Geistbear Brewing Blog

The Triangle and Beyond - 6/23/09 Edition

Thomas — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 00:42:22 -0400

News
Lone Rider and Fullsteam get mentioned in this recent TV article (yes it's the text of the piece only, no video)

Fullsteam has found a location.

Seasonal Taps
Aviator
Saison de Aviator
Thunder Berliner Weisse
One Hundred India Pale Ale

Big Boss
Monkey Business Belgian Farmhouse Ale
In the Mood Porter
A Little Behind Alt Beer
Super Chief India Brown Ale

Boylan Bridge
Summer ale, someone send me a review if you get a chance to sample it

Carolina Brewing
Spring Bock
Wiggo
Summer Wheat

Calendar
Beer & Cheese Tasting w/ Jason Gavin from Brooklyn Brewery
June 23rd
Flying Saucer
Raleigh

Foothills Cask Night
June 24th 5pm
Tyler's Taproom
Apex
Dry hopped IPA

Wilmington Brewgrass Festival
June 27th 2pm
Downtown Wilmington
Wilmington

Beer Dinner
June 30th 7pm
Busy Bee
Raleigh
Busy Bee is teaming up with Don Richardson and Allgood Brands for the 3rd of their monthly beer dinners. But act fast because only 7 seats were remaining for Tuesday's dinner.

Tasting at The Flying Saucer: Belgium vs. North America
June 30th 7pm
Flying Saucer
Raleigh

Triangle Pub Crawl
July 11th
Starts at Bull McCabes
Durham

Big Boss Tour
July 11th 2pm
Big Boss Brewery
Raleigh, NC

The Triangle and Beyond - 6/09/09 Edition

Thomas — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 09:53:12 -0400

News
You may have noticed a lack in posts, between moving to another house locally and the upcoming Parsec Awards my time is committed at full until early July at least. If anyone is interested in guest blogging about beer feel free to contact me, otherwise expect the site to slow down for a few weeks, but I will be back.

Big Boss' unique packaging gets attention in this post.

When Sean told me about Fullsteam's smoked t shirts I thought it was simultaneously it was the most awesome and silly idea ever. Go buy some and support the brewery.

A reminder about the Brew it Forward contest Lone Rider is sponsoring. Homebrew, locally made craft beer and supporting local charities, everyone wins!

Calendar
Cask Night with Triangle Brewing
June 12th
Broad Street
Durham, NC

Triangle Beer Tour
June 13th 1:30pm
Triangle Brewery
Durham, NC

Carolina Brewery Tour
June 13th Noon and 1pm
Carolina Brewery
Pittsboro, NC

Big Boss Tour
June 13th 2pm
Big Boss Brewery
Raleigh, NC

Big Boss Beer Dinner
June 16th 6:30pm
Brixx Pizza
Raleigh, NC

American Brewmaster Palate Training
June 16th - 7pm
Tir Na Nog
Raleigh, NC
Learn to improve your understanding of beer with me teaching a class understand the flavor and characteristics your favorite fermented beverage.

Brooklyn Beer Dinner
June 17th - 7pm
Porter's Tavern
Raleigh, NC
$45 for this beer dinner

Hops for Pops High Cuisine Dinner
June 18th 6:30pm
Carolina Inn's Crossroads Restaurant
Chapel Hill, NC

Monkey Business Big Boss Cask at Flying Saucer
June 18th
Flying Saucer
Raleigh, NC

Lone Rider Tour
June 20th 1pm
Lone Rider Brewery
Raleigh, NC

Balticon Wrapup

Thomas — Wed, 27 May 2009 10:30:31 -0400

I had a great time at Balticon, but still seem a bit tired from all the fun. It was my first time attending this Science Fiction Con and I look forward to returning in future years. The panels I spoke on were the Parsec Awards and Copyright and Social Media.

The Parsec panel was great for explaining the awards process and answering questions. The face to face interaction made me realize I have only started to do the outreach to educate people on the Parsecs and it's a segment that has been neglected in the past because most of our efforts were directed at working on the program itself. Through the conversations I had in Baltimore there are a number improvements for the 2010 awards I want to see implemented, that's right, we haven't had this year's awards and I have a To Do list for next year.

