This is an update of my winter beer post from 2010. This time I’ve included label art and photos whenever they we’re available.
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).
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.
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.)
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.
OLDE HICKORY Christmas Ale
Brewed with fond memories of fresh baked cakes and cookies, our Christmas Ale is made with local honey, freshly grated ginger and cinnamon and fresh orange zest. This special holiday beer is perfect for the merry season and best enjoyed in the company of friends and family.
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.
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)
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)
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)
Just because they don’t have 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
Do you have some other labels for me? CBC? Send them my way!!
WINTER & HOLIDAY RELEASE BREWS FROM 2010
© 2011 Craft Beer Collective / Away Team Media
Bringing you the craft and culture of beer in North Carolina --> Raleigh, Durham, Charlotte, Asheville, Winston-Salem, Greensboro, Wilmington, NC and beyond
Contact us at dave (at) away (dash) team (dot) com
© 2011 Craft Beer Collective / Away Team Media
Bringing you the craft and culture of beer in North Carolina --> Raleigh, Durham, Charlotte, Asheville, Winston-Salem, Greensboro, Wilmington, NC and beyond
Contact us at dave (at) away (dash) team (dot) com
NC BEER IS BIG NEWS
The News and Observer points out what we already know: North Carolina Breweries are seeing growth. There are about 49 breweries and brewpubs in North Carolina – a number that has been quickly growing, said Anna Lockhart, executive director of the N.C. Brewers Guild.
“In the Southeast, we’re really ahead of the curve,” Lockhart said. “Our craft brewing industry got a late start compared to states like Oregon and California. Even though we’ve come onto the scene a little bit later, in the next 10 to 15 years or so we’ll catch up.”
Most of the state’s breweries and brewpubs are concentrated around Asheville and the Triangle, where there are more than a dozen.
LONERIDER RECOGNIZED
The LoneRider Brewing Company in Raleigh started more than two years ago with a dream and a plan.
Now, the small microbrewery is a success story, churning out three core beers, including Shotgun Betty and the award-winning Sweet Josey Brown.
“We were home brewers and beer geeks,” founder Sumit Vohra said of he and his two business partners.
The three combined their passion for microbrews and a booming craft beer market in North Carolina.
“Just in the first six months of the year, the revenue is up 15 percent,” Vohra said.
The LoneRider Brewing Company was one of 25 small businesses from across the state recognized as one of 25 “Companies to Watch” by the Council for Entrepreneurial Development during a ceremony at the American Tobacco campus in Durham on Wednesday. The CED recognized businesses with between 10 and 100 employees.
http://www.wral.com/
NATTY GREENE’S CONTRIBUTES TO GREENSBORO ECONOMYNatty co-owner gets nod from DGI for improvements to Greensboro.
DGI named Chris Lester, co-owner of Natty Greene’s, as the 2011 Jim Roach Downtown Person of the Year for his work promoting South Elm Street, where Natty Greene’s is located.
Lester is in Denver for the Great American Beer Festival, and Daniel Craft accepted on his behalf. Craft, president of Craft Insurance Center, and John Lomax, president of Lomax Construction, took the initiative to remodel the building at 345 S. Elm St. that now houses Natty Greene’s.
Craft noted that the stretch of South Elm Street from the 200 block to the 800 block contains a wealth of historic buildings, but unfortunately some are poorly maintained.
“It’s a shame that we don’t care more about that core street,” Craft said.
http://www.bizjournals.com
MOTHER EARTH NAME CONTROVERSY
Another story has surfaced, this time from WITN: 
