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Westbrook Brewing Co. Three Claw Imperial India Pale Ale

Posted on by Evan

Westbrook Brewing Co. Three Claw Imperial India Pale Ale, 8.0% ABV purchased from the local Total Wine is in line with the rest of Westbrooks crab themed beers One Claw, a pale ale, Two Claw, a New England IPA, and Santa Claw, another New England IPA. Three Claw is brewed with Cascade, and CTZ hops, dry-hopped with over 5lbs per barrel of Azacca, Citra, and El Dorado hops, with Conan Yeast and a malt bill of oats, pale, rye and wheat malts. Three Claw pours a hazy yellow color with a three and a half finger white head that gives off juicy aromas of citrus fruits live orange and grapefruit with a tropical hoppy note on the nose. The taste follows the aroma with a nice juicy orange and grapefruit up front with a slight bitterness in the middle that fades into a hoppy tropical citrus flavor on the back of the tongue with a little bitter/hoppy finish and a bitter citrus fruit aftertaste with a medium mouthfeel. Westbrook Brewing Co. Three Claw Imperial India Pale Ale is not overly sweet, fruity or hoppy/bitter, it hits the sweet spot and it balanced just right receiving an A. It does not drink to much like an 8.0% ABV beer but you still taste that its a refreshing imperial IPA. Westbrook Brewing Co. Three Claw Imperial India Pale Ale is smooth with a nice juicy fruit flavor that is well brewed and refreshing and one I’d recommend going for. Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!

Mikkeller Brewing San Diego Passion Pool

Posted on by Evan

Pick up Mikkeller Brewing San Diego Passion Pool, 5.0% ABV from Winestore here in Charlotte a few days ago. Passion Pool is a Gose style ale brewed with Passionfruit and Sea Salt from Mikkeller in San Diego California. I find that the Gose Style is a great summer weather beer. Passion Pool pours a dirty yellow color with a two finger white head with nice retention giving tart tropical fruity, sour salted aromas on your nose. Taste pretty much follows the nose with nice tart tropical fruits up front with nice salted sour notes on the middle of the tongue and nice funky notes on the back with a nice tart, salted sour finish that is a bit fruity and has a nice salty tart tropical aftertaste with a light mouthfeel. This is definitely a summer beer that can be easily drank anywhere and probably would go great with a good taco or two. Mikkeller Brewing San Diego Passion Pool is very refreshing and well deserving of an A. I just cannot find a thing wrong with Mikkeller Brewing San Diego Passion Pool, and I think you won’t either. Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!

Throwback Thursday: Watermelon Gose

Posted on by Evan

Originally posted Monday, September 19th, 2016.

Gose (Goes-uh) is a traditional German-style beer brewed with sea salt and coriander. Gose is a making a come back especially with craft beer breweries and brewers. It is more of a summer type of beer, but I think it is good any time of the year. One of my favorite breweries Terrapin Beer Co. in Athens Georgia brews Watermelon Gose, 4.5% ABV.  Watermelon Gose pours a clear darker golden color with a fast fading two finger head of brilliant white. The aroma is tart and there is a nice watermelon fragrance with a faint hint of coriander. Taste is somewhat sweet with watermelon up front with a bit of salted tart flavor, but then as it passed over your tongue it the beer become a more tart. Nothing that is overly tart though. The mouthfeel is light and refreshing and Watermelon Gose has a tart watermelon finish with a tart but salty watermelon after taste that is more tart than anything else. Terrapin has done a good job her adding watermelon to an already tropical beer, but the finish and aftertaste are a little too tart. So with that in mind, I give Watermelon Gose a B-. I do think you should try this one, and I am not saying that the finish and aftertaste kill the beer and make it undrinkable, no that is not it at all; it’s just a little more than I would have liked it to be that’s all. I would have this again but it’s not a go-to beer. I liked Terrapin Beer Co. Watermelon Gose. 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, March 15th. New Beer Release: Island Mosaic Hopper. Pilot Brewing. 4 pm- 9 pm. Join us for the release of our next batch of Island Hopper IPA, our single-hopped IPA series, this time featuring Mosaic hops. $3 goblets all night!

    Mosaic hops feature complex but clean flavor characteristics and are known for their triple-use profile encompassing bittering, flavor, and aroma. They have high alpha acids but low cohumulone which makes them pleasantly hoppy, carrying flavors of mango, pine, citrus and herbs and aromas of tropical and stone fruit.  

 

  • Thursday, May 16th Dreamchasers and Southern Range Dual Anniversary Party. Brawley’s Beverage. 5 pm-9 pm. It turns out that two of our breweries opened around the same time and have anniversary’s on the same weekend this year. So we thought we would celebrate twice! So on May 16th at Brawley’s Beverage stop by to wish these two breweries a happy birthday! We’ll have 4 beers on from each brewery. Rest assured we’ll have some special kegs from each brewery that you won’t be able to get anywhere else.

