Craft Beer Collective

Ludo Bites Raleigh

Pork, moonshine and beer!

Back in March the cast and crew of the Sundance Channel TV show LUDO BITES AMERICA, arrived in Raleigh to film an episode. To get you up to date: the star of the show, Ludovic Lefebvre, goes into a city, creates a menu based on local interests. A menu where Lefebvre will apply his classic French training to and then hold that dinner “pop up style” in a local restaurant. The lucky restaurant in this episode is Gravy on Wilmington Street. So the venue became: LUDO BITES GRAVY.

I was brought in to speak to Chef Ludo about North Carolina beer culture, history and drink a few beers!

These photos show our meeting at the Raleigh Times, shows Gravy before and during the dinner, some behind the scene shots and some of the artwork created by local artists just for the dinner.

I really enjoyed hanging out with the camera crew who were real beer people and spent their off time while in Raleigh visiting beer bars and local breweries! Big thanks to the crew who allowed me to take a few candid photos.

Beers we tried:
MOTHER EARTH Weeping Willow Wit
CAROLINA Pale Ale
BIG BOSS Blanco Diablo Wit
DUCK RABBIT Porter
HIGHLAND Mocha Stout
BIG BOSS Bad Penny Brown

Ludo on Sundance Channel

More photos from the dinner at Bitchin Brews

© 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

IPA Day in the Triangle

It’s here, IPA DAY or #ipaday. I have a list of Triangle area IPA events on August 4th. So what’s this celebration of bitter ales all about? Middle of the summer. Not quite hop harvest season yet. I’m not trying to knock the idea of IPA Day but the IPA is such a go to style for so many people that it’s hard to do this concept justice. To the credit of the web, internet, Twitter, Facebook and Spacebook it all came about rather quickly and events started popping up. So good job with that everyone.

Here is a better description of International IPA day at http://2beerguys.com/blog/2011/07/28/international-ipa-day/.

And here is a list of everything that came across my screen regarding #IPADAY in the Triangle.

BUSY BEE will have dry hopped cask of Flying Dog Raging Bitch & Avery Maharaja!

RALEIGH TIMES will have the following beers on when they open at 11 am: Founders Devil Dancer, Houblon Chouffe, Evil Twin Yang DIPA, Terrapin Hopsecutioner, Ballast Point Big Eye, Foothills Seeing Double, Green Flash Imperial IPA, Avery DuganA, Anderson Valley Hop Ottin, and Lagunitas Lucky 13

BIG BOSS will have a cask of High Roller IPA in their tap room starting at 5pm.

DRAFT will have 6 IPAs on special. Hope they offer flights!

ROCK FISH Grill will feature Peak Brewing Hop Noir Black IPA

SWEETWATER will host a pub crawl around Raleigh

AVIATOR BREWING will have fresh hops delivered to the Aviator Tap House and Brewery Bar for your HogWild IPA…put the fresh hops right into your pint glass! http://fb.me/R2L7zpnK They’ll also have a cask of Mad Beach aged on fresh cherries! http://fb.me/1cPPHp1B7

Yup, I stole that last one right from Cross Drinker! I’m getting lazy and not really happy about all this since I will most likely miss all of these fine events!

© 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

Raleigh Beer Tour

Photos from a recent Raleigh beer tour (Saturday July 30th) with Jason and Julie of world famous Buisin’ Ales in Asheville. HopZilla and myself chauffeured the beer couple to 3 breweries and 4 beer bars in 8 hours including Roth, Lonerider, Big Boss, Busy Bee, Raleigh Times, Flying Saucer and Foundation.

View Raleigh Beer Tour in a 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

Mother Earth Beer Dinner

Mother Earth, Carolina Distillery and The Raleigh Times worked together on a project that resulted in a one time only beer release and beer and brandy dinner! The featured beer, Pierce Henry Dubbel, named for Raleigh Times Beer Buyer Katrina Jenkins soon to be born son, was documented by Jenkin’s in words and photos by Lori Gibson earlier this year. You can see Part 1 and Part 2 and below is a photo of the finished kegs

Raleigh Times Bar on April 6th, 2011 at 7PM in the form of a Beer, Brandy and Brandy Barrel Aged Beer Dinner.
If you are interested in tickets please email your request to Katrina@raleightimesbar.com. Space will be quite limited so get your requests in early. The beer will be available on draft later that evening as well.

© 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

Best Double IPA Poll

Tonight at 6pm at The Raleigh Times you’ll have a chance to try four great Double IPAs in a flight. Sierra Nevada Hoptimum, Bell’s Hop Slam, Founders Double Trouble and Green Flash Imperial IPA!

After you’ve taken your flight I invite you to come back here and vote for your favorite using the poll below!

FINAL RESULTS Green Flash takes it

Sierra Nevada Hoptimum 3 votes 10.7%
Founders Double Trouble 6 votes 21.4%
Green Flash Imperial IPA 12 votes 42.9%
Bell’s Hopslam 7 votes 25.0%

© 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

Revere Beer Week

The Raleigh Times Presents Revere Beer Week. 5 nights of events leading up to the World Beer Festival in Raleigh.

On Monday the Fourth The Raleigh Times & Craft Beer Collective will give you a chance to taste four great Double IPA’s side by side. You’ll have a chance to vote for your favorite and while you’re there and decide which Double IPA of the four is the best! See below for the line up.

Other events include the debut of the Mother Earth / Carolina Distillery brew, Baltimore’s Brian Stumke of Stillwater Ales, the all North Carolina Cask night and Bell’s Expedition stout vertical.

