Sugar Creek Brewing Mocha Java Porter

Posted on by Evan

I’ve had Sugar Creek Brewing Mocha Java Porter, 5.7% ABV and 16 IBU several times before. Sugar Creek uses locally sourced one-hundred-percent organic fair-trade coffee. Mocha Java Porter pours a nice black color with khaki beige two and a quarter head that slowly fades giving off sweet roasted coffee notes with a nice bit of a nutty mocha note. Taste on this Porter is sweet at first with a nice heaping coffee flavor that has a bit of nuttiness with a mocha chocolate bitterness on the back of the tongue that has a dark chocolate coffee finish with a lingering dark chocolate coffee aftertaste with a full mouthfeel. Sugar Creek Brewing Mocha Java Porter is good and isn’t such a big beer that it isn’t drinkable this is for a Porter, and it gets an A+ here. Sugar Creek Brewing Mocha Java Porter is a beer that is worth trying this winter. Please enjoy responsibly m! Cheers!

New Belgium Brewing & High Brew Coffee Nitro Cold Brew Cream Ale

Posted on by Evan

Saw New Belgium Brewing Nitro Cold Brew Cream Ale, 5% ABV with High Brew Coffee at my local grocery store and thought it was interesting and maybe worth a try. This is part of New Belgium’s Up Next Series. Nitro Cold Brew Cream Ale pours a black color with a one and a half creamy very light tan colored head that gives of light aromas of sweet light roasted coffee notes, and with a smooth thin slight creamy coffee flavor that has a little roasted sweet flavor that finish with a slight acidic flavor and leave you with an aftertaste of left out hot coffee that has gone cold with a lighter mouthfeel for a cream ale. New Belgium Brewing Nitro Cold Brew Cream Ale is not at all what I was expecting and not in a good way. It doesn’t have that real rich creaminess or bold coffee notes. I think that it should be served on nitrogen, not co2 that might help it. New Belgium Brewing Nitro Cold Brew Cream Ale was overall thin tasting and not good at all and it’s getting a D-. Please enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

Foothills Brewing Company Craft Happiness IPA Dream IPA.

Posted on by Evan

Happy New Year! I’ve here Foothills Brewing Company Craft Happiness IPA Dream IPA, 6.4% ABV, and IBU of 41 which the proceeds help children achieve their dreams. Dream IPA is triple dry-hopped, yes triple, with Galaxy, Citra, & Azacca hops with a sweet malt bill. Dream IPA pours a dark yellow hazy color with a two and a quarter white head that gives off subtle sweet hoppy aromas of tropical juicy fruits. Taste on this Dream IPA is soft with nice subtlety sweet guava and mango with the usual citrus fruits with a soft bitter hop note that comes together and finishes with a nice juice bittersweet note of fruit and leaves nice lingering fruit soft bitter aftertaste with a medium mouthfeel. Well, Foothills Brewing did it again, they brew a great IPA with Craft Happiness IPA Dream IPA which I give an A+. What a well-brewed beer that everyone should try. Please enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

Throwback Thursday: Foothills Brewing IPA of the Month June (Prince Wally)

Posted on by Evan

Originally posted June, 14th.

It’s here again Foothills IPA of The Month! Here is June (Prince Wally), 5.9% ABV with 60 IBUs. Foothills clams this IPA has tropical and citrus notes aplenty. Well, let’s find out. June pours a light yellow color with orange edges and a three-finger bright white head that slow to fade and leaves behind great lacing. I could see much light coming through the glass due to the murkiness of this IPA, but I did see some carbonation bubbles. The aroma on this June IPA is of melon, grapefruit, pineapple, lemon and orange with a bit of piney earthy notes. The taste is similar to the aroma; you get a bit of grapefruit and little pineapple upfront. Then you get more orange flavors in the middle with a little melon with lemon and some light lemon. At the back, you get a bigger grassy piney earthy note. This IPA isn’t all in your face bitter, but it’s more of pleasant bitterness. The mouthfeel is medium with a nice fruity bitter finish. The after taste is like a tropical/citrus fruit salad that lingers in your mouth. This Foothills IPA of The Month June (Prince Wally) is just as good as the rest of the beers in the series. I give June (Prince Wally) A. It needs a little more strength in the tropical fruit department and a tiny bit less with the citrus fruits. But that isn’t really a big shortcoming. You really can taste all of the different experimental hops used here and they all make for one heck of a fruity good IPA that isn’t all one flavored and in you face intense with hoppy bitterness. I would have this again and again. So should you! So go out and try Foothills IPA of The Month June (Prince Wally)! Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!

