Day 285, Oct 12 / Duck-Rabbit Brown Ale

Day 285 / October 12, 2011

Duck-Rabbit Brown Ale

The Duck-Rabbit Craft Brewery / Farmville, NC

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How now Brown Duck Rabbit?

The last beer in the North Carolina Beer Run is from the Duck-Rabbit Brewery in Farmville, NC, self-proclaimed dark beer specialists.

It doesn’t get much darker than the Duck-Rabbit Brown Ale.  Now, many American Brown Ales are styled after English Ales, which are usually more malty than hoppy.

The D-R Brown Ale is actually a very hoppy brown ale, brewed with “loads of hops”, including Amarillo and Saaz hops.  A bit too hoppy for me.

Up Next…..

Day 284, Oct 11 / Peacemaker Pale Ale

Day 284 / October 11, 2011

Peacemaker Pale Ale

LoneRider Brewing Company / Raleigh. NC

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The return of the LoneRider.

There were two beers from LoneRider in the North Carolina six five pack my friend Henry dropped off for me.  The second beer was the Peacemaker Pale Ale.

LoneRider describes their beer as a west coast style American Pale Ale made with several hop varieties.  To me, it tastes a lot like a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, which isn’t a bad thing.

Tomorrow, I’ll throw a North Carolina beer from my own collection fridge to finish up the North Carolina Beer Run.

Day 283, Oct / Sisters of the Moon IPA

Day 283 / October 10, 2011

Sisters of the Moon IPA

Mother Earth Brewing Co. / Kinston, NC

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Peace, Love and Beer.

That’s the slogan of the Mother Earth Brewing Company of Kinston, NC.  And why not?  Truth be told, I also love the logo.  Hey, Mother Earth, read my blog and send me a free t-shirt, OK?

Mother Earth is another new, small North Carolina brewery, beginning production in early 2009.  Mother Earth is a very environmentally friendly company, powered by solar power, using recycled denim insulation and water saving Eco faucets and stuff.

The beer pours a hazy orange color, and has a slight citrus smell, and has a bit of a bitter hop taste.  Overall, a decent IPA.  Or at least that’s what I think.

Day 282, Oct 9 / Sweet Josie Brown Ale

Day 282 / October 9, 2011

Sweet Josie Brown Ale

LoneRider Brewing Company / Raleigh. NC

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Another beer I’ve never heard of.

The LoneRider Brewing Company in Raleigh started operations in 2009.  In 2010, their Sweet Josie Brown Ale brought home a gold medal from the Great American Beer Festival.  Not bad, huh?

In 2011, my friend Henry brought me a bottle of Sweet Josie.  This is another beer that got better as I drank it, and as it warmed up a bit.  I’d call this a cooler weather beer, which is ironic since I drank it on an 80 degree October day.

This is definitely a full bodied beer, with a good balance of malt and hops.  There’s hints of chocolate and it’s just slightly sweet.

LoneRider beers are not currently distributed outside of North Carolina.  If you’re down there, look for their Western themed beers at a store or bar near you!

Day 281, Oct 8 / Southern Pale Ale

Day 281 / October 8, 2011

Southern Pale Ale

Natty Greene's Brewing Co./ Greensboro, NC

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Like bringing a gun to a knife fight.

Or a pale ale to an Oktoberfest.

My friends Patrick and Sarah hosted their annual Oktoberfest party yesterday, and they always do it up right.  Any kind of wurst you can think of, and pretzels and brochen (rolls) from the Heidelberg Bakery in Arlington, VA (almost 35 miles away from their house in Leesburg).  A great variety of appetizers and deserts.  Oompah music from Patrick’s DVR.  And of course, a great selection of Oktoberfest beers, including beers from Brooklyn, Sam Adams, Dominion Hacker-Pschorr, Ayinger and Warsteiner.

And I definitely had a few of those, but since I’m in the middle of my North Carolina Beer Run, I brought along one beer from NC to start out the afternoon.  Natty Greene’s Southern Pale ale poured a light amber color with a two finger head.  It has a strong hop smell and taste, and it tastes kinda earthy if you know what I mean.