Pop the Top Craft Bottle Shop

Posted on by Evan

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Pop The Top Craft Beer Shop is a relatively new bottle shop here in Charlotte. This bottle shop is located at 116 West Blvd, Charlotte NC 28203. I went over about 7 pm and wasn’t overly crowed. Pop The Top has twenty-four beers on top as well as packaged, and single beers to-go. Their space isn’t huge but there is plenty of room for people inside and out on their patio for people to enjoy a good beer. I started off with Wooden Robot Brewing Good Morning Vietnam, a coffee Blonde, 5.0 %ABV 

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Wooden Robot Brewery Good Morning Vietnam

This is a sweet easy drinker (Wooden Robot doesn’t bottle or can its beers) and as I drank this Wooden Robot beer a few more people came in. The staff is really friendly and knowledgeable. So I finished this and looked up at the digital menu board for my next beer, Blue Blaze Brewing, Altbier Amber Ale, 5.0% ABV

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Blue Blaze Brewing Altbier Amber Ale

This Altbier was good but Olde Mecklenburg Brewery Copper is still this best. Pop the Top selection of beer is great and after a little while I finished this Altbier and went on to beer number three. Four Saints Brewing That’s The Way Is Gose 3.0%

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Four Saints Brewing That’s The Way It Gose

ABV, a Gose-style beer. This is my first beer from this local North Carolina beer, and Westbrook Brewing Co. Gose is still number one. So at this point, a few people came and went and inside become less crowded. So then I took a look around at the bottled/canned beer and saw Sunset Over Phuket, a dry hopped Radler collaboration between The Unknown Brewing Co. and Revelry Brewing. So I bought a four back and will be reviewing that soon. So stay tuned here.IMG_5115 I enjoyed my time at the Pop The Top Craft Beer Shop. I will be back to have and buy beer there and you should do the same its a cool place! Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!   

 

 

Great Lakes Brewing Co. Burning River Pale Ale.

Posted on by Evan

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Yes here is another beer from a recent Brewpublik delivery, Great Lakes Brewing Co. Burning River Pale Ale, 6.0% ABV, with 45 IBUs. This Cleveland Ohio beer is referring to the Cuyahoga River and the when it caught fire. Burning River pours an orange color with a two finger head that has not much retention to it but gives off a  malt aroma with a little faint earthy resin hop note. Taste is slightly sweet on the front with what seems to be a malt flavor and on the middle, you get a little grapefruit with some bitterness on the back of the mouth. This all then finishes with a bitter note with a slight earthy note and the aftertaste isn’t much but what I did get was a slight bitterness that sort of fought a sweet flavor. This beer wasn’t so great but was finishable, so I sayGreat Lakes Brewing Co. Burning River Pale Ale is a C-. The flavors don’t really blend well and seem like they are sperate from one another and are bland at best. I don’t think this a one to go back too, so I don’t think you should try this one. Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!

Throwback Thursday: Olde Mecklenburg Früh Bock Spring Bock Beer

Posted on by Evan

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Yes, spring is in the air and it smells like Bock, Fruh bock. Früh Bock meaning early Bock, is Olde Mecklenburg’s spring offering. This is a 6.0%ABV beer. It pours a nice light gold and yellow color with a big thick white head. This Bock has a nice flowery scent with plenty of hop scent in the mix. This one smells rather well and makes your mouth water.  No, this one is not overly scented just plain, average, and yet smells good. When this Fruh hit you pallet you get a crisp faint hoppy flavor that is also faintly sweet, but good. You also get a nice crisp malt taste that is most pleasant. The same can be said about its aftertaste, which is nice, clean, refreshing, and malty with a bit of hops. This Bock is not overly bitter, but throughout the taste and aftertaste, there are hints of a slight bitterness, but nothing to write home about. This beer is a good, no great spring time beer. This is an A+. I really love this one its great, I hope that you will feel just the same. Better get this before spring is over! Cheers! Please drink responsibly!

