March 3, 2022
Asheville Humane Society Waives Pig and Dog Adoption Fees Through March
Hurry, We need more space! Asheville Humane Society is currently caring for OVER 30 pigs and p…
February 23, 2022
Running Of The Goats 5K 2022
After a sold-out first year, the Running of the Goats 5k and Nature Walk returns on Sunday morning, …
February 9, 2022
Hi-Wire Brewing Announces Plans for Birmingham, AL Location
The brewer’s first Alabama taproom, set to open in late summer, will join Hi-Wire’s roster of soon-t…
February 9, 2022
Brother Wolf Animal Rescue Brings Puppygrams Back for 2022
Brother Wolf Animal Rescue has a long-standing history of offering popular Puppygrams each Valentine…
Recent Posts
I just got back from a tip to South Africa. If you want to read the general recap, you can check it out at our Tiny House Blog.One of the things I wanted to experience while we were there was the local beer culture. I quickly learned that there really ...
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Pomegranate Wheat Beer was somewhat successful
In August, I brewed up a batch of wheat beer. It seemed to go well. I had gone to the Brewmaster's Warehouse and asked for a pretty basic wheat recipe. He suggested one called American Golden Wheat, and that seemed to do the trick. I ...
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I Have Never Met A Stranger…at the bar.
Recently, I was out with some friends and we went to a great little bar in Decatur Georgia called the Thinking Man Tavern. I was there with people I know and love and we enjoyed conversation and beer and food and it was a great time. Of course, that kind of bar experience is always fun. But I got to thinking about what happens when you don’t have your social network on hand.
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Occasionally, I find myself at the bar alone or maybe just myself and Matt. I treasure those experiences just as much as a great night out with great friends. The reason for that is that beer helps you make friends. Not in an “I’m really drunk so I’m going to fall all over you, stranger” kind of way, but more in appreciation of the art of craft brewing.
Just last night, I found myself on my own for dinner so I went to the Taco Mac closest to my work. It was Thursday, so it was Pint Night and I wanted to get my beer glass. I sat down at an empty chair at the bar and ordered my requisite Beer of the Month and settled in. I pulled out my iPod and connected to the Internet, perfectly content to amuse myself. But then, the two people to my left started talking about being from Michigan so I politely smiled and told them I was from Michigan as well. I didn’t want to interrupt the rest of their conversation, but occasionally they would draw me back in. We talked about sports teams and colleges and a few other things. But then I started to talk with two guys on my right – a Father/Son drinking team. They were both kind of new to the Beer Club so we started talking about what kind of beers they liked. They were surprised by how much I knew about beer, but that was because I reached the next benchmark of the beer club – I get a tee-shirt and glass mailed to me now. I enjoyed the conversation, truthfully more than I enjoyed the beer…but that is a slightly different topic.
But I got to thinking about how the art of beer seems to bring people together. My last post was about getting to know some other guy at the bar when they sat down at our table because we were leaving. We didn’t end up leaving because the discussion of beer and music was so engaging. You always have at least one thing to talk about – Beer. When you go to places the specialize in craft brewed beers, you tend to meet other people who also like craft brewed beers. Sometimes if you dig deeper you’ll find other things in common with these strangers. And truth is, you will probably never see them again but just that hour or two of great conversation can really make your day.
Now in regards to the beer. I’ve recently tried two local breweries newest additions and one I loved and one…not so much.
At the Thinking Man’s Tavern I was able to try Wild Heaven’snew quadruple called Eschaton. It was absolutely delicious. I try really hard to be able to describe the flavors of beer, but this one was really complex. It was a dark beer, but not overly heavy. It was a sweet beer, but not cloyingly so. It tasted of brown sugar and molasses and some mild fruitiness. Since it is a high gravity beer, it is served as an 8 ounce poor. This is good; I might have kept drinking it because it was so delicious. It is funny – I don’t often find myself describing beer as “Delicious.” Usually I use adjectives like “good” or “tasty”. But for some reason those didn’t adequately describe Eschaton. Wild Heaven is only one of several new breweries taking over the Atlanta market. If you find yourself in our fair southern town, make sure you try the local beer.
But not this one...
