Craft Beer Collective

Raleigh Rare Beer Tasting

This Saturday at 2pm 40 breweries will serve 40 + beers to benefit the Pints for Prostates awareness campaign. Hosted by the new Tyler’s Tap Room in Raleigh the Rare Beer Tasting is a mirror event of the Rare Beer tasting hosted in Denver during the GABF.

“Tyler’s has put together an incredible collection of rare and vintage beers for this event. It’s a great way for beer fans to come together and support the fight against prostate cancer,” said Rick Lyke, a drinks journalist and prostate cancer survivor. Lyke founded Pints for Prostates in 2008 after successful prostate cancer surgery. The group urges men to get regular prostate health screenings.

–From the Pints for Prostates website

raleighrarebeertasting.com
pintsforprostates.org

Tyler’s Taproom
Suite 150, 18 Seaboard Avenue, Raleigh, North Carolina
(919) 322-0906 ‎ · tylerstaproom.com

Pints For Prostat,es Denver Rare Beer Tasting 2009 from Redtail Media on Vimeo.

View Larger Map

© 2011 Craft Beer Collective / Away Team Media

Bringing you the craft and culture of beer in North Carolina --> Raleigh, Durham, Charlotte, Asheville, Winston-Salem, Greensboro, Wilmington, NC and beyond

Contact us at dave (at) away (dash) team (dot) com

Presenting: Pepper’s Chilibrew Fest

Cary, NC – The First Annual Pepper’s Chilibrew Fest produced by The Trigger Agency, is coming to the Booth Amphitheater on March 31, 2012. The all-you-care-to-taste extravaganza features a special VIP session from Noon- 6pm; The General Admission session will run from 2pm-6pm.

At the event attendees can taste over 75 Craft Beers, Try 10+ Types of Chili, Enjoy Specialty Cheeses and a Dizzying Array of Hot Sauces. Admission includes a souvenir sampling glass for guests to try out all the unlimited adult beverages the festival features. For Chili, guests can opt for an unlimited VIP ticket or get their tastes by the token. Tokens can be purchased on-site or are FREE with a donation of a canned good / non-perishable food item to the North Carolina Food Bank. Receptacles will be at the entrance of the event.

Throughout the day, thirsty connoisseurs can attend seminars in the Tasting Theater with Hot Sauce specialists, Brewmasters, and Southern cooking / Fiery Foods chefs. LIVE Rock, Blues and Bagpipe music will fill the air. Guests can participate in some exciting contests on The Main Stage, as well, including The Jalapeño Eating Competition and the Hot Wing Eating Contest. The actual menu of craft beers and gourmet chili’s will be listed online at www.chlibrew.com a few weeks before the event.

General admission to the festival from 2-6pm is $35 in advance or $40 on-site and includes admission to the event, a souvenir tasting glass, unlimited beer sampling, 4 chili tokens and all live entertainment. VIP Tickets from 12-6pm are $55. VIP ticket includes admission into the event, a souvenir tasting glass & chili bowl, souvenir lanyard, unlimited sampling from 10+ Chili Tasting Stations, Access to the special VIP Tasting Tent with specialty cheeses and beers. Cheeses are available only during the first 3 hours of the event. Designated Driver admission is also available after 2pm for $25 and includes admission to the event only. Kids 12 and under are free. For more information on purchasing tickets for Pepper’s Chilibrew Fest, please visit www.chilibrew.com or call 800-830-3976. There is plenty of parking at the site, but please drink responsibly and designate a driver.

© 2011 Craft Beer Collective / Away Team Media

Bringing you the craft and culture of beer in North Carolina --> Raleigh, Durham, Charlotte, Asheville, Winston-Salem, Greensboro, Wilmington, NC and beyond

Contact us at dave (at) away (dash) team (dot) com

High Country Beer Fest Video

Really cool time lapse video!

