PorchDrinking Visits Iceland, the Land of Fire & Ice

This summer, I realized a decade-long dream: visiting Iceland. My wife and I spent two weeks exploring and experiencing waterfalls, glaciers, geysers, craters, lava fields, tiny towns with tiny restaurants, cracks in the earth, puffins, whales, lots and lots of blonde people, wide-open vistas, and, most importantly, Icelandic beer. (All of which has been chronicled here.) Read More

Southern Pines Brewing Company | Blanche de Pines

ABV: 4.9% | IBU: 13

Co-owned by three Army Special Forces vets, Southern Pines Brewing Company officially opened its doors two years ago this month. Since then, they have garnered a loyal following and high ratings (as of this writing 4.5/5 on Yelp and 4.9/5 on Google). Commitment to the community, a pleasant taproom environment, and clean, accessible flavors will do that. Read More

D9 Brewing Company | Systema Naturæ 1st Edition

ABV: 6.3% | IBU: 0

North of Charlotte, along the lovely Lake Norman, lies Cornelius, North Carolina, home to D9 Brewing Company. I am tempted to describe D9 as “up-and-coming” but after tasting their Systema Naturæ 1st Edition — a wild sour ale brewed with sweet Devilwood blossoms and musky, tart apricot — they might have already arrived. Read More

Raleigh Brewing | Moravian Rhapsody

ABV: 5.2% | IBU: 37

For North Carolinians (and adventurous travelers) who are new to the craft beer scene, and for those same North Carolinians who love hoppy beers, but don’t know it yet, a brewery at the heart of the state has the perfect introductory beer for you. Read More

Brüeprint | Whiskey Barrel-Aged Midnight Brüe (2015)

ABV: 8.5% | IBU: N/A

Apex’s own Brüeprint has been making a name for themselves in the greater Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill area since opening their vats in the summer of 2014. They produce several … Read More

Steel String Brewery | Der Schneid Berliner Weisse

ABV: 3.8% | IBU: 4.6

Carrboro’s Steel String Brewery has grabbed my attention once again. This time, for their Berliner Weisse, Der Schneid. From what I can muster, “der … Read More

Foothills Brewing | People’s BBL Aged Porter

ABV: 6.0% | IBU: 42

To celebrate the end of 2015 and the beginning of 2016, I thought it would be nice to introduce PorchDrinking and her readers to a rare … Read More

Big Boss Brewing | Prometheus Unbound

AV: 8.0%

IBU: unlisted (low to none)

According to legend, the titan Prometheus created mankind and was mankind’s greatest benefactor, bringing us fire from the heavens. To make a long story short, he offended Zeus, and as a result Prometheus was chained to a mountain and left to suffer for all eternity. But the story does not end there, Prometheus was ultimately freed from his torment. Read More

Aviator | OktoberBeast

ABV: 7.2% | IBU: 22

As much as we all love our autumn pumpkin seasonals, I thought it would be nice to have a little break from the spices and pie references. Instead, we’ll take a look at a Märzen-style seasonal from Aviator, OktoberBeast. This is one of the first Märzen style beers I have ever had, so I think it would be informative to discuss the style more generally before we tackle what stands out about the OktoberBeast. Read More

Event Recap | Big Boss Brewing’s Tavern Ale Release

On a dark and stormy November 9th night, Raleigh’s own Big Boss Brewing premiered their Tavern Ale as part of their regular seasonal line-up. Read More

Wicked Weed | Horti-Glory Farmhouse Ale

ABV: 6.0% | IBU: n/a

During a recent two-day beercation to Asheville, North Carolina, I had the pleasure of visiting the illustrious Wicked Weed Brewery. I tried a variety of brews that were delicious, of course, but most of them will be saved for another day. Lunch at the WW restaurant granted me the privilege of discovering the first of their Terra Locale Series: the Horti-Glory Farmhouse Ale. Read More

NoDa Brewing | CAVU Blonde Ale

ABV: 4.6% | IBU: 18

From the western mountains to the eastern ocean, we’ve covered beers from all over North Carolina. We’ve been through tiny townships and out-of-the-way places. We’ve even … Read More

