ABV: 5.0% | IBU: 20

I attended a soirée recently. Have any of you ever attended a soirée? If not, it’s just like a party, only with a French word. My younger brother and his wife hosted it at their place. There was food, friends, family, and plenty of mosquitos and poorly-applied insect repellent. And there was a porch (which is perfect for this site). I spent the entire night on that porch recounting the events of recent months with every single person there. I ate my beets and bun-less burger. Unfortunately, the kid who was supposed to bring the buns called a half-hour into the party asking if he could come 2 hours late. For dessert, I feasted on a sumptuous banana pudding. All the while I drank one of North Carolina’s finest brews, Red Oak Amber Lager. In short, this soirée set the bar for all soirées.

(MORE: Hummin’ Bird Helles Golden Munich Lager)

The first thing I saw as I rolled up was my little younger brother (he stopped being smaller than me a long time ago) at the grill. I said, “I didn’t know you could grill.” He said, “I don’t.” We laughed and shook our heads. The next thing I saw was one of my oldest friends, Michael. I’ve known Michael since kindergarten. He’s one of the most genuine people I’ve ever known. He can bench press 450 pounds despite being shorter than me (I’m 5’8”). And he has fine taste in beer. After a manly hug and a slap on the back (which hurt me more than it hurt him, I’m sure), I asked what there was to drink. Michael pointed me to three coolers. I opened the first to find bottled water and fizzy juices. “Eh.” The second contained Mountain Dew and Hawaiian Punch. “Meh.” Opening the third chest was like an experience straight out of The Legend of Zelda. The lid fell back in slow motion. Dramatic music played in the back ground. And out of the cooler I revealed the prize. Ice-cold Red Oak. Twelve ounces of fresh, pure amber lager. “Did you bring this?!” I asked with more than a hint of incredulity. “Hell yeah,” Michael said. “God bless you, man. God bless you,” I told him.

In all seriousness though, Red Oak Amber Lager is widely appreciated in these parts (Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill). The mere mention of the word causes men and women alike to salivate with anticipation. Perhaps it’s the traditional way in which the beer was brewed. Maybe it’s the fact that it’s made without additives and preservatives. Or maybe that it’s unfiltered and unpasteurized. Truthfully, it’s probably all of these things. What I know for certain is it goes down smooth and easy in a unique and memorable way. You can taste the heartiness of the Lager yeast and the mild sweetness of the Bavarian Malted Barley. You can smell the floral notes of the Noble hops. When poured, the deep amber and red color entices and entrances. All in all, Red Oak Amber Lager is where it’s at.

Find Red Oak’s beers.

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