Drinking Beer in Charlotte

[grodney]

I didn't know whether to put this in Drinking Beer or Bad New Restaurants but since there isn't a Bad New Restaurants......: I went to Flight yesterday (about 4:30-6) and it was bad.  Well, the server was Horrible, over and over and over again, so that was the biggest impression.  We got some appetizers and they were average at best, although the portion size seemed big for the money, by Charlotte standards.  They were (allegedly) out of 2 beers we ordered, although I could clearly see the tap handles, so that was weird.  It was super hot out so we sat inside....the A/C kept us cool, but it was blowing like a hurricane, I mean like annoyingly strong wind.  They didn't have flights of beer, not that I wanted/needed one but somebody in my party did.  Oh and the beer menu was weird, listing 2 sizes for some beers and 3 sizes for others....no discernable reason why, and the server bumbled her way through telling us that all 3 sizes were available for all the beers.  I'm seriously not a picky guy, but good lord this place makes me sound like a pretentious and picky foodie slash beer geek.

Anyway, NoDa NoDaJito is released in cans this Friday, Triple C Golden Girl is released in cans July 2, and Triple C is doing another run of Hyzer Hefe cans.

Oh, and an "almost Charlotte" story....we were heading to Waxhaw Saturday to check out DreamChasers brewery when I checked their Facebook page, only to find them closed for 2 weeks because they couldn't keep up with demand.  So yeah, the market for local craft beer remains strong even out in the far burbs.

 

[HopHead]

3 minutes ago, grodney said:

I didn't know whether to put this in Drinking Beer or Bad New Restaurants but since there isn't a Bad New Restaurants......: I went to Flight yesterday (about 4:30-6) and it was bad.  Well, the server was Horrible, over and over and over again, so that was the biggest impression.  We got some appetizers and they were average at best, although the portion size seemed big for the money, by Charlotte standards.  They were (allegedly) out of 2 beers we ordered, although I could clearly see the tap handles, so that was weird.  It was super hot out so we sat inside....the A/C kept us cool, but it was blowing like a hurricane, I mean like annoyingly strong wind.  They didn't have flights of beer, not that I wanted/needed one but somebody in my party did.  Oh and the beer menu was weird, listing 2 sizes for some beers and 3 sizes for others....no discernable reason why, and the server bumbled her way through telling us that all 3 sizes were available for all the beers.  I'm seriously not a picky guy, but good lord this place makes me sound like a pretentious and picky foodie slash beer geek.

Anyway, NoDa NoDaJito is released in cans this Friday, Triple C Golden Girl is released in cans July 2, and Triple C is doing another run of Hyzer Hefe cans.

Oh, and an "almost Charlotte" story....we were heading to Waxhaw Saturday to check out DreamChasers brewery when I checked their Facebook page, only to find them closed for 2 weeks because they couldn't keep up with demand.  So yeah, the market for local craft beer remains strong even out in the far burbs.

 

I haven't been to Flight yet personally, but I've heard from two different people on different occasions that is was really bad. About the only redeeming quality was the decor. The service you described is very much like what they said. I guess you can say they are consistent in that regard. Hopefully these are just some bad growing pains and they clean it up.

I'm a huge NoDa fan, but NoDajito is probably one of a few beers that I just don't care for. On another note, I've completely crushed all the Par 4 cans that I bought recently. Hopefully they can keep those in stock this summer. 

[tozmervo]

7 minutes ago, grodney said:

I went to Flight yesterday [...] They didn't have flights of beer 

DOES NOT COMPUTE

[grodney]

1 minute ago, HopHead said:

I'm a huge NoDa fan, but NoDajito is probably one of a few beers that I just don't care for. On another note, I've completely crushed all the Par 4 cans that I bought recently. Hopefully they can keep those in stock this summer. 

