Westbrook Brewing Co. Gates of S’Mordor Imperial Stout

Posted on by Evan

Made with marshmallow, graham cracker, cocoa nibs, and cinnamon, is Gates of S’Mordor Imperial Stout, 11% ABV from Westbrook Brewing Co. This big stout; was made down in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina. It only comes in a bomber bottle (1 pint .6 fluid ounces). Now I generally like Westbrook beers. This particular Westbrook beer; pours a thick oil black color with a barley two-finger beige head that is slightly quick fading. The aroma of this stout is chocolatey, and there is cinnamon and vanilla marshmallow. It smells strong. The flavor on this beer is again chocolatey, thick-bodied, cinnamon, vanilla, and marshmallow. The mouthfeel is full and thick. It just sticks to your mouth and tongue. Then it finishes with some roasted chocolate, marshmallow, and a bitter note. Then the aftertaste of lite chocolate and some alcoholic notes. This stout is a big beer. It does get stronger as it warms but does not change much on the flavor profile. Gates of S”Mordor Imperial Stout taste like a nice s’more. I give it a B+. The strength holds it down a little, but I still recommend this imperial stout. Please be kind, stay safe, and enjoy responsibly! Cheers! 

Armored Cow Brewing Things We Don’t Say Hazy IPA

Posted on by Evan

From right here in Charlotte, North Carolina, Armored Cow Brewing has made a beer that benefits and brings awareness to mental health. This beer is Things We Don’t Say Hazy IPA, 5.8% ABV. This beer pours a hazy yellow color with a four-finger white thick and fluffy head that is slow to fade away. The aroma on this IPA is juicy, fruity (citrus orange), hoppy and bitter. The flavor of this beer is juicy with orange citrus fruit, crisp, smooth bitter, and piney. It has a light mouthfeel. Then this IPA finishes with a piney fruity note. Then gives an aftertaste of bitter citrus fruit. This beer is great hazy IPA. I think Armored Cow Brewing Things We Don’t Say an A. It has a solid drinkable flavor, and it makes you want another when finished. I highly recommend it. It was wonderfully fruity and juicy. Please be kind, stay safe, and enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

Southern Pines Brewing Company Open Toe Casket Imperial Black IPA

Posted on by Evan

This dark pint is from Southern Pines Brewing Company in Southern Pines, North Carolina. This beer is Open Toe Casket Imperial Black IPA, 9.3% ABV, and it has an IBU (International Bittering Unit) of 73. This dark IPA has Citra, Galaxy, and Zythos hops. Now you might be familiar with Citra and Galaxy hops if you are following Best Beer Blog here. Now Zythos, created by Hopunion LLC, is a proprietary hop blend created specifically with IPA’s in mind. It has citrus notes, pineapple, and pine. It is a Bittering and aroma type hop. This dark IPA pours a deep oil black with a tow finger steady beige head. The nose on this IPA is tropical with pine, bitterness, and lite roasted notes. It reminds me of a coffee grown in a more tropical climate. The taste is citrusy and fruity with a lite pine note. There is a nice amount of roasted flavors and bitter notes. The mouthfeel is s full. This IPA finishes with a bitter-roasted note. It also has a bit of citrus to it. Then this dark IPA gives you an aftertaste that is bitter and roasted with a citrus pine flavor. I found that as the beer rises in temperature, the bitter flavor becomes stronger, as does the alcohol. This IPA started good but went downhill halfway through the pint. This IPA barely gets a B- here. Halfway it becomes bold and bitter. But it’s okay. Please be kind, stay safe, and enjoy responsibly! Cheers! 

Armored Cow Brewing Bitchin’ Betty Brown Ale

Posted on by Evan

I found a new brewery the other day while at Total Wine. This Bitchin’ Betty Brown Ale, 5.4% ABV, is from Armored Cow Brewing in Charlotte, North Carolina. This brown ale has chocolate and honey malts in it. This ale pours a dark brown with a tow and a half finger beige, khaki head that slowly dissipates. The aroma is a little sweet and has an aroma of malty flavors. It has a creaminess. The taste is chocolaty and creamy with a malted backbone. There is a bit of a roasted note as well. It has a light to medium mouthfeel for a brown ale. Then this ale finishes with a creamy roasted cocoa flavor. The aftertaste is short with a chocolate malt flavor. I have had better brown ales, and I think Armored Cow Brewing Bitchin’ Betty Brown Ale is a C+. The overall flavor just slowly tickles your taste buds with a minimal flavor. It is average for a brown ale, and I might have this again, but I wouldn’t try this, but it will not be a terrible experience if you do. Please be kind, stay safe, and enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

Haw River Farmhouse Ales Newlin’s Original Oatmeal Pale Ale

Posted on by Evan

This Pale Ale, Newlin’s Original Oatmeal Pale Ale, 5.2% ABV from Haw River Farmhouse Ales in Saxaphaw, North Carolina has late additions of floral hops, flaked with oats, and then uses Galaxy and Crystal hops. This ale pours an orange color with an almost two-finger white steady fading head. The aroma is citrusy, bitter, floral, and hoppy. The taste is lite, juicy, citrusy, bitter, and dry. The mouthfeel is light and soft. Then the finish is slightly floral with a little citrus flavor. The aftertaste is bitter, with a bit of citrus orange. Newlin’s Original Oatmeal Pale Ale is okay, a C- beer. I thought that flaked oats didn’t go well with the citrus flavors. They clashed with one another. But they weren’t terrible, just not that great. I wouldn’t recommend trying this. Please be kind, stay safe, and enjoy responsibly! Cheers! 

