Terrapin/Shmaltz ReUnion Ale 2012

This team project between Terrapin and Shmaltz was a benifit brew for the Institute for Myeloma and Bone Cancer Research. It is described as a dark ale brewed with cinnamon, cocoa nibs and vanilla and the nose knows, it smells like cocoa. As promised, it pours a dark ale with moderate carbonation.

The first sip tastes of coffee and cocoa and reminds me of a Porter. The complex flavors dominate this brew throughout. The carbonation diminishes quickly, also like a Porter style. Reunion Ale remains malty and rich with a mouth-feel of a cola.

In the end, this one is rich, bold and fruity. I sure wish I had a few more bottles of this one.
Grade: 4.95 of 5 possible pints.


And, good news, after writing this review weeks ago, I just purchased the ReUnion Ale '13 at Bruisin' Ales this past Saturday.

Blue Pants Workman Lager

Dang this craft brewing renaissance, causing me so much confusion about beer styles! The info on the bottle describes Workman as a California Common and a Lager, but the beer tastes like an IPA.



This brew has a strong citrus sent while still in the bottle. One of my drinking buddies said it smelled like a Pilsner, which shows how differently we can perceive things. The pour produces an amber liquid with ample carbonation and head. (I tried not to pour aggressively.)  


The first sip gives me the impression of a pale ale. A very well hopped pale ale too. Subsequent sips remain hoppy but easy to drink. My brain is still telling me that I am drinking a pale ale, and I am continuing to enjoy this brew, no matter what the style.  

I'm not sure I'm doing this mouth-feel part right, but I would say the mouth-feel is citrus.

Blue Pants Brewery is in Madison, Al and I found their brew at a local store, Vic's. However, I did not see any of their product available on a recent visit to North Alabama. I am planing to visit the brewery next year, if not sooner.

Grade: Certainly deserving of a high score; 4.9 out of 5 possible pints.

French Broad, Gateway Kolsch

Here's another craft brew from right over in North Carolina, French Broad Gateway Kolsch. Sally is very fond of the light nature of Kolsch and I am also coming to terms with the style.

Gateway K pours clear, corny gold with better than average head retention. The first sip tastes of light beer and noble hops. The lightness reminds of wheat beer. And, brings to question, how did I miss the whole wheat beer season this year?

I guess I spent the season reconciling myself with the Kolsh style? A conundrum, since it's an ale that drinks like a lager. I have gained renewed respect for our German brewing forefathers who created this light ale which imitates their lagers.

So, as predicted, the mouthfeel is the impression of a Pilsner.

Grade: 3.5 of 5 pints

Depot Street Freight Hopper IPA

This one is from just up the road in Jonesborough Tn. It poured with a thick, mushroomy head. The first sip is a full of hoppy goodness. The hops remain in the foreground with the associated citrus tastes in the body.

I can honestly say that this IPA is sweet, and sour at the same time. The malt is stable and not too sweet and the hops remain dominant. Another great beer from the Southeast U.S.

Grade: 4 of 5 possible pints.

Thomas Creek: Class Five IPA

This beer's name should be pronounced; "I. P. AHHH," and the pitch of your voice should rise an octave to pronounce the letter "A." The first sip is screaming with hops, then it settles to a more moderately measurable pallet. Subsequent sips are a more  balanced blend of fruit and malt influences. The hops never vanish, but after the initial introduction, they do not over power the taste buds.

Class Five IPA is a definite example of the fact that IPA is now an American beer style too.

Grade: Four of five possible pints.

Yazoo Brewing, Hefeweizen

Here's another brew from one of the many craft breweries of the South Eastern U.S. Yazoo Brewery is just down the road, in Nashville, Tn. Recently, I was delighted to spot Yazoo Hefeweizen in the cooler at my favorite pub and have since purchased a few to enjoy at home.

 Right out of the bottle this smells of flowers and Bananas. I have often heard of banana used in descriptions of Hefeweizen but have never experienced this level of detail in the style until now. After the pour the banana smell tapers off a bit, but the bananas are certainly apparent in the first sip.

