Blind Squirrel Brewery American Hefeweizen

Blind Squirrel Brewery is based in Plumtree, NC.  They have a unique set up that includes a resturant and lodge that litteraly make this a beer destination.  So wheather you are looking for a weekend getaway or just 22 ounces of bliss this brewery has you covered.  So their American Hefeweizen has a 5.3% ABV.  It pours a nice pale gold color and it is aggressively carbonated.  Seriously be very gentle when you pour this one.  That massive head that forms persists for a long time.  If I drink this one again I'm pouring it into a stein or a tankard.  The massive head makes you feel like you are drinking a very German beer.  For added authenticity bring your own moustache.  This one is going to be fun.  So this one is tough to get a good nose from because that head is just so thick you can't smell anything else.  What I could smell was the sweet characteristic aroma of a hefeweizen.  This one is so carbonated that you taste the carbonation.  It makes this a bit sweeter and gives it a light acid tang.  There is a nice cool sensation to this beer.  I very much wanted a hot summer day to sit on the porch and enjoy this one.  Well if you live in North Carolina you know that we havn't had many warm summer days this year.  Alas I had to settle for a nice brisk day on the porch.  So the beer has very light flavors.  I assume this is filtered as there was almost no sediment left in the bottle and the beer was very clear.  As you would expect from a hefeweizen there sin't much hops flavor so not much citrus in this one either.  It was a nice sweet malty beer.  Had there been summer in North Carolina this year this might have been a favorite beer of mine for those hot afternoons.  I expect it would have been quite enjoyable.  If you enjoy a hefeweizen you should pick this one up, skip the orange wedge, it stands fine on its own.  Check out their current beer selection here.  

Highland Brewing Company Gaelic Ale

Highland Brewing Company, based in Asheville, is a relatively large brewery that has a large line-up of year round, seasonal, and one off beers.  Their Gaelic Ale is one of their year round staples.  In fact it was the first beer they produced, it was originally called Celtic Ale but another brewery had trademarked that name.  Enough with the history lesson and on to the beer.  Gaelic Ale is an American Amber with a 5.6% ABV.  It pours a dark amber color just as you would expect from an amber ale and forms a light head. There is a strong citrus hops aroma on the nose. There are some floral notes as well but the word I keep coming back to to describe the aroma is citrus.  A nice hops flavor initially. Strong pine notes which is surprising based on the aroma of this one. The citrus is muted comparatively but still present. The citrus helps balance things out and  makes this easy to drink. A slight hint of the toasted malt flavor presents itself as you continue drinking this beer.  This one has a lot of carbonation as you drink it.  Much more than would be expected based on the volume of head produced.   In fact the carbonation gives it a sweet, acidic flavor there is so much.  This is a nice safe beer.  There isn't too much hops, there aren't weird flavors fighting over each other, and it is very easy to drink.  You can find more information about this one on their website here and general information about their beers here.  

French Broad Brewery Rye Hopper Ale

The French Broad Brewing Company Rye Hopper Ale is an American Pale ale that is sufficiently hoppy and has some rye malts added.  It is definitely an American Pale Ale.  I have to admit that the name on this one threw me off a bit.  It gave me some expectations of something else.  Now Hopper is definitely the biggest word on the label and had I been paying attention I might not have been so thrown off.  The hops is definitely the primary contributor to the flavor of this beer.  Now this isn't a bad thing I just got excited based on my expectations from the name.  All of that said this is an excellent American Pale Ale.  The beer pours a nice gold color and builds up a nice white head.  The level of carbonation seems low based on the head that forms.  After those first confusing sips of this one I finally was able to wrap my head around what I was drinking.  As American Pale Ales go this one is excellent.  The hops characteristics in the beer make it an excellent spring or summer choice.  You get the full citrus and some other floural aromas.  All of the malt character is rather subtle and added to give this beer something to differentiate it from other American Pale Ales out there.  Using rye gives this one a pleasant but light spice flavor that helps to mellow the hops bitterness quite well.  You can find a listing of current beers by French Broad here or if you find a bottle at your local bottle shop you should definitely consider it.  French Broad is one of those consistent Asheville breweries that make the area such a great beer destination.  They deserve to be one of your go-to brewery choices.

