Start off the week Beervana has a history on Cascade hops. I didn’t know that Coors played such a big role in the hop’s growth. Not sure you can identify Cascade hops? Crack open a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale.
Latest edition of Southern Brewing News is out, the North Carolina section didn’t make the edition but South Carolina is there.
South Carolina
Over the weekend South Coast Beer Project had a soft opening and as of now they should be up and running, congratulations!
North Carolina
Brevard
In honor of the nation’s 250th birthday 5 area breweries will feature a Patriot pint program.
Triangle
The Bottles and Cans shop has done a rebranding into Taps and Social bottle shop. Good luck with the brand refresh.
In Raleigh there came news that Tobacco Road is closing their off Glenwood location, it’s been on the market for a while, the good news out of it is will reopen as Clouds Brewing downtown location. Their old location was across the street so people around there will be familiar with the concept. I am told they will be brewing some small batch projects at the location.
Last in events this week Bond Brothers Brewing will be having 10th anniversary party.
This week we go back to April of 2012 at Redhook a keg exploded while being cleaned. It inspired the article below. While plastic kegs do exist still they are generally one time use only and far safer than what was on the market then. It’s a good thing the industry has largely walked away from the reusable plastic kegs, they never had the durability of steel.
The number of brewers has risen from 2000 to now around 9000 so I think safety is still not given the priority it should to be but Master Brewers and Brewers Association have both stepped up and offer much better safety education than back then.
I was at brewery recently and asked where the Material Safety Data Sheet(MSDS) were for their chemicals. I was told they would have to call their chemical vendor for copies. I know the vendor and as company policy they recommend that 2 copies be kept printed on site, 1 to take to the hospital in event, 1 to remain onsite. Last thing in event of accident is having to call your vendor asking for something you should already have onsite. So there is still work to do.
The Redhook tragedy this week resonates a major concern of mine in the brewing industry, Safety and Training issues. I have had the experience to work in a couple of industries and by far brewing more lax than most when it comes to these issues. Don’t get me wrong my boss believes in safety and makes it a priority, but when I bring up training and how they interrelate I get a blank stare.
These are not isolated events, I hear a story like this about once a month. I know a brewer who nearly took his head off when trying to prep a barrel improperly.
Brewing can be dangerous work and as an industry we need to do a better job watching out for each other. The current growth phase of craft beer makes these events likely to become more common rather than less. In 2008 we had 1,483 craft brewers, today we have at least 1,938 probably more since the Brewers Association did the total. So roughly 500 new breweries plus another 900 in the planning stage, but where did these people come from? What training did they get? Schools like Siebels and Davis can only train so many, but even then most graduating don’t get hands-on training. So roughly a quarter of the breweries in the US are using staff that are undertrained and may not be aware of all the safety issues at hand. Look at the ProBrewer forums and you will see how many head brewer positions asking for less than 5 years experience. Factor in the breakneck speed that craft beer is growing with people are buying larger tanks or often times inferior *cough*Chinese*cough* equipment. All this builds to Safety and Training issues potentially becoming a major industry blackeye over the coming years.
The Brewers Association could spend less effort on brewer’s profiles and play an important role in focusing attention on these important matters. Industry promotion and customer education are important topics. But a single panel on Safety at the CBC each year though isn’t nearly enough attention. There needs to be staff time dedicated to improve practices.
Breweries need to make this a priority, the Brewer’s Association needs to step up, and as brewers we need it to watch each other’s back. It is too important not to and in the long term it will help our industry’s success. Safety is too important to be left to chance.
We have work to do but overall we are in a better place than then.
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.
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 Brewinghosted 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.
I was shopping at my local grocery store recently when I noticed Carolina BreweryBBQ sauce on the shelf, now this is nothing new for them. But it did get me thinking about brand extensions or copacking it’s sometimes referred to in the industry. Beyond the usual brewery swag (i.e. hat, tshirt, or coaster) it’s something that promotes brand awareness outside of the beer aisle. I don’t count the other brands of products like THC seltzer in this, because often you have to pay very close attention to the label to realize it’s the producer’s product.
I have been struggling to come up with examples that are Carolina based. But interestingly there are two more based here in Pittsboro. BMC Brewing or Bite My Cookies has always had that aspect part of their brand since founding. They take spent grains from the brewing process and make cookies that they sell in their taproom. Owner John Rice commented on a tour that formulating the cookies does take some experimentation, because since the spent grain has no sugars left the recipe needs to be balanced to make for a tasty treat.
Just across the promenade from BMC is Fair Game Beverage Co. While they make distilled spirits, they have taken a similar path with Apple Brandy filled Chocolates. In their case they do have a partner that makes the chocolates for them.
