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.