Yazoo Hefe pours with very little carbonation, creating a thin, short lived head. The color is, very clear for the style, golden orange. The body of the beer flavor is, appropriately, reminiscent of fresh bread. Perhaps banana bread as banana flavors play hide and seek with my taste buds.

Yazoo Hefeweizen is one of my new favorites, I have to give it a 4.75 out of 5 pints, at least. 

Craft Beers of the Southeast U.S.

Yeah, beer. And as far as that goes, I live right over the mountains (Appalachian) from Asheville N.C. which is the craft beer mecca of the South. Here are two links that will provide more information about our regional craft beer culture.

Brewery boom in Waynesville, N.C.

Bruisin' Ales, a world class beer store in Ashevllle N.C.

I should also mention that there are three craft breweries here in Knoxville. These are Woodruff Brewing, Smokey Mnt. Brewery and Marble City Brewery. We also have a pretty dang good beer store of our own, Bearden Beer Market. I should, of course, mention my favorite local pub; Union Jacks.

Now ya'll know where to go to enjoy a pint when you're in our neck of the woods!

Highland Brewing Cold Mountain Winter Ale

Cold Mountain is Highland's perennial Winter Ale and pours a dark malty brown. The first sip tastes of dark chocolate. This is not a Hershey's chocolate but something more exotic, perhaps like a dark German chocolate. This chocolate body dominates the beer flavor to the last sip, an excellent pairing of hops and malt combinations.

I really don't know what style to call Cold Mountain? Is it a Stout, a Porter or a Brown Ale, I don't know? I estimate that this is not quite a stout but is a unique and superior brown ale style. I'm giving Cold Mountain 4.75 out of 5 pints only because all beers can't receive a perfect score.

Other beers I've been drinking this fall include New Belgium's Snow-day which is an Indian Brown Ale style, another great offering from Fort Collins. I recently had a Mendocino Oatmeal Stout which was an excellent, very flavorful creamy stout. I highly recommend that my fellow beer lovers find and enjoy these beers.

Legend Lager, Legend Brewing Company, Richmond, Va.

Now here’s a good beer! Look how clear and gold it pours. It is deceiving, it appears to be a pilsner style but it is a Marzen. I don’t know how Legend did this but there’s a definite malty flavor that is leaning toward chocolate in this clear golden beer. I guess most folks don’t associate the full body of Oktoberfest beers with chocolate flavor but in the beer world, I’m tellin’ ya, that’s how we describe that rich malty flavor. This beer really surprised me right off the bat.

Legend Lager even smells malty. As the beer warms the flavors thin a bit and it takes on the subtle malt flavor of a cream soda. I only have one of these because it is the one they snuck into the Starr Hill mixed twelve- pack. Legend Lager has all the qualities that were missing in the Love Wheat Beer, rich malt body with fruity flavor elements.I will definitely buy more of these beers very soon.

The Legend Lager gets a 5.1 out of 5 pints, the highest score I have yet to award a beer.

Starr Hill Brewery, The Love Wheat Beer

This beer poured clear and golden with plenty of carbonation. It smells like vinegar. The first sip tastes of vinegar and lemons and it is difficult to distinguish these two flavors. The carbonation settled down quickly and the best I can say for the flavor is, it tastes like a margarita mix without sugar.

I can't help but wonder if this beer has been sitting in warehouses and supermarkets for too long? The "best by" date is September, could this mean September 2010? The Love has an overall score of "B" at the Beer Advocate web site, that's out of 97 reviews. This beer has a bit more sourness than I can appreciate in any beer, Belgian or microbrew, but maybe Starr Hill is on to something?

I have to give this one a score of 1 pint out of 5 pints. I believe this is the lowest score I have yet to award.

Four Weeks of Wheat Beer, pt. 2

Up in Crozet, Va. they have a little brewery named Starr Hill and, a couple of weeks ago, I purchased one of their mixed 12-packs. I believe that, normally, the 12-pack should contain three lagers, three IPAs, three pale ales and three wheat beers. I may have missed some promo material or they have a practical joker working in the packing room 'cause this pack contained a lager and a Hefeweizen from the Legend Brewery in Richmond.