Big Boss Brewing Co. Hell's Belle

Hell's Belle by +Big Boss Brewing Co is a Belgian style ale.  This one comes in at 7% ABV and is listed as 30 IBU.  This is right in line with what you generally see with this style. They claim some citrus flavors as well.  The beer pours a very light yellow with generous carbonation showing.  A medium head forms that is more foamy than lacy.  There is a distinctly sweet and yeasty smell to this beer.  They are clearly trying to showcase the malts and yeasts like they said.  The citrus flavors don't come through as strongly as I might have hoped but this is otherwise a solid Belgian.  It has the strong malt character that I've come to expect from this style.  The finish is all malts and you get an excellent appreciation for the craft that goes into this brew.  There is a subtle pine flavor more so than citrus.  There are also hints of wood and caramel that suggest that the grains were malted shortly before brewing.  This is the kind of craft beer that is easy to enjoy for what it is but is much more rewarding when you begin to dissect it for what it is underneath.  The craft behind this beer is subtle but impressive.  You can taste the wood in the kiln that was used to malt the grains.  You can taste extra flavors and sweetness that the yeast imparts to the beer.  This is certainly one that deserves more than one glass.  You are likely to find something new in this beer to appreciate every time you drink it.  I enjoyed this one so much I didn't even have time to get a picture before I'd had nearly half the beer.  Find a six pack of this and enjoy, 'nuff said.  For more information Big Boss Brewing Co has an excellent website here and you can also find them on twitter @bigbossbeer.  

Highland brewing little lump

First off, Highland Brewing does a great job on their website of giving you information about their beers.  They list ingredients, include the vitals, and give some nice background.  This one is listed at 4.5% ABV and has an IBU of 32.  They dry hop this one which is probably the reason for the great aroma from this one.  Little Hump has a strong bouquet of hops aromas that becomes noticeable as soon as the bottle is opened.   The aromas are typical of hops and the predominate scent on the nose.   If you enjoy the smell of hops in your beer you may not get to actually drinking this one for a bit as the smell is just that good.  There beer is playfully carbonated and produces a thin buy lacy head.  The head does persist for quite  a while which is nice to see.   Serving temperature of this beer is refrigerator temperature.  This helps make this an excellent spring beer. The beer is a very balanced, smooth beer.  Nothing is particularly overpowering and it is an all around nice mellow drinking experience.  You can see my first impressions on the YouTube video. As it warms the hops bitterness will overpower the citrus flavors; while this isn't a bad thing if you enjoy hops, this beer really is better cold.  I like the fact that this beer has a relatively low alcohol content as it makes for a nice light drink and you could easily enjoy several of these out on the porch with friends.  The beer isn't so overpowering that it should nicely complement your favorite springtime cookout foods.  The nice thing about this beer is that it reminds me of several summer "beers" that have strong citrus character.  The excellent thing about this beer is that it hints at those beers to come while actually being a beer.  This should be a very approachable drink for anyone.  The 32 IBU seems high as you drink it.  I only noticed a strong hops bitterness as the beer warmed.  With spring festivals now in full swing this would be an excellent six pack to pick up, spread a blanket, enjoy some friends and music, and have some great beer.  You can find more information on this one at the Highland Brewing website.

Green Man The Dweller Imperial Stout

Green Man Brewing Company's The Dweller is an Imperial Stout that they claim to have spent some time in the basement before becoming worthy of being bottled.  They list an IBU of 62 and an ABV of 7.5%.  The alcohol content is on par for an Imperial Stout but the IBU value seems a tad high.  This should prove to be a hoped up version.  The beer pours a wonderful dark brown and slowly forms a thick golden head.  This was surprising based on the amount of visible carbonation.  The initial aroma was a strong sweet malt flavor which you should expect from an Imperial Stout.  The chocolate flavor with the malt was very perceptible with this beer.  The balance of hops and malts was very nice.  The coffee flavors that are common with an Imperial Stout were masked by the hops flavor.  Now coming from a serious coffee drinker this may not mean much.  It takes a lot for me to say I taste coffee in my beer.  I mean if I want to drink a Java Stout that's what I'll get.  This beer comes across as a very traditional Imperial Stout with some added hops.  The fruit flavors that are traditionally associated with these beers was replaced by the mild hops flavors.  This made the Green Man take an interesting variation on this beer.  You probably know by know that I'm a fan of breweries that take some liberties with common beer styles and this is a subtle variation that I definitely approve of.  The presentation of the beer was a big plus.  The bottle made the experience seem a bit more sophisticated.  While it is easy to find many Green Man offerings on tap at my local restaurants I'd not be offended by having this bottle brought to my table.  All in all this beer should be rather approachable for anyone at all interested in darker beers.  Like many other North Carolina brewers Green Man strikes an excellent balance in all things that go into their beers.  For my initial reactions check out the YouTube video.  As always keep enjoying North Carolina Craft Beer.

