Fonta Flora Brewery Hop Beard IPA

Posted on by Evan

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I had this Fonta Flora Brewery Hop Beard IPA, 6.9% on a flight board at Fonta Flora’s Optimist Hall location here in Charlotte, NC. I really enjoyed the two flights I had, and really enjoy their Hop Bead IPA so much that I took some home. Fonta Flora brews it beer in Nebo North Carolina outside Morganton. Hop Bead pours a slightly hazy yellow color with a two-finger sticky white head that leaves nice lacing behind with dry aroma of pine, some citrus fruits, and nice hoppy notes that lead into a flavor that is bitter with pine and hoppy notes with some dryness and nice hints of a citrus note. Hop Bead IPA has a dry piney finish with a somewhat similar aftertaste with faint citrus and light to almost medium mouthfeel. The citrus notes on this IPA are very faint but overall this is a good solid IPA that you can have a few pints of and not get your tastebuds fatigued. It is an A because it is not overpowering in any way and has nice easy flavor but enough to let you know it is an IPA and that’s not bad. Try Fonta Flora Brewery Hop Beard IPA I recommend it! Please enjoy responsibly!  

 

 

 

 

Sierra Nevada Brewing Company 40th Hoppy Anniversary Ale

Posted on by Evan

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Picked up Sierra Nevada Brewing Company 40th Hoppy Anniversary Ale, 6.0% ABV from my local Harris Teeter supermarket. This Sierra Nevada beer is a limited edition hoppy beer and celebrates Sierra Nevada’s forty years of brewing since 1980 when they brewed the Pale Ale. 40th Hoppy Anniversary Ale pours orange with a two and a quarter white fluffy head that sticks around making awesome lacing throughout the glass with aromas of nice but faint fruit, pine, and some nice bitter notes. The taste is not too far off the aroma with light fruity notes alongside bitter pine flavors that come together for a light bitter pine finish and carries into a pine aftertaste with a somewhat light mouthfeel. Sierra Nevada Brewing Company 40th Hoppy Anniversary Ale isn’t bad, I just think there are better hoppy ales out there, so I think that it’s a C+. Sierra Nevada Brewing Company 40th Hoppy Anniversary Ale does, however, follow what Sierra Nevada Brewing has been doing for the last forty years and I find the Sierra Nevada Brewing Company to be a great brewery overall. This beer was just above average for me. Please enjoy responsibly! Cheers!           

Throwback Thursday: Sierra Nevada Brewing Company Tropical Torpedo IPA

Posted on by Evan

Originally posted April 15th, 2017. 

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A few days ago I reviewed Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. Torpedo Extra IPA which is the base beer for another Sierra Nevada beer, Tropical Torpedo Tropical IPA, 6.7% ABV, both beers use the one of a kind Sierra Nevada Torpedo hop. Tropical Torpedo is a fairly new year-round beer. Sierra Nevada Brewing says on the back label that Tropical Torpedo is inspired by island life, and they created am IPA completely disconnected from the mainland. Tropical Torpedo pours a nice golden color with a three and a half finger of white head with some bubbles within it. The head is somewhat slow to fade into a thin white hazy top to the beer. The aroma is as topical as I was expecting, but there are some tropical notes to it, like nice pineapple, and faint mango. Didn’t get any other tropical fruits on the aroma. Tropical Torpedo has a nice fruiter taste to it from is sibling Torpedo, you get nice pineapple, some mango and little notes of papaya with some bitterness toward the middle and back of the mouth. The mouthfeel is light almost medium with a nice bitter tropical finish that sends you into an after taste of pineapple mango and very faint papaya with a bigger bitterness, but nothing overwhelming. This beer is more on the fruitier side of the IPA spectrum, which I tend to like a bit more, but it wasn’t as tropical as I was expecting it to be, but still pretty good. I give Sierra Nevada Tropical Torpedo Tropical IPA a B. Some of the tropical fruits came through stronger than other and all of those fruits should have been slightly more pronounced in their flavors. But that’s not so bad that it kills this otherwise good IPA.  Tropical Torpedo is a good beer for any time of year especially spring and summer. So go and try Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. Tropical Torpedo, Tropical IPA if you like fruity tasting IPAs. Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!

The Beer News

Posted on by Evan

Here are this week’s news and events happening in the Charlotte, North Carolina area!

