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The Beer News

Posted on by Evan

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

  • Thursday, July 4th. Kölsch Release. Olde Mecklenburg Brewery. 11 am-10 pm. For your 4th of July enjoyment, we present to you OMB’s take on the classic beer first brewed in Cologne, Germany – Kölsch.

    A perfect beer for a hot Summer day with its delicate fruit and light malt aroma, crisp, smooth body with good carbonation (all OMB beers are naturally carbonated) and airy sweetness with a gentle hop and spice flavors.

    We serve our kölsch in the traditional straight-sided glass (stange) to show its wonderful golden straw color.

    The kölsch is a Brauhaus Reserve beer, meaning it will only be available on draft at OMB (Brauhaus & Biergarten).

    It’s a great brew to enjoy in the relaxing atmosphere of our Biergarten – especially right before going to see some fireworks! Prost!

 

  • Friday, July 5th Margarita Gose Release. NoDa Brewing Company. 2 pm-10 pm. Join us Friday, July 5th for a new margarita-inspired brew. This light, 4% ABV beer is kettle soured to give a clean tartness. It’s fermented on lime juice and tangerine purree in order to mimic flavors found in the classic Margarita. We also add salt at the end of the boil, so you don’t have to add it ter Sale. Carolina Beer Temple Charlotte. 12 pm-11:30 pm. Free tickets at EventBrite.com. Don’t go thirsty this Independence Day weekend! Stop on by the Temple as we offer a $1 discount on ALL 4 packs, 6 packs, Crowlers, and Growlers! What better way to stock up on some of your favorite beers for the best time of the year to drink them?

 

  • Monday, July 8th. When Good Beer Goes Bad: An Off-Flavor Course. Pilot Brewing. 5:30 pm-8:30 pm. Develop your beer sensory skills! Learn and taste what happens to beer when problems arise in fermentation, process, storage, and ingredients during the brewing/packaging process.

    Limited seating available and tickets on sale now at Pilot Brewing. Pay in person or over the phone. The spot is confirmed once the ticket is paid.

    Tickets are $25; they include 6 beer samples and a 50-minute training course from our Advanced Cicerone® Jen Blair.
    Get them soon for they will sell out fast!

 

 

Beer & Chips Parings: Ruffles Double Crunch Hot Wings & Boulevard Brewing Company Space Camper Cosmic IPA

Posted on by Evan

Beer & Chips Pairings are back but this is a little different than the others I will be reviewing the beer as well. This is Ruffles Double Crunch Hot Wings & Boulevard Brewing Company Space Camper Cosmic IPA, 5.9% with 50 IBUs. Space Camper is brewed with Ekuanot, El Dorado, and Galaxy Hops. Space Camper pours a deep yellow, orange color with a two finger with a fluffy head with fruity aromas of juicy mango, pineapple, with a light/faint pine note. Taste is resinous with notes of some citrus, orange, mango, and light pineapple with a hoppy note of the end that continues into the finish that grows slightly more hoppy with a light tropical fruit note and an aftertaste of tropical pine if that is a thing all with a medium mouthfeel. These Ruffles Double Crunch Hot Wings are orange with big ruffle ridges and smell like generic hot sauce. The resinous notes to cut down on the hot sauce flavor of the chips which is good because I think that’s if you eat them by themselves the hot wing sauce flavor would become too much. So Boulevard Brewing Company Space Camper Cosmic IPA is a good beer it has juicy fruit notes without overdoing that aspect with a nice resinous pine note to keep the fruit from becoming overwhelming. I give Boulevard Brewing Company Space Camper Cosmic IPA a B+. It is good and yes it does pair okay with the Ruffles Double Crunch Hot Wings but neither of them makes each other outstanding, I give this pairing a B-. Ruffles Double Crunch Hot Wings are good not the best but Boulevard Brewing Company Space Camper Cosmic IPA helps keep them from being too many flavors. Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!

