WILMINGTON — Two of the city’s more well-known craft beer bottle shops – Hey Beer and Fermental – will host anniversary parties over the weekend featuring collaboration beers with local breweries.
This comes a week after long-time Wrightsville Beach shop Lighthouse Beer and Wine celebrated their 21st birthday (Wilmington Brewing Company released a canned pineapple milkshake IPA called “It’s Your Big Day IPA” for the occasion).
Hey Beer, located at the intersection of Kerr and Wrightsville Avenue, will kick off their fourth anniversary on Friday, March 1. Just north on Kerr, Wilmington Brewing again brewed an anniversary collaboration beer. Hey Beer’s will be called “She’s a Marshmallow,” a “cereal milk” IPA featuring locally handcrafted marshmallows from Mallowdoos.
Also getting on the anniversary action are three other local breweries: Bill’s Brewing Co. is brewing a ghost pepper pale ale for the occasion, Flying Machine is brewing Mexican “wedding cookie” stout, and New Anthem is brewing a double dry hopped berliner weisse.
The CheeseSmith food truck will be serving artisanal grilled cheese sandwiches and side dishes in the parking lot from 6 to 9 p.m., while One Belle Bakery will be serving sweets, including a “delicious cake.”
Owner Mike Duffy said a few more kegs need to arrive before finalizing the draft list, but said there will be a few rare kegs from Hill Farmstead in Vermont, Burial in Asheville, Heist and Resident Culture in Charlotte, and Flytrap here in Wilmington.
For employee Charles Fogg, the anniversary will celebrate the bottle shop’s four years of establishing relationships with breweries in Wilmington and across the state.
“To see Wilmington growing in its craft beer capability and popularity is incredible to see,” Fogg said. “It’s a great opportunity to provide the best things the city and the state have to offer to the loyal following we have.”
Meanwhile, on Saturday in Ogden, Fermental Beer and Wine will celebrate their sixth anniversary.
“To commend this annual feat, Fermental hosts an afternoon into evening of festivities including live music, giveaways, rare beers, fine wines, and a culinary visit from local food trucks,” the shop announced on its Facebook page.
A bar set up in the outdoor beer garden will feature a rotating selection of rare, limited beers on draft, including Fermental’s limited anniversary collaboration with New Anthem Beer Project — “King of Nothing IPA” — which will also be available in cans throughout the day. Glassware from local, regional, and national breweries will also be given away.
CheeseSmith will be parked at 12 p.m. and 2 Bros Coastal Cuisine at 5 p.m. Live music will include Roger Davis (noon), Jason Ashby (2 p.m.), The Blarney Brogues (5 p.m.), and Boba Funk (8 p.m.).
On top of celebrating their sixth year of business, Fermental provided a simpler reason behind the event.
“It’s also a great excuse to throw a party. And Fermental likes to party,” the Facebook announcement read.
More event details can be found on the Facebook pages for Hey Beer and Fermental. Hey Beer is located at 4405 Wrightsville Avenue; Fermental is located at 7250 Market Street.
