Starting soon – perhaps as early as this fall – the NC Brewers Guild will begin to offer educational programming, but we’d like your input, no matter who you are, member or not, and at every level of membership.
What kind of topics are you interested in? When would you like to see educational pieces happen?
Let us know by completing this survey before September 15, 2010.
Have more ideas? Let us know in the comments below!
You may have thought that North Carolina Beer was taking a little summer vacation, but it’s not true! There area few events coming up over the next couple of weeks that you should know about.
First up! This Saturday from 3PM to 9PM head over to the Aviator Brewery at 209 Technology Park Ln. Fuquay Varina, NC check out the Aviator Music Fest and Gulf Oil Spill Fundraiser. They brewed up a Black IPA to help raise money for the Florida Aquarium to assist with the oil spill, they’ll have live music and a few new beers on check it out. There’s no cover – just go get some great beer for a great cause!
On Tuesday, July 20, head over to American Brewmaster in Raleigh from 6PM to 7PM to meet Ray Daniels of the Cicerone program and author of Designing Great Beers
Next – make sure you head over to the Busy Bee Cafe in Raleigh next Wednesday for a special tapping of a Knob Creek aged Foothills Porter, exclusively released at the Busy Bee – the keg gets tapped at 6PM. Get it while it lasts!
On July 31st, go check out North Carolina’s largest hop farm at their First Annual Hops Festival. Check out their new trellising system and weed control system! See an oast at work! Food! Homebrew! It doesn’t get much better than this. 11:30 – 1:30 PM at Echoview Farms in Weaverville, NC. Click the link for details.
Finally, don’t forget about the upcoming Pleasure Island Brewery Invitational in Carolina Beach on July 31st from 3PM to 8PM. Proceeds to go the Pleasure Island Sea Turtle Project and your North Carolina Brewers Guild – the Guild will be in attendance, make sure you swing by and say hi!
The following breweries will be there, as well as a couple of last minute additions, you can be sure:
GOOD VIBES BREWING COMPANY Wilmington, NC
TERRAPIN BEER CO. Athens, GA
FOOTHILLS BREWERY Winston-Salem, NC
THOMAS CREEK BREWERY Greenville, SC
HIGH LAND BREWERY Asheville, NC
LONERIDER BREWING CO Raleigh, NC
DUCK RABBIT CRAFT BREWERY Farmville, NC
NATTY GREENS BREWING CO Greensboro, NC
CATAWABA VALLEY BREWING COMPANY Morganton, NC
BIG BOSS BREWING CO Raleigh, NC
NEW SOUTH BREWING CO Myrtle Beach, SC
HUSKE HARDWARE HOUSE Fayetteville, NC
FRONT STREET BREWERY Wilmington, NC
WHITE WOLF BEER CO Wilmington, NC
CRAGGY BREW Ashville, NC
KIND BEER Charlotte, NC
BROOKLYN BREWEY Brooklyn,NY
JONES BREWING CO Latrobe, PA
BROUWERIJ BAVIK Bavikhove West Flanders, Belgium
Jul 10
Hickory Hops, the Hickory areas’ annual downtown beer festival, not only provides a boost to the local economy, it also makes a contribution that is felt statewide. For the second year in a row, Hickory Hops made a financial donation to the North Carolina Brewers Guild (NCBG). Festival organizers Jason Yates and Steven Lyerly of Olde Hickory Brewery reported a festival gift of $1000 toward the Guild’s operations.
Founded in 2008 by a group of NC craft breweries, the non-profit Brewers Guild’s mission is to: promote NC beers; facilitate cooperative purchasing; encourage information exchange among members; and work with the state legislature to protect and grow the industry. Presently 36 breweries, many of whom participated in the eight-year-old Hickory Hops festival this past April, are active members.
For the first time in its five year history, Hickory Hops’ professional competition, the Carolinas Championship of Beer, also made a contribution to the NCBG. With the understanding that half of the entrance fee would be donated to the Brewers Guild, brewers paid $10 per beer to participate in the blind judged event. Nearly 300 different beers from over 40 breweries were received by competition organizer Bobby Bush. As is turned out, Bush discovered, competition expenses were lower than expected. The CCB contribution to the Brewers Guild totaled $1800.
Guild president Jamie Bartholomaus, head brewer for Winston-Salem’s Foothills Brewing, was ecstatic with the two donations. A former brewer at Olde Hickory, he hoisted a pint of his People’s Porter in appreciation of Hickory Hops and the Carolinas Championship of Beer for supporting the craft brewing industry in North Carolina.
An annual function of the Hickory Downtown Development Association, the 9th Hickory Hops festival will be held on April 16, 2011.
Hams
Ham’s Brewmaster T.L. Adkisson to move to Foothills Brewing in Winston-Salem.
The Greenville location of Ham’s Restaurant and Brewhouse, 701 Evans St., closed abruptly Sunday.
Ham’s Brewmaster T.L. Adkisson said he was notified Sunday morning by company officials that the casual dining restaurant and Greenville’s only beer-brewing facility was closing its doors immediately. Other staff members were notified of the restaurant closing as they reported to work.
“There was no warning,” Adkisson said. “The company line was that things were fine all the way up until Sunday morning.
“I feel bad for my fellow employees.”
Adkisson, an award-winning brewmaster, said he plans to move to Winston-Salem to become head brewer at Foothills Brewery.
Ham’s is owned and operated by Chelda Inc. of Greensboro. Several calls to the corporate office requesting comment were not returned Tuesday.
The Greenville Ham’s, which opened in the late 1990s in the brick building that formerly housed Wilkerson’s Funeral Home, featured the chain’s only brewery. The local restaurant, popular with college students and city residents alike, also featured a large bar and patio, with karaoke and live entertainment.
A sign on the window of Ham’s front entrance reads, “Due to unforeseen circumstances, Ham’s Restaurant and Brewhouse is closing for business. We greatly appreciate your patronage throughout the years. You will be missed.”
At lunchtime Tuesday, dozens of cars pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant at the corner of Evans and Eighth streets in downtown Greenville. After walking to the front entrance and reading the sign, the potential diners walked back to their vehicles, many of them shaking their heads to express disbelief, before driving away.
Two large rental trucks were positioned at the rear of the restaurant. From time to time, employees could be seen carrying large stock-pots and other kitchen equipment out of the restaurant and onto one of the trucks.
A request to get a comment from any management on site was denied.
Greensboro businessman Charlie Erwin purchased Ham’s in the mid-1980s and expanded to 14 company-owned locations and seven franchised restaurants in North Carolina and Virginia.
Ham’s filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Oct. 28, 2009. Since then the company has closed five of its restaurants, including the original location that opened in 1935.
The marquee at the Greenville restaurant reads, “Celebrating 75 years.”
Read about it, and see some photos at the Examiner.
Have more pictures? Let us know, or post them to our Facebook page.
And don’t forget about the Pleasure Island Invitational, just one month away!
