ASHEVILLE, NC!!!

Amazing beer, delicious food and beautiful mountain landscapes...Asheville is one of my absolute favorite places!  The people are incredibly friendly and there is just such an overall great vibe in the air!  My wife is from Charlotte so we try to get up to Asheville (around a 2 hour drive) at least once or twice a year during our family visits down south. 

I've been to Asheville quite a few times before but never hit this many breweries in a single day.  We usually pick out one or two places, but during this trip we managed to visit five breweries - Green Man, Wedge, Asheville Pizza & Brewing, Highland, and Pisgah.  Oh yes, what a wonderful day!!

After eating a rack of the best ribs ever at my favorite BBQ spot, 12 Bones Smokehouse, we drove over to Green Man.  They are one of NC's oldest breweries (est. 1997) and specialize in traditional English styled ales.  I started off with a hand-pumped ESB and then had an IPA.  Both were extremely solid beers that are almost too easy to drink.  I've had the IPA before at Jack of the Wood, a Celtic style pub that was the original home of Green Man Brewing, and it was as good as I remebered.  Yep, I could drink this all day long!    

Next, my wife's friend who lives right outside of Asheville suggested we go to Wedge Brewing Company in the River Arts District.  Wedge had a cool and spacious patio area where we hung out enjoying some of their beers.  Not sure why I started with a glass of Golem (9% Belgian strong golden ale) in 90 degree heat but it really hit the spot.  The high temps combined with the tastiness of this ale made me drink it way too fast.  I had to keep reminding myself this was a marathon, not a sprint.  Slow and steady sipping wins the race...or at least allows you to keep standing.  It seems that the IPA, Iron Rail, is the most popular beer at Wedge and it was served at a completely separate window with a constant flow of glasses being filled.  I found it to be good but definitely not great.  Nonetheless, a solid and enjoyable brew to quench my thirst while steadily dripping sweat under the relentless NC sun.  I read on the Wedge website that their current brewmaster started his first head brewing position at the Bullfrog Brewery in Williamsport, PA.  Pretty cool semi-local connection.

 

Our next destination was Asheville Pizza & Brewing which was just a couple minutes away from Wedge.  Another great thing about Asheville is that everything is relatively close in proximity.  We grabbed a seat at the bar and ordered a pint of the wet-hopped Fire Escape.  "The brew is a blend of Asheville Brewing's Escape Artist Ale, with 127 pounds of smoked jalapeno peppers added."  I really like hot pepper beers but this one seemed a bit too much.  It started out as very enjoyable but then lost me toward the middle of the glass.  It's not that it was too hot but the flavor of the jalapeno peppers was just too dominating.  Nice effort for an experimental beer but a smaller pour or half pint would've been a good amount to sample. I followed it up with a glass of Ninja Porter.  The prominent roasted chocolate flavor was an inviting contrast to the peppery heat of the previous brew.  While Fire Escape wasn't my favorite, I'll gladly support any brewery that offers a weekly experiment to their customers.  I wish more breweries would do something like this to keep their tap list fresh and unpredictable.  On a side note, I did purchase what is one of the coolest brewery t-shirts I've ever seen....

The next stop on our list was Highland Brewing Company.  I've loved their beers for a long time and was happy to see that they now offered Saturday hours for the taproom...Woohoo!  My favorite brew of the day was possibly, Thunderstruck Coffee Porter.  The Highland website describes, "This robust porter has a full body with some hints of chocolate from the Chocolate Malt and Midnight Wheat. The mild hop aroma showcases the roasted flavors and subtle fruit and spice notes of the artisan fair-trade, organic coffee, roasted in the neighboring town of Black Mountain at Dynamite Roasting Company."  This great porter totally captured the roasted essence of the coffee, bringing the rich taste to the forefront in a non-overpowering manner.  On the other end of the spectrum, our next choice was the most refeshing beer of the day - Razor Wit, a Belgian witbier brewed with bitter orange peels, grains of paradise and ginger.  Just a great summer beer!  Right before we left I ordered a glass of Kashmir IPA. I've had it a bunch of times in the past but wanted to try it fresh from the source.  Ahhhh!    

