Haw River Farmhouse Ales Mille Fleur Rustic Saison

Posted on by Evan

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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.

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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!

The Unknown Brewing Co. Bright Ass Tank Top Rum Barreled Key Lime Gose

Posted on by Evan

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The Gose style, an old German style of beer has grown in popularity among craft brewers, and craft beer drinkers. I see them popping up here and there with some pretty creative brews and such. Here is a local Charlotte, North Carolina example, The Unknown Brewing Co. Bright Ass Tank Top Rum Barreled Key Lime Gose, 4.1% ABV. I pick this up in a one pint four-pack from Pop The Top Bottle Shop (www.popthetopclt.com). It’s a relatively new shop where East Blvd meets West Blvd. Bright Ass Tank Top pours a murky yellow color with a two finger white head that fizzy away quickly with minimal lacing left behind. The aroma is salted citrus fruit with some faint sweetness, and has an easy taste of salty lime with some little vanilla notes and of course the tartness you usually get on a Gose. The mouth feel is light and easy that makes a nice light salted tart lime finish with a light sweet and tart after taste and lingers for a bit. I like the Gose style and find it refreshing, as is Bight Ass Tank Top. It is balanced with all the flavors and does not over power your taste buds. The Unknown Brewing Co. Bright Ass Tank Top Rum Barreled Key Lime Gose is an A+. Does it take over Westbrooke Brewing Co. Gose spot as my number one favorite Gose? No but it is in close second, and you should try it. Thank you Pop The Top Bottle Shop for carrying this beer. I recommend you head over there and check out Pop The Top Bottle Shop. Cheers! Please Enjoy responsibly!

Burial Beer Co. Surf Wax India Pale Ale

Posted on by Evan

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I would like to first off thank Good Bottle Co. (www.goodbottleco.com) for this recommendation of Burial Beer Co. Surf Wax India Pale Ale, 6.8% ABV and 65 IBUs (International Bittering Units). Burial Beer Co. in Asheville brews Surf Wax with Mosaic, Centennial, Citra, and Columbus hops, lots of barley and a touch of wheat. Surf Wax pours a deep gold color with a big three and a half finger of pillow like white head with awesome retention that leaves behind nice beautiful lacing. Surf Wax has a citrus aroma of grapefruit, orange, slight lemon, pineapple with an earthy pine notes and a sweet hop note in the back of the mouth. This is how I like an IPA, fruity with enough bitterness. The mouth feel is medium with some bitterness leading into a bitter fruity finish and leaves an after taste of orange, grapefruit, pineapple and a bitter hoppy yet earthiness. Surf Wax is a refreshing beer that gets an A+. This east coast take on a west coast IPA is fabulous. But I didn’t find any of the formentioned wheat in this beer, but that doesn’t take anything away from this IPA. Burial Beer Co. Surf Wax India Pale Ale is so good that one mistake is okay with me. I highly recommend Burial Beer Co. Surf Wax India Pale Ale. Go over and pick up some at Good Bottle Co. Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!

Drinking Beer At Whole Foods

Posted on by Evan

A couple of years ago they built a Whole Foods here in the South park area of Charlotte not to far from me. One day I went to check it out and I found inside a beer bar. I have never really seen a beer bar in a grocery store before, and so very recently I went out on a Saturday night to have a beer. Whole Foods doesn’t have many selections on tap, only four. That can either be a negative or a positive. It wouldn’t take you long to read the menu board to choose a beer, or you could read it and not want any of the beers offered. Have only four means that they might change beer more frequently. While you shop there at Whole Food you can take the beer with you as you cruise the store. Just don’t get to drunk and crash the shopping cart. They do run different daily specials as well as flight, sixty-four and thirty-two ounce growler fills. It’s not overly expensive for a beer at Whole Foods bar. Five bucks when not on special and even less depending on the daily special. The staff is friendly and quick with good knowledge of the beer on tap.

