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!
