Brew Wars Winning Beer Announced

The war is over!! I knew you'd be glad to hear that. And by over I mean you can continue to drink the spoils, so to speak.
Well of course I'm talking about the Brew Wars that happened at Thomas Creek Brewery, with the final skirmish happening yesterday, voting for the favorite by an eager and curious public.
Zach Newton, Brett Terrapin, Josh Caprell & Adam W teamed up in pairs to create something unique from the Trifecta base beer: Super Dank and Farmhouse DIPA. I tried both, each was worthy of winning and of serious drinking, and now the victor can be revealed:
Super Dank won by two votes! An honest election with serious candidates and a minimum of ballot stuffing. So, they are now on tap for you to judge for yourself. Actually, there are no losers here, just two new fine beers to enjoy. Some pics from the event, including the brewers demonstrating the professionalism and poise that accompanied the challenge.

 Cheers to all!!

Good News From Goodwood

Glad I stopped by Cork & Tap last evening for the tap takeover by Goodwood Brewing from Louisville, KY, where brewery rep Nathan (Nate) Grabowski poured samples of their unique brews. Every beer brewed touches wood in some form, usually with barrel aging but some with wood chip infusions. Combined with the limestone water that has made Louisville Bourbon-Central, these beers were all low abv (6% range) and very tasty, with a complexity that the wood aging brings. Available were the Lousiville Lager, brewed with white ash (which, as you know, is what Louisville Slugger baseball bats are made of), a bourbon barrel aged ale with plenty of flavor but not so heavy on the bourbon notes; especially tasty was their Saison aged in red wine barrels. 

These brews will start showing up in retail outlets soon and of course on tap as their distribution grows. Local distributor rep Whitney Ellis from Breakthru Beverage was on hand to assist Nate in pouring and describing the beers.

I welcome these distinctive beers to our neighborhood.

Nathan (Nate) Grabowski, Goodbeer Regional Rep, poured the samples.

Cheers!

Devil's Backbone Comes to SC

Remember back in February when Devils Backbone Brewing Company and Chris from Upstate Craft Beer Co. brewed a collab double IPA to mark DB's entry into the South Carolina market? See pic below. Well, the payoff is now here and this afternoon that IPA will be released, along with some other new DB arrivals to Greenville.

I expect lots of beer drinking bliss. See ya there.

https://www.facebook.com/events/1750610988600651/


Cheers.

American IPA, Session Style

Turning the conversation to session IPAs, especially relevant since Upstate Craft Beer Co. is today brewing another iteration of Jason Uhrinek's and my original session, Citra Kollision, which as you might guess is a delightful vehicle for Citra citrus wonderment, with some Mosaic added during the dry hop because, well, it just seemed right. Last batch was 5.1% abv, so this one will probably be the same, maybe a tad less.

In any event, all the wonderful hop flavors, with restrained alcohol. Here are some more thoughts on session IPAs in general.

http://draftmag.com/the-session-ipa-scale/

Cheers!

National Parks and Beer!

Being a lifelong fan of our National Parks and a somewhat shorter time of beer, here comes a good way to enjoy them both. Not necessarily at the same time. I should also mention that Uinta makes some of my favorite beers. Dubhe, anyone?

http://www.mensjournal.com/food-drink/articles/uinta-brewing-announces-beer-brewed-to-support-our-national-parks-w467233

Valentine's Best Beer

Not that anyone has asked but I am of the strong opinion that this might be the ideal Valentine's beer. Clearly it will pair nicely with chocolate, late night smooching, and, well, you get the idea. This year's version seems even more chocolaty than last's, if that's possible. Cheers et vive l'amour!

Farmer's Market Meets Brewery - Wonderfulness Ensues!

Just returned from Brewery 85​ where their Toasty Farmer event gathered a large crowd inside and outside, keeping the vendors busy. Music, kids, dogs, samples, oh, and beer!! I got so excited I bought a doughnut (the last one) and some pimento cheese spread (with habanero peppers). Washed it all down with Rum Runner Stout. This job can be really hard.

Next one will be Feb 25, I suggest you make a point of attending.  Some pix of the fortunate, sun drenched folks here today;