Blind Squirrel Brewery IPA

The Blind Squirrel Brewery India Pale Ale comes in at 7%ABV.  Blind Squirrel describes this as an effort to be something other than a hop bomb.  They describe the flavors as citrusy, piney, and floral.  As you probably know by know I'm a big fan of breweries giving accurate descriptions of their beer.  One thing they failed to mention is that this beer forms a generous head that remains rather persistent.  The head has a creamy texture that would make many English pub ales jealous.  Generally I would attribute this to the yeast but they claim to have used an American Ale yeast which I wouldn't thing would produce a head like this.  This could then be from the two row and caramel malts.  At any rate it gave the beer some character not common to an IPA.  The pine was the predominate scent and the predominate flavor.  In my initial impression, see the YouTube video here,  I quickly compared this to Modus Hoperandi.  The flavor, color, and amount of head produced were very similar.  The Blind Squirrel offering is a bit more subdued than the Ska IPA.  I would certainly also describe this beer as "drinking a pine cone."  Now this may sound a bit intense to some people but you have to remember that this is an IPA and this is North Carolina.  Here we like to brew big, flavorful beers that rival those of the more well known breweries.  This IPA is no exception.  This isn't going to be an IPA for everyone but if you enjoy citrus and pine flavor in your IPA this is an exceptional example of blending these two flavors.  Now if you can allow this to warm just a bit you will quickly find that the piney flavors mellow and become replaced by an entire bouquet of citrus and other floral flavors.  This may be a difficult feat for some as this is an excellent IPA and perhaps my favorite from North Carolina thus far.  I didn't feel like they just threw in as much hops as they could to get an insanely high IBU number, it lists as 65 by the way.  I am a big fan of pine in my IPA but was pleasantly surprised by how it mellowed and became a very complex beer after it warmed just a few degrees.  It really felt like I got two different beers in just one bottle.  So for those of you that are fans of in your face pine flavored IPAs drink this one at fridge temp.  For those of you looking for a more traditional experience with a moderately hoped IPA let it warm a bit and you should find this one to your liking.  If you want more information about the other beers that Blind Squirrel offers head to their website.  If you find yourself in Plumtree the brewery is attached to a lodge, restaurant  and winery.  The menu looks to be standard pub fare including pizza, burgers, sandwiches, and the crow favorite fish and chips.  They seem to have a great selection of Blind Squirrel brews on hand as well.  During summers they are open Wednesday through Saturday.

Frog Level Salamander Slam IPA

Salamander Slam weighs in at 7.0% ABV.  Unfortunately the brewery website doesn't offer any more information about this specific brew.  It pours as expected, a light golden color with a thin but persistent white head.  The nose on this beer departs from a traditional IPA in that in addition to the hops there is a distinct malt aroma.  The malt aroma transitions quite nicely into a light and smooth taste.  At first this beer has a deceptively smooth and mild flavor.  The hops flavors then come on slowly but strongly.  This progression of flavors is the most striking aspect of this otherwise standard IPA.  You can see my reaction in the YouTube video.  The hops flavor will be familiar to regular IPA drinkers.  This beer boils down to being a rather text book IPA.  While the extra malt character and slowly developing hops character in the flavor give this beer a bit of personality it just fails to be much more than an excellent IPA.  Now the great thing about this beer is that Frog Level packages many of their beers in these wonderful half growler bottles.  This gives you about 3 glasses of beer which is more than enough to share with friends.  Since Spring is trying to arrive here in North Carolina finding a good beer to sit out on the porch and enjoy with some friends is important and this is certainly a candidate.  The hops flavor is not so overpowering that it's going to keep you from enjoying this beer with food or enjoying another beer after this one.  Just because it isn't a stand out IPA doesn't mean it is a bad beer.  If you are a fan of IPAs, and really if you are reading this you probably are, you should certainly try this one just because of the nice malty start.  If IPAs aren't your thing you can probably skip this one.  Since this is an IPA you probably shouldn't try to introduce your lager drinking friends to craft beer with this one.  Some of the flavor may be due to the yeast that they use.  As of this writing the Frog Level website lists what I hope is a British Cream Ale which they seem to be calling Lilly's Cream Boy.  That may be an interesting brew.  Based on how the hops work in their IPA I'd also like to see them tackle a Kolsch style beer.  I would certainly stop by the brewery if you find yourself in Waynesville, NC.  For more information about what's currently on tap at Frog Level check out their website.  As always keep enjoying North Carolina beer.

