Tuesday, September 17, 2024

Cape Fear Beer Tracker: This week in craft beer Feb. 4 – Feb. 10

Our craft beer tracker is a place to keep up with scheduled beer releases, festivals, special casks, and more for the week ahead.

Beer Picture of the Week: Broomtail's new release of the Banana Cream Ale. (Port City Daily photo/Courtesy Broomtail Craft Brewery)
Beer Picture of the Week: Broomtail’s new release of the Banana Cream Ale. (Port City Daily photo/Courtesy Broomtail Craft Brewery)

WILMINGTON — The Wilmington area continues to grow its reputation as an “Asheville East” of craft breweries — there are now 18 in the region — and we’ll be here to keep you in the loop.

Our craft beer tracker is a place to keep up with scheduled beer releases, festivals, special casks, and more for the week ahead. We’ll publish every week and update throughout as information comes along.

Remember, schedules can fluctuate inside the brewhouse, so check the breweries’ links for updates on their Facebook pages. Brewers, taproom managers, and owners — keep us informed at pcd@localvoicemedia.com.

The Latest

Bill’s Brewing Company will be going to Shallote on Sunday, Feb. 10 to join Red Hare 34 North Experiment Station for a collaboration batch. Anyone interested is invited to come see the process for themselves. Expect a release sometime in February.

This week in craft beer Monday, Feb. 4 – Sunday, Feb. 10

Bill’s Brewing Co. | 4238 Market Street in midtown Wilmington

Stay on the lookout for a collaboration batch with the brewers at Red Hare 34 North Experiment Station sometime in February. And cans of their newest release, This is What Space Smells Like, are available at Bill’s Front Porch.

  • Brewing Philosophy: “We strive to create beer that everyone can enjoy, from the craft beer connoisseur to individuals new to the craft beer scene.”
  • Brewers’ Top 3: Dog Haze of Summer NEIPA, Schwarzbier, and Wave Break IPA
  • Founded: June 2016

Broomtail Craft Brewery | 6404 Amsterdam Way, King’s Grant area of Wilmington

The Acerbic Ecstasy IPA is back on tap and last Friday they released a small batch of the Kashmir Banana Cream Ale as part of their Plumbum series.

“We took our Hay Bale Cream Ale recipe and fermented it with our wild caught, local yeast to make an entirely different tasting beer,” owner Barry Owings said. “Similar to a Saison yeast, our local Smerg yeast gave this beer a slight clove nose, and delightful banana finish, much like a Hefeweizen, but way cleaner and clearer!”

Owings said the Smerg strain is now banked at White Labs in San Diego.

Owner Barry Owings said the Smerg yeast strain is now banked at the White Labs in C

  • Brewing Philosophy: “To enrich the world by using scientific art coupled with the natural resources and living organisms provided by Mother Nature developing unique, high-quality beer for all to enjoy.”
  • Brewers’ Top 3: Galloping Gose’ – series of light sours using natural lactobacillus and brewers yeast in fermentation to develop smooth, refreshing, true to style Gose’; Acerbic Ecstasy – flagship IPA, a hybrid English / West Coast IPA; Moe Beer – signature brown ale, highly crushable and pairs well with almost any dish.
  • Founded: 2014

Keep up with their souring/barrel aging facility and taproom in Ogden, The Sour Barn (7211 Market Street).

Check Six Brewing Co. | 5130 Southport-Supply Road in Southport

Their newest release is the Handley Page 1500 on the birthday of Scottish poet Robert Burns (as they do annually). Adapted from a 400-year old Scottish recipe, they brewed it and aged it in barrels for a year.

Interestingly, it took almost a year to translate the 400-year old Scottish and English recipe into modern English. The words and units of measurement were very different then. But with the help of a friend who was born in Scotland, we pulled it off,” brewmaster and CEO Noah Goldman said. 

  • Brewing Philosophy: “Make the finest ales and lagers possible, using local ingredients whenever possible.”
  • Brewers’ Top 3: Harley Pope Vanilla Porter, Aerial Aggression Double IPA, B-17 Bock
  • Founded: June 2016

Edward Teach Brewery | 604 N 4th Street in downtown Wilmington

Their newest releases are the Belgian Blonde, Southern Cross Belgian Dubbel, Winterfest Lager, and a new Belgian Double Wit.

