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Birdsong Brewing Co. Summer Nights Apricot Peach Ale

Posted on by Evan

Birdsong Brewing Co. Summer Nights Apricot Peach Ale, 6% produced locally here in Charlotte, North Carolina purchased from Pop the Top is brewed with yes you guessed it peaches and apricots. Summer Nights pours an orange color with a one and a half finger white fizzy head that does not stick around giving off fruity (peach and apricot) wine-like notes that is on the slightly sour tart side. The flavor is fruity with nice wine like peaches and with light apricot notes, nice tartness with the faintest sour note that quickly comes and goes. Summer Nights finishes with a nice hint of a fruited white wine flavor and continues into the aftertaste with a little smooth tart notes with a light mouthfeel. Birdsong Brewing Co. Summer Nights Apricot Peach Ale is a good beer that is refreshing and one that is not too invasive like some fruit beer can be. Birdsong Brewing Co. Summer Nights Apricot Peach Ale is an A-, just a little more peach flavor and this would be a great beer, but it’s otherwise good and one that you should try. Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly   

 

Throwback Thursday: Samuel Smith Brewery Organic Raspberry Fruit Ale

Posted on by Evan

Originally Posted on January 18th, 2012

When you think of England and its beer you think of a pint of bitter, but yes this is English Ale but it is brewed with Raspberry juice, and other natural flavors. They do brew ale with other fruit. This brewery, Malbourn Bros’ is in Stamford Lincolnshire and its blended and bottled at Samuel Smith’s brewery in Tadcaster North Yorkshire. This beer is organic. This Ale is 5,10% ABV. This ale pours a dark reddish-purple color with a thick violet white head that is most appealing. Yes, this has a strong raspberry scent leaning on the flowery side, but all over it’s a great scent. When you take the first sip it has a huge raspberry taste that is very good, and very pleasing. This is not as bubbly as a lambic. This aftertaste has that slight tart yet sweet raspberry to it. This whole ale has that big raspberry taste. But yes this beer has that good English ale taste behind that massive wall of fresh tasty raspberry. I could see this being a springtime drink in a local English pub, outside looking out at the rolling English countryside. But be careful with this, it is so good and sweet you will not want to put it down and just chug it. This is a refreshing beer, but not a girly beer. It’s a bloody brilliant pint, they say in England. So try this fruity ale and you will be pleasantly surprised. Cheers! Please drink responsibly!

The Beer News

Posted on by Evan

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

  • Wednesday, August, 21st. Sycamore Beer Pairing and Charcuterie Class. Sycamore Brewing. 6:30 pm-8 pm. Tickets at eventbrite.com Come chat with Chef Alisha at Sycamore Brewing, where you’ll pair a seasonal Sycamore flight with delicious Charcuterie. Chef Alisha will teach you how to take care of your boards, select just the right meats and cheeses for any budget, and let you in on some excellent catering tricks. She’ll introduce you to some luscious Italian flavors and offer you some Instagram worthy boards! Mix, Mingle, and Mangia! Grab some friends and enjoy the night!

 

  •  Wednesday, August 21st. Birdsong Brewing Event. Duckworth’s Grill & Taphouse Uptown. 6 pm-8 pm. Enjoy Birdsong Swag giveaways and free beer samples!

    On Tap:
    Higher Ground
    Rewind Lager
    Game Winner IPA

 

  • Thursday, August 22nd. Seasonal Release: Wake Up Coffee Vanilla Porter. Birdsong Brewing Co. 3 pm-10 pm. As Summer winds down and your palate starts to crave something dark, join us for the release of our Fall Seasonal- Wake Up Coffee Vanilla Porter! We’ll be releasing draft and cans of Wake Up on Thursday, 8/22 at 3p!

    Our Wake Up Porter is an irresistibly smooth brew with locally roasted coffee and fresh vanilla beans. We use Central Coffee Co.‘s Sumatra Lintong coffee and carefully chosen specialty malts to create a warm foundation and light body. Madagascar vanilla beans lend a subtle sweetness on the finish that you’ll notice at the end of every velvety sip.