Cheers!

Big Boss Brewing Company Big Operator

Big Boss Brewing Company the Big Operator weighs in at a robust 8%ABV.  The label describes this one as a belgian ale conditioned with raspberries.  The Countess was the opening act to this big beer.  Since it is a Belgian I expect more hops character than was present in the Countess.  There is only one way to find out and that involves opening and tasting.  The beer pours a rich black, it shows little carbonation but forms a short velvety brown head.  The most pronounced aromas on the nose are the toasted malts and the cocoa.  Some lighter notes suggest some sweetness either from the malts or the raspberries.  The predominate flavors are the toasted malts and the cocoa which isn't surprising based on how strongly they are smelled.  These mix very well and keep this beer from being overpowering.  While it wasn't what was expected from the aroma it delivers big.  The base of the beer would compete well with well known Black Belgians.  The additions of the cocoa and raspberries really set this one off as being a unique beer.  The raspberry flavors are unfortunately not as pronounced as hoped but are very much on the same level as they were in The Countess.  Once again the primary flavor the raspberries impart is their tartness.  It blends well with the mild hops bitterness.  The beer has a very smooth rich texture and an almost thick moth feel.  This isn't going to be the Spring Ale you sit out on the porch and drink to refresh yourself in the early evenings.  This is the beer you sit down with in the evening to finish off the day.  This one is bold enough to go with food but should stand on it's own very well.  You should also note that this is beer is 8% ABV and while that isn't outrageously high this is a very drinkable beer and you could quickly find yourself in some trouble if you have very many.  For more information on this one check out the YouTube video or check out the information on Big Boss Brewing Company.  As always thanks for reading and keep enjoying North Carolina Beer!

Big Boss Brewing Company The Countess

The Countess comes in at 4.5% ABV.  It is described as a Framboise style ale.  This really just means it's a raspberry conditioned ale.  The Countess appears to be new to the Big Boss line-up as it was posted to their website in January 2013.  This is the first beer we selected to review for spring because of the fruit and malty blend.  Summer always brings to mind wheat beers and lighter flavors but Spring beers can float between the more complex winter beers and the simple refreshing beers of summer.  Adding raspberries to a simple ale should prove to be just what we look for in a spring seasonal offering.  Big Boss promises a refreshing ale and on that promise they deliver.
The beer pours a yellow gold with hints of red and shows a large amount of carbonation.  Despite the carbonation level only a small head forms but most of it persists.  The malts are strong on the nose and not much else comes through on this one.  I had hoped to smell some of the fruit but it just didn't seem to be there.  While disappointing it's not a deal breaker; this is after all a beer and not some candy malt beverage.  The flavors should prove to be subtle if the nose is any indication.  The beer is very mild at first taste.  The sweetness of the fruit is perceptible but not overpowering and a pleasant addition to the malt and yeast flavors.  Rather than hops bitterness I would describe this beer as tart from the fruit.  My overall impression is that this beer will be far to easy to drink and it may take more than one to fully appreciate all it has to offer.  If you can find this one on tap I suggest you order a pitcher, sit outside with friends and enjoy a few of these.  The combination of sweetness and tartness from the raspberries really set this apart as a spring beer.  This one is subtle and easy to drink.  As of early April reports say it's still hard to find and I hope that changes soon.  Big Boss Brewing has an excellent beer on their hands with this one and now is the perfect time to enjoy it.  This one should be completely accessible to any beer drinker.
If you are reading this during the month of April then it is NC Beer Month and seasonals like this one are a great reason to go out and celebrate.  For more information about The Countess check out the Big Boss website at: http://bigbossbrewing.com/the-countess.aspx For more information about NC Craft Beer Month hit the link to the side or check out our preview page in the top navigation pane.

