Sierra Nevada Beer Camp Carolina Dreamin'

While at Pisgah Brewing in Asheville for my bachelor party, I had the opportunity to try the Sierra Nevada Beer Camp beer that was brewed with the local breweries called Carolina Dreamin’. The beer pours a brown color with a frothy beige colored head. The aroma consists of cherry, caramel, and raisin. The taste is smooth with cherry, chocolate, and raisin. A light alcohol bite arrives on the finish and leaves a dry after taste. The alcohol content is 9.0% ABV. I enjoyed this red wheatwine, as it provided a sweet beer that was delicately balanced with alcohol and dry hops.

Cisco Brewers The Woods Lady of the Woods

While at the Thirsty Monk in Asheville for my bachelor party, I ordered a bottle of Cisco Brewers The Woods Lady of the Woods. The beer pours a golden color with a bubbly white colored head. The aroma consists of vinegar, grapes, oak, tartness, and cherry. The taste is nice and tart with a slight pucker on the front end. Grapes, vinegar, and peaches all mix to create a complex taste with an oak finish that has a hint of sugar. The alcohol content is 5.0% ABV. The Lady of the Woods is a wonderful sour and I highly recommend it for anyone who likes the style. It gave enough of a pucker, but sweetened on the finish in a most forgiving fashion.

Pisgah Bacon Stout

While at the Thirsty Monk in Asheville, I ordered a glass of Pisgah Bacon Stout (I’ve also seen it spelled Benton’s Bacon Snout). The beer pours a black color with a thin filmy tan colored head. The aroma consists of smoke, bacon, chocolate, and toasted malts. The taste is very smoky and has a good helping of bacon, charcoal, and smoked malts. A chocolate base with hint of caramel provides the backbone, and the finish leaves smoke behind. The alcohol content is not available online, but I would estimate it to be about 6.5% ABV. This was a well-done, charcoal and smoke-infused, bacon bearing beast of a beer. It takes an acquired taste to like the mix of these flavors, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Green Man IPA

While at the Green Man in Asheville for my bachelor party, I ordered a glass of their India Pale Ale. The beer pours an amber color with a frothy white colored head. The aroma consists of grapefruit, tangerine, orange, pepper, and lemon. The taste is bitter with citrus, tangerine, orange, and grapefruit. There is a passion fruit hint, and the finish is dry with spruce and pepper. The alcohol content is 5.5% ABV. This was a solid IPA with great citrus presence, plenty of bitterness, and lots of west-coast feel to it. I would absolutely order this beer again if I was in Asheville.

Green Man ESB

Another growler my friends picked up from Bruisin’ Ale for my bachelor party was Green Man ESB. The beer pours a dark amber color with a bubbly off-white colored head. The aroma consists of smoked malts, caramel, and coffee. The taste is lightly bitter that is delicately balanced with sweet caramel. Dry grassy hops really shine in this beer and do well to pronounce themselves over the sweet base.The alcohol content is 5.3% ABV. This ESB was  a tasty and well-hopped ESB that I found to be not only enjoyable but easy to drink.

Catwba Valley La Saison Noir

My friends picked up a growler of Catawba Valley La Saison Noir from Bruisin’ Ales for us to drink at the hotel during my bachelor party. The beer pours a black color with a frothy cream colored head. The aroma consists of chocolate, lemon, and pepper. The taste is smooth with chocolate and lemon and hints of pepper. An earthy finish combined with toasted malts yielded a smooth and delicious. The alcohol content is not available online, but I would assume it to be about 6.0% ABV. This was an interesting beer to say the least, as the roasted and chocolate flavors did combine well with the spicy and earthy notes. However, I didn’t like it as much as I thought I would have, and there was something missing that I can’t put my finger on.