Pisgah Brewing Nitro Chocolate Stout

Another beer I ordered at Pisgah Brewing in Asheville during my bachelor party was the Nitro Chocolate Stout. The beer pours a black color with a lofty and frothy beige colored head. The aroma consists of chocolate, toasted malts, and vanilla. The taste is bold with chocolate,  a solid toasted malt backbone, caramel, and hints of vanilla, all leading up to a dry finish. The alcohol content is not available online, but I would estimate it to be about 6.5% ABV. This was a well done chocolate stout with rich lacing and a nice balance of dry toasted malts, making it easy to drink and very enjoyable.

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.

Catawba Valley Cleopatra

Another beer I ordered at Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria was Catawba Valley Cleopatra. The beer pours a dark amber color with a frothy beige colored head. The aroma consists of caramel, fig, and Belgian yeast and spices. The taste is smooth with Belgian spice and a good fig accent. Caramel, grass, pepper, and a nice earthiness round out the flavors. The alcohol content is 9.0% ABV. Cleopatra was smooth with great spice and a wonderful fig accent, making for an enjoyable drinking experience.

Pisgah Valdez

While at Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria in Asheville for my bachelor party, I ordered a glass of Pizgah Valdez. The beer pours a black color with a thin filmy tan head. The aroma is strong and consists of fresh coffee and roasted malts. While simple and not multidimensional, the aroma was wonderful. The taste is straight coffee with a solid chocolate backbone, a hint of vanilla, and toasted malts. A light caramel splash is left behind on the tongue a spot of coffee that recurs. The alcohol content is 6.8% ABV. I was more than impressed at this wonderful coffee-infused imperial stout and the freshness of the coffee flavors absolutely made the beer.

Catawba Valley Firewater IPA

On our first stop in Asheville for my bachelor party, I ordered a glass of Catawba Valley Firewater IPA at Barley Taproom and Pizzeria. The beer pours a golden color with a frothy off-white head. The aroma consists of lemon, tangerine, orange, and pine. The taste is bitter and biting with a healthy dose of of hops. The hops yield flavors of pine, lemon, and orange. There is a dry finish with grass and butterscotch that lingers behind. The alcohol content is 5.2% ABV. Overall, I thought this beer was a little unbalanced and mostly just bitter and dry without capitalizing on the full impact of the hops. It fell short of being great, but was decent enough of a beer to still enjoy.

Jackie O's Cellar Cuvee 5

Another beer I received in a beer trade with the Beer Club 4 Men was Jackie O’s Cellar Cuvee 5. The beer pours a black color with a thin bubbly tan colored head. The aroma consists of chocolate, raisin, fig, caramel, toasted malts, maple syrup, and oak. The taste is smooth and sweet with lots of maple syrup on the front end. A dark chocolate bitterness balances with some fig and raisin. Oak dryness and a bourbon sweetness accompanied by dry brandy comes out in the finish. The alcohol content is 9.0% ABV. I thought the mixing of an amber ale and an oatmeal stout after aging in barrels provided an amazing blend and complex liquid on my palate that kept me on my toes throughout the experience.

The Bruery Smoking Wood

In a beer trade with the Beer Club 4 Men, I received a battle of The Bruery Smoking Wood. The beer pours a black color with a frothy tan colored head that leaves lacing on the glass. The aroma consists of smoke, rye, oak, chocolate, and coffee. The taste is bold and robust with a wonderful rye and whiskey flavor all built upon a solid chocolate and caramel backbone. Hints of coffee and smoke peek through with a dry pepper spice on finish with oak accents. The alcohol content is 10% ABV. The backbone holds up to the whiskey flavor and I was surprised as to how much smoke was on the nose but not on the palate. Overall, this is a wonderful with the perfect amount of all flavors.

Crooked Stave Bourbon Barrel Sentience Wild Quadrupel

I ordered a bottle of Crooked Stave Bourbon Barrel Sentience Wild Quadrupel with my Cellar Reserve membership. The beer pours a dark brown color with almost no head. There are a few off-white colored bubbles, but that is about it. The aroma consists of bourbon, cherry, raisin, fig, and oak. The taste is lightly sour and puckering on the front end with some cherry and raspberry flavors. A sweet vanilla and bourbon flavor kicks in strongly with dry bourbon finish. Some fig and raisin peeks through, and then an oak after taste lingers for a while. The alcohol content is 11.5% ABV. The bourbon barrel aging of this beer is phenomenal and adds a touch of sweetness and plenty of dryness to an already tart and sour beer. It all comes together so well because the beer has such a strong backbone.

Pizza Boy Brewing Simcoe SamuRYE

Another beer I ordered at Al’s of Hampden was the Pizza Boy Brewing Simcoe SamuRYE. The beer pours a dark amber color with a bubbly off-white colored head. The aroma consists of sweet grapefruit, tangerine, orange, lemon, passion fruit, and rye. The taste is dry with grapefruit, tangerine, orange, and passion fruit. A bite of rye comes out with other hints of green pepper. The alcohol content is 6.0% ABV. I was a little bit surprised by the pepper flavors that came with this beer, but I think the rye and citrus flavors were able to balance everything and play well together.

Pizza Boy Brewing Punk'in Disorderly

I ordered a glass of Pizza Boy Brewing Punk’in Disorderly on a recent visit. The beer pours an amber color with a thin bubbly white head. The aroma consists of pumpkin, caramel, and nutmeg. The taste is smooth and sweet with pumpkin, lots of caramel, and pilsner malt. There is a light dry hop finish with pepper and hints of nutmeg and allspice. Overall I noticed very little cinnamon which kept the beer from drying out the mouth. The alcohol content is 6.0% ABV. I liked the lack of cinnamon spice in this beer, as I thought it allowed the other spices and pumpkin to shine, and even a slight hop accent.