#SippyTimeBeer Review – @TerrapinBeerCo, @RogueAles, @BlueRidgeBrewCo, @HighlandBrews and @LoneRiderBeer

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Terrapin Pumpkinfest

Terrapin Beer Co.Pumpkinfest – This beer was the first one I had when we got to Simpsonville. I was doing my due diligence on pumpkin beers from the jump not starting at The Southern Growl. Terrapin is out of Athens GA. They put out a solid pumpkin beer with a nice malty base. It includes the expected spices of allspice, cinnamon, cloves and ginger. They aren’t overwhelming with their use. They use a shade of hops which brings them to 23 IBU. With all of the sweetness of the spices & malt, you don’t get much bitterness out of it. At 6.1% ABV, it’s one of the higher ABVs for a pumpkin beer but that isn’t all that high. I liked this beer but I’m not going to imitate it either for my wedding.

Rogue Ales & SpiritsPumpkin Patch Ale – Jeremy tried this beverage for his first round that same evening. I needed to double down on my pumpkin trying. I look forward to trying their stuff because of their laundry list of good beers and the fact that they grow most of their own supplies. In this beer, that happens to be the barley, hops and pumpkins. Along wit the usual suspects (cinnamon, cloves, ginger and nutmeg) in the spice department, they include vanilla bean and cardamom. Those two spices certainly bring something different to the table in terms of taste, especially the vanilla bean. They have a similar IBU to Terrapin at 25 which is also covered up by the sweetness of the beer. This beer won’t leave you face down in a pumpkin patch at 5.6% ABV. Another good one, but I definitely can’t imitate it by growing my own crops.

Blue Ridge Brewing Co.Kurli Blonde Ale – The Lady & I had just finished a tasting at Dark Corners Distillery in Downtown Greenville on Saturday. We needed food so we decided to stop in at Blue Ridge because they had a tasty looking menu. I was ready not to drink after of gulping down shots of moonshine but I decided I needed to try one of their beers. It was a big help that this beer was only 4.7% ABV.  It was a very light beer which helped too knowing that I had a six pack waiting for me at the wedding. Naturally, this is a low IBU beer at 17. This beer accomplished all of my goals – local, light & room for more beer later in the day. So did the extremely tasty Monte Cristo Sammich.

IMG_20141018_225709Highland Brewing Co.Oatmeal Porter – As noted in my previous column about the Wedding Six Pack, I only got through three beers at the wedding. I ended up spear heading the even after wedding. When a wedding ends at 10 PM, it’s time for more beer. We went to the Carolina Ale House to try more. This company is out of Asheville, NC. For a porter, this beer is very dark. That means tasty roasted malt goodness. It has a nice foamy head which is perfect for the style of beer. They used oatmeal which helps give it a perfect smooth, creamy mouth feel. Highland puts in a decent amount of hops at 35 IBU but the flavor is more back bone for the roasted malt. It weighs in at 5.9% ABV which means you could drink this for a nice long day even if it isn’t sessionable. I’d be more than happy to do that. This beer is fantastic.

IMG_20141019_002023Lone Rider Brewing Co.Sweet Josie Brown Ale – This beer was the last of the trip proper. The company is out of  Raleigh, NC. I went a little lighter with the taste moving from porter to brown ale but it has a similar roasted malt flavor that I love. They use chocolate and aromatic malts. Josie & the Porter also had a similar head to them. The similarities end there though. Brown ales aren’t creamy or thick. They drink more like a lager but with a lot more punch. Lone Rider says they put some hops in this beer but don’t list an IBU. It certainly wasn’t a prominent flavor to me. The sweetness from the chocolate malt helps to mask it. You can’t name a beer Sweet Josie then have it be bitter. It’s not overly sweet even in a pumpkin beer way. It helps not to have in the additional sweet spices. Somehow, this beer was even better than the Oatmeal Porter. If you see either of these beers on shelves around you, drink them. – Kevin

 

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