This reminded me of a few things: 1) I agree on the Par 4....and I usually see low ABV as a waste of time hahahaha.....it's a year-'round can so yeah I'm hoping it will be just a standard shelf item with HDR and JamSession and the rest, 2) I love Birdsong but I've never liked Fake Plastic Trees.....but I bought a 4-pack anyway and I found it pretty darn good.....I guess my tastes might have changed but I'm really thinking it is different this year.

Oh and I had Legion Juicy J at Flight and it was pretty delicious.  I had previously had it twice at the brewery and had mixed results.

 

[Higgs Boson]

4 hours ago, tozmervo said:

DOES NOT COMPUTE

Same reaction when I read that.  

Just looking over their website, their beer menu is shockingly light on stouts and porters. I know it's essentially summer, but they've got 73 beers on tap with only one stout not named Guinness and one porter.

Edited June 15, 2016 by Higgs Boson

[kermit]

I made it to Blue Blaze tonight and their interior and exterior space is very comfortable. Its got a very 'modern-rustic' Asheville kinda vibe which is fancier than most local breweries. The most impressive feature is the focus of the space towards the woods surrounding Stewart Creek, this gives the indoor and outdoor space an impressive sense of isolation. Needless to say the rocking chairs are fantastic and it had the now standard brewery vibe of little kids and lots of dogs -- everything worked well in the space.

I tried three beers, the Blue (alt bier), Yellow (kolsch) and Double (Black IPA). They also had four guest taps (Birdsong Jalapeno, Cabarrus wheat, a Legion non IPA and a Lenny Boy Kambucha). Their Amber was on the menu board but they had none since it was still fermenting.

The Blue (alt bier) was great, very similar to Copper but I thought it had a fuller taste profile (a wider range of malt flavors without any one overpowering flavor), I really liked it despite my current hopps obsession. Based on this one pint I would choose this over copper (and I like Copper).

Yellow (Kolsch): My wife's beer. I thought it was very good despite not being a fan of the style. It had a very clean flavor profile (it was not overpowered by a malty flavor) but it was still 'beery' in a satisfying way. Less complicated than many of the craft Kolsch's I have had recently and I thought this was a positive. For a week-one beer I give it a thumbs up. I might even find myself seeking one of these out on a hot day.

Double (Black IPA): Meh, this was a letdown. Not enough hops to impress me (The flavors were only marginally more hoppy than the altbier) and the taste was dominated by a subtle toasty malt flavor (like Guinness but gentler). Since it was labeled as a Black IPA I feel like they only got half of the flavors right, I'll chalk it up to week one jitters.

Overall its a great venue and the beer (given its traditional German slant) was better than I had anticipated. Their are some annoyances, its expensive ($5.50 for a pint of altbier),  sales tax is not included in the menu price (which really slows down cash transactions) and poorly located bike parking. That said, their traditional German beer was very good and the location (at the end of one of Charlotte's best greenways) is great. I'll frequently visit.

Edited June 19, 2016 by kermit

[Prodev]

Two more new/future breweries now have names. Hyde Brewery will be located on Griffith St across from Triple C. This is the building that was recently rezoned as "grifbrew". The other is the property that was rezoned earlier this year on central that was named "central brewery". The actual name will be Resident Culture Brewing. Both recently submitted their plans, so don't expect openings before winter.

[CLTProductions]

28 minutes ago, Prodev said:

Two more new/future breweries now have names. Hyde Brewery will be located on Griffith St across from Triple C. This is the building that was recently rezoned as "grifbrew". The other is the property that was rezoned earlier this year on central that was named "central brewery". The actual name will be Resident Culture Brewing. Both recently submitted their plans, so don't expect openings before winter.

Resident Culture is a stupid name. Hyde is cool. Working on getting info on Hyde now. I'm pretty sure they'll be connecting Griffith to the rail trail

[grodney]

Resident Culture, according to braird.com: "Coming in the winter of 2016, Resident Culture will focus on bringing wild, barrel aged sours, and hoppy and sessionable fresh brews to patrons of its taproom in the Plaza Midwood Neighborhood.".  