  • Thursday, February 13th. Galentine’s Day at Sycamore. Sycamore Brewing. 4 pm-10pm. Join us for Galentine’s Day at Sycamore THIS Thursday! We’ll have Half-Priced Wild Blossom Cider and wine flights all night long! Food by TOLA Rose Italian Eats Food Truck, delicious snacks from Holy City Waffles (including Red Velvet Cake, Strawberry Cheesecake and Pink Cookie Dough Dip Waffles), Small cakes AND Live music by Late Night Special!
  • Thursday, February 13th. Raspberry Cobbler Sour Release. Catawaba Brewing. 3 pm-10 pm. We’ve got a delicious Passport beer release for you this week – Raspberry Cobbler Sour! This pink drink is the perfect way to celebrate Valentine’s Day!

 

  • Friday, February 14th, PTT x Resident Culture Valentine’s Day Tap Takeover. Pop the Top Craft Beer Shop. 12 pm-11 pm. Forget about chocolates and flowers for your significant other. Instead, bring them to our Resident Culture Brewing Company Tap Takeover this Friday 2/14 Valentine’s Day! We’ve got dark beers instead of dark chocolate because let’s face it, beer makes everything sweeter 🙂
    We’ll be previewing one of the most anticipated stouts this season that will be released the next day at the brewery. So come out and enjoy the funkiest and most delicious beers in town!

    // THA BEERS //

    >> DEDICATED MIND EXPANSION BREAKFAST STOUT // 13% ABV // BBA Imperial Stout aged in Four Roses bourbon barrels for 14 months, conditioned on Toasted Pecans, High Low Farms Maple Syrup from Vermont, and Pure Intentions Coffee

    >> HIGH CULTURE – Hazy Double IPA, Collab w/ High Branch Brewing Co. // 8% ABV // Hopped with our 2019 Selected Mosaic, Simcoe, and Galaxy. It’s a hazy tropical bomb full of fire. We can’t get enough

    >> HOT TAKES: WHY CAN I GET A DOUBLE CHEESEBURGER BUT NOT A DOUBLE HOTDOG – Fruited Kettle Sour // 5.5% ABV // Cherry Lime Kettle Sour inspired by the slushies at a certain drive-thru

    >> OVER SOUL – NEIPA // 7% ABV // Featuring Strata hops back with a Citra bang. It’s drinking super soft and fruity with a great juicy mouthfeel. Tropical and citrus flavors & aromas all the way

    >> ARE YOU AFRAID OF THE DARK? – Baltic Porter // 8.2% ABV // Dark Lager that is chocolaty & smooth but still crisp and dry

    >> ADVANCED FALCONRY – Hazy Pale Ale // 6% ABV // Hazy Pale Ale hopped with Mosaic and Rakau hops

    >> THERE IS NO LIGHT WITHOUT THE DARK – Schwarzbier // 5% ABV // Easy drinking, light, crisp, and crushable malty lager

 

  • Friday, February 14th. Single AF: Second Annual Anit-Valentines Day Party. Wooden Robot Brewery. 5 pm-12 am. ARE YOU SINGLE AF? We have a party just for you.
    Join us for our Second Annual Anti-Valentines Day Party Friday 2.14.20 from 5pm-Midnight.
    This party will be the debut of our brand new taproom expansion & temp. controlled, outdoor Biergarten!
    We will have flights of a brand new Cherry Currant Gose, Roseson & Beast Foot!
    Crowned Sparrow Craft Co. will be with us from 6:30-8:30pm to create your own Voodoo Doll! She will have all the supplies you’ll need to create your own talisman of contempt over your Single AF status, including lots of different colors and embellishments to focus your energy on! Hit the link to sign up -> https://www.crownedsparrowco.com/events/2020/2/14
    Walk-ins are available!
    We will also have Anti-Valentines day desserts with proceeds benefitting The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation!

    If you’re Single AF & proud (or lonely, that’s ok too), come drink with us!

 

  • Saturday, February 15th. Breakfast Stout & Brunch. Sunstead Brewing. 12 pm-3 pm. Inspired by our Russian Imperial Stout – Vladimir Puddin’, we’ve crafted a tasty morning brew, rested on whole coffee beans from our friends at Jags Head. At Noon we pour foam-laden pints of this special release directly from our serving tanks. Bring your taste buds too. Our brewer and chef are working on some unique creations for a delicious waffle brunch! Grab a breakfast stout and some waffles covered with your favorite toppings.

