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.