Maibock at Carolina Brewery

I haven’t been trying too many crazy things lately — instead, I’ve been sticking to some old standbys. I did go to Carolina Brewery today for lunch and tried their new Maibock. It’s really quite tasty and refreshing. After the Maibock, I tried the Flagship IPA again — I feel like the contrast between the two really brought out the hops in the IPA, which was a great thing. As has been the case lately, the food was awesome too (quesadillas for me; enchiladas for the the wife). Last week I took another stab at the Dogfish Head Red & White. I half expected to find that I didn’t like it as much as I thought, but it really is a treat — a hint of dry, red wine flavor, but still very beer-like. Very interesting all around. The two beers I’ve been drinking regularly have been Tupper’s Hop Pocket Ale and Red Hook ESB. The Hop Pocket is really crisp and refreshing, not to mention very hoppy (natch). When we used to live in DC, I tended to stay away from it only because I thought it was a not-that-great Old Dominion beer, but I was really glad once I tried it. I actually like the Pilsner even better — it may be my favorite pilsner — but that’s a little harder to find. I need to make a note, though, that the Hop Pockets are both great for as everyday beers and very easy to drink on the porch. It has probably been ten years since I drank the Red Hook ESB (not sure why that is, I generally enjoy Red Hook stuff), although I’m glad I picked some up. I don’t have any real tasting notes for it, but it’s pleasant enough and again it’s an easy drinking porch beer.