Archive for the 'Spanish Peaks' category
Spanish Peaks Black Dog Ale
Spanish Peaks is a brewery that has recently arrived on the shelves of every Kroger, Food Lion, and Harris Teeter in the greater North Carolina area. Sadly, this is probably the reason that I haven’t given it a try earlier – that grocery-store-beer stigma is hard to shake. Frankly, if someone hadn’t forgotten this bottle of beer at my house after a party recently, odds are good that I never would have tried it at all. But, seeing as it’s here, and seeing that I’m tired of seeing it in my fridge, I decided to give it a go tonight. I am very happy to say that drinking this was one of the best things I’ve done today!
This beer pours a very deep amber. In fact, this is more of a brown color with just a hint of red when you hold it up to the light. The aroma is a dark sweetbread with hints of nut and just a bit of toffee. In the mouth, this beer has a solid mouthfeel and is full of flavor. Unlike most ambers, this guy is chock full of dark beer flavors like toffee and nut. Alongside this is a more traditional malt profile with a pronounced hoppiness and just a hint of licorice. What you get is a quite complex beer when you compare it to the other brews it shares shelf-space with. To put it in perspective, I would compare the flavor of this ‘amber’ beer to a Newcastle brown, only with a fuller consistency and slightly more dessert-like flavor. This, my friends, has been an excellent surprise, and I feel sure that I’ll pick this up again. Especially recommended if you’re looking for a very rich beer on a fairly poor budget.
