New Sarum Brewing embodies Southern beer to its core

Over the last five years, New Sarum Brewing has been brewing and perfecting multiple beers for the people of Salisbury. In that time, it has produced and bottled five beers with distinctly different tastes to please the taste buds of all North Carolinians.To say that New Sarum is tucked away in downtown Salisbury would be a lie. Over that five-year span, the brewery has blossomed into a fledgling part of Lee Street with two large silos visible from the street level.As for the beer, New Sarum delivers on its self-described old meets new style. We tried all five beers, broke them down and bring to our readers a full look inside each bottled brew from this five-year-old brewery.Blonde AleWant to know why New Sarum was tabbed as the embodiment of Southern brewing? Look no further than the blonde ale infused with — wait for it — grits.Does it get any more Southern than that? No. The answer is no.It’s one thing to say your beer includes grits, and completely different to make it work. New Sarum’s blonde ale — distinctly named “Blonde Ale with Grits” — has a distinct aftertaste of buttered grits in with every swig.Look, grits aren’t for everyone and maybe this light summer beer isn’t your style either. But with an ABV of 5.5, this easy-to-drink blonde is ripe for any trip to the North Carolina coast.Blood Orange WheatSpeaking of Summer beers, this one is perfect for a day on the beach or a long summer night. New Sarum’s Hurley Park Blood Orange Wheat carries the title of one of Salisbury’s most beautiful parks with class.Blood orange has been all the rage over the past few years, with several breweries infusing it into ales and IPAs. New Sarum chose to go with a more traditional wheat beer, making the perfect contrast between the two flavors behind a well-hidden 6.0 ABV.While it doesn’t offer the unmistakable flavor of grits like the blonde ale (that might not work with a wheat beer), its palpable distinction between sweetness and tart aftertaste makes this an unforgettable beer.Red AleNew Sarum doesn’t exactly reinvent the wheel when it comes to red ales, but sticks to a more traditional blueprint with a Southern flair. The red ale includes English hops and spicy notes while invoking a flaky biscuit aftertaste — which tastes like it has a hint of Grandma’s Molasses mixed in.The red ale is thicker and darker than the aforementioned beers while also carrying a malty, hoppy scent and flavor. It also loses the bitterness and packs plenty of sweet tones for a during or after dinner brew in the fall or winter.IPAVery few craft breweries master the IPA right away. While I haven’t had New Sarum prior to this year, I can attest to the fact that the Old Stone House IPA is perfected already.It offers a great blend of citrus flavor similar to the blood orange wheat beer, but comes with that same bitterness of your standard IPA. It might not have any remarkable flavors that make it stand out from other IPAs, but Old Stone is a solid brew that hides its 7.8 ABV well.PorterOK, not going to lie, this one was a personal favorite. I’m a sucker for a good porter — regardless of flavor — so this one was a winner for me. So I saved the best for last.The aptly named “Roundhouse Robust Porter” brings exactly that: a roundhouse straight to your palate. No, that’s not where the name came from — it’s referring to the railroad buildings for repairing locomotives — but it’s a stark contrast from the previous brews.Loaded down with caramel and toffee notes when it hits your mouth, the Roundhouse tastes like a smooth black coffee going down. This is a dark beer lover’s dream.