Archive for the 'Carolina' category
Carolina Brewery “Santa’s Secret” Ale
Merry Christmas! And what better way to celebrate this day than with a local Christmas brew, and one of my favorite holiday brews all-around. And, for those of you who are local, be sure to stop by the Carolina Brewery on Franklin Street to have a pint or, if you want to be a true supporter like Matt and I, grab a keg for the house.
The Santa’s Secret Ale pours a hazy light-ish brown color, appearing chocolatey in color and dense with debris (or, as Matt calls it, ‘burnt sienna’). The head is slightly off white, but fairly thick and pillowy. The aroma here is very spicy with hints of nutmeg and cinnamon. There is some background graininess to the aroma, but it’s mostly just big holiday spice and very pleasant. In the mouth, this beer is big and flavorful, but not too thick or filling. The flavor isn’t terribly complex. Mostly, it carries some dark malty brown ale flavors through the mouth while contributing that holiday spice to keep things interesting and seasonal. The flavor of the spice tends to spike at the front of the mouth and in the aftertaste, taking a brief break through the middle of the tongue. The mouthfeel of this is relatively thin, which is a bit different for a Christmas Ale, but rather welcome. The thinner mouthfeel allows us to enjoy the flavors, but it makes for a less filling beer and one that is fairly refreshing for the genre. Overall, this ranks as one of my top 5 holiday beers most years – Carolina Brewery puts out a consistent product with this, and I think it’s one of the best brews they do. While you won’t find this in bottles anywhere, I highly recommend it to anyone in the area – hopefully, for your sake, they’ll keep this one around for another month or so…
Carolina Brewing Co. IPA
Carolina Brewing Co. is right down the road, hailing from Holly Spring, NC. But no worries, we will remain objective, unbiased beer reviewers. We certainly wouldn’t want to hype a local brewery or suggest they were the best on the slim chance they would catch wind of our kind words and send multiple cases of free brew…OK, back to the task at hand…I’m going to stop writing about the color because they are pretty much all the same and won’t comment on the smell unless it is awful or exceptionally good. In my opinion the taste is mediocre with no outstanding characteristics good or bad. Light hoppiness and standard hop backbone = blah. I don’t dislike it but definitely prefer others, many others. -Matt
Matt and I are fighting about this one. He thinks that the Avery beats the Carolina. I think that the Carolina beats the Avery. In my opinion, this is almost a hoppy amber ale. It exhibits a subtly malty aroma with little hop. In the mouth, there is a light hoppiness blended well with a malt undertone. It makes for a well-rounded beer with just enough hoppiness and a pleasant caramel flavor. Personally, I like this. It IS lightly hopped, but we also have to keep in mind that this is an IPA, not a double IPA. So, I think it works. -Ben
