Another year, another teach a friend to brew day. This year we have been making more of a push to reach out to beginning brewers in the Raleigh-Durham area. A full days events is planned at American Brewmaster with 2 brewing demonstrations, local brewers talking about making beer, games, food, and some prizes as well. Speakers from Lone Rider, Aviator and Big Boss breweries and most of them, pretty sure all, started as homebrewers before making the move professionally. This carnival atmosphere for the day we hope to show how easy it is to make beer. So if you are in the Triangle area and want understand more about the process I invite you to stop in and say hello.

I spent the weekend up in Burlington and Plattsburgh visiting extended family and a bit of beer touring. It was great to get a glimpse of the local brewing scene. The trip started with flight up there with a small layover at JFK. We had the surreal experience of being in New York City (at the airport), eating sushi, drinking a Belgian style ale brewed in California while listening to European Techno, a truly global experience. Deep Blue was a great airport experience with good sushi and Bruery's Orchard White ale available in the 750ml bottle. The coriander and spices were pleasant and paired well with the sushi. It was great to get something other than the typical lager or pale/amber/brown ale at an airport restaurant, kudos to those responsible for raising the bar on craft beer at an airport.

Once we arrived and settled in Burlington we hit Burlington's brewpubs. Currently there is a core in the downtown that are all just a short walk from one another which made for an easy sampling experience. Our first stop was Vermont Pub and Brewery despite the recent sad passing of Greg Noonan, one of the founders, the Pub was a lively environment. The pub has one of those newspaper menu styles that always strikes me with a certain kitsch charm. I started with a cask ale which to my pleasant surprise they offered two selections. Throughout my time in Vermont it seemed cask ales were constantly available, which I took as a promising sign for craft beer in the region. The choices were between a Dogbite Bitter and Handsome Micks Stout. I went with the bitter that had a pleasant herbal hop character. The Foodgeek had the stout, it was a smoked stout with just enough smoke to be noticeable but not so overpowering that it was distracting. I could see it pairing well with food or just the thing on a cold Autumn night. After that I tried the Vermont Hop a pale ale brewed with hops grown locally in Westminster Vermont. It came across to me as a light in hop character beer but with a sessionable character to it. The O-fest was a deep red lager with a fair amount of Vienna character it seemed to me and a bit of carmel sweetness.

On the odd side were a few interesting selections. Blue Night was a compelling beer with a cloudy haze. The beer had an earthy herbal floral notes that reminded me of heather ales or a bit like La Fluerette without the pepper character. The foodgeek ordered me to write "orange flower water" as what it reminded her of it had a murky spice note. Then there was Spuyten Duyvil. It had a belgian gueze nose with a mild horseblanket character and a bit of funk but not overpowering. Last was Forbidden Fruit, my first thought it reminded me of 3 Rivers Cider with a mild tart character but with some sweetness. They made it with 500 lb of raspberries and sour mashed. The oak aged character was a pleasant not in the background but not overpowering.

In regards to the experience at the Pub. It offered pours in pint, 12 ounce and 3 ounce servings which was nice to be able to sample but not overwhelmed by their large selection. I really appreciate when pubs and breweries offer smaller than pint options so you can sample more of the beerlist. The atmosphere of the pub was a bit cavelike and loud, but people were enjoying themselves. The staff was very knowledgable about their beers which is always a plus. The food was decent, but didn't impress. I enjoyed the cheese plate and they had a local saltine like cracker for it which seemed to be a bit light to pairing with the strength of the cheeses. Overall it was a great start to our Vermont brewery experience.

Next up 3 Needs and American Flatbread.

I have been on the road since Thursday with visits to breweries around Burlington and the area. Stops include Vermont Pub and Brewery and newsworthy Rock Art Brewery. Pictures and a more detailed account to follow soon but for the moment if you haven't seen the video of Matt from Rock Art talking about his recent trouble with Monster Energy drink check it out.

I helped to teach another Beginner Homebrew class at Tir Na Nog through American Brewmaster tonight. It was fun getting to share your passion for homebrewing with others. In comparison with the more advanced classes we seem to get asked more questions, which helps explain the process better. Also the experience speaking in public again is good practice on a certain level it has become more relaxed and natural. The advanced topics are more work to prepare, but the beginner are more of a set format.

Beer blogger? Beergeek? Find a way to share that love with others, it will pay off.

News
The new Tap House for Aviator has opened. It's located at 600 E. Broad St. in Fuquay Varina, NC 27526. Mark has mentioned they would like to have cask tastings as regular part of the Tap Room experience on the weekends once they get settled in the new location. Tours at the brewery will continue on Saturdays.

Mother Earth has started brewing, no word when to expect their arrival in the Triangle, but soon for sure.

In case you missed it, North Carolina had two breweries win at the Great American Beer Festival. Check out all the winners here.

Calendar
Bruery Release Party
Sept 30th - 6pm
Busy Bee
Raleigh
Tonight North Carolina's debut of the Bruery's beers. All the way from California for just you to find.