  • About:: “Set in a historic firehouse in Wilmington’s Brooklyn Arts District, we craft beers for everyone. Try our German or Black Lagers, Peach Wheat Ale, and IPAs.”
  • Founded: December 2017

Flying Machine Brewing Co. | 3130 Randall Parkway in midtown Wilmington

Up next on the tap list is the Broadwick Carolina Bock. They also have a cold brew coffee that their brewers made on nitro tap.

  • Brewing Philosphy: We want to mix new age ideas with old school techniques to bring a new era of innovation to the marketplace.”
  • Brewers’ Top 3: Vimana (a Kölsch), Hollow Bones (a Roggenbier), and Hollow Wolf Lord (a double New England IPA)
  • Founded: June 2016

Flytrap Brewing | Located at 319 Walnut Street in downtown Wilmington

Their latest release is the Citrus Saison with kumquat puree and hand-zested lime and limon, brewed at a 6.8 percent ABV with a citrus flavor and aroma.

  • Brewing Style: A neighborhood brewery specializing in small batch American and Belgian style ales that are guaranteed to be at the peak of freshness.”
  • Brewers’ Top 3: Our Saisons, our Rotating House IPA, and our Kettle Sour Ales
  • Founded: October 2014

Front Street Brewery | 9 N. Front Street in downtown Wilmington

Front Street's new release is a barrel-aged strawberry rhubarb sour named First Fruits. (Port City Daily photo/Courtesy Front Street Brewery)
Front Street’s new release is a barrel-aged strawberry rhubarb sour named First Fruits. (Port City Daily photo/Courtesy Front Street Brewery)

Next up is a barrel-aged strawberry rhubarb sour called First Fruits, aged for almost a year in oak barrels with a mixed culture, with 50 pounds of real strawberry and rhubarb. “This beautiful golden sour drinks dry, like extra-brut champagne, with a bracing sourness,” sales manager Ellie Craig said. 

And don’t forget three releases last week: the If You’ve Got It – Braggot, the Neapolitan Ice Cream Stout, and the Scott’s Gone Nuts Scottish Ale .

  • Brewing Style: “Specializing in American and Belgian style ales and small batch brews.”
  • Brewers’ Top 3: Amberjack ESB, Napoleon Rye-namite, Tiny Tim’s Christmas Ale
  • Founded: 1995

Good Hops Brewing | 811 Harper Ave in Carolina Beach

Their newest: the Brave Hop Scotch Ale and the Black IPA.

  • Mission: “To make and drink damn tasty beer, offer a comfortable neighborhood gathering place and support all things local.”
  • Flagships: Donna Golden Ale, Flip Hop IPA, Stanky Yankee Hazy IPA
  • Founded: 2014

Ironclad Brewery | 115 N. 2nd Street in downtown Wilmington

Their latest release is the Pablo Escobier Stout (6.3 percent ABV): “Nice milky start, sweet middle and a dark chocolate hoppy finish…Pablo would be proud!”

  • Brewing Philosophy: We strive to provide each beer enthusiast with a unique experience by infusing traditional styles with unexpected ingredients: Fermentation of the Imagination!”
  • Brewers’ Top 3: Smoked Honey Lager, Cukes of Hazard, and Navigator Double Bock
  • Founded: 2015

Mad Mole Brewing | 6309 Boathouse Road near Bradley Creek in Wilmington

Their recent small batch of the Imperial Stout was brewed with 20 ounces of cold brew coffee that they made in-house. Then they added a house-made vanilla extract using fresh vanilla beans from Fresh Market.

  • About: “Wilmington’s first solar-powered brewery. Spun off from a local software company, Mad Mole combines technology and art to brew better beer.”
  • Founded: June 2018

Makai Brewing Co. | 5850 Ocean Highway W. Unit 1 in Ocean Isle Beach

Nothing new here, but head brewer Gabe Ashmore has five brew days coming up so expect some releases toward the end of February, beginning of March.

  • Brewing Philosophy: “Extending the reach of North Carolina craft beer ‘toward the sea’ with consistent flagships and diverse small-batches inspired by the Hawaiian Islands, the Carolina Coast, and our local community.”
  • Brewers’ Choice: Carolina Tropical IPA, Nightingale Coffee Porter, Fire Knife DIPA
  • Founded: 2017

New Anthem Beer Project | 116 Dock Street in downtown Wilmington

Their newest draft is the I Guess It Would Be Nice pale ale made with New Zealand hops, stoned fruit, and peachy grapefruit. 

New Anthem's can-release of False Idols of Gold.
New Anthem’s can-release of False Idols of Gold.

They also released cans of Baal, a double dry hopped IPA named after the false idol of gold – “bursting with citrus and tropical fruit.”