© 2011 Craft Beer Collective / Away Team Media

Bringing you the craft and culture of beer in North Carolina --> Raleigh, Durham, Charlotte, Asheville, Winston-Salem, Greensboro, Wilmington, NC and beyond

Contact us at dave (at) away (dash) team (dot) com

Mecktober Fest Oct 1

Third annual Mecktoberfest for Olde Mecklenburg Brewery in Charlotte, October 1st. Tickets onsale now.

It’s that time of the year again! Come on out Saturday, October 1st from 12 pm – 10 pm and celebrate Mecktober Fest German-style at Charlotte’s hometown brewery. We’ll have an even bigger tent this year which means more fun for everyone. Fresh beer, food, and 3 live bands to entertain you all afternoon and into the evening. Including once again the dynamic 9-piece Holzhackern Tyrolean Band to bring a bit of Bavarian music and fun to the Fest.

Ticket price includes Fest entry, a plate of food (BBQ, chicken or Brat plate) with 2 sides, two mugs of beer (21 oz. each) and entry in the Mecktober Fest raffle. Beer and food are available a la carte after that.

Tickets are $25.00 for advance purchase($30.00 at the door)

MORE INFO AND TICKETS

© 2011 Craft Beer Collective / Away Team Media

Bringing you the craft and culture of beer in North Carolina --> Raleigh, Durham, Charlotte, Asheville, Winston-Salem, Greensboro, Wilmington, NC and beyond

Contact us at dave (at) away (dash) team (dot) com

WBF Durham

World Beer Festival in Durham is one of NC longest lasting festivals. Tickets are onsale now:

The festival will be held October 8, 2011 at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park.

For one day, the World Beer Festival in Durham will allow visitors a chance to taste and sample craft and specialty beers in two-ounce pours while supplies last.

The festival offers two four-hour sessions:
The first session will be from noon to 4 p.m. and the second session will be from 6 to 10 p.m. Standard admission to a single session is $40 in advance ($50 day of the event if available), which includes samples from a selection of more than 300 beers from more than 100 breweries, music by local bands, educational sessions by industry experts, and a festival tasting glass.

TICKETS

Durham Bulls Athletic Park -409 BLACKWELL ST DURHAM, NCUNITED STATES

© 2011 Craft Beer Collective / Away Team Media

Bringing you the craft and culture of beer in North Carolina --> Raleigh, Durham, Charlotte, Asheville, Winston-Salem, Greensboro, Wilmington, NC and beyond

Contact us at dave (at) away (dash) team (dot) com

TWIN CITY TAPS FEST

PRESS RELEASE FOR TWIN CITY TAPS FESTIVAL IN WINSTON SALEM ON AUGUST 13:

Nearly Two Dozen North Carolina Brewers Lined Up for Twin City Taps

Twin City Taps has enlisted 21 breweries that will be on hand to pour craft beers and talk about them during the Aug.13 beer festival at BB&T Ballpark. Participating breweries as of July 25 include: Aviator Brewing Company, Big Boss Brewing Company, Carolina Blonde, Carolina Brewery, Craggie Brewing Company, Foothills Brewing, Four Friends Brewing, French Broad Brewing Company, Fullsteam, Green Man Brewery, Highland Brewing Company, Liberty Steakhouse and Brewery, Loes Brewing Company, LoneRider Brewing Company, Mother Earth Brewing Company, Mystery Brewing Company, Natty Greene’s Pub & Brewing Company, Olde Hickory Brewery, Red Oak Brewery, Roth Brewing Company, The Duck- Rabbit Craft Brewery, The Olde Mecklenburg Brewery, Weeping Radish Farm Brewing “We’ve lined up some of the best regional beer producers to be at Twin City Taps,” Josh Neelon of Twin City Taps said. “Just this week, additional breweries have signed up to come to Twin City Taps, so the list of great craft brewers attending our event is likely to continue to grow.