A trip to Ashville is incomplete without driving up to the town of Black Mountain and checking out Pisgah brewery.  Not only my favorite brewery in NC, but one of my favorite breweries ever!  Pisgah is a certified organic brewery and you can taste the freshness of the ingredients combined with crisp, mountain spring water in every sip.  From their palest ales to their darkest stouts, everything here is spectacular!  Two beers I hadn't tried before were the Wet Hop and Blueberry Wheat - both were really good!  After a long day of drinking I tried to keep things pretty light but I couldn't resist a glass of Solstice, a 9% tripel.  I rounded things out with some Summer Ale and an IPA or two....who's counting?  I certainly wasn't by that point of the night.      

Asheville is a paradise for beer lovers, food lovers, music lovers, hikers, campers, and just about anyone and everyone you'll ever meet.  I had a fantastic day enjoying a wide variety of brews and can't wait until our next trip to this western NC mecca of awesomeness!  Cheers! 

http://www.12bones.com/

http://greenmanbrewery.com/

http://www.wedgebrewing.com/

http://ashevillebrewing.com

http://www.highlandbrewing.com/

http://pisgahbrewing.com/

Sour Saturday @ City Tap House

Sour beer paired with Philly summer weather is a perfect combination!  City Tap House's idea to have Sour Saturday at the end of July was a terrific idea!  I love Saturday afternoon beer events because you never know where the rest of the day will take you. From my first glass until the end of the free outdoor Sun Ra Arkestra concert at 40th & Walnut, there were more than plenty of good times in between.

When I arrived at City Tap House, I grabbed my complimentary Sour Saturday tasting glass and took a seat at the middle of the bar.  The beer menu was divided into 4 sections: Tart Sours, Funk Sours, Fruit Sours, and Aged/ Blended Sours.  I drank from all categories (I think I tried almost everything offered) but the overall selections I enjoyed most came from the Aged/ Blended listings.  It's hard not to love multiple tastings of Russian River Consecration and Rodenbach Grand Cru.  Although, my favorite beer of the day was possibly Cabinet Artisanal Marry Me in Goslar - brewed with coriander, Himalayan pink salt and Brettanomyces.  The refreshing salty tartness was just absolutely delicious!  Adding salt to a sour beer was a genius idea that really tied the flavors together, carefully bringing out some of the subtle undertones.  I would expect more breweries to explore and experiment with this technique in the near future.    

     
Here's a list of what I tried (almost in exact order):

-Bockor Cuvée Des Jacobins
-Nora Sour
-Freigeist Abraxxxas
-Cabinet Artisanal Marry Me in Goslar (x 2)
-Stillwater Premium
-Flying Dog Sour Cherry BerlinerWeisse
-McKenzie's La Fling
-Anderson Valley Featherleggy Bulrusher
-Russian River Consecration (x3)
-Vicaris Tripel Gueuze
-Echt Kriekenbier
-Mort Subite Kriek
-Free Will Napoleon Sour Saison
-Russian River/Sierra Nevada Brux
-Liefman's Goudenband
-Rodenbach Grand Cru
-Monk's Cafe Flemish Sour

City Tap House hosted an amazing event with Sour Saturday and I really hope it becomes an annual day to pucker up in West Philly!  Cheers!

http://www.citytaphouse.com/home

BYO Bottle Share @ 943

This was an amazing event based upon a great premise - Everyone who attended was required to bring at least one bottle from their collection to share with everyone else.  Such a simple concept that unfolded towards perfection!  From cans of Heady Topper to a growler from Hill Farmstead to a magnum of 2000 Chimay Grand Reserve, all of the bases were covered on this special Sunday afternoon.  Aside from the beer, 943 (an Italian/ Agentinian restaurant) provided a delicious selection of food for us to snack on during this incredibly memorable session. 

Bombers and 750 ml bottles covered almost every inch of the table.  After the first few bottles were cracked into, people milled around to check out what was opened and what remained to be tasted.  Between the Dark Lord, Hunaphu's, and vertical of Rodenbach Vintage (07-09), there were too many highlights to list.  Obviously I liked some of the offerings more than others, but almost everything I drank was great.