    *We will offer growler fills after 3pm. After 3pm we’ll also open up our regular menu*

 

  •  Saturday, February 15th. Hi-Wire Brewing Spotlight. Carolina Beer Temple Charlotte. 12 pm-11 pm. We welcome back Hi-Wire for a Post Valentine’s Day Tap Takeover.

    Tap List TBA

 

 

Birdsong Brewing Co. Dressed to Chill

Posted on by Evan

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Birdsong Brewing Co. Dressed to Chil, White Ale 5.0% ABV with Tangerine, Essential Oil, & Spices. is a Witbier style purchased from my local Harris Teeter grocery store and is brewed here local in Charlotte, NC. Dressed to Chill pours a semi hazy yellow color with a bright two finger white head that leaves behind decent lacing and gives off a floral-like aroma that is very similar to a room deodorizer, there is a little faint banana citrus spice whiffing into your nose. Taste is flowery with a bit of citrus tangerine spice that finishes with a floral citrusy potpourri finish that carries into the aftertaste with a nice faint spiced with a medium mouthfeel. This has a floral potpourri taste to it that holds it back and gives in a B-. The tangerine character of this White Ale does add a good aspect to the overall flavor but does not really interact with the essential oil, which sounds like a nice idea but isn’t terrible is okay at best. Overall Birdsong Brewing Co. Dressed to Chil, White Ale is the worst beer I’ve had. Please enjoy responsibly! Cheers!    

 

Wilmington Brewing Company Lion Cake Double Dry-Hopped Triple IPA

Posted on by Evan

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Wilmington Brewing Company Lion Cake Double Dry-Hopped Tripe IPA, 10% ABV which I purchased at Pop the Top Craft Beer Shop while I was enjoying the Burial Beer Co Tap Takeover. This big triple IPA is brewed with Lactose sugar, Pale Malt, Wheat, Oats, & Carapils along with Citra & Mosaic hops in the Whirlpool and in the first and second dry-hopping. Lion Cake pours a hazy yellow that looks a bit dark with a two-finger white head. Hold this beer up to your nose and you get a sweet juicy fruit aroma that is soft with a bit of a creamy yet hoppy note. Now take a sip and you get some juicy citrus fruit (orange, grapefruit, and very faint lemon) that has a little creamy sweetness to it with little/low bitterness to it that does grows a little as it passes the back of your mouth and finish slightly bitterer than it starts with some citrus fruits that do carry into the aftertaste with a bit of hoppiness and some strong alcoholic notes with a soft but fuller mouthfeel. The flavor of Wilmington Brewing Company Lion Cake Double Dry-Hopped Tripe IPA is soft and delicious getting an A-, the big nature of Lion Cake (the alcohol) does keep it down just in the slightest bit. If you like big Triple IPAs then Wilmington Brewing Company Lion Cake Double Dry-Hopped Tripe IPA is your beer I recommend it! Please enjoy responsibly! Cheers!  

The Beer News

Posted on by Evan

Here are this week’s news and events happening in the Charlotte, North Carolina area!

  • Thursday, February 6th, Limited Release: Purple Rain Blueberry Strawberry Sour! Birdsong Brewing Company. 3 pm-10 pm. The people have spoken!! We brewed a small batch of Purple Rain Sour with Blueberries and Strawberries back in December and the positive feedback was so overwhelming that we decided to make a big batch and throw it in cans! We hope you can join us for this limited release of Purple Rain on draft and in cans on 2/6/20 at 3p!

    Fabulous and funky, Purple Rain is a smooth American Sour Ale with blueberries and strawberries. With big berry notes and a hint of effervescence, this beer is juicy on the palate with a pleasant, clean finish.

 

  •  Thursday, February 6th. Sangria Zombie Release. Catawba Brewing Company. 3 pm-10 pm. A twist on an old classic! (Draft ONLY)
    Try a Zombie Flight today!