Mother Earth Brewing has taken the concept as far as a branded hotel. It may be my favorite example of the bunch. Kinston is a drive from most of the Carolinas, so setting up the Mother Earth Motor Lodge means you can have a great time at the brewery and not have to worry about driving home. The retro feel of the place is a nice touch of kitsch. Add in a mini golf, a pool and table games it makes for a great family destination.
What interesting brand extensions have you found in the beer world? Share in the socials.
Biggest news of the week is that the Anchor Brewing site is having workers on site with repairs and renovations, hopefully to reopen soon. Since Sapporo announced the closure and Hamdi Ulukaya, the founder of Chobani, purchased the company there has been no news publicly. Bay area writers and brewers would post storiesevery few months asking if it was really going to happen. Just as when a new brewery announces they have a location determined but there is no timeline of opening, it takes patience. Especially given how regulatory heavy California is, I am certain there were a number of public officials who had to sign off on the project.
Getting confirmation of the news is hampered likely due to Non Disclosure Agreements (NDA). The last thing Ulukaya’s lawyers want is the wrong thing being said in the press. I’m still honoring the NDA on some projects. Don’t expect to see Anchor on shelves anytime soon in the Carolinas. When it does reopen, I would expect limited distribution sales largely in North California, then once they reestablished themselves expand to a comfortable size. In the current market conditions, it may well be that they never return to being a national brand. I wish them every success and California friends expect me to be reaching out to get that first Christmas beer release.
In regional news Stone Richmond has closed, now with the acquisition by Firestone Walker it was unexpected. Seems it was done in harsh fashion, but considering how they treated Anchor Brewing as a brand I am not surprised. The Richmond taproom was quite the space, I suspect a reduction in size and scope when the fizzy, yellow beer company reopens the space.
South Carolina
In Myrtle Beach we Ole Smoky Distillery and Yee-Haw Brewing will be opening a joint taproom. Also in Myrtle we have more on the South Coast Beer Project.
Vinepair asks What Craft Beer Style is Dead in 2026. The caveat of the idea is what styles aren’t being brewed in the United States these days. Though some argue it’s a great time for craft, the number of styles commonly available is in decline and has been for over a decade. This is a concerning trend. While most anything not an IPA or Lager are on life support in the current market, the Style Spotlights have given me insight into the state of the market.
So what are my dying styles list?
Doppelbock – I wanted to showcase it in Winter, but I could not find enough examples. Traditionally it is said this beer was consumed by Monks during Lent for sustenance. Big malty beasts of a beer, Celebrator from Germany is most likely the one found on the shelf with the white goat ornament hanging off the bottle. Michael Jackson in Ultimate Beer describes it as “dark brown to ebony color; soft, rich, coffeeish, malt flavors, and figgy dryness in the finish.“ Locally BMC Brewing hasn’t forgotten the style, making J.S. Doppelbock which they had on draft recently and worth finding as it returns next Winter.
Saison – While often called a Farmhouse ale, documentation of the style doesn’t go back much into the 1800s and most of it is commercial brewing in origin. From Jackson again “They are firm and dry, with a yeasty, fruity acidity like that of an orange, and usually unfiltered.” Saison Dupont remains the textbook example, but Boulevard’s Tank 7 Farmhouse Ale is a solid example that can be found. I hope to be wrong and find enough local examples to spotlight this Summer.
Belgian Blonde – As much as I love a great Tripel, it would be nice to drink a lower ABV alternate that has a similar flavor profile. Back to Jackson this time in Beer Companion “It is a style similar to an English pale ale, but more aromatic and spicy in both malt and yeast character. Outside of Belgian I think this style has actually died but if you find a De Knoninck or Palm Special are a treat.
Kentucky Common – Which never really has been that common a beer hails from naturally Kentucky. While homebrewers and some modern versions can feature a tart sourness, brewing records historically don’t support such notions. Light in body, often with some corn in the mash, they do run amber or a bit dark due to a touch of Black malt in the mash. Light in body and quaffable they are a great Summer brew. I can’t think of an example in the Carolinas.
What beer style do you miss? Please leave yours in the socials.
Back to 2017 again, more discussion of travel. I think much of this stands, for all the bad of social media and smartphones, it has made the issue of international travel easier. That’s a small benefit in the mix.
Recently for work I had to take a trip to Mexico, mind you not a regular business trip of fly in, stay a few days then fly home. Since I was brewing and the brewery hadn’t been in operation the last few weeks, I spent 3-4 days organizing and cleaning, then filled the fermenters, packaged one of the beers we brewed and left. The whole trip took about 3 and half weeks.
