Burial Beer Co. Shadowclock Pilsner

Posted on by Evan

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I picked up Burial Beer Co. Shadowclock Pilsner, 5.5% ABV with 35 IUBs at Good Bottle Co. very recently. This beer is brewed in Asheville, N.C. with German Barley, American Corn and dry-hopped with Saphir and Tettnanger hops and is unfiltered. Shadowclock Pilsner pours a  yellow like color with a thin two finger head that falls steadily back into itself giving you sense of smell aroma of a flowery sweet lemon aroma that leads you to flavor of more floral flowers with a touch of honey sweetness with very faint lemon note that comes to a bitter yet slightly hoppy flavor on the back that finishes semi-sweet and faintly hoppy with a honeyflower aftertaste with a light mouthfeel. I do find that Burial Beer Co. beer to be good and this was close I give this a B- just a little too hoppy on the end for a pilsner but wasn’t terrible and yes I would have this again as well as recommend this Burial Beer Co. Shadowclock Pilsner to you. It was interesting and tasty, and worth picking up a few. Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!

Holy City Brewing Paradise Session India Pale Ale

Posted on by Evan

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Holy City Brewing (Charleston, South Carolina), Paradise Session India Pale Ale, 4.7% ABV is brewed with Citra and Mosaic hops and to celebrate the prevention of drilling of the South Carolina Coast and support The Coastal Conservation League. Paradise pours a hazy yellow color with a thin two finger white head that fades into itself in a rapid manner giving off aromas of tropical sweet fruits with a nice nostril smack of bitterness with a little floral aroma that leads you to the sip of tropical fruit flavors with a nice serge of bitter floral notes that are semi-sweet that all come together to a bitter tropical finish that is a bit smooth and an aftertaste of bitter tropical fruit and floral notes with a thin dry like mouthfeel. Overall Paradise Session India Pale Ale wasn’t bad but I found the flavor to be just a tiny bit over what I would call a sessionable flavor and that gives it a C+. I mean I could probably drink three and then I would be tired of the flavor of this beer. But the flavor is spot on for a more tropical IPA and I would recommend it to anyone especially in the summertime. Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!     

Throwback Thursday: Abita Brewing Company Pecan Harvest Ale

Posted on by Evan

Orginally posted on November 4, 2011. First post ever!

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If you are not familiar with Abita beer then please familiarize yourself with them now. Every season of the year Abita brews a different harvest beer. One for each season spring, summer, fall, and winter. This particular seasonal harvest ale (fall season) is brewed with pale, Munich biscuit and caramel malts and Willamette hops. Real Louisiana roasted pecans are added in the brewhouse. The Abita brewery uses natural spring water from the Abita Springs. This ale has ABV (alcohol by volume) of 5%. This harvest ale pours a nice orangey amber color. The clean white head fades away quick. This Abita has a nice aroma of fresh pecans with a slight caramel scent. On the first taste, you get a nutty flavor followed by a buttery creamy taste. Aftertaste you’ll find it to be creamy and rich almost binging your grandmother’s nutty-sweet pecan pie to your mind and a smile. It has a smooth aftertaste,  Its good! I love this one, it grew on me and I will buy it again. Abita does a great job with a lot of its beers, I can’t say the same for their brewery tour. That’s a topic for another post. So grab one now before its gone and share with family friends, and loved ones! Cheers! Please Drink Responsibly!

