Sorry, been sick

I’ve been sick this weekend (still sick now) so I haven’t much felt like doing beer tastings. I’ll try to get back to it (and updating the beer facts, etc) this week

Blackstone Brewery Nut Brown Ale

I’ve had this brew many times, but since Socialretard wanted me to do some local brews, I thought I’d review Blackstone’s Nut Brown Ale.

I cracked the bottle open and immediately poured it into my lager glass. (My pints were dirty). I didn’t pour as well as I usually do, so the head was minimal at best, with very little lacing.

The beer poured a dark brown color with ruby undertones where the light made it through the beer near the narrower parts of the glass. There was a definite hint of nuttiness on the nose, and I prepared to drink.

The carbonation was relatively light. So, unfortunately, was the nutty taste. There were hints of nuttiness, but they weren’t as pronounced as I would have liked. The mouthfeel was fairly light and soft.

I don’t really have too much to say about this one because the complexity is not really there. This seems to be something brewed to appeal to the Bud, Coors and Miller crowds, as an intro into microbrewing and nut brown ales. It’s what you could call a PC nut brown ale. It really doesn’t want to offend anyone with its character.

Recommended: As a starter nut brown, perhaps
Price: I paid $1.49 for one 12 oz. bottle
ABV: Unknown

Highland Brewing Company Oatmeal Porter

Highland Brewing Company is based out of Asheville, NC, although some of their bottling is also done in Maryland.I have never really seen much difference between a regular stout and an oatmeal stout, or in this case, a regular porter and an oatmeal porter. This time is really no exception.

I opened the bottle and poured it into a lager glass (my pint glasses were all dirty, unfortunately). It poured a rich deep brown, with faint hints of red coming through. A medium head settled on top, colored a rich caramel and promising great richness to come.

On the nose were obvious hints of chocolate and coffee, as any good porter will have. I had somewhat high hopes for this brew. On my first taste, I noticed the coffee and chocolate flavors the nose had promised, but roastier variations. The roastedness was a nice touch.

Another nice touch was the hoppy finish. It took a couple drinks before I realized what was different about this porter…it was hoppy! When you’re drinking what you expect to be a nice malty porter, it’s easy to let the hops slip by for a while. The hops almost acted as a sort of palate cleanser, preparing you for the next taste. They also served to lighten the body a bit.

Overall, not a bad beer. I tend to like my porters and stouts good and malty, so the hops meant this beer is not exactly my style, but it made for an interesting experience.

Recommended: I suppose
Price: I paid $1.79 for one 12 oz. bottle
ABV: 5.8%