It was the longest I had been outside of the US in probably 20 years. But what I found significant about the trip was the lack of isolation and how it handles learning a language. I did have Rosetta Stone and was using it, my reading is coming along at a reasonable pace. Frankly my speaking is still horrid, I made another trip to this brewery 2 years ago and I felt better prepared this time. Listening cognition was okay, for work or some business things it was fine and even food I understood what people were saying. Speaking remains a disaster, my accent has improved but even when I felt I knew the proper vocabulary I ended most sentences finishing in German.
People seemed to respect me trying to use Spanish as much as possible.
The other big thing when living alone in another culture for any length of time is the isolation, when I was a student in Germany I had a radio but besides going out with other students, a weekly chat with family, or the occasional letter I was alone. This time, between modern cell phone with text messaging and Facebook it felt like I wasn’t far removed from family and friends. Sure we couldn’t meet at the pub, but I could post my side trip to Guanajuato or wish people a Happy Thanksgiving. I did also have a TV in my hotel room and kept it on with Spanish language channels often with shows I knew from the US so I had a better base of understanding of what was going on and the language used. Though honestly I am not sure it made that much of a difference. Lastly with my cell phone I had Google Translate app loaded. This was particularly helpful when I was trying to have a business discussion with someone while our translator didn’t understand the technical terms. Often when they would be having long conversation over what should have been a simple concept, I would type the explanation in English and press translate, then show the manager and his face would light up with understanding.
Overall it was a good and productive trip, but I think for all the bad rap cell phones and social media get, they were the things that helped bring the language and isolation barrier of being far from home.
Technology issues have been sorted and we are back in action.
We start with a quote from an interview with folks at Firestone Walker and their plans for Stone Brewing.
Times have been tough in the years since COVID. When we talk about that with Duvel, they acknowledge that, but say, “yeah, but we’ve been through World Wars.”
Vine Pair offers a take on AI in brewing, it’s a long piece, but it has good discussion with creative folks on the impact craft. This topic did pop up on the recent merchandise panel at BrewSmart. At the seminar a local artist recommended finding someone who fits with your brand and mission in your area. In doing that you are truly supporting local. Many restaurants/bars seem to be using it increasingly for their social media posts. I find it lazy because I’d rather see a great photo of your pizza or sandwich rather than some AI generated fluff. Often I find it oversimplified for the reader. For example the Brewers Association sent Friday an email with the subject line ‘Monday’ here’s a screenshot of the email.
It reads like someone sent to an AI the prompt “Write a reminder about Craft Beer week and email it to the newsletter list.” I have been doing some research on Axios, the news company, because they feature AI in their content creation. I was thinking of them because the Raleigh branch recently posted this story, which is a summary of the recent Brewers Association article on the state of the industry with some local breweries added in. I decided to give their Axios daily newsletter a sample after reading their article, but it was just like the above screenshot but with a few more sentences and 5-7 stories per email. I hope this isn’t the future of culture, but doesn’t strike me as authentic.
Yesterday marks the 20th anniversary of the American Craft Beer week, it sounds like a good excuse to go support your favorite local brewery.
As for the Carolina News Items I’m going to try a different tact this week, feedback would be appreciated.
South Carolina
Quiet week for South Carolina.
North Carolina
Asheville
New Belgium gets featured in two mentions the Chamber celebrates re-opening of tours and an article discussing their 10th anniversary. Hopfly Brewing of Charlotte is opening a South Slope taproom.
Triangle
Basic Brewing will be a brewpub openingnear Boylan Heights, no website but you can follow their Instagram. News & Observer has a post event wrap up on Brewgaloo.
Triad
Wise Man Brewing signs a distribution deal Caffey distribution and United Carolina Beverages, meaning Charlotte buyers should see an expanded footprint in their stores.
In events this weekend feature Southern Range 10th anniversary and Forgotten Roads hosting an anniversary as well. Lastly in events to the calendar, while anniversary parties will all always get listed, I want to shout out for more unusual taproom events for example at Fiddlin’ Fish Brewing has ‘Bandages & Brews’ an outdoor first aid class at 5:30 tomorrow (May 13th).
A second Brews News for the week but some much has been going on it deserves discussing.
Stone Brewing Sold
Stone Brewing is back in the headlines with it being sold to Firestone Walker – Duvel. It’s been a rough last decade for the brand, from kicking off the Berlin opening as an Ugly American to the money pit in Richmond. The sale to Sapporo, in effect turning their back on the Indy Arrogant Bastard vibe, could have been the final nail in the coffin for the brand. But now I am not so sure.
