Founders Brewing Co. DKML Imperial Malt Liquor Age in Bourbon Barrels

Posted on by Evan

IMG_5419

Picked up Founders Brewing Co. DKML Imperial Malt Liquor, 14.2% ABV at Vintner Wine Market here in Charlotte, NC. This is a Bourbon barrel aged beer is aged in a bourbon barrel and dry-hopped and has corn added. DMKL pours an orange color with a quarter finger white head that fades into a nice halo giving you a strong boozy alcoholic aroma, you definitely can smell whiskey/bourbon on DKML. Taste is strong with flavors of whiskey/bourbon and on the end, you get a big bitter alcoholic note with a warming alcoholic finish and a bitter whiskey aftertaste. If you look past the high ABV.strong alcohol this isn’t a bad beer, I say it’s a C. This beer doesn’t have a lot going on beside the bourbon barrel aging and the 14.2% ABV but those qualities were not too bad. I don’t think this is one that I will come back to anytime soon nor would I recommend it. It was interesting enough. Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!       

Throwback Thursday: Epic Brewing Brainless on Peaches

Posted on by Evan

Originally posted on June 13, 2012.

IMG_0848

You don’t have to be brainless to like this! Here we have a beer from Epic Brewings Exponential Series, this is Brainless on Peaches 10.7% abv. This is a Belgian style ale that is brewed with peaches and on French oak barrels. This is special because they only brew enough for 1,800 one pint six fluid ounce bottle. Lucky me! Well this pours a glassy golden color with a bright thin head. There is plenty of peach scents to this beer. There is a nice small faint scent of grain but I was really looking hard for that, but I found that but it smells just like a true Belgian ale, just with lots of peaches. The taste is nice and peachy with a strong alcoholic flavor. The aftertaste is sweet grainy and yes peachy, and still strong. I found this overall surprisingly good. I thought it would be dark and bitter, with a faint hint of a peach. But I was wrong, so wrong. This was tasty indeed. I was surprised. See not all barrel aged bee is what you think, dark bitter, heavy strong, yeah I know this one was but it was the good kind of strong, and some tend to be thick and not so good with taste but I give Epic Brewing Brainless on Peaches an A. I will be more open-minded toward barrel aged beer since having this tasty fellow. Now go forth and have one of these and tell me it’s not good, bet you can’t! Cheers! Please drink responsibly!  

The Beer News

Posted on by Evan

Here is this week’s news and happening in around the Charlotte North Carolina area. 

  • October 27th Friday 3 pm-10 pm The Unknown Brewing Company Limited Release: “Gamble Everything” Hazy Double IPA. We may be late to the haze craze but we wanted to make sure she was just right! We are proud to announce our special release next Friday will be our brand new Hazy Double Pale Ale titled “Gamble Everything”! This Double IPA is dry hopped with the juiciest hops we could get our hands on and brewed with flaked oats and creamy malts to give this beer a tremendous mouthfeel! The name “Gamble Everything” has always been a part of our mantra…since we started 4 years ago, we have always had our toes over the last edge! See you next Friday at the limited release! 
  • October 27th Friday 4 pm-10 pm Noda Brewing Company Limited Release 2016 BBA (Bourbon Barrel Aged) Between the Berries and Me. We’re tapping a very limited amount of 2016 Bourbon Barrel Aged Between the Berries and Me to really kick-off our sixth-anniversary celebrations! Join us as soon as you can, because this delicious brew won’t last long! Plus, TIN Kitchen will be here serving up dinner and there will be some great live music, from PALEFACE, to keep you entertained! Plus don’t forget to join us for the rest of the weeks anniversary festivities:
    Saturday, 10/28: The NoDa Games
    Sunday, 10/29: Sixth Birthday Bash
    Monday, 10/30: Lucky No. 7 Celebration 
  • October 28th Saturday 12 pm-10:05 pm The Unknown Brewing Company Buzzed City Beer Release Party. The Brewing Process for Buzzed City Beer for Bring Back The Buzz Has Bee-gun! (Is that enough “B’s”?) The tentative dates for the finish given to us by Unknown Brewing Company have us looking to sync the party with the beginning of the Hornets Season! PERFECT!!! 👌 Come and bee the first to enjoy the “Buzzed City” Beer and taste the first sips along with us! The legendary Charlotte photographer Uncle Jut will be showcasing his works and selling his prints! Fitzgerald’s Irish Pub (one of the locations that will carry the beer all season long) will be providing snacks for those who come to get their Buzz on! Brixx Wood Fired Pizza (who will be carrying Buzzed City at all their Charlotte locations) will be giving away coupons for FREE PIZZAS!!! We will, of course, be selling our gear, giveaways and as always raffling off items for local charities! We are still working on a lot of the details like providing a basketball hoop for people to shoot around 😉 BUT we just wanted you to mark your calendar so you can celebrate with us Hornets fans having our own beer! Thank You!!!  
  • October 29th Sunday 3 pm-5 pm Wooden Robot Brewery Down. Stay.For the month of October KeenDog and Wooden Robot Brewery partnered up to bring you Down. Stay. IPA – with $1 from all beers sold going to, Leashes of Valor. LOV raises and pairs PTSD service dogs for veterans at no cost. On the 29th we will be having our wrap party from 3-5 at Wooden Robot, along with a costume contest for your fur friend (prizes for top 3), Leashes of Valor will be there to answer any questions you have. So come out after the game for a good time and a good cause! IPA Wrap Up Party & Holloween Costume Contest. 
  • October 29th Sunday 11 am-7 pm NoDa Brewing Company Sixth Birthday Bash Who says there’s nothing to celebrate year six?! We’ve got so much to be grateful for, including you, our faithful customers! To celebrate the support you’ve given us since 2011, we’re throwing a birthday bash to remember! TIN Kitchen will be serving up a special birthday brunch, plus there will be live music (John Dungan from 2-4 pm and 2 Ukes, a Banjo and a Box from 5-7 pm) and giveaways, and (of course) a special birthday beer release! It’s our Anniversary Ale, a strong ale aged in bourbon barrels sitting at 12.3%! Not only will we be celebrating on this Sunday, but we’ll also be throwing several anniversary-themed events before and after. Stay tuned to our events page so you don’t miss out on any of the fun!
  • November 19th Sunday 1 pm-4 pm Birdsong Brewing Co Fall Oyster Roast by Birdsong and RockSalt! Fall is upon us and we’re celebrating with an Oyster Roast! Our friends from Rocksalt Charlotte are bringing the oysters and the steamers down from Rappahannock River Oysters, LLC and will be on site taking care of the oyster side of things while we serve up a fresh batch of Clustershuck Cajun Oyster Stout brewed with….. you guessed it, fresh oysters! Buckets of steamed/roasted oysters will be $15 & RockSalt will be shucking raw oysters to order for $1 each! The Panthers are off that Sunday and we hope you can carve out a few hours from your pre-Thanksgiving prep agendas to relax with a few pints of delicious local beer and enjoy some super fresh oysters sold by the bucket! This event is family friendly, so all are encouraged to join! 11/19/17 1-4 PM.  Rocksalt Charlotte, located in the Park Road Shopping Center, is our Oyster Roast event partner! They specialize in sustainable seafood and are proud to offer a variety of local craft beer and beverages as well. Check them out for daily oyster specials and more! 

