The Beer News

Posted on by Evan

Here are this week’s news and event happening in the Charlotte, NC area!

  • Wednesday, October 3rd. Blood Mountain Blonde Ale -Pilot Batch Release. Triple C Brewing Company. 4 pm. This is a refreshing and easy drinking blonde ale that also has additions of vanilla and strawberries in the secondary. The vanilla gives the beer a smooth, creamy mouthfeel that also enhances the subtle strawberry flavor in this blonde ale.
    32 oz Crowler fills & 64 oz Growler fills available in the taproom.
    @bleubarnbistro will be out on the patio for dinner!    🍻 

  • Thursday, October 4th. Tap Takeover by OMB. Brass Tap 11 am-10 pm. 

  • Thursday, October 4th. Olde Hickory Brewing Tap Takeover. Carolina Beer Temple Charlotte. 6 pm-10 pm. Join us Thursday (Oct 4th) for an evening with Olde Hickory Brewery! We will be featuring several tasty beers from them and discounted pints and flights will be available all day long! The tap list is still being determined so please stay tuned. See you at the Temple!

  • Friday, October, 5th. Cousins Maine Lobster at Birdsong! Birdsong Brewing Co. 4:30 pm- 9 pm. Back by popular demand! Cousins Maine Lobster, as seen on Shark Tank, will here at Birdsong Brewing October 5th serving up their famous Maine Lobster from 4:30-9pm! ***Update: We will not have trivia on this night.

  • Friday, October 5th. Sticky When Wet IPA Release. NoDa Brewing Company. 2 pm-10 pm. Join us for the release of our wet-hopped brew, Sticky When Wet. We brew this beer just ONE day after the hops are harvested… so you know it’s as fresh and sticky as it can possibly get! This wet-hopped beer has an assertive bitterness, bright aroma, and flavors of peach and grapefruit that derive from heavy additions of Citra and Mosaic hops. Sitting at 6.3%, this brew is one you don’t want to miss.
    While you’re here for the release, be sure to grab some grub from TIN Kitchen starting at 5 pm, enjoy a free brewery tour at 6 pm, and stick around for live music from 7-9 pm.

  • Saturday, October 6th. Lenny Boy Q and Brew. Lenny Boy Brewing Co. 11 am- 11 pm. Q & Brew is a monthly event at the Lenny Boy Taproom. The first Saturday of every month we have live music, new beer, and kombucha releases, and fun vendors on-site. And of course, local BBQ smoked on-site 🍻
    Saturday, October 6th.
    Free live music from 3 – 6pm with The Remarks     🎸
    The Hunter’s Wife will be smoking up some amazing BBQ all-day.
    Menu:
    Brisket tacos w/ Pico de Gallo,
    Charro beans
    and Potato Salad

  • Saturday, October 6th. Sycamore 4 Year Anniversary! Sycamore Brewing Company. 12 pm-10 pm. We’ve changed a lot over the last few years and we’re only just getting started!
    To thank you for your support we’re throwing one hell of a party!! Come out and celebrate!
    Special beer releases, Giveaways,
    2 Stages with Live Music all day, Food Trucks!
    It’s going down!!
    *No Cover Charge!*
    Live music by:
    Porch 40
    PMA Positive Mental Attitude
    The Company Stores
    Falconheart
    Pluto for Planet
    and Atlas Road Crew (A.R.C)!!!
    Food By:
    Papi Queso Food Truck
    Gyro Twins Truck
    OooWee BBQ
    Baltimore Crab Cake Company – Charlotte
    Special Vendors:
    Glory Days Apparel
    Hubert’s Lemonade
    Shimmer Down GLITTER!

  • Sunday, October 7th. Monkey-Mosa Brunch. Brewers at 4001 Yancy. 11 am- 2 pm. Sundays were MADE for brunchin’ with the crew, but have you brunched Monkey-Mosa style? We’re bringing another piece of Victory Beer to the Queen City…hands down one of the greatest beer concoctions of all time!
    Join us on October 7th for Golden Monkey, Sour Monkey, and Sour Monkey Remix beermosas at Charlotte’s first edition of MONKEY-MOSA BRUNCH! Grab a table with your game day gang, enjoy brunch and watch the Panthers vs. Giants with us! Tag your #TasteBuds
    Check out the menu!
    Monkey Bread appetizer
    Sour Monkey French Toast Casserole w/ Maple Crumble
    Sausage and Egg Skillet w/ Crab and Golden Monkey Hollandaise
    Reservations for Monkey-Mosa brunch can be made here: brewersat4001yancey.com/reservations/ 

  • Sunday, October 7th. Brewers at 4001 Yancy adoption event.  Brewers at 4001 Yancy. 4 pm. Come out and join us at the awesome Brewers at 4001 Yancy adoption event! We’ll be repeating this event so this is just the first team-up between US! Come to meet our babies and relax on a great Sunday!