The Copyright and Social Media panel turned out very informative for attendees. Thomas Gideon did a great job leading the panel, while I tried to check the assumptions and make sure that while we used terms we that were commonplace to us, the audience understood their meaning. I have to agree with Thomas post that it could have been a much longer panel and we wouldn't have probably answered all the questions. More material next year I suppose.

It was a great practice for public speaking which frankly I have not done enough of lately and so the next time I have an opportunity to participate in such discussions I won't hesitate to jump onboard.

Last and most important was the side conversations, frankly that is usually the best part of such events. The chance to connect online names with faces and hangout with old friends. A few times I stopped myself looked around the room and just amazed at the people I was able to hangout with, it's a new age of digital storytelling and these are the first generation of this movement, an exciting and unique time. I can't wait until next year.

Lone Rider Hosts Homebrew Competition

Thomas — Sun, 10 May 2009 18:20:52 -0400

From their roots the LoneRider guys were homebrewers, so it makes sense that one of their first special projects returns to their own start in brewing. They are hosting Brew It Forward, a homebrew competition to select and brew a North Carolinian's beer.

The contest runs June 1st through July 25th?. It will cost $6 for entry and will feature a festival for entrants on August 1st. You can find details here.

I have been asked to participate on the judging panel, so obviously I won't be submitting any of my beers to the contest. It looks like it will be a great opportunity to support homebrewing, North Carolina beer, and local charities.

Casks Take Triangle By Storm

Thomas — Tue, 05 May 2009 09:41:01 -0400

It's been a busy week in the Triangle for beer events between the World Beer Festival, beer dinners, and the cask night at Raleigh Times. Let me rephrase that Thursday was the NC Super Duper Cask Night. Here is a cask primer for the unexperienced. Cask events have been becoming more common place in the last year or two in the States and it's great to see returning to such beer tradition.

The menu of the Times' cask party is here.

Besides the variety of North Carolina breweries at the event the best part is that the Times offers a 10 ounce pour so you don't feel compelled to drink a whole pint of each offering. You can get to taste more beers this way.

Of the beers I think the Foothills Hoppyum was probably my favorite the crisp hop aroma was refreshing. I had a taste of the French Broad and the warm day was perfect Kolsch weather. The Duck-Rabbit Milk Stout didn't disappoint either, but it's probably about the end of Stout season for me.

The bar and sidewalk were packed from the beginning of the night, so it was great to see the local community be supportive of such a cask night. It means that we are more likely to see other such events in the future. If you have had a cask ale ask for one the next time you are at the Times, take a short pour if you are unsure if you'll like it. It is an easy way to sample a great brewing tradition.

World Beer Fest Wrapup

Thomas — Mon, 04 May 2009 23:48:34 -0400

It was an early start for the festival Saturday, I was set to be a volunteer for the afternoon session. It was interesting for having attended so many festivals to work one for a change. There were the odd random problems that occur at large events, but the crew handled them with minimal amount of fuss and the attendees were patient thankfully.

During the course of the day I had the chance to meet Rick Lyke, brewers, some members of BN Army, and many craft beer enthusiast. The homebrewers were out in force and if anything surprised me it was how many of them I knew. I'd expect that in some other places, but to know that many people here in Raleigh showed how this really is becoming home.

In the second session I helped out at the American Brewmaster tent but also had the chance to check out some of the beers. North Carolina was well represented with most every brewery in the area there. Of course my friends at Lonerider, Big Boss, and Aviator were all in attendance. I didn't really talk to the Big Boss team, because I have notice they are a fest favorite and always gets mobbed. The Surrender Monkey was delicious. Scott from Stone seems to be kept quite busy circling the Southeast. Robert Gordash of Holy Mackerel showed up with an amazing Golden ale and Russian Imperial Stout.

I used to go into festivals and try everything, but I noticed I was now I am more reserved looking for particular styles. I don't think I had a pale ale, brown, or amber the whole festival. That said Oscar Blues pilsner was quite tasty hopefully we will see it here in the state in the coming months. I found myself enjoying particularly the saisons and farmhouse ales at this festival.

The festival was quite a success from audience and volunteer perspective, I look forward to attending future events and I think I may splurge on a VIP ticket some of the beers they got to sample were simply amazing and the bathrooms were nice as well.