 

  • Thursday, February 6th. CCCerveza Mexican Lager Release. Triple C Brewing Company. 4 pm-10 pm. Our traditional Mexican Amber lager is the result of a renewed focus on lager brewing. This Mexican-influence recipe features a lager strain from a well know Mexican brewery, a grain bill of primarily Vienna malt and flaked corn. This lager pours a copper-amber color with a fluffy white head. Aromas of clean malt character with a hint of corn and caramel. Medium-bodied with a balanced sweetness. Crisp and easy to drink!

    5.7% ABV

 

  • Friday, February 7th. Dual Tap Takeover Featuring Resident Culture/High Branch. The Hobbyist. 5 pm-10 pm. Don’t miss out on having two amazing local breweries taking over the taps at The Hobbyist. Featuring Resident Culture Brewing Company and High Branch Brewing Co.– each bringing 3 kegs PLUS their fresh collaboration!
    Starting at 5pm and going until close.
    Also, free, live music every Friday and Saturday night- Jay Mathey will be playing Friday, Feb 7th!

    Delicious tacos are available from at Chillito Tacos!

    **Draft list will be updated as we get the info **

    Current Drafts:

    *HIGH CULTURE* – 8% Hazy DIPA Resident Culture / High Branch Collab – Hopped with Mosaic, Simcoe, and Galaxy

    – Resident Culture –
    *OVER SOUL* – 7% DDH NE IPA featuring Strata and Citra Hops

    *SLEEPING ON THE BLACKTOP – Other Half Collab
    9.5 % Hazy Triple IPA DDH w/ Citra, Simcoe, and HBC 692 Hops

    *BEAUTY HAS IT HARD – Other Half Collab
    3.5% Rustic Table Lager featuring aged hops and Mandarina Bavaria

    – High Branch –

    *BOSSMAN* (w/ Chocolate, Peanut Butter, Vanilla, and Marshmallow)
    10.2% Imperial Milk Stout **QCBF Best In Show Award Winner!!

    *HERE WE GO*
    8.3% DIPA Double Dry Hopped w/ Centennial, Azacca, and Citra Hops

    *Plus One final Draft Selection*

 

  • Friday, February 7th. Small Batch Release: Cran Eye for the Orange Guy. Red Clay Ciderworks. 3 pm-11 pm. Cran Eye For The Orange Guy is coming back on draft and in CANS!

    This semi-dry, semi-tart cranberry cider is infused with orange zest, fennel, and just a touch of coriander.

    Soooo good!

 

  • Saturday, February 8th. Release Day Bottle/Can Share. The Barrel Room at Triple C. 11 am- 12 pm. Join us across the street in The Barrel Room at Triple C an hour before the Chocolate Covered Pretzel Stout Release for a bottle and can share! Bring a buddy and a beer to share. We will have plenty of glasses, ice and seating ready.  

 

  • Saturday, February 8th, Goin’ Donuts! Chocolate Stout Can Release Party! Sycamore Brewing. 12 pm-11 pm. A baker’s dozen, fresh out of the oven, and all of the donuts knew. Time for the party, so into the mash, with coffee and chocolate, too! Fresh @SuarezBakery donuts AND @BeachShackCoffee will be dancing their way into this batch! See you on 2/8.

 

  •  Tuesday, February 11th. Chocolate and Beer Pairing. The Unknown Brewing Company. 7 pm-8:30 pm. Tickets at eventbrite.com for $25. Chocolate and beer are a match made in heaven….. and there is an art of pairing them correctly.
    Join certified chocolate expert Dr. Jessica Henderson learning about craft chocolate and the guidelines of how to pair chocolate and beer.
    Come experience how sweet and bitter come together to create some amazing and interesting taste combinations.
    After we cover the “rules” we will try some adventurous and unconventional pairs and experiment to determine what YOU like best.
    Try something new – indulge the senses – and have fun with us.
    $25 per person
    Reservation Link coming soon.

