First Brewery Visit - Nantahala Brewing Co.

I have been out of pocket for the past week. This was a term we used to use in my Arthur Andersen days to mean that I would be out of the office and not accessible. Thanks to the wonders of modern technology, this is no longer the case as I am usually attached to my electronic leash and my Pavlov's dog trained response to its rhythmic vibrations. However, I am happy to report that I was legitimately out of pocket most of last week.

Margaret, the girls and I joined some friends at their family cabin in Western North Carolina, near the Smokey Mountains. Since the cell service near the cabin was non-existent, I had the phone off most of the time and was able to enjoy some relaxation and clean mountain living. This included running, or attempting to run up the steep hills, fishing, sleeping late and just enjoying the views.

Somewhat to my surprise, the area where we stayed has quite a craft brewing scene. During our week there, I tried almost a dozen different beers from breweries in the surrounding areas. The place has such good craft beers that you can even make a mixer beer six pack at the local Walmart. My friend Tom and I put together 3 different ones with mostly all local stuff. Reviews of specific beers to come later.

The beer highlight of the trip came when we traveled about 15 miles to the Nantahala Brewing Company (I will use NBC for short) brewery in Bryson City, NC. I had mentioned previously how my planned trip to the Abita Brewery during our camping trip earlier this month was 86'd due to not letting kids in the brewery. No such luck with NBC. Kids and even dogs are welcome in the brewery. We did decide that this would be a kid free night as we had babysitting, which was much appreciated.

The atmosphere was really relaxed and casual. The open room has a couple dart boards and bean bag toss boards (I can't think of a better way to describe it). Against the back wall is a nice selection of taps and includes "guest taps" with beers from other breweries. Unfortunately due to the cold weather, the tasting room was moved to a smaller, but warmer room that got quite crowded.

One of the most appealing aspects of the NBC offerings is the small tasting samples that allowed me to try several beers during my visit. Among them were the Bryson City Brown Ale.

A Hefeweizen (I did not get the specific name)

Black Ale (I did not get the specific name) 

Dirty Girl Blonde

Devil's Courthouse Belgian Style Ale (tasted a lot like Duvel)

Before you ask, no I did not drink both of the beers in each picture. I did have some help. Speaking of help, I will need some help with this one that I brought home. This Russian Imperial Stout is part of NBC's Trail Magic limited edition series and is among only a few that are available in bottles. Note, not small bottles.

I was even able to meet Greg, who is the NBC Brewmaster. He was kind enough to take me to the back where the magic happens.

Of the beers I tried, the Black Ale, Dirty Girl Blonde and the Devil's Courthouse were my favorites. I found the beers to be well made and even better priced. The sampler size is a real bargain. The place had a very welcoming vibe that really made for a great evening. If you are ever in this neck of the woods, I highly recommend giving Nantahala Brewing Company a visit. As they say, "Water is for Quitters."

Thanks to Kathleen & Tom for your hospitality and turning me on to NBC.

For more info on the Nantahala Brewing Company, please see Nantahala Brewing Company

Cheers!

Catch up on Reviews

As you have likely noticed, I have not been very prolific on the reviews lately. I hate it when life gets in the way of enjoying good beers. Now seems like a good time to catch up with two beers that I have tried recently and am now getting around to document. They are the Real Ale Brewing Company's Brewhouse Brown Ale and Sam Adams Holiday Porter.

Real Ale Brewing is a brewery in Blanco, TX. I picked up the Brewhouse Brown Ale in Houston while I was there in October. This beer is an English Brown ale, which is among my favorite types.

Appearance: Beer poured a cola color with one finger of khaki colored head. It did have a hazy appearance, but nice carbonation and accompanied lacing.

Smell: A nice malty aroma was noted. I am fond of saying that a beer smells like it should smell, and this one fits that bill.

Taste/Mouthfeel: Lots of malt and toffee flavors are present on this one. It had a creamy mouthfeel, but was a little on the heavy side. Smooth and drinkable.

Overall: Not a show stopper, but a nice solid beer. It has the flavor profile I like with lots of malty and toffee notes. I could drink several of these. For more info on this beer, please see Brewhouse Brown Ale

The second beer that I tried recently was the Sam Adams Holiday Porter. This one came courtesy of my brother and his holiday assortment pack.

Appearance: Cola colored and cola carbonation on this beer. Weak tan colored head that dissipated quickly. Patchy lacing was present.

Smell: Again a malty aroma as well as a chocolate one was noted.

Taste/Mouthfeel: This beer had a heavier mouthfeel. Like the nose, some chocolate and malt flavors were most prominent. I did note some mild lingering bitterness on the finish that is not what I am looking for with a porter.

Overall: Since this is possibly my favorite kind of beer, it has to be very special to standout. Unfortunately this one is not doing that for me. Sam Adams makes some tasty beer, but this one seemed average for a porter and kind of nondescript. For more info on this beer, please see Holiday Porter

Based on the inventory I have accumulated, it looks like I need to get back to beer business. Hopefully with some upcoming time off, I can get back to my quest of finding the perfect beer. I know it is out there. In the meantime, I will keep enjoying the runners up.

