Brian Anderson

Innis & Gunn, a Scottish craft brewery, has changed the world by introducing beer marmalade.

It is being marketed as “spreadable beer” and its release is being accompanied by marmalade flavored IPA. It would make sense to enjoy them together, as the spread is made with Innis & Gunn’s oak-aged IPA.

This creation makes sense because the craft beer community and foodie community often overlap. The spread was even crafted by award-winning architects that are experts in matching food with beer.

I think that spreadable beer is a genius concept and I’m dying to try some for myself. I’ll be eagerly awaiting Innis & Gunn’s creation or something similar to make its way to the States. In the meantime, I’ll be on the hunt for some of their beer, because learning more about Innis & Gunn and just looking at these pictures are making me thirsty.

Charlotte, North Carolina is home to a wide variety of great food and drink spots. Every time I go, I always try to go somewhere new, even though I’m always tempted to return to one of the great places I’ve tried before. My latest trip took me to the 7th Street Station Market, which could be described in an unflattering way as a food court similar to one that you would see in a shopping mall. But it is much more than that! These restaurants and bars are not chains, but instead are independent eateries and grocers that make very satisfying meals. This is being included on the beer blog because they have a bar called Tank’s Tap as well as a wine section in the grocery section.

There are many places to choose to get your food, and after intense inner debate I finally chose a Greek sandwich and salad combo. I then proceeded to sit at the bar at Tank’s, still in the same room, while I waited for my food with my friend, who got a chicken and pesto crepe at a specialty crepe place in the market. Tank’s Tap was a nice experience, as they had a small but diverse selection of beer, with options ranging from IPA’s to saisons to milk stouts. Payment was quick and easy, as the locations in the market are keeping up with technology updates by using iPads and their card swiping attachments to complete payments, including tip.

I ended up ordering a Pilsner by OMB called Captain Jack, and it was quite refreshing and light. Great for a nice sunny day. The second beer I ordered was Up On the Sun, a saison by Birdsong Brewing Co. It had some unique spice, floral, and citrus notes. It tasted fine but I’m not sure if it’s something I’d choose again. The sandwich I ordered was fantastic, made on homemade warm focaccia bread that was the highlight of the meal. My friend said the crepe was great too, so maybe that’ll be something I decide on in the future. If you’re in the uptown Charlotte area and can’t decide on a place to eat, the 7th Street Station market has plenty of great options for many different palates, so you can’t go wrong.

High Point has a new brewery! Located on North Main Street, Brown Truck offers a core variety of beers so far. These include brews ranging from pale ales to saisons and Belgian dubbels. The titles so far for the different selections are simply numbers, such as “No. 5.”

Their logo above shows some irony in the fact that it has a rust color and worn looking letters accompanied by the statement that they were established in 2015. Usually companies that display when they were established do so for showing how long they’ve been around and a part of people’s lives, but Brown Truck is showing how short of a time they’ve been here and I think it is a new, fun, genuine take on an old school trend.

I have yet to visit Brown Truck myself, but their tap room opened up just about a month ago so I will be sure to stop by and support one of High Point’s few brewing companies. You can be sure to find my thoughts and review of the place right here in the near future.

For my friend’s 21st birthday over the weekend, we ventured out to Greensboro for drinks at Cooper’s Ale House. One of the most attractive features that made us choose Cooper’s is their extensive beer menu. They have a menu page slightly larger than an 8×11 that has beer lists that take up both sides. They break down their options by flavoring and type. For example, they have some categories that are dedicated to floral, aromatic brews while another category may be more straightforward, such as only beers of the hefeweizen variety.

Throughout the night, my friend and I were trying to play it safe by trying out harder liquor drinks before we moved on to beer. I stuck to bourbon based cocktails (speaking of which, this blog may morph into beer and bourbon discussions instead of just beer) while my friend tried different vodka martinis. Our first beer came in the form of an Irish car bomb. So we chugged creamy Guinness. We decided to top the night off with one pint each, so I recommended my personal favorite and we both got the same: Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA.

Cooper’s is a place I’d love to visit again. Prices were reasonable and there are many different beers I still hope to try off their menu. Luckily they are open until 2:30AM on weekend nights so my friend’s birthday starting at midnight could be accommodated. However, next time we may have to get their earlier so we can find a seat at the bar and admire all of the cool tap designs.

