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.

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.

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.