Archive for the ‘Coolness’ Category

2010 Charleston Brewvival from chrys on Vimeo.

On Thursday, April 1, we’re participating in a uniquely Asheville event in lieu of our regular tasting: The Terrapin Beer Co. Asheville Pub Crawl. John Wetzel from Terrapin Beer Co. will be leading the crawl, starting at 6:30 p.m. that evening beginning at The Bier Garden. The brewery has done several crawls in Atlanta and their hometown of Athens. Deets:

Join us on a crawl of downtown Asheville, visiting five great beer spots! Bier garden, Mellow Mushroom, Bruisin’ Ales, Barley’s Taproom and The Thirsty Monk! Each stop along the way will have a Terrapin beer selection. Cost is $30/pp and includes beer at every stop and a Terrapin Beer Co. t-shirt.

Pre-registration and payment at Bruisin’ Ales is required to participate. CASH ONLY.

Courtesy of Twitter feeds today, here’s a clip of Conan O’Brien drinking beer with the late, great Beer Hunter, Michael Jackson.

The Brewers Association announced the 2009 craft beer sales numbers and other statistics yesterday in its annual report, released just before the Craft Brewers Conference in Chicago next month. (Click the graphics for larger version.) From the Brewers Association:

“Beer lovers continue to find great value and enjoyment in fuller flavored craft beers,” said Paul Gatza, director of the Brewers Association. “Americans have an increasing appreciation of craft beers, and the growing number of brewers behind them. They’re eager to try the latest seasonal release and to sample a variety of beers from different breweries.”

In 2009, craft brewers represented 4.3 percent of volume and 6.9 percent of retail dollars for the total U.S. beer category. With the total U.S. beer industry representing an estimated retail dollar value of $101 billion, the Brewers Association estimates the actual dollar sales figure from craft brewers in 2009 was $7 billion, up from $6.3 billion in 2008.

The total number of U.S. craft brewers grew from 1,485 to 1,542 in 2009, and they produced 9,115,635 barrels, up from 8,501,713 barrels in 2008. Overall U.S. beer sales fell from approximately 210.4 million barrels to 205.8 million barrels.”

Another Carolina brewery will launch next Thursday TODAY in Asheville: Mother Earth Brewing from Kinston, NC. Owner Trent Mooring and Brewmaster Josh Brewer (great name, eh?) will be coming along to chat beer and put beverages in your hands. The evening starts with a tasting at the humble storefront from 5:00-7:00 p.m. followed by four Mother Earth taps at The Thirsty Monk. Please join us, beer people, as we welcome a new North Carolina brewery into the mountains! We had the great opportunity to share a beer with Brewmaster Josh way back in late 2009 and we’re excited to have him back.

About the brewery: “Take the goodness of garden-grown products, the warmth of small town life, the earthy ethic of rock ‘n roll, a deep respect for a time-honored craft…and you have the ingredients of Mother Earth Brewing. Born in the summer of 2008, Mother Earth is the dream-child of Stephen Hill and Trent Mooring, two guys from Kinston, North Carolina, a sweet southern town in the heart of the old tobacco belt.”

Endless River Kölsch
“A clean, crisp beer, Kolsch offers a very slight fruity flavor and aroma. It is light gold in color, with a delicate head. This light-bodied beer appeals to nearly everyone who samples it. Expect to enjoy a slight tang in the finish.”

Weeping Willow Wit
“This beer style is over 400 years old, and continues to enjoy overwhelming popularity. Offering low hop bitterness, it is easy to enjoy. It pours very hazy, with a light gold color… we say it’s like summertime in a glass. Bitter orange peel and fresh coriander add zest and depth to this refreshing beer.”

Dark Cloud Munich Dunkel
“Steeped in a long history dating back hundreds of years, this “old-fashioned” beer is again in vogue. Lager is the German word meaning “to store,” so this beer ages three times longer than our ales do. “Dunkel” means dark in German, but don’t let the color fool you, it is by no means heavy, overbearing or bitter. In fact, it proves to be a very drinkable session beer.”

Sisters of the Moon IPA
“Made with hops grown in the good ‘ol USA… you’ll proudly support American farmers when you drink this beer! Light copper in color, it has an intense hop aroma and strong hop bitterness. Our hopback process uses fresh hop cones to take this IPA to unexpected places. Prepare for a mouthful of flavor.”