Narragansett Brewing Company Fresh Catch

Posted on by Evan

Narragansett Brewing Company Fresh Catch, 4.2% ABV is a golden ale dry-hopped with Citra hops in Pawtucket, Rhode Island which was founded way back in 1890 in Cranston Rhode Island. Narragansett is the best selling New England beer and has the ad slogan “Hi Neighbor, have a ‘Gasnett!” and in 2012 for Shark Week the had a slogan “Crush it like Quint” and “Honor the man, crush the can on social media. If you know Jaws then you know Robert Shaw as Captain Quint. Fresh Catch pours the slightest deep yellow with a bright two finger white head that fades really slow with thick lacing left in its wake that might hide a shark. You get a nice citrus fruit aroma with a nice dose of a bitter hop note and a faint lemony grapefruit. The aroma reminds me more of a light IPA. Take a swig and you’ll find yep citrus fruit with a little faint biscuit note with a lemony bitter hop note that comes to a bitter crisp Citra finish that flows into a nice bitter citrus fruit aftertaste with a light mouthfeel. Narragansett Brewing Company Fresh Catch is a refreshing beer that I give an A-. Now I don’t think that more than three Fresh Catches can be consumed, after the third the flavor begins to become slightly too much. Its others a good beer and one that would pair well with shellfish, and a seafood boil. I recommend Narragansett Brewing Company Fresh Catch. Please enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

Anderson Valley Brewing Company Blood Orange Gose

Posted on by Evan

I haven’t had a Gose style beer in a while until I came across Anderson Valley Brewing Company Blood Orange Gose, 4.2% ABV while shopping at Total Wine. Blood Orange Gose pours a yellow gold color with one-finger quick fading white head that gives off sour citrus blood orange aroma with a little salty note that has a faintest sweet scent to it. Flavor somewhat follows the aroma with a salted sour citrus fruit flavor of blood orange that has a nice sweet and sour finish with a mild salt note that comes to a sour citrus aftertaste with a light mouthfeel. I am a big blood orange fan and I find this to be one good beer that is easy to drink. I think Anderson Valley Brewing Company Blood Orange Gose is an A+. The flavor is refreshing and light with a good amount of salty sourness that you should try. Please enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

Foothills Brewing Company Craft Happiness Distance IPA

Posted on by Evan

I have not had a Foothills Brewing Company Craft Happiness IPA in a long while. But recently I came across Foothills Brewing Company Craft Happiness Distance IPA, 6.1% ABV with an IBU (International Bittering Unit) of 62 and this IPA from Winston-Salem North Carolina is double-dry hopped with Simcoe, Mosaic, and Idaho 7 hops. This beer, which is part of a monthly series and the proceeds go to Benefit cyclists and runners. Distance IPA pours deep yellow color with a foamy three finger head that leaves behind beautiful thick fluffy lacing. The aroma is nice with a decent amount of citrus fruits with a bitter note hurt the nose that has a very faint pine quality to it that takes you into a citrus fruit flavor of nice orange and grapefruit with a little lemon note sneaking its way into your taste buds. There is a nice bitterness that has the faintest/lightest sweetness that finishes smooth with a nice citrus hop kick and an aftertaste of citrus hoppiness with a medium mouthfeel. Foothills Brewing Company Craft Happiness Distance IPA reminded me that Foothills brews really great awesome IPAs and Distance IPA is no different, well deserving of an A+, with nothing wrong at all with it, and please do yourself a favor and go try this awesome IPA! Please enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

Throwback Thursday: Foothills Brewing IPA of the Month November (Maddie)

Posted on by Evan

Originally posted on December 1st, 2015

Its time again for Foothills Brewing IPA of the Month here we have November (Maddie), 7.1% ABV and 78 IBU. There is only one more month in the IPA of the Month then it will be Hop of The Month where they will showcase a different hop each month instead of a different IPA. This month IPA is brewed with a blend of Amarillo, Horizon, Chinook and experimental hops. Maddie pours a deep copper color with a four-finger bubbly yet fluffy off white head that slowly dissipates into some medium lacing around the glass. The aroma is a little more malt forward than past months IPA. You get a nice faint orange peel and hints of grassy grapefruit that leans on the earthy side. Maddie has sharp taste upfront with nice earth bready flavor surrounded by grassy and earthy yet slightly bitter fruity notes. The flavor was as wow as I was expecting it to be, but still good no less. The mouthfeel is medium with a nice bitter finish and an after taste of malted grass with hints of bitter citrus fruits. I didn’t find this to be bad; I just think that this Months IPA isn’t as good as the last couple of months. So I say this, Foothills IPA of the Month November, Maddie is a B. The balance between the hops and malts was slightly off which took this IPA down a notch. The level of bitterness was great on this though which kept it from being any worse. This month IPA does not change the fact that I love the entire series the Foothills has brewed I would have this again and do recommend trying it. So by all means go and try Foothills Brewing IPA of the Month November (Maddie) or any of the coming or previous months. 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!

  • Wednesday, December 18th. Firestone Walker Tap Takeover. The Hobbyist. 6 pm-9 pm. Firestone Walker is coming to town and they are taking over our taps! Come on in for tastings after work Wednesday afternoon 6p-close!
    We will be opening fun bottles and will have some swag to give away too!