Cheers!

I vote for... Beer - Breckenridge Vanilla Porter

Today being election day in the United States, I am reminded just how unpolitical I am. Hearing people discuss the merits of their candidates, I am even more convinced that I should not join in. I figure I am not passionate, articulate or persuasive enough (my wife takes great pride in letting people know that I "have no game") to convince someone to think like I do and giving a hazzah to those who already think like me seems like a waste of time. A side note, if I "have no game", what does that say about her? I digress.

I do get inspired with the political process when I think back to the greatest triumph of the human spirit and of the suffrage movement, in 1933 with the repealing of the 18th amendment with the ratification of the 21st amendment. For those unfamiliar, the 18th amendment prohibited alcohol. What a sad time it must have been for America to not be able to drown its collective sorrows with some beers during the period of 1920-1933. Brave Americans took to the polls to defeat the forces of evil that had plagued this great land for more than 10 years. I was very surprised to see that there is still a Prohibition party in the US and they even have a Presidential candidate, Lowell "Jack" Fellure from West Virginia. Needless to say, this guy did not get my vote.

As I will be stationed in front of my television watching the election results this evening, I decided that I should exercise my rights under the 21st amendment and enjoy a beer, or beers. The one I will profile is a delegate from the great state of Colorado and the Breckenridge Brewery, specifically their Vanilla Porter.

Appearance: Beer poured a dark brownish black color with a thin khaki colored head that quickly dissipated. Some moderate carbonation was noted and there was some patchy lacing.

Smell: A typical porter smell at the start with the roasted malt notes. This porter was brewed with vanilla beans, but the aroma did not give off much in the way of the vanilla smell. I did get a burnt aroma however.

Taste/Mouthfeel: The vanilla beans come through much more on the taste. Lots of vanilla noted on the finish and again with a burnt sweet flavor. It had a real sugary sweet flavor quality also. The mouthfeel was on the heavier side of medium with a definite syrup consistency to it.

Overall: All in all, not a bad porter. Having the vanilla flavor does take the edge off of the typical malt and chocolate flavors. This one may be a little too sweet for my liking though. I do prefer the regular flavor profile of a typical porter. For more information about this beer, please see Breckenridge Vanilla Porter

As you watch the election results this evening, I hope that all your candidates win. I know this is not possible, but my favorite candidate already won a victory in 1933. Congratulations beer for a hard fought win and many good times since you have been in office.

Cheers!

Beer in the woods... much better than bear in the woods

For those of you who know me personally, you know that I am not much of an outdoorsy person. I don't hunt, fish, hike or even birdwatch. It is not that I don't like the outdoors, I much prefer to run outside than on a treadmill, it is just that I did not grow up in a house where experiencing nature and the outdoors was much of a priority.

This is in complete contrast to my wife Margaret. While growing up, she camped all the time and because of this, has been on me for a while to take the family camping. She finally wore me down enough for us to go this weekend to Fountainbleau State park in Mandeville, LA. One of the carrots dangled with this trip is the fact that the park is less than 10 miles away from the town of Abita Springs which is home to the Abita brewery. Abita is the best known microbrewery in Louisiana.

Since the brewery does not allow people under 21 years of age to take the tour, we had to settle for a lunch at the Abita Brewpub. As you would expect, the pub has all the Abita beers available as well as seasonal special ones that are not bottled.

Pictured above is the Pecan Harvest ale and a photobomb courtesy of my buddy Matt. He and his family joined us for the trip. I have had a little experience with nut ales, specifically the He'brew Messiah Nut brown ale and the Lazy Magnolia brewery's Southern Pecan beer. This Abita offering was not as remarkable as the other two I just mentioned. Try the He'brew one if you are looking for a good nut brown ale.

This one is an example of a beer only available on tap, the Roggen Weizen. This is a stronger version of a German hefeweizen and is made with rye malt. At 7% ABV, it contributed greatly to the afternoon nap I attempted back at the campsite. I enjoyed this beer more than the pecan one.

It was an Abita weekend, as I took some of their Fall Fest seasonal Marzen back for enjoying around the fire.

Your blogger looking rough after the first night in the tent.

Later on after coffee and a happy family.

Unfortunately, there was a black eye to the weekend's festivities. Around midnight Saturday night/Sunday morning, I was awakened by the sound of a drunken camper falling into our tent. This happened right near where I was sleeping and could have caused some injuries. The culprit and his friend quickly ran off. I bet it was quite a buzzkill for them, as it was for me. It was not until the morning that I found the damage caused to our tent.

Luckily for us, the tent was an old freebie second hand from Margaret's father, so we were not out any money as we left it at the campsite. In the haste to escape, the offenders dropped their beers. As I would have expected, they were drinking Michelob Ultra. It just goes to support my theory that nothing good comes from drinking Michelob Ultra. I trust these geniuses will get what they deserve.

All things considered, the trip was a great success. Good times in nature, good friends and good beers. We liked it so much that we are already planning our next trip and what new tent to buy.

For more info on Abita Brewery and the brewpub, please see Abita Brewing and Abita Brew Pub.

Cheers!