NoDa Brewing Company Passion Fruit Gose Beer

Posted on by Evan

NoDa Brewing Company Passion Fruit Gose Beer, 4.0% ABV purchased from Pop The Top Craft Beer Shop is a beer in the Gose style, an old German style that was once on the brink of being nonexistent, but now Gose style can be easily found in thanks to the many craft brewers who have brought it back into popularity. Passion Fruit Gose brewed right here locally in Charlotte, North Carolina pours a light yellow color with a one finger white head that fades a quick pace giving off fruit aromas of citrus fruits with a nice sour note. Taste is tropical with citrus fruit with a faint/light sweetness that turns tart with hints of sour notes with a few briny notes coming in on the back, that finishes tart briny with tropical citrus flavor with a briny citrus aftertaste that is mildly tart with a somewhat light mouthfeel. NoDa Brewing Company Passion Fruit Gose Beer is good but I think there is better Gose beer out there, not to say that this one is bad it’s a B+ beer. The passion fruit adds a bit more tropical flavors to a beer that I already consider tropical or like a tart margarita. NoDa Brewing Company Passion Fruit Gose Beer does, however, have more of a little tart flavor than some Gose beers out there but that doesn’t really keep it from a good status. Yeah, I think that this is one beer that many can be consumed and you should try it! Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!

Catawba Brewing Co. Peach of Mind Farmhouse Ale

Posted on by Evan

Peaches are probably my favorite thing so when I spotted Catawba Brewing Co. Peach of Mind Farmhouse Ale, 4.5% at the local grocery store I had to give it a try. Preach of Mind brewed in Morganton, North Carolina is a Grisette style of a Farmhouse Ale. Grisette literally means little gray and refers to the gray stones that the miners dug through or the gray-clad women that served this type of ale the mine workers. Peach of Mind pours a light orange and faint peachy color with a one finger fizzy white head with musty light peachy fruit aromas. The taste on Peach of Mind has a light sweetness of peaches with a nice musty flavor with some yeast noted popping in and finishes with a faint and yet light peach flavor and finding to give an aftertaste that is semi-sweet with hints of musty fruit with a light mouthfeel. I don’t get a ton of peach on this and that’s okay, too much would be overwhelming on the taste buds. Catawba Brewing Co. Peach of Mind Farmhouse Ale has a nice amount of peach flavor to give you the essence of peaches and not to overpower this Grisette. Catawba Brewing Co. Peach of Mind Farmhouse Ale is a solid B. It does go down easy with a great deal of refreshing, and it can do that over and over and over. Yes, you should try Catawba Brewing Co. Peach of Mind Farmhouse Ale. Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!

Throwback Thursday: Allagash Brewing Curieux Ale Aged in Oak Bourbon Barrels

Posted on by Evan

Originally posted June 7th, 2014

One traditional method that brewers and breweries have been using for centuries is barrel aging. The Belgians are the best at this, but some of you many to agree but never mind that I am not here to be that argument up on the table. When you age a beer in a certain type of barrel the beer tend to pick up little flavors from the barrel, that barrel could be anything from a whiskey, bourbon, rum, white/red wine, oak, or some other type of wood. But there is no set amount of time in which a beer sits in that barrel. That is up the beer brewery and its brewers. Well that sounds all neat and fancy. Take that wine makers. Here is one example, Allagash Curieux, 11.0% Abv. Curieux is a Tripple ale that has been put into an oak bourbon barrel and aged for eight weeks in Allagash’s cold cellars.  Curieux was bottled on March 21st 2014 and there are only one thousand case bottled. This beer sounds a little rare. The aroma on Curieux is nice with touches of a peppery like spice and hints of coconut. Now the taste of Curieux is a bit like a white wine but with a hint of soft peppery like spice. The coconut from the aroma is there but much less present along with vanilla. There is the strong alcohol on the back of your tongue. But the alcohol isn’t huge, nor is it really in your face, its just sort of there and say hello as you take a sip. The mouth feel is close to the bottom end of medium. Curieux has a nice sweet and slightly spiced vanilla finish with a nice hint of the 11% abv. The after taste is an extension of Curieux’s finish with a touch more of smoothness. Over all I thought this beer was good so Allagash Curieux gets a B+. The only thing keeping it from an A is 11% abv. It really has a tiny amount of bitter flavors to it but nothing that would keep me from having Curieux again. I would recommend you try Allagash Curieux and see how you like 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!

  • Wednesday, June 26th. Founders Brewing Beer Dinner. Queen City Crafts and Gourmet. 9:30 pm. Our next beer dinner is with Founders Brewing, and we’ve been saving some really fun beers for this event!
    Chef Jon has created this six-course tasting menu:
    First Course:
    Shrimp Ceviche
    with Mas Agave
    Second Course:
    Maple Glazed Smoked Duck Breast Salad
    with Curmudgeon’s Better Half
    Third Course:
    Glazed Faroe Islands Salmon Nigiri
    -Mango Salsa
    with Barrel Runner
    Fourth Course:
    Pork and Apple Pasty
    -Double Trouble Beer Glaze
    with Double Trouble
    Fifth Course:
    Smoked Beef Ribs
    -Black Cherry BBQ Sauce
    -Coffee-infused Hushpuppy
    with KBS
    Sixth Course:
    Maple-bacon Bread Pudding
    -CBS Maple Ice Cream
    with CBS

    Tickets are $70 per person and include all six courses and six beers. Please call the restaurant at (980) 339-5610 to reserve your seats for this amazing dinner!

