Doin' Thyme

Inside Birdsong Brewing Taproom

Sometimes you get lucky and get brews from friends or family from their vacations, if they think about it. Other times you have friends of friends share beers with your friend and in return the share it with you. Well the latter happened to me recently, a co-worker's friend came back from Charlotte and had gotten a beer she enjoyed from her friend in North Carolina. My co-worker knew I have had beer from the brewery that her friend got her beer from. We discussed the beers and I mentioned one of the beers I had before from the same brewery. She instantly got excited that I had tried the beer she had gotten and she offered to share one with me. I thought it would be cool to do a review of this beer from the brewery. I have had a few beers from this brewery from Charlotte, North Carolina and I can say they do a great job with their takes on beer and different styles of beers. Let's review the brewery that I am trying another brew from tonight. 

Throwback to my last visit at  Birdsong Brewing Company 

Birdsong was started by Chris and Tara Goulet, they partnered with Conor Robinson who thought Charlotte need a small neighborhood brewery. The brewery would be a place where folks could stop in for a pint or take one home with a growler. Birdsong started in 2011, since then they have brewed many different beers. With the rapid growth they purchased a building in the Belmont Neighborhood of Charlotte, NC. It was a 30-barrel brew house with room for up to 1,200 barrels of fermentation capacity. Birdsong opened up a new taproom in April 2015 and is geared up for a growth in production thanks to its creative and hardworking employees. Birdsong believes #CanDoWillDo which is their philosophy behind their passion. Birdsong believes in locally sourced and sustainability. They recycle the peanut shells from their taproom to a local cattle farm. and eighty percent of their production is draft beer. Kegs are the ultimate reusable product that helps them be sustainable and limit their discarded waste. They stay local and minimize transportation to keep a mindful approach economically and environmentally. The bottom line is not the only guiding principle. 

Can of Doin' Thyme

I have had the pleasure of visiting the tasting room at the brewery while I was on Beercation down in Charlotte. Let's discuss tonight's beer of the night, I am having Doin' Thyme Witbier by Birdsong Brewing Company. Doin' Thyme has an alcohol by volume or ABV of 4.3% and an IBU or bitterness of 15. From the can, "Our innovative Belgian-style Wheat uses coriander, lemon peel, and fresh thyme for a crisp, refreshing springtime treat. Using locally grown thyme from 100 Gardens in Charlotte, Birdsong is pleased to donate a portion of Doin' Thyme sales to help 100 Gardens in its quest to engage students and incarcerated individuals in learning new skills and actively helping the community." Great to see and learn how Birdsong walks the walk and helps support the local community. 

Appearance of Doin' Thyme Witbier

The appearance of this Witbier is typical for the style of beer that it is. Doin' Thyme has a cloudy pale appearance to it. There is a yellowish to golden hue about this ale. Noticeable amounts of carbonation in the beer and there is a thin layer of foam or head to the beer. The head or foam as you pour the beer is thick but quickly simmers away leaving only a remnant of the head or foam around the edges. Doin' Thyme has an interesting aroma for a Witbier. The aroma follows sort for a typical beer in this style, but there is a subtleness to the aroma as you take a whiff. The aroma is subdued. The spice notes are there and noticeable, the thyme is a major player in the spice aroma. As well as coriander is for this style of ale. The lemon peel and citrus aroma are in the background to the spice aroma. There is a crispness to the aroma that is inviting and makes you want to take a big gulp for your next sip. 

Birdsong Logo

I took my first sip and instantly notice the crispness of the beer. I notice the Belgian spices right away in the Witbier. It is not overpowering and does allow you to pick up on the spice notes in a Witbier. The coriander is present in the taste of the beer, which then allows the thyme to shine through. The thyme, I would have thought might have thrown of the style. But it played into the crisp wit style. The lemon peel and citrus notes come after the thyme and allow the drinker a break from thyme. The way these blend together is enjoyable and allows for a crisp light refreshing beer. The body of this ale is light to medium and the mouthfeel is crisp. There is a dry finish to this beer and the taste notes just mix so well together. 

Doin' Thyme Witbier 

Make sure that if you visit Charlotte, North Carolina, that this brewing company is on your list to visit. Their refreshing takes on styles of beers and their support for the community is fantastic and refreshing to see the involvement.  Doin' Thyme was a crisp and refreshing brew that I think anyone who likes Witbiers, would enjoy and should have on their list to examine. I look forward to the next time I visit the brewery. Hopefully it is on a THURsty THURsday and one of their release days. Doin' Thyme is a seasonal brew and is available from March to May.  I also saw on their instagram that Birdsong is going solar and that they will generate 50% of their power needs from solar panels they are adding. Sustainability is very important and the renewable energy source and locally sourced items are important to lowering their footprint. 