“Twin City Taps is featuring only craft beer brewers from North Carolina to assure that the quality of the beer served will be outstanding,” Neelon added. “Similar to the exceptional quality of the beer, we want the overall experience at Twin City Taps to be a great one. To that end, we’re selling a maximum of 4,000 tickets to ensure that all guests have easy access to parking, restrooms, food and most importantly of all, cold beer.”

Musical performers slated for Twin City Taps include: Possum Jenkins, Old Southern Moonshine Revival, Da Stateside Lion Reggae Band and Brickfoot Down.

General admission tickets to Twin City Taps are $35, and VIP tickets are $55.

For more information or to purchase tickets please visit www.TwinCityTaps.com, call 336.714.6871 or go to the box office at BB&T Ballpark.

© 2011 Craft Beer Collective / Away Team Media

Bringing you the craft and culture of beer in North Carolina --> Raleigh, Durham, Charlotte, Asheville, Winston-Salem, Greensboro, Wilmington, NC and beyond

Contact us at dave (at) away (dash) team (dot) com

Beer Bourbon & BBQ in Cary

Join us at the festival for a great day of beer sippin’, bourbon tastin’, music listenin’, cigar smokin’, and barbeque eatin’. Your admission buys you a sampling glass so you can enjoy an ALL-YOU-CARE –TO-TASTE sampling of beer and bourbon. Some of the best barbeque vendors are on-site if you get hungry all while enjoying seminars in the tasting theater and LIVE music all day.

Friday August 5th and Saturday August 6th
Koka Booth Amphitheater at Regency Park / 8003 Regency Parkway / Cary, NC 27518

List of Beers and Bourbons

Here is what you’ll get:
Souvenir Glass For Tastings
Unlimited Beer and Bourbon Tastings as you stroll from table to table and tent to tent. There are 40 Bourbons and 60 Beers on Tap. Enjoy, but please drink responsibly.
BBQ Galore! Enjoy the great barbeque selection – pulled pork from whole hogs, ribs, brisket, chickens, sausages and any fixin’ you could imagine. We’ll keep the portions heavy and the prices low.
Enjoy Seminars in the Tasting Theater with Master Distillers, Brewmasters, and Pit Masters From the Deep South
Listen To Live Rock & Blues Music and great Bluegrass on The Main Stage
Enjoy the Great Contests on the Main Stage: BBQ Bean Eating Contest and the BBQ Babe Contest
Browse Cool Exhibits of Brewerania, Hot sauces, bbq accessories, and even a cigar tent for all guests.

Check the complete schedule

Tickets are available for Friday night and Saturday 2pm – 6pm. Purchase tickets and more info: http://www.beerandbourbon.com/cary/show-info

© 2011 Craft Beer Collective / Away Team Media

Bringing you the craft and culture of beer in North Carolina --> Raleigh, Durham, Charlotte, Asheville, Winston-Salem, Greensboro, Wilmington, NC and beyond

Contact us at dave (at) away (dash) team (dot) com

Floyd Fandango

Hop_zilla and I spent last Saturday at the Floyd Fandango, a wine, beer and music festival just off the Blue Ridge Parkway in southern Virginia just above the North Carolina border. The low key camp out event featured an all VA winery line up and a small but tasty craft beer booth filled with six VA breweries (Big Daddy’s, Blue Mountain, Bull & Bones, Devil’s Backbone, River Company and Starr Hill). Highland and Foothills represented NC plus Terrapin, Stillwater, Dogfish Head, Breckenridge, Longtrail, Otter Creek (among others) made the trip.

Favorite beers for me included Star Hill‘s Double IPA, Blue Mountain‘s Alt, River Company‘s Peachicot Blonde Ale & Devil Backbone‘s whose 8 Point IPA took the “best of the festival” medal by the judges.

While the promoters billed this as a wine and beer fest the bands featured were top notch: JJ Grey, Acoustic Syndicate, Anders Osbourne, Danger Muffin, These United States all put on entertaining sets especially Acoustic Syndicate who closed out with the Who’s Baba O’Reilly!

