Category Archives: Reviews

Craft beer reviews

Sip on This: Foothills Brewing’s Cottonwood Endo IPA

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The Cottonwood Endo India Pale Ale from Foothills Brewing of Winston-Salem, North Carolina is available at quite a few joints around Charleston now. You can find six-packs at Publix or singles at Total Wine, if you’re only in the mood to sample. Either way, it’s well worth the try.

 

Cottonwood Endo IPA

Delicious!

To the beer! Cottonwood Endo IPA is pretty good. Perfect for sitting around chatting with friends or just reading the latest edition of BeerAdvocate, which rated this one an 82/100. The Alstrom Brothers, creators of BeerAdvocate, actually rated it an exceptional 91, so it’s getting good ratings from most people.

The Endo IPA has a red look to it and has a nice out-of-the-bottle head on it. The smell is floral and citrusy, though not too strong. The taste is a nice hoppy, malty blend that finishes with a good amount of bitterness. At 66 IBU, it’s a bitter beer, but it’s not overwhelming.

The mouthfeel is light to medium body with good carbonation. I’ve read several reviews of it and the mouthfeel seems to vary a lot from bottle to bottle, but the several bottles that I poured were all nicely carbonated with small bubbles in the head.

Foothills Brewing has recently started pumping out beers under a few names, including Foothills, Cottonwood Ales, and Carolina Blonde. There’s an interesting story behind the Cottonwood and Carolina Blonde labels, which I’ll try to keep balanced and bubbly: The Carolina Beer Company decided that energy drinks were the way to go (silly moppets), so they sold the two labels to Foothill Brewing (shrewd, dude).

Foothills Brewing

Foothills Brewing

It’s a good beer and it’s easy to get your hands on some around Charleston. The next time you’re in the mood for something new, swing by your local shop and pick up a six-pack. If you really dig it, let us know.

-Article originally posted to CharlestonGirt.com by Peter Preston, CBC organizer and member

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2012 Brewvival Reflections

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Provided by CBCer Steve…

Brewvival is absolutely the premier craft beer event in the lowcountry.  The lines were long to get in (again), so you want to get there early (well before the gates open at noon).  You would have thought I would have learned that lesson last year, but you’d be wrong.  Three double rows of brewers, I’d say there were probably were 50 great beers, and 200 good beers there.  Weather was great, smoked a very good Montecristo #2 that I’ve been saving for such an event with an old friend of mine.

 

ABV: 9.8% IBU’s: 99

I had several favorites, but the most memorable was probably an opulent and incredibly complex Imperial Stout called Mexican Coffee Cake from Westbrook, its brewed with vanilla, cinnamon, cocoa nibs, espresso, and habanero chilis.  Barrel-Aged Monck’s Revenge from Terrapin was another favorite - a bright, over-hopped belgian style IPA that had a gorgeous peaty nose almost reminiscent of Lagavulin single-malt scotch.

 

All told, if you weren’t there – you must not like beer…

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Rating: 10.0/10 (1 vote cast)

Hopslam – Did you catch it?

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Bell’s Hopslam Ale is a seasonal, limited edition gem that is in currently in season.  Many local businesses were only given a fraction of their requested amount from the distributor. This trickled down to the consumer, so if you were lucky to find it, you could only get one or two six packs.  At a price point of $20/sixer, that might be a good thing.

The delicious double-IPA, has a amber/honey color with a subtle head.  Its bouquet is extremely hoppy, almost floral.  If you have ever wondered why people smell their beer, this beer is a great intro to understanding the practice.  It smells soooo GOOD!

This is likely accomplished through the complicated ingredients and brewing process Bell’s puts this amazing nectar through.  From the Bell’s site:

Starting with six different hop varietals added to the brew kettle & culminating with a massive dry-hop addition of Simcoe hops, Bell’s Hopslam Ale possesses the most complex hopping schedule in the Bell’s repertoire.

It’s taste matches its smell one for one.  I actually found myself sipping incredibly slowly to maximize the experience.  An absolute solid experience.

It took me 4 stores and 3 days to find it, but I finally located it at Earthfare in Windermere.  I perused the beer selection, (which by the way is pretty extensive and eclectic there).  I had to ask for the Hopslam, the girl disappeared in the back and returned with the prize.

I was told that only people that ask for Hopslam get it, and even then its max 2 per visitor.  you might still be able to find it there.  If not keep an eye out for it next year.  It goes fast!

 

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Rating: 10.0/10 (1 vote cast)

Review: Old Fezziwig Ale

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Sam Adams winter holiday seasonal that boasts the funny name. Old Fezziwig likely tastes better because of its rarity.  A solid dark ambered ale, it has a smooth and weighty feel with a strong malt character. 

Worth having a pint or two at the family holiday party, but makes the must try list because of the name, not so much for its taste.

