Every beer geek has one, that place they store all the vital brews. I have taken with decorating the outside with the obligatory beer stickers across the door (Closer photos top here and bottom here). Mine was quite the bargain I got it from an apartment complex that was renovating and upgrading the equipment in all the units. Just a bit smaller than a regular refrigerator, but it can comfortably hold three homebrew kegs and numerous bottles on the door and within the extra space.

So as a quick post holiday Meme what's your beer frig look like?

(Tag posts beerfrig)

One late breaking beer event for the Raleigh-Durham area. Aviator Brewing is having it's Grand Opening party tomorrow at 4pm.

I got to meet Mark Wednesday and he mentioned the party all are invited, so stop in and check out the fun.

November 29th - 4pm
Aviator Brewing Company Opening
5633 Piper Dr.
Fuquay Varina, NC 27526
(919) 975-5310

This Fermentation Friday was a bit last minute so the format of homebrewing pictures to make it easy on the participants. I choose to highlight a few pictures I have been meaning to upload from the last time I brewed in Arizona before the move. They were taken at Oak Creek Brewing in Sedona during the AHA Big Brew day that the brewery was kind enough to host.

It was a fun filled day and I wrote about the day here.


A typical shot from the set to see all the images click here or from Brewer John's photo set click here.

A brief Happy Thanksgiving wish to everyone, hope you can get to enjoy the day with your favorite loved ones or find a way to keep them in your heart.

I am thankful for so many beers this season and while I sure I'll miss some here are the ones I'd like to share with you.

I am thankful for the Hefeweizens their wheat character and clove-banana nose a delight to my senses. I am reminded of great places and friends along the way.

I am thankful for the Czech Pilsners with that bit of hop spiciness to provide a crisp hop contrast balance. They remind be that somethings are classic for good reason.

I am thankful for the diversity of Belgian ales, showing me the variety that can exist in the world.

I am thankful for the Imperial IPAs, they over the top boldness that keeps bringing me back for more. They show what you can achieve when you don't follow tradition or accept convention.

I am thankful for the homebrews, giving my brewing adventures the freedom only limited by my own imagination.

I am thankful for the Russian Imperial Stouts. They remind me on a cold winter night it's always good to have a warming friend.

I am thankful for the brewers, whose daily work makes that wonderful brew.

I am thankful for the American Light Lager. Because without the bland beer, I'd have never set out to find all these other wonderful beers.

I am thankful for the Holiday ales and their unique spiced characters. I hope to share one with you.

Grut or Gruit beer is the style of beer that uses herbs and spices as balancing agents to the malt sweetness of beer, it was commonplace before the usage of hops became prominent. So really they can be anything from Fraoch Heather ale to today's Grut Bier or even more diverse in form, just as long as they don't use hops. Even Working for Tips I tried at the Trappist this year would qualify.

The FoodGeek and I both took note of this beer when we saw it on the shelf in Richmond so there was never any question of giving it a sample.



As I first smelled the golden ale I knew I recognized something immediately familiar about the beer. I had to pause and consider it until I could place it.

It smelled like a Saison.

It had a spicy, citrus and slightly lemony character which took me back to being reminisce of a Saison. It also had a dry character with very effervescent carbonation.

The beer had settled so it was clear at first but then we poured the trub in from the bottle so I think it may have been bottle conditioned. Cloudy yeasty beers are the best, but remember I am a homebrewer.

Interesting also was almost a mint like character in the finish, FoodGeek thinks it was from lemongrass, but I am uncertain. Later as the brew warmed a pineapple character became more apparent.

I could see this as a great beer to keep around in the warmer months it was very refreshing. In addition it could lead to some interesting food pairings as it was a great palette cleanser and the spicy character would have a great interplay with different cuisines. I would highly recommend it if you happen to find it at your local beer store.

With the holiday season quickly approaching beer sponsored events seem to be dropping off in number until after the holidays. While I had thought this column would perhaps be weekly, I suspect there is only enough to run it bi-weekly. That said I did find a couple of beer tidbits for the week.

