Stone Brewing Ghost Hammer IPA

Posted on by Evan

IMG_5049

I would like to thank Brewpublik, (www.brewpublik.com) for Stone Brewing Ghost Hammer IPA, 6.7% ABV. This beer came as part of a delivery. This is a relatively new beer from Stone Brewing in Escondido California. Ghost Hammer pours a golden color with a clear two finger white head with descent retention. Ghost Hammer gives off a piney earthy aroma with a slight yet faint dank note as well, that leads you to a piney bitter earthy grapefruit taste with a refreshing ease of drinking. This IPA has a nice slight bitter grapefruit pine finish and a slight citrus hopped after tastes that linger until your next sip. Ghost Hammer IPA is a rather good Stone IPA, I have had a few Stone IPAs and found that to be too bitter, but this one is not and it’s the right amount of bitterness, and I give this a B+. The easy drinking refreshing qualities along with the nice bitterness make this a good beer and one that is worth trying. Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!

The Unknown Brewing Company 2.5ish Anniversary Ale

Posted on by Evan

IMG_5045

I picked this up at Laurel Market, The Unknown Brewing Company 2.5ish Anniversary Ale, 9.0% ABV, the 2.5ish being the amount of years that The Unknown Brewing Company has been in business here in Charlotte, NC. This beer is a blend of two beers, yeast aged in Bourbon Barrels with cherries, apricot, and blackberries. 2.5ish pours a hazy light amber color with a huge fluffy five-finger light beige head that seems to never want to go anywhere. But it does leave behind thick ropey lacing. The aroma is fruity and slightly yeasty, you get a bit of the apricots on the nose, with a very faint blackberry as well, but not much from the Bourbon barrel. 2.5ish has a slightly similar taste to the aroma with more of the cherries with the black berries and apricots with slight a yeasty character. There is a faint sweetness (some vanilla) that comes in on the middle of the mouth but is going as quickly as it comes along with a little alcoholic note, and 2.5ish finishes strong with some fruity characteristics and a yeasted note and has a slight strong alcoholic fruit after taste. But as 2.5ish warms the alcohol comes through more. The mouth-feel is medium on 2.5ish. Overall 2.5ish Anniversary Ale is not a bad one; it’s a B. Strong ABV comes though as it warms and overwhelms the other flavors a bit with hold it back slightly. I think it an interesting beer and one that is worth trying from the awesome Unknown Brewing Company. Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!

District 9 Brewing Wild Things Series One Peardox

Posted on by Evan

IMG_5036

Here we have another beer from a Brewpublik delivery (www.brewpublik.com), this is District 9 Brewing Wild Things Series One Pearadox, 5.5% ABV. D9 in Cornelius North Carolina brews this sour ale with a ton of Bosc Pear, Pink Himalayan rock salt. Pearadox pours a bright and slightly hazy yellow color with a one finger clear and quickly fading white head that leaves no traces of it behind. The aroma is of just tart pears. This beer smells like a perry (pear cider) or cider. Taste on Pearadox is tart at fist with a faint salt note with a small sourness towards the back of the mouth, with a tart pear finish and an semi tart cider like aftertaste. Mouth feel is light This Pearadox beer tastes like a tart cider, and if you like cider than this your beer. It supposed to be sour ale, it says that on the label but it’s not. I am not saying this beer is bad. I say this beer is a C-. I was looking for more flavors but it was a little flat on that note, but was okay at the same time. It is easy and refreshing to drink as well. The beer sounded more interesting than it tasted. Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!

South Boulevard (South End) Harris Teeter Bar

Posted on by Evan

IMG_5028

Yesterday around noon I went to check out the new South End Harris Teeter on South Blvd, which has a beer and wine bar inside, sixteen beers on tap, all local Charlotte breweries. That’s a major plus for me, I love to see the local breweries at a local place. Drinking in a grocery store might sound odd to some people or strange but it is becoming more common. Harries Teeter is and has been Charlotte local grocery store for years. This new South End location has what they call a retro look to the outside and all the bells and whistles inside to compete with Publix, less than a block away. Harris Teeter is saying, we were here first and this is our city, and they say it well. The selection of beer is great there. They had offerings from Sugar Creek, Olde Mecklenburg, The Unknown Brewing Co, Sycamore Brewing, Noda, Birdsong Brewing, and Bold Rock Cider.