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Review: Ommegang Chocolate Indulgence

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This harder to find ale out of cooperstown, ny is a special treat.  7% and not overwhelming.  The name might inspire a version of Youngs Double Choco Stout, but you’d be wicked wrong. 

First taste comes through as a smooth strong ale, and finishes with a soft cocoa nib bitterness. 

The only way I can explain it is, you know that satin brown curtain on the background of the Dove Chocolate commercial?  Somehow its like drinking that curtain, and then going looking for another curtained window.  I know that’s odd but try it and you’ll give me a high five in agreement.

Tip it back slowly, it definitely should be enjoyed.  Special thanks to CBCer Joey for splitting his bomber with me.

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Rating: 8.0/10 (1 vote cast)

“Bottles” – Packy in Mt. P with Great Craft Selection

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Shot from the parking lot and the road. Careful or you might miss it.

Consider yourself in the know.  Somebody had to tell me, and I still drove past it.  In Moultrie Plaza, off Coleman Blvd, down near the Ravanel bridge stands a new craft beer/wine store. It’s called “Bottles”.  I checked it out for all of us to see if it was worth your time.

The Good

“Bottles” boasts a large selection across spirits/wine/beer.  The craft beer options are larger than most vendors in the area and I was pleasantly surprised with some of the more exotic offerings from well known breweries. ( I picked up Bell’s new special seasonal “Hell Hath No Fury”, I’ll save it for another review but for now all I can do is strongly suggest you go get some)

 

There were numerous great options in the coolers (10+)

They have a large cooler at least 10 doors wide.  I counted but I can’t quite remember, it could be 12.  It’s large enough and plenty jammed up with 22′s and six packs of eclectic options.

They have a growler station with about 8 interesting beers.  I didn’t snap a pic of this, but it’s in the middle of the store and the guy working the taps appeared knowledgable.

They have a walk-in humidor.  It’s not quite as large as Total Wine in West Ashley, but they did have some items that is not carried at TW.

 

The Bad

While they did have a lot of interesting options, the beer section felt like it should have been bigger.  There wasn’t a beer I was looking for that they didn’t have at the moment, but I felt like they picked and chose some key items from popular micro-breweries, without trying to carry all that breweries selections.

Not all staff is knowledgeable.  As mentioned above, I was walking out with Bell’s Hell Hath No Fury, a Belgian Dark Ale.  A staff member (not the cashier) approached me and informed me that I should only drink 2 of them and leave the other 4 in a dark place for 6 months to 1 year to really let it appreciate.  This would be the first beer I’d ever heard that got better with age (given the entire chemistry of how beer actually works).  I did some research when I got home and discovered Bell’s states you should drink it within 6 months of bottling…..so I’m chalking this up to bad advice.

The Verdict is in –>

No shortage of 22's available. Allagash was well represented

I’m happy to see more stores offering great craft beer showing up in the area and especially the Growler station.  I live in West Ashley and Total Wine has all Bottles offers (in beer) and more, so I’ll still be shopping there, but if you are in Mt. P I’d recommend you give a stop and check it out.

 

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Southern Tier Creme Brulee Imperial Stout

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Special thanks to CBCer Steve for his well thought out review  of Southern Tier Creme Brulee Imperial Stout:

Pours thick and very deep brown, but not quite black with a lacy tan

Sweet, delicious and rich.

head. Nose is absolutely amazing – loads of vanilla and caramel, but also some roasted malts, sweet cake, and even a hint of anise. Taste is best described as opulent; amazingly rich and creamy with heavy vanilla and burnt caramel, like what a cupcake store smells like on a good day. Some alcohol on the first sip, but the richness overwhelms everything else. If you don’t like things overly sweet – this is not the beer for you; but as a single dessert beer it is the best I’ve ever had.

My mouth watered when I read his review.  Might be having dessert first next time!

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Rating: 5.0/10 (3 votes cast)

Full Sail Pale Ale

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Delicious and refreshing Pale Ale.  The Full Sail brewery has a full complement of beers in their offering, and the Pale Ale is a fine representative.  This beer tastes just like a IPA light,

Tip it back slowly. Enjoy, it's easy like Sunday morning.

in the sense that it has the refreshing crisp finish with only the slightest lingering hops flavor.

A solid Pale Ale.  The brewery’s website itself says it all “ Feeling out of whack? Put on some music, crack a Pale Ale, and readjust your balance.”

ABV 5.4% IBU 37  Cheers!

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Rating: 4.0/10 (1 vote cast)

Smuttynose Old Brown Dog Ale

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Cheers mate

(Until I can figure out a better way, you can send me a beer picture and review and I’ll get it posted to the site.)  This ale comes from Jersey Pete.  Smuttynose, a talented New England brewery, has several flagship libations including the Old Brown Dog Ale.  Winner of a Silver Medal at the 1989 Great American Beer Festival, this quality beer has a dark amber coloring and a smooth flavoring.  This one was enjoyed in a pub out of Arlington, VA.

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Rating: 7.7/10 (3 votes cast)