14 E Hargett St, Raleigh, NC (919) 833-0999
raleightimesbar.com‎

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© 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

Mother Earth & Carolina Distillery Pt2

Finally after a long brew day, another trip out to fill the barrel and waiting and waiting and waiting, for what seemed like forever, we are almost there! Josh Brewers vision of a Belgian Dubbel fermented with figs and raisins was perfect for Chris Hollifield’s apple brandy barrel. As of now we are looking at final beer somewhere between 8.5 and 9% ABV. The brandy and oak are noticeable on the nose, which should fade a bit and balance out with a little time. The taste is subtle brandy with dark fruit notes and some bread.

As it has aged it has started to dry out on the finish. The next step will be to transfer it out of the barrel and cold age it. From there it will find its way through our doors and into your hands.

The official release will take place at the Raleigh Times Bar on April 6th, 2011 at 7PM in the form of a Beer, Brandy and Brandy Barrel Aged Beer Dinner. If you are interested in tickets please email your request to Katrina@raleightimesbar.com. Space will be quite limited so get your requests in early. The beer will be available on draft later that evening as well.

Thanks again to the Raleigh Times staff for contributing this story and excellent photos! To attend the release of this beer use the email address above to reserve a spot.

© 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

Mother Earth, Carolina Distillery Collaboration

A COLLABORATION BORN IN NORTH CAROLINA
Mother Earth Brewing, Carolina Distillery and The Raleigh Times announce plans for a unique brew

When a good friend approached me last fall about a small distillery in Lenoir that was producing apple brandy from North Carolina apples, I immediately thought collaboration! After speaking with Chris Hollifield, a 3rd generation distiller, and Keith Nordan about their brandy it was clear they had something really special. The Carolina Distillery is housed in a 110 year old carriage house in downtown Lenoir, NC. This sounded like a very similar story to Mother Earth Brewery’s renovated warehouse in downtown Kinston, NC. Mother Earth Brewery opened in October 2009, but in that short time Brewmaster Josh Brewer has created some of the best beers in North Carolina. Carolina Distillery’s commitment to local apple farmers, Mother Earth’s commitment to a green brewery and each one revitalizing the sleepy NC towns they call home, made the two a perfect match.

Immediately everyone was on board.

Each batch of Carriage House Apple Brandy is aged in brand new white oak barrels. This means that the barrels can only be used once. So we took one of those barrels, after they had finished aging a batch inside of course and moved it to Mother Earth Brewery where it currently sits awaiting its turn to again be used to create a beautiful concoction that was born in North Carolina.

On Wednesday, January 26th, 2011 a group from Raleigh Times took a trip to Mother Earth Brewery for our very first brew day. As you read this our special brew is busy working, getting ready for fill day when the fun really begins! We will keep you posted over the weeks as we work together to create a true North Carolina treat for the beer and brandy lovers alike. Until then enjoy pictures of brew day!

Katrina Jenkins – Raleigh Times
Photos by Lori Gibson

Mother Earth: Josh Brewer, Greg Papp, Pete Frey
Raleigh Times: Jay Winfrey, Lori Gibson, Erica Flaviani, Katrina Jenkins

Look for more photos, video, articles and interviews regarding this special release brew over the next several weeks!

© 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

Video: Raleigh Times on MCT

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.

© 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

Founder’s Double Dry Hopped Centennial IPA

From the Raleigh Times:

Monday, May 24, 2010 at 7:00pm
Raleigh Times Bar

Come enjoy the illusions of Magician Michael Casey! With a cask of Founder’s Double Dry Hopped Centennial IPA and a keg of their Diablo El Noche (a tap room exclusive)!

Beer starts pouring at 7:00 and goes fast!!

© 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

Raleigh Times Revere Beer Week

The Raleigh Times have revealed that they will host a series of beer events around the Raleigh World Beer Festival starting on Tuesday April 20th. There will be discounts and “keep the glass promos,” a very ambitious beer dinner and a follow up to last years very successful all NC Cask Party.

14 East Hargett Street, Raleigh, NC‎

© 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

April Beer Dinner round up

Can there be any more Beer Dinners in April? So we have one for New Belgium, Big Boss, a beer flight dinner at the Raleigh Times. Another flight type dinner at 12 Bones in Asheville and a pair of beer dinners hosted by the Busy Bee. Here is a run down. Please visit the links for dinner menus, reservations and more info.

Allagash Beer Dinner @ Busy Bee (Raleigh)
Tuesday April 13th, 2010 at 7:00 pm.
http://www.busybeeraleigh.com/

New Belgium Dinner @ Dos Perros (Durham)
Tuesday, April 20th, 2010
7pm $45 per person
http://dosperrosrestaurant.com/

Spring Beer Dinner with Big Boss Brewing @ Porter’s (Raleigh)
Wednesday, April 21st, 2010
Four course – four beer dinner
7:00 p.m. $45.00 per person
http://www.bigbossbrewing.com/

Revere Beer Flight Dinner @ Raleigh Times (Raleigh)
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
6:00pm $77.00 per person
Dinner includes 12 different beers with a 3 course meal.
Tickets sold only at the Raleigh Times
http://www.raleightimesbar.com/

Spring Beer Dinner @ 12 Bones Smokehouse in (Asheville)
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
6:30pm $60.00 per person
828-606-7880 to make reservations
http://www.12bones.com/

Beer Dinner with Dogfish Brewery Founder Sam Calagione @ Busy Bee (Raleigh)
Friday April 23rd, 2010 at 7:00 pm.
Three course meal. $75 per person.
http://www.busybeeraleigh.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