The Beer News

Posted on by Evan

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

  • Friday, February 9th River’s Edge Craft Dinner U.S. National Whitewater Center-Wooden Robot. 6:30 pm-9 pm. Ticket info USNWC.org. Join us at River’s Edge for Craft Dinner, taking place Friday evenings from December 1st through February 9th. Enjoy a five-course dinner created by Executive Chef Michael Rayfield with a 6 oz. beer pairing for each course. Each night will feature a different regional brewery including New Sarum Brewing Company, Legion Brewing, Triple C Brewing Co., Sycamore Brewing, Highland Brewing Company, Legal Remedy Brewing Co., Birdsong Brewing Company, Lenny Boy Brewing Co., Sugar Creek Brewing Company, Wooden Robot Brewery.
    EVENT DETAILS:
    Location: U.S. National Whitewater Center
    Brewery: Wooden Robot Brewery
    Price: $60 per person
    Time: 6:30 -9:00 pm
    Registration closes the day prior to each event at midnight
    Vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options are available. Please select your dietary preference after selecting a date for registration.
    Suitable for ages 21 and up
    UPGRADE: CHEF’S TABLE
    Upgraded experience featuring a chef-prepared meal inside the kitchen
    Interact directly with the Chef to learn how each dish is created, how ingredients are sustainably sourced, and receive a kitchen tour
    Price: $70 per person
    Time: 6:30 -9:00 pm
    MENU
    http://usnwc.org/relax/adventure-dining/rivers-edge-craft-dinner/   
  • Saturday, February 10th Chocolate Covered Pretzel Stout Release. Triple C Brewing Company. 12 pm-10 pm. Bourbon Barrel Aged Chocolate Covered Pretzel Stout is back just in time for Valentines Day! We are bringing back the Coconut Variant and have a new Cinnamon and Cayenne Pepper variant! All three will be on draft and in bombers.
    Limits – 6/3/3 per customer while they last!!  
  • Saturday, February 10th Juice Willis Can Release. Sycamore Brewing. 12 pm-11 pm. Welcome to the party, pal! Blast off on a Nelson and Galaxy hop juice ride! Juice Willis is heading for cans!
  •  Saturday, February 10th IPA Series Release #2 Turn To Stone IPA. Birdsong Brewing Company Remember the release of Sexy Hop IPA on our 6 year anniversary this past December? Well, that was the first beer in our brand new IPA series & we’re ready to release #2, “Turn to Stone” IPA w/ Medusa Hops! Check out the description below:
    Wild, innovative, and a first for Charlotte Turn to Stone IPA utilizes an entirely new species of hop called Medusa™. With a simple malt bill, we let the hop shine so you can experience the bright aromatics of melon and guava with a light bitterness that leaves a clean and pleasant finish.
    Turn to Stone will be released in the taproom on Saturday, February 10th. Draught & cans will go on sale at 12pm. Cans will be limited & first come first serve. Cheers!
  •  Monday, February 12th Beer and Chocolate Pairing. Catawba Brewing Company Charlotte. 6:30 pm-7:30 pm. Tickets at Eventbrite.com. indulge in different chocolates paired with a flight of Catawba Beer.
    Ticket includes a flight of Catawba Beer which consists of 4 different pours. It also includes 4 different chocolates, one to pair with each beer. Learn how the beer and chocolate were made and why the flavors compliment each other. Experience, Learn and Socialize.
    Additional beer and chocolate will be available for purchase.
    Please be advised some chocolate contains nuts.
    Limited tickets available. Tickets will not be available for purchase onsite. All taxes and fees included in ticket price. Must be 21 to attend.  
  • Tuesday, February 13th Birdsong Local Beer & Dessert Paring! Birdsong Brewing Company. 7:30 pm-8:30 pm. Sure, there are plenty of “romantic” things to do around Valentine’s Day but how about a friendly local beer & dessert pairing?
    We decided to take our favs from a few local area bakeries & pair them with some of our favorite cold weather brews from the season! It was hard work coming up with the pairings, but somehow we managed & we think you’ll be delighted! Join us on February 13th at 7:30pm for this special 4-course pairing! This pairing is for EVERYONE! $30 tickets are ONLY AVAILABLE ONLINE IN ADVANCE via Eventbrite here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/birdsong-beer-dessert-pairing-tickets-42127290861
    No tickets will be sold the day of or at the door. Tickets are also limited so please book in advance. The menu is posted below, cheers!
    This collaboration would not have been possible without Amélie’s French Bakery & Café, Central Coffee Co., FuManChu Cup Cakes, & Golden Cow Creamery!

Hi-Wire Brewing Hi-Wire Lager

Posted on by Evan

I had Hi-Wire Brewing Hi-Wire Lager a little while back at a friends house and I thought to myself that I should review this beer. I recently picked up Hi-Wire Lager at my local Harris Teeter grocery store. Hi-Wire Lager is brewed with light Pilsen malt & German hops that pours a bright yellow color with a bright two finger slowly fading white head with sweet aromas of Pilsen malts and a light grain note that is accompanied by a taste of a sweet malt flavor of light crispy grains that finish with a light crisp sweetness with a sweet bread like aftertaste  that doesn’t stick around to long with a light mouth feel that is refreshing and smooth. When I first had this lager a while back it was great and still after having  Hi-Wire Brewing Hi-Wire Lager it’s still good, getting an A. Hi-Wire Lager is a great craft lager and one that is very sessionable with ease of dinking. I highly recommend you try Hi-Wire Brewing Hi-Wire Lager and buy many it’s that good! Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!