Here's what I tried -

Alchemist Celia
Alchemist Heady Topper
Lost Abbey Veritas 009
The Bruery Melange 3
Alaskan Smoked Porter 2011
Cantillon Lou Pepe Geuze 2008
Hill Farmstead Everett
Hill Farmstead E
Hill Farmstead Society & Solitude 4 (growler)
Three Floyds Dark Lord 2011
Lawson's Finest Knockout Blonde Ale
Midnight Sun Arctic Devil
Boulevard Bourbon Barrel Quad
St. Bernardus Abt 12 60th Anniversary
Firestone Walker Abacus
Firestone Walker Parabola
Lagunitas Gnarly Wine 2009
Dogfish Head Noble Rot
Weyerbacher Whiskey Barrel Aged
Olde Hickory The Event Horizon 2011
New Glarus Enigma
Alesmith Speedway Stout
Rodenbach Vintage 2007
Rodenbach Vintage 2008
Rodenbach Vintage 2009
Chimay Grand Reserve 2000
Cigar City Jose Marti
Ithaca Alphalpha
Upland Gilgamesh
The Bruery Otiose
Russian River Row 2 Hill 56
Brooklyn Brewery Blue Apron Ale
Cigar City Hunaphu's Imperial Stout
Pretty Things X Ale Nov. 22, 1838
Marshall Wharf Bourbon Barrel Aged McFindlay Scotch Ale 2010
Captain Lawrence Smoke From the Oak (rum barrel aged)

This might seem like a crazy amount to drink but we were all giving ourselves really small pours.  Mainly, I didn't want to get too tipsy and I wanted to make sure that eveyone got to try each bottle.  I had an awesome time sampling new beers and thoroughly enjoyed ones that I've had before.  This event was a great spot to meet people and catch up with old friends while trying an excellent assortment of special and rare brews.  Thanks to everyone who attended for bringing out some of their best.  Can't wait to do it again SOON! 

Here's a big thank you to Jared, Mat, and the crew at 943 for organizing this event and making it happen.  Cheers! 

http://phillytapfinder.com/

http://www.phillybeerscene.com/

http://943byob.webs.com/apps/location/

Odell Brewing Co. (Fort Collins, CO)

Over the past couple of years, Odell has become my favorite brewery in Colorado.  I first tried their beer (IPA, Saboteur, Woodcut #4) in 2010 when Capone's hosted Odell's first East Coast event...I've been hooked ever since! 

As soon as we arrived at the brewery, we grabbed an outdoor table and ordered some flights.  I went with the Co-Pilot Tray which contained the following beers:

- Harmonium (golden/ blonde ale)
- Double Pilsner
- Leprechaun Flute (pale ale, "hop-backed session beer")
- Locale Belgian Saison
- Myrcenary Double IPA (my highlight of the flight)
- Hiverano American Wild Ale

After enjoying the tasty flight I ordered a large glass of Wooden Owl, which was probably my favorite beer of the day.  Wooden Owl is an oak-aged double pilsner.  The brewery's website explains, "2nd use toasted oak barrels once filled with an IPA pilot beer.  The IPA was then emptied and Double Pilsner went in right after capturing a little bit of the fruity flavors the IPA left behind. This beer has a unique and refreshing flavor with nice vanilla oak hints."  I usually like my pilsners to be as simple and pure as possible but this beer blew me away!  The barrel aging worked wonders on this delicious brew.  Capturing lots of oak and hop character, Wooden Owl managed to be complexly balanced, smooth and extremely drinkable. 

I couldn't complete a visit to the Odell Brewery without having a pint of their standard IPA at its freshest.  I've had this excellent IPA a bunch of times in bottle, but this was my first time on tap.  A mouthful of juicy hops bursting with waves of sweet, refreshing citrus continued with every sip and gulp until the sudsy bottom of the glass.  Such a perfect way to finish up our day at this awesome brewery!!  Hope to see you again soon, Odell.     

http://odellbrewing.com/

Funkwerks (Fort Collins, CO)

Paying a visit to Funkwerks was one of the main reasons we took a day trip out to Fort Collins during our vacation in Denver.  After spending the majority of the afternoon at Odell Brewing Co., we sort of cut into our allotted time at Funkwerks.  Basically, we had less then a half hour to put down everything we wanted to try.  Mission accomplished!  When pressed for time, it's hard not to persevere when you're gazing down into an inviting array of colorfully-filled snifters.   