A quick trip through the town of Floyd I stumbled upon a gift shop with in impressive beer section in the back. I took home some 21st Amendment, Firestone Walker, Yard’s, Geary’s and others.

FACEBOOK GALLERY

© 2011 Craft Beer Collective / Away Team Media

Bringing you the craft and culture of beer in North Carolina --> Raleigh, Durham, Charlotte, Asheville, Winston-Salem, Greensboro, Wilmington, NC and beyond

Contact us at dave (at) away (dash) team (dot) com

High Country Beer Festival

I recently received a note regarding the High Country Beer festival September 3rd in Boone, NC. This is what ASU’s Seth Cohen had to say:

We put this festival on at Appalachian State as part of our not-for-profit fundraising for a brewing and fermentation programs we are developing. The proceeds (those we do not donate to our annual charitable cause) go to buying equipment, supplies, grains, hops etc. and paying students for internships and research in the brewhouse etc.

We had nearly 60 breweries up here last year including most everyone from NC! Its a small event (2500 tickets) that sells out and has been a blast. We will have 8-10 seminars this year ranging from discussions with brewers about brewing to style, transferring from home to business-brewer, the history of beer and brewing through and array of beer and food pairings.

http://www.hcbeerfest.com/

© 2011 Craft Beer Collective / Away Team Media

Bringing you the craft and culture of beer in North Carolina --> Raleigh, Durham, Charlotte, Asheville, Winston-Salem, Greensboro, Wilmington, NC and beyond

Contact us at dave (at) away (dash) team (dot) com

Twin City Tap Fest

From digtriad.com we find another Beer Festival in the works. This one will take place in Winston-Salem North Carolina.

“The inaugural Twin City Taps craft beer festival will be held at BB&T Ballpark on Saturday, August 13, 2011 from noon to 6 p.m.

The festival will feature sampling from North Carolina craft breweries and will benefit the North Carolina Brewers Guild.

Tickets to Twin City Taps go on sale June 15. General admission tickets are $35 and include beer samples and a commemorative cup. VIP tickets are $55 and include food and beverage in BB&T Ballpark’s Womble Carlyle Club.”

Didn’t see a lot of info here but here is the website: http://www.twincitytaps.com/

© 2011 Craft Beer Collective / Away Team Media

Bringing you the craft and culture of beer in North Carolina --> Raleigh, Durham, Charlotte, Asheville, Winston-Salem, Greensboro, Wilmington, NC and beyond

Contact us at dave (at) away (dash) team (dot) com

NC Beer @ SAVOR

Two North Carolina Breweries will attend SAVOR, the ultimate beer and food pairing event in Washington DC on June 3rd and 4th.

Big Boss Brewing and LoneRider brewing of Raleigh will join 72 breweries from all around the United States for 144 food dishes prepared specifically for each of the 144 beers being offered!

If you’re lucky enough to have tickets this is what you can expect:

LoneRider Brewing Company
Shotgun Betty Paired with Banana Bread
Chef’s Pairing Notes: The beer resembles the bread in the notes of vanilla and banana. Also try smelling both of them and looking for the same notes.

Sweet Josie Paired with Shrimp in a Blanket
Chef’s Pairing Notes: Gentle chocolate aromas and candy sugar notes pair nicely with the gastrique and help cut the shrimp and polenta.

Big Boss Brewing Company
High Roller Paired with Stromboli
Chef’s Pairing Notes: this beer matches well with the spice in the pepperoni.