The Bruery Mischief Hoppy Belgian-Style Ale

Posted on by Evan

This ale is a 2016 Great American Beer Festival gold medal winner, a 2015 SD international Beer Festival gold medal winner, and a 2018 Great American Beer Festival bronze medal winner. This award-winning beer is Mischief Hoppy Belgian-Style Ale, 8.5% ABV from The Bruery in Placentia, California. This ale pours a golden color with a two-finger fluffy white head. It gives off pears and citrus fruits with a hoppy, pepper spice. The taste is fruity with pear, melon, citrus, peppery, and hoppy notes. It has an alcoholic flavor to it. It becomes apparent as it warms. The mouthfeel is medium and crisp. This beer then finishes with a pepper hops note with fruit. The aftertaste is hoppy but not like an IPA, just enough hop. It has a fruity aftertaste as well. This ale was a great example of an American Belgium-style ale. I give Mischief Hoppy Belgian-Style Ale an A+. All of the flavors are on point and tasty. I highly recommend this ale. Please be kind, stay safe, and enjoy responsibly! Cheers! 

Johny Bootleggers Sing Sing Sour Grape

Posted on by Evan

This is the last of the Johny Bootleggers malt beverages that I received. This is Sing Sing Sour Grape, 12% ABV. This is the same Alcohol by volume percent as all the other flavors that came from Laval Québec Canada. This pours a dark candy purple color. This grape beverage has a fake sweetness of fake grape candy aroma. The taste is similar to its smell. There is a fake sweet, candy grape flavor that is not the worst flavor. I also found that it isn’t sour at all. I don’t know what their Idea of sour is, but that’s not sour. This grape beverage tastes like fake grape candy. The mouthfeel is light. It then finishes with a grape sweetness and not much on the aftertaste. There is a sugary flavor for an aftertaste. This Sing Sing Sour Grape from Johny Bootleggers was not the worst of the three. I give this one a D+. It has more of a fruit flavor to it than the Alcatraz Sour Apple, which had a chemical taste to it. This one is just fake grape candy. That gave it a few points. The best was the Syndicate City Sour Peach. But I wouldn’t rush out for that one or any of these. All of these aren’t the worst I’ve ever had, and I don’t think they are disgusting. They all have a fake flavor to them, and some fake flavors can be okay. Please be kind, stay safe, and enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

Grimm Artisanal Ales Invisible Touch Helles Lager

Posted on by Evan

This Helles Lager Invisible Touch, 4.9% ABV from Grimm Artisanal Ales in Brooklyn, New York. This Helles Lager pours a golden color with a one-and-a-half-finger white head. It steadily fades into itself. The aroma of this beer is biscuity, malty, crisp, and has little spice. The flavor is crisp, breaded, biscuity, malted, piney, and spiced. The spice is a peppery spice but comes to life on the back of the tongue. The mouthfeel of this beer is light. This hells then finish with a nice breaded, biscuity flavor. The aftertaste is semi-sweet, biscuit, with a pine note at the very end. This Grimm Artisanal Ales Invisible Touch Helles Lager is quite good, and It’s an A+. I have not had a Helles Lager in quite a while, and this was great to return to the style. I highly recommend it. Please be kind, stay safe, and enjoy responsibly! Cheers! 

Edmund’s Oast Brewing Co. Chocolate Caramels Brown Ale

Posted on by Evan

This beer sounds like an interesting take on a brown ale. This beer is from Edmund’s Oast Brewing Co. in Charleston, South Carolina. This ale is Chocolate Caramels Brown Ale, 5.8% ABV. This ale has chocolate, vanilla, and lactose. This ale pours an amber light brown color with a two-finger light beige head that sticks around for a while. The aroma is sweet, and there is a roast aroma with chocolate and caramel. The taste is smooth, roasted, sweet with light vanilla and chocolate. I think the chocolate, vanilla, and lactose give a caramel flavor. The mouthfeel is medium. This brown ale then finishes smooth with a caramel chocolate flavor. The aftertaste is sweet but not as sweet as your first sip. It has a Rolo candy-like aftertaste. Edmund’s Oast Chocolate Caramel Brown Ale is a B+. This ale is starting to slip away from a brown ale-style beer and onto another style. It’s not a terrible beer, and it has some brown ale qualities. I would go back for another. I don’t think it’s quite a brown ale. Please be kind, stay safe, and enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

Johny Bootlegger Alcatraz Sour Apple

Posted on by Evan

This beverage is another Johny Bootlegger beverage. This is Alcatraz Sour Apple, 12% ABV. All of Johny Bootlegger’s products are 12% ABV. This apple drink pours a bright neon green color. The aroma is sour candy fake apple. The taste is sweet and candy apple flavor. The apple flavor is fake and manufactured tasting. The flavor is manufactured chemical tasting in the middle and then has a weird nasty flavor of r bad fake apple. The mouthfeel is light. This sour apple beverage finish with a chemical apple taste. The aftertaste is sour, but not fruity. It’s more of a non-fruity flavor. This Johny Bootlegger Alcatraz Sour Apple is awful. I think this drink is an F. I would not have this, and I didn’t finish all seven ounces. This Sour Apple was way too fake fruit flavor. It wasn’t even a good fake apple. It tastes like someone who never had an apple or knew what one was supposed to taste like was trying to recreate the flavor of a sour apple. Please be kind, stay safe, and enjoy responsibly! Cheers!