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Archive for category Charlotte
Charlotte, NC, June 05, 2011 NoDa Brewing Company is pleased to announce the recent addition of George Allen to their team of brewers. A seasoned Brewmaster, George will head up the day-to-day brewery operations as NoDa Brewing Company’s Brewing Manager.
“With the addition of George to our already talented staff, we are poised to hit the ground running once our 15 barrel system is delivered in August. With George’s talent, we look forward to begin distributing to local restaurants & bars in October (pending proper approvals),” says Todd Ford, Owner and Head Brewer of NoDa Brewing Company. “Not only is George a very knowledgeable and talented brewer, but he’s a great guy who seems to know everyone in the craft brewing world. We could not have asked for a better fit for us,” adds Ford.
About NoDa Brewing Company:
NoDa Brewing Company is Charlotte’s newest production brewery located in the North Davidson (NoDa) neighborhood of Charlotte. Once approval is obtained, we will have a tap room on-site where we will sell pints & growlers and provide brewery tours. Look and ask for us on tap at your local restaurant and bar. For more, visit www.NoDaBrewing.com.
from pr.com
© 2011 Craft Beer Collective / Away Team Media
Bringing you the craft and culture of beer in North Carolina --> Raleigh, Durham, Asheville, Winston-Salem, Greensboro, Wilmington, NC and beyond
Contact us at dave (at) away (dash) team (dot) com
Microbrews Cruise
May 24
Microbrews Cruise continues in 2011 at the White Water Training Center in Charlotte. Here is the schedule from their website:
http://usnwc.org/2011/05/microbrews-cruise/
Event Details:
Each cruise begins with a guided flatwater paddle along the Catawba River. As the sun starts to set on the river, you’ll work your way back to the main facility for a specialty, fireside dinner on Hawk Island. Each cruise will feature a different craft brewery and tasting; representatives from the breweries will lead the tastings by highlighting new, seasonal and unique brews.
We love the Microbrews Cruise. An evening of paddling, good food and craft beer. What more could you ask for?
Event Info:
What: Sunset paddle along the Catawba River followed by a fireside dinner with craft beer tastings.
Summer Schedule:
* June 1 – Red Oak Brewery
* June 15 – Woodchuck Cider
* July 6 – Four Friends Brewing
* July 20 – TBA
* Aug. 3 – TBA
* Aug. 17 – TBA
* Sept. 7 – TBA
* Sept. 21 – TBA
Participant Schedule:
* Check-in at Kayak Center: 6 p.m.
* Flatwater paddle on the Catawba River: 6:30 – 7:30 p.m.
* Campfire lit dinner and beer tasting on Hawk Island: 8 – 10 p.m.
Price: $55 per person
© 2011 Craft Beer Collective / Away Team Media
Bringing you the craft and culture of beer in North Carolina --> Raleigh, Durham, Asheville, Winston-Salem, Greensboro, Wilmington, NC and beyond
Contact us at dave (at) away (dash) team (dot) com
Event Details:
Each cruise begins with a guided flatwater paddle along the Catawba River. As the sun starts to set on the river, you’ll work your way back to the main facility for a specialty, fireside dinner on Hawk Island. Each cruise will feature a different craft brewery and tasting; representatives from the breweries will lead the tastings by highlighting new, seasonal and unique brews.
We love the Microbrews Cruise. An evening of paddling, good food and craft beer. What more could you ask for?
Event Info:
What: Sunset paddle along the Catawba River followed by a fireside dinner with craft beer tastings.
Summer Schedule:
* June 1 – Red Oak Brewery
* June 15 – Woodchuck Cider
* July 6 – Four Friends Brewing
* July 20 – TBA
* Aug. 3 – TBA
* Aug. 17 – TBA
* Sept. 7 – TBA
* Sept. 21 – TBA
Participant Schedule:
* Check-in at Kayak Center: 6 p.m.
* Flatwater paddle on the Catawba River: 6:30 – 7:30 p.m.
* Campfire lit dinner and beer tasting on Hawk Island: 8 – 10 p.m.
Price: $55 per person
© 2011 Craft Beer Collective / Away Team Media
Bringing you the craft and culture of beer in North Carolina --> Raleigh, Durham, Asheville, Winston-Salem, Greensboro, Wilmington, NC and beyond
Contact us at dave (at) away (dash) team (dot) com
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Here are some recent North Carolina (and one NC by way of SC) brew reviews found on the interwebs! Please visit the sources links for full reviews:
DUCK RABBIT BALTIC PORTER
Baltic Porter, The Duck-Rabbit Craft Brewery, about $12 per six pack: Our favorite North Carolina beer. This one grabs you by the collar from first sip to last with a complex blend of dark fruits and chocolate. It’s very sweet and very malty, with an acidic finish. It’ll be available later this month on shelves in Charlotte.