    Southern Range Brewing:
    Now That’s What I Call Juice – Guava Hazy IPA
    Strawberry Shandy
    Pinky Ring Bling Hazy IPA
    Peanut Butter Cookie Doh (the second keg ever first was at Brawley’s Black and Blue)

    Dreamchasers Brewing:
    Yardbreather East Coast IPA
    Cool Amber Lager
    Hop Files #2 Hazy IPA
    Coconut Yardbreather (tap room only batch) 

 

  • Thursday, May 16th. Haw River Tap Takeover. Carolina Beer Temple. 12 pm-11 pm. Craft breweries should be about community, sustainability, giving back…. and oh yeah, great beer! Very few breweries live up to this standard to nearly the extent that our friends at Haw River Farmhouse Ales do, and we are proud to have the opportunity to showcase a few of the fantastic traditional(ish) brews that they’ve been serving up for years now! Don’t miss your chance to try some beers from one of the truly elite American farmhouse breweries that you may not have the opportunity to sample again anywhere else!

    TAP LIST IN PROGRESS:

    -Demitasse Espresso Belgian Singel
    -JavaQue Coffee Cream Stout
    -The Tasseography Project: RED Tea and Peppercorn Saison
    -St. Benedict’s Breakfast Coffee and Oatmeal Dubbel

 

  • Friday, May 17th. Sunshine Over Phuket Beer Release. The Unknown Brewing Company. 3 pm- 11pm. We’re bringing back a wonderful phuking collaboration beer with our friends at Revelry Brewing!

    Picture yourself on the shores of a south pacific beach. No work, no problems, no phukets given. We brewed a Radler dry hopped with citrus forward hops and tons of ruby red grapefruits. This beer is easy drinking and relaxing at 4.0% ABV.

    When life gives you lemons, go find a beach, add some grapefruit and phuket!

 

  • Friday, May 17th. NoDajito Release. NoDa Brewing Company 2 pm-10 pm. It’s finally here, the day you’ve been waiting for… Join us on Friday, May 17th at 2 pm for the return of Charlotte’s 2019 Summer Beer. 👏🏻🍻

    NoDajito is back! This Mojito inspired witbier not only holds the 2019 Summer Beer title by Charlotte Magazine but is also a Great American Beer Festival Gold Medal winner. It’s brewed with whole mint leaves and conditioned on lime juice — the quintessential ingredients for the perfect spring and summer brew!

 

  • Saturday, May 18th. Mai Tai Day. Sycamore Brewing 12 pm-11 pm. Mai Tai IPA Can Release Party. Polynesian Pulled Pork Sandwiches by Killer Q Food Truck, Live Music by Below the Belt, Lil O’s Donuts, Sunshine and Good Times!

    Dive in, and swim up to the bar! Inspired by the classic tiki cocktail, this IPA is READY TO PARTY!!

 

  • Saturday, May 18th. A Berry Good Hefe. Triple C Brewing Company. 12 pm-10 pm. We juiced up our traditional German hefeweizen with blackberries and raspberries for a twist of tartness.

 

  • Monday, May 20th. 2nd Annual Captain James Jack Colonial Beer Dinner. Olde Mecklenburg Brewery. 6 pm-9 pm. Tickets at shop.oldemeckbrew.comHosted by May 20th Society (Mec Dec)

    Monday, May 20th 6-9pm

    Buy tickets today at https://shop.oldemeckbrew.com/collections/frontpage/products/2nd-annual-captain-james-jack-dinner-ticket

    The May 20th Society and The Olde Mecklenburg Brewery invite you to the 2ND ANNUAL CAPTAIN JAMES JACK COLONIAL DINNER, featuring special guest speaker historical artist Dan Nance.

    Join us for this four-course colonial themed dinner with each course being paired with a different beer from The Olde Mecklenburg Brewery, including their Captain Jack Pilsner and Hornet’s Nest Hefeweizen.