    Drafts:
    Nitro Merlin
    Luponic Distortion 14
    23 (XXIII)- Anniversary Ale
    Mole Merkin

 

  • Thursday, December 19th. High Branch Tap Takeover! Pop the Top Craft Bottle Shop. 2 pm-11 pm. We are SUPER stoked to announce a tap takeover with one of our absolute favorite breweries in not only the Charlotte area but all of NC…… High Branch Brewing!! And to make the night even more special, Head of Sales Brandy Logan will be here from 6pm-8pm to share laughs, talk about the beers, and spread some holiday cheer.

    We’ll have 6 of their amazing beers on tap as well as a few of their cans to-go!

    Taplist (*subject to change based on the readiness of each beer*)
    > Mingo (Black Currant & Blueberry w/ Vanilla)
    > Highly Unstable Triple Hazy IPA
    > Pilsner (to be determined)
    > Rocky Road Stout
    > Sixth Sense (Barrel-Aged Sour on 2nd Use Cherries)
    > Hazy IPA (to be determined)

    Cans
    > Mingo (Black Currant & Blueberry w/ Vanilla)
    > Highly Unstable Triple Hazy IPA

    Don’t sleep. These beers will not last long…

 

  • Thursday, December 19th. Rare Form Blonde Stout. Birdsong Brewing Co. 3 pm-10 pm. Just in time for the holidays, we’re bringing you a brand new limited release that we hope will satisfy your urge for a wintery, holiday brew! This beer was brewed as a small batch by our brewer Alex and quickly became a staff favorite! Imagine a smooth blonde stout with white chocolate and nutmeg and you’ll be imagining Rare Form! Rare Form is unique, seasonally fitting, and DELICIOUS!

    Cans and draft will release on 12/19/19 at 3p at the taproom and a limited amount will hit wholesale the following week!

    Rare Form is a delightful confection-like stout with notes of white chocolate and nutmeg for spicy aromatics and a pleasant creaminess on the palate. This smooth ale is rich and golden, and will have you doing double takes! 

 

  • Friday, December 20th. Small Batch Release: Bourbon Oaked Vanilla Nutmeg on NITRO. Red Clay Ciderworks. 3 pm-11 pm. t’s back for year two! Cousin Eddie’s Moose on the Loose, a bourbon oaked semi-sweet with nutmeg, vanilla on NITRO! 

 

  • Saturday, December 21st. Sticky Crystals IPA Can Release! Sycamore Brewing. 12 pm-11 pm. That real sticky icky, OOH WEE! Loaded with hop hotness, Sabor and pungent New Zealand varietals. Put it in the air.

 

  • Saturday, December 21st. Triple Release Saturday. Wooden Robot Brewery. 12 pm-12 am. PRE-SALE NOW AVAILABLE* hit the link to purchase – https://woodenrobot.craftcellr.com or download the app!

    Join us Saturday, December 21st at Noon at both The Brewery – South End & The Chamber – NoDa for a Triple Can Drop of three of our all-time favorite beers:
    Max Lux – Light Lager – 4.5%
    Unfiltered Lager
    100% Local Pilsner Malt
    $12 (+ tax)

    West By Southeast – WC Style IPA – 7.2%
    West Coast India Pale Ale
    100% Local Pilsner Malt
    Dry Hopped w/ Citra & El Dorado
    $16 (+ tax)

    Aww Fudge – Salted Caramel Fudge Stout – 12.0%
    Imperial Stout w/ Cacao Nibs & Salt
    100% Local Barley, Oat, and Roasted Malts
    Locally Roasted Cacao Nibs
    NC Outer Banks Sea Salt
    $20 (+ tax)

    ALL Sold in 4-packs (16oz) – No individual cans
    No purchase limit

    We will also have a limited amount of each beer on draft.
    These cans will be FRESH off the canning line! Come party!

    *SPECIAL RELEASE*
    Facts & Figures Collaboration with Divine Barrel Brewing
    Red Wine Barrel-Aged Mixed Culture Saison w/ Lemonade Blueberries, Raspberries & Blackberries
    more info coming soon!

 

 

21st Amendment Brewery Monks Blood

Posted on by Evan

21st Amendment Brewery Monks Blood, 8.3% ABV purchased from the local Total Wine is a Belgian-style dark ale brewed in San Leandro California with cinnamon, Vanilla, oak chips, and dried figs. It has been a long while since I’ve had a beer from 21st Amendment Brewery. Monks Blood pours a deep brown with somewhat red edges and a two-finger tan khaki head with sweet candy sugar like aromas with some cinnamon and very light fig notes. Taste is much like a Belgian-style dark ale with a nice bit of sweetness upfront with nice light cinnamon and vanilla with a gracious licorice flavor and there is a bit of a strong nature to Monks Blood with a semi-sweet finish and a licorice aftertaste with a medium mouthfeel. Not a bad Belgian-style dark ale, I would say that 21st Amendment Brewery Monks Blood is a B-, the overall flavor of this beer is not as full as a true Belgian dark ale. But it’s otherwise good and something worth trying. Please enjoy responsibly! Cheers!