IMG_5029

I went with The Unknown Brewing Co Hospitalitea Amber Ale, which I will review in the near future, so keep a look at here for that.

IMG_5027
The Unknown Brewing Co. Hospitalitea Amber Ale

The service was great there as well as the atmosphere. It is a must check out place, cool to have a beer at the Harris Teeter, especially if grocery shopping stresses you out and you need a good cold beer to whack away your stress, because you know buying coffee, milk, juice, eggs and toiletries is so hard and stressful. So when your thirsty and need groceries head over to the South End Harries Teeter to make shopping fun…with a beer! Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!

Birdsong Brewing Co. Be-Bop-A-Ree-Bop Barrel-Aged Wild Stout with Rhubarb

Posted on by Evan

IMG_5023

Thanks to Brawley’s Beverages for this Charlotte beer, Bridsong Brewing Co. Be-Bop-A-Ree-Bop Barrel-Aged Wild Stout with Rhubarb, 8.0% ABV. This wild stout is aged in oak wood barrels, but I am not sure for how long. Be-Bop-A-Ree-Bop pours a deep black color with a two finger beige head with some decent retention and skinny whips of lacing left behind. The aroma is coca sweet with notes of a slight tartness, some raisins/currents, and slight dates. Smells decent but nothing really worth wild stands out. Be-Bop-A-Ree-Bop has a taste that is slightly bittersweet upfront with some tart flavors in the middle of the mouth and a faint bitter smooth note in the back of the mouth. You don’t really get any of the barrel characteristics in this beer, nor did I get any Rhubarb. This Birdsong beer has a slight bittersweet finish and faint coca tart after taste. The mouth feel is full but somehow light. Overall this beer has a lot going on and it is okay but I didn’t like it that much, so I give this a C-/D+. It’s drinkable and not such a bad beer. I found no barrel flavors or much of the Rhubarb in Be-Bop-A-Ree-Bop. That is let down. I think I don’t like wild sour stouts. So don’t try Birdsong Brewing Co. Be-Bop-A-Ree-Bop Barrel-Aged Wild Stout with Rhubarb. I don’t think it’s worth really trying. Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!

Wooden Robot Brewery Tap Takeover at Palmer St.

Posted on by Evan

IMG_5020

IMG_5019

Yesterday evening I attended The Wooden Robot Brewery tap takeover at Palmer St. Game Bar and Eats. Well the location was great, nice assortment of vintage video game and pinball machines. The take over part was not as cool. There were only four Wooden Robot beers on tap out of the fourteen or so taps.  The Wooden Robot beer that they did have was not bad; I had a A Darkly Sour, tasted like tart grape soda but in sort of a good way. They had Good Morning Vietnam, Mark It Zero IPA, and That’s What He’s Having IPA as well as the one I had.

IMG_5013
The Wooden Robot Brewery A Darkly Sour

I thought that every tap there should have been a Wooden Robot beer and some of the breweries staff should have been on hand to answer any questions and give out small stickers and things like that. It just could have been better, and the Wooden Robot Brewery is less than a mile away from Palmer St. Palmer St. is a good place for a group of people to go, fun games to play, food as well and the beer selection isn’t bad I had a Triple C Blonde Girl, which was interesting.

IMG_5016The location and atmosphere was good, but the event was not good. Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!

The Beer News

Posted on by Evan

 

We have a new segment, Beer News, on Best Beer Blog. Every Wednesday Beer New will cover news and events in and around the Charlotte North Carolina area. Please check back here every Wednesday and everyday!