  • Tuesday, October 9th. NoDable Release: AIGI Winning Beer. NoDa Brewing Company. 4 pm-9 pm. Every single week, we release a brand new “NoDable” beer on Tuesday. This week’s brew comes from the winner of the AIGA’s Beer & Branding competition! We’ll be announcing the winner and their brew during the event.
    While you’re here, be sure to try a few of our 25+ brews and some TIN Kitchen for dinner. And, don’t forget you can take this week’s NoDable and many of our other beers to-go in a crowler!   

Mikkeller Beer Hallo Ich Bin Berliner Weisse (Pineapple)

Posted on by Evan

Pick up Mikkeller Beer Hallo Ich Bin Berliner Weisse (Pineapple), 3.7% ABV from Pop The Top Craft Beer Shop here in Charlotte this weekend. The gypsy brewers Mikkeller Beer brew this with lots of different fruits and I’ve had their Passion Fruit before and I picked up the blood orange verity. Hallo Ich Bin Berliner Weisse (Pineapple) pours a bright hazy yellow with a two finger quickly fading head that leaves very little lacing and gives off a tart sweet fruit pineapple aroma that leads into a taste of nice tart tropical pineapple with a touch of sweetness and a slight sour note on the back of the mouth with a nice tart fruity finish and a slightly sour tropical pineapple aftertaste with a light mouthfeel. This Hallo Ich Bin Berliner Weisse (Pineapple) does not have a big pineapple presence but it’s still tasty and worth a B. The tart notes come in right after you get a hit of pineapple flavor that keeps the pine from really shinning though. Overall a good tasty beer but just could have a little more pineapple, and this is one I would recommend trying. Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!

Throwback Thursday: Miami Brewing Co. Shark Bait

Posted on by Evan

Originally posted March 16th, 2015.

One of my favorite styles of beer the Wheat beer is also the first style I tied when I was getting into beer. This style is probably one of the most popular styles out there. Well, at least that is what I believe. Wheat style has a few substyles such as Dunkle, bock, and hefe, unfiltered, and filtered. This beer before us is Miami Brewing Co. Shark Bait Wheat Beer with mango juice, 5.3% ABV. Miami Brewing Co. is a relatively new brewery. There have been around since only 2011. Miami brewing isn’t located in Miami but they aren’t too far from it in Homestead Florida. Shark Bait pours a bright gold color with an almost one finger head the really dissipates quickly. I found plenty of light streaming through the glass with lots of great carbonation bubbles. The aroma on Shark Bait is nice with a fun bubblegum scent. I guess that is the combination of wheat and mango juice. The taste is much the same with a nice bubblegum flavor with faint wheat notes and a little mango, but mostly I get bubble gum throughout. This Shark Bait Wheat Beer is refreshing with a light mouthfeel. The finish is smooth and sweet with a bubble gum flavor. The aftertaste is a little fruit with tropical mango and still bubble gum but a little lighter than before. I really enjoy Miami Brewing Shark Bait Wheat Beer It’s a solid A. I liked the mixture of wheat and mango and the bubblegum flavor that I got off it. That was great and interesting. There is nothing I could find wrong with this beer. I recommend trying Miami Brewing Co. Shark Bait Wheat Beer. Go and try it for yourself. Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!

The Beer News

Posted on by Evan

Here are this week’s news and event happening in around the Charlotte, NC area!