Monkey Bizz-Ness Farmhouse Ale Paired with Chilled Pork Rillette
Chef’s Pairing Notes: The barnyard flavors of the beer are classically paired with pork for a jump “back in time” to a traditional farmer’s evening snack.

bigbossbrewing.com/
www.loneriderbeer.com/
More info on SAVOR: savorcraftbeer.com/

For a complete list of participating Breweries and their food pairings visit savorcraftbeer.com

In addition to participation at SAVOR, Big Boss will host a cask and draft event at the ChurchKey (1337 14th Street Northwest, Washington D.C.,) on Wednesday, June 1st featuring: On Cask: Big Boss High Roller IPA Big Boss Bad Penny Brown Ale On Draft: Big Boss Blanco Diablo Big Boss Hell’s Belle Belgian Blonde Big Boss D’Icer Dunkelweizen Big Boss Monkey Bizz-Ness Big Boss Big Operator Belgian Black Raspberry Big Boss Angry Angel Kölsch.

And on Saturday June 4th at Birch and Barley Big Boss will a part of a multi-brewery brunch that will feature owners and brewers from Short’s, O’Dell, Rouge, Sierra Nevada and Boulevard Brewing. At the brunch they will pair Whiskey French Toast with Apples & Mascarpone with Big Boss D’Icer Dunkelweizen.

DC BEER

© 2011 Craft Beer Collective / Away Team Media

Bringing you the craft and culture of beer in North Carolina --> Raleigh, Durham, Charlotte, Asheville, Winston-Salem, Greensboro, Wilmington, NC and beyond

Contact us at dave (at) away (dash) team (dot) com

A look Back at Hickory Hops

A group of us made the trip to Hickory, North Carolina last weekend for the 9th annual Hickory Hops Beer Festival. While the weather forecast was looking sketchy for the day, by the time we arrived to town, the skies had cleared and the rain had passed. Little did we know that significant storms with tornadoes would soon be moving into Raleigh where we had just come from.

We made it into the festival after pre-gaming at the Hickory Mellow Mushroom for a bit filling up on pizza and pints. As expected, the festival was jam packed with NC breweries and a few other southern breweries from SC, GA and even TN. We started with Pisgah Brewing and worked our way through the festival tents with the occasional break to enjoy the bands playing on stage throughout the 6 hour festival.

Highlights of beers and breweries that stood out to us included newcomers Nantahala Brewing‘s Noon Day IPA, Loe’s Brewing Chocolate Stout XS and Birdsong Brewing‘s Saison. Out of the established breweries, we couldn’t get enough of Liberty Steakhouse and Brewery. Apparently, the judges couldn’t either. The day also includes the Carolina Championship of Beer which happened in the morning. Medals and plaques were given to brewery winners in many categories of beer styles. Liberty seems to have easily won the most medals and they drew us back to their booth 3 times for their various timed releases throughout the day including several fantastic sours and their Black IPA.

One of our local favorites from the Triangle, Aviator Brewing made their first visit to Hickory Hops and won 5 medals for their various styles of brew. Surprisingly, HogWild IPA was not one of them! The Olde Hickory Brewery had a full line-up of their brews including a special Imperial Stout with honey that clocked in at 10.5 ABV. Natty Greene’s Brewery had several special brews for the day including a Barrel-aged version of their Black Powder Stout and Anniversary Sour which took home the Best in Show award. Sadly, while Pisgah Brewing also won a medal for their Bacon Stout, it was not available for tasting.

It was also great to visit with the brewers at several of my favorite NC breweries including Carl at Wedge Brewery, Josh at Mother Earth Brewery, Mark at Aviator Brewery and Paul at Duck-Rabbit Brewery.

By the end of the day, we managed to visit and sample nearly every brewery booth at the festival. Cheers to Hickory Hops and NC craft beer for a tremendous day.

Craft Beer Collective contributor @beerandracing – a NC craft beer fanatic, motorsports junkie and avid runner. Author of Beer and Racing. Operator of Bike 2 Beer.

See Jon’s complete Hickory Hops photo gallery

See Jon’s complete Hickory Hops photo gallery

© 2011 Craft Beer Collective / Away Team Media

Bringing you the craft and culture of beer in North Carolina --> Raleigh, Durham, Charlotte, Asheville, Winston-Salem, Greensboro, Wilmington, NC and beyond

Contact us at dave (at) away (dash) team (dot) com