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I had two beers while there, one NODA, a local to Charlotte and one Gibbs Hundred Brewing, a new local to Greensboro, North Carolina. Most of the beers that they served were local to Charlotte and North Carolina. That is a good idea to put a beer bar in a grocery store; I think that’s a good way to bring in people and to sell beer to take home. Overall I think the beer bar at Whole Food is an A-. They don’t have a huge selection of beers on tap but they are good selections.

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I would go back to Whole Foods bar again. You should check it next time you in a Whole Foods. Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!

Stillwater-Artisanal Yacht Dry-hopped Session Lager

Posted on by Evan

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I have been posting mostly IPA beer reviews recently so I thought of not reviewing that style for a bit so here I  have Stillwater-Artisanal Yacht Dry-Hopped Session Lager, 4.2% ABV. I pick this up at Good Bottle Co. here in Charlotte. Thanks to them for having this and a great selection of craft beers. Check them out, www.goodbottleco.com. Yacht pours a golden yellow color with a big fluffy three finger white head with great retention, leaving be beautiful lacing with a faint earth hop note on the nose, and some crisp malts, grains, and a slight semi-sweetness. Taste is light, slightly hoppy at first with some crispness and semi-sweetness with a touch of a slight bitter note on the end. The finish is slightly crisp with a little hoppy note then leaves a hoppy yet sweet and crisp after taste. Yacht is an interesting take on a lager beer, the hops here don’t over power the rest of the flavors on this beer. So with that said I give Stillwater-Artisanal Yacht Dry-Hopped Session Lager an A-. The hops add another layer to an other wise one side style of beer, and work well here, and the low ABV add another plus to the beer making Yacht easy to drink as well as crisp. This is a good beer and one that you should try, and go over to the Good Bottle Co. and pick up some. Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!

Sugar Creek Brewing Company Atmosphera Tripel

Posted on by Evan

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I have recently gained a new appreciation for the Sugar Creek Brewing Company here in Charlotte North Carolina, over their beer dinner at Reid’s Fine Foods a couple weeks back, and which I put a post up about that. This is Atmosphera Tripel, 9.7% ABV. This beer is found in a big champagne type bottle. Atmosphera Tripel pours a deep orange murky color with a one and a half finger of clear/white head that quickly fades away, leaving behind an aroma of boozy sweet fruits and a slight yeast note. Atmosphera has a strong alcoholic note as well. Taste is fruity at first then you get a slight yeast like note, then you get a bit of the alcohol come in but it slightly smooth on the back of the mouth that gives you a slightly boozy fruit finish and a sweet after taste of the fruits. This doesn’t drink like a beer that is 9.7% ABV, but it still drinks bit strong. I give Atmosphera Tripel an A+. Atmosphera is as good as the Belgian Tripels if not better. I like to see breweries in the US brew great Belgian style beer, especially here in Charlotte. I recommend you pick up a bottle and try it! Atmosphera is a beer that I would bring as gift to a dinner party, classy looking, tasting, and local. Trifecta! Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!

Throwback Thursday: The Olde Mecklenburg Brewer Copper Amber Ale

Posted on by Evan

Every Thursday as of now I will be post an older post, a good post. This is Throwback Thursday.IMG_0719

This is my favorite brewery Old Mecklenburg Brewery, and this is one of my favorite beers that they brew, Copper amber ale. This is an authentic Dusseldorf-style Altbier. This is a “lagered ale”. They use barley malt and noble Hallertau hops. Copper is 4.8% abv, and is a full-bodied, full-flavored yet amazingly smooth and refreshing. OMB Copper is a year round beer and it is their flag ship brew. Cooper pours a nice rich amber color with thick whitish head. There is a nice scent of the malted barley and a light wisp of the Hallertau hops. Cooper as a nice clean taste with very faint hop flavor there, with nice malt flavors. This is alsoand crisp, as is the finish of this wonderful brew. I believe that Old Mecklenburg does a really great job of brewing they’re beers, and all the beer only come in a one pt, six fl oz bottles as of now, Olde Mecklenburg Copper get an A+. which to me make the beer seem a little special. That’s a nice touch. But you can get them is a six pack of the one pt, six fl oz bottles. That is a lot! Each sip of Copper is always better than the last until it’s gone. But then you’re happy that you just had one amazing beer and you want to go and tell everyone just home great OMB Copper really is. Well isn’t that why I am righting this. I mean I just think that everyone should at least try Copper. You won’t be sorry that you did. I never am. I love this stuff a lot. One of my favorites from my favorite brewer. Keep up the good work Old Mecklenburg Brewery! Cheers! Please drink responsibly!

