Victory Brewing Company Merry Monkey Belgian-Style Ale

Posted on by Evan

Merry Monkey is a Belgian-style ale with cranberry, orange peel, nutmeg, and Cinnamon. This beer is 10% ABV and is from Victory Brewing Company. This ale also has Cascade and Tettnang hops with Pilsner and roasted malt barley. This beer is part of Victory’s Monkey beers, but this particular beer is only available during the holidays. It’s a Christmas beer, after all. This beer pours copper with a one-finger white head. It says for a short while, then fades. The aroma is Cinnamon, nutmeg, and some orange. It does not really smell of cranberries The flavor is of cinnamon, nutmeg, orange, light cranberries, and a bit boozy. This does taste like a Belgian Christmas beer. The mouthfeel is more on the fuller side. Then, it finishes with an alcoholic hit of cinnamon and nutmeg. There is a bit of a fading cranberry note on the finishes. The cranberry fades away on the aftertaste with some cinnamon and nutmeg-covered orange that lingers. Merry Monkey is an A. I am not a cinnamon fan, but it had a tolerable flavor here. This beer has a well-brewed flavor profile, making it a delicious beer you should have. Please stay safe, be kind to each other, and remember to enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

Birdsong Brewing Co. Jalapeño Pale Ale

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I have had Jalapeño Pale Ale from Birdsong Brewing Co. many times. I haven’t reviewed this beer. I really can’t believe that. This pale ale is brewed with jalapeños that have most of the seed removed. The seed of the jalapeño is where the capsaicin or the heat is. The idea behind removing the jalapeño seed is to give very little to no heat and more of a vegetal flavor. This pale ale pours a deep yellow with a two-finger white head. The aroma is vegetal, bitter, and jalapeño spice. The flavor is a jalapeño vegetal spice/heat, bitterness, and a faint hop flavor. The feeling is light in the mouth. Then comes a lightly spicy jalapeño finish that has minimal bitterness. The aftertaste is vegetal with light bittering notes. Birdsong Jalapeño Pale Ale is a unique beer I love and give an A+. I could have a few pints of this with spicy nachos or chicken wings. I highly recommend this beer! Please stay safe, be kind to each other, and remember to enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

Fonta Flora Brewery Pocket Lunch

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This beer is Pocket Lunch from Fonta Flora Brewery in Nero, North Carolina. This beer a Belgain-style Kölsch is 5% ABV and is aged on coriander, Earl Gray Tea, elderflower, fresh lemon, and orange zest. This beer uses fresh local well water and 83% local ingredients. This Kölsch pours a yellow color with a two-finger semi-quick fading white head. The aroma is earthy, floral, and spiced. The flavor is earthy, and floral at first. Then it’s spiced (coriander). There is a little burnt flavor. On the back of the tongue, you get lemon and orange. This beer finishes with a spiced floral flavor. The aftertaste is a combination of floral fruit with spices. This is a light feeling in the mouth. I can taste exactly where one flavor ends and another starts. That means the flavors aren’t melding with each other. That’s no good in my opinion. The burnt flavor in the middle is off-putting for a second until the fruity flavor comes in lightly. Pocket Lunch gets a D+. It was a rollercoaster of flavors in my mouth. This beer had been going back and forth between liking it and not liking it. I don’t recommend it. Please stay safe, be kind to each other, and remember to enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

Raleigh Brewing Company Holiday Bash Spiced Winter Warmer

Posted on by Evan

This spied winter warm is Holiday Bash from Raleigh Brewing in Raleigh, North Carolina. According to the brewery, they are using Mulling spice. This beer is 6.6% ABV. This winter warmer pours a dark brown color with a two-finger beige quick head. This beer has lighter brown edges. The aroma is spiced, roasted, nutty, molasses, and lightly bitter. The flavor is also spiced and nutty. There are cinnamon, molasses, and chocolate flavors with bitter-sugar cookies. This beer is fuller on the mouth. This beer has a slightly bitter finish. Then you get an aftertaste of burnt sugar and molasses. This beer is not something I liked, I give Holiday Bash Spiced Winter Warmer a D. I don’t think the bitterness is helping anything here, and it clashes with the chocolate that makes the molasses taste funny. I would not drink again, and neither should you. Please stay safe, be kind to each other, and remember to enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

Hi-Wire Brewing x Wickles Pickle Beer

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Pickles aren’t something you think of when you think about beer, but they do go with beer or food that you would have along with beer. This beer is a collaboration between Hi-Wire Brewing in Asheville, North Carolina, and Wickles Pickles in Dadeville, Alabama. This beer is Wickles’s Pickle beer and is 5% ABV. This Pickle beer is a sour beer with cucumbers, dill, coriander, Himalayan Sea Salt, and black pepper. I have had one or two other pickle beers, and I enjoy pickles a lot. This beer pours a light green with a light yellow tint. This beer has a two-finger quickly fading white head. The aroma is sour, spiced, and pickled. It has some tart aromas. The flavor is sour and lightly spiced. This beer has a light pickled flavor. This beer finishes with a sourness and a salted note. The pickle flavor grows in the aftertaste. Wickles Pickle Beer starts okay and gets better in the aftertaste. This pickle beer is a C+. I have had better versions of this, not that this was terrible. Martin House Brewing Best Made Pickle Beer is a better pickle beer. But I still would recommend this pickle beer. I just would rush for it. Please stay safe, be kind to one another, and remember to enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

Amor Artis Brewing Chai Milk Stout

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Brewed in Fort Mill, South Carolina, by Amor Artis, Chai Milk Stout is 6.5& ABV and uses Lactose and Chai spice from Savory Spice in Southend Charlotte, North Carolina. This stout pours a black color with a two-and-quarter finger of khaki head. The head fades steadily. The aroma is sweet, spicy (Chai), and some chocolate-like aromas. The taste is Chai spiced, malted, and bittersweet. The mouthfeel is fuller and coats the mouth. Then it finishes with roasted spiced notes from the Chia. Then you get a bitter Chia aftertaste. I am not a fan of Chai spices. So I give Chai Milk Stout a C-. The lactose does have some sweetness that takes the edge off the Chai spice. But it just does a little. If you like Chai spice and milk stouts, this stout is for you. But otherwise, I wouldn’t recommend it. The Chai spice is a little harsh. Please stay safe, be kind to everyone, and enjoy responsibly! Cheers! 

