Sierra Nevada 30th Anniversary--Fritz and Ken's Ale

So last night I went with BeerMechanic and Hopslam to Tyler's in Durham for a taste of the new release from Sierra Nevada. This Imperial Stout weighed in at 9.20% ABV, and was very tasty! The brew had a very aggessive coffee flavor, so this would not be for those who do not enjoy a strong mocha flavor. A very dark beer, and was completely drinkable and very enjoyable. Try it if you get a chance!

Mikkeller Single Hop Series

Carrboro Beverage Company hosted a unique tasting a few weeks ago. It featured 5 of the 10 Mikkeller Single Hop beers. The beers are all IPAs, and have the exact same recipe except for the hops. Each beer uses only one type of hop, so it is a great chance to see how different hops can influence a beer's flavor. I will go through the beers one by one:

Nelson Sauvin: This was a hop that I had not heard of, and produced a very unique flavor. The IPA was almost wine like, with the hop imparting a tart sweetness not unlike a white wine.

Centennial: This hop is used in some very popular beers, including Founders Centennial IPA and Bell's Two Hearted. Citrusy but not in a way that dominates the palate, the hop gives some slight floral aroma as well.

East Kent Goldings: I went into this beer thinking I would like it, since I do like English Pale Ales and ESB's that this hop is frequently used in. I came out of it realizing why I like those beers, and it's not the hops! The Mikkeller IPA was not very tasty, a little harsh bitterness, with a lot of dirty, earthy flavors. This hop obviously works very well in the background, but not as the main flavoring hop.

Cascade: Well known from Sierra Nevada's flagship Pale Ale, this one tasted pretty much as expected, tons of citrus and floral notes dominate this hop profile.

Chinook: This hop variety is typically used just for bittering purposes, so it was interesting to get more of the aroma. It imparted a very strong, piney, spicy flavor. Very interesting combination.

For those that do not know, Carrboro Beverage is located next to Tyler's original Carrboro location. They do weekly tastings on Thursday nights and keep a fantastic inventory of beers. You can follow them and their events on Facebook.

Duck Rabbit Brunch

The Borough hosted their second beer brunch on Sunday, March 14th. It featured four of Duck-Rabbit's beers, paired with four brunch courses. The beer highlight was the Barleywine, fresh from Farmville. I was worried with it being so fresh that it would be a bit rough, hot with alcohol, and not very good. Lucky for us I was wrong. The beer was actually very balanced (for a Barleywine) and a good hybrid between English and American styles. Paul, the head brewer, called it a "Farmville" style barleywine. It was nice and malty, with plenty of caramel and sweetness to back up the hops. The hops were noticeable, but far from overpowering, a great combination of flavors. Now that was only the second beer, which left me wondering how the transition to the next beer would go. They chose the Brown ale, which is a hoppy American style. It actually worked, and did not taste weak or bland even after the Barleywine which was my concern.

Overall it was a good experience, although four full twelve ounce beers was a bit too much compared with the size of the food courses. The food was excellent, with the most enjoyable course being the black cherry tart, which was paired with the Milk Stout. The courses and beers are listed below:
Smoked Tomato Soup with Porter
Herb and Cheese Potato Gratin with Barleywine
Roast Chicken with Herbs and root vegetables with Brown Ale
Black Cherry Tart with Milk Stout

The next brunch we attend, we will make sure to have a more formidable breakfast, so that one of us does not get a little too tipsy from brunch...

Natty Greene's Raleigh Now Open

We stopped into the new Natty Greene's location for a few afternoon beers yesterday. They have renovated the former Southend Brewery and Prime Only Steakhouse location into their second brewpub. The place has a great feel, and is very close to the original Natty's in Greensboro. Plenty of space, while still having plenty of seating, it should be a great place to go even if the bar is crowded.

On to the really important stuff though...the beer! They had their standard year round beers and a multitude of seasonal offerings. Two were brewed here in Raleigh, the others were trucked in from Greensboro. Slowly they will transition all the beers to being brewed in Raleigh. I tried the Smoky Mountain Porter, Gunsmith's Dark Munich Lager, and Lighthorse Belgian Pale Ale. The porter and lager were both very good, and I'm always glad to see more Dark Lagers out there. I really enjoy that style, but there are not too many available, especially on draft. The Belgian Pale could have used a little more hop presence in my opinion to mask some of the fruitiness from the yeast. Based on my experiences with Natty's I don't think you can go wrong with any of the beers they offer, assuming you like whatever style you order. The best part was that their regular pint price is $4.00, for everything, including seasonals. This place could fast become a new favorite.

Triangle Brewing Beer Release: Imperial Amber

Last Tuesday was the release party for the new Imperial Amber at Triangle Brewing in Durham. For a windy, rainy, and cold night, there was still a devoted crowd that came out to support Rick and Andy and sample the new brew.

The beer itself is another solid offering from the guys at Triangle. Being that it is an "imperial", the increase in alcohol was evident, but not overpowering. Also, they resisted the urge to overhop the beer, resulting in a well balanced beer that was very drinkable. Based on the number of growlers being filled with the beer to take home, I would say that others felt the same, too.

With the weather improving and getting warmer, get out to the brewery on a Saturday and sample one for yourself!