Archive for the ‘Travel’ Category

2010 Charleston Brewvival from chrys on Vimeo.

Charleston Brewvival
We had a blast last weekend at Charleston Brewvival. First a first go at hosting a beer fest, we’ve got to say that our friends at COAST Brewing and Charleston Beer Exchange really blew it out! Firstly, Brewvival was not an invitational open. “Opens” are festivals throughout the year to which breweries are invited. Breweries can send whatever beers they want and it often costs nothing more than just travel expenses. These are the many, countless festivals nationwide that a brewery can take part in, so who goes to what can often be last-minute or just basically a crap shoot. (Much of it depends on city’s and festivals’ reputations.) Brewvival was an “invitational”—an organized, planned festival where the organizers actually bought the beer. In other words, these were hand-selected brews of the rarest and hard-to-find kind. We had so many things we never had before, and in some cases, may never have again. And the fest was not for the newbie or faint of heart either—many strong brews with much food and water required. The cost of $50/pp was a little hefty for some wallets, but as the saying goes, you get what you pay for and at Brewvival, you definitely got that and then some! We almost wish Brewgrass would switch to this type of fest even if it means the cost goes up a bit. Asheville would dig it!

Up above is Jason & I sharing a beer with Greg Koch from Stone Brewing Company. And we also got to meet Patrick Rue from The Bruery! More pics on the Bruisin’ Ales FB Page. We’re sad to say we forgot the camera, so you gotta deal with the crappy Blackberry phone pics…

New this week… errr, rather last week
We didn’t even get the New This Week up before we left. We’re sorry. Here you go!

BREW DOG Divine Rebel Barleywine (collaboration w/ Mikkeller)
BREW DOG Storm IPA
BREW DOG Tokyo*
FLYING DOG Raging Bitch Belgian IPA 20th Anniversary Ale*
FOUNDERS Double Trouble IPA* (back in stock)
HOPPIN’ FROG Hop Dam Triple IPA*
PINKUS Münster Alt
THE BRUERY Saison de Lente*
THIRSTY DOG Cerberes Belgian-style Tripel
WEYERBACHER Heresy Oak-aged Imperial Stout*

[UPDATE: Thanks for Uncle Jedi for clarifying my wording. Some days I just have the dumb.]

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.

Bruisin’ Ales is OPEN as of now, but we are playing it by ear. Last time, Jason barely made it home, so no taking chances here. Follow us on Twitter @bruisinales or the Bruisin’ Facebook Page for updates on business hours, closings, openings, whatever. AND, if you’re going to stock-up on beer for the winter white stuff (and we know you are), please consider shopping at your local, independent beer store for your storm necessities priorities.

You kids be safe out there!  Looks like Asheville is a wee bit more prepared this time. I even heard trucks dumping sand (?) on our rural road this morning! School’s letting out right about now, and although the MountainXPress says downtown in “crazeee” with traffic, most of that should be over by the time the snow starts falling. Same rules apply: 1) If you can’t drive in snow, don’t drive in it, unless an emergency; 2) If you can drive in snow, be cautious, as those around you may not be as confident (so don’t be a jerk); and 3) Take your time, go slowly—getting their safely if more important than getting there quickly.

The City of Asheville is taking more precautions, including the early closing of school to get families home, and remember: The parking decks are FREE after 6pm tonight, so if you leave your car downtown, put it in a parking deck. This will allow plows and other road clearance services to happen much quicker. Have your supplies ready, too. Ice is coming with this storm, so those without buried power lines are most vulnerable. One little tip I never knew (since we have never lived on a well system before): Fill your bathtub with water in case you lose power (for those with electric water pumps). That way you can freshen up, flush toilets, have water to boil. But please don’t waste it afterward; if some remains, use it to water your indoor plants or handwash your car from all that road salt.

Cheers, y’all! BE SAFE!

Ryan from New Belgium Brewing Company is coming to town for a tasting on Thursday, Feb. 4 and we’re partnering together with the brewery for the cause of Asheville non-profit, Mission MANNA, as a fundraiser for Haiti. Mission Manna is a faith-based organization located in Western North Carolina that provides medical care for malnourished children and continuing healthcare education for adults in and around the Haitian town of Montrouis. The non-profit has been actively involved with Haiti for ten years. The following is from Todd J. Kaderabek, Chairperson of Mission MANNA, Inc.:

As you are aware, on January 12, Haiti was hit with a devastating earthquake and is now in need of humanitarian assistance to a degree above and beyond what we have ever known. As such, Mission Manna is continuing our efforts in three major areas: health care access, malnutrition rehabilitation, and sustainable nutrition.

Establishing a sustainable source of food and income is a key component in ultimately improving the health and quality of the lives of children and their families in Haiti. This project contemplates the use of agriculture to provide impoverished families with nutrition and income and will initially focus on the introduction of goats as to better the lives of poor families in and around the Montrouis community. We are fortunate to report that our Montrouis clinic site was largely unaffected and all of our staff, friends and immediate family survived. That said, we are feeling the impact of the earthquake in the form of food prices tripling and fuel costs as high as $40 per gallon. That said, we are adapting to current conditions and our core mission will remain unchanged.

This four-flight beer tasting will include the new Ranger IPA, Mighty Arrow Pale Ale (seasonal), 1554 Black Ale, and La Folie Flemish Sour.

$5/per person gets you into the tasting, plus a raffle ticket with a chance to win three different prizes:

New Belgium glass
Bruisin’ Ales t-shirt
6-pack of Prestige (the official beer of Haiti!)

Drawings will start at 6:40 pm, though we will welcome donations up until we conclude at 7:00 pm.