Destihl Brewery Abby’s Single

Posted on by Evan

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Destihl Brewery In Bloomington Illinois brews Abby’s Single, 5.5% BVV with 22 IBUs which is classified as a Belgian Pale Ale or a beer that was brewed by the monks for everyday consumption. Abby’s Single pours a somewhat orange color with a one and a half finger white head that fades into a little halo with a spicy phenolics noted aroma with a faint note of yeast that pulls you to a semi-sweet yet spicy phenolic and yeasted note with faint fruit flavor that has a very faint and weak bitter note on the end and finishes with a slight spicy yeast note and an aftertaste of  some fruit that is a bit on the faint side with a light mouthfeel. This was not the best Abby Single I’ve had but it was not bad, it’s a B-. Not bold enough flavors on this to push it to a great A+ beer, but it was good and tasty enough. I would recommend trying Destihl BreweryAbby’s Single it’s worth a try I think. Cheers! please enjoy responsibly! 

Throwback Thursday: Fullsteam Brewery Working Man’s Lunch

Posted on by Evan

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One reason for buying beer for me is the label, it can depend on how neat and/or interesting it is. Another reason for buying a beer could be the style of beer or the brewery. Well I bought a Fullsteam beer recently because of the fact that it is a Fullsteam beer, the label looked very interesting and I like the style. I bought Fullsteam Working Man’s Lunch, Everyday Chocolate Ale. 5.7% ABV. Fullsteam is a local North Carolina brewery in Durham, North Carolina. The name of this beer is a tribute to the original working man’s lunch a Moon Pie (big chocolate covered crusted cookie/pie with marshmallow inside) and a cola. Working Man’s Lunch is a chocolate brown ale, brewed with chocolate from Raleigh’s Escazu Artisan Chocolate and Weizen Yeast. Sounds interesting. Working Man’s Lunch pours a brown color with dark ruby brown edges and a two finger white head that fades nicely into some bubbly lacing. I found no amounts of light coming through with a little carbonation bubble, not to say this isn’t carbonated. The aroma is sweet with hints of chocolate and fine yeasty notes. I didn’t get much Weizen aroma from this. Working Man’s Lunch has a nice sweet taste in front of nice light cocoa/chocolate flavors. I found a little cola flavor in the middle that was the slightest bit odd but not too bad tasting. I was looking for so weizen like flavors and found none, no banana notes here. But I did get a yeasty flavor on the end that was okay But as this beer warms it becomes more and more of a brown ale. The mouthfeel is high medium and sweet, and Working Man’s Lunch finishes nice silky with a sweet aftertaste that lingers enough for you to really savor Working Man’s Lunch. Overall an interesting brown ale, so I give this a B-.  I didn’t really find any traces of the Weizen flavors here at all, and that brought it down a little, but other than that it was good as a brown ale. Not really overly heavy or thick. I would recommend Fullsteam’s Working Man’s Lunch. So go out and try it! Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!

The Beer News

Posted on by Evan

Here are this week’s happenings in and around the Charlotte, NC area.

