Tag Archives: North Carolina

Firewater India Pale Ale

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catawba-firewater-ipa

Firewater IPA is a product of local North Carolina brewer, Catawba Brewing Company. It is what they call an “East Coast IPA” which is their interpretation of a an IPA using six varieties of British hops, and six different malts, including wheat and five barley malts. This all leads to a relatively mild, balanced IPA that has the appropriate hoppy characteristics but that is also still relatively understated. The nose is floral and slightly bready. The middle has a bit of very mild lemon citrus and a dry wheat backbone. There isn’t much new in the finish. A bit more lemon, but it’s pretty simple. The alcohol is fairly average as well, at 6.0% ABV.  All in all, this is a nice interpretation of an milder IPA, but nothing particularly stands out.

I give it a 3.5 out of 5.

NoDa Jam Session

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noda-jam-session

Jam Session is, as its name implies, a session beer. I’ve found it in 16oz cans, which is just about my favorite container these days. It’s a 5.1% ABV American Pale Ale from the NoDa Brewing Company right here in Charlotte, NC. It is deep orange-amber in color, and has a thick, meringue like head that sticks around. The nose has pine and lemon, and is predominantly hoppy. The middle still leans toward hoppiness but isn’t overpowering. It’s grassy with more lemon and a bit of caramel from the malt balancing it. The finish has a touch of orange and toast and the tiniest undercurrent of pine. This is a really nice pale ale and in this lighter session beer format, one I’m going to be happy to drink quite a bit more of this summer.

I give it a 4.4 out of 5.

Foothills People’s Porter

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People’s Porter is a classic English Porter from the good folks at Foothills Brewing in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. It’s dark and roasty and chocolatey and lovely, but not too heavy, or particularly big, at 5.8% ABV. This is the sort of beer you drink when you want a dark, roasty beer but not a meal, or a dessert. It’s bursting with great flavors, the aforementioned chocolate, along with coffee and a nice nuttiness in the finish. This is a very well executed English Porter, and highly recommended.

I give it a 4.1 out of 5.

NoDa Hop Drop ‘n Roll

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Hop Drop ‘n Roll is an American IPA from the NoDa Brewing Company, right here in Charlotte, North Carolina. Hop Drop ‘n Roll is actually the beer that got NoDa started, way back in 2011. (I believe, anyway. I couldn’t find a definitive date.) The nose is remarkably heavy with pine. It’s strong enough to bring up scent memories of my childhood in the evergreen forests of the Pacific Northwest. The body is remarkably heavy for a non-Imperial style, and it offers massive flavor, leading with more pine and orange. As you move towards the finish, the texture changes to butter and the first sweet notes come into play with some sugary citrus. There’s a tiny hint of alcohol right at the end, which befits this 7.2% ABV brew. This is definitely a hop-forward concoction, and a masterful one at that. This is a fantastic example of an IPA.

I give it a 4.5 out of 5.

Natty Greene’s Freedom American IPA

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This would have been a great beer to review for the 4th of July, but since I’ve missed that and don’t care to wait until next year, Labor Day weekend is going to have to do. Freedom American IPA is another product from Natty Greene’s Brewing Company of Greensboro, North Carolina. I was surprised by how light it looks in the glass, and it reminds me more of an unfiltered wheat ale than an IPA. There’s no mistaking the flavors though, and there are no “special” ingredients here. Just water, barley, hops, and yeast. The nose has grapefruit, grasses, and a bit of pine. The middle is predominantly lemon, and it has a fairly heavy body. This IPA isn’t overpowered by hops, and the sugars from the malts come through in the finish, turning the citrusy hop notes to orange. This is a a really solid example of the traditional American IPA style, and I fine choice for an IPA fan.

I give it a 4.3 out of 5.

Sweetwater Blue

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sweetwater-blue

Sweetwater Blue is a fairly typical craft wheat ale, but with the addition of blueberries which give a subtle twist. They did a really nice job of adding a fun and different flavor, but without overpowering the beer. The nose is very light, with a bit of grass and yeast. The middle is where the blue berries add some tang to the mild wheat base that turns slightly sweet, and then finishes dry and dusty. There’s a little bit of slate in there as well. This is a nice summer beer, and would be a good alternative for introducing Blue Moon fans to craft beer.

I give it a 3.7 out of 5.

Natty Greene’s Elm Street India Pale Ale

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Elm Street IPA from Natty Greene’s Brewing Co. of Greensboro, NC, is a standard English IPA, with a bit of wheat thrown in to mellow it out a little. The head is foamy and persistent. The nose is grassy with lemon and a bit of bread dough. The middle is heavy and sticky with tons of grapefruit and caramel, and the finish fades to orange and a little pine. The body is heavier than a typical IPA…More like a double IPA, and the big sugars in the middle help it to resemble a DIPA as well. It’s quite a nice English IPA, and the wheat gives it a bit of character all its own.

I give it a 3.9 out of 5.

Olde Hickory Ruby Lager

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Ruby Lager is a red lager from Charlotte’s Old Hickory Brewery. It’s a fairly traditional malt-heavy lager with some neat flavors. The nose is super bready with some well-done toast. The middle is flinty, with molasses and a bit of lemon zest. The finish is pretty similar to the middle. The bottle claims a “nutty” finish, but I’m not tasting it, so it must be pretty subtle. All in all, a nice, but not great lager. One that I wouldn’t hesitate to order, but also wouldn’t seek out.

I give it a 3.4 out of 5.

Hoppyum IPA

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Hoppyum is an American IPA from the Foothills Brewing Company of Winston-Salem, North Carolina. It has a big, meringue like head and the nose is predominantly scents of grapefruit. There’s thick pine pitch and more grapefruit in the middle of this medium to heavy weight brew which has that body despite a relatively low alcohol content of 6.2% ABV. The middle starts bitter and fades to sweet with lots of orange and sugar, and then the finish is dry with citrus rind giving a bit of bitterness back at the end. This is a really well done American IPA, and well worth a try.

I give it a 4.5 out of 5.

Farmer Ted’s Farmhouse Cream Ale

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Farmer Ted’s Farmhouse Cream Ale aims to replicate an early American ale from the Appalachian region, home of North Carolina’s Catawba Valley Brewing Company. To that end it’s a cream ale based on wheat and corn, but with a pleasantly heavy body that you don’t tend to find in beers with such a light flavor profile. The nose is toasty malted grain, and the middle is heavily wheat, with some sweetness from the corn. The finish is mildly sweet as well with a bit of chewy breadiness. This is a nice clean ale, and definitely one to try for someone who doesn’t care for bitterness. It isn’t a light as a summer thirst-quencher, but it’s the next best thing.

I give it a 4.2 out of 5.