Carolina Beer Dinner
Oct 1st
Carolina Inn
Chapel Hill
Call for details

World Beer Festival - Durham
Oct 3rd 12pm-4pm, 6pm-10pm
Old Bulls Stadium
Durham
Tickets are sold out, but if it's like last year you may be able to find tickets at the door. Link

Backyard Beer Festival
Oct 3rd
Fullsteam Brewery (726 Rigsbee)
Durham
Can't find a WBF ticket maybe Sean will let you into his beer festival where he will showcase the local homebrewing community.

Victory Beer Dinner
Oct 6th - 7pm
Brixx Pizza
Brier Creek
$35 for a ticket, details can be found here.

Duck-Rabbit Marzen Release Party
Oct 8th - 6pm
Flying Saucer
Raleigh

Lone Rider Tour
Oct 10th 1-2pm
Lone Rider Brewery
Raleigh

Big Boss Tour
Oct 10th 2pm
Big Boss Brewery
Raleigh, NC

Triangle Brewey Tour
Oct 10th 1pm
Triangle Brewery
Durham

Octoberfest Beer Tasting
Oct 15th 6:30-9:00pm
Brixx Pizza
Brier Creek
$5 for four samples with 8 different Octoberfest beers on hand. Breweries to be featured include Foothills, Paulaner, Stoudt's, Spaten and more.

Lighthouse Beer Festival
Oct 17th - 1pm-5pm
Wilmington
Link

Carolina Annual Oktoberfest Celebration
Oct 17th - 5-9pm
Carolina Brewery
Pittsboro
Featuring limited edition Oktoberfest t-shirts, pint glasses and 25oz mugs and of course plenty of food and drink. Admission $5

Lone Rider Tour
Oct 23rd 6-7pm
Lone Rider Brewery
Raleigh

Aviator Cask Night
Oct 24th
Aviator Tap Room - 600 E. Broad St
Fuquay Varina
Featuring a couple of special casks that have been aging.

Congratulations to all of this year's winners. Every day these people represent the future of America's brewing, go support them. You can find the winners here.

More specifically congratulations to my friends in Arizona.The Four Peaks Brewing won a Silver for their Kilt Lifter, a Scottish Style Ale, frankly one of the first beers in the state I expect to gain eventual national attention. Thunder Canyon Brewery won two awards with their Countdown Honey Brown getting a Gold for Specialty Honey Beer and Roadrunner Red Lager received a Silver for their American-Style Dark Lager. Last certainly not least my friends at Beaver Street Brewer in Flagstaff. They won for a Gold for their Big Rapid Red their Ordinary or Special Bitter and a Silver Hopshot IPA their American-Style Strong Pale Ale. With these beers in their arsenal it's a promising start to their Lumberyard Brewery operation to open later this Fall.

More locally congrats to Foothills Brewing for a Bronze on it's beer Sexual Chocolate Imperial Stout, it's been wowing beer fanatics locally and on beer lists for years it's now had a chance to shine nationally. Always congratulations to Duck-Rabbit Craft Brewery for it's Gold for it's Baltic Porter and it's Bronze for the Barrel Aged Baltic Porter just goes to show how North Carolina is flexing it's brewing muscles as well. I'll have to ask Paul if he has any of those around the next time I see him, we need to get them on tap in the Triangle somewhere.

This weeks topic for Fermentation Friday "Where it all Began"

For me this is a very easy answer, Germany. I was never interested in beer before that trip, sure I had tried some at parties but no real interest. Before I went to Germany in 1992 my father said to me these words "Try Dunkleweizen." I did and was immediately hooked on the wheat beers of the Southern Landers. When I returned to the states German beer was unique if presented at all in my college town. Eventual I found Uptown Billiards and Homebrewing. Without them, I would not be the beer geek I am today.

Uptown introduced me to a wide spectrum of beer, when it first opened it only served beer and wine, but it had one of the best selections North of Phoenix in the state. It has grown over the years to a 'Cheers' to the people of a Flagstaff where the regulars always know your name but it's much more than that. It's a home for friend's and a special place, stop in if you ever get the chance. I simply call it home.

Homebrewing is the other leg of this just as important. It gave me an understanding to the hard work and skill required to create great beer. Homebrewing has given me and understanding of the roles of malt, hops and most importantly perhaps yeast. It's given me a job of late and will always be a love, though if I could hire a team of robotic helpers to clean and keg beer for me, I don't think I'd have any complaints.

Germany then Uptown Billiards and Homebrewing a simple equation to make a beergeek, or this one to be sure.

Between their up coming Beerfest and a conversation with a friend I have been thinking about the Carolina Ale House this week. I have had the chance to stop in on occasion and the experiences have left me with this thought, what a wasted opportunity.

It's your typical sports bar but with a decent beer bottle list, the taps however are filled with mostly the light lager crowd and a few usual suspects of national craft beers you could find in any bar in the country. Change out the local college colors on the wall and you could be really sitting in a bar in Boston or Phoenix.