I'm not complaining about this situation because this allows me to sample these Legend beers without purchasing the individual six packs or one of those $8.98 mixed six packs that all grocery stores have now. So, I bring to you all the Legend Hefeweizen.

This one pours very clear, it looks more like a pilsner than a wheat beer. The aroma is citrus, coriander and cinnamon. The first sip is like a dry, white wine, very light on the tongue and lightly carbonated.

The wheat and hop bitterness increases with continued sipping, citrus flavoring remains. It's like a Margarita without the balancing orange juice sweetness. I believe I could use this brew in a Margarita mix...

(I'm skipping the numeric rating on this one since I drank it a few weeks ago.)

Four Weeks of Wheat Beer

Before we have an official season change, from summer to fall, I better take the time to write about some of the summer ales I've enjoyed this year. I know I have made notes about three different wheat beers and I'm sure I can find a fourth to feature in; Four Weeks of Wheat Beer.

This week’s lucky subject is Satsuma Harvest Wit from Abita Brewery, Abita Springs, La. I purchased this one at Bruisin' Ales over in Asheville, N.C. and need to slow down long enough to search for it in the Knoxville beer market. I bet it is available at Bearden Beer Market, while supplies last.

This cloudy brew has a strong smell of citrus dominated by fresh lemon and the first sip is like carbonated lemonade. The light wheat malts offer a hoppy presence rather than the typical liquid weight of a barley malt. It's like a light beer from South of the Border but with more lemon like hop flavors.

The flavors and carbonation remain strong until the last sip. I suggest pairing this drink with fish, chicken or Alfredo pasta dishes. This is a great, fresh summer ale and I wanna go buy a case or twelve pack of Satsuma Harvest Wit.

I give Abita's Satsuma Harvest Wit a 4.75 out of 5 pints. (Cause they all can't be perfect.)

Old Hickory Brewery: Brown Mountain Light

So, it ain't Monday and I skipped last week, it's sad that my job prevents me from keeping a regular blog post schedule. Of course that's another story, anyone hiring in the beer industry?



I enjoyed this brew on tap at my favorite local pub Union Jacks. Brown Mnt. came out of the tap with a solid, foamy head. The barkeep stopped the pour to let the head settle down before she filled the glass. There are definitely some vanilla and buttery flavors in here. The color is a light gold, it is at least as light as an Anheusere Bush product and lighter and more transparent than Corona. Without a Budweiser for comparison, this is the lightest beer I have ever seen. I keep starring at the pint glass and determine that the appearance of this brew reminds of of a cider.

Just when I think that the vanilla may be a sensory mirage from the restaurant next door, I taste vanilla again in my next sip. Brown Mnt. Light is a great example of what a craft brewery can do with the American Pilsner style and remains reminiscent of the beers for Milwaukee and St. Louis. It remains refreshing to the last sip and ends with a bit more buttery taste.

I have to give Brown Mnt. a 4 out of 5 pints because it's just so darn light.

Highland Brewing Co. Oatmeal Porter

Continuing with my appreciation of regional craft brews I return to the Highland Brewing Company's stock for one of their Oatmeal Porters. Highland beers are avaliable at most grocery stores in the Knox Co. area.

The Oatmeal Porter smelled malty and almost chocolaty while still in the bottle. It produced a bit of beige head when poured and smelled very malty from the glass. The first sip is bubbly and thick on the tongue but not syrupy thick. Full bodied, to say the least, I get an impression of coffee flavoring rather than oatmeal. Hops are not apparent to my taste but are certainly blended well, covering any unwanted sweetness in the malt. (The hops strains are not listed with the info on the bottle.)

This is a dark, solid beer in a style that's an old favorite of my own. I highly reccomend this beer if it is avaliable in your neck of the U.S.
4.75 our of 5 pints.

