Aroma: “Lemon, pine, whiffs of citrus, white wine, and fresh-cut grass. Virtually no malt in the aroma. Lemon grass and a mild grape-must character stand out.” Flavor: “Hops flavors of evergreen trees, chardonnay, and lemongrass set the stage for a surprisingly smooth beer. Bitterness is smooth, and despite the appearance of the beer, the malt character is more than just a blank canvas. Finish is dry and pleasant. The complexity in hops flavors that was promised from the aroma is delivered quite well.” Overall: “A delightful IPA. It’s light on the tongue and even spry in its delivery of interesting modern hops varieties. Malt backbone is surprisingly apparent despite the very light appearance. Bitterness is pleasing and complementary. A great IPA that could even pair well with light seafood such as sushi. Citrusy, spritzy fun.”

**Aroma:** “Cinnamon and raisins come through up front with lots of vanilla. Malt character is very chocolate-forward with just a hint of roast in the background.” **Flavor:** “Intense cinnamon throughout that melds well with the roast and chocolate malts. Sweetness that fades slowly but lingers into the finish. Malt chocolate (accentuated by the vanilla) with a hint of roast. Lactose comes through that adds a smoothness and sweetness. A bit like an oatmeal-raisin cookie or holiday baked treats. Alcohol evident and warming.” **Overall:** “This beer is sweet and warming and would be perfect with holiday desserts (heck, any desserts). The special ingredients were the focus, but the stout character provided a perfect foundation.”

**Aroma:** “Medium sour note with a fruit melody with slight peach, green apple, pineapple, lemon, clove, tropical fruit, and a touch of sour. Floral Brett aroma.” **Flavor:** “Light clean lactic sourness with flavors of apricot/peach skin. Cider-like green and red apple flavors. Lime and grapefruit notes with a low green apple note. Grainy malt sweetness. Cinnamon and bread crust tart sourness is very smooth, lactic. High fruitiness up front with a rush of moderate sour notes com- ing in. High carbonation complements the sour notes. Slight wood or oak notes. Linger is slight and sour.” **Overall:** “Slightly sweet and lemony makes for a very tasty beer. Fruit character is very subdued. It is very easy to drink and only moderately sour. Nice clean lactic flavor dominates. There’s a lot going on, and I’m trying to pick out what the fruits are, but then the rush of sourness comes on.”

**Aroma:** “Cloves, pine-tree pitch, grapefruit zest, and hops are evident but not bold. Wood, black pepper, grapefruit, and lemon-peel notes. Slight dank, weed aroma in the hops and a fun phenolic yeast character.” **Flavor:** “Moderate lactic acidity fades quickly into an herbal/lemony hops finish with a touch of grapefruit. Lots of hops flavor, but very slight hops bitterness. Light malt sweetness could use a little more body to support the acid. Linger has a spicy salsa-like note.” **Overall:** “A spicy, sour, and lemon beer that is very smooth tasting after the initial bite of sour. Obviously hopped but not in a way that brings them out as a novelty beer. A great example of a light touch, not trying to win the pageant with zany hops. Very clean sourness and acidity in balance with hop flavors. Relatively mild wild character paired with the light touch on hops makes this easy to enjoy.”

**Aroma:** “Earthy, citrusy, and piney hops notes. Hint of mango and melon sweetness. Light perfumey—has a fragrance to it. Citrus-fruit notes of lemon and orange, with a touch of grassiness.” **Flavor:** “The hops hit in the front with this beer. Grapefruit sweetness and bitterness that carry through. Some lemon, a little onion-like character. The bitterness hits and is lingering through the finish. Malt is moderately biscuity and a bit light for the hops. Warmth hits at the end.” **Overall:** “What we’d now call a classic double IPA. Loads of hops flavor (interesting melon and earthy combos) with a moderate amount of biscuity malt. Alcohol is noticeable and not offensive. Lower in hops aroma than one might expect from a double IPA, this nonetheless delivers a potent, bitter, hoppy drinking experience. The more I drink this beer, the more the juicy character develops.”

Thanksgiving leftovers will never be the same.

__Aroma:__ “Nice brown sugar and rum sweetness up front, with vanilla and a touch of coconut. Bright raisin, with plum esters and subdued pepper phenolic. Smoky and woody, with the oak really shining through.” __Flavor:__ “Intense boozy sweetness, with strong molasses, brown sugar, and slight burned sugar notes. Fruity raisin and plum esters hide behind the cane sugar. The yeast character is almost Belgian—it’s difficult to nail down, but it’s nice—and the Brett characters aren’t evident in the taste … just the slightest hint of funk. Hints of toasted bread and bread crust with vanilla.” __Overall:__ “The aroma is gorgeous, but the overwhelming sweetness masks some of its depth. A beautiful raisin rum character and oak earthiness hide underneath. I would love to see how this ages—when the Brett kicks in, it could be a completely different beer.”

**Aroma:** “Barnyard _Brett_ funk, apricot, and peach. Herbal and a bit of woody character from hops. Citrus notes and earthy with very slight touch of funk that increases as it warms.” **Flavor:** “_Brett_ funk dominates with stone fruit esters playing a supporting role. A bit of sweet and tart but not overly sour. Very dry finish with moderately strong carbonation. Some sweet citrus and peach. Has a touch of oak-like astringency in the finish. The spicy Noble hops are a nice touch. A nice dry finish with just a hint of bitterness in the finish.” **Overall:** “Moderate carbonation, mild funk, and a big peach and grapefruit note. Very nice _Brett_ showcase with supporting fruit and earthy notes that’s more subtle than others in the category. A well-balanced beer that offers some nice funk—the hops bitterness is welcome and plays nicely with the _Brett_.”