  • Wednesday, September 26th. Wicked Weed and Blackfinn Tasting. 6:30 pm-8:30 pm. Blackfinn Ameripub. Tickets at eventbrite.com ($20). Wicked Weed and Blackfinn join together to provide a relaxed atmosphere upstairs for guests to enjoy a curated food/beer menu. Tickets are $20 and include a welcome toast along with four small plate food stations paired with exclusive beers from Wicked Weed to enjoy at your own pace. This event is great for groups & team building – group pricing is available!
  • Wednesday, September 26th. September After Hours. Sycamore Brewing. 5:30 pm-7:30 pm Tickets at businessleadersofchartlotte.com. Please join your Friends from the Business Leaders of Charlotte (BLOC) on September 26th for Charlotte’s premiere networking event for Professionals. Everyone is welcome to attend this event and we encourage you all to bring a guest. Bring plenty of business cards! This is a stop on the 2018 BLOC Brewery Tour, so come prepared to network and make some great connections! 
  • Thursday, September 27th. Sierra Nevada Oktoberfest Sampling. Duckworth’s Grill & Taphouse Ballantyne. 6 pm-8 pm. Sierra Nevada Oktoberfest Sampling – Oktoberfest, Kellerweis & Pale Ale on draft! We will have a rep on hand for sampling and giveaways like Sierra Nevada Oktoberfest Mugs.
    Best of all, we’re celebrating Sierra Nevada with $4 Oktoberfest and a Text 2 Win contest for two tickets to Sierra Nevada Oktoberfest in Mills River!
  • Thursday, September 27th. Yeast Expected: A Beer and Pizza Pairing Dinner. Mama Ricotta’s. 6 pm-8 pm. Tickets via Eventbrite.com. Join Mama Ricotta’s and NoDa Brewing Company as they bring you your two favorite gluten-filled foods: beer and pizza. The four-course dinner will include a different style of pizza and new beer per course. Meet the chef and brewer, and take the opportunity to ask them questions about the beer and pizza-making process. If you agree there’s not much better than putting beer and pizza together, you’re right. Tickets aren’t like pizza slices, no one will ask you before getting the last one, so purchase today.
  • Friday, September 28th. Teleporter Can Release. The Unknown Brewing Company. 5 pm-11 pm. TELEPORTER is back IN CANS Friday, September 28th in the taproom! Tele-Porter is a 7.2% robust porter with rich grain bill and dark malts that we brew with cocoa nibs from French Broad Chocolates, milk sugar and aromatic coffee roasted by our friends at Enderly Coffee Company. These ingredients give this beer a wonderful nose of coffee and chocolate, a creamy tan head, and rich mocha taste.
  • Friday, September 28th. Raspberry Stout Release. NoDo Brewing Company. 4 pm-10 pm. Join us for the release of a new raspberry Stout on draft! This deliciously chocolaty/raspberry 7% ABV brew is just what you need to ease you into the cooler weather this fall. As always, TIN Kitchen will be here serving up tasty grub, there will be a free 6 pm tour, and live music will begin at 7 pm! 
  • Saturday, September 29th. LUCKy Camper Session IPA Release. Triple C Brewing Company. 12 pm-10 pm. We brewed this session IPA for a private event with Camp LUCK but made enough to share in our taproom too! Added bonus $1 from each pint sold benefits their mission to encourage, comfort and empower those affected by congenital heart disease and to provide a healthy, worry-free (medically supervised) camp environment focused on nurturing the development of Lucky Unlimited Cardiac Kids.
    New Wrap Order will be on sight and we have live music from The Dan Staton Band from 5-8!
  • Saturday, September 29th. GIANT Release. Lenny Boy Brewing Co. 11 am-11 pm. We got together with our amazing friends at Carolina Bauernhaus Ales to bring you, Giant. Giant is a loveable 3.5% a.b.v. “small bier,” born 100% from the Piedmont of the Carolinas. We used our Lenny Boy Brewing Co. house wild cultures along with Riverbend Malt House barley, locally grown wheat, and 2lbs of Carolina Bauernhaus Ales homegrown, freshly-dried, Cascade hops to bring you this specialty brew. Don’t be fooled by Giant’s small stature though; like the late Carolina Bauernhaus Ales canine mascot for whom this beer is named, Giant is small and smooth to the touch, but watch out… He’s bitter and a bit tart, and just may bite. All collaborations at Carolina Bauernhaus and Lenny Boy are a welcomed exchange of culture, both figuratively and literally. Sharing brewing philosophy with the like-minded, hyper-local-inspired breweries that inspire us is what collaboration is all about.
    This is a small batch collab – come out and try Giant while it lasts.
  • Monday, October 1st. Tap Takeover by OMB. Brass Tap South End. 11 am-10 pm. 
  • Tuesday, October 2nd. Urban Hop Project Fresh Hop IPA Release! Triple C Brewing Company. 4 pm-9 pm. We had our largest harvest to date at 33.4 lbs, but we scaled volume way down to get as much hop flavor as possible!!! All 33.4 lbs of Cascade hops went into the Whirlpool producing an amazing melon, cantaloupe, hoppy dankness. Dry hopped with our second smaller brewery grown Cascade Harvest. This beer is a truly unique ode to North Carolina with 100% brewery grown Cascade Hops and NC Grown Riverbend Malt House Malts.
    Draft and 32oz crowlers will be for sale. Bleu Barn Bistro has dinner covered. 

