Mystery Brewing Company Jake Thorne London-Style Porter

Well I have not seen to many dark beers as a spring seasonal but Mystery Brewing Company in Hillsborough, NC have and this is Jack Thorne English-Style Porter 5.2% ABV. I represented from the brewer has told me that Mystery Brewing brews different beers for each season but they are the same or similar style and that they do not have any year round offerings. Jake Thorne pours a thin black color with a slightly off white head of one fine size. The aroma is very porter like but on the lighter side with nice malted notes (malts which are from RB Malt). There is a faint coffee aroma as well. The taste is lighter for porter, which is nice for this time of year, but nothing like a summer beer. Jack Thorne has some sweetness to it but just a little bit. But this is a drinkable beer. The mouth feel is light for this type of beer style. Jack finishes light and smooth with a subtle sweetness. After taste is malted with some sweet light roasted flavors. This is a good dark beer for springtime, so I would say this is a B+ beer. It is neither to alcoholic nor heavy, it’s good and drinkable. Yes I highly recommend trying Mystery Brewing Jack Throne London Style-Porter, especially if you like Guinness. But it wouldn’t beer my number one choice for an 80 to 100 degree day, but it’s not a bad one either. Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!

Kona Brewing Co. Castaway India Pale Ale

IPA’s or India Pale Ales are brewed pretty much by every brewery out there today and are widely popular. This style has been popular for a long time and I think will continue to be just popular for a long time. This IPA comes from Kona Brewing Co. in Kona Hawaii, and is Castaway India Pale Ale, 6.0% ABV. Castaway pours a nice pale orange color with a bright whiter tow finger head that slowly fades in to decent lacing. The aroma is a bit floral and earthy with subtle hits of citrus fruits. There is a little bitterness upfront on the taste with some nicer citrus notes in the middle of the mouth and a bigger hoppy bitter bite on the end or back of the mouth. That hoppy bitter bite is a negative toward this beer. The mouth feel is medium to light with a bitter finish that fades a bit quickly. The after taste is much like the finish. Over all not the best IPA but it somewhat okay. So I give this a C-. The bitterness on the end is a bit to bitter so that hold it back as well as the little bitterness up front. I don’t think I would rush to have this again. Cheers! Please enjoy responsible!

White Street Kölsch Kölsch-Style Ale

Kölsch-style ales are overlooked a little in the world of beer especially in the craft beer world. But I seem to find them to be good and I love to seek out new Kölsch beers. Here is a local North Carolina example White Street Kölsch 5.2% ABV. White Street brewing Youngsville, NC with a tap/tasting room in downtown Wake Forest. This White Street beer is a German-Style Kölsch/Köln-Style, that is a world Beer Cup Gold Award winner 2014 in that category. Kölsch pours clear and gold with a fine, white two finger head that sticks around for a little bit and fades. Light and subtle pear and melon aroma hit the palate. Kölsch has a crisp and refreshing taste with slight sweetness and little hints of bready notes. The mouth feel is light with a nice semi-sweet finish and an after taste of that same type sweetness. This is a great beer it is truly worthy of its 2014 award. I give White Street Kölsch an A. I can’t tell you enough on how good this is. You will just have to see for yourself. I highly recommend that you try it. Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!    

Foothills Brewing Hop of the Month Mosaic India Pale Ale

Finally an IPA for Foothills and Hop of the Month series, this is Mosaic India Pale Ale, 7.0% ABV with an IBU of 69. This IPA is brewed with Mosaic hops, which are true to their name; provide a medley of flavorful notes. Bred from Nugget and Simcoe Hops. The Mosaic hop complex aromas yield to a variety of earthy, pine and fruit flavors; you should look for a predominance of mango, berry and lemon. Mosaic pours a deep copper orange color with a massive four finger white foamy head. Aroma is big and flavorful with nice fruits like a big of mango and slight lemon with faint hints of pine and some earthy notes. Taste is great with big grapefruit, touches of mango with very faint lemon. There is a bit of a pine with earthy notes as well to round it out. The mouth feel is on the lighter side with a nice semi-sweet, semi-bitter fruit finish with some slight pine to it. The after taste is smoother than you would expect on an IPA. There is a nice pine and fruit taste to it. This is another great beer in a great series. I give this an A+ for sure. I would have this again and again. Every flavor of this beer was awesome, they all melted together to create one great IPA. Foothills Hop of the Month Mosaic India Pale Ale is one I highly recommend trying, as well as the previous months in this great series of beers from Foothills Brewing. Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!

Devils Backbone Cran-Gose

The Goes style is really growing in popularity among craft beer drinks and I think will continue to does. It was a once forgotten German style of beer that has made it back from near extinction, and now brewers are experimenting with this style. Devils Backbone Brewing Company in Lexington Virginia brews Cran-Gose, 4.0% ABV. Cran-Gose is a Gose style brewed with tart Cranberry, and comes via Brewpublik (www.Brewpublik.com). Cran-Gose pours a pinkish color with a bright white fizzy head that doesn’t stay very long. The aroma is filled with light cranberries and a slight saltiness. The flavor is much like cranberry juice with saltiness to it that is a little tart but not so much as some cranberry juices can be. The base Gose on this beer is mild with not a big tartness as some and some good salted flavor, but the addition of cranberries to it helps make slightly more tart. The mouth feel is light with a nice tart finish with a tart cranberry finish with a slight saltiness. Cran-Gose is a refreshing beer and that gives it a B. Just not enough on the base Gose to really make this a great beer. Needs stronger Gose flavors. But it was not bad. I would have this again and so should you. Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!

Terrapin Beer Co. Maggie's Peach Farmhouse Ale

Farmhouse Ales have a strong popularity and continue to grow. The Farmhouse ale is an old world style that originally brewed in winter. To be consumed trough out the summer. The Farmhouse or Saison generally are a complex style, and many have very fruity aromas and flavors with earthy yeast tones and mild to moderate tartness. I have had my share of farmhouse ale but never one with a fruit add. This one, Terrapin Beer Co., Maggie’s Peach Farmhouse Ale, 5.3% ABV, comes to me via Brewpublik (www.Brewpublik.com). Terrapin is out of Athens Georgia. Maggie’s pours a very light orange and yellow color with a hazy to it, and an almost two finger head that bubbles away kind of slowly. Aroma is not as peachy as you might think it to be but there is a subtle yet faint peach aroma with some yeast notes. Taste is like what you get on the aroma not much peach flavor, but what I did get was okay and there is some spiciness with slight yeast notes that make it taste more along the lines of an apricot than a peach.  The mouth feel is light with a juicy feel, and this beer finish with a nice tartness. Aftertaste is fruity with some peach/apricot that fades away after settling for a while. This is Farmhouse ale isn’t bad but the peach flavor could have been stronger. I give this a B. I would like this to have more of a full peach flavor to it. It is quit drinkable and yet refreshing. I enjoyed this and would have it again as well as recommend that you try Terrapin Beer Co., Maggie’s peach Farmhouse Ale. Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!