Holiday Wiggo
Carolina Brewing Company

poured from a 12oz bottle into a standard pint glass.

A: orangish amber color. good clarity. thin, white head. lacing down the glass.

S: solid dose of hops hitting your nose. i get both some citrusy and piney aromas.

T: quite bitter. the hops really stand out. a little bit of caramael sweetness. the hop flavor really lingers on the palate.

MF: medium body, medium carbonation. smooth drinking. a little carbonation bite at the end before the hop bitterness coats the mouth.

Drinkability: compared to their year-round IPA, this one is more pronounced in the hops. if you like hoppy beers, this is a good one. very drinkable.

Pours a nice coppery amber with a thin head. Decent retention and nice lacing.

Nose is a nice mixture of hops and malt. A little bit of an amber profile is present. Hopes are dry and only a little fruity.

Nice hop presence right away. Still has a bit of that amberness in the flavor. Finishes with a nice dry pine hop flavor. Slight roastiness there, too.

Appropriate thickness, not too malty. Just right.

Very drinkable on these muggy NC nights.

Got a bottle of Wiggo from my secret santa, big thanks!!! Pours a amber to caramel color with great clarity. A bubbly white head with good retention and limited lacing throughout the tasting.

The nose has a good balance of hops and malt. To start there is a very nice hop aroma with a stronger piney aroma but some nice citrus and a light floral aroma as well. Some lighter spicy notes as well. Some noticeable grainy notes with a distinct CBC malt profile (very similar to their pale ale). Some light yeasty notes but very clean.

The taste is balanced very well. The hops really come out but do not over power the malt. Very impressed with the balance. A good mix of citrus and pine comes out. A touch of chalky in the finish but not over powering. The bitterness is a bit light but does allow the finishing hops to really shine. Very grainy in the taste with that distinct Pale malt notes that CBC uses. Some hints of sweet caramel but the grainy notes really come out. Very clean yeast notes.

The body is moderate and easy to drink. Overall a very good ipa. Reminds me of Odell's IPA but more of a grainy note.

A- Amber color with a thin white head and lots of activity.

S- A clean fruity hop nose but that's all.

T- Up front hops but light, then a background of a nice malt then a kick of bitterness. An interesting taste enjoyable.

M- Nice activity and thickness.

D- Nice drinkability, solid A IPA but not yet up to the giants around MN.

12 oz bottle, bottled 25Nov2008

Note: Per newsletter from the brewery, this is the 4th installment of the "Wiggo" beer. Wiggo (1996), Winter Wiggo (1998) and Wiggo the Third (2005) all preceded this version.

A: Pours a deep copper under a small slightly off-white head. Some lace and retention.

S: Very nice balance of mostly piney, very slightly citrusy, hops and malt. The hops dominate slightly, but a background of toasted malt and caramel is noticeable. Very well done.

T: Hops dominate the taste profile. More bitter than I expected. Again, a piney hop, but a nice tangy citrus hop in right before the pine finish. A bit of sweetness up front. Much hoppier then I expected based on the aroma, closer to a "hop-bomb" (but not, of course) then the balanced IPA I expected. Not bad.

M/D: Carbonation is high but is not very prickly on the tongue, body is slightly on the heavy side of medium and relatively smooth. Very good drinkability, a nice IPA in every way, embodying a balanced aroma and boarding on a hop-bomb in the taste department, yet a very smooth body coupled with a low ABV (6%). A really good effort by my local brewery.