Gruit, no it’s not some comic book movie hero, it’s a beer style. In the modern sense it’s a beer made without hops, it instead relies on spices and herbs to balance the sweetness from malt. While I discussed dying beer styles recently Gruit probably would top that list. I have perhaps seen 2-3 commercial examples over the last decade. Note I said modern because we start with Lars on the history of Gruit.

It’s commonly said that “gruit is the beer that was brewed before people started using hops,” and it’s fascinating how many errors there are in that short, simple sentence.”

Like many stories involving beer it goes back to taxation. Reinheitsgebot, beer purity? Not really, taxation and regulation definitely. Why do British ales tend to be low abv? Taxation and regulation. Hammurabi code? Same. But I had never seen this history on Gruit before and it was well worth the read.

The Triangle Business Journal has the news of the sale of the building that was home to Hatchet Brewing. The former building owners were great, I don’t think I have ever worked with a landlord who was so committed to helping a business succeed. They live in the neighborhood so seeing the space empty had to be painful. They are savvy folk so when the right buyer came along it made sense to sell.

South Carolina

Quiet week, no news to report.

North Carolina

Charlotte

Olde Mecklenburg Brewery opens its Mount Holly taproom. $6 million is a big investment, but it looks like quite the destination.

Follow up on last month’s story of Cabarrus Brewing signing to a state wide distribution contract. The owner confirmed they signed with Johnson Brothers. What this means is they can focus more on brewing and sales. Cabarrus is surely in grocery stores around Charlotte, but this will allow them to expand to further markets without becoming a trucking company. 

Asheville

Sierra Nevada to test sell Shred, a beer soda, at their brewery taprooms. At first I couldn’t wrap my head around the idea but as Beeraficionado points out, if you think it terms of a Shandy or Radler suddenly the concept makes sense.

Mills River Brewing hosted its 2nd annual Cheese and Pickle Festival Saturday. Beer, Cheese and Pickles sounds like a winner to me. 

Sandhills

Back to the Sandhills, Railhouse Brewery is coming to Southern Pines. They are taking over the former Southern Pines Brewing Pennsylvania taproom. This will be a great opportunity for Head Brewer Jason Hull to play with specialty brews as the location features more taps than the original restaurant location. Can’t wait to see what he dreams up.