Whenever I visit a different state I like to try the local beers that are offered at the restaurants where we eat. Recently we were in Winston-Salem, NC eating at a place called Sweet Potatoes (which you should try if you are ever in Winston-Salem, NC, they have some good southern food with a twist).
On the drinks menu they had a beer called “Natty Greene Buckshot Amber” which is brewed by the Natty Greene’s Brewing Company in Greensboro, NC which is just down the road from Winston-Salem. Close enough for me to consider it local. A little bit about Natty Greene’s Brewing Company which was started by two college buddies back in 2004. Prior to 2004, these guys had opened three successful bars / restaurants where they served great and craft beer from other breweries. In 2004, they decided to open the Natty Greene’s Pub and Brewing Company, a brew pub. Well, it was success and since then they have opened a second brew pub and a production brewing facility.
Natty Greene calls their Natty Greene Buckshot Amber “full-bodied with rich, smooth flavor and notes of caramel and toffee.” Let me start saying that it is a good beer that I would drink again without hesitation. I found the body to be on the lower edge of what I would consider a full-bodied beer; actually it walks that border between medium and full. It was a smooth beer that went down easily. The color was right for amber ale. I picked up the caramel notes, but missed the toffee. The hops were present, but the malts were the main character. The finish was just right for me; it hung around for it little while.
The other local beer I tried was “Bad Penny Dark Brown Ale” brewed by the Big Boss Brewing Company located in Raleigh, NC which is a little further down the road than Greensboro. To clarify a statement I made earlier, I consider a beer local in two ways: if it is brewed in the same town as the restaurant I am eating at or the same state and not typically found outside that state or the immediate neighboring states. In other words I would probably not be able to buy the beer in my home state of Connecticut.
Big Boss Brewing Company was started in 2006 by Geoff Lamb and Brad Wynn. They start shipping their first beer in the 2nd quarter of 2007. Their distribution is basically throughout the state of North Carolina.
Big Boss characterizes their Bad Penny Dark Brown Ale this way: slightly sweet with a caramel and dark fruit finish. Very reminiscent of northern English ales.”
The color was what I expected based on the name, dark and brown. The aroma was a combination of nutty, sweet, and malty, very little hops bouquet was noticed. I put it in the lower to mid range of a full bodied beer. The maltiness was the main character with regards to flavor having a slight roasted chocolate note to it. It went extremely well with the barbequed duck I was having for dinner. It smoothed out the tang from the barbeque sauce very well. It is a beer that I would drink more often in the late fall, early spring.
Overall, I enjoyed and liked both beers. Both of them would go well any time of the year, but I would probably drink them more in the fall and spring seasons.