I managed to take at the festival that can be found here.

POSTSCRIPT: This post just reminded me that Tupper's Hop Pocket was at the VIP tent. It was a little young, the owner had to practically beg the brewer to give him some but it's awesome to see it coming back into the market. It was every bit as good as memory serves me.

Session 27 Beyond the Black and Tan

Thomas — Fri, 01 May 2009 09:05:03 -0400

The Session is an idea of Stan Hieronymus. It is an opportunity monthly for beer bloggers to write their viewpoint on a specific topic. Each month a beer blogger hosts the Session and chooses the topic. The rest of us write about the topic, then they do a wrap up.

Beer at Joe's asks this month

What’s your favorite beer cocktail (and yes, despite the title of this post, it can be a black & tan or a shandy)? Find a recipe for that or a new one, try it, and tell us why you did or didn’t like it–even if you think beer cocktails are nothing but a good way to waste a beer.

When I first heard about this month's Session I immediately figured I'd go find a bar, have a boilermaker and write about the experience. It's a bar classic and I was more interested in exploring that.

Then last night I was in a local bar and I order a Snakebite. The waitress asked if I knew what that was, I replied I had plenty of them over the years and did know. She showed up with some cider-pale ale combo and I thought she was placing it in the wrong place on the table. I tried to correct her and she told me this was their Snakebite. I was used to a Guinness and Cider combo. Herein lies a problem.

Both the waitress was right and so was I, both of us were wrong, there was definitely a miscommunication. One of the best parts of the BJCP is that it provides a common language for beer lovers. Now I am not going to declare we ought to have a BJCP for beer cocktails, it is a bit too extreme a solution. That said bar owners can do a very simple thing to avoid the confusion I faced. They should list their regular beer cocktails on a menu. One of my favorite bars lists theirs on a full page of their beer menu.

I don't mind if a bar doesn't use the standard terms for a beer cocktail, just that they make it readily apparent to someone walking into their bar. Define our terms, that is what I ask from bars for beer cocktails. And the cider-pale ale Snake Bite was very refreshing.

Preparing for the Fests

Thomas — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 23:01:15 -0400

The World Beer Festival here in Raleigh has been on my mind often the last few days. I am looking forward to the friends and brewers I will see. It also though is a good time to remind us we are in the beginning of festival season, it can be easy to be overwhelmed at festivals. I'll simply recommend people listen Beer School episode Surviving a Beer Festival, Motor and John Foster have some great tips everyone should keep in mind.

Forget Who Do You Want A Beer, When Voting

Thomas — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 15:59:06 -0400

Many beer bloggers have been convinced since some pictures that Obama is "one of us" and he would by sympathetic to craft beers concerns. I remained sceptical figuring craft beer would not really be a factor to any of the candidates.

The recent selection of Chuck Hurley to lead the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) proved my point. Selected someone who has led a neo-prohibitionist organization demonstrates that no matter how many pictures someone has with a beer, it's their policy choices that will ultimately matter the most.

Check out Radley Balko's article in Reason to see what this appointment means for beer lovers and anyone who drives in the United States.

Beer Dinner at Busy Bee

Thomas — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 13:25:15 -0400

One of Raleigh's newest restaurants the Busy Bee jumps into the beer dinner scene in this report at New Raleigh. No mention on the Busy Bee's website yet, so while I don't know what beers will be featured at the dinner this list of Belukus products will give you a clue. $40 is a reasonable price so I suspect it will fill quickly.

The Raleigh area seems to be picking up on the beer dinner concept with events happening nearly every week. Just another sign of how craft beer demand is growing in North Carolina, it's a good time to be a beergeek.

Parsec Awards 2009

Thomas — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 23:34:03 -0400

Another year, another Parsec Awards a lot of hard work to recognize all the hard work the Speculative Fiction podcasting authors put into their craft. So stop in if you have a favorite podcast and help them get the recognition they deserve.

Fermentation Friday - Liquor in Beer

Thomas — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 08:31:52 -0400

For this month's Fermentation Friday Northern Table asks

Have you infused a beer with liquor before either to blend with the flavour (port infused stout as an example)? Have you had a good example of this? Do you think brewers should be doing this at all? If this is something you have done before how did you go about doing it? What varieties of spirits have you tried? Were they home made infused liquors or commerical products?

