Tag: North Carolina

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Best of… Brewery Tour # 3 – Incendiary Brewing

Each year Craft Beer & Brewing magazine publishes their Best of Issue. I have gone through it and plucked three breweries out of it to highlight this month, the third and final brewery is Incendiary Brewing.

Two college friends and long time Home Brewers opened this North Carolina brewery in 2018 and must be doing the right things to get noticed. And here are the beers I noticed from their taplist.

Cold Pizza – “West Coast Style Pilsner with Anchovy hops in collaboration with Hollingbery & Sons.”

Hop Loaf – “New England IPA Experimental Hop HBC-836 in collaboration with Yakima Chief Hops.”

Brandon Hates Black IPAs – “Wet-hopped Black IPA with Wet Citra, Wet Azzaca, Mosaic hops.”

Dulce Muerte – “Imperial Stout with cocoa, pepper skins, cinnamon, and vanilla.”

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“Old” Brewery Tour # 1 – The Olde Mecklenburg Brewery

Well, it is right in the name ain’t it? Our first March stop is at Charlotte, North Carolina’s oldest brewery, Olde Mecklenburg.

They have a line-up filled to the brim with old(e) school beer styles, so let’s dive in…

Fruh Bock – “Our seasonal “Spring bock” captures the promise of warmer days ahead, combining a slight malty sweetness with a refreshing touch of citrus aroma from its noble bavarian hops. The result is an amazingly fresh, crisp beer that masks a higher alcohol content in its smooth character.”

Copper Altbier – “OMB’s flagship, Copper, is an authentic Düsseldorf-style Altbier (German amber ale). Its full-flavored start suggests notes of graham cracker, toffee and caramel, transitioning to a smooth and balanced finish. Altbier is a “hybrid” beer – although it’s brewed as an ale, it is “lagered” (stored on the yeast at very cold temperatures) for several weeks after primary fermentation. The result is a beer that combines the full flavor of an ale with the crisp, clean refreshment of a lager. Copper is great by itself or as a complement to any cuisine.”

Hornet’s Nest Hefeweizen – “A German classic, Hornets Nest hefeweizen is the original hazy, unfiltered ale. This subtly sweet wheat beer is rich in body and finishes with notes of banana and clove from the unique hefe yeast. At OMB, we love our local history almost as much as we enjoy brewing our premium local beer. While most people think Hornets Nest is an ode to Charlotte’s basketball team, it’s actually the nickname England’s General Cornwallis gave Charlotte after 16 futile days of trying to take the city during the Revolutionary War – “Let’s get out of here, this place is a damned hornet’s nest.” Raise a glass to the spirit of rebellion in the Queen City!”

Fat Boy Baltic Porter – “a bold, full-bodied, dark beer that wraps a rich malty sweetness in notes of caramel, toffee, dark fruit and rich chocolate. Despite the higher ABV, this porter drinks smooth, owing to the use of lager yeast and extended cold conditioning. With a beer this good, every season is dark beer season! Fat Boy is a tribute to our original brewer’s passion for his Harley-Davidson motorcycle, which could often be seen parked outside of the brewhouse in the early days of OMB. Winner of a GOLD European Beer Star.”

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February Brewery Tour # 3 – Zillicoah Brewing

The final country stop is in North Carolina, “Zillicoah Beer Co. specializes in open-fermented farmhouse ales and lagers.” It is located on the French Broad River in the town of Woodfin.

Here are the beers that I would sample there…

Bohemian Pilsner to Corn Lager to Dry Hopped Lime Basil Sour to Chinook IPA to Dark Rye Farmhouse Ale with Brett. And that just touches on the creativity in their beer list.

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Best of # 3 – New Anthem

Our final virtual brewery tour for 2019 takes us to North Carolina for something new, New Anthem Beer Project.

New Anthem has (2) locations in Wilmington and a long list of past beers of which there are a few that I want to highlight from their Belge section…

Nothing in My Brain – Tripel

Quiet Corners – Red Ale

Finger Pistols – Saison

Doing Mischief – Saison

They also have beer sections labeled Hoppy, Dark, Lager and Mixed Ferm.

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Small Brewery # 1 – Double Barley Brewing

Our first small brewery stop is at Double Barley Brewing in Smithfield, North Carolina with the tag line “Small Town, Big Beer”. Here is what I would drink in an initial taster tray…

Starting big with

Double Dubbel – “A classic Belgian Dubbel brewed with Belgian Pilsen, Munich and wheat malts along with the addition of the darkest Beligan Candi Syrup. Fermented with a Belgian yeast strain, starting at a lower than typical temperature, creating subtle classic Belgian phenols without overwhelming.”

Field of Dreams – “American style wheat beer with peaches grown in NC. Finished with Sorachi Ace hops and lemon zest to add a refreshing boost of citrus.”

Abby’s Amber Ale – “A dark copper, medium bodied beer with a nice malt balance. Maris Otter and Crystal malts give this beer a rich character while not being overly malty.”