Cabarrus Brewing Co. 600 Ale

Posted on by Evan

IMG_5412

I first heard of Cabarrus Brewing Co. 600 Ale, 4.9% ABV in the local Charlotte newspaper earlier this year. The beer celebrates the history of the Charlotte Motor Speedway and was originally brewed in Concordfor the two NASCAR spring races, The All-Star, and the Coke-Cola 600 which are both in May, and this 600 Ale (a golden ale) was only available at Charlotte Motor Speedway until I saw it on the shelf at Total Wine here. 600 Ale is brewed with 2 Row Barley, Munich and wheat malts from America’s heartland and Herkules Hops. 600 Ale pours a clear crisp gold color with a bright white half a finger head that quickly fades way giving off a semi-sweet corn aroma with a very faint wheat note and has a clean semi-sweet corn/wheat flavor with a brightness to it with a nice clean refreshing smooth finish and a light sweet aftertaste all with a light easy drinking mouthfeel. This beer is definitely a beer that you can drink throughout a NASCAR race. It’s easy drinking and sessionable. Cabarrus Brewing Co. 600 Ale is a B+. It’s good and refreshing with just enough flavor. If you can find 600 Ale I recommend that you try it! Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!       

Victory Brewing Company Home Grown New American Lager

Posted on by Evan

IMG_5407

Victory Brewing Company Home Grown New American Lager, 4.8% ABV came to me from a wonder Brewpublik delivery recently. Victory Brewing Company in Downingtown Pennsylvania brews Home Grown with American Whole Flower Hops. Home Grown pours a yellow/gold color with one finger quickly fading fizzy white head giving off floral aromas with slight yet faint hoppy juicy notes that give you floral flavors with some slight hoppy faint notes with tropical juiciness with a nice juicy slight topical finish that leads to an aftertaste of slight lemon with a medium almost full mouthfeel. This was certainly a different take on an American Lager. It’s good, I give Victory Brewing Company Home Grown New American Lager an A-. This is good but a little much on the floral side for a large. But overall was something that I will go back to and one I recommend that you should try. Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!     

Throwback Thursday: Foothills Brewing People’s Poter

Posted on by Evan

This post was originally posted on November 10, 2014.