    1st Course:
    Heirloom Tomatoes w/ shepherd’s cheese, honeydew, honeycomb vinaigrette

    Paired w/ Captain Jack Pilsner

    2nd Course:
    Pickled Short Rib
    w/ purple potatoes, rotkhol, pea tendril

    Paired w/ Copper Altbier

    3rd Course
    Chicken Bog
    smoked sausage, smoked chicken, brown rice & quinoa, heirloom carrots

    Paired w/ Hornet’s Nest Hefeweizen

    4th Course:
    Peaches & Cream
    grilled peaches, beet buttercream, cornbread

    Paired w/ Fat Boy Baltic Porter

 

 

 

Brewery Ommegang Brute IPA

Posted on by Evan

Brewery Ommegang Brut IPA, 6.3% from Cooperstown, New York is a new substyle of IPA, Brut IPA which tend to have a dry sparkling quality to them. Ommegang Brut IPA purchased from the local total wine pours a bright gold color with a bright white three finger head with a dry light bitter aroma with a touch of light lemon. The taste does follow the nose with light dry lemon up front with bitterness that is nicely hoppy with a dry effervescent finish and a dry hoppy light lemon aftertaste with a light mouthfeel. The bitterness is low on this Ommegang Brut IPA but the overall flavor of the beer is not that memorable so I think it’s a B-. It’s good but not something that is going to stick with me and yes that is good cause you could drink a few of these before the beer becomes too much on your tastebuds. I do recommend trying Brewery Ommegang Brut IPA. Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!

Trophy Brewing Company A Composition in Hops: Fuguebier

Posted on by Evan

In the past few months I have grown a liking to Trophy Brewing Company, and this new beer A Composition in Hops: Fuguebier, 6.2% a New England style IPA brewed in celebration of Johann Sebastian Bach and is brewed with five hop varieties; Amarillo, Citra, Centennial, Galaxy and Callista hops and seven days of dry hopping. Fuguebier pours a yellow slightly hazy color with a three finger bright white head with bright citrus aromas with bitter hop notes. The taste is smooth with citrus (orange and some grapefruit) with some light bitterness, sweetness, and lemon that is easy drinking with a light mouthfeel that finishes bittersweet with a citrus note and an aftertaste of lemon, hops, grapefruit, and orange. Trophy Brewing A Composition in Hops: Fuguebier is a good beer but light giving it a B+. It has some light New England IPA qualities to it that are good. I would recommend this because I will be going back to this good beer. Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!

Birdsong Brewing Co. IPA Series Gravity Rides Double IPA

Posted on by Evan

Saw this at the local Total Wine, Birdsong Brewing Company IPA Series Gravity Rides Double IPA, 8.7% ABV, which is brewed with Mosaic, Chinook, and Idaho 7 hops. Gravity Rides pours an orange color with a two finger tight white head with aromatic fruit aromas like orange citrus and pineapple with piney hop notes. Taste is good with nice solid hop-forward orange, slight pineapple with grass pine notes come in the back with a smooth hoppiness that finishes bitter, fruity, pine, and hoppy with a nice fruity hop and pine aftertaste, with a full mouthfeel. Gravity Rides doesn’t quite drink like a double IPA but has the flavor of one. I found Birdsong Brewing Company IPA Series Gravity Rides Double IPA to be good but more of a C+, above average. The fruity flavor does fade as the hoppy pine notes come in and I rather have those flavors mingle with each other. Now that would make this good beer great. But this Birdsong Brewing Company IPA Series Gravity Rides Double IPA is a be that I would go back to for sure and one that I do recommend trying. It just needs a little fine tuning it gets it into greatness. Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!

The Beer News

Posted on by Evan

Here are this week’s happenings in the Charlotte, North Carolina area!

  • Thursday, May 2nd. Southern Range Tap Takeover. Carolina Beer Temple. 12 pm-11 pm. Free Tickets at eventbrite.com. Monroe, North Carolina isn’t known far and wide for too many things, but it’s one and only brewery has already put it on the map as one of the best beer destinations around. South Range Brewing have long been favorites of ours here at the Temple, and we are excited to have the opportunity to share their world-class brews with a whole new audience as they take over the taps with some of the best and most exciting options anywhere in the Old North State!

    TAP LIST:

    -Hopsequences Hazy IPA
    -Cookie D’oh Cookie Dough Stout
    -Energizer Blondie Coffee Blonde Ale
    -Strawberry Shandy

 

  • Friday, May 3rd. Untappd Festival Pre-Game. Heist Brewery and Barrel Arts. 1 pm-11 pm. To celebrate the first ever Untappd Festival at Bank of America stadium, we will be throwing down at our Barrel Arts spot the day before from 1-11P.

    We will have a few guest taps on the night of 5/3, starting at 6P. Here is the lineup, as we have the ability to showcase some of the breweries throughout our Carolinas:
    Amor Artis Brewing – YORK COUNTY, Rye BA Imperial Stout
    New Anthem Beer Project – NEON GOD (DDH Citra/Mosaic), Hazy IPA
    White Elephant Beer Co – IMPERIAL ALMOND TROOPER, Imperial Stout w/ Cacao Nibs, Toasted Almond, and Cinnamon
    King Canary Brewing Company – PARTY FOWL, Fruited Sour IPA
    High Branch Brewing Co.
    HopFly Brewing Company

    And when those six breweries have their beers kick, we called some more of our friends, and are going to put on some extras:
    Flying Machine Brewing Company – FLUTTERING FOLLY, Hazy Double IPA
    Incendiary Brewing Company – BANANA PANCAKE BANE, Imperial Stout w/ Maple, Banana, and Vanilla

    Oh, and we’ve decided to release a small batch beer during this as well! Super stoked about it!

