Blue Ridge Brewing Company

I visited Greenville, South Carolina for a wedding of a buddy of mine. Prior to traveling, I Googled breweries in Greenville, and I stumbled upon Blue Ridge Brewing Company. Knowing that I would be hungry for dinner and thirsty for drinks, making a visit to Blue Ridge only seemed logical.

The first beer I ordered was the Black Honey Imperial Stout. The beer pours a deep black color with a thin tan head. The aroma is filled with chocolate and coffee. The taste is sweet and malty with a good chocolate taste. It has a light bitter coffee finish. The alcohol content is 10.5%. This was my favorite beer from Blue Ridge, and I ordered a second one later in the evening.

The second beer I had was the Rainbow Trout ESB. The beer pours a copper color with a foamy white head. The aroma is faint but what is there is creamy and malty. The taste is malty with a dry hop finish. The alcohol content is 4.7% ABV. I thought that the ESB was slightly over carbonated, and did not follow the “real ale” movement for ESBs.

The third beer I ordered from Blue Ridge was the Colonial Paris Pale Ale. The beer has an orange amber color and a non-existent head. The aroma consists of light hops and malts. The taste is smooth and round and is lightly hoppy and malty. The alcohol content is 5.0% ABV. I though that the Pale Ale was very tasty and smooth and a pretty solid pale ale.

The fourth beer I ordered from Blue Ridge was the winter seasonal Santa's Little Helper. The beer pours a dark brown color with a foamy white head. The aroma consists of chocolate and has a nutty undertone. The taste is smooth at first with nutty bite. The alcohol content is 7.8% ABV. I thought that the Santa's Little Helper was pretty good with a nice finish.

The final beer I ordered from Blue Ridge was the Kurli Blonde Ale. The beer has a light straw color with no head. There is a little wheat aroma, but it is very faint. The taste is light and surprisingly malty with a light caramel finish. The alcohol content is 3.9% ABV. Overall, this beer was decent for as light as the beer was, but I do not recommend trying this beer last as I did.