Drinking Beer in Charlotte

[kermit]

3 hours ago, Jayvee said:

Across the street from Triple C. https://hydebrewing.com/

Going to be called Hyde Brewing. Coffee and food focus as well. Lindsey Pittman (of the daily press) is doing their coffee.

Ah, brain fart. Thanks for the reminder!

[JRNYP2C]

12 hours ago, grodney said:

Yeah, I'm excited for this one.  I foresee a blind tasting of Wake Up vs Coco Loco vs Up All Night in my future.  I'm still seeing some Fake Plastic Trees around, and that's hard to pass up, but I gotta move on from summer beer at some point.  Or do I? Hahaha.

Oh, speaking of which, I was going by 201 Central in Weddington the other day so I called to see if they had Gordgeous.  They said no.  I said "haven't got it yet, huh?", and the guy said "we're not getting it until we're out of NoDaJito".  Uhhhhhh, interesting decision.

Total Wine & More at the Promenade at Providence has Gorgeous on tap.  A good friend of mine works there and I ended up with a growler of it last weekend!!

[grodney]

We went to Thirsty Nomad on Saturday.  I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the beer....nothing to knock your socks off, but above average for a brand new brewery.  People were super friendly.  The place is tiny with only 3 or 4 tables, plus a 2-3 person sitting area, plus the bar.  They do have a long front patio with bar stools and a bar rail for better weather.  I guess Birdsong was very successful for quite a while with a tiny setup, so that might not be a problem.  But even though they're geographically very close to OMB and Sugar Creek, it seems location could continue to be an issue.

Edited August 29, 2016 by grodney

[Higgs Boson]

On 8/26/2016 at 8:17 AM, HopHead said:

Birdsong's Wake Up Porter will be available in cans starting next Thursday! I actually enjoy this porter, so looking forward to picking up some 4 packs. 

Awesome!  I love Wake Up Porter.  I still want to call this No Quarter Porter, which was more fun to say.  I do wish this was available year round... same with Silverback Stout, since I drink stouts/porters year round and it kind of sucks having to buy non-Charlotte beers during the summer when I want something else besides Coco Loco (which I love, don't get me wrong).

Edited August 29, 2016 by Higgs Boson

[grodney]

We went to Concord on Saturday and hit High Branch and Cabarrus Brewing.  We were blown away by the size and other details at Cabarrus, but first High Branch.  High Branch is on the back side of an old mill that has been redeveloped into an office and retail spot.  It is a standard brewery with shiny tables and metal chairs/stools, though it's on the small side....not much bigger than Birdsong's original spot.  Friendly staff, ok patio, overall a good spot.  I had a flight and wasn't overly impressed with anything I had.....not horrible...average.

We hadn't done any research or heard anything about Cabarrus, so the sheer size took us by surprise.  Wow.  HUGE seating area.  Huge brewing area with much empty space for further thanks and equipment.  High ceilings, but the acoustics didn't sound bad.  Roll up doors leading to the patio.  But beyond the size, there were other details that made an impression....almost as if somebody had visited a dozen breweries and made a list of things to do better.

- There was a food truck parked right next to the building, but the setup was nice.  Inside the brewery there was sort-of a hostess stand where you ordered (from a food truck worker).  They gave you a number to take to your table.  The person who took your order has a dedicated door right behind them for access to the food truck.  When your food is done, they bring it to you.  No going outside.  No waiting to hear your name.  No generator noise.  They even had a TV playing a powerpoint loop of the menu items.

- The long bar had a small section of bar stools, with rope barrier on each side.  As such it was very clear....if you want to sit at the bar, sit here.  If you want to just order beer, then walk up anywhere else on the bar.  Best of both worlds.....some bar seating, but no squeezing in or around people to get beer.

- Beer available in all sizes (single flight glass, flight-of-4 (discounted over 4 singles), half pint, pint, pitcher).  

- Flight paddles with holes all the way through them, so when you pick up the paddle, it catches on the thick part of the glass.  In other words, no balancing your glasses on the paddle as you make your way to your seat.

- Seven stalls in the ladies' room!

As for the beer, it's hard to say based on only a pint and a half, but what I had was good.  They also had several other drink options, including cider, soda, and maybe more.