IMG_2661

As we get deep into the fall and closer to winter the store shelves are getting more and darker beer upon them. I do enjoy dark beers, which has a wide range of styles, dunkers, dunkelweizens, doppelbock, schwarzbier, porter, and stout. Here is a porter from Winston-Salem North Carolina, Foothills Brewing People’s Porter, 5.8% ABV. People’s Porter is an English-style porter. People’s Porter pours a dark rube to a black color with a three and a half finger brown thick head that slowly fades into wonderful foamy, creamy lacing. The aroma upon People’s Porter is chocolaty with light hints of some caramel. The taste is similar to its aroma with chocolate and caramel, also there are toffee notes with a slight herbal bitterness that follows that, but nothing overwhelming, People’s Porter has an IBU of 42.  This People’s Porter finishes nicely with a pleasant hint of espresso and faint chocolate but more of the espresso is present. The aftertaste is a nice lingering chocolaty espresso flavor that slowly fades into the next sip of this beer. I enjoyed Foothills Brewing People’s Porter and I would give this a B+. This is a solid English-style Porter, and it is not too heavy or bitter on your taste buds, nor is it too strong. I found People’s Porter to be on the easier side of drinkability throughout the entire pint. I really have grown to like what Foothills Brewing is putting out there. They are brewing great beers! I recommend trying Foothills Brewing People’s Porter, so go out and pick this People’s Porter up and try it. Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!

Tarboro Brewing Company Seed Spitter

Posted on by Evan

IMG_5403

This looks and probably sounds like a summer beer, and while it is who says you shouldn’t drink a summer beer in other seasons of the year. I say if its good and you like it drink it. Like this Tarboro Brewing Company Seed Spitter, 4.4% ABV which is a salted watermelon Gose from Tarboro North Carolina. Seed Spitter pours an orange-yellow color with a one and a half finger white head and with a big tart watermelon aroma with a faint, slightly sour note. This leads to a salted watermelon tartness with a bit of sourness toward the end with a tart salty watermelon finish and a refreshing watermelon tartness with a light mouthfeel. This is a good beer to have with bbq, hot dogs, fried chicken and.or hamburgers. I enjoyed this refreshing easy drinking beer. It’s an A here and something that is worth a try, it is smooth and refreshing with slight fruit. I highly recommend you pick up Tarboro Brewing Company Seed Spitter and try it for yourself. Cheers! please enjoy responsibly!      

Estrella Damm Inedit

Posted on by Evan

IMG_5387

Estrella Damm Inedit, 4.8% ABV is a Spanish specialty beer that is a limited production and comes is a black box with a 750ml bottle and is a blend of Witt and Lager beer. This is brewed by Estrella of Barcelona Spain, and Estrella Damm Inedit pours a golden orange color with a two finger white head with decent retention and an aroma of some fruity notes with faint yeasted scents that lead you to a taste of fruits, bold yeast notes with a very faint sour note with a nice fruity finish and an aftertaste of slight witbier with touches of fruit with a light mouthfeel. This Estrella Damm Inedit was good, getting a B-. It was half witbier and lager so I would’ve like it to be more witbier than a lager. It was good none the less and if you come across Estrella Damm Inedit pick up and try it! Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!  

Hi-Wire Brewing Tropical Sour Wiesse with Passion Fruit and Guava

Posted on by Evan

IMG_5398

I picked up Hi-Wire Brewing Tropical Sour Weisse w/ Passion Fruit and Guava, 4.2% ABV from Good Bottle Co. here in Charlotte. Hi-Wire Brewing in Asheville Ferments this beer Stainless tanks, White Wine Barrels and then bottle conditions it with Saccharomyces, ten months with Brettanomyces & a bacteria culture and with Champagne yeast. Tropical Sour Weisse pours a bright yellow color with a three finger bright white head and with an aroma of sourness, passion fruit with guava with some wine yeast that takes you to the sour/tart flavor up front with passion and guava fruit in the middle with a big tart flavor on the end that flows in to a nice tart Weisse finish and tart fruity aftertaste that linger with a light mouthfeel. This beer wasn’t as good as I was hoping but still A B- beer and something I might come back too, as you should too. it does have a bit too much tartness on the end, more than I would like but not a bad beer. Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!

Castelló Beer Factory Golden, American Blonde Ale

Posted on by Evan

IMG_5383

Here is a beer, Castelló Beer Factory Golden, American Blonde Ale 5.5% ABV that was gifted to me from my Spanish exchange brother via a box from Spain. Castelló Beer Factory for Catellón Spain isn’t imported into the United States, nor in the rest of North America. Golden, American Blonde Ale pours a slightly hazy golden color with a two finger head that fades into a right around the glass at a steady yet slower pace and gives off a slightly fruity aroma with a very faint yeasty note. This Golden as a slight witbier aroma to it more than a Golden. Taste is slightly fruity at first then you get some slight bold yeast flavors with a very little sourness toward the end that fades out quickly with a somewhat smooth like finish of something similar to a witbier and a similar aftertaste with a tiny bit of a sour note on the tail end that is quickly gone with a light to somewhat medium mouthfeel. I didn’t find Golden, American Blonde Ale to be bad it wasn’t what I thought it to be for an American Golden Ale, more of a slight witbier. So I give this a C+. It was good for what it was not what it was supposed to be, Golden, American Blonde Ale. But It wasn’t really worth having more than one and a half, nor was it too memorable. Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!