I’ll admit, I am a gigantic fan of local Red Brick Brewery. Their Brown is one of my go-to beers. So at the bar last night when I saw they had the brand new Vanilla Gorilla Porter, I wanted to give it a try. I didn’t want just a sample, though she would have given me a taste. I wanted to try a whole one, and get the additional points on my beer club card (which is what put me over the edge to getting to the next level). The bartender described it better than I ever could. It tasted like Bacon and Ice Cream. And not in a good way. There is a trend now to brew Smoked beers, and I have to admit that the flavor is not among my favorites. Vanilla Gorilla, as you might imagine, is a Vanilla Smoked Porter. I think it might have been a fantastic vanilla porter. It might have even been a good smoked porter if you’re into that sort of thing. But the combination of the meaty smokiness and the sweet vanilla was not good for me. Thanks, Red Brick, for trying something new. And the next time you try something new I will give it a go as well. But for now, I’ll just be over here with my Red Brick Brown.
Great Beer Night
It has been a while since I've paid much attention to this blog. With my other projects, sometimes this one gets a little neglected. Making beer is very much a repetitive process, so sometimes I don't feel the motivation to write about it after I...
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Damn, I make good beer!
Okay, I don't want to jinx myself and I am sure the first bad batch of beer is coming eventually, but my most recent batch is awesome. The Austin Home Brew modified brown recipe is delicious. A little bit nutty, a little bit chocolaty. ...
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Hi-Wire Brewing Announces Plans for Birmingham, AL Location
The brewer’s first Alabama taproom, set to open in late summer, will join Hi-Wire’s roster of soon-to-be ten taprooms. With expansions underway at both its Biltmore Village Production and South Slope Specialty breweries in Asheville, two additional locations are scheduled to open this year – Charlotte, N.C., in the spring and Cincinnati near the end of 2022. Alabama marks the fourth state in which the award-winning brewery will have premises with six facilities in Hi-Wire’s home state of North Carolina along with out-of-state taprooms in Knoxville, Tennessee, Louisville, Kentucky, and soon-to-be Cincinnati, Ohio. Hi-Wire Brewing has opened three new locations since December of 2020 in addition to expanding its distribution footprint to a ninth state, Virginia. Read More » -
Hi-Wire Brewing Announces Plans for Cincinnati Taproom
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Hi-Wire Brewing Announces Plans for Charlotte, NC Location
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Brews and Bears at the WNC Nature Center is Back Just in Time for Summer
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Celebrate 10 Years of Catawba’s Peanut Butter Jelly Time
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Catawba Valley Brewing Co. acquires Wilmington NC’s Skytown Beer Co.
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Golden Shoals Comes to The Grey Eagle 5/12/2022
Golden Shoals Gearing Up To Take Their Self-Titled Debut On The Road
Nashville, TN - Amy Alvey and Mark Kilianski have toured on foot—gig to gig with backpacks and instrument cases—for we Read More »Moogseum Announces Google Arts Exhibit
SoundSpace @ Rabbit’s Now Open Inside Historic Rabbit’s Motel
ACMS PRESENTS THE CALIDORE STRING QUARTET
Bob Moog Foundation Announces Trifecta Raffle
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Asheville Tea Company Celebrates Five Year Anniversary
Asheville Tea Company is celebrating five years with a new birthday brew and giveaway sweeter than a cool glass of southern iced tea. To celebrate their five-year anniversary, Asheville Tea Company is excited to release their official Birthday Party blend – a colorful rooibos blend with vanilla bean, oat straw, calendula and blue cornflower. Read More » -
Harvest Pizzeria to Open on the South Slope
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Citizen Vinyl & Session Café to Extend Hours this Week
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Asheville Tea Company Releases Valentine’s Day Gift Boxes
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Asheville Independent Restaurant Association seeks support through AIRfriends
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TIEC Competitions Opening to Public May 3 with Limited Capacity
Tryon International Equestrian Center & Resort (TIEC) will welcome the return of spectators beginning May 3 at 40% capacity thanks to a protocol easement in a Read More »Official Statement from Tryon Resort Covid-19
2019 Tryon Block House Races Canceled; Races to Resume in April
Tryon Block House Races Rescheduled for October
Ticket Sales Announced for 73rd Tryon Block House Races Returning April 13, 2019