Lidl's Beer Brands - Who Really Makes Them?

Finally made it to the new Lidl store on Wade-Hamptol this morning; very carefully checked out their beer selection (as I always do), found it to be pretty well stocked with familiar (cases of PBR) and some unfamiliar Belgians. Made one important discovery beer wise; they have their own brand, Brewer's Storehouse, with the sytles usually identified by a number. In this case, 03 Amber is made by Foothills in Winston Salem (aka 638 Brewing Co., since their address is 638 West Fourth) and 04 DIPA is made by Starr Hill in Crozet, VA (near Charlottesville). If you are a fan of those breweries, especially Starr Hill, this might be one of the few outlets for their beers. Foothills I've seen frequently, Starr Hill not so much. Anyway, hope this brief intro to Lidl's inventory helps you.

http://starrhill.com/beer/

http://www.foothillsbrewing.com/connect/

Cheers!

Road Tripping for Beer

This article is making the rounds, but just in case you missed it, here's another opportunity. Over 12K miles to accomplish that. No mention of how many pints of beer needed.


https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonkblog/wp/2015/10/31/the-ultimate-beer-drinking-road-trip-according-to-data-scientists/

Friday Profile: Andrew Myers, Greenville, SC

Today I'm profiling a member of the Greenville Craft Beer community, someone I've known almost as long as I've lived here (all of two years, so far):

When I first met Andrew Myers in 2013, he was a owner/partner (with Leroy DuBré) at the Greenville Hop House, a retail store for all things brewing, home or otherwise. It was one of only two places in town where home brewers, trying to perfect their existing beer recipes or creating new ones, could get the malts, hops and other necessities to practice their hobby. 

When I stopped by the store, Andrew was very generous with his time as well as with his inventory - he donated some cocoa nibs for a beer project that I was about to be involved with.

 

Andrew conducting a seminar at the first Greenville Beer Festival at Fluor Field.

Andrew was well qualified to help home brewers with their needs since he had been brewing with his father as far back as 1999 when they brewed their first beer, an Irish Stout. And his family background in the Appalachian Mountain communities involved home brewing, tho not necessarily just beer....

As I mentioned, there was a second outlet for brewing supplies in town, Thomas Creek Brewery, the city's oldest. 

Severing his partnership with Leroy, Andrew joined the TC team and combined their operations to offer the most complete inventory of brewing supplies available. He also managed to find time to pour samples and speak at various brew festivals in the area.

In Spring of this year, Andrew made his most recent move, to assist Ben Pierson, Owner/Brewmaster, at Swamp Rabbit Brewery and Taproom, in Travelers Rest, SC.

Whether working as a tour guide at RJ Rockers Brewing in Spartanburg or brewing up the latest batch of Red Whitey at Swamp ( a Belgian white ale with raspberries, a Gold-Medal winner), Andrew has been and continues to be an interesting, experienced member of the Upstate Craft Beer community.

And when asked about advice he gives newcomers to the craft, he'll tell them to visit a brewery, learn to appreciate the freshest beer, be willing to try new, unknown beers to find a style that they really enjoy. And then drink lots of it!

With all the breweries we have in the area, I don't think that will be a problem.

Cheers!