Old Hickory Brewery: Ruby Lager

Here's another brew from North Carolina, another liter from the Old Hickory Brewery. Ruby Lager pours a dark caramel color with a bit of white foamy head. The liquid is as dark as a cola or, again iced tea. The caramel malts are apparent to the nose as well as the eyes. For a lager, this is a very full bodied beer and I even detect hints of chocolate malt. This dark lager reminds me of the Oktoberfest style and is indicative of the inventive nature of our regional craft brewers.

Ruby Lager gets the full 5 out of 5 pints, get one/some if you can!

--Ruby Lager image borrowed from the Old Hickory Brewery.--

Old Hickory Brewery, Piedmont Pilsner

This week I get to feature one of my favorite local beers. Piedmont Pils from the Old Hickory Brewery which is just across the Smokies/Blue Ridge Mnts. in Hickory, North Carolina. In North Carolina Piedmont Pils is available in liter bottles and available on tap and in a pony kegs at Union Jacks in West Knoxville.

Thanks to a recent visit to Asheville, I happen to have one of the liters in my fridge. This light gold brew pours with a foamy head. I gave it a quick whiff and it had a rather typical "light beer" smell. The head fades quickly again, I believe, typical for the style.

The first sip offers a more floral pallet then I'd expect from an American Pilsner. The body of the flavors is a sweet malt taste but balanced with just the right amount of bittering hops. The floral flavor fades as the liquid warms up, the resulting flavor is reminiscent of a clean tasting Pabst Blue Ribbon. Old Hickory has given their own micro-brewery of meaning to the term "Great taste, less filling."

Now I can't wait to have another Piedmont Pils on tap at Union Jacks, I'm giving this Pils a 4 our of 5 pints.

Now, it has occurred to me, since I live in such a Mecca of great beers, there's no reason I can't feature 52 beers in 52 weeks. I'll work up an image to promote this idea and post the results accordingly.

(The image of Piedmont Pils in a pint glass was borrowed from the Old Hickory Brewery.)

Highland Brewing Co. Little Hump Spring Ale

I like beers from all over North America and from all over the world. My fridge and garage are generally stocked with beers from various Micro Breweries from around the country but I need to dedicate some time to sharing the fruits of the many local breweries that are near to my home in East Tennessee.

So, I'll start with Little Hump Spring Ale from Highland Brewing in Asheville, North Carolina. This beer really surprised me. When I think of a spring/summer seasonal ale I expect a drink like Sierra Nevada Summer-fest Ale or, the long lost, Pete's Summer Ale. The Little Hump poured like any of these other drinks but the first sip was a direct hoppy hit to my taste buds. I was expecting a much lighter assault of hops in a Spring Ale but, they brew it, I just drink it.

The carbonation was consistent and refreshingly bubbly and the American hops remained on the pallet to the last sip. The hops strains for Little Hump are Amarillo, Cascade and Simcoe and they have been used to make a great beer. I'm starting to call this style (including Flying Dog's Doggy Style) Classic American Pale Ale due to the additional flavoring hops when compared to a British Pale Ale. (Sam Smith or St. Pete's)

Little Hump wasn't as light on the pallet as I expected but it is still a great beer. My grade for this one is 3.75 pints out of 5.

Terrapin W-N-B Coffee Oatmeal Imperial Stout

When I was a younger beer drinker I preferred porter nearly exclusively to stout but our tastes are prone to change and I now love these microbrew dark beer styles. This one pours with slightest head and smells like coffee. The first sip is like coffee ice cream. The head quickly disappears but the carbonation is still hiding in this creamer liquid to tickle your (my) tongue. Each sip seems to sweeten with definite hints of lactobacilious malts.

There’s really no hops flavor that I can detect. This beer’s just full bodied roasted oatmeal malt. Near the end of the drink the Imperial alcohol throws an 8.1% abv curve ball to my head. The "W-N-B" in the title stands for "Why not beer" and the contents of this beer answer, "there's no reason why not." A very strong five out of five pint rating.