  • Saturday July 1st 12pm Birdsong Brewing will be releasing Say It To My Face Red IPA.
  • Friday July 7th 5pm-11pm Sycamore Brewing Co. will have Cantopia
  • 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 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.

 

 

 

 

 

Council Brewing Co. Béatitude Guava tart Saison

Posted on by Evan

IMG_5006

First off I would like to thank Brawley’s Beverage (www.brawleybeverage.com) for this Council Brewing Co. Béatitude Guava Tart Saison, 4.5% ABV, Council Brewing Co. located in San Diego California brews Béatitude which is French for bliss, with house culture of Brettanomyces, Lacobacillus and Saison yeast. Then it’s aged on guava. Béatitude Guava Tart Saison pours a hazy grapefruit color with a one finger quickly fading head with very little left behind, but a tart tropical aroma with a little bit of a funky note. Taste is easy with tart tropical notes from the guava with some slight funky yeast/doughy notes coming through in the middle of the mouth; more tartness comes in on the back, and Béatitude finishes tart and fruit with a slight faint doughy note that gives way to an tart tropical somewhat mouth puckering after taste. The mouth feel is medium with some slight fullness. Council Brewing Co. Béatitude Guava Tart Saison is a great take on a Belgian Saison. The fruit addition adds a real tropical refreshing quality to a great beer style making Béatitude Guava Tart Saison an A+. This Béatitude comes in a variety of fruits and is one beer that you should try for yourself. Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!

Haw River Farmhouse Ales Mille Fleur Rustic Saison

Posted on by Evan

img_5001.jpg

I would like to thank Pop The Top Bottle Shop, (www.popthetopclt.com) for Haw River Farmhouse Ales Mille Fleur Rustic Saison, 5.8% ABV. Haw River Farmhouse Ales in Saxapahaw, North Carolina dry-hops this farmhouse-style ale with malted spelt, Sorachi Ace and Crystal hops. Now the French phrase “Mille Fleur” translates into English as “one thousand flowers, but here in North Carolina Mille Fleur is known as one of the friendliest most talkative birds in the barnyard. Mille Fleur Rustic Saison pours a cloudy yellow color with a bright three finger white head with good retention leaving behind thin but fluffy lacing, giving off an aroma of lemony hops with slight yeasty notes with a slight funky character. This rustic Saison has a faintly sweet yet tart lemon flavor up front and a funky note in the middle of the mouth with a slight yeasty hop note on the back. Mouth feel is medium to slightly full with nice funky yeast like finish and an after taste of a very faint tart funky lemon. Mille Fleur Rustic Saison is exactly what a rustic Saison is and should be. Great funky tart flavors with the yeast flavor and touches of hops all work well make this beer an A. This beer is right there with the best Belgian Saison. This is definitely worth trying. I recommend you to and go pick a bottle up at Pop The Top Bottle Shop. Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!

Throwback Thursday: Sugar Creek Brewing White Ale

Posted on by Evan

Second installment of Throw Back Thursday.

IMG_4111

Local beers from your town are always good to at least try. Here is a good example of that, Sugar Creek Brewing White Ale, 4.9% ABV. Sugar Creek takes its name from the local Sugar Creek that flows through Charlotte. White ale or witbier is Belgian style that is usually cloudy due to that fact that it’s unfiltered, and is brewed with high levels of wheat and oats that are used in the mash. Sugar Creek White Ale pours a cloudy bright yellow color with a half to one finger head of brilliant white that quickly fades away in to foamy lacing. The aroma is somewhat sweet with hints of oats and faint wheat. White Ale taste at first like most white ale and the middle you get a thick flavor of a yeast note followed by a nice semi-sweetness in the back. The mouth feel is on the higher side of medium. This beer has nice smoother faint sweet finish with wheat like light sweet aftertaste. This is good white Ale but I’ve had better so I give it a B-. Hoegaarden is a better example but not to say that Sugar Creek White Ale is bad. This just lacked the lemon notes that are sometime found in good white ales. I might have this again. Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!