Pics of the size, and the dedicated food truck hostess stand and side-door access below.  They also had a big upstairs seating area that appeared to be reserve-able for parties or whatever.

 

 

 

[Guest]

Went to Wicked Weed this weekend. LOVED the Sours from the Funkatorium. I'm really getting into Wild Ales and Sours. 

Also went to AMB and Blowing Rock Brewing Company. Loved both of them too. 

In Charlotte Beer news, for the first time ever I did not like the HDnR I had at the airport. I much preferred the Unknown IPA that my wife had. 

[InSouthPark]

1 hour ago, ricky_davis_fan_21 said:

Also went to AMB and Blowing Rock Brewing Company. Loved both of them too. 

I was at Blowing Rock Brewery yesterday as well!  Some really good food and pretty good beer (at least the couple I tried).  Did you get to Burial in Asheville? Besides the Funkatorium, that is my one other must visit brewery in town.  

[kermit]

^ I stongly second Burial. They don't have as much range as Wicked Weed but what they do is fantastic. They are my fave Bumcombe brewery.

[Guest]

1 hour ago, InSouthPark said:

I was at Blowing Rock Brewery yesterday as well!  Some really good food and pretty good beer (at least the couple I tried).  Did you get to Burial in Asheville? Besides the Funkatorium, that is my one other must visit brewery in town.  

Damn. I wish I had known this! I would have bought you a couple beers. 

[InSouthPark]

1 hour ago, ricky_davis_fan_21 said:

Damn. I wish I had known this! I would have bought you a couple beers. 

Ha! The way we smelled/looked, you would have thought we were homeless!  We just got done backpacking three days on the AT and stopped to get some meat & beer on the way home.  If you saw a couple of passed out boxer dogs outside, that was me and the family. 

[Guest]

1 hour ago, InSouthPark said:

Ha! The way we smelled/looked, you would have thought we were homeless!  We just got done backpacking three days on the AT and stopped to get some meat & beer on the way home.  If you saw a couple of passed out boxer dogs outside, that was me and the family. 

My wife and I had just finished a 15 mile hike as well. So we would have been two peas in a pod, and I remember seeing you!!!!!

Edited September 6, 2016 by Guest

[InSouthPark]

30 minutes ago, ricky_davis_fan_21 said:

My wife and I had just finished a 15 mile hike as well. So we would have been two peas in a pod, and I remember seeing you!!!!!

Crazy.  ** It's a small world after all **

[grodney]

With the Lenny Boy move complete as-of this coming weekend, that leaves us with 3 major projects underway:  Hyde, Resident Culture, and Bold Missy (conveniently representing South End, Plaza Mid, and NoDa).  I almost feel like we should have some sort of contest to predict the opening dates of those 3.

Others still on my "coming soon" list: Avenge, DukBone, FortyTwo, Divine Barrel, and Red Paw.  It wouldn't surprise me of 0 of those ever come into being.

[Guest]

7 minutes ago, grodney said:

With the Lenny Boy move complete as-of this coming weekend, that leaves us with 3 major projects underway:  Hyde, Resident Culture, and Bold Missy (conveniently representing South End, Plaza Mid, and NoDa).  I almost feel like we should have some sort of contest to predict the opening dates of those 3.

Others still on my "coming soon" list: Avenge, DukBone, FortyTwo, Divine Barrel, and Red Paw.  It wouldn't surprise me of 0 of those ever come into being.

There was a Planning Dept submit for a Brewing Facility on 23rd and Brevard. There is currently nothing there, which means its a complete build.

 

[grodney]

1 minute ago, ricky_davis_fan_21 said:

There was a Planning Dept submit for a Brewing Facility on 23rd and Brevard. There is currently nothing there, which means its a complete build.

 

Added to my list.  Thanks.  Let me know when you ninjas get a name.

[InSouthPark]

46 minutes ago, ricky_davis_fan_21 said:

There was a Planning Dept submit for a Brewing Facility on 23rd and Brevard. There is currently nothing there, which means its a complete build.

 

That would have to be Southern Tier/Victory right? No one locally has capital for a full new build out right? That's big bucks and a couple year build out. 

