Fullsteam Brewery King Basil Bière De Garde

I have never had the style Bière De Garde before till now. I found one from Fullsteam Brewing from Durham North Carolina. King Basil Bière De Garde, 8.0% ABV is brewed with five types of Basil. King Basil pours a copper/deep gold color with a two-finger white head that stays around long enough for a good look before fading into some halfway decent lacing. Not too much light comes through and with that said not so much of the carbonation could be seen. The aroma is perfume like with nice basil notes and a very faint yeast scent. King Basil has a nice light yeasted flavor followed quickly by a big rush of basil that hits the taste buds nicely. This taste is somewhat similar to Summer Basil but this one has a broader basil flavor. The mouthfeel is light to medium with a nice faint basil finish that leads into a nice floral after taste with little yeast notes. This is a great beer and a refreshing one as well. I say this is an A. I like how more than one type of basil is used in this to really broaden the basil flavor. That really makes this beer good and keeps it from being a stronger version of Summer Basil. I really recommend that you try Fullsteam Brewery King Basil Bière De Garde. Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!

Foothills Brewing IPA of The Month September (Coach)

It time again for Foothill IPA of the Month, September (Coach), 6.9% ABV. This months IPA is brewed with Horizon and Chinook hops. September pours a deep gold color with a 4 finger pillowy white head that sticks around for a while before fade into thick white laces around the glass. Nice amounts of light stream in between nice bubbles of carbonation. September has a nice malted earthy orange/grapefruit citrus aroma, with a nice malted bitter citrus taste that isn’t too harsh on the tongue. But there is a slight tingle of bitterness on the back of the tongue and mouth. The mouth feel is medium and slight malted with a nice bittersweet finish with bitter orange and grapefruit candy like after taste with touches of earthy notes. I say this months IPA from Foothills Brewing is a real treat, so it’s an A+ with me. There is Lots of balance between earthy bitter and malty flavors with this IPA. This is something worth trying for ones self. Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!   

Service Brwing Co. Ground Pounder Pale Ale

I have grown a like to pale ales over a few years. They are a nice balance between hoppy and malted sweet flavors. But pale ales sometime are overshadowed by IPAs and they big popularity. Service Brewing Co. out of Savanna Georgia, named for Military service, brews Ground Pounder Pale Ale, 4.6% ABV. Ground Pounder takes it name from the oldest part of the military. Ground Pounder pours a deep orange color with a two and half finger white head that leaves decent lacing behind. There are nice amounts of light coming through with good carbonation.  The aroma is big with citrus orange and some earthy notes. This beer has a smell like both an IPA and Pale Ale in my opinion. Ground Pounder has nice big orange flavor up front with a bit of a little earthy pine and malted flavor in the middle with a hoppy bite towards the end. The mouth feel is medium with a nice hoppy finish and a hop orange after taste that lingers for just a moment of enjoyment then fades before your next sip. I thought this beer was good but it could have been just a little bit better, so this Ground Pounder pale ale is a B. The finish was just a little hoppy for what I like, but the rest was good. If you like a nice pale ale then Service Brewing Co. Ground Pounder Pale Ale should be tried. Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!

Devils Backbone Brewing Company Vienna Lager

Some styles of beer tend to fall between two different styles or are a slight combination of two styles. A style that is often overlooked is Vienna Lager, which is named after the Austrian city where it originated. A tradition Vienna Lager is brewed using a three-step decoction or brew boiling process. Munich, Pilsner, Vienna toasted, and dextrin malts are used and sometime wheat malts. Vienna Lagers tend to have a little more sweetness to them than a regular lager might have. Devils Backbone Brewing Company in Lexington Virginia brew Vienna Lager, Vienna Style Lager, 5.2% ABV. The Brewery gets its name from the narrow or rugged topographical/mountains in Virginia and West Virginia. Vienna Lager pours a copper color with a two finger white head that dissipates at a normal rate, and does leave behind some lacing.  There is some light coming through with a great number of carbonation bubbles. Vienna Lager has a sweeter aroma on it with a normal but slightly faint lager aroma. The taste is semi-sweet at first with a nice crispness that follows. The taste is just average here, nothing bad nor nothing great. There is a toasted note there with the sweetness as well. The mouth feel is light to somewhat medium and has a nice smooth toasted sweeter finish. The after taste is of a toasted cracker that does not linger to long. This beer was good but average so I say this is a C+. I am not a big fan of Vienna Lagers, but I do like them. This did not have enough flavors to make it great. It was not bad and it was not great it was right in the middle. But I will say that is it crisp and refreshing to drink. Try this Devils Backbone Brewing Company Vienna Lager. Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!  

Westbrook Brewing Co. Breaded Break-In

I love being in a place where you can find different and local beers that I can't find at home. That is always fun. I found this, Westbrook Brewing Co. Breaded Break-In, 6.6% ABV. This beer is similar to they’re Gose but Breaded Break-In is brewed with more grain and a bunch of Sorachi Ace hops as well as coriander. Breaded Break-In pours a yellow-orange cloudy color with a three-finger fleecy white head that slowly dissipates into some lacing but not much. The aroma is big with lemony notes and very faint lemon hops smell. The taste is very tart and lemony, as the aroma would suggest. There is the salty flavor that you would get form the Gose but is overshadowed by the intense lemon flavor. It’s boarding on to much lemon flavor, but it’s enjoyable. The mouth feel is medium with a tart refreshing finish and leads into a nice tart lemon finish that lingers leaving you smacking your lips. This Breaded Break-In from Westbrook Brewing Co. gets and A. I loved how tart it was and that the salty flavor notes we subdued by the lemon, and how refreshing it is despite being so lemony tart. I highly recommend that you try this Westbrook Breaded Break-In. I think you will! Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!