 

Burial Beer Co. Finite Spectrum of Existence Triple IPA

Posted on by Evan

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Over the weekend I went to Burial Beer Co. tap Takeover at Pop The Top Craft Beer Shop I had Burial Beer Finite Spectrum of Existence Triple IPA, 10% ABV with 40 IBU brewed with Citra, Mosaic, Sabro, and Simco hops. Lactose and oats are mashed in and triple dry-hopped with more than 6 pounds per barrel of 2019 select crops of Citra, Strata, Mosaic, and Cashmere hops. I enjoyed it so much that to buy a thirty-two-ounce crowler of it filled from the tap to take home and give it a review. Finite Spectrum of Existence pours a hazy cloudy blonde color with a bright white three finger slow head. The aroma is juicy with tropical and citrus fruits with a light yet faint hoppy note. Taste on this TIPA is juicy with nice citrus flavor and some creamy, coming from the lactose, tropical notes coming through with bits of some bitter hops. You do get a strong alcohol flavor off this and Finite Spectrum of Existence Finishes with a light juicy fruit bitterness and an aftertaste of sweet hopped fruit with a full mouthfeel. I don’t think that Burial Beer Co. Finite Spectrum of Existence Triple IPA is something that you could not really drink a lot of because it is a big beer with a high ABV, so about maybe two would be enough. I did find Finite Spectrum of Existence to be a tasty beer, one that gets an A. It has a lower IBU (International Bittering Unit) with good juicy sweet fruit flavors to it that really meld quite well with the lactose sugar. I’ve never had a bad beer from Burial Beer Co. Finite Spectrum of Existence is one I recommend trying. Please enjoy responsibly! Cheers!     

Spoetzl Brewery Shiner Ruby Redbird

Posted on by Evan

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Spoetzl Brewery Shiner Ruby Redbird, 4.0% ABV is a brew that I’ve decided to rereview, I originally reviewed this back almost eight years ago on June 6th, 2012. Back then Shiner Ruby Redbird was only a summer seasonal beer, now it’s a year-round beer do to its popularity. Ruby Redbird is brewed with ripe Texas ruby red grapefruit from the Rio Grande Valley and fresh ginger. Ruby Redbird is only 95 calories, 31 grams of carbs, and 0 grams of fat, which the embellish on the can. Redbird pours a golden color with a one and half finger thin white quickly fleeting head without leaving a trace of itself behind. You get nice big ginger aromas wafting into your nose with faint grapefruit and then comes a taste of big ginger flavor hitting your tongue washing over your tastebuds with little bits of red grapefruit notes that are low on the acidic scale, and not too bitter but you get a nice tartness from the marriage of grapefruit and ginger. Ruby Redbird finish with a nice tart ginger flavor that has a slightly spicy ginger tingle with low but semi-sweet red grapefruit notes that then make for a ginger beer like aftertaste that does linger for a minute with a light mouthfeel. I see how this Spoetzl Brewery Shiner Ruby Redbird has grown in popularity to become a year-round beer. I still enjoy it and it is a B-. After a while, the ginger flavor starts to become a bit too much but I like ginger and ginger flavored things, but this a good sessionable beer and one that is worth trying. Please enjoy responsibly! Cheers!           

Throwback Thursday: Unibroue Brewery La Fin Du Monde

Posted on by Evan

Originally posted on March 8th, 2014.

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The Unibroue brewery in Chambly, Québec, Canada is probably one of the best breweries’ to come out of that country. They brew mostly the Belgian style of beer. In my opinion, Unibroue’s beer seems to have a classy aria about them, and have some of the coolest labels on their bottles. Here is one of their fine beers, La Fin Du Monde (The End of The World), 9.0% ABV a Triple. This is a bottle refermented, which means that it goes through another fermentation in the bottle, and yes there is yeast at the bottom of the bottle. La Fin Du Monde pours a hazy light golden color with a thin three finger head that is quick to fade away into light lacing. There are nice amounts of light streaming through the chalice with lots of carbonation bubbles racing to and fro. The aroma is slightly spiced and has a nice scent of a light apple and some pineapple along with a yeast character. The taste is big with lots of light spices, probably coriander, and you do get a nice yeasty fruity flavor that is slightly sweet with a bigger booziness alongside a nice effervescence. The mouthfeel is medium to almost a fuller feel with a nice spicy yet sweet finish that leads into a nice yeasty fruity sweet finish that lingers for a short while, just enough to enjoy. La Fin Du Monde is great from start to finish, so La Fin Du Monde gets an A+. I really love the Triple style of beer very much, and this Unibroue La Fin Du Monde is one of the best in my own opinion. It looks great, smells great, and tastes great. It is a top beer for sure. So go out and try this Unibroue La Fin Du Monde and see what you think of it, I highly recommend you do! Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly