March and April 2026

March and April included visits to Asheville, Durham for the Rare and Vintage Beer Tasting, Atlanta for the Little Beer Festival, a quick stop in Greenville, a fun weekend at Wild Hartsville, a couple of bottle shares, and a lot of time in Charlotte supporting local! I visited STIR, Plot Twist, STK, Frenchy’s, Yume, Petty Thieves, Burial x 4, Que Onda, Margeux’s, Kit’s, Edge City, Vaulted Oak, The Craic, HopFly, ESO, Fonta Flora, State of Confusion, Printshop, Salud, and Keepsake over the past two months.

During all of this I tried 181 beers in March and April, and in no particular order, here were the best:

Fairy Ring + Excelsior + Colossal Something from Fidens Brewing in Albany, NY

Three Hazy powerhouses from the fine folks at Fidens! Fairy Ring is an Imperial IPA, Excelsior is a Double IPA triple dry-hopped with Nelson, Peacharine, Riwaka, Nectaron, Motueka Hop Kief, and Rakau Hop Kief. Colossal Something is a Quadruple Dry-Hopped Quadruple IPA brewed with Citra, Waimea, Superdelic, Nelson, Rakau and Riwaka hops.

Luxe from Two Tides Brewing in Savannah, GA

Two Tides came into town for Burial’s Primavera Celebration and graced us with this delicious Imperial Stout during the off-topic panel conversation. It was aged 32 months in 12 year Willet Family Estate PurpleTop bourbon barrels and has roasted pecans, caramel, chocolate and sea salt. Banger!

The Real of Absolute Nothingness from Burial Beer in Asheville, NC + The Fabrication of a Most Diabolical Empire collaboration brew with Xul Brewing in Knoxville, TN

The Realm of Absolute Nothingness is an Imperial Stout aged on select French Broad Chocolate cocoa nibs, Madagascar vanilla beans, and macaroon coconut. The Fabrication of a Most Diabolical Empire is an Imperial IPA mashed with oats and wheat, double dry-hopped with Coleman Farms' Citra, Galaxy, Nectaron, and Rakau, and finished with Citra Cryo & Hyperboost. This Xul collab was also thanks to their Primavera celebration and one of my favorite IPAs I have had in a hot minute.

No Sleep + A Deal With The Devil Triple Oaked Batch 11 from Anchorage Brewing in Anchorage, AK

Anchorage! Always blessed when a month includes a pour of their insanely great beers! No Sleep is a blend of several vintages of double oaked Barleywine and Imperial Stouts aged in a variety of bourbon barrels then fnished in Klatch coffee, Vermont maple syrup and Madagascar vanilla beans. This version of A Deal With The Devil is a triple oaked Barleywine aged 25 months in a mix of Willett, Woodford reserve double oaked bourbon barrels, and cognac barrels.

EBK Until They Kill Me Ghost Edition + Ghost Dead and Gone from Adroit Theory in Purcellville, VA

Adroit Theory is quietly crushing it up in the DC metro area. I loved my visit there a couple of summers ago, and was thrilled to see them on the list at Wild Hartsville. They had several great beers that day, but my two favorites were EBK Until They Kill Me Ghost Edition, a special version of their flagship IPA that is double dry-hopped with Citra, Riwaka, Nelson Sauvin, and Motueka hops and Ghost Dead and Gone, a Triple IPA double dry-hopped with Citra and Mosaic.

GSO Barrel Select 2025 + Ammo Can: Nahvi Bravo from Forgotten Road Ales in Graham, NC

I had the pleasure of attending two festivals in a month that Ben from Forgotten Road was pouring at, so of course there were some stellar Stouts. My two favorites were GSO Barrel Select 2025 which is an Imperial Stout aged in Cognac barrels that aged 14 year bourbon. This was a special release for their Greensboro Taproom's 3rd anniversary. I still need to make it to this taproom! I also loved Ammo Can: Nahvi Bravo, an Imperial Stout aged for 15 months in a 8 year 1792 Sweet Wheat Bourbon Barrel with banana, vanilla and cinnamon.

Coconut Crab from The Answer in Richmond, VA

Coconut Crab is an Imperial Stout with toasted coconut that was one of the VIP pours at Wild Hartsville. So, so good.

Schwemme from Schilling Beer Co. in Littleton, NH

Schwemme was my favorite pour at Little Beer! It is a low ABV sessionable take on the pale German lager tradition. Thankfully I just snagged a can of this locally so I can enjoy it again!

Fusion Chamber: Coconut 2026 from Little Cottage Brewery in Avondale Estates, GA

I was really excited to finally visit Little Cottage and loved this Imperial Stout with coconut. Have you heard I like coconut Stouts? lollllll

For LC from Side Project Brewing in St. Louis, MO + For MD Blend 2 collaboration brew with WeldWerks Brewing Co. in Greeley, CO

Dark beers from Side Project would easily be on my marry list of FMK. LOVE them so much and so thankful that my friend now visits there for work and can get the hook up. For LC is a Double Barrel-aged Imperial Stout with Mexican vanilla beans, cocoa nibs, cinnamon sticks and ancho chilis aged in Blanton's and Weller 12 barrels, then blended and aged a second time on Willett Rye and Artifact Honey Bourbon Barrels, with more vanilla added. MD Blend 2 blends the techniques of each brewery’s most recognizable Stout: Medianoche and Derivation. It is an Imperial Stout aged in 15-year-old Old Fitzgerald Bottled-in-Bond bourbon barrels and seven-year-old Weller bourbon barrels with Madagascar vanilla beans and dark, robust maple syrup added.

Yodel: Rakau from Freak Folk Bier in Waterbury, VT + Jasper collaboration brew with Fidens

Freak Folk never misses! Yodel: Rakau is the seventh installment in their Yodel single hop series. Jasper is a fun take on this Fidens classic brewed with Citra hops. Can’t wait to get back up there in July!

From The Pinnacle + Populus from Brujos Brewing in Portland, OR + Green Warlocks collaboration brew with Other Half Brewing in Brooklyn, NY

From the Pinnacle is a triple dry-hopped Triple Hazy IPA. Populus is a double dry hopped Hazy IPA with Nelson, Citra and Mosaic. Green Warlocks is an Imperial IPA brewed by OH. This is the most Brujos I have had in while and it was a good reminder of how fantastic they are!

Undertone: French Butter Pear from Casey Brewing and Blending in Glenwood Springs, CO

Love a good excuse to open a Casey bottle! This is an oat Farmhouse Ale aged with organic French Butter Pears. I will continue to die on the hill that pear Farmhouse Ales are underrated.

Works of Love: Keeping Together collaboration brew from Hill Farmstead Brewery in Greensboro Bend, VT and Keeping Together Beer in Santa Fe, NM

I am very excited to visit Averie’s new taproom (hopefully in 2027!) and really enjoyed this collab she did with Hill. This is a Farmhouse Ale with Vermont wildflower honey that was open-fermented in a wooden foudre and bottle aged.

Barrel Aged Sky Summoner collaboration brew from The Veil Brewing in Richmond, VA and Horus Aged Ales in Oceanside, CA

I need a visit to Richmond to restock my Veil bottle supply soon! This was a great pour at Rare and Vintage that is the barrel aged version of this collab that was a blend of each brewery’s house Stout conditioned on Wild Thai banana, toasted coconut, and whole vanilla beans from Uganda, Tahiti, and The Congo. It was then aged on Blis Maple Bourbon, Laird’s Apple Brandy, and Willett Family Reserve barrels for 16 months. It is not an overly sweet Stout like it might read, the barrels balance everything out nicely and create a fantastic brew.

Hypnagogic collaboration brew from Phase Three Brewing in Lake Zurich, IL + Mortalis Brewing in Avon, NY

This Imperial Stout was aged for over two years in Heaven Hill and Henry McKenna barrels then conditioned on raw and toasted coconut, wild Thai bananas, and Saigon cinnamon. I am always delighted to try anything from Phase Three and this was stellar!

The Surrealist Society 2025 No. 11 from Dssolvr in Asheville, NC

Barrel aged Imperial Stout aged for two years in Elijah Craig bourbon barrels, then aged secondary on toasted pecans, cinnamon, cooperative coffee dark roast, and maple syrup. This was my first pour at Rare and Vintage and the perfect breakfast-style Stout to start the day! Would love to try some others from this series!

Loggin’ collaboration brew from Cellarest Brewing in Asheville, NC and Whaley Farm Brewery in Old Fort, NC

Loggin’ is a Czech Pilsner aged in oak puncheons. I had this both on tap at the brewery and at home in a can and loved it both times. Perfectly crushable yet still full of flavor!

Check back next month for my top beers of may!
Cheers—Alexis

New Hampshire

Keene

Keene is a cute little town just over the Massachusetts and Vermont borders in southwest New Hampshire.

• Modestman Brewing: A great brewery on Main Street with chill vibes, the nicest people, and a pizza menu. Highly recommend.

• Margaritas: A Mexican restaurant in the heart of downtown. The have a nice front patio, friendly staff, and margarita flights!

• Stay at Courtyard Marriott Keene: This hotel is right downtown off of main spot and incredibly convenient. It is a nice spot and the staff is very friendly.

• Branch and Blade Brewing Company: A small spot with a restaurant inside and dog-friendly outside area. The beers here were a bit hit and miss for me, but I’ve enjoyed their cans in the past.

Mount Willard

White Mountains

The White Mountains region is located in northeast New Hampshire, about two hours north of Keene. It is a beautiful area full of hiking trails.

• Crawford Notch State Park:

  • Arethusa Falls and Frankenstein Cliff Loop: This trail is 6.6 miles long with 1,637ft of elevation gain and takes just over 3 hours to complete. It is rated hard, and you’ll climb over 1,200ft in the first 1.6 miles which is quite steep at times. After this ascent you’ll reach the cliff which provides stunning views. From there you’ll journey to the largest waterfall in New Hampshire. You can also do just the cliff trail or just the waterfall trail—the waterfall trail is more popular and more maintained. It is $5 to park.

  • Mount Willard Trail: This trail is 4 miles long with 895ft of elevation gain and takes just over 1.5 hours to complete. The trailhead is at Saco Lake and then has a steady incline to the summit. This trail is wildly rocky, so be sure to wear sturdy shoes. There is a great view of the Crawford Notch at the top, though the summit can be overrun with bugs in the summer months.

• Schilling Beer Co: Located in the adorable small town of Littleton, Schilling is a Lager powerhouse. Their beers are superb, and the atmosphere on the river is tough to beat. Their food menu is pizza-focused and full of absolutely delicious eats. They have three locations on their campus: the store and tasting room, the brewery pub and kitchen, and Mill Street Kitchen.

• Maia Papaya: A delicious spot for breakfast, lunch and coffee in Bethlehem. An absolute delight!

• Franconia Notch State Park:

  • Lonesome Lake via Cascade Brook and Pemi Trail: This trail is 8.1 miles long with 1,210ft of elevation gain and takes about 4 hours to complete. It is located at The Basin, which in itself is worth checking out. The lake is a popular trail but it is still quiet, and it is a part of the Appalachian Trail. As a heads up, the lake itself can be swarming with bugs in the summer months. I would not actually recommend this route, as the Pemi Trail is absolutely awful. There is a shorter, more direct trail that avoids the Pemi Trail, but you will also miss Cascade Brook which has Kinsman Falls, two stream crossings, and is pretty walking along the water.

  • Bald Mountain Trail: This trail is a quick .6 miles long with 242ft of elevation gain and takes about 30 minutes to complete. At the end it is a very steep scramble, but otherwise it’s very moderate. The views at the top are pretty but hindered a bit by the neighboring ski area. This trail also connects to Artist Bluff and Echo Lake.

  • The Flume Gorge Trail: This trail is 2.4 miles long with 482ft of elevation gain and takes about an hour to complete. Reservations are required and the entrance fee is $19. There are limited hours with the earliest you can enter is 9am, and I would recommend arriving around this time to have the trail to yourself. I found this to be a bit overwhelming, but it is quite popular. If you’ve been to Watkins Glen State Park in New York this has a similar vibe but is less impressive.

• Look up! The stars at night in this area can be incredibly bright due to the isolation.

• While you are in this area, Hill Farmstead Brewery in Greensboro Bend, Vermont, is just about 1.5 hours away. They make incredible beers in a pretty, simple space.

October 2023

October! Fall is here and it’s my favorite time of year to sit in the backyard and watch football with some delicious beers. October was a very busy month mostly in Charlotte but with mountain trips to Bryson City, NC and Boone, NC. I tried 134 different beers this past month and in no particular order, here were the best ones:

Magos del Subterráneo collaboration brew from Brujos Brewing in Portland, OR and Troon Brewing in Hopewell, NJ

This is a Hoppy Ale with raw Oregon honey and double dry hopped with Nelson CGX, Nelson, Motueka CGX, Motueka & Citra. This is the second time I have been lucky enough to have this brew and it is absolutely superb.

Cellar Creeper collaboration brew from Side Project Brewing in Maplewood, MO and Tired Hands Brewing in Ardmore, PA

Cellar Creeper is a Barrel Fermented Wild Ale aged with mangoes. Side Project always crushes the Wild Ale game and this was a delight. Mango is not usually my favorite fruit to be added to a beer but it worked really well here.

Shibui from Cellarest Beer Project in Asheville, NC

This slow pour of Shibui was both beautiful and tasty. It is made from a base of Chesapeake pilsner and chit malt and hopped with Styrian Celeia and then rested cold in oak puncheons. Crushable!

Bourbon Barrel Aged Ego Death with Vanilla from Resident Culture Brewing Company in Charlotte, NC

Ego Death is Resident Culture’s annual anniversary release and the vanilla version is always a winner. The 2023 vintage base is a blend of Imperial Stouts aged in Willett Bourbon, Willett Rye, Heaven Hill Wheated Bourbon, Weller Bourbon, and Buffalo Trace Bourbon barrels for 18-42 months, then conditioned on Toasted Hazelnuts, Cacao nibs and Comoros Vanilla Beans.

Behold The Affixation Of Magnificence To Very Unglorious Things from Burial Beer in Asheville, NC

This is a Triple IPA with wheat, barley, and candi sugar with Motueka, Amarillo, and Citra hops. It was one of Burial’s Burnpile festival releases and an absolute banger.

Axle from Monkish Brewing in Torrance, CA

Axle is a Triple Dry Hopped Quadruple IPA with Citra, Galaxy, and Motueka hops. Monkish can do no wrong, even with a bold move like a Quadruple IPA!

Beyond Forever from Private Press Brewing in Santa Cruz, CA

Beyond Forever Batch 2 showcases all rye barrels and an average aging time of 17 months and then the blend was conditioned on the signature Private Press vanilla blend of Ugandan, Tahitian, and Ecuadorian vanilla beans. This was a rich brew packed with flavor yet incredibly easy to drink.

Einfluss collaboration brew from Fox Farm Brewery in Salem, CT and Schilling Beer Co. in Littleton, NH

Einfluss is a “Landbier that draws inspiration from the lagers of Franconia but is made with 100% Connecticut and New Hampshire malt including a hearty dose of Triticale, a wheat/rye hybrid grain.” This is a very unique beer and extremely delicious—crushable and enjoyable.

ChecK Back next month for my top beers of November! Cheers —Alexis

February 2023

February flew by in a breeze but I somehow tried 152 different beers in this quick month. Bottle shares and beer flights always mean getting to try a wider variety of beers which I love! This list of beers has the best of the best that I had over the past 4 weeks which I rated a 4.5 or above on Untappd.

This month included a trip to Savannah and the Jacksonville Beach, Florida area to hang at the beach and explore the local brew scene as well as the local beer fest Queen City Brewers Festival, a bottle share, a Superbowl share, many visits to local breweries and lots of great beers at home in between.

In no particular order, here are the best beers I had in February 2023:

Even More Daily Servings from Trillium Brewing in Boston, MA and Evil Twin Brewing in New York, NY

Even More Daily Servings is a Fruited Sour with raspberries and marshmallow. This is an amped up version of Twice the Daily Serving which is already my favorite Sour, so add more fruit and marshmallow and it can only get better! Another superb collaboration from Trillium and Evil Twin.

Paulus from Schilling Beer Company in Littleton, NH

Paulus is a Helles Lager with Noble hops. Schilling crushes the Lager game and I am so excited to be seeing more of their beers around North Carolina. I enjoyed this at Salud Beer Shop in Charlotte, in a big ole dimple mug as it should be done.

Medium Raw from Root and Branch Brewing in Copiague, NY

Medium Raw is a multi-oat/wheat Triple IPA with Citra and Freestyle Motueka hops. This was a fantastic brew from Root and Branch. Especially for it being a Triple IPA this was way too easy to drink and I wish I had more cans of it!

Searching For The Proof That We’ve Truly Lived from Percent Tap House in Harrisburg, NC and Forgotten Road Ales in Graham, NC

This is a wine barrel aged Farmhouse Saison with pairs, honey and locally grown Green Szechuan. It is pictured right in the photo above. These two breweries tend to be a little quieter in the North Carolina brew scene but are always cranking out delicious beers! This was a very interesting collaboration with superb flavor.

Flora (Batch 10) from Hill Farmstead Brewing in Greensboro Bend, VT

Flora is the wine barrel aged version of Florence, a wheat Farmstead Ale. This was barrel aged for over two years. Hill Farmstead continues to crush this style of beer.

Double Barrel Coconut Fionn from Angry Chair Brewing in Tampa, FL

Double Barrel Coconut Fionn is a rum and bourbon barrel aged Imperial Porter with hazelnut coffee and coconut. While in Florida a dark beer from Angry Chair is always a must. I enjoyed this one at 9 Zero Pour in Jacksonville, FL. The rich notes of coconut were fantastic!

Infiltrator from Root and Branch Brewing in Copiague, NY

Infiltrator is a multi-oat/wheat IPA brewed and dry hopped with New Zealand grown hops from Freestyle Hops. Normally it is difficult for a single IPA to be overly impressive when you can pack so much more flavor into a Double or Triple IPA, but Infiltrator is a top-notch beer. I’ve had this beer in the past and am always impressed by just how incredible it is!

Genealogy of Morals: Buena Vista Organic from Hill Farmstead Brewing in Greensboro Bend, VT

From Hill Farmstead: “We have chosen three barrels as the base for this single country origin coffee and cacao nib variation. After aging more than 26 months in select bourbon barrels, we conditioned the beer atop organic Buena Vista beans from Caranavi, Bolivia, sourced and roasted by our friends at The Coffee Collective in Copenhagen, Denmark, as well as organic Bolivian cacao nibs.”

Check back next month to see my top beers of March! Cheers—Alexis