Cape Brewing Co. Amber Weiss

Posted on by Evan

The second day in Cape Town, South Africa I had a local craft beer from Cape Brewing Co. This beer is their Amber Weiss. This beer is 5.4% ABV, and it pours light amber with a two-finger off-white head. The aroma is lightly sweet and malty. There is not much of a Weiss aroma. The flavor is unlike a Weiss beer and is more amber. There is a light malted sweetness and now wheat. This has a medium-bodied mouthfeel. Then it finishes with a bittersweet malt note. The aftertaste is a bit off with a bitter note and not much else. This was not really a Weiss beer but more of an Amber. I give this a D. I would not have this beer. It tastes like it was not properly brewed or had lesser-quality ingredients. Please stay safe, be kind to each other, and remember to enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

Booneshine Brewing Co. Hig Country Honey Amber Ale

Posted on by Evan

High Country Honey Amber Ale from Boonshine Brewing Co. is a 5.5% ABV beer with Pale, Munich, Honey, and caramel malts. It also has Cascade, Centennial, and Amarillo hops, clean water, healthy yeast, and local Sourwood Honey. I have recently come across Boonshine, and I never really heard of them till I found the last one I reviewed, Hatchet Coffee Porter. This Amber ale pours dark amber/red color with a two-finger beige quick fading head. The aroma is sweet, with light bread notes and malts. The flavor is lovely and clean, with light bread, malts, and honey. It has a smoothness to it with a medium feeling in the mouth. The honey here is not really dominant. Then it finishes with a malty sweetness and a nice malted aftertaste but not as malty as some darker beer. This is a deliciously pleasant fall beer that you should be drinking. I give this High Country Honey an A-. It has all the flavors with just the right amount of deliciousness. Please stay safe, be kind to each other, and remember to enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

Royal Bliss Brewing Co. First in Flight Amber Ale

Posted on by Evan

First in Flight Amber Ale from Royal Bliss Brewing Co. is named after North Carolina’s state slogan. That is after the first airplane flight in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Royal Bliss from Denver, North Carolina brews this 5.4% ABV Anber Ale with Carolina-grown malts. This ale pours a deep orange/amber color with a two-finger off-white head. The head has a steady fade. The aroma is lighter with biscuity malts and light-bready sweet notes. I was expecting this to have more of a malt/biscuit smell. The flavor is light biscuit, caramel, light bead, and some herbal notes. This has a lighter mouthfeel. This has a finish of light bread, malt, and faint caramel. The aftertaste is quick with a light malt but not much else. This is okay and there are some better amber ales out there. First in Flight is a D+. I wouldn’t go as far as to say this is terrible or just bad. It isn’t. Try it if you want to. please stay safe, be kind to each other, and remember to enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

Four Peaks Brewing Co. Kilt Lifer Scottish-Style Amber Ale

Posted on by Evan

This beer Kilt Lifter is a Scottish-style Amber Ale from Four Peaks Brewing Co. in Tempe, Arizona. It comes in at 6.0% ABV. This ale is a flagship beer for Four Peaks. This beer pours an amber-brown color with a one-and-a-half finger beige head. The aroma is sweet, caramel, malty, and a little toasted note. The flavor is sweet with caramel, malty notes, and smooth. The mouthfeel is higher on the medium feel. Then this beer finishes with a malted caramel flavor. Then you’ll get an aftertaste of light caramel malts. This beer is good, but I am not a big fan of this Scottish-style beer. I give this Kilt Lifter barely a B-. This beer has good malted caravan flavors. Scottish-style ales like this are trying to be light and heavy beer. Something that clashes, and the beer is just okay or even terrible. If I want a dark beer without being too dark, I’ll go for a good brown ale, like Birdsong Lazy Bird Brown. I would recommend this beer if you like this style of beer. Please stay safe, be kind, and remember to enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

Maine Beer Company Zoe

Posted on by Evan

I went over the state border into South Carolina where they have an actual liquor store and not a state-run ABC store like here in North Carolina. I bought I bottle of Zoe from the Maine Beer Company in Freeport, Maine. This is a hoppy amber ale that is 7.2% ABV. This ale has Simcoe, Centennial, and Columbus hops in it. It also has American 2-Row, Maris Otter Pale, Carmel 40L, Munich 10L, Victory, Carmel 80L, and Chocolate malts. This ale pours a deep amber color with a three-finger rocky beige head, that slowly fades into a nice lacing. The aroma is Malty, sweet, and hoppy. The flavor is malty, with a little vegetable note, sweet, and hoppy. It is pretty much the same as it smells. This is more malted with the way the hoppy notes are lighter. The mouthfeel is full. Then this amber beer finishes with a malted hop note. Then comes the aftertaste of malted hop cones. This is a good hoppy amber ale. I would give Zoe a B+. The sweetness is balanced out by the light hop notes But you don’t get a Hugh punch of hops, because that is being subdued by the malty flavor. This is one beer I would recommend, but it is not easy to find. I got this at Stateline Elite in Fort Mill, South Carolina on Highway 521. Please be kind, stay safe, and remember to enjoy responsibly! Cheers! 

