Olde Mecklenburg Brewery Capt. James Jack Pilsner May 20th, 1775

On May 19, 1775 twenty-six local civic leaders convened the Mecklenburg Convention at the corner of Trade and Tryon in downtown Charlotte, NC. One day later on May 20th, the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence was unanimously adopted. It was the first such declaration by any civic body in the British colonies. Captain James Jack, a local tavern owner, volunteered at great personal risk to carry the Declaration more than 500 miles on horse back to the Continental Congress in Philadelphia. That's the interesting story on this Old Mecklenburg Pilsner's name, no on to the beer itself. This is a pilsner at 4.9% abv and has nice sharp gold color with a brilliant white head that is thick, but is gone before you know it. It has a nice calm light hop scent with a sort of grassy aroma to it that smells like a spring lawn, not bad. On the taste you get a crisp hop not that is light and refreshing with the tiniest bit of bitterness. You get a nice clean crispy refreshing finish that goes down rather smooth, that makes this is a good everyday kind of beer, when you just want to good plane beer. This Captain is good and drinkable, not to light not to heavy, a good balance of things. This is good on any day, especially a hot one. Old Mecklenburg Brewery seems to pride themselves on making each beer special, great and tasty in my opinion and that's how you need to feel about most beer in general , pride and happiness. That is key to good beer drinking. Try this and you'll agree! Cheers! Please drink responsibly!

Shiner Blonde

Yes everyone loves a good looking blonde, and this is a one of them. This blonde is a Bohemian-style golden larger. It's a 5% abv blonde that is a true blonde in color with a nice head of white. There is a nice hoppy scent and there really is much more that I found. The Blonde has a nice crisp slightly sweet taste that is full of flavor. Shiner blends American and European hops to achieve the great taste. It is great on a hot day of working or being outside. Shiner Blonde is quite refreshing. The finish is light crisp, slightly bubbly with a tiny sweet hop flavor. I believe that most common beer drinker would enjoy this, simply because well it simple. Not much to this beer really, nor does it look dark, bitter, and/or heavy. Good spring and summer beer. This is good, but not excellent. I would give this to Bud drink and make a Shiner Blonde drink out or him, and I would work. It's a better than a Budweiser in my opinion. I should try that sometime, and you should try THIS sometime. Cheers! Please drink responsibly!

Shiner Bock

This here is a pretty common beer from Shiner. It's pretty easy to find around most of this country. This Shiner is a Bock beer. If you don't know what a bock beer is please read my lesson on bock beer here on this blog. Shiner Bock is 5.0% ABV, and is the combination of old world Bavarian heritage with American handcrafted brewing. There is a nice semi sweet scent about this on that remind of a sweet roll, with a nice roasted malt scent. Tasting this bock you get a smooth malt taste with very little hops and that nice subtle roasted malt. Shiner Bock has nice clean finish with a tiny sweetness with a good crisp malt finish. This dark beer is delightfully drinkable. This is yet another beer that isn't at all what is appears to be. This a good beer to sway some to liking darker beer, or want to try them. Some say this is just a novelty brew, but those don't know squat about beer or how good this is. This one is like my old friend, good always there, easy to get a hold of, and one of the first beers I had eight or nine years ago. I look back and say what a great choice. I really like this Bock! Cheers! Please drink responsibly!

Shiner Ryes & Shine

Well it's been a while on the beer blogging but do not worry there is plenty of taste beers worth blogging about, Like this one. This is a Shiner, (Shiner, TX), and no it not really the perfect summer beer as the glass would lead you to believe. But that is a Shiner glass. Anyway, this is a darker beer, but not like a porter or stout, more long the lines of a dark brown ale. This is a Rye Lager of medium-body and 5% Abv.This rye beer trend is a growing trend in the beer world. There is all kinds of different rye beer, such as a rye larger, rye IPA, and rye pale ale. This Ryes and Shine use rye malt and chocolate rye from Germany, caramel malt and three hop varieties. Ryes and Shiner has a roasted scent with the smallest hint of sweet sugar. The taste starts off rich and roasted with touches of sweetness and little hops. Then it finishes nice dry with again nice sweet hops. This rye lager is quite good, it surprised me. I didn't think it would be as good. I mean I was thinking that it was going be average, but it was above that. This isn't a heavy beer as it would look. Most people think darker beers are heavy, sour, bitter, thick, and they are not always right. I think this is one that could make a beer drinker think twice before judging a dark beer again. It's good my friends! Cheer! Please drink responsibly!

