I am sure I have mentioned this before, but when I leave town to visit family or friends, I always like to make an effort to try beers I can't get in Virginia Beach. We are lucky to be on many breweries distribution lists, so I figure I might as well try the things I can't get at home. I tried three new beers on my trip to South Carolina, and all three were hits in my book.
The first beer I tried was on tap at Grumpy's in Aiken. Before I get into the beer itself, let me just say that this place is a must visit if you ever make your way to Aiken, SC. They have great food, awesome beer, and very reasonable prices. Anyways, the beer I chose to go with was Quest's Coffee Stout. Now, I had told myself that I was going to stick with fresh IPAs and save the stouts for the frigid weather we have been having in VB, but I have a hard time resisting a coffee stout. I did not make a mistake. Quest's coffee stout was a deep black with just a little bit of a tan head. The nose was a beautiful blend of coffee and chocolate. I figured if the beer tasted as good as it smelled I would have a winner. A sip reveals big espresso flavors forward with an incredible smooth, mocha finish. Coffee beer lovers, rejoice! This one can hold its own with the best (the best being Founder's Breakfast Stout, of course). Quest Brewing Company is out of Greenville, SC and I am not sure if they bottle or not, but keep your eyes peeled for this stuff. Its a real gem of a beer.
The next beer I picked up was less of a blind grab. I had had Lazy Magnolia beer before, and Beerploration on Instagram (give him a follow!) had recommended a treat that they had just started bottling: Southern Hops'pitality. The appearance of this IPA is as welcoming as its name. It pours a gorgeous clear gold with a white head. The nose is milder for an IPA with just some light, citrus notes on the nose. The flavors start of with some sweet citrus goodness, followed up with those grapefruit flavors we all know and love. The finish is some slight, bitter hops. The beginning and the end are not very intense flavors; it seems that the grapefruit takes over the majority of the palette here. All in all, this is a smooth, well balanced, refreshing beer that showcases its citrus flavors along with its Southern charm.
The last beer of the weekend came from Marietta, GA's own Red Hare Brewing Company: Gangway IPA. I think this was probably the biggest limb I went out on, because I had never heard of it before and it only came in 6 packs. I rarely buy beer in 6 packs the first time even if I have heard of it because no one wants 5 more beers they don't like. That wasn't an issue here. Gangways IPA is a typical clear gold with a big, fluffy white head. The nose shows light pine hops with hints of some citrus in there as well. We are led into the flavor with a nice combination of pine and citrus hops which are followed up with some sweet malts. Okay, quick sidebar. Lots of IPA's have these characteristics. Hoppy flavors accompanied by some malts is pretty much a descriptor for 90% of IPAs. The difference between an okay IPA and a great IPA is balance of these flavors. I think this beer does that fantastically. The transition from hops to malts is pretty spot on here. This IPA was a real sleeper, and it caught me off guard. Cheers, Red Hare, I really enjoyed my first taste of your beer.
The first beer I tried was on tap at Grumpy's in Aiken. Before I get into the beer itself, let me just say that this place is a must visit if you ever make your way to Aiken, SC. They have great food, awesome beer, and very reasonable prices. Anyways, the beer I chose to go with was Quest's Coffee Stout. Now, I had told myself that I was going to stick with fresh IPAs and save the stouts for the frigid weather we have been having in VB, but I have a hard time resisting a coffee stout. I did not make a mistake. Quest's coffee stout was a deep black with just a little bit of a tan head. The nose was a beautiful blend of coffee and chocolate. I figured if the beer tasted as good as it smelled I would have a winner. A sip reveals big espresso flavors forward with an incredible smooth, mocha finish. Coffee beer lovers, rejoice! This one can hold its own with the best (the best being Founder's Breakfast Stout, of course). Quest Brewing Company is out of Greenville, SC and I am not sure if they bottle or not, but keep your eyes peeled for this stuff. Its a real gem of a beer.
The next beer I picked up was less of a blind grab. I had had Lazy Magnolia beer before, and Beerploration on Instagram (give him a follow!) had recommended a treat that they had just started bottling: Southern Hops'pitality. The appearance of this IPA is as welcoming as its name. It pours a gorgeous clear gold with a white head. The nose is milder for an IPA with just some light, citrus notes on the nose. The flavors start of with some sweet citrus goodness, followed up with those grapefruit flavors we all know and love. The finish is some slight, bitter hops. The beginning and the end are not very intense flavors; it seems that the grapefruit takes over the majority of the palette here. All in all, this is a smooth, well balanced, refreshing beer that showcases its citrus flavors along with its Southern charm.
The last beer of the weekend came from Marietta, GA's own Red Hare Brewing Company: Gangway IPA. I think this was probably the biggest limb I went out on, because I had never heard of it before and it only came in 6 packs. I rarely buy beer in 6 packs the first time even if I have heard of it because no one wants 5 more beers they don't like. That wasn't an issue here. Gangways IPA is a typical clear gold with a big, fluffy white head. The nose shows light pine hops with hints of some citrus in there as well. We are led into the flavor with a nice combination of pine and citrus hops which are followed up with some sweet malts. Okay, quick sidebar. Lots of IPA's have these characteristics. Hoppy flavors accompanied by some malts is pretty much a descriptor for 90% of IPAs. The difference between an okay IPA and a great IPA is balance of these flavors. I think this beer does that fantastically. The transition from hops to malts is pretty spot on here. This IPA was a real sleeper, and it caught me off guard. Cheers, Red Hare, I really enjoyed my first taste of your beer.
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