasted graham crackers. With just one sip you’ll be taken back to memories of roasting marshmallows around a crackling campfire.

    Live Music – Nathan Davis
    Food Truck – Food Geeks and King of Pops

 

  • Tuesday, October 8th. AIGA Beer & Branding – Winning Peach Beer. NoDa Brewing Company. 5 pm-9 pm. Join us on Tuesday, October 8th at 5 pm for a special release and the annual AIGA Beers & Branding Showcase. It’s going to be a peachy time. 🍑

    The combined efforts & creativity of local designers & homebrewers are finally revealed vis a vis their branding packages & beer samples.

    -$5 wristband, at the door, grants you access to a large variety of samples.
    – The expertly judged winning beer will be released on tap at 4:00 pm.
    – Sampling begins at 5:00 pm.

    Get a pint of our 2019 AIGA Beers & Branding winning brew, along with so many others to enjoy! It gets better. Thanks to the designers involved, there will be thoughtfully curated swag available that commemorates each beer. 🙌🏻See you then!  

 

 

Munkle Brewing Co. Brugge City Burne

Posted on by Evan

Munkle Brewing Co. Brugge City Brune. 6.2% ABV, from Charleston, South Carolina is a Belgian-style brown ale or referred to as Brune. Brugge City Brune pours a deep copper brown color with a one and a half finger semi-white head that quickly fades into nothing with not a thing left. There is a sweetness on the nose with very faint bitter notes and some alcohol notes as well that make way for a similar taste with some sweetness, faint bitterness, and a caramel notes coming in towards the back of the mouth that all have a manufactured taste that finishes with a manufactured taste of mild sweetness and not much aftertaste of a faint caramel. Overall this Munkle Brewing Co. Brugge City Brune is not so great, getting a D+ here, it reminds of a more sweeter soda with a more caramel flavor. I don’ t recommend Munkle Brewing Co. Brugge City Brune, oh no it’s not great.  \ I did think it was very good, it taste like a manufactured soda, and I don’t think I would have or buy this again. Please enjoy responsibly! Cheers!       

Lenny Boy Brewing Co. Festbier German-Style Lager

Posted on by Evan

Lenny Boy Brewing Co. Festibier German-Style Lager, 6.3% brewing here in Charlotte, NC and purchased from Pop The Top. This is a traditional German-Style Lager that pours Gold yellow color with a two-finger clean white head that steadily fades away giving semi-sweet honey biscuit malts with a very faint light hop note. The taste is on the bland side with honey-sweet notes that coexist with a faint hop character and a biscuit notes that finishes with a very faint hop twinge and a faint sweetness that has a short aftertaste that is minimally sweet and hoppy with a slight metallic note with a light mouthfeel. Lenny Boy Brewing Co. Festibier German-Style Lager is slightly on the boring side getting a low C-. I’ve had beers in this style where the flavor popped this Festbier has an overall bland flavor profile and yet I did finish a pint of it and wasn’t totally grossed out by it but I would not by this again, but it’s not the worst choice. Please enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

The Unknown Brewing Company Vehopciraptor Triple India Pale Ale

Posted on by Evan

Yes, you read that correctly, Unknown Brewing company Vehopciraptor Triple India Pale Ale, 9.9% with 90 IBUs is a triple IPA and you don’t really see those types of IPAs. Vehopciraptor brewed locally here in Charlotte, NC with nine hop and nine hop additions. This is the first time I’ve seen this in a sixteen-ounce can, before it usually been in a bomber or 750 milliliter bottle. Velociraptor pours a deep copper color with dark orange edges with a two-finger white creamy looking head that leaves great lacing behind and has a strong dank sticky hoppy aroma that is slightly malty with nice bitterness coming through. Taste similar to the nose with nice strong dank resin notes with a nice bitterness that is sticky but somehow smooth, you don’t really get the full brunt of the 90 IBUs, but as it warms more of the strong IBU comes through. Vehopciraptor finishes bitter sticky with a slightly malty flavor and a little oniony aftertaste with a full mouthfeel. I found Unknown Brewing company Vehopciraptor Triple India Pale Ale to not really feel as much of triple IPA that it is, and that helps give this monster IPA an A. It has good traditional IPA flavor profile besides being a big triple IPA.  If you like big IPAs then I recommend Unknown Brewing company Vehopciraptor Triple India Pale Ale. Please drink responsibly! Cheers!