(L to R): Black Cherry Codename: Ron Burgundy, Codename: Ron Burgundy, Codename: Farmhouse, Tropic King, Saison

Each beer we tried was really tasty and there was no clear favorite - just a great selection of amazing brews!  Everything was pretty delicious but the most unique offering of the day was the Codename: Ron Burgundy.  Commercial description from Funkwerks website: "This beer is based on the recipe for an Oud Brune. Instead of fermenting it with a mixed culture of yeast and bacteria, which would have produced a sour beer, we fermented it with a Belgian yeast and aged it for several months in French oak red wine barrels. The result is a dark reddish-brown beer with aromas of tart cherries, dark fruit, and a bit of toasty malt. The flavor is a balance of a slightly tart dark fruit and slightly sweet toasty malt. Oak tannins make the beer finish dry with a complex fruity flavor that lingers on the palate. Stay class, Fort Collins."  I preferred this version to the Black Cherry Codename: Ron Burgundy, which was Codename: Ron Burgundy infused with black cherries.       

While I wish I could've spent more time at the Funkwerks taproom, I'm just happy that I had the opportunity to try some of their awesome beer straight from the source.     

Dogfish Head Festina Pêche

I was looking for a light, refreshing brew to compete against the rising late-June heat and decided to open a bottle of Festina Pêche.  Dogfish Head took the core qualities of a traditional Berliner Weisse and added their own spin to concoct this brewery coined "neo-Berliner".  Festina Pêche is a nice summer beer but seems to be lacking something that could push it to the next level.  For being one of the most experimental breweries out there, Dogfish Head stayed too close to the middle of the road on this one.  After each sip, I was hoping for the initial taste of tart peach and citrus zest to be to more pronounced and amplified.  I would've also preferred a crisp, lingering sourness as opposed to the mild, abrupt finish.  While I didn't find this beer to be amazing, it was still relatively very good and an absolute steal at $9.99 per 4-pack.  I really can't think of any other brew representing this style that you'd be able to find for $2.50 a bottle.  Festina Pêche ranks much higher for me as a satisfying summertime option than a top Berliner-styled beer.  Not my favorite offering from Dogfish Head, but definitely a solid brew that I'd gladly drink again.       

From the Dogfish Head website: "In addition to fermentation with an ale yeast, Berliner Weisse is traditionally fermented with lactic cultures to produce its acidic (or green apple-like) character. Served as an apertif or summertime quencher, Festina is delicately hopped and has a pale straw color. To soften the intense sourness, Berliner Weisse is traditionally served with a dash of essence of woodruff or raspberry syrup.
In Festina Peche, since the natural peach sugars are eaten by the yeast, the fruit complexity is woven into both the aroma and the taste of the beer so there is no need to doctor it with woodruff or raspberry syrup. Just open and enjoy!"

Central City Red Betty IPA

Over the past few months I've been keeping a steady supply of this tasty, solid brew in our fridge.  Originally sold as Red Racer, it's now labelled as Red Betty in an effort to settle a dispute with California's Bear Republic Brewery.  Central City Brewing Comapny is based out of Canada (Surrey, BC) and up there this beer is still going under the original name, Red Racer.  Enough legal talk, time for beer talk! 

The main thing I like about Red Betty is the great balance that translates into easy drinkability. Golden amber in hue, this beer is not a hop bomb but a very evenly weighed out IPA.  Lots of piney hops up front that transition smoothly into a bready malt backing.  The borderline ripe grapefruit citrus notes leave behind a lingering aftertaste of pleasant hop bitterness.  Red Betty is a refreshing, medium-bodied brew that I find to be almost sessionable despite its 6.5% abv.

This award winning Canadian brewery has put out one of the best canned IPA's I've had in a long time.  Bring it to a BBQ to share with your hop-loving friends, take it camping, or keep it at home for a great year-round standby.  Red Betty is definitely worth seeking out!

http://www.centralcitybrewing.com/