Snow Day, Snow Day!!!

New Belguim has my vote for the best winter ale on the market.  I found myself purchasing their Snow Day Winter Ale.  I liken this beer to a black IPA.  This beer is boldly hoppy with nice roasted undertones.  There are hints of chocolate and caramel that come from a new brewing malt called Midnight Wheat.  I encourage you to buy this beer up if you can still find it.  I, for one, will be stockpiling as much as I can find in my local grocery store and beer shop.  It is that good.  Enjoy the unexpected.

Brevard Knows Beer

I have been working on a project in this great mountain town called Brevard, NC (new home of Oskar Blues' East Coast Brewery).  I was pleasantly surprised to learn that they have a craft brewery right near town call....Brevard Brewing Company.  I was in town for a meeting and the majority of us decided to go have a beverage and some food after the meeting.  We settled on a place called Marco Trattoria.  Being a Tuesday night, we had the place almost entirely to ourselves.  The waitress called for our order and I, as usual, ask if they had any beers on tap.  They had two, both from Brevard Brewing Company.

I first tried the Munich Dunkel.  I am a huge fan of German beers, so this sounded great.  I was surprised that this Dunkel functioned more like a chocolate stout.  The waitress told me that white chocolate was actually used in the creation of this beer.  This beer is very smooth and lightly carbonated.  I highly recommend this beer.

The second beer I had was the American IPA.  A very solid IPA with full hoppiness and citrus flavor.  I am very much looking forward to visiting the brewery in person.  Marco Trattoria is a great restaurant.  Try the pizzas, they are great.

Foothills Brewing...Get You Some!

So, it has been a while since my last post.  Lot going on, but won't bore you with all of that.  Let's get to the beer!

My beautiful wife recently grabbed me a great mixed 6 pack of beers from Trader Joe's which include two selections from Foothills Brewing out of Winston-Salem, NC.  I have long been a fan of Foothills Brewing.  I have always enjoyed the first of the two beers I will write about tonight, Hoppyum IPA.  Hoppyum is a solid IPA with a very hoppy nature and high bitterness.  It has a strong aftertaste and dry finish.  Definitely some citrus notes to this beer and it will leave you wanting another.  70 IBU's and a 6.2% ABV.  One interesting aspect of this IPA is that I found it to be thick on the sip.  Not exactly sure what this means as I review my notes from the night I tried it, so by default I find myself needing a re-try of this delicious IPA!  Well done Foothills.

The second Foothills brew is Torch!  Torch is a light Czech style pilsner that I found to be very appealing.  It has a full and rich finish and is surprisingly hoppy for a pilsner with 35 IBU's.  I see myself enjoying this brew on a hot day this summer.  Perhaps a drive to Winston-Salem is in order to get this nectar straight from the tap.  Let me know if you have been to the brewery.

The last Foothills brew that I want to cover in this post is the People's Porter.  I enjoyed this beer after sledding with my wife and boys up in Blowing Rock, NC at a really great restaurant called Bistro Roca.  It was a Sunday, but after spending a few hours going up and down a hill in the high wind and drifting snow this dad needed a beer.  I decided to try Foothills People's Porter.  I really gravitated toward darker beers this winter.  More so than usual.  People's is an English style porter with a slight hoppy flavor upfront but with a smooth espresso finish at the end.  The chocolate and toffee aroma is in full tilt.  It has a dark ruby hue color.  This beer does not disappoint   With 42 IBU's it will satisfy an IPA lover while still appealing to folks who love a dark smooth porter.  Have it with the Lobster Mac...I did!

One Night at the Office

I was traveling on business a few weeks ago in South Florida.  My co-worker and I decided to stay in Delray Beach and we went to a great restaurant called The Office.  If you ever find yourself in Delray, I highly recommend visiting the Office.  Each time I have been there it is always packed and the food is great.  I would try the Prime Boss Burger which is burger paddy made of prime ground brisket.  The devil eggs were pretty great too.

Now on to the beers.  The Office has a great selection of beers on tap and in the bottle.  The bartenders are always happy to let you try a sample before diving into a beer you may not like.  I decided to try Swamp Ape IPA from Florida Beer Company.  This is a fantastic beer.  It has a potent floral aroma but is not too sweet and has a bit of a bite.  This high gravity beer (10% ABV) includes five distinct varieties of hops which is a hop lover's dream.  This beer has moderate fruity nature with a medium malt character.  It looks like you will have to travel to Florida to try this beer as it is not widely distributed yet.  I think it is worth the trip.

I also has a Dales Pale Ale that night.  Dales Pale Ale is from Oskar Blues Brewing Company.  I had a Dales previously, but never on tap.  Dales is a unique beer that is canned versus bottled.  It has a hoppy nose and flavor but is a well balanced brew with the hops and malt working in harmony.  This is a great hoppy beer to enjoy anywhere, even on the beach where you might typically reach for a lager or lighter beer.  Pick up a six pack of cans and enjoy.

