Food & Beer Friday :: Something a little saucey.

Even though I've been off the grids and the blog scene, it doesn't mean I haven't been drinking!  This week I decided to pull out another NC local like last week.  Big Boss Brewing is a pretty cool brewery in Raleigh.  They have awesome events in the brewery, and you'll likely spot a food truck or two out there.  If I ever recover from my injury, I like to join the run club that is hosted at the brewery as well. 

Based on my love for farmhouse ales, I picked up this saison at Bottle Revolution back before I started Whole 30.  Saison is kind of a "proper" name for a farmhouse ale.  This type of beer can be loosely described as a pale ale that's more carbonated.  As for Big Boss' Saucey Pants, it's only 4.5% alcohol and definitely easy to drink.  The brew has that dry, "farmhouse funk" to it with the hop bitterness definitely coming through.  Unfortunately, I was left hoping for a little something more.  The beer just felt...mediocre.  

Nonetheless, I would totally recommend visiting Big Boss if you're ever in the Raleigh area!  It's an awesome spot.  Some of my other favorite beers from them include Big Operator, Aces & Ates, and Harvest Time.

Head on over to Sarah's blog and link-up this week!

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Food & Beer Friday :: Fathom this.

For those of you not familiar with North Carolina, Raleigh is part of the area of NC deemed "the Triangle.  Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill make up that triangle.  There are a lot of breweries, brew pubs, and everything in between in this area.  Unfortunately, not many of these breweries warrant a spotlight.  Trophy Brewing is a different story.  Trophy just opened up in March in Raleigh.  They're brewing some amazing beers and will be serving pizza sooner than later.  

On to the beer!  Trophy is the perfect spot to stop in on your way home and grab a growler of beer and pizza for dinner.  D picked up a growler of 30 Fathoms baltic porter for us.  While it's not your typical spring brew, this beer was delicious!  It had the flavors of a stout with the body of a porter.  The beer's chocolatey flavors were prominent.  It's 7% alcohol but goes down so easily!

If you're ever in the Raleigh area, check out Trophy Brewing & Pizza!  If I hadn't been injured for the past 9 weeks, I would have joined in on the runs from my local YMCA that end at Trophy.  Some of my favorite beers from them include the Best in Show, Limbo Champ, and Slingshot Coffee Porter.

What have you been sipping on recently?

Now go link-up with Sarah and I!

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Food & Beer Friday :: A series of windows.

On our anniversary trip, D and I enjoyed a good number of beers.  This was the only one I was able to capture in action.  I mentioned Mother Earth Brewing back when I went to that amazing beer brunch.  Mother Earth has a Windowpane Series of beers that are fermented with fruits then aged in barrels.  My understanding is that they are all aged in different types of barrels.  The Fig & Raisin is the third in the series (first is blackberries, second is peaches).

The Fig & Raisin Windowpane is a Belgian style Dubbel beer that was aged in brandy barrels for three months.  This beer is cloudy and a dark amber color with a creamy caramel head.  My initial reaction to this beer was its sweetness.  It was overwhelming sweet in the first few sips.  As I kept drinking, I definitely tasted the brandy.  Those strong alcohol flavors help to cut the sweetness a bit.  At 9% alcohol (and unless you want to be overwhelmed by sweetness), I'd share this beer with at least one or two friends.  My overall feelings on the Fig & Raisin reminded me of how I felt after this winter beer.

Either way, I day drank sipped on this beer with D by the fire while finally finishing up Treasure Island.  It was a good anniversary day.

Other Mother Earth beers I'd recommend would be Silent Night (for you stout lovers) and Endless River (for your lighter tastes).  And if you're ever headed through Kinston, NC, check out their taproom!

Cheers!

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Food & Beer Friday :: Frosty local.

I realized I really haven't chosen many local brews for you.  While many of you may not be NC locals, our state is saturated with breweries and more are continually popping up!  Today's beer comes from a cool brewery right outside of Raleigh.

Fullsteam Brewery is a pretty cool spot in Durham, NC.  I knew I had to have this beer since we've had the first round of really cold weather we've had in a while over the past two weeks.  First Frost is a winter ale brewed with persimmons.  I'm not sure about you, but I had no clue what persimmons were. Apparently, they are the "fruit of the gods" that have natural notes of cinnamon and apricots.  Fullsteam collected North Carolina persimmons, before the "first frost," to brew this beer.

The color of this beer is a beautiful dark amber.  At 10 percent alcohol and in a big bottle, I had high expectations for this beer.  The final result: too sweet.  The fruit sugars likely amp up the alcohol content, but they also rack up the sweet flavor.  It's definitely more malty than hoppy.  I drank a decent amount of this beer (split with D who also agreed it was too sweet), but I wouldn't buy it again.  It's not the same kind of sweetness that you get from a stout (like this one)...almost a bitter sweetness if that makes sense?  Do I hate that I tried this beer?  No way!

From NC and interested in other Fullsteam beers?  I'd recommend the Summer Basil and the Working Man's Lunch.