The deal includes the California taprooms and the brand that are changing hands, the production facilities in Escondido and Richmond aren’t part of the deal. Sapporo will keep brewing in Richmond for the US market and rebrand the taproom there. As for Escondido it’s going on the market for sale, who would buy it? I haven’t a clue. But what does Firestone Walker – Duvel gain out of this play, it’s not the first brand acquisition with Trumer Pils being announced recently. It’s all about balance in capacity you don’t want to be constrained as Ken Grossman discusses in Beyond the Pale by too little or capacity that sits unused as Brewers Association recently discussed. In picking up these brands it means they can run closer to full capacity. They could have picked up contract brewing potentially, but it seems Duvel has more of a mind set to protect and nurture its acquisitions like Ommegang and Boulevard.
Which means this is likely the best case scenario for the brand. What does it mean for North Carolina, little for now, both Firestone Walker – Duvel and Stone Brewing are sold through Tryon Distribution so no change there, the beer will just come from Kansas City instead of Richmond so there may be a slight uptick from travel costs. I hope they bring back Ruination and Arrogant Bastard. I have intentionally been avoiding their beer since Sapporo shut down Anchor Brewing but with this deal I am willing to give them another chance.
Future of Hops
Second in the news from Michigan, Hop Head farms is closing. Hop Head was the largest hop operation in the US outside of the Pacific Northwest. Roughly 40% of hops in the world are produced in the US and of them somewhere between 98-99% are grown in the Pacific Northwest. Specialized farm equipment is often in that production.
PENTAX ImagePENTAX Image
Photos are hop operation in Washington state.
With Hop Heads auction the future of that capacity outside of the Pacific Northwest is in question, but it’s worth keeping watch. The reason I bring it up is North Carolina agriculture and its future. Malt companies like Riverbend, Carolina and Epiphany have proven that barley is part of the future with NC agriculture. Hops is a more challenging prospect. First hops generally do best around the 48 latitude, hence the concentration in the Pacific Northwest. Second, our climate doesn’t get cold enough in the Winter for the plant to reach proper dormancy. Because of that in the Carolinas per acre are at best a quarter of the yields in the Pacific Northwest. I have believed for some time that any successful hop farm in NC would need a specialized variety for the weather here, likely a hybrid of the Neo-mexicanius that grows in New Mexico. Developing new hop varieties takes on average 15 years from breeding to hitting the market. I don’t see anyone making that kind of investment in time nor money in this current market.
World Beer Cup Winners
Last night was great for the Carolinas with a combined 12 13 awards.
With the Craft Brewers Conference going on up in Philadelphia, it seems a good week to discuss this proposal of a Second Room at trade shows and invite the public to attend and interact with brewers. Kind of an educational engagement with the industry. While interesting in concept, I don’t think it would work out. The conference runs Monday through Wednesday, who of the public would attend, likely only retired folk would be able to attend those days. Second, in a time of tight budgets who would pay for this extra room? Yes the Brewers Association could seek out a vendor interested in sponsoring the space, but who would appeal to both brewers and the general public? It’s an intriguing concept and well worth the read.
Lars Garshol is Norwegian Farmhouse brewing expert. Not only that he also has studied farmhouse brewing across Scandinavia and as far as rural Russia. This recent post looks at diversity in Farmhouse yeast. Another great read.
Triangle Business Journal has a state of the brewing industry article, but if you don’t have access through their paywall you can read the Brewers Association’s original release.
Down in South Carolina another profile piece on the South Coast Beer Project. Also University of South Carolina is brewing up their own student designed beer.
Out of Charlotte I noticed Heist Brewing was hiring for their reopening brewpub location, but it was news to me that the brewpub had been closed. Evidently there had been a fire in the kitchen back in 2024. I’d been seeing their beer out in the Triangle so I hadn’t realized. So as they get open give them some support I am sure they will need it. In addition Lower South End gets some love as a potential walking brewery tour destination.
Lastly Crooked Hammock Raleigh brewpub is opening today. It will be the company’s fourth location, it was started in Delaware with two locations and its third is in North Myrtle Beach. They all feature a beach theme motif with over sized games like connect four, shuffle board, etc.
This new location will be pure on premise but with some beer to take home. The brewhouse is a 10 barrel which for brewpub is a good size system, large enough to keep Flagships in stock, but small enough that experimentation can still happen. I don’t know if they have plans for distribution in the local market, their South Carolina location definitely is sized large enough they could.
We attended the soft opening last week, not surprising they haven’t started brewing at the location, but were happy to show us around the space. But since they aren’t brewing in the space yet, they brought beer from Myrtle. Kyle Schug, who opened the Myrtle location, will be brewing in Raleigh. The food was fairly typical pub fare, but they also offered pizzas, which I believe is unique to this location.
This weekend is always one of the busiest of the year Glass Jug Beer Lab has their Beer Mile, Brewgaloo and a personal favorite Piedmont Farm tour so plenty of options to explore in this last weekend of Hop into Spring.