Destihl Brewery Amra Mango IPA

Posted on by Evan

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This beer, Destihl Brewery Amra Mango IPA, 7.0% ABV and 60 IBUs came to me recently from a Brewpublik delivery. Amra is Sanskrit for Mango and is a west coast style IPA from Illinois. Amra pours a golden yellow color with a two and a half finger white head with great retention that fades very slowly, giving off juicy aromas of mangos with a slightly hoppy bitter note. Arma on the first sip is juicy mangos then in the middle comes a bit of slight earthy hops than on the back of the mouth comes to a piney fruit note, that finishes smooth with minimal bitter nice and juicy mango. Arma has a tropical fruit aftertaste that lingers with a little hop note. This beer has a really drinkable flavor that doesn’t overwhelm your pallet. Destihl Brewery Amra Mango IPA is a B+ a solid west coast IPA. Well balance and well brewed. I recommend Destihl Brewery Amra Mango IPA, it’s refreshing! Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!

River Rat Brewery Moncks Corner Abby Ale

Posted on by Evan

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I have another beer from a Brewbpulik delivery, River Rat Brewery Moncks Corner Abby Ale, 7.2% ABV. This beer from Columbia, South Carolina is a Belgian Style Dubbel. Moncks Corner Abby Ale pours a brown/deep dark red color with a one finger beige head that fades quickly into a little halo, but give off big banana notes with some plum, slight fig, and raisin aromas. There is a faint alcoholic note on the nose as well. Moncks Corner Abby Ale has a big slightly bitter banana flavor up front that flows into a boozy raisin and fig note in the middle and then a little burn of alcohol towards the back of the mouth. This Dubbel finish slightly harsh with little notes of fig yeast and raisin with a warm dark fruit aftertaste. This wasn’t such a Belgian style Dubbel, it’s borderline C/C-. When this beer warms the alcoholic notes come through and the whole beer tastes stronger than it really is. I don’t think I’d go back to River Rat Brewery Moncks Corner Abby Ale. There are better Belgian Style Dubbel out there. Sugar Creek Brewing Company makes one for example. This was a little on the harsh side, and it wasn’t really as flavorful and/or smooth. So don’t have this one! Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!

The Sugar Creek Brewing Company

Posted on by Evan

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I have recently been getting into Sugar Creek Brewing and really enjoying their beers. They brew great Belgian style beer, and it a local Charlotte brewery, one of many. I went over and checked out the brewery for myself. Down in the Queens Park area of Charlotte of Olde Pineville Rd down Southside Dr. you’ll find a lively place, The Sugar Creek Brewing Company, named after the Sugar Creek that runs through Charlotte. The build in which the Sugar Creek brewery occupies was once the Olde Mecklenburg Brewery which is further up Southside Dr within walking distance. They have a wide selection of Belgian style beers on tap and a couple bottle, they do have a food menu. They do have a flight for four beer that you can pick whatever draught you want.

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Majority of Sugar Creek Draughts

The atmosphere is nice, as the inside isn’t too big nor too small, with a few tables outside where you can play a round or two of cornhole, with live music inside on the weekends. The staff is quick, friendly, and knowledgeable. I got there around 7:15 pm, not too crowded then and started with their Pilsner (Czech Pilsner).

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Sugar Creek Pilsner

This Pilsner is great, crisp, clean, refreshing and easy to drink. A good beer to start off with. But you can find this only in the Sugar Creek Verity twelve pack or on tap. Good session beer. As the night wore on more people start to make their way in for the wonderful beer. After finishing the Pilsner I then went to the Sugar Creek Saison, a draught-only beer. 

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Sugar Creek Saison

This Saison is probably one of my favorites from Sugar Creek. It smelled banana like with a slight spice, clove, and banana flavor. So around 9, the brewery started to get a bit crowded but not where you could find a nice drinking spot. At this point, the bar was nearly full of people sipping on their beer and carrying on conversations. So I sipped on this lovely Saison for a little while watching the bar staff hustle about serving the thirsty patrons. When I did finish the Saison, I took a little time but finally chose the Sugar Creek Belgian Dubbel. I have a 750ml bottle in my refrigerator, so a full review of that will be up soon. But it was pretty tasty.

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Sugar Creek Belgian Dubbel

Half way through this beer I look around the crowded bar room as the music jammed across the room, man this place is hopping. Then I finished the Dubbel and made my way across the crowded room and outside to head home from a great fun night at the Sugar Creek Brewing Company. I will be back. You all should come too! Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!  