 

  •  Thursday, August 22nd. Divine Barrel Tap Takeover. Carolina Beer Temple Charlotte. 7 pm-10 pm Divine Barrel Brewing have been some of our absolute favorites in Charlotte since they first started brewing award-winning beers. Whether it’s their GABF Medal Winning Big Lubelski Gratzer, their insanely refreshing Cadillac Rainbows Berliner Weisse, or their Defensive Pancake Stout, they have never ceased to impress and amaze. This time around, we are tapping up a few new favorites. After all, we are a Temple, and what could be better for a temple than a touch of the Divine?

    TAP LIST:

    -Brettrospective Foeder-Aged Saison

    -Strictly Genteel West Coast IPA

    -Zest Intentions Sour Witbier

    -Beer Flavored Beer American Lager

 

  •  Friday, August 23rd. Triple Can Release 8.23.19. Wooden Robot Brewery. 3 pm- 12 pm. TRIPLE CAN RELEASE! FRIDAY AUGUST 23RD AT 3PM
    Join us Friday 08.23.19 for the Triple Can Release of Botoberfest, Overachiever & Green Beast!

    Can Release Details:
    Botoberfest – Oktoberfest-Style Lager $14 (+ tax)
    Overachiever – Juicy Pale Ale $14 (+ tax)
    Green Beast – IPA $16 (+ tax)
    Sold in 4-packs (16oz) – No individual cans
    No purchase limit

    Sales will commence at 3pm at BOTH The Brewery in South End & The Chamber in NoDa.
    * These beers can not be consumed on-premise *

    This beer will be FRESH! We will have a limited quantity of all three beers on draft. Come party with us!

 

  • Friday, August 23rd. Radio Haze Release. NoDa Brewing Company. 3 pm-10 pm. The return of this Juicy Hazy IPA is back, but this time we turned the juice up to 11. 👌 It’s a different batch from the last and brewed with your feedback in mind! It’s also brewed in partnership with The Woody and Wilcox Show.

    Radio haze, our latest year-round beer, is brewed with a fantastic hop blend that leads to mostly upfront juicy and tropical hop aroma. The hop blend consists of Mosaic, Citra, Centennial, and Chinook hops. Sitting at 6% ABV, it’s a whole lot of flavor without much bitterness. It’s hazy and smooth with a medium body, from heavy use of Torrified Wheat and Oats.

    Join us in the taproom on August 26th to get your hands on this new mouthwatering brew. It will be available on tap and in four-packs. You’ll also be able to purchase it around town the following week. 🍺

 

  • Saturday, August 24th. Pumpkin Latte Blonde Can Release Party! Sycamore Brewing. 12 pm-11 pm. Did you know that if you say ‘Pumpkin Latte Blonde’ 3x in a row, a girl in yoga pants will appear to tell you what she loves most about Fall? Join us Saturday, August 24th at 12noon for our can release!

 

  •  Saturday, August 24th, Beer & Dessert Day! Sycamore Brewing. 12 pm-11 pm. Your Mom’s Donuts & Holy City Waffles! Beer Pairings, Good Times! Family Friendly! Pumpkin Latte Blonde release!

 

  • Saturday, August 24th. Big OH Fest. Sugar Creek Brewing. 11 am-12 pm. As one of Charlotte’s most popular beers, The BIG Oh continues to grow and become a local Charlotte favorite. So we had this idea to celebrate this amazing beer with its own festival with all things OH! We’ll have live music, New BIG Oh merchandise, Special Big Oh beer releases with the release of the all-new “little oh”(session) and great beer specials! Come get some Oh! Saturday, August 24th.