The third beer I had that evening was called Shipyard IPA from Shipyard Brewing Company.  I should have listened to the bartender and taken a sample taster. This beer is terrible and really not worth describing any further.  Perhaps it was its dry nature that didn't appeal to me.

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The Mixed Pack Dilemma - Magic Hat Brewing Company

I very rarely buy mixed packs unless I have the opportunity to pick the individual beers myself.  However, with my recent luck with Highland Brewing Company's mixed pack mentioned in the post I decided to try another.  I often find that evaluating a mixed pack often leads me to the same dilemma: satisfy my curiosity knowing that one of the options within the mix will not appeal to me v. buying each of the beers individually in a six pack and thus run the risk of wasting more money.

On Friday, I decided to buy a mixed 12 pack from a brewery which I have never tried, Magic Hat Brewing Company.  We were experiencing winter weather in Charlotte, NC so I was on the hunt for a Wintery Mix for my fridge that would satisfy my craving for the tastes of the season.  Below is my review of the four beers that made up Magic Hat's Winterland Seasonal Variety Pack.


Heart of Darkness Stout:  This is a very solid stout.  The first thing that struck me was the pour.  I tilted the glass at a 45 degree angle like I typically do, but instead of bringing it upright toward the end I left it tilted and came up with the perfect pour with a nice white head.  The name of this beer doesn't lie, it is very dark.  This stout has nice roasted bittersweet chocolate notes and is very smooth, even silky.  This is a seasonal selection, so get it while it is available.  5.7% ABV.

Encore Wheat IPA:  This was the beer in the mix pack that I thought was going to upset the apple cart.  In general, I do not care for wheat beers.  Somehow there is no trace of wheat beer flavor in this IPA.  There is  still the citrus and yeasty aspects that are typical of a wheat beer.  The difference is the hop.  There is a nice bitterness and the mouthful was heavier than expect.  I need to have another before I am able to fully detect the grapefruit...but it is there! 6.4% ABV.

Wooly:  Wow, what a beer!  This ESB is unlike any beer that I have tasted before.  The piney taste is interesting and would lead me to buying this beer again, but probably more so if I could find it on tap somewhere.  The spicy wood taste is truly appealing.  The pour is a nice medium amber with a nice head.  4.5% ABV.

#9:  And here it is...the reason for the dilemma.  This is the only year round bear out of the Winterland Pack and it was the one that did not appeal to me at all.  It is very floral and much too sweet.  It reminded me of a bitter soda I once had when I was in Mexico.  This is probably their most popular beer and I have to say that I am glad that I didn't try it first.  I may not have ever tried any of the other great beers mentioned above.  #9 is no mystery to me...it just is not a good beer.  PS - there is definitely apricot in the recipe.

Highland Brewing Company - Black Mocha Stout & Oatmeal Porter

Highland Brewing Company, located in Asheville, NC is a brewery that truly fits its community.  Asheville, NC is known for its scenic views, good food, music scene, eclectic population mix and now...beer!  It is Highland's goal to be the brewery of choice in the Southeast - a goal that is certainly attainable.  

Most people who have had a Highland beer have had the Highland Gaelic Ale which is an amber colored ale with a malty body and complex hop flavor and aroma.  This is a beer that could easily become an every day beer as I believe it pairs well with a variety of foods and is great on its own. 

For Christmas, my business partner and I exchanged mixed packs of beer.  He was extremely generous and gave me both a mix of Samuel Adams seasonal brews as well as a mix pack of Highland Brews.  While I have enjoyed them all, I thought I would focus on two of the ones that definitely stood taller than the others.  The Sammy Adams brews will be covered in another post.  

The first is the Black Mocha Stout.  This brew is a very smooth stout that is not overrun by the chocolate flavor its name would suggest.  The roasted flavor is a nice blend of coffee and chocolate and has a slightly hoppy finish.  It carries 25 IBU's.  Because of its smooth nature, this beer can be enjoyed on its own or be paired with a variety of foods including dessert!  It is certainly on the sweeter end of the stout spectrum.  Also, it is not as creamy as a Guinness, so you may want to take that into consideration if the creamy element is important to you when downing a stout!

The second is the Oatmeal Porter. This brew is a unique and robust dark beer with malty and roasted chocolate flavor with a nice hop balance. What keeps this porter so smooth is the introduction of oatmeal which helps give it its silky texture.  When poured into a glass via bottle or draft, it has a very dark body and nice caramel head.  35 IBU's and 5.9% alcohol content per volume.  I have tried this beer in a room temperature glass and a frozen mug.  This is just my opinion, but I think the aroma and flavors are more pronounced in the room temperature glass.  Try both and let me know what you think.

You really cannot go wrong with any of the Highland Brewery beers.  If you ever visit Asheville, go enjoy one straight from the brewery or at Barley's Taproom.