 

 

 

Bear Republic Grand-Am American Pale Ale

Posted on by Evan

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I have not had many beers from Bear Republic Brewing Co. in Healdsburg California. I think I’ve only had like two previous to this, Grand-Am American Pale Ale, 6.0% ABV. I received this from a not so recent Brewpublik delivery. Grand-Am pours an orange color with a two and a half finger white head with some sediment floating in the glass, I don’t know if that is normal or if it’s just this bottle Grand-AM gives off slight orange bitter aromas with a slight yet faint sweet malt character. Taste is much the same as it smells, you get a little bitterness upfront with an orange pine note in the middle with a slight malt flavor, more bitterness on the back with the orange, pine and more malts on the finish with a little hop note. The aftertaste is a hoppy malted orange. The mouthfeel is medium. I found Grand-Am to me middle of the road, or boring. So I give this American Pale Ale a C. Not so such I would come back to this beer. It was finishable though, not a drain poor. I found Bear Republic Grand-Am American Pale Ale to be boring and average. Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!     

Throwback Thursday: Birrifico Del Ducato & Abita Brewing Co. Two Boots Saison

Posted on by Evan

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I am growing a liking to Saisons the more I have and I am looking out for them when I am beer shopping. Two Boots Saison 6.2% ABV is a collaboration between two countries and their great and celebrated breweries, Italy’s Birrificio Del Ducato and Louisiana’s Abita Beer. The name is from the fast that both Italy and Louisiana are shaped like boots. This saison is brewed with pepper, honey, lemon balm, pilsner and wheat malts. Two boots pours a lighter gold color with a four finger pillowy white head that sticks around for a while till fading into nice traces of lacing. Minimal light shines through with nice carbonation. The aroma is nice with a slight pepper and full honey with spots of lemon. Two Boots taste is yeasty with lemon and pepper notes towards the middle and back of the tongue. I found a bit of funky flavors on the end that wasn’t so bad but was also a bit mild in flavor. The flavor on this is average at best but not bad. The mouth feel is medium and has a nice spicy pepper finish and with a after taste of yeast pepper and lemon. Overall this Two Boots Saison Collaboration is not so bad but there are much better saisons out there. This is a C+ beer. I just think this is average with out being on the bad side. But when you get towards the end of the bottle it becomes a bit boring. I would have this again but not too soon though. Like I said there are better saisons out there to have then this. Not bad though just not as great as some. Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!  

Foothills Brewing Craft Happiness Project Move IPA

Posted on by Evan

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I have another Foothills Brewing Craft Happiness Project Beer, Move IPA, 6.3% ABV and 60 IBUs (International Bittering Units). This Beer is helping people move and be active, because almost 30% of us qualify as inactive, and only one out of three adults get their recommend amount of physical activity a week. Move IPA pours a deep gold color with a foamy three finger white head with excellent retention, giving off aromas of resin grapefruit with piney earthy hop notes. Movie IPA has a slight bitter flavor up front with some resin grapefruit in the middle of the mouth then come a earthy pine note with some more hop bitterness toward the back. The finish is slightly fruity with citrus notes and some hop notes and you get a juicy bitter after taste. The mouth feel is medium on Move IPA. This is just like all of the other beer in this series, great and I give Foothills Brewing Craft Happiness Project Move IPA an A-. This IPA has just balanced flavors throughout and has great flavors that do not overwhelm your taste buds. This is one that I would suggest trying. Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!

The Beer News

Posted on by Evan

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

  • Monday July 10th 4pm-9pm NODA Brewing will have You Drink, We Donate. Which one-dollar from each beer sold will benefit Piedmont Culinary Guild.
  • Tuesday July 11th 11am-11pm Sugar Creek Brewing Island Luau. More information available here sugarcreekbrewing.com
  • Saturday July 15th 12pm-midnight Wooden Robot Brewery will have it’s 2nd Anniversary with several new beer releases, music from That Guy Smitty, Twisted Eats Food truck will have exclusive anniversary menu. Admission is $10 at the door and $5 tickets for 12 ounce pours. There will be no growler fills. 21+ age event.
  • Thursday July 18th 6pm-8pm Birdsong Brewing Drink for a Cause & Pop-Up, Raptor Center Sustainability salon
  • Thursday August 3rd The Unknown Brewing Co. and Babalu will have a four-course beer dinner paired with Unknown beers and a special Babalu menu. $55 per ticket purchased here eathere.com.