    Live Music:
    Brother Watts 2pm-7pm
    Rocking out an eclectic mix of hits from the ’80s ’90s and today

    Big Oh Merchandise-
    Limited time Glassware- Details to follow
    Launching two new Big Oh t-shirt designs

    Drinks/ Specials:
    $4 Big Oh Draught
    $6 4 pack Big Oh To-Go
    Big Oh Brose- Blood Orange Slushy
    Small Batch Release- Little Oh (Session Blood Orange IPA)

 

  • Monday, August 26th. Mecktoberfest Märzeb Lager Release. Olde Mecklenburg Brewery. 11 am-9 pm. Get ready! Mecktoberfest is back on August 26th!

    Just in time for football season and everything we love about Fall!

    Mecktoberfest is wildly popular and beloved throughout the Charlotte region. As OMB’s Fall seasonal, Mecktoberfest is available in late August to November each year on draft (OMB Brauhaus & Biergarten and your favorite bars & restaurants in the Charlotte area), and in 6-packs and 12-packs at your local store.

    Rich and malty up front with a smooth satisfying finish, Mecktoberfest is a classic Märzen-style amber lager (known more popularly as the original Oktoberfest Bier). At 5.4% ABV and 24 IBU, Mecktoberfest is very well balanced; additionally, its strikingly beautiful, crystal clear burnt orange/amber hue (8.8 SRM).

    Mecktoberfest is in a small, elite class of beers who have won medals in international competitions on both sides of the Atlantic:
    GOLD – European Beer Star (Nuremberg, Germany)
    SILVER – Great American Beer Festival (Denver, CO)

    These competitions are the two of the most prestigious and difficult, with thousands of beers entered, hundred-member judging panels, and multiple days of blind tastings. To win two medals on two continents is an amazing feat and is the highest recognition of OMB’s dedication to quality and traditional brewing methods.

    Like all OMB beers, Mecktoberfest 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! 

 

Hopfly Brewing Co. Beach Beer Session India Pale Ale

Posted on by Evan

Hopfly Brewing Co. Beach Beer Session India Pal Ale, 4.9% ABV out of Rocky Mount, North Carolina that I purchased from Pop the Top, Beach Beer is brewed with lots of wheat and flaked oat with Citra and Galaxy hops. Beach Beer pours a Slightly hazy light yellow color with a two and a half finger rocky white head doesn’t seem to fade leaving behind awesome lacing and giving off a hoppy aroma of citrus with some very light pine notes and great citrus fruit notes. There is a nice citrus flavor that is smoothing tasting and nicely hopped but not overly hoppy and in your face. There are nice orange and grapefruit flavors that finish a with a nice bitter citrus note and have a nice bitter slightly tropical citrus aftertaste with a smooth and light mouthfeel. Hopfly Brewing Co. Beach Beer Session India Pal Ale is a smooth IPA that is an A. It is a good beach beer, good to have a few. I think it does not overpower your mouth with lots of sweetness or bitterness it has just the right balance and is surprisingly smooth and I quite enjoyed this beer and you should too! Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly. 

Commonwealth Brewing Company Limoncello

Posted on by Evan

One of my favorite liquors, Limoncello Italian lemon-flavored alcohol, and the locals sometimes home make it. This. Commonwealth Brewing Company Limoncello, 3.9% ABV, brewed in Virginia Beach, Virginia is a Gosé style ale brewed with Lemon Beebrush, Lemon Balam, Lemon Zest and Lactose. Lemoncello is Commonwealth Brewings interpretation of Italian Limoncello. Limoncello pours a yellow color with a two-finger white head that fades steadily and has sweet lemon aroma with a pinch of saltiness to it. The flavor is not as I expected with a nice semi yet sweet lemon at the front with a little salt in the middle of the mouth with a little twinge of bitterness at the back, with a smooth finish of sweet/semi-salted lemon and a slight tartness that has a lemon balm and slightly sweet aftertaste with a light refreshing mouthfeel. The Gose aspect of Limoncello is muted and sometimes nonexistent, but overall Commonwealth Brewing Company Limoncello is a C+, a little above average but I have had better Gosé Ales and a better Lemoncello Style beer. Deep River Brewing Limoncello is a better Lemoncello beer. Commonwealth Brewing Company Limoncello is not the worst but it’s interesting enough for a try! Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!

