Posted by admin on September 3rd, 2010 | 2 comments
Here are some recent blog posts by friends and acquaintances that I though I’d share with you:
Geistbear Brewing Blog
Thomas has posted a great resource for a subject that I run into quite often … Hop Farms! He published locations links and varieties grown at North Carolina hop farms. It’s an interesting subject that I will continue to follow. In fact I have put a request in at NC State to tour their fields that may be happening sooner than I thought!
Beer & Racing
Jon Odgers did another “Bike to Beer” tour and this time Durham was the spot! They hit Triangle and Fullsteam after a long ride on the American Tobacco Trail. Follow the above link to see some photos and to get involved in his next Bike To Beer tour!
Brewgasm
The Thirsty Monk in Asheville is having what they call Thirsty Fest…I mean check out the list of beers here. Easily the most exciting line up of beers in the state right now! Anyway, Brewgasm has the scoop and you can read about how she managed her kids and managed to make it through a high gravity flight that included Foothills Sexual Chocolate, Olde Hickory Barrel-Aged Scottish Ale, Highland Brewing Sour Seven Sisters and Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout! Ouch!
Bruisin Ales
They’re a craft beer store AND if you follow them on Facebook and Twitter they’re a solid source of beer news too! Check out the link for the amazing selection of fall seasonal brews that arriving at this world class beer retailer! Read the list and pray they stock this stuff wherever you live.
Top Fermented
Erik Myers just started his Mystery Brewing Company and uses this most recent blog post to talk about the rise of start up breweries and how his company will fit in or NOT fit in to the scene here. Plus he goes into the fact that the the industry is quite possibly “a facade of good will, warm-fuzzies, and glowing elf hugs”! Would love to chat with you about that Erik!
My Carolina Today supported Raleigh Restaurant Week and posted the above video from the Raleigh Times. Host Sharon Delaney spoke with manager Katrina Jenkins and Executive Chef Corey Palakovich about the beer and food they offer.
HIGH COUNTRY BEER FEST September 4th
Third annual beer fest for Boone benefits the Watauga Children’s Council. Tickets still available. Music includes The Henhouse Thieves, BPL and The Switch. Seminars available include: Cask Conditioned Ale Tasting and a Beer and Cheese Pairing.
BREWGRASS FESTIVAL September 18th
Hand’s down the best fest that I’ve worked. Best crowd, mostly NC/SC/ TN breweries, great bluegrass / Americana music all in the heart of BEER CITY USA! It’s a long day (noon-7pm) but the crowd, for the most part, “maintains” and the music is usually world class. Not some unknown cover band playing “Brown Eyed Girl” like most beer fests. This year The Infamous Stringdusters are headlining! This one sells out way in advance. Start planning for next year!
CHARLOTTE OKTOBERFEST September 25th
This one is unique because it includes a HUGE representation of homebrew clubs from around the state. Why so many homebrews? Because this one is run by homebrewers! Specifically the Carolina BrewMasters. This years fest will raise money for The National Kidney Foundation of North Carolina and The Autism Society of North Carolina.
Here is some press coverage from Wiston Salem Journal and this quick video from FOX8 reports that 19,000 people attended the first time festival in Clemmons, NC.
TRIANGLE IN A CAN
Triangle was in the News and Observer yesterday. They talked about the new canning line and the superiority of cans over glass containers:
“There’s a huge misperception that bottles are better than cans,” said Miller, 38, who, along with fellow home brewer Rick Tufts, 36, three years ago decided to turn his home brewing hobby into a business. “I would argue that cans are more effective.”
Craft beers are a relatively small but vibrant segment of the beer industry. The $7 billion in craft beer sales rung up last year accounted for 6.9 percent of total beer sales in 2009, according to association data. During the first half of this year, sales of craft beers rose 9 percent by volume even as overall beer volume declined 2.7 percent.
Triangle Brewing’s expansion plans are being fueled by its impressive sales growth. The company, which has just three employees, sold 680 barrels last year, up from about 350 a year earlier, Miller said. The company projects sales will climb to 1,250 or 1,300 barrels this year – a projection that doesn’t account for cans, which are an unknown factor.
