BIG BOSS – BLANCO DIABLO Wit Ale is a traditionally spiced wit, brewed with orange peel, coriander and fermented with a traditional Belgian wit yeast. It has a dry, thirst quenching finish, perfect for summer in North Carolina. ABV: 4.5% / IBU: 16. Enjoy with salads, cheese, seafood especially steamed mussels. BIG BOSS – HELL’S BELLE is a subtle but complex ale that is meant to be a showcase for our favorite Belgian yeast and beautiful Belgian malts. These elements produce a clean, spicy citrus finish. Hell’s Belle remains light and refreshing but still packs a 7% finish. ABV 7.0% / IBU 30 Enjoy with creamy pasta dishes, spicy foods like Indian & Thai dishes. BIG BOSS – BIG OPERATOR Belgian Black Raspberry & Chocolate is a full-flavored stout. The beer is
infused w/ 20lbs of fresh raspberry and 10 lbs locally roasted cacao from Elemental Chocolate Co. It culminates with an amazing dark raspberry and chocolate finish. The perfect desert beer or enjoy as a meal! 8% abv
Also sampled: ABITA – ABBEY ALE, BROOKLYN – LOCAL ONE
http://bigbossbrewing.com/
http://www.abita.com/
http://brooklynbrewery.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
Link to this post!
Durham, North Carolina – January 17th, 2012 – Though software engineering may not be the first thing that comes to mind when discussing craft beer, such is not the case for two new brewers in the craft beer scene. Andrew Simmering and David Britt, RTP software engineers, are working towards opening a new brewery in the Triangle area; Shade Tree Brewing Company. Whether it be their operational size, their projects, or their method of funding, these guys are anything but conventional.
They are opening on a scale that would make a micro brewery feel like a multinational conglomerate. They are calling themselves a nano brewery and planning on producing only enough output to support their local community. This is not because of restrictions or inability, but rather they believe that a smaller output will allow them to make a commitment to quality and creativity. It’s also not all about profit as they are already working on plans for unique, no-profit projects. One such project is a series of charity beers brewed in conjunction with local homebrew clubs. Another, which throws back to their programming roots, is a community-designed open source beer.
Unfortunately, such a business model does not tend to attract the attention of venture capitalists, and thus their approach to funding does not follow conventional methods. While all of their backing thus far has come from their own wallets, they are now looking to their community to help them along. This is taking form as a project on the creative backing website kickstarter.com. Their project, available at
Ass Clown Charlotte Debut on January 20th in Charlotte with four or more beers!
Tell our readers what the scope of your research with NC State has been?
The hops research at NC State University is a collaborative effort between Scott King and Rob Austin in the Soil Science Department and my program in the Department of Horticultural Science. We obtained several grants to build research hop yards on university research stations in Raleigh and in Mills River (near Asheville, in the mountains). The main objective of the current research is to identify the best varieties for North Carolina. We have ten varieties at each location. We are also looking at various cultural aspects; we have a short trellis in Raleigh and a high trellis (that we can raise and lower the top wire) in Mills River. We are also studying soil fertility; weed, disease, and insect control, and costs of production. We are also working with hop growers across the state.
Is there a history of hop production in North Carolina apart from the most recent growers? IE, pre prohibition?
There was a hop industry in North Carolina over 100 years ago. I have not been able to find out much about it online; I’ll have to hit the library stacks sometime. A friend of mine found an old ledger book from an ancestor of hers who was a hop farmer in NC long ago. She promised to photocopy some of the pages of that for me.
What results have you seen? (varieties that have done well, seasons in NC, terrior, etc)
The hops are doing surprisingly well here, considering how far south we are located! They seem to be doing particularly well in the mountain areas. Identifying the right varieties is going to be crucial for success. Cascade, Chinook, Nugget, Zeus, and Newport are good performers in many locations across the state. Our yields will never be as high as they are in the Pacific Northwest, but the reports we are getting back from brewers indicate that overall the quality is good. Our hops mature really early here; we start harvesting in July. We aren’t sure what that means for the plants in the long term. We have more disease, insect, and weed pressure than in the PNW, but we expected that and we are figuring out ways to cope. I think our success will rely on having markets that will pay a premium for high quality, locally grown, hand-harvested hops (wet or dry).
What are the challenges that North Carolina Hop growers are facing?
Our organic growers are having the biggest challenges right now fighting diseases and insects, but they are finding that some varieties are much better than others. Finding adequate labor to maintain and harvest a large yard is proving to be a challenge for some growers. We are going to have to find ways to reduce the labor needs.
What is in your beer fridge right now?
With four beer drinkers in the house with different tastes, there are new beers in the refrigerator almost every week. If I remember correctly, there are three NC breweries represented there right now: Highland, Weeping Radish, and Duck-Rabbit.
© 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