Stillwater-Artisanal Insetto Dry-Hopped Sour Ale with Italian Plums

Posted on by Evan

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Here’s another beer from a recent Brewpublik delivery I received, what a good service. This is Stillwater-Artisanal Insetto Dry-Hopped Sour Ale with Italian Plums 5.0% ABV. Insetto is the Italian word for an an insect. I’m not sure why Stillwater-Artisanal named this beer Insetto, other than it’s an Italian word and Italian plums are used or maybe insects like to eat at plums, you know fruit flies, they like plums and are a kind of insect, so maybe that’s it. Anyhow, Insetto pours a peachy dark pink color with a one finger clear fizzy head with nothing left behind and Insetto has tart aromas of slightly sweet plums, plum juice, and some candied fruit. Taste is pretty much what you read on the can, tart plums with plum juice and a bit of a slight sour note on the back of the mouth. The flavor makes your lips pucker a bit special after each swig. Insetto finishes with a sour yet tart plum and plum juice flavor leaving a tart and slightly sour plum juice aftertaste. This Insetto has a one-sided flavor profile, but it’s not bad and yes it’s refreshing and easy to drink. I give Stillwater-Artisanal Insetto Dry-Hopped Sour Ale with Italian Plums an A-. I am not a huge fan of plum juice, but I do however like to eat plums. I don’t know why that is. This is just to much plum flavor here but that’s okay, I think there needs to be a flavor of maybe some slight hops to cut down the intensity of the juicy plums. But the big plum flavor is not a bad thing; it is just that I don’t think you’d get past two cans of this stuff without having everything else you put in your mouth taste like plums. That’s where I think it falls off just a bit. Insetto is still high at an A-. I recommend trying Stillwater-Artisanal Insetto Dry-Hopped Sour Ale with Italian Plums. Good Stuff! Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!

Moo & Brew Burger and Beer Joint

Posted on by Evan

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Here on the Best Beer Blog we are changing things up. I will be reviewing local bars here in Charlotte, NC as well as craft beer. I recently visited Moo & Brew Burger and Beer Joint, 1300 Central Ave here in Charlotte. On this blog I don’t really talk about food, remember our slogan For All Things Beer! But if you have enough good beer the food will become good as does your dancing and ability to speak in foreign tongues, and be the worlds best story teller. Moo & Brew has forty different beers on tap as well as a few bottle/can selections. They have fifteen local Charlotte beers on tap with nine crafts on tap from around North Carolina eleven if you count Sierra Nevada, and New Belgium. They have ten other crafts from around the rest of the US on tap as well. They also have a few selections of different flights 20 oz sampler Hop This; for the hop lover, Mellow Yellow; some chill brews, Local Love; CLT rotation sampler, Darn N Delicious; not light beers and Pick 4; any 4 Pours. The tap selection does change from time to time. That keeps it interesting in my opinion, keeps you coming back. While I was there I had Wooden Robot’s Boca Fiesta Chili Lime Gose, 4.0% that is a 10 oz pour and Triple C Sal’s Paradise Saison, regular 12 oz pour.

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Wooden Robot Brewing Boca Fiesta Chili Lime Gose

The selection of beer is great at Moo & Brew. Moo & Brew is a great place to really take in the local Charlotte craft beer scene, as well as North Carolina. Moo & Brew is a great place to really take in the local Charlotte craft beer scene, as well as North Carolina. I recommend Moo & Brew for any craft beer drinker especially for Charlotte and North Carolina.