Archive for the ‘Events’ Category

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.

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.”

Todd, the assistant brewer from Catawba Valley Brewing Company in Morganton, NC joins us this week in the tasting room! Five beer flight including the new Hyper Monkey Java Stout! Notes from the brewery:

White Zombie (ABV 4.7%)
Hazy golden white in color, our interpretation of a Belgian White (Wit) Ale is brewed with two row barley and unmalted wheat. The appearance is hazy due to the high protein content of the unmalted wheat. The addition of bitter orange peel and freshly ground coriander seed gives this very refreshing, low alcohol beer a wonderfully complex fruity and spicy aroma. The addition of English hops is subtle and detected with the smack of the tounge, which is followed and finished with a delicate slice of bread.

Firewater IPA (ABV 6.4%): A complex cross between an English and American style IPA. Olympic Gold in color, Firewater IPA boasts a unique malt backbone. Along with a hefty amount of two row barley, munich, caramel-40, carapils and a touch of wheat dominate the recipe. Six different hop varieties showcase the best England and the United States has to offer.

Indian Head Red Ale (ABV 5.2%)
Our interpretation of an an Irish Red Ale. Dark ruby in color, this very malt focused beer is achieved from the incorporation of specialty malts such as caramel60, caramel-120 and special B. Four different hop varieties lend a very complex and balanced non-traditional approach to this delicious style of beer.

Brown Bear Ale (ABV 5.0%)
Probably our most delicious malt focused product. The incorporation of four specialty malts such as caramel-60, caramel-120, special B and chocolate create the color of a sun burnt brown bear. Caramel, toffee and chocolate immediately saturate the taste sensations with English hops waiting around until the very end to surprise the palate.

Hyper Monkey Coffee Stout (ABV 6.1%)
With the ability to block out the sun, this stout is black in color and truly opaque. A heaping portion of specialty malts such as caramel-120, chocolate, roast and carapils contribute to a deceivingly thick body with little viscosity. Organic, fair trade Central American coffee is added post fermentation to confuse the consumer into believing that the day is just beginning. You’re welcome.

Craggie Brewing Company makes its first appearance in-store on Thursday, February 18 5-7 p.m., with a four-beer flight. This tasting is FREE.

Battery Hill Bitter
Pale & Rye malts are hopped with Brewer’s Gold & First Gold and paired with a British yeast blend for a tart malty taste with hoppy hints of the English Countryside. [ABV 4.2%]

Swannanoa Sunset
Munich and Pilsen malts are double hopped with Hallertau Tradition. This German brew is crisp and clean like a lager, but malty and hoppy like an ale. [ABV 4.2%]

Dubbelicious (“Love” month seasonal)
Barley, Rye, Wheat and Oat malts are brewed with Belgian candy sugar and then fermented with a Regional yeast strain. This Belgian ‘double’ is our “sweet tart” ale for February. [ABV 6.5%]

Meet Your Maker Barleywine
Our barleywine has hints of First Gold hops and warm notes of toffee and raisins. The 9% ABV in this not-so-session brew is balanced well by the residual sugars from Munich malt. Ask Brewmaster Bill about the story behind the name.

The following was sent to us by our friends at COAST Brewing in Charleston, SC. I know we’re going to try to make it, how about you? For a first-time venture into a planning a festival—something we can’t even imagine—this is top-notch stuff with top-notch speakers. But Jaime at COAST is pretty kick-ass, so this actually does not surprise us at all. Impressed!

COAST Brewing Company and The Charleston Beer Exchange collaborate to create “Charleston Brewvival”, a craft beer festival in North Charleston, South Carolina. Brewvival will consist of over thirty breweries, including both regional and national brewers, showcasing unusual and limited offerings.  Brewers and Brewery owners will be on hand to introduce their wares including key note speaker Greg Koch, CEO and co-founder of Stone Brewing Co., one of the largest craft beer producers in the U.S. Charleston Brewvival takes place on Saturday, February 27th from Noon to 6pm at The Navy Yard at Noisette in North Charleston.

COAST Brewing and The Charleston Beer Exchange have decided to bring their unique areas of expertise and passion for promoting quality beer drinking to a festival, celebrating the growth and continued experimentation within the craft beer segment.

“I’ve been really impressed with the trajectory of South Carolina over the past few years”, says Greg Koch, CEO of Stone Brewing Co. and Key Note Speaker of the festival.

“The team effort of the local brewing community and important events like Brewvival have set the stage for a world-class craft beer scene.  Personally, I’m looking very forward to attending the event and sharing beers in the beautiful state of South Carolina!”

For additional information including ticketing, transportation and accommodations see www.charlestonbrewvival.com or call (843) 577-5446.