2nd Black Friday Beer Festival
Friday, November 28th - 3pm
Triangle Brewing Company
Durham, NC
Why fight crowds at the mall, when you can fight crowds at the bar instead! Tickets are $25 in advance or $30 at the door. The festival will be raising money for Cystic Fibrosis and will include live music, food, draft beer and a number of casks.

Big Boss and Duck Rabbit Dinner at Brixx
Wednesday, December 10th - 6:60pm
Brixx Restaurant
Chapel Hill
Vegetarian beer dinner with Big Boss and Duck Rabbit Breweries at Brixx in Chapel Hill. It will be $32.00 and include a five course meal, as well as a reception beer. Each course will be paired with either a Big Boss or Duck Rabbit beer. You can find tickets at the Big Boss brewery while they last.

If the photo seems a bit fuzzy, it is because, well it is. The label is the first to my knowledge to be done in 3D style. The camera doesn't do a great job of capturing the fun of the label, but the 3D glasses attached with the bottle do, unfortunately it's tough to explain. You'll just have to have a bottle yourself to understand the experience.

The color was black opaque hue with light tan foam that quickly faded. The beer reminded me of Ten Fidy because no light at all pierced this raven's coat. As I took a sniff the aroma was dominated by roasted notes.

Roasted notes also dominated the flavor, almost a coffee like character. There was a bit of carbon dioxide bite but not unpleasant and helps to lift this beer off the tongue. Unlike many other 'Imperial Porters' I have tasted the Bridgeport beer retains distinct Porter characteristics, often it just seems to be Russian Imperial Stout named Porter. A hint of warmth in the finish of the swallow, but no high-hot notes that some imperial beers can carry.

As an after thought once the beer warmed there was a greater complexity to the beer with more coffee character that became apparent. If you like roast to your beer you'll love Raven Mad.

As I don't live on the Western US anymore I wouldn't have had the pleasure of enjoying this beer if not for the kindness of the people at Bridgeport Brewery who sent me sample of Raven Mad Imperial Porter.

Travels took me up North to DC and Richmond this last weekend and while I didn't get to the chance to experience enough for a full review I did have a few quick notes.

Gordon Biersch in DC still has great food and beer, I just wish they would better monitor their serving temperature. It's hard to enjoy a Schwartzbier when it's served ice cold. Otherwise I had a great time.

As our group walked past the Chinatown area I was really struck how the neighborhood around Chinatown is become quite the mini-Times Square with garish lights and chain restaurants. What little Chinese character was in the area seems to be quickly fading away.

The next night I started off at Richbrau, while I only had the dark lager and IPA they were both solid beers and worth trying if you happen to find yourself in downtown Richmond.

Last I had the chance to visit the south location of Once Upon a Vine, they had a great beer selection from across the country and globe. I found some fine Italian beers, a wide selections of Belgian ales and even hard to find West Coast beers including Firestone Walker and Stone 12th Anniversary (good luck if you want some I bought the last of it). I'll definitely keep them in mind as a place to look for unique offerings in the future.

All and all a great weekend of beer.

I enjoyed a number of great beers when I had Italian beer week back in September. The only problem was I didn't know who the importer was or where the beers might be sold in my area. Now thanks to Stan's post I know who exactly imported those ales and who to contact to see if they have any local accounts. So if you found some of those beers interesting and would like to find them in your area, B. United Internal does offer a listing of local vendors on their website. If you want to find out more about Italian beers give check out Stan's take on the topic.

I first heard of Mark on the website's announcement last month, no one seemed to know anything about him in any detail. I decided I should find out a bit more, so I emailed him and a few days later we had a couple of beers and had a good conversation.

Mark is originally from the Mid-Atlantic area but began his interest in beer as he was in Oregon in the early 1990s. This led him to a job as a keg washer at Deschutes in 1992. Then Mark worked his way up through the cellar, then brewer for the brewpub until he eventually brewed at the production brewery.

From there he studied at Siebels. After school he was hired by Blue Sky in Wilmington DE. The brewery did a lot of the planning stages of work but never quite opened.

At the time it was the late 90s when breweries were in decline and job market was tight for brewers. So Mark made a career change and got a law degree in Baltimore. After graduating an offer came his way to help open the Twin Lakes brewery and he jumped to be back into the field.