Foothills Brewing People's Porter

Foothills Brewing People's Porter Barrel Aged Porter

This one weighs in at 5.8% ABV according to the website; it says 6% on the bottle.  They list a relatively high 42 IBU.  Foothills describes this one as having complex chocolate, caramel, and toffee notes with added vanilla from the bourbon barrel aging.  The beer forms a substantial and persistent head on pouring.  Much more than I normally expect from a porter.  They say the hops flavors will come first and coffee notes will be on the finish.  The bourbon is noticeable early on the nose especially the vanilla.  The smoked malts also add a nice aroma to this brew.  It is possible to smell some of the earthy notes of the hops but they are faint.  As with most bourbon aged beers the bourbon character is present at first taste.  There is also a distinct amount of hops in this one which isn't always present in a porter.  The finish is definitely all from the malts.  A light sweetness accompanies the toasted malts.  Foothills describes it as a espresso flavors but it tasted more like toasted bourbon to me.  The waves of flavor in this beer are what set it apart from other porters.  Finishing with the more traditional toasted malt flavors with the chocolate and coffee undertones give the beer a suprising characteristic that really makes this a nice beer to drink.  The hops is a very nice touch in this beer.  The toasted malts are subtle.  The bourbon flavor is understated but definitely present.  The sweetness late in the finish make it easy to take that next drink.  At first I didn't want to recommend this beer for everyone as I suspected that the high IBU, bourbon barrel aging, and complex flavors would make it somewhat unaccessable but it all seems to work well together.  While a die-hard American Lager drinker might not like this one the rest of us can certainly appreciate this one.

Olde Hickory Seven Devils

Olde Hickory Brewery Seven Devils

Seven Devils weighs in at 8% ABV.  It is a bourbon barrel aged Scottish Ale.  Olde Hickory describes it as a rich, smooth malt blended with the complex flavors of bourbon and as like drinking a candy bar.  It pours a dark caramel color and generates a thick head that unfortunately dissipates quickly.  The predominate smells of this are caramel and bourbon.  It has a strong bourbon taste that masks almost everything else.  It tastes very much like a sweetened glass of a classic American Bourbon.  The candy bar comment is justified as this beer is what a bourbon candy bar must taste like.  It certainly hints at it's roots as a Scottish Ale but those flavors have a lot to fight through to really be appreciated.  This beer tastes like the barrel still had some bourbon left in the bottom when they put the beer in for aging.  This is a seasonal that I assume they release in late January or early February based on the enjoy before date of July '13.  This is a beer I'm not going to recommend to a general crowd, although I think you'll be hard pressed to find a generally accessible bourbon barrel aged beer.  I'm a big fan of bourbon barrel aged beers and this one is a bit over the top for my tastes; still a great beer but they could have dialed the bourbon flavor back just a touch.  If you are a fan of the style this is one you should pick up now while it's still in season.  It would certainly hold it's own against other bourbon aged beers.  If I were splitting the bottle with a friend and I had the choice between this and a more expensive beer like Bourbon County Stout (I know it's not available in Carolina but I'm from Chicago so it's something I'm very familiar with) I would confidently choose the Seven Devils.  It has  a similar sweetness, lower alcohol, and similar bold bourbon flavor.

The Duck-Rabbit Milk Stout

Buck-rabbit describes this one as a traditional full-bodied milk stout with the sweetness to contrast with the sharpness of the roasted grains.  This one comes in at 5.7% ABV.  The beer pours a nice dark brown, almost black.  No appreciable head forms.  So far it looks like a stout.  The sharp grains definitely come through on the nose.  Carbonation is healthy and on par with a 5.7% beer.  The sweetness is noticeable and a very nice touch but the roasted grains are the star of this beer.  They impart a lively taste to the beer that just begs for a second and third taste.  It took a while before I was able to discern any hints of the earthy flavors of any hops.  The flavor is best described as coffee flavors and could be completely unattributed to any hops.  This beer has a bright finish that seems to be common in North Carolina beers.  The smokey flavors of the grains are very well balanced in this beer.  I very much enjoyed the balance in this beer.  It it very drinkable and the whole experience entirely enjoyable. This could serve as an excellent introduction to the style.  Milk stouts can be a difficult beer to brew as so many seem to get it wrong.  This one gets it right.  Give this one a try if you have not yet.