 

  • Friday-Sunday, May 3rd-5th. Belgian Cellar Raid. Sugar Creek Brewing. Fri 1 pm-4 pm, Sat 1 pm-4 pm, Sun 12 pm-9 pm. ALL WEEKEND long we are raiding the Brew Masters cellar to unleash a few locally brewed interpretations of some Belgian Classics! We’ll start with the release of a white wine Barrel Aged Tripel bugged with lacto and Brett and a white wine barrel aged GOSE on Friday. If that’s not enough we’re also unveiling our new Bottle Conditioned menu FEATURING multiple years of Dubbel, Biere De Garde, Tripels, Barley Wine and Dark Strongs. Don’t miss the opportunity to try some serious labor of love in a glass all weekend long!

 

  • Saturday, May 4th. 2019 Untappd Beer Festival – Early Access. 3 pm. Tickets at Ticketmaster.com ($65.00) Beer enthusiasts and brewers from around the world will assemble on the field at the stadium to celebrate beer and breweries from across the United States. Over 100 brewers will pour samples of between two and four beers at booths stationed on the field at Bank of America Stadium. The event will highlight dozens of Charlotte-area and North Carolina and South Carolina breweries as well as a strong contingent of brewers from around the country. VIP ACCESS allows for 3:00PM entry into the festival. Must be 21 years and older to attend the Untapped Beer Festival. The Festival is a rain or shine event.

    Sale Dates and Times:

    Public Onsale : Fri, 1 Mar 2019 at 09:00 AM

    Presale Offers : Tue, 26 Feb 2019 at 01:00 PM

 

  • Tuesday, May 7th. Mother Earth 10 year Birthday Parth with Hoppin’.  Hoppin’. 5 pm-10 pm. Join the entire Hoppin’ brewery crew as we tap 10 great beers to celebrate 10 years! Featuring specialty swag, vintage kegs, and birthday cake.

 

 

Gizmo BrewWorks Coffee Stiletto Stout

Posted on by Evan

I picked up Gizmo BrewWorks Coffee Stiletto Stout, 6.1% ABV and 31 IBU from the local Total Wine here. This is a coffee version of Gizmo BrewWorks Black Stiletto Stout but with a double shot of Ethiopian coffee from Benelux. The beans are slowly roasted and added directly to the beer. Coffee Stiletto Stout pours a semi-thick black color with a two finger beige head that fades into a one finger head with aromas of roasted coffee with nice notes of strong espresso. Coffee Stiletto Stout has a roasted coffee flavor with a malted espresso note towards the middle of the tongue that picks of faint smokey notes as it hits your throat with a nice espresso coffee finish and a roasted raw coffee bean aftertaste with a nice full mouthfeel. Now Gizmo BrewWorks Coffee Stiletto Stout isn’t what I would call the best, I’ve had better versions of Coffee Stouts, some that are creamier with a fuller coffee flavor, this had more of a milder coffee flavor which gets it a C+. I don’t find this bad, I would say Gizmo BrewWorks Coffee Stiletto Stout is more of a drinkable Coffee Stout but not what you really look for in this type of beer style. I would go back to this but not soon and not one I would one hundred percent recommend Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!

Beer & Chips Pairing: Ponysauras Brewing Don’t Be Mean To People Golden Rule Saison & Cape Cod Sea Salt & Vinegar

Posted on by Evan

My favorite potato chips are Salt & Vinegar. This is Beer & Chips Pairing: Ponysauras Brewing Don’t Be Mean To People Golden Rule Saison, 6.0% ABV & Cape Cod Sea Salt & Vinegar Potato Chips, and a paring of A review of Ponysauras Brewing Don’t be Mean To People Golden Rule Saison, will be coming soon. These Cape Cod chips are light yellow with slight burn crisp edges and have an oily salted vinegar aroma with a nice full vinegar flavor that is complemented by the sea salt. Ponysauras Brewing Don’t be Mean To People Golden Rule Saison does wash out some of the vinegar but compliments the sea salt but the strong mouthfeel of this Ponysauras beer doesn’t help the flavor of these sea salt & vinegar chips. They do pair well with this Saison but I think that a more traditional Saison would have been a better choice, whereas this Ponysauras Saison is not so traditional to the Saison style. I give this is Beer & Chips Pairing: Ponysauras Brewing Don’t Be Mean To People Golden Rule Saison, 6.0% ABV & Cape Cod Sea Salt & Vinegar Potato Chips a C+. It’s just slightly above average. Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!