Beer of the Week! 11/27/23

Basic City Rumbly

Normally $13.99 / Now on Sale for $12.96
Doppelbock-Style Lager with Honey

Honey is one of our favorite additions to beers. We’ve seen it work well in stouts, IPAs, and Helles Lagers. However, this time is the first we’ve gotten our hands on a honeyed Doppelbock-style Lager. It’s not a new idea; it’s not a wild idea; we just haven’t run across it before. Thank you to Basic City Brewing Company for remedying that situation. For their Rumbly, Basic City keeps everything in Waynesboro by making a light-bodied Doppelbock with honey from Bubba’s Sweet Nectar.

In 1972, Kenneth Keith (a second generation beekeeper) acquired his first hive when he and his son, Christopher, responded to a call to remove some bees from a shed on a small farm in Mt. Olive, North Carolina. Father and son continued fielding other such calls to handle other such bees. Years later, now an army veteran and registered intensive care nurse, Christopher, with friend (and fellow nurse) Trey McGee, returned to the bees and started Bubba’s Sweet Nectar in Waynesboro. (They called each other Bubba.)

Now, Christopher Keith runs Bubba’s with his son, Christian. They offer clover and wildflower honey — 100% raw with no additives or preservatives, selling directly to consumers as well as to bakeries, dairies, and other food producers like Basic City.

The honey in the Rumbly* smooths out the mouthfeel, making the brew just a bit rounder and fuller than you’d expect from its color and opacity. Yet, the honey presence is subtle flavor-wise. You don’t taste it as much as you feel it, and it feels quite nice.

(*If you don’t get the Rumbly’s name, it’s been too long since you’ve watched Disney’s classic 1966 animated short Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree, and you shouldn’t wait for Basic City to remedy that situation.)

Bonus Beer of the Week (‘Cause we thought we could sneak a second one in when no one was looking.)

Starr Hills Northern Lights

Normally $12.99 / Now on Sale for $11.96
American IPA

It’s common for brewers to tweak the recipes of their beers. Most frequently it happens with annual releases, but even year-round brand stalwarts get a dust off and makeover. In 2015, Starr Hill did a major revamp of their Northern Lights IPA (first released in 2007). They did everything from increase the types of hops used to adjust the malt content to introduce new brewing techniques. The result was a bigger, better Northern Lights. We thought we’d check back in and see how one of our town’s oldest IPAs is tasting now.

The Northern Lights features five — count ‘em five! — hops: Columbus, Cascade, Centennial, Simcoe, and Falcon’s Flight, however the strength of this IPA (and it is a strong, solid, tasty IPA) lies in its malt backbone. Semi-sweet, the Northern Lights’ malt balances its hop presence and adds an extra flavor note to the brew.

Caramel in the malt, a piny hoppy zing on the finish — the Northern Lights is a well-rounded, fun ride. Not bad for an old guy.

Remember!

You can see our entire beer inventory on Untappd.com!