 

  • Thursday, June 27th. Améliw’s & Birdsong Collab & Sorbet Paring. Birdsong Brewing. 5 pm-7 pm. Join us on Thursday, June 27th from 5-7p for a special Birdsong and Amélie’s French Bakery & Café beer release and pairing! “Passion Play” is a Strawberry Passion Fruit Tart Ale that was brewed as a compliment to Amélie’s new Strawberry Passion Fruit Sorbet Sandwiches! Amélie’s will be on site sampling the sorbet sandwiches from 5-7p and we will be donating a portion of sales to Time Out Youth! The beer will be available all day and eventually at Amélie’s Uptown location so if you can’t make it from 5-7p, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to taste this delicious brew!

    Amélie’s is a French bakery and café located in Charlotte NC, Rock Hill SC and Atlanta GA. Their mission is to foster a feast for the senses and unique experience for each and every person that walks through their doors.

    * The Strawberry Passion Fruit Sorbet Sandwich is a sandwich made of 2 classic French macaron cookies w/ strawberry passion fruit sorbet in between. It’s also dairy & gluten free!

 

  • Friday, June 28th-30th. Brewers at 4001 Yancey 1 year anniversary.  Brewers at 4001 Yancey. 28th- 5pm to 30th- 7 pm. Tickets at eventbrite.com. We are turning 1!
    And we want you to come and celebrate with us ALL WEEKEND LONG! 🥳

    🍺 FRIDAY:
    We’re kicking off the weekend-long party on Friday at 5pm with 3 music acts!
    – Sofie Pederson
    – Brill Cosby
    – New Reveille

    We will also be serving up a late night food buffet!

    🍺 SATURDAY:
    Come thirsty because we’ll have our tasting tables and the beer cart for you to easily taste all of our beer that you love so much!

    💙 SUNDAY: CUSTOMER APPRECIATION DAY
    We wouldn’t be the AWESOME brewery we are today without the support of our loyal guests and new guests over the past year!

    To say ‘thank you’, we will be pouring $4 drafts all day, giving exclusive brewery tours, and will have 1-year anniversary shirts for sale!

    We are also offering up behind the scenes brewery tour tickets for $10. Ticket includes: commemorative shirt, a sample of one of our newest Charlotte Brew’d beers, tasting glass, and a wealth of knowledge about your favorite local watering hole! Visit the link below to purchase tickets before they’re gone (must be 21+)

    https://www.eventbrite.com/e/brewers-at-4001-yancey-brewery-tour-tickets-64205364975

    Every day of our celebration weekend we will have giveaways, so pencil us in that weekend and come celebrate with us!

 

  • Friday. June 28th, Earthly Desire Saison Small Batch Release. Triple C Brewing Company. 4 pm-10 pm. Kyle brewed a dry saison with fresh rhubarb and strawberries added. This refreshing saison comes in at 5.3% ABV and will give you a delicate taste of summer dreams.

 

  • Saturday, June 29 & Sunday, June 30th. The Chamber Grand Opening. The Wooden Robot, E. 36 st Suite 100.  June 29 12pm – June 30th 12 am. It is with great pleasure that we announce the date of The Official Grand Opening of The Chamber – Mark your calendars for Saturday, June 29th Noon-Midnight!
    We will be re-releasing a very limited quantity of our GABF Gold Medal Winner – Rèserve Dorèe de Pēche, along with Rèserve Blanc, Rèserve Dorèe ‘18 & Strawberry Swirl it!
    ~ More details to come ~

 

Edmund’s Oast Brewing Co. Sour Cherry Pineapple

Posted on by Evan

This Edmund’s Oast Brewing Co. Cherry Pineapple, 6.5% ABV is an American Sour Ale from Charleston, South Carolina I picked up from Pop The Top Craft Beer Shop. Sour Cherry Pineapple pours a Robitussin bright red color with a thin one and a quarter pink head that quickly fades into itself, with big sour tart cherry fruits. Smells okay but no pineapple. The flavor is similar to the aroma with tart and sour cherry with a very light/faint tropical note on the middle of the tongue still no pineapple then you get a sour cherry cough medicine that slowly fades into an effervescent tart Maraschino Cherry finish with a tart sour sugar cherry aftertaste and a light mouthfeel. I found Edmund’s Oast Brewing Co. Cherry Pineapple to have a weird cherry flavor without getting any pineapple with a medicinal quality to it. I give Edmund’s Oast Brewing Co. Cherry Pineapple a D-, I did finish this and it was not very heavy or way too sour, but not very good otherwise so do not try this! Please enjoy responsibly!