Mystery Brewing Company Annabel

Annabel is a Black Saison that comes in at 7.9% ABV and 28 IBU.  Mystery describes this as a dry, black saison made for winter.  It has notes of dark fruit, chocolate, molasses, and peppercorn.  The beer pours a smooth black color.  Very little head appears.  The molasses are strong on the nose.  The smells of the roasted rye and wheat also come through nicely.  The roasted malts bring some very nice chocolate and coffee flavors without being over the top about it.  The peppercorn flavor almost hides in the malts but it is present.  I always appreciate an honest description by a brewer.  The beer is consistent from start to finish the entire brew lingers over your taste buds rather than presenting you with the flavors in waves.  The hops in this are very subtle but present enough to remind you that you are drinking a beer.  Winter in North Carolina just got a little better when we opened up this growler.  Erik Lars Myers and his crew did an exceptional job with this beer.  In general a black saison is a style that can go bad in many ways.  Mystery more than gets this one right.  They put together a consistent experience by pulling the toasted malts and the spice together with the molasses sweetness.  This beer is a reason that North Carolina craft beer is making a name for itself.  The brewers here hit big on beers where other brewers miss.

Took a Little Trip

So this week I took a trip and decided to check out a new craft beer store.  I found a couple of beers from some North Carolina Breweries that I have been wanting to try.  In keeping with my winter trend I found a couple of beers brewed with toasted grains.  The first is The Duck-Rabbit Milk Stout.  This one is described as a more or less traditional stout that balances the sweetness with the toasted grains.  The second is the Mystery Brewing Company Annabel Black Saison.  This one is described as a dry, black saison with notes of fruit, chocolate molasses and peppercorn.  These beers are not regularly on hand at the local craft beer store so these are exciting finds.
Visiting this store has also inspired me to start a section of the blog dedicated to the craft beer stores that get it right.  The one we visited this weekend did it well.  They had great selection of home brew supplies, large refrigerators where they kept ALL their beer.  It was nice to see more sellers taking craft beer seriously.

French Broad Anvil Porter

French Broad describes this as a silky, malty, and chocolaty.  They say it is light enough to have more than one.   The beer pours a very dark brown and forms a nice head although that dissipates .  The smell is very much that of a traditional porter.  The toasted malts are the predominate flavors.  Other subtle flavors mix in quickly but are harder to describe.  The beer has a bright finish that I don't generally associate with a porter.  This beer is a porter almost to the point of being boring   That isn't necessarily bad I just don't find this particular beer exciting.  This is going to be an easily accessible beer.  The toasted malt flavors are present but subtle.  The hops is on the light side.  The flavor balance is nice.   If you are new to the style or just leery of trying a beer made with toasted malts this is a great starting place.  This could be your simple gateway to a whole new world of beer.  For veterans this will taste very familiar and while not particularly exciting is certainly everything you'd expect from a porter.  You can certainly drink more than one of these just like they say.

Aviator Frostnipper

Aviator describes this beer as a collection of traditional spices, smoked malts, and contrasting hops.  It comes in at 7.3% ABV, and has an IBU of 60.4.  The beer pours a nice dark brown with a very little red color present.  A nice head formed from vigorous pouring. The nose is a complex mix of melts and spices.  There is a subtle and bright hops smell as well.  The smell alone is exciting.  The taste doesn't disappoint; Aviator makes good on their description.  It is complex and the many flavors come to the front in turn.  First the toasted malts followed by spices and finally the hops. The smokey character is very well done it his beer.  I find often that smoked malts are overdone and make a beer hard to drink but Aviator seems to have gotten it right.  This is a beer that you should definitely try if you can find it. Despite the complex flavors and high IBU this beer should be very accessible.  It is so well done that it should be easily appreciated by even those who shy away from hoppy beers.  Use this winter selection to introduce someone to a more refined beer.  This is well crafted complexity in a bottle. Find more information about the Aviator Brewing Company

Olde Hickory Black Raven IPA

This one is listed at 7%ABV and described as an IPA using roasted malts for a dark color and rich flavor.  Read their description here.  It pours a very dark brown.  The head is minimal.  The smell is all IPA.  The malts are only faintly present.  Olde Hickory makes some very hoppy beers so I expect this one to follow suit.  The taste is complex at first and nothng really stands out.  The hops becomes very present finally.  The hops are a touch on the bitter side.  After letting the beer warm I realized that it should be served warmer than a standard IPA.  A thicker head was achieved and it persisted as shown in the picture throughout drinking.  The bitter edge on the hops faded and the toasted malts began to come through.  This isn't the kind of IPA you would want to drink on a hot summer day but in the fall and winter months this would make an excellent IPA to reach for.  The ideal drinking temp for this beer is between 48 and 52.  For a brewery that makes some beers hopped to the extreme this may be one of my favorite offerings by Olde Hickory.  That may change come spring, but for the time I will enjoy some more of these.  I would recommend this beer for anyone that is a fan of the IPA style.  It may be inaccessible to those who don't like heavily hopped beers.  The warm temperature needed to experience the full effect may also turn some away.  I expected this to be a bold beer and it is a pleasant variation of a tried and true style.