It's a pretty simple answer for me, I haven't done much. It's not that I am a purist it just hasn't interested me much thus far. I only have used a distilled spirits in a beer and it was some vodka I used to hydrate cocoa powder for a chocolate stout.

The joy of homebrewing is the experimentation side of things. You can try things that aren't necessarily commercially viable because your batch size is a lot smaller. While I don't have any interest in it plenty of people bring such beers into the homebrew shop. If I have noticed any problem with such beers it is they overpower the base beer. Just like a good holiday-seasonal beer I think balance so that you can enjoy the base beer is the key.

Recently a commercial brewery locally started to play with bourbon casks. One of the first I tried was a cask aged American Pale ale, sadly this beer was completely overpowered by the bourbon. It was like drinking a glass of bourbon straight without the burn. So finding the base beer that can stand up to the liquor is definitely a key element to success in the process.

So if you are interested in liquor in beer, give it a try, but take it easy and maintain the balance.

The Triangle and Beyond - 4/23/09 Edition

Thomas — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 08:00:00 -0400

News
Fullsteam is at the Craft Brewers Conference, serious work is being done I tell you. Serious work.

Had the pleasure of tasting Paul's Day Off from Duck-Rabbit this week, go find some before it's gone, you'll thank me.

Reminder I interviewed Mark Doble of Aviator Brewing last week for Know Your Brewer.

Have a tip on a Triangle area beer event? Send me an email geistbear[at]gmail[dot]com.

Events
He'Brew Lenny's Bittersweet R.I.P.A. Tap Nite
April 23rd 7pm
Flying Saucer
Raleigh, NC
One keg only.

One Meatball Cask Night
April 23rd 6pm
Big Boss Taproom
Raleigh, NC
Who would put one Meatball in a cask our friends at Big Boss that's who, never fear though this hoppy Spring ale is quite refreshing and the meatball is undetectable.

Bourbon Barrel of Tripel
April 25th 1pm-8pm
Aviator Brewing
Fuquay Varina, NC
Food stuffs in the form of Brats and Belgian Tripel, who could ask for more?

Triangle Beer Tour
April 25th 1pm
Triangle Brewery
Durham, NC

Game Night and Ska Beer Dinner
April 29th 7pm
Raleigh Times
Raleigh, NC
$55 a person gets you a pairing of Ska beers and a dinner of wild boar, antelope, venison and duck. Sounds heavenly.

NC Brewers Super Duper Cask Party
April 30th 6pm
Raleigh Times
Raleigh, NC
Special pre-WBF party, details are coming in expect casks from Big Boss, Highland, Foothills, French Broad and Duck Rabbit. But I'd bet on a surprise special guest if I were you.

World Beer Festival
May 2nd
Raleigh, NC

Aviator Beer Dinner
May 7th 7pm
Tir Na Nog Irish Pub
Raleigh, NC
$25 for this dinner featuring courses paired with 4 of the Aviator beers.

Whole Planet Foundation Beer Tasting Dinner
May 8th - 7pm
Whole Foods
Durham, NC
This is the reschedule of the March 14th event which was postponed, latest details here. Price is still $30 and the menu has changed to reflect local beers and foods.

Craft Brewers Mad About Twitter

Thomas — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 10:51:52 -0400

Today the Craft Brewing industry is meeting in Boston, you can follow the events if you search #cbc09. More than 200 breweries have jumped on to Twitter at last count. Neal Stewart of Flying Dog Brewery just posted "I feel safe in saying that there isn't another industry that has embraced twitter as much as CRAFT beer" and frankly he's right. But why?

I think part of it is because Twitter works best when it's from passionate people, something brewers have in spades. It shows in most of their tweets as well.

Second it's permission based, you only hear about those beers/breweries you have an interest in. It means if you are following @21Amendment you probably care about what is going on there. It allows them to connect with their customers on a very personal level.

Last it's a medium that doesn't take a large amount of effort for positive results back. A blog post takes some time and thought, maybe even some research. Having a conversation through twitter is far less demanding and means you can engage it while doing other work.

It does have it's challenges I recently spoke with a brewer who was unsure how much exactly he should post on Twitter. Should he post OGs, strike temperatures and other brewing data or was it overkill? I gave my opinion, but obviously there is no right or wrong answer. In the end if it's done with the same love he puts into his beer I think he'll have the right answer.

