Utterly Meaningless

BEER REVIEW SATURDAY

Filed at 4:13 pm under by dcobranchi

I’m home alone as the family has gone camping without me. (I’d have gone except I have a business trip starting tomorrow a.m.) So, with not a lot to occupy me, I thought I’d hop (“Hop”– get it?) on the beer wagon, and render my verdict on a mix-pack that I got last night.

First up, the last (and hopefully least) beer chosen: Sea Dog Bluepaw Wild Blueberry Wheat Ale.

I’m not a real fan of fruit-flavored beers and picked this one mostly to fill out the pack. It’s a filtered wheat ale, so it pours clear with a decent head that falls off quickly. The blueberry is barely discernible (a good thing, in my view). But that’s about the only good thing I can say. It’s just bland and could easily have come from A-B. It is a wholly unremarkable ale. Definitely not worth $8.50/six pack.

Next up, a local brew (Yes, we have a few breweries even in the Bible Belt) —The Duck-Rabbit Porter.

These folks bill themselves as “Dark Beer Specialists.” I can believe it. The porter is jet black and really good. Fairly hopped and an almost peaty aftertaste. This one tastes better served just a little cool. I’d definitely consider picking up a six pack of this beer next winter.

OK, this next one is similar but different. Peg Leg Imperial Stout is the first of this type I’ve ever tried. Wikipedia mentions that the style is brewed for a high alcohol content. The Clipper City Brewing Co. follows tradition– Peg Leg clocks in at a hefty 8.0% alcohol by volume. And you can definitely taste the alcohol. The beer is quite mellow (almost sweet) with an bit of a winey consistency. Mellow is good, but I could see myself getting in trouble with this beer. It’d be way too easy to drink too many of these too quickly. Peg Leg Imperial Stout is probably best enjoyed at home with a good meal.

Batting clean-up… Highland Brewing Company’s Kashmir IPA. Another North Carolina beer. Medium hopped for an IPA. Overall, this beer just rates an ok. It’s not bad, but it really doesn’t do anything to stand out from the crowd, either. I’d choose a 90 Minute Dogfish Head IPA over this any day.

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