Newcastle Founders' Ale

Here is a limited offering form newcastle, which is offered in the spring. This is a pale ale in the English tradition. It's cleverly called Founders' Ale, which is to pay homage to the brewery founders. Isn't that nice of them. This pale ale is 4.8% abv. Founders' pours a simi dark gold color with a medium white head. This Newcaste brew has a dry hoppy aroma like a wild flower or grassy greenery. It's reminds me of late spring time. The taste is a dry hoppy flavor with a sweetness rather that a bitterness. But it is not overly sweet, just enough sweetness. The taste is all refreshing clean and crisp. This is rather drinkable. The aftertaste is just as clean and crisp with a hit of sweet malt, but it's very faint on you taste buds. This beer is a good refreshing drinkable beer that would go well after some hard laboring in the yard or washing the car. Yes this is a very refreshing brew. Makes a warm spring day better. I am beer makes any day better, I am right? Yeah I like this, but then again I like all of Newcastle's offerings. The entire line up is wonderful, taste ans oh so great. This just seals the deal. This is not like most pale ales out there. I think its better, it has a wider appeal towards the beer dinker. You too should get this and give it a big try, you'll love it! Cheers! Please drink responsibly!

Abita Abbey Ale

When you here or see Abbey ales that means the beer is in the tradition of monks who perfected the art of brewing beer to support the monastery and the brothers with their "liquid bread". This is beer is a Dubbel, at 8% abv. For every bottle of this Abbey Abita sells 25 cents goes to St. Joseph's Abbey. This Dubbel pours a dark amber color with a slight tan head. There is the aroma of carmel with fruit and cloves. That scent is very true to this style of beer. I find it to be a nice pleasant aroma. Abita top-frements and bottle ages this. Abita Abbey has a nice malty taste to go right along with the carmel and the slight clove flavors. The flavors all have that strongness to them. But I find the aftertaste to be less than good, I do not think Belgian yeast is used here. So it is not as good as other Belgian Dubbels. I would say that this is half as good as others. I did not hate or dislike this Abbey Ale. I really think that Abita tried to do the best they could and came out with something that could use more work and fine tuning to get it as good or better then some of the great Abbey Ales and/or Dubbels out there. Would I try this again? Well yes but I am not dying to have it as soon as possible. It was okay in my book. Cheers! Please drink responsibly!

Abita SOS (Save Our Shore)

This was a part of a New Orleans souvenir. Not such an easy find here in North Carolina, but it is here, not everyone here. SOS or Save Our Shore is an unfiltered wiezen pilsner, 7% abv. Abita was brewed and to be sold with the recent gulf oil spill in mind, what I mean is that for every bottle of  SOS that is sold 75 cents goes to restoring that oil soaked area. That is very kind and thoughtful of them. Well good for them, okay moving on to the beer aspect of SOS. This brew pours a nice brilliant gold color with a nice medium white head. Looks very nice and tasty. But do not judge this guy on his looks or any beer for that mater. This SOS has a scent of sweetness that very powerful or overwhelming on your nose, but the overall aroma is pleasant. Now the taste is good but not for a weizen pils. It's good as a beer. SOS as a nice bitterness that is not what I would expect for this type of pils. There is a sweet malt taste at first, then the bitterness, but not over bitter. The aftertaste on this is a little more bitter that before. This is a good beer just not a good weizen pilsner. I find that all the flavors in this beer are good but when they are called a weizen pils it becomes a little less. Cheers! Please drink responsibly!

New Holland Envious 2011

This is a beer of many different taste. Envious is brewed with pear juice, raspberries and aged on oak. Well I thought that sounded good. Well I was wrong. This pours a deep dark brown with a very thin beige color. It has a strong smokey coffee scent that is not as good as you'd think. I did not like that. This brew has that coffee taste with a fruity undertone that is slightly okay, but not great,  which is followed by a strong smokey bitterness that is not good at all. Kind of gross if you ask me. Envious has a faint smokey yet strong bitterness that make lose it creditably quick. This beer reminds me of rotten fruit and bad smoked meat. I think they were trying to hard to make an interesting beer and it backfired on them. Hey give up! This is no good and should not be had. I do think you should find something else to try. There is to many flavor that do not go well with on another and on top of that the aging on oak makes it just really bad. So stay away from this and you'll be okay. Cheers! Please drink responsibly!