Know Your Brewer Interview #3

Thomas — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 14:14:56 -0400

My latest interview with Mark Doble of Aviator Brewing is now live at Know Your Brewer. Mark was great fun to interview and if you ever have a chance to talk with him about beer, his passion for the topic is quite obvious.

Most of my photos of the brewery sadly did not turn out, I did like this altered one.

See the rest of my photos here

2009 Top 50 List

Thomas — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 09:55:33 -0400

Another year, another Brewer's Association Top 50 list.

Like last year no sign of Arizona nor my new home North Carolina on the list. But I am not worried, they will get there and soon. Arizona has some new efforts underway that will bring them more attention, but it will be a long haul.

North Carolina on the other hand I am fully confident that it will be recognized in the next few years as a powerhouse of brewing in the Southeastern US. Since Pop the Cap there has been a steady increase in the total number of breweries, currently around 40. The overall quality is amazing from Highland to Aviator. There is not just a love for traditional styles in the Tarheel state but also for trying new flavor combinations. Then there is the diversity of equipment from the converted dairy tanks in an airplane hanger at Aviator to the shiny, modern approach seen off the I-40 at Red Oak. The passion for craft beer is here. You can literally see it in the brewer's eyes and more importantly taste it in the beer.

So not this year for North Carolina on the list, but soon.

How Long Can AHA/BA Serve Two Different Customers?

Thomas — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 09:03:09 -0400

I am a member of the AHA. I have received emails in support of Beer Wars* in the last few weeks, but hearing promotion of activities like Big Brew or Teach a Friend to Brew seems to be dropping off in recent years. Granted Teach a Friend is held just weeks after the Great American Beer Festival, staff need some time off after a major event like that. At the same time the Craft Brewers Conference is just days before Big Brew. So it strikes me, can the AHA team continue to serve two masters as craft beer continues to grow?

I don't mean any offense in asking this question, because I think Charlie Papazian and his team do their best trying to serve the craft beer and homebrewing communities. I just wonder if in craft beers growth in the last decade they are getting close to a point where they need to break into two separate organizations one for the professionals and one for homebrewers. It wouldn't mean they couldn't be both located in the same town, coordinating efforts to support one another. Craft brewing is getting bigger as an industry and in the process have bigger needs from an association.

But what about grassroots support for homebrewers and clubs does the Association do daily? I think the work they do in the state legislatures is vital and important, but otherwise day to day what do I get for my membership other than a TechTalk email.

So I would like to suggest some thoughts of what more I'd like them to do...
Discount Program - This is a tough, because state laws vary so much so it's difficult to get traction everywhere, but this is a part of the program that might be improved.
Speakers Forum - How about the AHA team with homebrewing experts to get them to go talk or heck just brew with local clubs. Maybe even have this person liaison with a local brewery or two to cosponsor the event to cover the guests travel costs.
BJCP - I am aware how the BJCP works with the BJCP perhaps as an extension of the Speaker's Forum work with the BJCP to run more sensory panels and other efforts to educate homebrewers more.

I am sure there are other ideas out there besides these. I really think that grassroots wise there is plenty for AHA to do, I just wonder if it isn't time to break from the Brewer's Association so they can have the focus to do it.

* This not meant as a slight against Beer Wars. I plan to go see it, but I get emails for this film and yet don't see as much support to these Association sponsored events is the point that concerns me.

Bring on Da Funk

Thomas — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 11:32:50 -0400

Your beer smells like goat, sometimes a good thing. Not everyone likes Brett beers and other sour beers, but if you don't feel no shame. It's an acquired taste. Just remember it's not the first sip you should judge these beers, wait until your second or third to know if it's right for you.

The Triangle and Beyond - 4/8/09 Edition

Thomas — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 23:38:07 -0400

News
The Future has been replaced, evidently with 1 Meatball. It gets unleashed on humanity tomorrow.

If you haven't tried Aviator's Kraken Stout you are missing something pretty special. It was one of the ten best beers I have tasted this year.

Lone Rider is close to having additional beers on the market, rumor is an Alt and perhaps a Brown ale.