Found at Charlotte Observer
BIG BOSS HARVEST TIME PUMPKIN ALE
In October I bought a six pack of Big Boss Beer’s Harvest Time Ale. I drank one of them and I immediately realized that this was a very, very special kind of beer. I had already been planning my trip to the Beer Bloggers Conference in November and so I made sure to pack 2 to share with other beer drinkers at the conference. After the conference I even managed to share two bottles with peers I met there. That left me with one, fantastic and slightly aged, bottle of beer.
Read all: Durham Beer Examiner
DUCK RABBIT WEE HEAVY SCOTCH ALE
I’m a big fan of their Brown Ale and Milk Stout but this Scotch Ale just doesn’t cut it with me. Though full of whiskey barrel flavor and beautiful dark amber hue, this is just too sweet with little kick. It’s more congac than single malt. If this were the test batch there would be cause for optimism. I know I’m in the minority with this appraisal, but I expect a much more brutal impact from a Scotch Ale.
From The Pint Glass
KIND BEERS BELGIAN RED
The aroma of this is more ale than Belgian-style, giving even more complexity to this beer. Your nose expects a slightly citric bitter, yet you experience a sharp Hefe. Its wild.
This is not a senses-destroying ale. This is one of the most complex and enticing beers I’ve tried. You will discover taste sections of your tongue you never knew you had.
From The Pint Glass
© 2011 Craft Beer Collective / Away Team Media
Bringing you the craft and culture of beer in North Carolina --> Raleigh, Durham, Asheville, Winston-Salem, Greensboro, Wilmington, NC and beyond
Contact us at dave (at) away (dash) team (dot) com
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Here is a score card of Christmas and Winter brews in the North Carolina Beer scene with commercial descriptions from each respective brewery (except where noted). And what a variety of styles to choose from! I was lucky enough to try 8 of these.
How many have you tried?
HIGHLAND Cold Mountain Winter Ale
Our ever-changing spiced winter seasonal. A tasty brew that complements all your holiday festivities. It is typically malty in body, lightly hopped, and rounded out with spices that we vary from year to year.
CAROLINA BREWERY Santa’s Secret
Our winter ale, brewed especially for the holidays, boasts a combination of six different malts all working together to produce a rich beer with a soft creamy mouthfeel. Without revealing all of Santa’s secrets, we can say that this tasty elixer contains a careful blend of coriander, cinnamon, orange and allspice. We think you’ll agree – it’s the closest thing to Christmas in a glass.
AVIATOR FrostNipper
Our interpretation of a fall seasonal beer. This beer will curl your toes and put goosebumps on your arms. A fine collection of traditional fall spices make this a great addition to the holiday season…it will make all humbugs cheery. The beer is dark in color…a bit darker than brown ale. There is a combination of Perle and Willamette hops to provide a contrasting intensity with the fall spices. The beer contains a generous amount of smoked malt. (7.3% ABV)
Lonerider Belle Star
LONERIDER Belle Starr Dubbel
Be wary of Starr’s smile, there is something sinister behind her innocent look. Belle Starr is a Belgian-style Dubbel brewed with a rare Belgian yeast strain, caramelized beet sugar and festive holiday spices. Expect hints of dark fruit, sweet cinnamon-apple and a warming finish. ABV is 7.7%
MOTHER EARTH Silent Night Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout
Embellished with a hint of coffee and a touch of molasses, you’ll enjoy a bold, yet delightfully smooth brew. I pronounce this Barrel Aged Imperial Stout a sipper.
ASHEVILLE BREWING Xmas Jam White Ale
Low-alcohol (4.5 percent ABV), Belgian-style wheat beer dosed with coriander and orange peel. This aromatic treat is as cloudy as a San Francisco morn, with vibrant carbonation and a twangy edge that hums on your tongue. (description from Slashfood)
OLDE MECKLENBURG Brewery Yule Bock
Get your goat on with this holiday special. Nothing warms you around the Christmas fire better than this super smooth, malty lager. But supplies are limited so make sure you get yours early. 7% ABV.