Check out Birdsong Brewing Company on their website and stay up to date with them on social media: 

https://birdsongbrewing.com/

https://www.instagram.com/birdsongbrewing/

https://www.facebook.com/birdsongbrewing/

Tweet @BirdsongBrewing

Fierce: Weiss Beer with a Napolianic Sour Streak

 Fierce Label 

Tonight I am trying a beer from a brewery I have not really heard about before. I have seen their beer and tried one, but I have not dived into more beers other than the one I tried. I know there are a vast amount of breweries out there and I focus on trying them all but sometimes you stumble across beer or labels you never seen before. I saw this label and a instantly moved to try it. I wanted to know more about this mouse on the label. I picked the style of beer that I was going to enjoy out of the two beers, I saw in the store  I was at.  

Let's figure out more about Off Color Brewing, which is where this beer for tonight is from. Off Color Brewing is located in Chicago, Illinois. I know that Chicago has numerous amount of breweries and I have even visited one in the area, but I had never heard of Off Color before seeing the label. John Laffler and Dave Bleitner the two founders studied at the famous Siebel Institute and began their partnership while interning at Metropolitan Brewing in 2008. After working for other breweries for a while, John and Dave decided they were going to focus on pursuing their own brewery. They obtained investors and then the opened up their own brewery. They have a location in Logan Square and are opening up a second location in Lincoln Park, near Goose Island. 

Bottle of Fierce by Off Color Brewing

The beer I am trying tonight is called Fierce. It is a  Berliner Weiss ale with a Napolianic sour streak. I do not know what that means, just thinking about it makes me want to know more about this brew. Fierce has an alcohol by volume or ABV of 3.8% and an IBU or bitterness of 3ish. Here's how Off Color describes the beer, "Troublesome's meaner cousin will flail your tongue as hard as he can, but being such a little guy, you'll probably just pucker up a bit. Spawned through an overnight kettle souring with our house lactobacillus culture, the wort emerges furious at what we did to it. Then just because, we pitch a saison yeast and allow it to free rise to it's further disdain. It comes out angrier than .... uh angrier than.... well, something really angry. But at 3.8% ABV there's no reason for you to be too afraid."

Appearance of Fierce 

Once poured, Fierce has a yellowish hue about it and has a thin layer of foam or head atop the glass. The beer does have a haziness to it, almost like it looks unfiltered. I begin to smell and pick up on the aroma and I think that it's sour bit is picking a fight with my olfactory senses. It's releasing punches of aroma that show of it's Napolianic sour streak. I notice the sour aroma first. The lactobacillus fermentation notes are the first thing I pick up on. Then it is followed by a citrus aroma. The citrus aroma that toys with my nostrils is a lemon zest aroma. The lemon zest picks up with the saison yeast notes and draws the drinker into its sour spice notes. 

Side of the label 

Diving into the tasting of Fierce, I was greeted with the same Napolianic sour streak in the taste buds. I notice the kettle souring aspect of the beer right away, because that is the first taste note that I picked up on. Fierce has a tart bite to it and then shows its subtle sweet side. The tart taste is backboned off a lemon zest tart bite, almost like biting into the lemon rind. Not something that you would enjoy initially, but you would enjoy the sour/tartness after a while. The wheat backbone of this beer does make this beer enjoyable because it gives the sourness a backbone to pair with it. For being a Berliner Weiss style brew the beer gives the drinker a shandy like vibe and would be something that could be perfect for a mimosa blended with a beer. Fierce has a light body with a dry finish. 

Check out Fierce by Off Color Brewing

I thought Fierce gave my a senses a run for their money and I actually thought that the sour streak was well designed in this style of beer. I know sometimes when people think of Berliner Weiss style brews they tend to think they want to make them not as sour. I think this is the right amount of sour, but I also think again you could use this for a  morning beer cocktail. It lends itself perfectly to a mimosa or a bellini style drink. Fierce is available from April til sometime when the leaves start falling. 

"We brew beer. Sometimes we do other stuff, but not as well."

Check out Off Color Brewing on their website and their social media:

http://www.offcolorbrewing.com/

 https://www.facebook.com/OffColorBrewing

Tweet @OffColorBrewing

https://www.instagram.com/offcolorbrewing/