Tuesday, October 11, 2016

Lazy Bird Brown Ale


Birdsong Brewing Company, Charlotte, North Carolina 


Tonight I am trying one of the beers I brought back from my beercation in Charlotte, North Carolina. I figured since it is getting cooler out and we are headed into dark beer territory, that I would open one of the beers in this style. I sampled many brews from my trip down to Charlotte, I wanted to make sure I could do a post for each brewery while I was not in Charlotte. I am trying a brew from Birdsong Brewing Company. I visited them during my beercation and I sampled one of their THURsty THURsday creations, a Green Tea Saison. I really enjoyed that Saison and hopefully I am able to visit the brewery again sometime soon. Time to learn about Birdsong and the beer I am trying tonight from them.  Below are a few pics from my visit to Birdsong Brewing Company. 



Outside of Birdsong Brewing Company


Taplist when I visited



Birdsong Logo 


Jalapeno Pale Ale on tap


Benzie Box, Green Tea Saison 


View of the Taproom



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. 


Lazy Bird Brown Ale Birdsong Brewing Company


The beer I am trying from Birdsong Brewing Company is their Lazy Bird Brown Ale.  Lazy Bird is an American Brown Ale. This ale has an alcohol by volume or ABV 5.5% and an IBU or bitterness of 45. 


Appearance of Lazy Bird Brown Ale


Appearance of Lazy Bird is complex. When first looking at the beer it looks black almost like a stout. Then when you look at it towards a light you notice the brown in the ale. Colorwise I would say the appearance is a meeting between black and brown. The color wheel color I would choose about this beer, is a deep brown Mahogany. The foam or head of this beer is a mix of white and brown. The blend creates a tan foam atop the beer. It has a nice retention and leaves a thin layer atop the glass.  Aroma of Lazy Bird is as complex as its appearance. First aroma I notice in this beer is the coffee aroma. After the coffee note I began noticing the roasted malt aroma that blended well with the coffee aroma. There are some subtle sweet aroma notes that are noticeable and the major one is a chocolate sweetness aroma. There is noticeable lacing around the edge of the glass almost reminds me of a stout. 


I am curious about the taste of Lazy Bird and to see if it is like it's aroma. I took my first sip of Lazy Bird and I was excited to drink more of it. I noticed right away, the taste lined up with the aroma. The first taste note was the roasted malt notes in the beer. The roasted notes are followed up by a hop bitterness that is subtle and not overpowering. In my opinion the hop note is just enough to change the taste away from the roasted malt notes in the beer. After switching from roasted to hop bitterness, there is another taste note change. That is a change to sweet and coffee note. The sweetness note is a mild almost like a bittersweet chocolate and then the last taste note is coffee. The body of this beer is smooth and the mouthfeel is medium to light. First you get the fullness like a stout and then it finishes light and smooth.  


Checkout Lazy Bird by Birdsong Brewing Company 


I am glad I picked this beer to review from Birdsong Brewing Company, this beer is right up my ally and I really appreciate the beer. Lazy Bird gives the dark beer fan of me exactly what I wanted. The roasted and coffee notes. The other side of me says it gives me a hint of hops that I can enjoy. I think that Birdsong gave a little of everything in this beer and even made it smooth. If you are looking for a brew to enjoy that is dark and you are near Charlotte, North Carolina, check out Lazy Bird Brown Ale by Birdsong Brewing Company. Also if you like to check out new beers make sure you stay up to date on the THURsty THURsday blog. That is where you can find out information on new beers from Birdsong Brewing. 


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






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