Lonerider Brewing | Sweet Josie Brown Ale

ABV: 6.1% | IBU: 30

To continue with the theme of canned North Carolina beers, let’s take a look at another one from Lonerider Brewing, Sweet Josie Brown Ale.
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Ultimate 6er | Carolina Cans

Today, we’re going on a little adventure with six new (to me) North Carolina beers, all of which come in cans. There are brews representing the piedmont cities of Raleigh, Pittsboro, Hillsborough, and Fuquay-Varina; those in the foothills, Hickory and Morganton; and the Land of the Sky, mountainous Asheville. We’re gonna see a lot, so hang on and please enjoy.

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Brüeprint | Brüenette Brown Ale

ABV: 5.2% | IBU: 24

I love when I’m browsing the North Carolina section of my local bottle shop and an assortment of unfamiliar beers from the same brewery appear before my … Read More

Railhouse Brewery | Mastiff Oatmeal Stout

ABV: 6.5% | IBU: 33

Before we find ourselves too far removed from winter, I wanted to share a stout I discovered recently, Mastiff Oatmeal Stout from Railhouse Brewery. Railhouse is veteran-owned (hence the patriotic bottle cap) and -operated in Aberdeen, North Carolina. Aberdeen, like many towns home to NC brewers, is relatively small and out of the way. Located a couple hours south and west of Raleigh and an hour due west of Fort Bragg, you might never hear of it were it not for the beer. Read More

Wicked Weed | Oblivion

ABV: 8.7% | IBU: negligible

We use a lot of colors when we talk about beer. This beer is amber. That beer is black. This one is straw. That one is brown. These are all quite common. Yet, for all of my beer-drinking life, I have only infrequently come across the color red. Maybe it’s my geography. Some of the world’s best-known and most highly acclaimed beers come out of Belgium, among them a variety of reds. Rodenbach’s Grand Cru, Duchesse de Bourgogne from Brewery Verhaeghe, and New Belgium’s La Folie are just a few examples.

In spite of (and thanks to) my geography, I’ve been fortunate enough to come across a delectable sour red ale from one of North Carolina’s finest breweries, the Asheville-based Wicked Weed Brewing Company. They call it Oblivion, and they give it a little story. Read More

Ultimate 6er | A Bevy of Belgian-styles

Belgian-style beers run the gamut from light, bubbly pale ales to hearty, dark quadrupels. They can be bright, vivid, and effervescent, and they can be strong, savory, and bold. However they appear, they tend to make an impression. So much so that even the most adamant of non-beer drinkers (I’m looking at you, winos) can be won over with the right combination of fruit, spice, and alcohol. Read More

Ultimate 6er | A Bevy Of Belgian-Style Ales

Belgian-style beers run the gamut from light, bubbly pale ales to hearty, dark quadrupels. They can be bright, vivid and effervescent, and they can be strong, savory and bold. However they appear, they tend to make an impression. So much so that even the most adamant of non-beer drinkers (I’m looking at you, winos) can be won over with the right combination of fruit, spice and alcohol.

Today, I’m exhibiting a pair of Belgian-style or Belgian-inspired beers from each of three American brewers: Ommegang, Goose Island and Boulevard. The pair from Ommegang are the Rare Vos Abbey-style amber and the Three Philosophers quadrupel. Those from Goose Island are named Matilda, a pale ale and The Ogden, a tripel. The last two come from Boulevard Brewing. They are the Long Strange Tripel and The Sixth Glass, another quad.

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Mother Earth | Dark Cloud

ABV: 5.1% | IBU: Low

Out in rural, eastern North Carolina, there lies a town called Kinston. Kinston boasts as the home of at least a couple of highly notable entities: Mother Earth Brewery and the Chef and the Farmer, a fine-dining restaurant with its own show on PBS. Since we’re all about the beer here at PorchDrinking.com, I’ll leave the food commentary for another day, but I thought I should mention it in case any of you find yourself in the area. Read More