Westbrook Brewing Co. Mexican Cake Imperial Stout

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This beer is an Imperial Stout called Mexican Cake from Westbrook Brewing Co. in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina. This stout is 10.5% ABV and has cocoa nibs, vanilla, cinnamon, and habanero peppers. This beer pours a thick obsidian color with a two-finger brown head. The aroma is chocolate, spiced/spicy, and lightly roasted. The flavor is malted, lightly sweet, chocolaty, cinnamon, and pepper spice. The overall flavor is not that spicy. It’s not ‘habanero’ hot. But it has a light heat. The mouthfeel is thick and full. Then this big stout finishes with a dry-ish spiced chocolate flavor. Then you come to an aftertaste of spices and lighter chocolate. It is a good beer that I give an A. It has all the flavors that you think it would be. It’s not overly hot and spicy. That is good. This beer is a beer you have once. It’s big on flavor and ABV. I recommend Mexican Cake from Westbrook Brewing Co. Please stay safe, be kind to everyone, and remember to enjoy responsibly! Cheers! 

Golden Road Brewing Christmas Cart

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I know it’s a little late for Christmas beer or early, depending on how you look at it. But I forgot about this recently. This beer is Christmas Cart from Golden Road Brewing in Los Angeles, California. This beer is 6%ABV and is part of the many different Cart beers. I have previously reviewed their Mango Cart. This beer is a wheat beer with cherries and spices. This beer pours a deep pink/red color with a one-and-a-half finger of off-white head. The aroma is of spices, cherries, tartness, and some light wheat notes. The taste is also cherry, spices (light cinnamon), tartness, and a little wheat. The mouthfeel is on the lighter side. Then this Christmas Cart finishes with a spice tart what notes. Then you get an aftertaste that gives you a Christmasy feeling. That is spiced cherry. This beer grew on me as I drank it. I give it an A. I can find nothing wrong with this Christmas Cart. Yes, I think you should try it. It is a good Christmas beer without being overly spiced and heavy. Christmas time can be food and drink heavy. Please stay safe, be kind, and remember to enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

Catawba Brewing Company El Gato Mariachi

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Catawba Brewing Company El Gato Mariachi, 5.3% ABV is a Horchata White Ale brewed with Summit hops, 2-Row Pale, Malted wheat, flaked oats, flaked rice, vanilla, Lactose, and cinnamon. Horchata is a Mexican drink made with rice and is flavored with cinnamon and sweetened with sugar. El Gato Marichi pours a yellow color with a one-finger quick white fizzy head that gives off a sweet cinnamon and clove aroma a very very faint banana note that leads you to partake a sip in which you’ll find a nice cinnamon note that has a nice balance of banana clove with notes of vanilla that come to a sweet refreshing finish of vanilla and some cinnamon that give you a nice white ale aftertaste with touches of cinnamon with a light mouthfeel. I found that Catawba Brewing Company El Gato Mariachi an interesting take on a white ale and one that turns out to be good, and I wasn’t really to be the way it tasted I thought it to be more on the sweeter dessert side of things and it was actually refreshing and something that you can have a few of without wrecking your tastebuds. I give Catawba Brewing Company El Gato Mariachi an A+. None of the flavors of El Gato Mariachi weren’t too strong they were lighter than I was expecting and that is why this is a great beer that you should try. Please stay safe at home and please enjoy responsibly! Cheers!    

Spoetzl Brewery Shiner Ruby Redbird

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Spoetzl Brewery Shiner Ruby Redbird, 4.0% ABV is a brew that I’ve decided to rereview, I originally reviewed this back almost eight years ago on June 6th, 2012. Back then Shiner Ruby Redbird was only a summer seasonal beer, now it’s a year-round beer do to its popularity. Ruby Redbird is brewed with ripe Texas ruby red grapefruit from the Rio Grande Valley and fresh ginger. Ruby Redbird is only 95 calories, 31 grams of carbs, and 0 grams of fat, which the embellish on the can. Redbird pours a golden color with a one and half finger thin white quickly fleeting head without leaving a trace of itself behind. You get nice big ginger aromas wafting into your nose with faint grapefruit and then comes a taste of big ginger flavor hitting your tongue washing over your tastebuds with little bits of red grapefruit notes that are low on the acidic scale, and not too bitter but you get a nice tartness from the marriage of grapefruit and ginger. Ruby Redbird finish with a nice tart ginger flavor that has a slightly spicy ginger tingle with low but semi-sweet red grapefruit notes that then make for a ginger beer like aftertaste that does linger for a minute with a light mouthfeel. I see how this Spoetzl Brewery Shiner Ruby Redbird has grown in popularity to become a year-round beer. I still enjoy it and it is a B-. After a while, the ginger flavor starts to become a bit too much but I like ginger and ginger flavored things, but this a good sessionable beer and one that is worth trying. Please enjoy responsibly! Cheers!