Upcomming North Carolina Brews

A recent trip to my local beer store netted me three interesting NC brews that I will be reviewing soon.  The first is the Aviator Frostnipper.  Keeping with the winter ale review streak this beer should fit nicely.  They describe it as a mix of toasted malts, traditional spices, and hops for contrast; intriguing.  The second is the Olde Hickory Black Raven IPA, they describe this as an IPA brewed with roasted malts.  I picked this one up because I described a porter as tasting like a roasted IPA so I want to compare that experience to an actual effort.  Plus the toasted malts should fit in well with the other beers in the batch.  The last beer is French Broad Anvil Porter.  They describe it as English ale loaded with chocolate and caramel.  3 bold beers from 3 bold brewers.  Into the refrigerator they went and soon we will discuss what we liked about each one.  Stay tuned.

Sam Adams Old Fezziwig Ale

Old Fezziwig clocks in at a modest 5.9 ABV.  The description on the bottle touts lots of specialty malts and spices.  Based on the description you would expect to taste caramel, chocolate, nutmeg. cinnamon, and orange.  The Beer ours a nice dark brown with a hint of red much like a nut brown ale.  Head is minimal.  The spices are the predominant smell on the nose with a nice mix of the malts as well.  The spice balance is very nice in this beer.  The hops take a back seat here and let the caramely sweetness mix with the spices for what is a very enjoyable beer.  This is the standout of Sam's winter seasonal ales.  The balance is the key to this one and what makes it very easy to drink. The character stays the same even as it warms.  Pick up a case of f the same winter mix just for this beer f you must. 

Sam Adams Winter Lager

The beer is described as a traditional lager spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg, orange, and ginger. As it was poured the first thing I noticed was the color was darker than I expected; darker that he regular Sam Adams Boston Lager.  The hops smell is more noticeable than expected for a lager.  There seem to be two noticeable hops flavors but it soon becomes apparent that the second thing smelled are the spices.  Any malt flavor seems to be overpowered by hops and spices.  While I don't associate the taste with Christmas like I might a harvest ale or Oktoberfest with fall this is an enjoyable beer.  I had hoped to find this more enjoyable than their Boston lager and I must say that I do.  While I did not expect this offering to be one of the highlights of the Sam Adams winter seasonal beers it certainly is.  As the beer warms the hops flavor mellows and blends with the spices.  The spice character becomes more pronounced which makes the entire experience interesting. This is another solid offering in the winter offerings and certainly worth picking up.

Sam Adams Chocolate Bock

I fully expected this offering to be my favorite.   A chocolate bock would generally be a highlight for me.   The beer comes in at 5.8% ABV. The beer poured a rich dark black. The hops and chocolate smells were immediately present.   Almost no head.   The chocolate is a bit on the light side. The bright caramely malts come through early with more than expected carbonation based on how it poured.   Later the hops follow and this beer begins to be a more complex tasting experience.  The chocolate lingers last and is definitely strong. Despite being a chocolate bock this isn't as sweet as some other beers of the style.   It does make for an enjoyable beer. It could probably stand a better balance of hops and chocolate but as it stands it's a fair representation of the style. I will admit I am a bit biased to dark bocks, however. Probably my second favorite of the Sams winter ales.

Sam Adams Winter Collection

I'm going to start with some familiar territory.  Sam Adams is readily found almost anywhere in the country and North Carolina is no exception.  For winter the Boston Beer company has produced several spiced varieties to go along with the season.  Their special winter brews can be found in a pub pack type case that also includes the familiar Boston Lager, which is how I purchased them.  The winter brews are the Winter Lager, Old Fezziwig Ale, a Holiday Porter, a Chocolate Bock, and White Christmas.  All in all the pack is an enjoyable mix of several very different types of beers.  I am sure that just about anyone can find something here that they will like. I am equally sure that everyone can find something in this collection to complain about too.  The Fezziwig was the surprise of the collection for me and likely the stand out beer of the group.  I found the porter to be a bit disappointing and the other varieties were average to slightly above averages examples of their style.  More complete reviews of each individual beer to follow.