Hopfly Brewing Company Crunch Time Munich Helles Lager

Posted on by Evan

Hopfly Brewing Company Crunch Time Munich Helles Lager, 4.5% ABV is a Pale Lager produced in Rocky Mount, North Carolina in which I purchased from Pop The Top Craft Beer Shop, which is my favorite place to buy great beers. Crunch Time pours a light yellow color with a three and a quarter finger white fluffy head that fades steadily leaves behind quickly dissolving lacing. Aroma on Crunch Time is faintly sweet, clean and biscuity with a very faint hop note that draws you to a clean crisp taste that is biscuity with very faint/light hop notes on the back of the mouth with a nice crisp finish that has light hop twinge that quickly fades into the lightly breaded aftertaste all with a light mouthfeel. Hopfly Brewing Company Crunch Time Munich Helles Lager is good for a hot day and very crushable, which just means you can drink this down easy and go for many more and has a good refreshing quality about it but not one of the flavors really stand out on their own they all come together for a well-balanced beer that is an A+. It is lighter than a standard lager and isn’t heavy feeling after finishing a pint. I enjoyed Hopfly Brewing Company Crunch Time Munich Helles Lager and so should you! Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!

Maine Beer Company Peeper Pale Ale.

Posted on by Evan

You don’t usually find much from Main Beer Company here in Charlotte, NC but I stopped into the Laurel Market the other day and found Maine Beer Company Peeper Pale Ale, 5.5% ABV. This beer brewed in Freeport Maine and has been brewing Peeper, a year-round beer since 2009. Peeper is brewed with Amarillo, Cascade, and Centennial hops with American 2-Row, Carapils, Vienna, and Red Wheat malts. Peeper pours a yellow color with a big four finger creamy looking white head the fades into a little snow cap with great wide lacing throughout the glass. This beer gives off aromas of some lemon and grapefruit notes, a light wafting of fresh cut grass with a faint yet light hoppy notes. Taste is on the lighter side with some nice lemon notes along with grapefruit grassy hop notes hitting your tongue from the middle to the back with a little pine note coming into the mix that finishes nicely with dryness and some slight tinge of a hoppy note. Peeper Pale Ale has a nice but short aftertaste of hoppy grass citrus fruit that is delicate and a little soft. This is really refreshing, easy drinking and one I could have over and over again, and so should you. Everything going on in Maine Beer Company Peeper Pale Ale is well brewed and balanced, it is well deserving of an A+. Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!

Throwback Thursday: Sierra Nevada Brewing Company Ruthless Rye

Posted on by Evan

Originally posted February 13th, 2013.

There is a wide range of ingredients when it comes to brewing beer, but some brewers and beer drinkers overlook some. One, in particular, is rye a grain closely related to wheat but tends to be a bit dark in color. There are a few breweries that use rye. Here is one example of a rye beer. This is Sierra Nevada Ruthless Rye 2013 6.6% ABV, which is a west coast style IPA with rye. Ruthless Rye is a seasonal release, and Sierra Nevada Brewing says it fits in between winter and spring, that transition between the two. Ruthless Rye pours darker than most IPAs. It pours a deeper amber/copper color with a three finger white bubbly head. This beer does have some lacing to the glass. I found some light coming through the class with a very little amount of carbonation bubbles. The aroma is just like a west coast IPA, with a citrusy scent of grapefruit, and a hint of the orange peel. The taste of Ruthless Rye has a nice amount of hop bitterness up front with nice grapefruit flavor that is followed by a hit of a small peppery spice. There is also a very faint malt character to it. The mouthfeel is light and this beer does finish well with a citrusy grapefruit aftertaste. The aftertaste does say for a little and the fade before your next sip. Well, I like this one because of the rye in it, but it doesn’t WOW me. So I am giving this a B. This is a good effort from the folks the Sierra Nevada. I mean they do hoppy beers well. They were the first breweries to brew pale ale here in the U.S. It’s good too. But anyway, this Ruthless Rye is worth a try, and I would recommend this to any IPA or rye fan. I would have this again. It is a good solid beer. Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!