[Guest]

22 minutes ago, InSouthPark said:

That would have to be Southern Tier/Victory right? No one locally has capital for a full new build out right? That's big bucks and a couple year build out. 

Its only indicated at like 15k sq feet, which is much too small for Southern Tier in my opinion.

 

[InSouthPark]

3 minutes ago, ricky_davis_fan_21 said:

Its only indicated at like 15k sq feet, which is much too small for Southern Tier in my opinion.

 

Yeah definitely too small.  I looked up Oskar Blues in Brevard and that started as 30k and expanded another 17k.  Heck, Unknown is 22k. 

Huh. I can't think of anyone that would have the capital to build from scratch though unless it is another existing local building a production facility.

[grodney]

 

36 minutes ago, InSouthPark said:

 

Huh. I can't think of anyone that would have the capital to build from scratch 

What's it cost to build a new place?  Todd and Suzie spent 850K converting the original NoDa, and they're apparently just your average coporate 401k holders. cite: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/business/small-business/article76134102.html

Anyone?  I mean, there are a lot of people in town with more dollars than sense.  (Hint: MJ23 Brewing Inc.)

Edited September 7, 2016 by grodney

[InSouthPark]

23 minutes ago, grodney said:

 

What's it cost to build a new place?  Todd and Suzie spent 850K converting the original NoDa, and they're apparently just your average coporate 401k holders. cite: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/business/small-business/article76134102.html

Anyone?  I mean, there are a lot of people in town with more dollars than sense.  (Hint: MJ23 Brewing Inc.)

Based on no one in town having done it before...I would assume a lot more!  

It's hard to even get numbers for smaller breweries. They typically just use an existing building and incur "roughly" a million in equipment build out for a 30bbl system.  Found one article where Three Heads Brewery (never heard of them) built a 19k sf brewery from scratch in Rochester NY for $4 million.  

What is typical commercial construction cost per foot in CLT? $50/sf? $100/sf?  Even on the low end, that's $750k in just building cost. 

[videtur quam contuor]

Fellow beerists:  I meet in-laws in Carolina Beach for four days this weekend. My task is to bring good, possibly local beer. I like Birdsong jalapeño and Bell's Two hearted, for exapmples. The choices should be available at Total Wine or a grocer. I cannot run around to breweries. It should be something that could be enjoyed by all four of us plus perhaps other guests.

Suggestions?

[grodney]

46 minutes ago, tarhoosier said:

Fellow beerists:  I meet in-laws in Carolina Beach for four days this weekend. My task is to bring good, possibly local beer. I like Birdsong jalapeño and Bell's Two hearted, for exapmples. The choices should be available at Total Wine or a grocer. I cannot run around to breweries. It should be something that could be enjoyed by all four of us plus perhaps other guests.

Birdsong Jalapeno in cans for sure.  Total Wine has also carried growlers, but they're too expensive.  Triple C 3C in cans is a great choice; otherwise Hop Drop or Jam Session, or even Unknown Over the Edge.  NoDa Gordgeous is an awesome seasonal....always a hit.  OMB Mecktoberfest isn't *my* favorite, but it's a crisp clean oktoberfest seasonal that everyone seems to love.  OMB Copper is also clean and delicious and very approachable if somebody isn't hardcore craft.  Sugar Creek White is also good for that Blue Moon drinker in the crowd, or just a hot weather easy-drinker....although the last 6-pack I got was over-carbonated which was disappointing.  Finally, Birdsong's Fake Plastic Trees -- a "hoppy wheat" -- was really good this year (after I hated it previous years)....but it's not for everybody.  I've seen it in HT as recently as last weekend.

 

[InSouthPark]

Don't forget Noda Par 4. It's my go to pool/beach beer (only 4% but full of hops and tasty). Available at most Teeters. 

[tozmervo]

If your in-laws are less adventurous, I would stick to Par4, Cavu or Copper as more "accessible" beers.

[videtur quam contuor]

Thanks for the tips. I am off to the beer store for the four most likely. I hope to remember to provide a tasting update on the return. Hop Drop is too hoppy for me when I want more than one. Copper and 3C I have tried and could work. Gordgeous for the women, maybe. Oh, the pressure. I am also responsible for wine and scotch. This could be epic.