14 OUNCE PINT GLASS?? THAT’s BULLSHIT!
Last week Ashe-Vegas blogger and Mountain Xpress writer Brewgasm published a well researched and well documented story that revealed the use of 14 ounce glasses to serve beer instead of an actual 16 ounce glass at their local Mellow Mushroom.
“It’s our decision to use 14-ounce glasses to keep our prices at the lower end of the spectrum,” says co-owner Jerry Mahon. The menu doesn’t use the term “pint” anywhere, and the bartender knew that the glassware measures 14-ounces, so they’re not misrepresenting at the Mellow Shroom.
Please read the complete article at the link above.
While they may not be using the term “pint” this is still misleading in my opinion as the glasses they use look exactly like your typical pint glass. As good American Craft Beer drinkers, we’re way too familiar with the “shaker” style pint glass commonly served in tap rooms and taverns all across the nation. So to see it on the table you’d probably never notice. However if you pick up the empty 14 ounce impostor glass you’ll notice a thicker bottom, thinker side walls and a more concave slope on the inside of the container.
Still looks like a pint glass … but it’s not! Buyer beware. Be suspect of glassware options, pricing and do not be afraid to ask questions!
Today we bring you a craft beer creation from Raleigh, @Hop_Zilla’s Bottle Cap Table! Encased in thick acrylic are an assortment of great craft beer bottle caps, carefully arranged on a resurfaced and repainted side table … a side table for beer! This craft beer creation was made for Hop_Zilla neighbor and fellow beer drinker @hopheadho’s birthday. Lucky bastard!
Just got the scoop on the breweries who will be at the SCIENCE OF BEER event Durham Museum of Life and Science. Big Boss, Triangle, Foothills, Fullsteam, Natty Greenes are all confirmed for the event with more to be announced.
Science Of Beer in Durham
more info from the Museum website: September 16, 2010 | 7–9 pm
Join us for an evening learning the Science behind Beer. Explore the Magic Wings Butterfly House* and outdoor garden while trying your hand at beer experiments and activities. Local breweries and even some home brew enthusiasts will be available to share their expertise.
Guests will also enjoy live music, beer tasting and light snacks. Find a beer you like? Glasses, bottles of beer and additional samples will be available for purchase during the night.
SCIENCE OF BEER
Members $12 per person / Non-members $15 per person
This event is for guests 21 years of age and older. IDs will be checked at the door. Pre-registration requested, please call 919-220-5429×313 to order tickets.
The Durham Herald Sun reports that Triangle Brewing will begin shipping their cans this week to Whole Foods, Weaver Street Market and Sam’s Quik Shop in Durham at first.
Friday morning at Triangle Brewing Company, Rick Tufts, Andy Miller and Luke Studer — who are, respectively, the co-owners and sole employee of the company — were gearing up for a long weekend. A visitor to the company’s brewing facility on Pearl Street could see the remnants of a wood crate that had recently housed the brewery’s new canning machine.
Tufts, Miller, Studer and an assistant were using a forklift and pallet jacks to move the machine into their space. This weekend, they were planning to put the first samples of their locally produced craft brew into cans — at the rate of 70 cases an hour, Tufts said. The assembly line will be the first automated canning operation for a craft brewer in North Carolina, he said.
Organizers of Spark Con have announced a homebrew challenge on Saturday, September 18, on Fayetteville Street in Raleigh.
homebrewer challenge looks to showcase the growing talent of homebrewers and beer culture in the Triangle. Brewers from the region are asked to brew and bottle/keg your most creative and drinkable beer to be judged by a panel of judges, including BJCP-qualified judges as well as judges from local beer, restaurant, and SPARKcon communities. A portion of the final score may be based on cumulative ratings by SPARKcon attendees.
BASIC DETAILS: brewSPARK is a celebration of beer culture and its people in the Triangle. The challenge is a “most drinkable beer” competition, and as such, entries will not be judged according to BJCP guidelines. However, entries will be evaluated during one round, by a panel of BJCP-trained beer judges and industry professionals, based on drinkability and the absence of brewing, fermentation, and handling flaws. BJCP score sheets will be returned to entrants after the competition.
Bruisin Ales