  • Thursday, February 1st Birdsong Brewing Co. Buffalo Trace Turtles on Pterodactyls. 3 pm-10 pm It’s not every day that we release a 4-pack of barrel aged yumminess! Join us on 2/1 for the release of Buffalo Trace Turtles of Pterodactyls! In case you aren’t familiar, Turtles on Pterodactyls is our beloved Mexicali Stout aged in bourbon barrels! This year Mexicali was aged in Buffalo Trace Distillery bourbon barrels and will be offered in cans instead of bottles! We’ll be releasing it on draught & in 16oz can 4-packs at 3pm on 2/1!
  • Friday, February 2nd U.S. National Whitewater Center. Rivers Edge Craft Dinner with Sugar Creek Brewing Co. 6:30 pm-9 pm Tickets at USNWC.org. Join us at River’s Edge for Craft Dinner, taking place Friday evenings from December 1st through February 9th. Enjoy a five-course dinner created by Executive Chef Michael Rayfield with a 6 oz. beer pairing for each course. Each night will feature a different regional brewery including New Sarum Brewing Company, Legion Brewing, Triple C Brewing Co., Sycamore Brewing, Highland Brewing Company, Legal Remedy Brewing Co., Birdsong Brewing Company, Lenny Boy Brewing Co., Sugar Creek Brewing Company, Wooden Robot Brewery.
    EVENT DETAILS:
    Location: U.S. National Whitewater Center
    Brewery: Sugar Creek Brewing
    Price: $60 per person
    Time: 6:30 -9:00 pm
    Registration closes the day prior to each event at midnight
    Vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options are available. Please select your dietary preference after selecting a date for registration.
    Suitable for ages 21 and up
    UPGRADE: CHEF’S TABLE
    Upgraded experience featuring a chef-prepared meal inside the kitchen
    Interact directly with the Chef to learn how each dish is created, how ingredients are sustainably sourced, and receive a kitchen tour
    Price: $70 per person
    Time: 6:30 -9:00 pm
    MENU http://usnwc.org/relax/adventure-dining/rivers-edge-craft-dinner/
  • Friday, February 2nd Catawba Brewing Co. Charlotte. King Coconut Release 12 pm-11 pm Western North Carolina’s original coconut beer returns for the 14th year! It was 2004 when Catawba brewers had the stroke of genius to age a rich chocolatey porter on oven-toasted coconut. And this silky smooth “candy bar in a can” has continued to be a crowd favorite every year since, with many a luau held in its honor. King Coconut Porter has traditionally seen a limited summer release to celebrate its tropical side. But in 2018 we’re moving it up to late winter, as an appetizer course before our PB&J release. Because it’s always a good time for liquid dessert! 
  • Saturday, February 3rd Trackside Crafts Nugget Nectar Firkin. 12 pm-10 pm. We are fortunate to have a firkin of Troegs’ excellent Nugget Nectar this year! We’ll tap it, along with a keg of the 2015 Mad Elf. It ages wonderfully, and we’ll have more from Troegs to be featured as well. Don’t miss out on this special cask! Like our page, and follow us on Instagram & Twitter, too!  
  • Sunday, February 4th. Legion Brewing Release Why So Cereal 10 am-8 pm You’ve been waiting patiently… now join us for the release of “Why So Cereal”, our Cinnamon Toast Crunch Blonde Ale in collaboration withCharlotteFive and Queen City Brewers Festival!
    We will be serving up some fun Cinnamon Toast Crunch brunch items to enjoy with your pint full of Saturday morning goodness!
    Thanks to Dave McClure for this awesome name- “Why So Cereal” will be available on tap and in crowlers to-go!
  • Tuesday, February 6th The Casual Pint Troegs Nugget Nectar First Squeeze Event. 6 pm- 8pm. Once a year, as the new hop harvest arrives at Tröegs, we blend super-fresh Nugget, Palisade and Simcoe hops into this Imperial Amber Ale. Excessively dry-hopped, Nugget Nectar is an explosion of pine, resin and mango. Also on tap, some of Troegs R&D Room SCRATCH brews!!

Deschutes Brewery Pacific Wonderland Lager

Posted on by Evan

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I pick up Deschutes Brewery Pacific Wonderland Lager, 5.5% ABV and 40 IBUs at my local grocery store in a make your own six-pack. Pacific Wonderland Lager is a dry-hopped lager with Mandarina Bavaria Hops and pours a hazy bright yellow with a tow bring bright white head that slowly falls into itself giving off bitter lemon aromas with a hoppy note the is faint at best, and you get a hoppy/bitter lemon flavor that is faintly dry with some almost none existent sweetness with a dry bitter lemon finish and a similar lemon aftertaste that linger a little with a lighter mouthfeel. This was slightly better than average, so a C+ from me. I like it a little at some points while drinking this Pacific Wonderland Lager and I also didn’t like it at the other points as well. I found the hoppy notes trying to take over the lemon flavor which made for a weird flavor in your mouth but it fades rapidly and a lager flavor came int to play on the back of the mouth which helped. I don’t recommend this Deschutes Brewery Pacific Wonderland Pacific Wonderland lager and I probably won’t come back to this beer soon. Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!    

Allagash Brewing Comapny Hive 56 Ale Brewed with Honey and Brettanomyces

Posted on by Evan

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I picked this Allagash Brewing Company Hive 56 Ale Brewed with Honey and Brettanomyces, 9.2% ABV up from a clearance cart in my local grocery store beer and wine department just the other day. Hive 56 is a dark sour ale aged with honey in an oak foudre for eighteen months and blended with dark Munich malt, chocolate wheat, midnight wheat, roasted barley, and hopped with Cascade and Northern Brewer. Hive 56 undergoes initial fermentation with Allagash’s house yeast; then they transfer the beer to a foudre with Brettanoyces Bruxellensis  (a type of wild/living yeast) and fresh honey from their own beehives. Hive 56 pours a dark brown color with a two finger slow beige head giving off dark fruit aromas with some sweetness and a slight honey note, that takes you into a sweet dark fruit/ tropical fruit taste with nice slight touches of honey that finish with a strong note from the 9.2% ABV and some slight sweetness and a nice fruited  aftertaste with a fuller mouthfeel that kind of sticks to your tongue for a short bit. Hive 56 is an interesting beer that has a lot going on, I give  Allagash Brewing Company Hive 56 Ale Brewed with Honey and Brettanomyces a B. I could taste a  big tropical fruit flavor on this beer, it was faint at best but you get more dark fruits which are good. I don’t think this beer is for everyone, and I think you have to really enjoy most styles of beer to really want to try this or to like this beer. Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!