I am one in a hundred, are you? Tell a friend or five to help support NC beer.

Calendar
Blues, Brews, and Bulls
April 9th 4pm
Tyler's Taproom
Durham, NC
Foothills will be pouring Torch, Hoppyum, and debuting Hurricane Hefe.

Big Boss Tour
April 11th 2pm
Big Boss Brewery
Raleigh, NC

Triangle Beer Tour
April 11th 1pm
Triangle Brewery
Durham, NC

Blues N' Brews Meetup
April 15th 7pm
Broad Street Cafe
Durham, NC
Aviator will have a cask of their HotRod Red Ale and then a keg of HogWild IPA

Sierra Nevada Beer Dinner at Brixx
April 15th 6:30pm
Brixx Wood Fired Pizza
Chapel Hill, NC

Brew Local, Act Global
April 17th 6pm
Mosaic Wine Lounge
Raleigh, NC
Brew Local, Act Global is a charity event featuring the beer of North Carolina's local breweries and Nourish International. The event features beers from Lonerider Beer, the Asheville Brewing Company, Natty Greene, Aviator Brewery, and Ham's Brewhouse.

Hickory Hops Beer Festival
April 18th
Hickory, NC

Cask Night
April 30th 6pm
Raleigh Times
Raleigh, NC
Special pre-WBF party, details are still scarce but a number of casks will be making an appearance at this event.

World Beer Festival
May 2nd
Raleigh, NC

Whole Planet Foundation Beer Tasting Dinner
May 8th - 7pm
Whole Foods
Durham, NC
This is the reschedule of the March 14th event which was postponed, latest details here. Price is still $30 and the menu has changed to reflect local beers and foods.

Beer Geek Night Out

Thomas — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 10:11:38 -0400

Last weekend I had the chance to have a closet cleaning beer tasting event at a friend's house. It was remarkable for the range and quality of the beers that made an appearance, everything from California to Belgium, hoppy to sour, a number of special offerings we just don't get to see in our local market. The big beers were there of course, but we kept the sampling size down so that the group of us could all enjoy them. Eventually just like your average beer festival the sheer number of brews assaulting our palettes meant anything late in the tasting other than perhaps sours were hard pressed to make their full impression.

It really didn't take all that much to set up an email to show up at someone's house. A lighter ale to clean the palette, we had a great 2% Berliner Weisse. Everyone brought something to share and it was amazing all the special things people had hiding in the closet. A great way to spend the evening, something I would suggest all us beer geeks ought to do a little more often. As much for the camaraderie as for the beers.

Pictures from the tasting here.

Beer Wars and Triangle Beer Meetup

Thomas — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 17:10:08 -0400

I was planning on seeing Beer Wars on April 16th, but wanted to do something more with the triangle beer community. Then I remembered that Fox and Hound Pub & Grill is in North Hills and while it's really a glorified sports bar it has potential for a tweetup. Sadly the beer selection isn't all that great so let's improve it.

When you go to see Beer Wars visit the North Hills Fox & Hound have a beer. When you go in first ask for a Lone Rider beer, Shotgun Betty or Deadeye Jack the choice is yours. Then ask if they have any of Aviator's beers on tap. After that ask what local beers they do offer then order one. If we get enough people asking that night maybe they will start to carry more local beers.

Just a little social experiment to support our local brewing community.

Future Beer

Thomas — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 20:41:29 -0400

It's the future, it's beer and it's coming soon. I think that is all that needs to be said.

Picture taken at Big Boss Horniblows Tavern this week.

From the comments "I hope it has lasers." Indeed.

The Triangle and Beyond - 3/23/09 Edition

Thomas — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 14:19:25 -0400

News
Aviator Brewing has a Saison available only at Raleigh Times stop in while supplies last.

Big Boss has been offering a wide range of beers at the Horniblows Tavern, if you aren't stopping by at least weekly you are missing some amazing offerings from wood aged ales to hand-pulled cask offerings.

Boylan Bridge has been so busy they sold out of their own offerings and had to pick up some guest taps while Mark gets more beers brewed up. They are selling so much in fact they will be adding additional fermentation tanks to keep up with the demand. ~~The seasonal Trainspotter Scottish Ale is currently on tap.~~ itter will go on tap tonight and the Pale ale on Wednesday. But Mark is rebrewing the Trainspotter.

