Serious Fun At Zillicoah Brewing's Session Fest

Last Saturday, August 25, was the date for Zillicoah Brewing's Session Fest, featuring 20 beers and ciders, all under 5.5%. Never made it through all of them but couple were standouts: Faith Healer IPA from Homeplace Brewing; and Glam from New Anthem, Wilmington, NC.

Some photos from the day, which included axe throwing and water tank dumping. Cheers!

King McAlpin DIPA Returns to Taps Everywhere!

Well, maybe not everywhere, but certainly in the Upstate, WNC vicinity.

This is the second release of this particular beer in Highland Brewing's Warrior Series. It was one of the first brews Brewmaster Hollie Stephenson originated in her new position and Highland's first Double IPA. And I can say from considerable experience, it's a hop head's delight and beautifully crafted. The 10% abv is obviously a factor to be considered when drinking this big ale, but it certainly isn't evident in the taste and finish. It won't be around too much longer, each of the Warrior series is available only for one quarter of the year, since there are four releases annually. Get it while you can.

The release party featured Hollie doing a very rare tour, highlighting some of the pilot system where each recipe is tested before being committed to brewing. The tour ended with the group enjoying several pitchers of said King McAlpin. Molly McQuillian was the generous pourer.

Some pics of the event:

Cheers!!

New Belgium Asheville Now Open For Tours

Got a sneak preview last week (h/t Susanne Hackett) of what the New Belgium tours will cover. Starting Sept 2, the free tours must be booked on line at their website NewBelgium.com/AshevilleBrewery.

Following Susanne's introduction of Bryan Simpson, PR Director and Alex Dwoinen, Brewing Manager, we set off across the bridge that spans the stream between the Brewery and the Liquid Center.

Later, we were joined by Tyler Foos, Liquid Center Manager, who gave us more details about the tour's content. It's a very impressive facility which is not only environmentally friendly but also reflects the local history of the site which has been a stock yard, a circus fairground and even an auto salvage yard. All of which is referenced in a brilliant use of the  letters from the Carolina Livestock Market original sign, now covered with photos. Look closely for an unusually frightening clown.

Not my plan to give away too much of the tour's info but here are some photos that give a general overview.

Bryan Simpson, PR Director, welcomes the group.

Susanne Hackett, New Belgium Communications Specialist, fills us in on what to expect.

Off we go!

Water reclamation and holding tanks. Keeps the hot liquor hot.

Lauter tun.

Alex Dwoinen, Brewing Manager, in the brew house, describes the wort's path around the room.

 

These are the original sign letters which now have historic photos attached.

Tyler Foos, Liquid Center Manager, offers background on the Bruges, Belgium beertje story.

Yeast house behind Alex.

Good day for bottling Fat Tire it would seem.

Some day, tubers on the river will be able to haul out and have a beer or three.

The Liquid Center where so much liquid is consumed!

Oh, and I should mention the slide. Used to quickly descend to a lower floor, I have been assured that tour particpants will be able to avail themselves of its speed!

Cheers!

Hi-Wire Stout Bout 2015: For Stout Lovers and Non

Something for everyone is how I saw it, not just for stout-heads. Hi-Wire's first ever Stout Bout (featuring a blind tasting) certainly pleased hardcore stout drinkers (Narwhal, anyone?) but there was more than enough variety to entice folks to try something new. ABVs ranged from 5.% (Highland's entry) to 12.9% (Sierra Nevada) so it was possible to find one that agreed with your palate and safe driving obligations.

Despite the occasional rain showers, this event was well attended and the impression I got was that most folks there knew their stouts. I know there were some newbies but overheard conversations tended to discuss comparisons with favorites.

 I thought this whole concept was inspired (thanks to Marketing Director Abby Dickinson) and really made it a contest. I am partial to any brew with peppers or chiles in it so there were several to try my taste buds. But I also like chocolate and coffee so there was no shortage of any of those. The only one that really tested my tolerance was a sorghum based dry stout. Sorry, but an aftertaste just didn't work for me.

My favorite chile-infused brew was from Asheville's Twin Leaf, their MDXXI (or 1521 in English) which used arbol chiles, a new one for me. Enough heat to make an impression but not overpower and the chocolate-cinnamon combination was well balanced. The finish was lighter bodied than you might expect and I could see myself having a second pint, a criterion of mine when judging.


Their Instagram post lists the top three winners, voted on by participants:

hiwirebrewingAnd your winners of the Stout Bout 2015 are... 1st Place: @burialbeer | #burialbrewing - Piston Espresso Stout, 2nd Place: @highlandbrewing | #highlandbrewing - Black Mocha Stout w/ Cherries & Oak, 3rd Place: @sierranevada | #sierranevada - Barrel Aged Narwhal, Congratulations!! 

 

One small complaint was the serving temperatures. I and several others were vocal in our opinions that the jockey boxes were chilling the stouts way too much. I understand the viscosity issue, but hopefully next time a method can be found that serves the stouts warmer. As serious stout lovers know (and I don't quite fit that group), as a stout warms, it releases more flavors and adds body. Anyway, just thought I would pass that along.

 Some photos and more notes:

Rain held off most of the day.

Hi-Wire's Big Top brew house/pub is a good size for eventsl

5 Tables in all, each with different stouts and voting pitchers.

Fellow stout enthusiast, Bob Muller, gets his first taste.

Decisions, decisions.

More tokens were available, $2 per, a token for each taste

One of my faves, and second place winner, HIghlands Black Mocha Stout with cherries and oak.

This is how the blind tasting stouts were revealed. Tasted blind for two hours!

My congratulations to the top winners and mucho thanks to Abby and the folks at Hi-Wire for hosting this very special event. #nextyear

Cheers!