Hyde I don't find anything in a quick googling.....so go Jayvee.

Updated map of CharMeck breweries: https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1qUzSq_rtYQ1oAdRL4hHoZN_wxlg

Also not on the map because no location:

Avenge

DukBone

Forty Two

Divine Barrel

Red Paw

I suppose I should check in on those to make sure non of them have folded....it's been a few months since I looked at any of them.

 

Edited June 20, 2016 by grodney

[grodney]

In no surprise to anyone, Tin Kitchen and NoDa are partnering on a full-time food truck.  As I said when Wooden Robot did this, it's the perfect scam for a brewery:  No restaurant red tape (oven hoods, inspections, etc), no wait staff, a consistent offering that customers can count on, etc.  

http://www.charlottefive.com/noda-brewing-company-bring-brand-new-beer-y-food-menu/

 

 

[SgtCampsalot]

^Awesome! Now they need to plant some trees at their patio.

[tozmervo]

4 hours ago, grodney said:

I suppose I should check in on those to make sure non of them have folded....it's been a few months since I looked at any of them.

Came across this, might be useful cross-reference for your map: http://charlotte.global/clientuploads/Economic_pdfs/Charlotte_Craft_Breweries.pdf

[grodney]

6 hours ago, SgtCampsalot said:

^Awesome! Now they need to plant some trees at their patio.

I'm having trouble figuring out where this is, but they've mentioned this on twitter and now in their Tin Kitchen release: "Their expanded patio (within walking distance of the food truck) is likely to be complete by the middle of July, with sun shades, disc golf baskets, a bocce ball court and plenty of grassy picnic spots."

Maybe it's just the little grassy area west of their patio, but that description sounds bigger than that little space.  And the "within walking distance" is odd phrase-ery for a space that's right there.  They had completely re-planted the little grass space west of their patio last time I was up there, which was 2 weeks ago or so....but there was nothing further.

[videtur quam contuor]

I was there last month when the Tin Kitchen truck was there and the food was nearly inedible. Maybe a bad day but one bad day is enough to turn a customer in another direction. I will go for the beer, but that is it.

[grodney]

Oh hey I forgot to mention that Wooden Robot expanded their hours and are now serving the millennial crowd until midnight Fri and Sat!  Which reminds me, I made this totally-impractical-to-keep-updated graphic of the Charlotte breweries hours.

Restaurants on top, with the others grouped and ordered geographically to some degree.

NerdNotes:

• Only 4 (of 11) non-restaurants are open 7 days a week, with Free Range, Three Spirits, and Unknown only open 5 days a week, and Lenny Boy only 4.
• Wooden Robot is the first non-restaurant to hit midnight.
• The only non-restaurant to routinely open before 4pm weekdays is Legion...although Sugar Creek and Wooden Robot have moved a little earlier on Friday.  Sycamore opened at Noon last Friday....wouldn't surprise me to see more breweries doing this.
• Only Free Range, Wooden Robot (odd!), and Three Spirits don't open by Noon on Sunday.
• Birdsong has the oddball on-the-half-hour openings Tu/W/Th.

 

Edited June 21, 2016 by grodney

[Guest]

17 minutes ago, grodney said:

Oh hey I forgot to mention that Wooden Robot expanded their hours and are now serving the millennial crowd until midnight Fri and Sat!  Which reminds me, I made this totally-impractical-to-keep-updated graphic of the Charlotte breweries hours.

Restaurants on top, with the others grouped and ordered geographically to some degree.

NerdNotes:

• Only 4 (of 11) non-restaurants are open 7 days a week, with Free Range, Three Spirits, and Unknown only open 5 days a week, and Lenny Boy only 4.
• Wooden Robot is the first non-restaurant to hit midnight.
• The only non-restaurant to routinely open before 4pm weekdays is Legion...although Sugar Creek and Wooden Robot have moved a little earlier on Friday.  Sycamore opened at Noon last Friday....wouldn't surprise me to see more breweries doing this.
• Only Free Range, Wooden Robot (odd!), and Three Spirits don't open by Noon on Sunday.
• Birdsong has the oddball on-the-half-hour openings Tu/W/Th.