**Aroma:** “Barnyard and sweaty pineapple _Brett_ funk, white grape, orange citrus, and a bit of spicy and floral in the background. Funky and earthy. Light spice in the back end.” **Flavor:** “Sour throughout that builds and falls leaving a lingering acidity like after eating sour candy. Moderate carbonation and very dry finish. The honey character adds sweetness in the back. Light funk helps to cut the sweetness and clean the beer out in the finish. Like a glass of lemonade.” **Overall:** “Very good citrus and tropical fruit complexity with the Brett funk. Pushes a bit past the farmhouse ale level of tart into full-on wild ale sourness, but a nice beer overall. The funk gets overpowered by the acidity. A unique and fun farmhouse beer with a heavy dose of _Brett_ that’s well expressed and not too extreme.”

**Aroma:** “Figs are there somewhere, but it’s difficult to pick them up over the intense phenols. As the beer warms and degasses, the intense phenolics back off, opening it to more conventional farmhouse aromas.” **Flavor:** “A tart fruity initial impression. Figs, or is that cherry Jolly Rancher? _Brett_ offers a grounding woodiness, and fortunately it tastes much better than it smells. A significant amount of funk, but in a good way—a punch of acidity to complement the light maltiness and subtle fig taste.” **Overall:** “Classic saison with a subtle touch of extra acid and fruit from the fig plus earthy tannins that help make the beer seem even more attenuated. The acidity might be a little high for some, but the balance works. The _Brett_ needs a couple more months to break this beer in, but it has the base for a solid funky farmhouse beer.”

Brothers Walt and Luke Dickinson of Asheville, North Carolina’s Wicked Weed Brewing are producing some of the most cutting-edge and talked-about beers—both clean and sour—in the country.

__Aroma:__ “Dark fruit. Lots of whiskey barrel (vanilla, oak). Some darker and toastier malts blend in with the fruit behind the barrel. Medium cherry, chocolate-covered cherry. Rich tartness and slight acidity blend well with the chocolate and roasted character. Some earthy funk underneath.” __Flavor:__ “Dark cherries really come out in the flavor with the vanilla, oak, and whiskey behind it. There's a cherry-cola character to it. Some darker richer malts in the background. Moderate sweetness, moderate-to-high acidity. Lots of body. High carbonation really makes the cherry tartness pop on top of the rich, dark character of the base beer. The roasted chocolate and darker malts blend well with the dark fleshy sweetness of the cherry. It finishes fairly dry with a chocolate-covered cherry quality.” __Overall:__ “Very interesting and really very good. It has tons of barrel character for a sour and lots of dark cherry in the flavor. For the acidity and for how dark and sour the beer is, the malt is playing a balanced supporting role. Medium sweet with lots of fruit. The earthy *Brett* funk adds dimension and complexity. Very well made. Great after-dinner sipper.”

**Aroma:** Slight herbal oolong tea with a bit of wet hay and old-leather-in-a-barn musty _Brett_ notes. Very mild hops aroma of slight orange and pear. **Flavor:** Lots of flavor and very drinkable—slight tartness and fruit notes with hints of apple juice, pear, orange, and lemon. The tartness hits toward the finish to help clean the beer out. Big tropical _Brett_ funk with pineapple, tangerine, peach/apricot, and herbal tea in the background. Moderate-to-strong tart character throughout that fades into the dry finish. Carbonation is spot on. Very frefreshing yet complex. **Overall:** I enjoyed the fruit complexity and sweetness with the slight funk and tartness. The finish helped to enhance the beer as well. Big fruit _Brett_ funk but still light and refreshing. Huge tropical fruit with a bit of herbal-tea character to support. Very drinkable, reminiscent of peach champagne. Very refreshing and would love to drink this on a nice sumer day/evening.

__Aroma:__ “Deep, rich pie-cherry, with grapey, wine-like complexity and brightness of other berries dancing on top, like boysenberry syrup. Nutty notes with chocolate malt, which gives it a complexity you’d find in a cherry imperial stout. Tannins reminiscent of maple wood.” __Flavor:__ “Dark cherry and blackberry are at the forefront along with blueberry and currant. Wine-like esters accent the tartness and tannins, and the toasted richness suggests a darker base beer. Strong nuttiness, with some earthy complexity. A touch of alcohol warmth and phenol qualities.” __Overall:__ “So much complexity and intense fruit here, and the base beer supports the fruit medley well. It’s an interesting underlying complexity that’s hard to pin down, but it’s very tasty. Unique wood qualities work very well.”

Asheville is greatly influenced by local farming, and the menu at Wicked Weed Brewing’s restaurant is no exception.

October was a big month for craft beer

You don’t need an industrial Japanese brewery—nor even an all-grain homebrew system—to make a clean, light-bodied, refreshing rice lager ideal for sushi and summertime.

Despite it’s lean malt frame and body-lightening adjuncts, cold IPA is well within the reach of homebrewers who like to employ partial-mashes and extracts.

Developed by Keith Villa, this recipe for a nonalcoholic peanut butter–flavored porter provides a significant dose of THC from dry-hopping with cannabis.

Besides a hearty embrace of spicy Saaz hops, this partial-mash recipe for a Czech-style pilsner includes a method for pressurized fermentation in a corny keg.