  • Brewing Style: Diverse and recognizable hoppy beers with a sidecar of barrel-aged dark beers and traditional styles from the UK and Belgium.”
  • Brewers’ Choice: Rusty Cage, Five Thieves, Hillbilly Prophet
  • Founded: 2016

Red Hare 34 North Experiment Station 4802 Main St in Shallotte

They’ll be brewing next Saturday, Jan. 9, using the coolship – “an open fermentation vessel that we pump the wort into when it is hot, out of the kettle. We let it sit for 18-20 hours in the coolship, where it collects wild, natural yeast from the air,” taproom manager Byron McSweeney said.

Sunday, Jan. 10., they’ll brew a collaboration batch with Bill’s Brewing Company, anyone interested is invited to come out to Shallotte and see the process for themselves.

Also two new beers in the taproom this week: Simply Simcoe, their new Double IPA, and a Bourbon Barrel Aged Sticky Stouty. 

  • Brewing Style: “Our style is fun, approachable beers. Specialize in lagers and crushable IPA’s to experiment wilds and sours, all usually with a classical and historically accurate base but with our innovative spin.”
  • Brewers’ Top 3: Soft J IPA,SPF 50/50 Tangerine, and Putin’s Paradise Russian Imperial Stout
  • Founded: 2012 (Shallotte location opened April 2018)

Salty Turtle Beer Co. | 103 Triton Lane in Surf City

Their latest: CocoRum, a barleywine with a “chocolate and roasty malt presence rounded with a hearty dose of toasted coconut,” co-owner Dan Callender said. This one sits at a roasty 12.3 percent ABV. 

  • About: Veteran-owned brewery located in Surf City, consisting of 10 rotating taps and a family friendly taproom featuring food trucks and live music. “
  • Brewers’ Choice: Coastline Kölsch, Hey Zay NEIPA, Swingbridge Breakfast Stout 
  • Founded: Dec. 2017

Waterline Brewing Co. | 721 Surry Street in Downtown Wilmington

Their latest is the 2019 Waterline Wee Heavy Scotch Ale, brewed at an 8.7 percent ABV.

  • Brewing Philosophy: “Brewed Under the Bridge with a focus on traditional, easy drinking beer styles with the occasional twist.”
  • Brewers’ Choice: Our top-selling Kolsch, awarding-winning Coffee and Cream Pale Ale, and the annual release of our Whiskey Barrel Aged Tennessee Tripel.
  • Founded: 2014

Waterman’s Brewing | 1610 Pavilion Place near the Wrightsville bridge

Their latest, the Morning Glass Guatemalan Imperial Coffee Ale, is named for the “quite beautiful early morning time on the water” and features Guatemalan coffee beans from the Antigua Region roasted locally by Pine State Coffee.

The roasted beans were introduce to the finished beer in a traditional cold brew process,” owner Craig Gee said. “The coffee beans were ground, sacked, and hung in the fermenter all on the same day to allow the fresh coffee aromas to really impart their fruity qualities to the beer.”

  • Brewing Philosophy: “Love your liquid!”
  • Brewers’ Choice: Abundant Sunshine IPA, Knothead ESB, Makin’ Me Hazy IPA
  • Opened: July 2017

Wilmington Brewing Co. | 824 Kerr Avenue in midtown Wilmington

Their Jalapeño Saison is now on draft. “A local favorite with quite the fan club, a beer made with fresh jalapeños from our neighbors at La Huerta Produce,” co-owner Michelle Savard said.

  • About: “Homegrown from a small home-brew shop to an 11,800 square-foot facility. WBC includes a 3bbl and 25bbl brewery, tasting room, and a home-brew supply store.”
  • Brewers’ Choice: Tropical Lightning IPA, Blair’s Breakfast Stout, Jalapeño Saison
  • Opened brewery/taproom: 2014

Wrightsville Beach Brewery | 6201 Oleander Drive near Bradley Creek, Wilmington

On Wednesday, Feb. 20 from 6 to 9 p.m., they’ll be throwing an oyster bar where participants can pair local oysters from local with beer and wine.

Read about their latest collaboration with Tama Cafe, who used their brewhouse to create a line of carbonated green tea cans.

  • Brewing Style: “Wide variety perfect for sipping on the beach, including a year-round selection of lagers.”
  • Brewers’ Choice: Carolina Harvest Ale, Raspberry Berlinerweisse, bourbon barrel-aged Masonbarrel Barleywine
  • Founded: 2016

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