By Brian Beauchemin

Resident Culture will release a beer that’s been aged in Buffalo Trace barrels this month. Kristen Wile/UP

Just like February brings us both 70 and 30 degree days, and everything in between, this month our Charlotte brewers provide you releases that range from ‘beer that tastes like beer’ to adjunct-laden brews that cover a wide spectrum of flavors. A list of new and/or limited releases follows. Unless otherwise stated, all products are already available in taprooms and/or in the local market.

In honor of Valentine’s Day, Belmont Brewhouse has a pink-colored 6.1% ABV sour made with hibiscus, rose petals, and cinnamon candy hearts.

The 10th anniversary release of Birdsong Brewing’s Turtles on Pterodactyls occurs February 16th. This 10.5% ABV bourbon barrel aged imperial stout is brewed with cacao nibs, cinnamon, and brown sugar.

On a lighter note, Good As Helles, is a 4.5% tropical dry hopped lager with pleasant aromas of mango, passionfruit, and orange.

NoDa Brewing announced a partnership with Cheerwine introducing Cheerwine Ale. According to their press release, “This is a crisp, refreshing wheat ale infused with the South’s favorite cherry soda.” The 5.2% ABV beer will be available year-round.  Stand Up Pale Ale, brewed in collaboration with Divine Barrel for the Maud 2.23 charity run, is a double dry-hopped pale ale. The 5.4% ABV beer will be on draft in the taproom starting February 19.

Available Feb. 27 on draft, Ultimatt Pretzel Brown Ale is a classic 5.6% ABV American brown ale brewed with Utz pretzels and sea salt.

Town Brewing’s spring seasonal, Western Sky, is a blood orange wheat ale made with hops that accentuate the orange. The wheat provides a silky mouthfeel and smooth 5.6% ABV.

On Feb. 18, Town releases its newest core beer: Disco Hop. The 6% ABV IPA has a simple malt profile allowing a unique blend of hop flavor and bitterness to shine through.  

The annual Valentine’s Day release from Red Clay Ciderworks, Chocolate Cherry Cordial, is a sweet 6.9% ABV cider made with chocolate, cherry, and almond.

Blue Blaze offers 2 lagers this month. Sole Mates is an American light lager with a very drinkable 3.9% ABV. Blueway Keller Pils is a 5.4% unfiltered pilsner available Feb. 20.

Triple C Brewing has five beers released this month. Carolina Blue Sky Sherbet is a 7% ABV blueberry, blackberry, boysenberry, and vanilla fruited sour. 

Zest A Peel utilizes citrus rind to produce a drinkable 5.4% ABV fruited blonde.  

Their annual Chocolate Covered Pretzel Stout releases Feb. 18. Cacao nibs and salt, plus variants with coffee, vanilla, and caramel provide tasty options for this 8.5% ABV bourbon barrel-aged imperial stout.

Rounding out Triple C’s offerings this month are Feb. 24 releases of Dark, their 4.4% ABV Munich Dunkel and Light Rail pale ale providing 4.7% ABV.

Brewed for Wooden Robot’s annual Single AF Anti-Valentine’s Day party, and inspired by Belgian Trappist single ales, Single AF is a honey blonde ale. Made with local honey, the 5.5 ABV % ale has a complex yet subtle character.

Thunder Goats is a 6% bock brewed in collaboration with Birds Fly South Ale Project from Greenville, S.C. This dark lager is loaded with malt character and complimented by a crisp hop finish.

Their third release, Universal Automaton, is a 6% ABV sour farmhouse ale that was aged in a 30 barrel oak foeder. Brewed with local Epiphany Malt House malts, this beer displays notes of tart citrus, stone fruits, and a dry, slightly funky, finish.

Olde Mecklenburg Brewery kicks off its Brewers Reserve Series with an Irish red ale. Caramel, toffee, and a roasty finish are wrapped up in a 5.7% ABV brew.

Pilot Brewing has released Gaymer’s Paradise, a 5.6% ABV Strawberry Lime Wheat Ale. Two dollars per four pack is donated to Charlotte Gaymers Network, a local, inclusive, and diverse gaming community. 

A golden, clean, dry, and flavorful 5.4% ABV American “lawnmower” ale, Crop Dust Cream Ale, will be released Feb. 24.

Resident Culture’s brewhouse has been cranking, as they are releasing 12 beers this month. An 8.5% ABV Baltic porter, Willful Blindness is a big, bold, luscious dark lager great for the winter months.

Diamond Mind is a hazy IPA brewed with all southern hemisphere hops with a 7% ABV.

Tropical Tryst is a tiki-inspired sour ale with passionfruit, pineapple, all spice, and cinnamon. The beer is a 5% ABV collaboration with The Royal Tot.

Three West Coast IPAs are pouring: Cold Flowers is a 7% ABV cold IPA brewed in collaboration with Birds Fly South; Collective Strength is a 6.5% ABV standard IPA brewed in support of the Pink Boots Society using the Pink Boots hop blend of Simcoe, Centennial, Mosaic, and Amarillo; and lastly, Lightning Fu! brewed in collaboration with North Park Brewery.

Three beers will be released on Feb. 17. Forever Alone: McKenzie is a 7.5% ABV single hop hazy IPA using exclusively McKenzie hops. Confidently Incorrect is an 8% ABV hazy double IPA. On the lighter side of things, Island Time is Mexican light lager with lime and a sessionable 4% ABV.

 One week later on Feb. 24, they’ll release two more beers: a 9.5% ABV hazy triple IPA called The Kids Are Not Alright and Riding for the Feeling, an Italian Pilsner with a 5% ABV.

On February 25th, Resident Culture goes big with a taproom-only release named Single Barrel Select: Barrel 45. This 13.5% barrel-aged imperial stout has no adjuncts and matured in a Buffalo Trace barrel for 32 months.