Jump forward to 2018, and I’m excited that I’ll get to re-live that trip and once again sample some Evolution Craft Brewing beers. If you’re not familiar, Evolution Craft Brewing was started in 2009 by brothers Tom & John Knorr. Combining their passion for food and great beer, the brothers ultimately opened a tasting room and public house in Salisbury, MD and the rest as they say, is beer history.
We’ll start the sampling with Exile Red Ale, and yes it pours a rich reddish amber color with some earthy and floral aromas. There’s a prominent biscuit flavor we really liked followed by a subtle hop flavor at the end. Thanks in part to the Cascade and East Kent Goldings hops on board, the beer finishes dry and bitter like a classic British pale ale. We really liked Exile and I’m anxious to try it just a bit warmer. This beer hits 5.9%-AbV & 48 IBU.
Up next we decided to break into the hoppy side of the beer-fence and open up Lot No 3 IPA. This American IPA pours a deep golden amber color and the aromas lead and finish with citrus and just a touch of caramel. The beer is hopped at a rate of 2-pounds per barrel, and you can’t miss the grapefruit citrus and resinous pine flavors that hopping imparts. The malt/hop balance makes the beer very drinkable, and while it is not your typical hop bomb American IPA, we really liked the flavors and overall balance. This beer hits 6.8%-AbV & 60 IBU.
The hop-head in me couldn’t resist jumping to the Lot No 6 DIPA, and I’m really glad I did. This beer reads like Lot No 3’s older brother and it pours a slightly more gold/orange color with aromas of citrus, citrus, citrus and citrus. The flavors begin with some tropical fruit and stone fruit (that I liked a lot). There is some malty sweetness in the middle, but the prominent and assertive hop notes really carry the beer to a nice balance and finish. Evolution tells me this beer has “massive additions of American varietal hops” and after a few sips, I believe it…and at 75 IBU, you will too Lot No 6 hits 8.5%-AbV, but it hides the alcohol nicely. Overall we really enjoyed the balance and simplicity of this beer….and so far it is my favorite of the bunch.
We waited until the next night to complete our Evolution sampling, and I’d say we all displayed remarkable patience before opening the 750ml bottle of Bourbon Barrel-Aged Rise Up R.I.S. The beer pours a rich deep-as-the-night black color and I swear the coffee aroma started before we even popped the cap. This bite of coffee is followed by vanilla, chocolate and Bourbon aromas, but the coffee takes center stage. The flavors of coffee are a bit roasty and a bit dry and they dominate the early palate. The overall balance comes in after a few sips, and we were surprised at how subtle the Bourbon flavors are and how late they arrive on your tongue. As the beer warmed the caramel and toffee started to come in and some really nice vanilla and dark chocolate flavors jumped up. The complexity and balance of this beer are really good, but coffee still dominates. Overall this is a really drinkable Russian imperial stout with a nice complexity and depth. I’ll be chasing this one down again. For fun we paired this with some aged sharp Wisconsin white cheddar and the pairing was delicious (try this for yourself!
We really enjoyed sampling Lot No 3 IPA, Lot No 6 DIPA and Exile Red Ale. These beers are available in 12oz bottles/six packs year-round. We also really like our nightcap of Bourbon Barrel-Aged Rise Up R.I.S. and it is available in 750ml bottles. Be sure to try all of these beer for yourself and when you do, be sure to let us know what YOU think.
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