Now that I've worked my way through everything written from up north (I still have a few for videos), I can return to my group of decidedly local beers.

We'll start with Palmetto Brewing Company, and their Huger Street IPA, which they officially call a "Wheat India Pale Ale", and pours a slightly occluded gold-to-orange color. At 7.2% ABV, Palmetto uses Falconer's Flight, Cascade, Chinook, and Citra hops to create a flavor profile that starts off with pine needle notes. This pine presence ramps up through the entire drinking experience and is joined by just a little bit of citrus, specifically orange and grapefruit. Similar to the pine note, the hop bite starts out fairly mild and gradually increases in potency throughout the drinking experience. It seems like the "wheat" portion of this beer comes through in a subtle grassy note, and perhaps a spicy note, as well. A medium-bodied beer, I was impressed with the overall complexities throughout the flavor profile and tasting experience. While the piney notes were generally the most prevalent feature, various other flavor notes came through the drinking experience at various times, making for a fun ride of a beer.

Next up is Kerry's Peanut Butter Porter from River Rat Brewery. It has 6% ABV and pours a moderately deep brown, similar to dark iced tea or watered-down cola. Peanuts and hazelnuts, though not necessarily peanut butter, come through in a generally light-to-moderate overall flavor profile. I also felt like there was just a hint of coffee, but I couldn't quite tell if that was the porter talking or if I was reinterpreting roast from the peanuts. This porter has a creamy mouthfeel that's very nice, though this is probably the beer's best attribute, frankly. Based on the beer's description, they were going for a porter that is quite light overall, and I feel River Rat overshot this mark. There is nothing bad or off-putting about this beer; everything tastes and seems fine. It's just all quite light or mild--the flavors, the body--and it's all a tad underwhelming. I would have liked a little more potency, instead of tasting something that almost felt watered down. I really liked the idea, River Rat. It just needed to be stronger.