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.

Overview

Overview

Welcome to the North Carolina Craft Brew Review.    Our goal here is to give honest reviews of craft beer available to people in North Carolina.  Due to the nature of laws in this country the availability of craft beers varies greatly from region to region.  A beer must be approved for distribution in each state where it is to be sold and must also be carried by a distributor in that state.  As such our initial focus will be on beer available in the Appalachian Mountains in North Carolina.  As this is a popular tourist destination it is our hope that the information presented here will be enlightening to both locals and the tourist who visit our home region.  

Definiton of Craft Brewer

The definition of a craft brewer is a small ( less than 6 million barrel anual production), independent (less than 25% owned by large non craft brewer), traditional brewery.  Many large brewers and some small brewers now owned by the larger companies produce individual beers that are considered by some to be craft beers because they meet the spirit of a craft beer.  Goose Island is an excellent example of this.  While they are now owned primarily by Anhiser Bush many of their beers are still produced in their Chicago brewery.  Their 312, a staple of the company is now brewed at other facilities and should no longer be considered a craft beer.  Burbon County Stout, which they still brew in Chicago is a very highly rated beer and could still be considered a craft beer. Here I'm likely to fudge the lines a bit from time to time but I'll try to let you know.

According to the NC Brewers Guild there are 61 craft breweries and brewpubs that operate in North Carolina.  In addition to those there are many widely distributed craft beers that are also available here.  The NC Brewers Guild lists the following breweries for their Western Region:

Asheville Brewing Company, Asheville, NC (Coxe Ave.)
Brevard Brewing Company, Brevard, NC
Catawba Valley Brewing Company, Morganton, NC
Craggie Brewing Company, Asheville, NC
Dry County Brewing Company, Spruce Pine, NC
French Broad Brewing, Asheville, NC
Frog Level Brewing Company, Waynesville, NC
Headwaters Brewing Company, Waynesville, NC
Green Man Brewery, Asheville, NC
Heinzelmannchen Brewery, Sylva, NC
Highland Brewing Company, Asheville, NC
Lexington Avenue Brewery, Asheville, NC
Nantahala Brewing Company, Bryson City, NC
Oyster House Brewing Company, Asheville, NC
Pisgah Brewing Company, Black Mountain, NC
Southern Appalachian Brewery, Hendersonville, NC
Thirsty Monk Pub & Brewery, Asheville, NC
Tipping Point Tavern, Waynesville, NC
Wedge Brewing Company, Asheville, NC

Some of these beers will be readily available at local grocery stores and a wider variety can be found at local beer and wine merchants.  Aviator Brewing Company, Olde Hickory Brewery, and Foothills Brewing Company are some of the more commonly found craft beers in these areas.

Beers reviewed here will fall mostly into one of 4 categories. Available in NC, Brewed in NC, Brewed in NC with locally sourced hops, and Homebrewed in NC.