Frank Stasio and his show the State of Things looks at eating local scene and beer makes an appearance with Sean Wilson at Fullsteam.

Mother Earth Brewing has started construction out in Kinston, NC. You can follow the story of the process to open the brewery on their website.

For more information on the Triangle brewing scene checkout Tim's new blog thinkingbrew. It's great to hear the perspective of someone who knows the area better than myself, but with such enthusiasm, give his site a read.

Events
Samuel Adams Beer Dinner
March 25th 6:30pm
Solas
Raleigh, NC
$55 for this five course meal paired with various Samuel Adams beers. Sorry about the short notice I just found it today. Rescheduled, date unknown.

Cowboy Dinner at Blu
March 31st 7pm
Blu Seafood
Durham, NC
Lone Rider and Blu restaurant team up for a Cowboy dinner, no word on if cowboy boots are required attire, heh.

Triangle Brewing Tour
April 4th 1pm
Triangle Brewery
Durham, NC

Lone Rider Brewery Tour
April 4th 1pm
Lone Rider Brewery
Raleigh, NC

Big Boss Tour
April 11th 2pm
Big Boss Brewery
Raleigh, NC

Sierra Nevada Beer Dinner at Brixx
April 15th 6:30pm
Brixx Wood Fired Pizza
Chapel Hill, NC

Triangle Beer Meetup
April 15th 6:30pm
Broad Street Cafe
Durham, NC

Hickory Hops Beer Festival
April 18th
Hickory, NC

World Beer Festival
May 2nd
Raleigh, NC
Tickets go on sale March 24th, locations are here.

Whole Planet Foundation Beer Tasting Dinner
March 8th - 7pm
Whole Foods
Durham, NC
This is the reschedule of the March 14th event which was postponed, latest details here. Price is still $30 and the menu has changed to reflect local beers and foods.

Interview with Lone Rider

Thomas — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 23:56:17 -0400

My first interview for Know Your Brewer has been posted, it's with the guys at Lone Rider Brewery. Thanks to Steve, Mihir, and Sumit for their time and cooperation.

Beer Wars - Great Flick or Out of Date Concept?

Thomas — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 10:12:14 -0400

Only time will tell.

If you haven't heard about Beer Wars you probably don't read beer blogs much. The film and it's one day showing on April 16th has been attracting attention from most other bloggers. I haven't written about it because I knew little about it and don't trust a trailer to tell me anything about a film. I figured I'd let the film speak for itself. But Andy Crouch in his usual against the main stream has some interesting thoughts about the project. It will be interesting to see how exactly the film turns out.

Thomas — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 15:27:42 -0400

As it goes a general trend people in the West are more willing to drive long distances without much thought. Perhaps because every other place is some distance is so far that a friend going to Vegas for his weekend or going 3 hours away isn't really thought of as much. On the East Coast I notice people seem annoyed they might have to drive 20 minutes or more to get somewhere. A customer at the homebrew shop seemed unsurprised that I didn't know restaurants in Durham when "it's so far away". But it really isn't very far to me, I just haven't had the money to spare on dining out as often as I would like lately. In DC the joke about it was friends would take you to National but good friends would take you to Dulles.

What brings this all up is at the Shamrock Open this weekend we had a large number of judges from Charlotte and Maryland. It struck me as a bit of a surprise that Eastern people would drive such distances for a day event. It breaks the convention I have known for Eastern US. It could be that the drive distance isn't really all that far, but it allows them access to beers they may not see in their daily lives and so the beer geeks enjoyed the trip.

It pleasantly surprised me, so any guess why they would travel 3-5 hours for a day trip? I am curious.

The Triangle and Beyond - 3/11/09 Edition

Thomas — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 01:22:02 -0400

Events
French Broad Brewery Cask Night at Raleigh Times Bar
March 11th - 6pm
Raleigh Times
Raleigh, NC
French Broad Brewery Cask Night featuring their Altbier and ESB.

Big Boss Tour
March 14th 2pm
Big Boss Brewery
Raleigh, NC

Whole Planet Foundation Beer Tasting Dinner
March 14th - 7pm
Whole Foods
Durham, NC
$30 for Whole Planet Foundation fundraising effort, with Julie Johnson, of All About Beer magazine, to lead you through this series of food and beer pairings.