Highland Brewing Gaelic Ale

Posted on by Evan

Highland Brewing Gaelic Ale, 5.5% ABV is the flagship red/amber ale of Highland Brewing in Asheville, North Carolina. This brewery has been in business since 1994. Gaelic Ale is Asheville’s first beer. This ale is brewed with Chinook, Willamette, and Cascade hops. This is also Munich, Caramel 40, Caramel 60, Extra Special Malt. This beer pours a deep rich amber color with a two-and-a-half finger off-white head. The aroma is sweet, and malty, with light hops. The flavor is also malty, sweet smooth with a hint of a hoppy note. The mouthfeel is medium. Then this beer has a malty, sweet, and smooth finish. The aftertaste is a little less malted but has just the right amount of sweetness. This is a fabulously delicious beer. I give this Amber Ale an A+. This is a beer that is worth keeping in your refrigerator year-round. I highly recommend Highland Brewing Gaelic Ale. I can see why it has been around twenty-eight years. Please stay safe, be kind, and remember to enjoy responsibly. Cheers! 

O.G. Yuengling & Sons Traditional Lager

Posted on by Evan

Yuengling is one of the oldest breweries in the United States, it has been around since 1829. This beer is their Traditional Lager, 4.5%. It’s an Amber lager, and it is easily accessible, found in most places that sell beer. This lager beer pours a copper, amber color with a fizzy one-finger white head. The head fades rather quickly. This lager has a caramel sweet aroma. The flavor is caramel sweet, malty, and light. The mouthfeel is light. Then this amber lager finishes with a bad metallic sweet flavor. There isn’t much aftertaste, except for a flavor or the inside of the vessel that this beer was made in. I found this Yuengling Traditional Lager to be boring and not very good. I give this beer a D-. The bit of caramel sweetness Barley made it tolerable. Yes, I did finish this, but I did it quicker than I normally would. I wouldn’t recommend this amber lager. It’s something I would pass on New Belgium Fat Tire is a better choice for an amber lager. I have reviewed that beer if you’d like to check that out. But there must be people out there that like this beer for it to be around for so long. They must be doing something right, at least by the people who like this Yuengling Traditional Lager. Please be kind, be safe, and remember to always enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

New Belgium Brewing Company Fat Tire Amber Ale

Posted on by Evan

Fat Tire from New Belgium Brewing Company is a classic flagship brew, that comes in at 5.2% ABV. New Belgium dates way back to 1991. I’ve had Fat Tire so many times before. This Ale pours a copper/amber color with a one and a half finger sticky white head. The aroma is malty biscuit and has a light hoppy sweetness. The flavor is lightly sweet with hoppy flavors. There is the same malted biscuit from its smell. The mouthfeel is light. Then this beer finishes clean with a hint of hoppy flavor. The aftertaste is lightly hoppy and biscuity. This beer is drinkable, and I mean that you can have a six-pack of these Fat Tires, and the flavor will not be too much on your taste buds. I would recommend this. It is a good flagship brew from New Belgium Brewing Co, which is in both Fort Collins, Colorado, and Asheville, North Carolina. I give it a B+. It is a good Amber Ale, but I have had some that blow me away, but I’ve had so many. A great example of one is Olde Mecklenburg Brewery Copper. But this is good too! Please be kind, be safe, and enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

Dissolver & Southern Grist Brewing Co. Night Of Secrets Dry-Hopped Copper Ale

Posted on by Evan

This beer, Dssolvr & Southern Grist Brewing Co. Night of Secrets Dry-Hopped Copper Ale, is a collaboration, is an Amber Ale. It’s made with Riverbend Southern Select malt, light Munich Malt, Chit, and wheat malts. It is dry-hopped with Tattnag, & Huell Mellon hops. This ale pours a deep orange/copper color with a two-finger off-white head. The aroma is piney, hoppy, and citrusy. The flavor is smooth, piney, lightly fruity, and malty. The mouthfeel is medium. This ale has a bitter malt finish with a light aftertaste that is malty a slightly bitter. Dssolvr & Southern Grist Brewing Co. Night of Secrets Dry-Hopped Copper Ale is a good beer and is an A. I found this to have just the right amount and mix of flavors. The malts play well with the hop notes. I highly recommend Dssolvr & Southern Grist Brewing Co. Night of Secrets Dry-Hopped Copper Ale. I went back and had another. I think you can have more than two without having the flavor overpower you. Please be kind, be safe, and enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

Throwback Thursday: New Sarum Brewing High Rock Red Ale

Posted on by Evan

Originally posted July 11th, 2016.  

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I am not one that truly loves the Red Ale style of beer. I like some and I don’t like others, unlike some styles that I love, like a hefeweizen. Red Ale or American Amber is a catch-all for any beer less than dark ale/brown ale in color. Expect a balanced beer, with toasted malt characters and a light fruitiness in most examples. New Sarum Salisbury Brewing Co. in Salisbury North Carolina brews High Rock Red Ale, 6.0% ABV. This Red Ale is brewed with Marris Otter and Rye with an addition of English hops. High Rock Red Ale pours a gorgeous deep amber-red color with a slight off white tan head that sits two and a half fingers high. The aroma is sweet with rye malts and a slight yet faint caramel notes. High Rock Red Ale tastes smooth at first followed by a smooth sweetness and malted sweetness on the back. The mouthfeel is medium with a nice smooth and sweet finish with a nice light fruity sweet after taste that lingers around for what seems like forever. This is one beer that you don’t want to stop drinking it’s for sure an A+. It is smooth and very well balanced. You need to try this! Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!