Throwback Thursday:

Posted on by Evan

Originally posted June 13th, 2016.

Well, I have not seen too many dark beers as a spring seasonal but Mystery Brewing Company in Hillsborough, NC have and this is Jack Thorne English-Style Porter 5.2% ABV. I represented from the brewer has told me that Mystery Brewing brews different beers for each season but they are the same or similar style and that they do not have any year-round offerings. Jake Thorne pours a thin black color with a slightly off white head of one fine size. The aroma is very porter like but on the lighter side with nice malted notes (malts which are from RB Malt). There is a faint coffee aroma as well. The taste is lighter for a porter, which is nice for this time of year, but nothing like a summer beer. Jack Thorne has some sweetness to it but just a little bit. But this is a drinkable beer. The mouthfeel is light for this type of beer style. Jack finishes light smooth with a subtle sweetness. After taste is malted with some sweet light roasted flavors. This is a good dark beer for springtime, so I would say this is a B+ beer. It is neither to alcoholic nor heavy, it’s good and drinkable. Yes, I highly recommend trying Mystery Brewing Jack Throne London Style-Porter, especially if you like Guinness. But it wouldn’t beer my number one choice for an 80 to 100-degree day, but it’s not a bad one either. Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!

Burial Beer Co. Metallic Vessels Black Lager with Coffee

Posted on by Evan

Have not had to may dark beer on here so I thought I would review one, Burial Beer Co. Metallic Vessels Black Lager with Coffee, 5% ABV from Asheville, North Carolina brewed with boldly-roasted Onyx Coffee Roasters Coffee in which I purchased from Pop the Top Bottle Shop. Metallic Vessels pours a dark black color with brown edges and a two-finger beige head that slowly fades, and there is sediment in the glass. This black lager has a nice big aroma of sweet roasted coffee and malted notes with a little biscuit scent peeping in. Taste of Metallic Vessels is nice with fresh roasted semi-sweet coffee with nice hints of malted biscuit notes with a nice sweet roasted coffee finish and a malty coffee aftertaste with a full mouthfeel, but not as full-bodied as you would think. Burial Beer Co. Metallic Vessels Black Lager with Coffee is not heavy dark beer but more towards the lighter side of the dark beer spectrum and Burial Beer Co. Metallic Vessels Black Lager with Coffee is an A. It’s just big coffee flavor, which is supposed to be but that does mute any other flavors a little, but overall a good beer and one I recommend trying! Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!

The Beer News

Posted on by Evan

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

  • Thursday-Friday, August 15th-16th. Flat Brim Hazy IPA Can Release. Triple C Brewing Company. Thursday 4 pm – Friday at 10 pm. We are celebrating Triple C Brewing’s 7th Anniversary Party a couple days early with the return of our favorite Hazy IPA!

    Flat Brim IPA is brewed with ridiculous amounts of Citra, Mosaic and Simcoe hops and only 5.2% ABV.

 

  • Thursday, August 15th Resident Culture Lagerfest Sneak Preview Event! Carolina Beer Temple Charlotte. 12 pm-11 pm. RESIDENT CULTURE IS BACK! We never get tired of saying that. Ahead of their epic upcoming Lager Fest beer festival, don’t miss this chance to save yourself a drive to Plaza Midwood and try a selection of hot new and old favorite beers from the company named one of 2018’s hottest new breweries by RateBeer. Just check out this tap list!