In an age when North Carolina is becoming national recognized for it's growing craft beer scene this seems a shame. I can understand the need to meet consumer demand and I can see keeping a couple of lager taps. That said the rest of the taps could be used to showcase all the great beers North Carolina is producing from Foothills to Old Mecklenburg, Big Boss to Lone Rider, to nearly 40 others. There is a world of options being brewed in their own backyard. Yes they may need to run some beer classes to educate their regular customer base, but there are plenty of people willing to help in that regard including myself. Carolina Ale House live up to your name, it's a great time to make the local crafted beers shine.

News
Duck Rabbit is looking for brewer.

Mother Earth Brewing may start brewing in the next few weeks.

Events
IPA Showdown
Aug 25th 6:30pm
Flying Saucer
Raleigh
$15 gets you into the ultimate West Coast vs East Coast showdown. 9 beers enter, none hopefully leave.

Beer Dinner - Foothills Brewing
Aug 25th 7pm
Busy Bee Cafe
Raleigh

Carolina Brew Fest
Aug 29th 4-6pm and 7-9pm
Carolina Ale House - Briar Creek
Raleigh

3rd Annual Cask Ale Tasting
Aug 29th 6:30pm
Rigsbee Hall
Durham
$40 gets you into this special event with 12 casks from such breweries as Highland, Triangle, Duck Rabbit, Foothills, Aviator, Top of the Hill, French Broad, and Lone Rider.

Beer Dinner - Foothills Brewing
Aug 31st 7pm
Broad Street Cafe
Durham
$30 for a great dinner and beer how can you beat the value on this event?

Beer and Chocolate
Sept 3rd 6-8:30pm
North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences
Raleigh
$25 gets you into this tasting hosted by Julie Johnson Editor of All About Beer. It sounds like a great lineup so check it out.

High Country Beer Fest
Sept 5th
Boone

Big Boss Tour
Sept 9th 2pm
Big Boss Brewery
Raleigh, NC

Triangle Brewey Tour
Sept 9th 1pm
Triangle Brewery
Durham

Asheville Brewgrass Festival
Sept 19th
Asheville

LoneRider Brewery Tour
Sept 25th 6pm
Raleigh

World Beer Festival
Oct 3rd
Durham
Tickets go on sale Sept 8th.

Octoberfest Beer Tasting
Oct 15th 6:30-9:00pm
Brixx Pizza
Raleigh
$5 for four samples, they will have 8 different Octoberfest beers, four on draft, four in the bottle. Breweries from around across the globe and NC.

This week is the 4th Anniversary of Pop the Cap. For those not familiar with it, the effort raised the 6% ABV restriction to 15% on beer, while not perfect it was a huge leap forward for giving North Carolinians access to IPAs, Belgian styles, and barleywines to name just a few beers. I was talking with a native this week, when he first tested for the BJCP, before the lift of restrictions he had to travel as far away as New York to get access to some styles. In fact he said the first time he ever had a Doppelbock was when he brewed one.

My how things have changed with a bustling beer community of over 40 breweries and more in startup mode or planning. These vibrate small business are making a big impact on diversity in the local beer market. One thing I wasn't confident about when I moved here was how vibrant the beer culture was going to be given how many breweries were in the Triangle area. While there were some good pubs, the number of breweries was the same Flagstaff. Fast forward a year and the number of local breweries has more than doubled. While North Carolina hasn't one high accolades nationally yet, I now know it's a matter of time, not quality.

It shows in the eyes of brewers. As evidence...

If you want to see the passion of brewers speak with them about their craft. It shows in people like Mark Doble at Aviator, Mike Morris at Big Boss, er soon to be Natty Greens Raleigh, and Ian Vangundy at Lone Rider as a few examples. And there are so many more I haven't mentioned or had the chance to meet yet.

At least once a week I see or hear of something that reminds me that the local beer culture is exploding and the state is on the cusp of a beer mecca in the making. I feel very fortunate to get to be here and witness it happen. All of this made possible by all the hard work of those associated with Pop the Cap, so thank you everyone.

The AHA sent out this request and Shawn at Beer Philosopher has the whole text. I think it's a great idea and a good base document, that said there is a minor improvement you can add to the letter. Add the number of breweries and people employed locally into the text. It will mean more if they know how many people in their district are working in the field. If you don't have access to the data you can find it here. If you don't have much in your district use the data on how it impacts your home state, it will still be a helpful supporting point. Get out there and support craft beer!

Last night's class was a good experience, it was more of a planning class than digging down into the study guide but with almost 6 months until the exam we aren't in a rush. It started out with a local who has given the exam and judged it giving his perspective on things that are important to study for. This was important because rather than just the 'you do things this way' it gave me a better understanding of the whys. It also gave me chance to see how the exam has changed the last few years. When I tested before it was on the cusp of the change so we had the new style exam but had not been told about them so we walked in a bit blindsided. Not that I am complaining it was just we didn't have experienced locals active in the BJCP at the time of the exam so we didn't have the best study prep.

The group is a good mix of beginners, brewers, and experience folk so it should be a well rounded group. Rather than self study it was decided to do more of a combined group study with some homework. Tastings are part of the program, but the process understanding of brewing should be the part that I expect to be the most beneficial. We will be combining some class elements with the local homebrew club events which will get a more social atmosphere to the studies and keep the class energized I suspect. All and all it looks like a great start to the classes.