Beer Tourism - Greenville & Asheville Style

As more and more municipalities learn about the advantages of having breweries in the neighborhood, they should make every effort to facilitate the ease of starting a new one.
The state of Georgia needs to learn this and learn it quickly.

This article clearly demonstrates the proper way to encourage this new community of beer tourists;

http://www.greenvilleonline.com/story/news/local/2015/03/04/beer-tourism-begins-boom-carolinas/24375547/

Restaurant and Taproom at Sierra Nevada About To Open

Sierra Nevada just announced that the wait may finally be over: Taproom and restaurant to open March 10.

http://www.citizen-times.com/story/news/local/2015/03/02/sierra-nevada-sets-taproom-restaurant-opening/24255107/

Boulevard Comes To Community Tap

As expected, really enjoyed myself at ‪#‎thecommunitytap‬'s tasting takeover by Boulevard Brewing, Kansas City. Big turnout - guess other folks like their beer too.

Informative conversation with Boulevard rep, Michael Emrie, who clued me into why the 80-acre Hoppy Wheat is not a wheat IPA. The beer is dryhopped for aroma mostly, finishes like a good wheat should.

Some pics I took in between tastes, including one of Darby Wilcox, one of my favorite local musicians.

Michael Emrie, Mktg Rep, explained the reasoning behind the Hoppy Wheat.

 

Darby Wilcox and Michael Emrie enjoyed beer and conversation. Not sure about the photobomber.

Cheers!

Good Reading on a Snowy Night

Perfect for that snowed-in evening's reading material as you sip on your favorite brew, this beer-themed article about the increasing number of women in the brew house:

http://mountainx.com/food/ashevilles-women-in-brewing/

Cheers and stay dry.

ESB and Lamb Pairing

Excellent opportunity for beer/food pairing last night at Tupelo Honey Cafe in Greenville. Tried their new small plate menu items including Lamb Meatballs which paired very nicely with the Green Man ESB which was on tap. The roasted lamb flavor really brought the malt to the forefront in a good way. The dry, slightly sweet finish complemented the house-made tomato curry sauce and feta and basil which accompanied the lamb. Yum City!!

http://www.greenmanbrewery.com/our-beer/#beer-1366

Cleaning Beer Lines at Quest Brewing

 

Back from a very educational (and beery) morning at #QuestBrewing with Lee Brunelle, Tap Room Manager, learning to clean tap lines using a pressure pot as part of my Cicerone Certification studies. 

I helped purge the beer lines with water, then with a mild acid solution (held for twenty minutes), purge again with water, disassemble the taps (7 parts, don't lose a one!), clean and scrubb them, then reassembled and reconnected them to the tap wall. This process is repeated every two weeks so that the beer you drink there is uncontaminated in any way on its way from the keg. Obviously Don Richardson, Co-Owner and Brewmaster, and his crew take quality control seriously. Managed to squeeze in time for a couple photos, for those as fascinated with the process as I.

 

Boojum Brewing Joins Waynesville, NC, Brewing Scene

At the recent Winter Warmer beer festival in Asheville, I had the pleasure of tasting brews from new breweries and chatting with the owner/brewmasters. 
One of these was BooJum from Waynesville, so when I saw this article I read it and I think now you should too, assuming you like local success stories in the craft beer industry.

http://mountainx.com/food/beer-scout-boojum-brewing-debuting-new-pub/

Cheers!