Every week we round up the five best beers we tried that week. Have a recommendation? A beer we absolutely need to try? Email us at [email protected] with your pick.
As we’re heading into the gloomy, pre-spring days of March, the Southeast finally got a true winter’s day. For folks in North Carolina, a few inches of snow basically means hunkering down. And, if you enjoy craft beer, an imperial stout or two.
It might be excessive to call what we experienced a true snow day, but we’d recommend stocking up on these essentials for a day indoors:
A Charlie Brown Christmas
Hot Chocolate, duh.
A roaring fire
Hours of video games
Plus, we’d highly recommend enjoying a few beers. Here are five of the best beers we drank from February 17th to the 24th.
Qahwah
Seventh Son Brewing Co. — Columbus, OH
Arab Imperial Coffee Stout — Truly a perfect snow day beer. This Arabic coffee-inspired stout was incredible and easily one of the best beers we’ve come across this year. The spice notes were singing in perfect harmony. If you’ve had a chance to try true qahwah with cardamom, this will bring you right back.
Juice Jr.
Great Notion Brewing — Portland, OR
New England IPA — Great Notion often favors the extreme when it comes to beer. From their Double Stack pancake stout to the Mochi series, Great Notion’s beers are flavor explosions. So, it was pleasantly refreshing to drink a relatively “simple” offering from the Portland, OR brewery. Don’t get me wrong, this was still flavorful; but, it was a gentle ride through dank juiciness rather than a rollercoaster.
Cordial Cherry
Parish Brewing Co. + Horus Aged Ales — Broussard, LA + Oceanside, CA
Stout — Valentine’s Day may have passed but we were still enjoying this cordial cherry stout. A blend of lightly tart cherry and bittersweet chocolate immediately hit followed by a touch of boozy sweetness. As you continue drinking, the chocolate definitely takes the lead but the beer remains delightful. We wouldn’t mind discovering this one in a box of chocolates.
American Kestrel
Red Clover Ale Co. — Brandon, VT
Hazy IPA — We had heard nothing but great things about the folks at Vermont’s Red Clover Ale Co. So, it was great to spend some time with them at Juicy Brews Valentine’s Day and share some delicious beers. They brought American Kestrel, a citrus-forward hazy IPA, but we also had a couple cans in the Hop Culture studio. These days, we’re more charmed by New England IPAs that manage to feel restrained while still delivering the flavors requisite of the style. American Kestrel was full-bodied with great ripe orange and slight mango flavors.
Kill the Sun (Horchata)
Ex Novo Brewing — Portland, OR
Imperial Stout — Another well-spiced imperial stout, the Horchata edition of Kill the Sun featured vanilla and cinnamon resulting in a slightly sweet, delicious stout. We got flavors of perfectly toasted s’mores and roasty coffee. Plus, it smelled like a dream. If you needed to hunker down with a great stout, we’d recommend this one.
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