    TAP LIST

    +Oversoul – 7% ABV – Hazy IPA hopped with Citra and Strata

    +Comfortable Chaos – 7% ABV – Southern Hemisphere Hazy IPA hopped with Ella, Wakatu, Rakau, Pacific Jade, and Galaxy

    +For the First Time Again – 4.5% ABV – Mini German-Style Pils

    +Island Time – 4.5% ABV – Mexican Lager w/ Lime collab w/ Casita Cerveceria

    +This Thing – 5.4% ABV – Pilsner Hopped w/ Saphir collab w/ Unseen Creatures

    +Thunder Study – 7% ABV – IPA hopped w/ Galaxy and Citra

  • Friday, August 16th. Gordgeous Release. NoDa Brewing Company. 2 pm-10 pm. The return of your favorite fall brew is back on August 16, this time as a Gold medal winner. 🎃

    Gordgeous is a well-balanced pumpkin Ale using over 50 lbs. of pumpkin and 42 lbs. of brown sugar for every batch! Our spice blend is not the typical for pumpkin beers, either. We use whole-seed spices cracked at the brewery on brew day which includes allspice, cardamom, cloves and freshly shaved whole ginger root.

    Join us in the taproom — starting at 2 pm — to get your hands on this all-time favorite brew. 🍺 

 

 

  • Saturday, August 17th. Lager Fest: A Celebration of Lager Beer. Resident Culture Brewing Company. 5 pm-10 pm. Tickets at eventbrite.com. We are incredibly excited to announce that on August 17th, in conjunction with our dear friends at Casita Cerveceria, Resident Culture will be hosting our inaugural Lagerfest: A Celebration of Lager Beer.

    We have been working closely over the last few months to bring together some of the most outstanding lager brewers in the country (if not the world). It is no secret how much we love lagers and we are incredibly excited to share our love of lager beer with Charlotte.

    Many more exciting details coming soon, including brewery announcements, stay tuned.

 

 

 

 

 

Beer & Chips Pairing: Trophy Brewing Co. & Cape Cod Kettle Cooked Waffle Cut Sea Salt

Posted on by Evan

Trophy Brewing Co. Foam Party Pilsner, 5.0% ABV & Cape Cod Kettle Cooked Waffle Cut Sea Salt for this Beer & Chips Paring. I have previously review Foam Party Pilsner not too long ago. These Cap Cod Chips from Hyannis, Massachusetts are a deeper yellow color with a tight lattice cut to them and are similar to a waffle fry but not as thick, there is a potato aroma with a nice touch of sea salt and a faint crispy almost burnt aroma as well. The chips have a nice medium crunch with a nice amount of potato flavor that is salty but over salted. Foam Party Pilsner does cut some of the salt flavors and complements the somewhat greasy potato notes and together they finish nicely with a good amount of malty potato and an aftertaste of slight salt and nice greasy potato. This is a good paring of Trophy Brewing Co. Foam Party Pilsner, 5.0% ABV & Cape Cod Kettle Cooked Waffle Cut Sea Salt, pilsner goes very well with salty potato chips. This Beer & Chips Paring is a B+. The salt flavor is there but not so in your face kind of there, it has more potato flavor than anything else but these chips are a nice and welcome addition to the beer! Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!       

Trophy Brewing Co. Foam Party Pilsner

Posted on by Evan

Trophy Brewing Co. Foam Party Pilsner, 5.0% ABV purchased from Pop The Top Bottle Shop is brewed on a larger recipe off Trophy Brewings 20 barrel system designed for maximum foam and crispness using a technique called ‘spunding’ which Trophy has allowed for some natural carbonation to build up during fermentation creating a higher level on the finish for supreme head retention. Foam Party pours a golden yellow color with a three-four finger foamy white head that sticks around for a while leaving good lacing behind. There is a crisp malty aroma with light sweet notes wafting into the nose with a nice crisp semi-sweet malted flavor washing over your tongue with a brightness to the overall flavor. Foam Party Pilsner finishes bright refreshing with a nice malty sweetness and an aftertaste that is a little bready/biscuity with a light mouthfeel. Trophy Brewing Co. Foam Party Pilsner is a great example of a taste Pilsner, one that is an A. I recommend trying this as I will over and over again. Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!