Duck-Rabbit Beer Dinner
March 17th
Four Square
Durham, NC

Duck-Rabbit Cask Tasting
March 18th
Broad Street Cafe
Durham, NC

Triangle Brewing Tour
March 21st 1pm
Triangle Brewery
Durham, NC

Sierra Nevada Beer Dinner at Brixx
April 15th 6:30pm
Brixx Wood Fired Pizza
Chapel Hill, NC

Boylan Bridge Brewpub Opens

Thomas — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 23:45:12 -0400

I stopped by the now open Boylan Bridge Brewpub last week. The brewery had opened on Febraury 27th. It had much of the chaos one expects at a new restaurant with waitresses figuring out how to complete certain tasks and bartenders learning to change over the computer system. But other than some minor glitches things seem to be starting well.

Mark Fesche's beer reflects his years of experience with them all being quaffable from the start. The taster flights are quite popular with all six beers available at once.

The beer list as follows
Gateway Golden Ale - The beer opens with a bit of a citrus floral aroma with slight notes of pine. The hop character really shines, with just a bit of malt sweetness. There is a bit of an amber hue to it's color, but I have already tasted the next batch. Mark is already adjusting the recipe to have a lighter hue and less pronounced hop character in the future. I have heard comments that people didn't enjoy this beer because it wasn't what they expect to a Golden, rest assured the future version has a light pineapple hop character to the background and more of a bright golden color. I do hope they keep this current incarnation around as the Pale Ale or a future seasonal offering.

Rail Pale Ale - This beer has more of an Amber character than the Golden, almost a coppery shade. A bit of hop character was apparent in the finish, but a mellow East Coast version of the American classic.

Bruno Bitter - The aroma of this struck me as a bit forward for an English Bitter. I would have liked to seen a bit more carmel character to the beer but others enjoyed it fine.

Polar Bear Winter Beer - The red ale had definite notes of carmel and cocoa to it, though I never quite detected the coffee they described it. It was one of my favorite of the current offerings. It will be replaced with a Scottish ale as the next seasonal beer as soon as it's gone.

Pullman Porter - I am not much of a Porter fan and thought this beer was decent but not memorable. I am, however, hearing from a number of locals that this is one of their favorite beers so if you like Porters give it a try.

Southbound Stout - This also was a favorite of mine. It's a sweet stout with a nice roasted character. It had that creamy smoothness that reminded me of lactose being added to the ale, but Mark said it didn't contain.

As I sampled the beers I got a bit of a carbonic bite, I wondered if they might need to dial back the carbonation just a bit in the future.

I haven't eaten a full meal but I have had the chili-cheese fries and quiche on seperate visits and they were both well prepared. The quiche had a flaky crust that went well with the spinach and cheese. The chili on the fries had a strong sweet tomato character with a pleasant heat that built over time.

As for the lack of music inside when the place is crowd it's hardly noticeable, but when the brewpub is quiet something is definitely missing. It gives an ambiance of a bar at last call, when the music is turned off and all the lights at turned up so you can finish your beer and get out. Not welcoming at all, the only aspect I would hope to be changed.

Being a new restaurant the place is regularly packed from what I have seen and heard from others. I didn't hang out on the patio but friends have mentioned they loved the view. I am sure the patio will do a brisk business well into next Fall. In closing a solid opening for Raleigh's newest brewery, check out the sampler to find which of their beers best appeals to you.

Photos of the Boylan Bridge Brewpub

Craft Beer Featured on ReasonTV

Thomas — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 11:28:06 -0400

Cool little video, featuring beer writer Jay Brooks and some of California's best breweries. Give it a watch.

Aviator Cask Tasting

Thomas — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 09:27:33 -0500

I attended the cask tasting Thursday featuring Big Bolt American Pale Ale from Aviator Brewing. It was held down at the Raleigh Flying Saucer location. The Bourbon barrel characteristics were apparent in this beer combined with the beer engine for serving that gave it a creamy head you expect with cask ales. The smooth pale ale was a crowd pleaser that night.

But if you missed out on the experience fear not, because you can get to try the same beer at their brewery and taproom today at 2pm. So if you have been putting of checking out the brewery this should be the day.