Meet Joel McClosky and Andrew Deming of Four Saints Brewing Company, scheduled to open in 2013.
Q & A with Four Saints Brewing
Big Boss events this week
Jan 16
WHAT: Big Boss Run Club
WHEN: Each and Every Tuesday
WHERE: Bottle Revolution in Raleigh
The Big Boss Run Club takes place every Tuesday at Bottle Revolution in Raleigh until Daylight savings time begins. After that we’ll switch back to Big Boss and run the greenway once again! Next week: the first 24 runners at Bottle Revolution will received a Big Boss pint glass.
WHAT: Big Boss Beer Dinner
WHEN: Wednesday
WHERE: Ri Ra – Charlotte
RiRa’s Beer Dinner feat. Big Boss Brewing Co. Appetizer “High roller” beer cheese soup Salad Cajun-inspired Cobb salad paired with Hell’s Belle Relevé “Bad Penny”-Glazed Lamb Lollipops Entrée Orange-Glazed Red Snapper with Wild Mushroom Risotto Paired With Blanco Diablo Dessert Dark Chocolate and Raspberry Mousse Paired With Big Operator Each course has been inspired by a perfectly matched Beer from Big Boss brewing company in nearby Raleigh, NC The cost of the dinner is $45 per person Reservations can be made at (704)333-5554 or simply inquire with your Rí Rá server.
WHAT: Maiden America
WHEN: Wednesday
WHERE: Big Boss Tap Room
When we open at 4 today we’ll debut Bobby’s new Pale Ale called Maiden America! Tastes like freedom!
WHAT: Big Boss Untappd Invasion
WHEN: Thursday
WHERE: Duckworth’s – Charlotte
Big Boss Draft and Untappd Invasion- Indulge with 8-10 Big Boss Drafts including 2012 Big Operator release, the very limited Buffalo Trace Bourbon Barrel aged Aces & Ates, a surprise keg of Harvest Time Pumpkin Ale and a special Appetizer Menu to pair with some of our favorite year-arounds. We are encouraging all of our fellow beer aficionados to tag Duckworth’s and Big Boss on your untappd apps, see you in “THE PUB.” WWW.DUCKWORTHS.COM 704.527.5783
WHAT: Tasty Beer & Cheese tasting
WHEN: Thursday 5:30 – 7:30
WHERE: Tasty Beverage Co – Raleigh
Try some Big Boss Beers paired with cheeses at Tasty Beverage co this Thursday starting at 5:30pm. There will be a special draft and keep the glass offer as well. See you there!
NEXT WEEK!
WHAT: Big Operator Celebration
WHEN: Wednesday the 25th
WHERE: Big Boss tap room Raleigh
Join us for the release of Big Operator with appearances by our cocoa provider, Elemental Chocolate Company & friends Cup Cake Brewery.
Big Operator Belgian Black Raspberry & Chocolate stout is shipping out this week! This is a full-flavored black ale infused with locally roasted cacao from Elemental Chocolate Company of Raleigh with added raspberry overnighted to us from the Pacific North West. We even created a special glass for this beer: No tiny snifters for Big Operator. We made a 16 ounce stemmed glass with Euro style reflective print. http://bigbossbrewing.com/big-operator.aspx
Ass Clown Charlotte Debut on January 20th in Charlotte with four or more beers!
http://vbgbuptown.com/ and assclownbrewery.com
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.
More North Carolina hop farming news
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The Loe’s Brewing Co. taproom will now be open on Friday, Saturday & Sunday from 2pm – 10pm. Longer hours are available on request. A new bar menu is available and the food will be prepared by Bistro 127.
Address: 2033 North Center ST, Hickory, NC 28601
Phone: 828-781-5761