Foothills Brewing Tangled Vine Berry RosĂ© Ale

Posted on by Evan

Purchased Foothills Brewing Tangled Vine Berry RosĂ©, 4.4% ABV from my local Harris Teeter grocery store in a six-pack. Tangled Vine is part of a trend in the beer and wine industry where Rose style beers and wine is very popular at the moment and is brewed cranberries, sour cherries, and strawberries. Tangled Vine pours light pink almost orange hued color with a half finger white head that quickly fades into a very little halo giving off aromas off tart strawberry fruit that is a bit sour that then leads you to a dry tart strawberry sour taste that has a very small sweet note on the back of the mouth that finishes dry with strawberry tart notes and a dry tart strawberry fruit aftertaste with a light mouthfeel. Overall this does taste like RosĂ© and this would be something I recommend giving to anyone that is more of a wine drinker but would like to have a beer, and with that I find Foothills Brewing Tangled Vine Berry RosĂ© Ale to be a C. It has very light flavors that aren’t bad but not the best and while it is refreshing and light the flavors aren’t that memorable. It would be a beer I’d recommend but not one you need to try as soon as possible. Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly.

Sugar Creek Brewing Company Raspberry White Ale

Posted on by Evan

Picked up Sugar Creek Brewing Company Raspberry White Ale, 4.4% ABV from Whole Foods. Raspberry White Ale pours a light red/pink color with a light one and a quarter pink/red head that gives off aromas of tart slightly sour fruit (raspberries) with very little to no white ale like aromas that them take you towards a flavor of sweet yet sour/tart fruit with a slight dryness in the middle and back of the mouth with a nice light tart raspberry finish with a quickly fading tart fruit finish with a light mouthfeel. This Raspberry White Ale from Sugar Creek Brewing Company wasn’t what I was hoping it was going to be, it didn’t have much white ale characteristics and it was more of a sour raspberry ale that was on the lighter side of raspberry sour. So overall I give Creek Brewing Company Raspberry White Ale a C+. Yes, I found it drinkable and not so bad but I just didn’t think it was as the label advertised and to me that keeps it down on grading. Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!

Mother Earth Brewing Endless River Kolsch-Style Ale

Posted on by Evan

I have not had a Mother Earth Brewing, (Kinston, North Carolina) in a long while, and This is Endless River Kolsch-Style Ale, 4.9% ABV which I pick up from Whole Foods. This beer pours a clear golden color with a thin one and a half finger white head that fades away into a thin ring on the edge of the glass giving off a semi fruity sweet aroma with a crispness to it that leads into a clean fruity semi sweetness with a little dry note in the middle that grows on the back of the mouth that then finishes smooth with a nice touch of light fruited sweetness and a lingering light sweetness with a light mouthfeel. Overall just a good average Kolsch with good flavors but nothing that really stands out. Endless River Kolsch- Style Ale is a B-. I enjoy it and I think that this is a beer that you can drink many of without it being overwhelming or your mouth, I recommend Mother Earth Brewing Endless River Kolsch- Style Ale. Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!

The Beer News

Posted on by Evan

Here are this week’s news and events happening in and around the Charlotte, NC area.