While my most recent posts have featured Dogfish Head in the spotlight, I figured I may as well keep the ball rolling in their favor by featuring them in my first part of a blog series about beer release in 2016 that are worth being excited about. Dogfish is going to be active this year with six new variations coming to shelves. There are many Dogfish fans who are loyal to their fruitier brews, and they may be excited for what’s in store this year. During the March to May time frame, the Romantic Chemistry IPA will be available, which is made with mangoes and apricots. Also, with the recent trend of blood orange being an ingredient being used by many breweries, Dogfish is creating their Flesh & Blood IPA, made with various citrus fruits and blood orange juice.

Moving on to some of my personal most anticipated brews from DFH, March, April, and May will also bring their new beverage dedicated to record music stores. It is called “Beer to Drink Music To” and it is a Belgian Tripel Ale, one of my favorite variations. Dogfish has a successful track record of making high quality saisons, and 2016 will contribute to their repertoire with the addition of Biere de Provence, a saison made with lavender, sage, thyme, and other herbs.

Rounding off 2016 are Seaquenchale and Beer for Breakfast. Seaquenchale is for sale in August and September and will be an experimental brew that combines the German styles of Kolsch, Berliner Wiesse and Gose. Beer for Breakfast is going to be the highlight of my year because it was my first beer on my 21st birthday when it was known as a “brewpub exclusive.” Now it is being bottled and sold on shelves so I could not be more thrilled. It is a combination of Dogfish’s Chicory Stout with flavorings of maple syrup and Delaware famous scrapple. The holiday season can’t come soon enough.

Also widely known by the nickname “Bitches Brew,” Dogfish Head’s dark, musically-themed beer made with honey and gesho root is named after the Miles Davis album of the same name. Made with three threads imperial stout and one thread honey beer, Bitches Brew is full of flavor that stout fans are familiar with, such as coffee and chocolate notes. The picture above of my personal pours (please ignore the Victory pint glass for a Dogfish beer) shows the dark color and tan head. A slow pour is recommended for a smaller head, but it did not prove to be too invasive as the beer flowed nicely through and under the head with each sip. The flavor and smell do not stray far from standard stouts and dark ales. However, in my personal experience when I was enjoying it around other people, the aroma tended to find its way around the room so it may be stronger than expected. Everyone in the room besides myself seemed to think it smelled and even tasted similar to soy sauce, which is strange but also thought-provoking. I don’t mean to seem conceited with this upcoming statement, but because I am someone who is more accustomed to darker beers and their features and characteristics than the others who were in the room with me, I got a different sensual reaction to the beer’s smell and taste, purely because of my comparisons to beers I’ve had in the past.

Overall, the beer was enjoyable but did not meet my high expectations. This was a beer I had been eagerly waiting to try just because of its name alone. I am a huge fan of stouts and porters because of my equal love for coffee and chocolate, so I was hoping to find a new personal favorite beer. One of my favorite beers of all time is Chicory Stout by Dogfish Head, who just happens to be my favorite brewery as well. With all of these high expectations for Bitches Brew before even giving it a shot, I ended up being underwhelmed. Plus, the aftertaste was less than desirable.

Miles Davis’ Bitches Brew from Dogfish Head gets a rating of 65/100

As craft beer grows in popularity, breweries are popping up all over the country. With so many options now flooding the market, companies need to find a way to make their product stand out on the shelves. One of my favorite aspects of craft beer’s rise is the creativity and care that goes into the labels on the bottles. Different breweries attack the issue of making label artwork from different angles. There are companies like Anchor and New Belgium that focus on a simple and minimalist style.

Then, there is the opposite end of the spectrum that includes companies like Flying Dog that the beer community seems to be torn on. These labels are wild and outlandish, which wins the hearts of some fans while others feel it is more of a gimmick to attract ignorant customers. (But the beer tastes good so that isn’t necessarily a bad thing as long as they’re making a worthwhile purchase.)

Some breweries have even created mascots through the consistency of their labels. Brands like Stone and Terrapin have a notable character on all of their products that consumers have come to recognize and grow attached to.

Other important labels to take note of are one’s like those of Brooklyn Brewery and Sierra Nevada. Sierra Nevada has created such an appealing label that it ranks among some of the most recognizable brands on the market, even simply by just it’s colors and basic design. Similar to big brands like Apple and Pepsi, a casual beer fan could see the outline of a Sierra Nevada logo along with it’s colors and automatically know what company it is for. Brooklyn Brewery has also created an attractive logo, with theirs being massively sold on beer pint glasses across the world, even more than their actual beer.

Finally, my personal favorite beer and labels come from Dogfish Head. I may be slightly biased because they are from my home state of Delaware, but they truly make great products and were named Brewery of the Year for 2015. They have simple designs for their flagship products, but they also hire talented artists to design labels for many of their other options. They are in-tune to American culture and try to implement the creativity of the public wherever they can.