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!

New South Brewing Waccamaw Red Ale

Posted on by Evan

New South Brewing Waccamaw Red Ale, 5.8% ABV, brewed in Myrtle Beach South Carolina, dry-hopped with Cascade and Chinook hops is a west-coast style amber ale. Waccamaw Red Ale pours a deep red/orange murky color with sediment throughout the glass and a one and a half off white head that is somewhat quick fading, that gives off a piney hop aroma with faint caramel malts. The taste follows the nose with hoppy pine notes upfront and some nice but light caramel malt notes towards the middle of the mouth and the back. Waccamaw Red Ale finishes with a light caramel malt flavor with a big bitterness and a hoppy caramel aftertaste with a medium mouthfeel. After a few swigs of New South Brewing Waccamaw Red Ale, it starts to grow on you and starts being slightly enjoyable and gets a C+. You don’t really see a whole lot of hoppy amber ales out in the market. This New South Brewing Waccamaw Red Ale is a bit above average and it surprised me a bit. I don’t recommend that you rush right out to have it. But if you come across New South Brewing Waccamaw Red Ale try it. Please enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

Triple C Brewing Co. Grill Friend Cherry Wood Smoked Amber Ale

Posted on by Evan

From my local Harris Teeter comes local Charlotte, NC Triple C Brewing Co.Grill Friend Cherry Wood Smoked Amber Ale, 5.5% ABV and Triple C uses Cherry Wood that you might find on a good smoker type of grill. Grill Friend pours a deep red/brown color with a nearly two finger beige head that slowly fades into a nice creamy top with wafting aroma of smoky cherry wood with hints of sweetness melding in with a faint bitter note that lead into a sweet yet light barbecue smoked flavor with a malty notes that is followed by a light and faint bitter note that finish with a nice smoked barbecue flavor and a nice semi sweetness and bits of nice smoked woods with a nice medium mouthfeel. Triple C Brewing Co. Grill Friend is a good be to have with barbecue meats, steaks or any hardy meal and is an A beer. I like the nice amount of smoky flavor on this, it isn’t overwhelming and tasting like your too close to the campfire. Grill Friend has just the right amount of Cherry Wood smoke to it so you can enjoy the beer while enjoy all the flavors. Yes I recommend Grill Friend. Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!

Throwback Thursday: Triple C Brewing Co. Smoked Amber

Posted on by Evan

Originally posted on March 15th, 2015

A few years ago I stumbled onto the Smoked Beer style and found that I really like it. In Germany, it is known as Rauchbier. Some smoked beers can be really smoky which some would say it is like breathing in a campfire, and others are not as intense. Smoked beers come in a few sub-styles, like wheat, Marzen, Amber, and bock. This smoked beer is a local beer, Triple C Brewing Smoked Amber, 5.5 ABV, and 29 IBU. This is another beer delivered from the great people at BrewPublik (www.brewpublik.com). Triple C Brewing Co. is located here in Charlotte North Carolina. Triple C uses cherry wood smoked malts on this amber. Smoked Amber pours a deep hazy brown color that is a bit murky, with a two finger off-white head that dissipates at a steady pace and does leave behind some lacing. I found no light coming through the glass nor could I make out any carbonation bubbles. But the bubbles are there. The aroma on Smoked Amber is yes smoky like a barbeque. I found not as intense as some smoked beer are. I found a bit of caramel sweetness there as well. The taste is first malty and sweet with hints of caramel and nice accompaniment of smoky flavors. It reminded me of nice barbequed meat. Smoked Amber has a very faint smoky coffee flavor on the end. The mouthfeel is medium with a nice smoky, malty and sweet finish. The aftertaste is more reminiscent of a light smoky sweet coffee barbeque flavor. I know that those two kinds of flavors don’t go together but the barbeque flavor is more predominant than the coffee. I really enjoyed this beer a lot it is an A+ in my book. I really loved how every flavor worked well with one another. It was a well-brewed beer. I love the smoked beer style and I really enjoyed Triple C Brewing Co Smoked Amber. I really recommend trying this one for yourself. Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!