Now he has accepted an offer to be brewer for Boylan Bridge.

He has a lot experience working different brewing systems. He said a key to the experience is to remember that used equipment "was once someone's dream system" so they have their own unique quirks. He has many tales to share about his cross country brewing experiences, but ask him about Alaska if you want to hear a true beergeek one.

Mark brings a lot of energy to Boylan Bridge and while it has had it's delays I am confident he'll make it worth the wait once he gets settled into regular operations.

The Session is the monthly beer bloggers discussion of various topic. This month's session is "What is your favorite Beer and Why?" by Matt at World of Brews. Hard topic, because frankly I don't have a favorite beer, I drink seasonally and according to mood. I don't say it flippantly if you go to my old regular bar Uptown Billiards and asked "What is Thomas' favorite beer?" The bartender would stare at you and say he's a beer geek he drinks everything but the Light Lagers with no clear preference.

If there is anything close to my favorite it's the new beer. When I look at a line of taps I always look for something new, different, that I have never had before. I want a new experience in beer it's really my only constant. When we brewed monthly a special release beer for Artwalk and I was always willing to play with a new ingredient. Agava Wheat Beer, Peppermint Chocolate Stout, Sarchi Ace Pale Ale, Oat Mild, and Heather Mild all come to mind as things I tried to make.

So in response to Matt I say my favorite is my next new beer.

The Session was started by Stan Hieronymus for more information about the history and past topics Jay's post here.

Holiday season is quickly approaching so you would think that means things would slow down for beer events, but the next few weeks show quite the contrary.

Big Boss Release Party for "Aces and Ates" Stout
Wednesday, November 5th - 5 p.m.
Horniblows Tavern - Big Boss Brewery
Raleigh, NC
The release for their infamous Coffee Stout, winter seasonal, at the Brewery tavern.

Stone Beer Dinner with Head Brewer at The Trappeze Pub
Thursday, November 6th - 7pm
Trappeze Pub
269 W Washington St
Athens, GA
Come join Mitch Steele, Stone's Head Brewer, as he guides beer and food aficionados through an exceptional six course meal. Rumor has it he will have some of the Stone 11th Anniversary Ale as well as a 2006 vintage of Double Bastard Ale

Triangle Brewing Cask Tasting
Friday, November 7th - 6pm
Bull McCabes
Durham, NC
Triangle Brewing Company will be tapping a cask of their Bourbon Aged Abbey Dubbel.

Big Boss Brewery Tour
Saturday, November 8th - 2pm
Big Boss Brewery
Raleigh, NC
In addition to the normal monthly tour this month they will have the people from Larry's Beans on hand to celebrate the "Aces and Ates" Coffee Stout release. They will be set up sampling their coffees, talking about their sustainable practices, and will offer coffee for sale.

Duck-Rabbit Open House and Release Party
Saturday, November 8th - 3pm
Duck-Rabbit Brewery
Farmville, NC
Duck-Rabbit will host an open-house to celebrate the release of the 2008 Baltic Porter. There will be food and some beer and some fun. You're all invited, so come on out to Farmville. (Via Beerinator)

Triangle Brewing Cask Tasting
Saturday, November 8th - 10pm
Broad Street Cafe
Durham, NC
Triangle Brewing Company will be tapping a cask of their Belgian Style Strong Golden Ale in conjunction with the Troika music festival.

Dogfish Head Beer Dinner at Porters Tavern
Wednesday, November 12th - 7:00 pm
Porter's City Tavern
2412 Hillsborough St
Raleigh, NC

Stone Beer v Wine Dinner At South Carolina's Tristan Restaurant
Thursday, November 13th - 7pm
Tristan Restaurant
55 S Market St
Charleston, SC

Bright Leaf Brew Fest
Saturday, November 15th
Danville Community Market
Danville, VA

2nd Black Friday Beer Festival
Friday, November 28th - 3pm
Triangle Brewing Company
Durham, NC
Why fight crowds at the mall, when you can fight crowds at the bar instead! Tickets are $25 in advance or $30 at the door. The festival will be raising money for Cystic Fibrosis and will include live music, food, draft beer and a number of casks!