  • Wednesday, September 12th. Cousins Maine Lobster at Red Clay Ciderworks for Trivia Night. 6 pm-8 pm. Red Clay Ciderworks. Cousins Maine Lobster, as seen on ABC’s Shark Tank, will be at Red Clay Ciderworks for Trivia Night on Sept. 12 from 6-8pm. Come early, stay late, drink cider and eat lobster.
  • Wednesday, September 12. Sierra Nevada Oktoberfest Sampling. 6 pm-8 pm. Duckworth’s Grill & Taphouse Park Rd. Sierra Nevada Oktoberfest Sampling – Oktoberfest, Kellerweis & Pale Ale on draft! We will have a rep on hand for sampling and giveaways like Sierra Nevada Oktoberfest Mugs.
    Best of all, we’re celebrating Sierra Nevada with $4 Oktoberfest and a Text 2 Win contest for two tickets to Sierra Nevada Oktoberfest in Mills River! 
  • Thursday, September 13th. Passion Fruit Gose. 4 pm-9 pm. Lenny Boy Brewing Co. Passion Fruit Gose has been one of our most popular wild ales – so we decided to can some of this batch for the first time.
    Passionfruit Gose is a wheat ale, sour’d and blended with heaps of passionfruit to give the beer a memorable fruity and slightly tart finish. 4.8% ABV.
    These cans will be available for purchase at the Taproom on September 13th – 4-packs are $12.99.
    You’ll see these cans in grocery stores, bottle shops, and retailers soon after the release 🍻
  • Friday, September 14th. Cheese and Cider Pairing. 7 pm-8:30 pm. Red Clay Ciderworks. Tickets $20.79 @ eventbrite.com. Red Clay Ciderworks and Orrman’s Cheese Shop are joining forces to bring you a sensational night of cheese and cider pairings! Cider maker Jay Bradish and cheese expert Rachel Klebaur will be on hand to walk you through four different pairings, each with their own delectable panache.
    Seating for this event is limited, so don’t wait to purchase your ticket!
    Ticket holders please check in at the bar upon arrival.
  • Friday, September 14th. King Don’s Pumpkin Ale Release. 12 pm-11 pm. Catawba Brewing Company. The King is returning!
  • Saturday, September 15th, Blinded By The Light Kolsch. 12 pm-10 pm. Triple C Brewing Company. Blinded By The Light is a light, easy drinking Kolsch with a crisp, clean finish and hint of fruitiness.
    New Wrap Order food truck will be in the house and Pluto for Planet playing live outside from 5-8
    Pints and crowlers for sale.
  • Saturday, September 15th. Pucker Up! 9 am-11 pm. Temple Mojo. Join us on Saturday, September 15th, for Pucker Up! A sour beer event with Lenny Boy Brewing.
    We will be featuring 4 of their sour ales on tap all day long and they are ones you don’t want to miss!
    A rep will be out in the early afternoon to hang out and answer all your questions about their sour program.
    Tap List:
    – Passionfruit Gose
    – Peach Please
    – Berliner Vine with Muscadine Grapes
    – Berliner Vine with Scuppernong Grapes
    See you out there!
  • Monday, September 17th. Oktoberfest Release. NoDa Brewing Company. 4 pm -9 pm. We’re honoring the best beer celebration in the world, Oktoberfest, by releasing our Oktoberfest beer, a Märzen Lager, during the first week of Germany’s festival. Plus, we’re even canning our brew this year (and selling some matching steins)!
    Our 6.3% ABV, full-bodied Märzen Lager is brewed with German Bach yeast, German malts (Vienna, Munich, and Pilsner), and, you guessed it, German hops. Celebrating Oktoberfest is easy with this brew’s light amber color, malt-forward taste, and crisp finish.
    While you’re here, enjoy dinner from TIN Kitchen and grab some cans to-go.
  • Tuesday, September 18th. Town Brown Beer Tasting. 5:30pm. Wesley Village Apartments. Town Brewing will be holding a “tasting” at our complex September 18, at 5:30 to promote their grand opening! Make sure to stop by and figure out what your favorite brew will be! 

Captain Lawrence Brewing Company Tropigose Gose Style Ale

Posted on by Evan

Captain Lawrence Brewing Company Tropigose Gose Style Ale, 4.5% ABV is another beer in my recent mixed six pack from Whole Foods and is brewed with passion fruit and guava. This Captain Lawrence Brewing company from Elmsford New York pours a Golden color with a two and a quarter white head that fades into a nice halo giving off tart tropical fruit notes with a slight bit of sour to it that take you down to a flavor or tart tropical fruits such as passion fruits front with a little melon in the middle that are nicely tart with hints of sour notes with a nice tart passion fruit finish and a nice tart fruited aftertaste that lingers with a hint of sour fruit with a light mouthfeel. Captain Lawrence Brewing Company Tropigose is a good beer but not enough passion fruit nor is they any trace of guava fruit, if you put that on the can then I think there should be enough to make it so, and I give this beer a B-. It not a bad beer for a Gose style ale but it just misses the amount of fruit flavor. It needs just enough to let you know its in there and yes I recommend Captain Lawrence Brewing Company Tropigose. It’s good otherwise! Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!

Lagunitas Brewing Co. Cherry Jane Sour Ale

Posted on by Evan

Pick up Lagunitas Brewing Company Cherry Jane Sour Ale 5.5% ABV as part of a mixed six pack from Whole Foods. Cherry Jane Sour Ale is brewed with Turkish Delight Cherry Juice and pours a deep red cherry color with a dark pink two finger head that fades down into a light ring with very little lacing giving off tart sour cherry notes that have bit of a dryness that takes you to a similar taste with sour, tart, fruity dry flavors with a dry finish that is tart and fruity with a tartly dry aftertaste with a light mouthfeel. Overall Lagunitas Brewing Company Cherry Jane Sour Ale is a good beer that isn’t to mouth puckering sour/tart, I give it a B. The dry notes keep it down a little on making it a wonderful, but this is a beer that I would come back to and recommend trying. Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!