Wilma’s Wandering Eye IPA – “A very drinkable Imperial IPA. Pronounced but nicely balanced hop profile. Pours amber red with a thick white head. Subtle notes of orange are present but fade quickly.”

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2018 Holiday Beer # 31 – Christmas from Olde Hickory


Off to North Carolina for our penultimate beer of the holiday season, Christmas from Olde Hickory Brewing.
“We believe our Christmas beer is the perfect beer for a merry season. Brewed from fond childhood memories of fresh baked cakes and cookies, Christmas Ale is made with Local Honey, Fresh Grated Ginger, Cinnamon Stick, and Fresh Orange Zest together with the finest two row barley, pure water, hops, and love. “

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Durham Brewery # 3 – Barrel Culture Brewing and Blending


We end our field trip to Durham with a stop at a brewery / blendery Barrel Culture. A purveyor of primarily American Wild Ales that are brilliantly colorful in photographs.

Here are my choices for a taster flight (with one palate cleansing stout thrown in)
Y’all So Last Year – Berliner Weiss
Summer Jam – Strawberry, Sweet Dark Cherry, and Pinot Noir Grapes
So Icyyy Base – Passion Fruit And Pink Guava
Game Over – Passionfruit, Mosaic, & Galaxy
Coal Juice Imperial Stout

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Durham Brewery # 2 – Clouds Brewing


Our next stop in Durham is at Clouds Brewery. This brewery has spots in both Raleigh and Durham. Clouds began brewing in March 2016, they tilt towards European lagers and ales.

Wolkenbräu Lager
“Hybrid German-American Lager brewed with imported Nobel hops and German pilsner malt with the addition of American adjuncts for a light crisp finish. Our Wolkenbräu lager was the Gold Medal winner of the 2016 NC Brewer’s Cup for Commercial Light Lager!”

One Eye Pale Ale
“Hybrid English-American Pale Ale brewed with imported British pale malts and generously dry hopped with both imported east Kent Goldings and American grown Cascade hops. The bready malt body is well balanced by a combination of US and UK hops.”

Precipitation Pilsner
“Our brewery’s 5th release, the Precip Pils, is a German style Pilsner that showcases a prominent hop bitterness over a mellow malt sweetness.”

Mission to Märzen
“An amber lager, showcasing Pilsner, Vienna and Munich malts. This beer is smooth and malty with just a touch of alcohol on the finish.”

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Durham Brewery # 1 – Ponysaurus Brewing Co.


This month we head to Durham, North Carolina. A family friend was in town from the land of Duke and it prompted me to take a peek at breweries in the area. Let’s head to one now….
http://ponysaurusbrewing.com/
Ponysaurus Brewing has an origin story unlike others in that they started brewing in an attic. In what must have been a claustrophhically tiny space that was above the entrance to The Cookery in Durham, NC.

They have been named a “Next Level Brewery” by Food & Wine, and thrillist.com calls their beer “the best pint in Durham, and one of the 50 most underrated breweries in America.”

So here is a sample taster tray to peruse….
Oyster Saison
“Brewed originally in collaboration with Durham’s St. James Seafood Restaurant and Raw Bar, this dry, hoppy Oyster Saison is the perfect ode to the sea. 50 pounds of fresh, whole oysters infuse a whiff of ocean breeze, along with underlying notes of minerals and brine.”

Don’t Be Mean To People. A Golden Rule Saison
“North Carolina Farmhouse Ale. Proudly handcrafted and canned by Ponysaurus Brewing LLC in Durham, NC, with the help from other proud brewers and people, who believe in Rule No. 00000001.”

Bière De Garde
“An homage to higher-gravity French farmhouse ales, Biere de Garde roughly translates to “beer for keeping.” Our version reflects the historical realities of this style of farming, when brewers made do with what was on hand. With three types of barley, wheat, rye, and oats, its aroma smacks of apple, pear, almond, and vanilla, with just a hint of lemon rind.”

“Weizenbock”
“German style, using many of the same ingredients in the Weissbier/Weizenbock but with the addition of some darker malts and a little higher ABV. We brew this beer with all German malts, hops, and yeast.”

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In the Tap Lines for January 2018

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Welcome to 2018! For L.A. Beer fans, it will be a busy first month to the year with many anniversaries and events already on the calendar, anchored by the L.A. Beer and Food Festival. But we will duck outside for this month’s A Book & A Beer and to Durham, North Carolina to visit some breweries from our computers.

~ e-visits to three breweries from Durham, North Carolina perhaps Barrel Culture Brewing and Blending, Clouds Brewing, Fullsteam Brewery or Ponysaurus Brewing Co.
~ special featured reviews of beers bought during one visit to Sunset Beer.
~ Heads-Up on Los Angeles Beer Events
~ Three suggested beers to buy this month. One light, one medium and one dark
~ A Book & A Beer reads The River Why
~ I will tap the Firkin and give my no holds barred opinion on the craft beer world.

Here are two events to get your January started in the Los Angeles craft beer world:
1) January 4th – Boomtown Brewery Tap Take Over at Harajuku Taproom
2) January 13th – Transplants Brewing 2nd Anniversary