 

See? You are the list maker, and i approve. This is a great table to have. More places should open as early as Legion.

[kermit]

Thanks for this!

42 minutes ago, grodney said:

• ... Wooden Robot (odd!), and Three Spirits don't open by Noon on Sunday.

The Southend snakepeople roll out of bed sometime after 11 on Sundays and must find brunch before they start day drinking.

[grodney]

3 minutes ago, kermit said:

Thanks for this!

The Southend snakepeople roll out of bed sometime after 11 on Sundays and must find brunch before they start day drinking.

You can't drink all day if you don't start in the morning.

 

Oh, and I agree with RDF on more should open early.

But as for the usefulness of the hours chart....the breweries change them constantly it seems.  Google is pretty good about having their hours correct, but it sure it nice having them all in one spot when trying to pick where to go on a given day.

Edited June 21, 2016 by grodney

[kermit]

2 minutes ago, grodney said:

You can't drink all day if you don't start in the morning.

Sage advice!

My favorite line from Mad Men was one of the times when Don Draper was drinking one of his new partners under the table. The poor guy said "I gotta get something to eat." Don dismissively replied "doesn't ice count?"

[tozmervo]

Might be pointing out the obvious, but there are no alcohol sales before noon on Sundays. 

[grodney]

1 hour ago, tozmervo said:

Might be pointing out the obvious, but there are no alcohol sales before noon on Sundays. 

Right....and everybody opens at Noon except the 3 listed, who wait until 1pm.  I worded it clumsily, but I said "by Noon" instead of "at Noon" because the restaurants actually open before Noon.

[tozmervo]

1 hour ago, grodney said:

Right....and everybody opens at Noon except the 3 listed, who wait until 1pm.  I worded it clumsily, but I said "by Noon" instead of "at Noon" because the restaurants actually open before Noon.

Ahhh si si si. I gotcha now - misunderstood

[grodney]

There may be more appropriate threads for this, but I'm a beer guy.  So we stopped at Tank's Tap about 6:30 last night (between Bakersfield and the Bowie concert at the symphony, both of which were fabby!), and we were VERY surprised that they closed at 7pm.  Not just Tank's, but the whole 7th St. Station.  They were literally locking the doors at 6:55pm and turning people away.  The place was packed.....lots of people getting on/off the train....lots of foot traffic.  And the whole thing is closing.  What gives?  I guess I can see maybe on Mon/Tue.  But on Thursday?  In the summer?  And I think they're only open until 8pm on Fri/Sat.  This is craziness, yes?

 

[CLTProductions]

1 hour ago, grodney said:

There may be more appropriate threads for this, but I'm a beer guy.  So we stopped at Tank's Tap about 6:30 last night (between Bakersfield and the Bowie concert at the symphony, both of which were fabby!), and we were VERY surprised that they closed at 7pm.  Not just Tank's, but the whole 7th St. Station.  They were literally locking the doors at 6:55pm and turning people away.  The place was packed.....lots of people getting on/off the train....lots of foot traffic.  And the whole thing is closing.  What gives?  I guess I can see maybe on Mon/Tue.  But on Thursday?  In the summer?  And I think they're only open until 8pm on Fri/Sat.  This is craziness, yes?

 

I've talked to CCCP about this a lot (they operate the market) and it's due to the number of vendors that are required to be open for the entire space to be open (due to utility sharing and stuff). And I guess enough vendors don't see it viable to stay open later and thus the market closes. 

As we continue to grow our PED population I have been assured they will revisit this situation 

[SgtCampsalot]

13 minutes ago, Jayvee said:

I've talked to CCCP about this a lot (they operate the market)

Really?? I was not paying attention a decade ago...