CRAGGIE Dubbelicious: A Belgian-Style “Double” Ale
Organic Barley, Rye, Wheat and Oat malts are brewed with Belgian candy sugar and then fermented with a Regional yeast strain. Our “sweet tart” dubbel is copper in color with warm herbal undertones. ABV 6.5%
WEEPING RADISH Doppelbock
A very strong and rich lager; dark brown with ruby highlights. Brewed with over 50% Munich malt. A Bavarian specialty first brewed in Munich by the monks of St. Francis of Paula. (8.3% ABV)
Outer Banks Brewing Station Xmass ale
OUTERBANKS BREWING COMPANY Santa’s Little Sledgehammer
A deep red Strong Ale boosted with Belgian Candi Sugar, fermented with Trappist Ale yeast and finished with ‘secret spices’! It’s smooth and creamy-rich, with a warm and
chewy texture and subtle spiciness. (10% abv.)
NATTY GREENE’S Red Nose Winter Warmer
A winter warmer with a nice nutty malt / spice balance! Coming in slightly above 6% abv tastes like winter … smells like Christmas with nutmeg and ginger notes. (Craft Beer Collective – Dave)
Just because they don’t use Santa Clause and snow flakes on their labels doesn’t mean that Foothills, Big Boss are not making winter brews:
FOOTHILLS Total Eclipse Stout
Robust full bodied stout made with roasted barley, black and crystal malts. Total Eclipse has a full mouth feel and a well balanced hop bitterness.
BIG BOSS Aces and Ates Coffee Stout
Our winter stout is brewed with ten different malts to create a complex and distinctive beer. We add organic fair-trade coffee, which is specially produced for Big Boss by coffee experts Larry’s Beans. We offer this synergistic seasonal brew for a limited time in the winter season. 8% abv
DUCK RABBIT Paul’s Christmas Vacation Double IPA
Last but not least is the most unlikely holiday beer in this line up and a departure for this “Dark Ale Specialist” in Farmville. This DIPA is so strong and so bitter it could send Southern California crashing into the sea! Nothing like anything in the malt driven Duck Rabbit line up! (Craft Beer Collective – Dave)
Am I missing any? Make a post on Facebook and here on the board.
It’s fall – and that means two things: Oktoberfest and Beer Festivals.
In the next few weeks look for Oktoberfest beer releases from The Carolina Brewery (already out!), Rock Bottom, and Liberty as well as the Cottonwood Pumpkin Ale release from Carolina Beer and Harvest Time from Big Boss. It’s a great month to enjoy good North Carolina Beer!
What’s more? In the next month, no matter where you are in North Carolina, you’ve got a beer festival nearby.
First up, on September 18th, is Brewgrass in Asheville. In their words: Each year in the beautiful mountains of Western North Carolina, we gather over 40 American breweries to showcase more than 120 different beers. We add a great lineup of national and regional bluegrass musicians that, in the past, has included such notables as Cadillac Sky, Carolina Chocolate Drops, Dry Branch Fire Squad, J.D. Crowe, The Osborne Brothers, Norman Blake, Tony Trischka, Jim Lauderdale, Valerie Smith, Tony Furtado, Yonder Mountain String Band, and Sons Of Ralph. We also feature a variety of area food vendors and plenty of water. Hope you got your tickets on the weekend that they went on sale, though, because that’s when they sold out.
Next, on September 25th, is the 12th Annual Charlotte Oktoberfest which promises
- Live entertainment on the big stage at the North end of the stadium.
- The chance to put your skills to the test on games like table tennis, foosball, corn hole and many others in the Creative Loafing Beerlympic Village at the South end of the stadium.
- Food vendors serving some of the tastiest brats, hot dogs, pretzels, and more.
As well as a collectible 5-oz. Charlotte Oktoberfest Tasting Glass, and of samples from over 350 of the finest craft brewed beers in the Southeast and from around the world.
Tickets are still available.
Next up, on October 9th in Durham, is the All About Beer World Beer Festival: Durham which is being held, this year, at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park. The World Beer Festival is one of the best festivals in the Southeast – don’t miss it. The beer lineup should be posted soon, keep an eye out for it!
Tickets are on sale through the Durham Bulls Box Office.
Finally, the coup de grace, on October 16th at the Greenfield Lake Amphitheater in Wilmington, is the Lighthouse Beer Festival.
The Lighthouse Beer Festival, in its ninth year, brings over 70 craft breweries from around the world to Wilmington, NC. This year, the festival will be held at Greenfield Lake Amphitheater to accommodate the growing enthusiasm from local (and national) beer lovers. Admission is $30/adv $40/day of which includes a collectible festival glass for tasting from the over 300 different beers available from 1pm-5pm on Saturday October 16th. Live performances from Acoustic Syndicate and local Wilmington bands will occupy the amphitheater’s stage during the festival. Proceeds from the event go to The Carousel Center; a 501c charity that aids abused and neglected youth. A free shuttle service is provided to help festival-goers get home safely.
Get your tickets here.
