Category Archives: Local Beers and Breweries

A Quick Visit to Beer Study in Chapel Hill

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Beer Study – Chapel Hill

Back in April I ran in the Tar-Heel 10 Miler in Chapel Hill and did a little exploring after the race. I met up with some running friends from the Big Boss Brewery Run club who were meeting at a new bottle shop called Beer Study for a little post race celebration. I was pretty beat after running 10 miles and was looking forward to enjoying a cold beer and sharing stories about the race.

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Enjoying Post Race Beers

Beer Study is tucked away in the little brick store front on Graham Street just off Franklin Street. It is Chapel Hill’s very first bottle shop with in-store drafts. They have a great rotating draft selection that features both local brews and quality beers from across the country.

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Bottle Selection

The shop also has an extensive selection of bottled beer that offers something for just about every type of beer drinker. I tend to favor local beers (which they had represented well) but it is nice to have the opportunity to explore other quality craft brews from other regions too.

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The Bar

I loved that beer study has seating and a small bar to hangout at while sampling different beers. It makes for a great hangout and provides a lot of interaction between customers and the staff. I understand that customers can even order food and have it delivered to the shop so they can have a bite to eat while enjoying their beer.

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Shuffleboard

Beer Study is a great place to chill with friends, try new beers, and simply enjoy hanging out. They even have a foosball and shuffleboard table located in the seating area in the front of the shop. I had a fun time there on my first visit and look forward to stopping by again the next time I am in Chapel Hill.

Beer Study
106A N  Graham St
Chapel Hill, NC 27516
phone: (919) 240-5423
Website: http://www.beerstudy.com
Facebook: Beer Study on Facebook
Twitter: @BeerStudy

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Filed under Chapel Hill, Local Beers and Breweries

2nd Annual Brewgaloo Local Beer Fest Saturday April 27th in Raleigh

brewgaloo

Shop Local Raleigh  presents their second annual Brewgaloo local beer festival on Saturday April 27th (3-9pm) in downtown Raleigh’s City Plaza. Brewgaloo 2013 will feature 25 craft breweries from North Carolina including several favorites from right here in the Triangle.  There will also be 14 local food trucks on hand to feed the hungry crowd and live music  provided on two stage from 8 different local bands.

General admission is free and includes a pint glass (special unbreakable acrylic souvenir glasses will be available while supplies last). Beer is sold by the pint or by the taste. 1 token= 1 pint; 1 token= a taster card with 5 samples available.

This event supports Shop Local Raleigh and its mission to sustain programs that strengthen our local businesses.

Event Details
Brewgaloo 2013 Saturday, April 27-  rain or shine
Raleigh City Plaza (Map)
3:00 – 9:00PM

Website: http://www.shoplocalraleigh.org/brewgaloo/
Twitter: @Brewgaloo
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Brewgaloo

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Filed under Events, Food Trucks, Local Beers and Breweries

Crank Arm Brewery Announces Downtown Raleigh Location!

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Crank Arm Brewing Company will open in Spring 2013, offering artisan microbrews on-site, and in downtown Raleigh restaurants and bars.

I love the Triangle’s local craft beer scene and it just keeps getting better and better. Today I received word that another great brewery is opening in Raleigh in the Spring of 2013.  Crank Arm Brewery is in the process of setting up their brewery in the Warehouse District of downtown Raleigh. You can read all the details about the guys behind Crank Arm and their vision in the official press release below. You can also follow them on facebook to stay updated on their progress in the coming months. Of course, check back here later this Spring as I plan to visit the brewery once it opens to sample their beers and of course take lot of pictures!

Press Release – January 9, 2013

Business partners, Adam Eckhardt, Michael Morris, and Dylan Selinger announce the much-anticipated location of the new Raleigh brewery, Crank Arm Brewing Company. The brewery is an expansion of the thriving rickshaw company, Crank Arm Rickshaw. The brewery will utilize a 7-barrel system and will be opening Spring 2013 in the Warehouse District at 319 West Davie Street, Raleigh, NC. “We chose the Warehouse District because of it’s central location, and because it is the fastest growing district in downtown. Our brewery is going to be a destination hub, amidst restaurants, galleries, and shops, for people to come together over fresh and different brews,” said Adam Eckhardt, Co-Founder/ Head of Sales and Distribution.

The brewery’s mission is to provide fresh artisan beer while incorporating green transportation methods.  Crank Arm will house a bar, for beer enthusiasts who want to sit down and enjoy their beer on-site. The brewery will also have a rolling street team of rickshaws to take people on tours of the City, as well as deliver beer to individuals, restaurants, and bars in downtown Raleigh. “We’re dedicated to cycling as a lifestyle and will have bike racks, pumps, and tools on-hand.  Local deliveries will be made with rickshaws and a “greasel” F-350, which runs off waste vegetable oil,” said Co-Founder Dylan Selinger.

There will be two flagship beers on tap at all times, Rickshaw Rye, a Rye India Pale Ale; and White Wall Wit, an American Wit. The Wit is a wheat beer made from Belgian yeast with aromatic citrusy American hops. They will have 4 seasonal brews rotating at all times in order to provide a new and delicious experience for beer enthusiasts. “We brew what tastes good, we’re not held down by specific beer styles,” said Michael Morris, Co-Founder/Chief Brewmaster.

About Crank Arm Brewing Company

The brewery’s mission is to provide fresh artisan beer in a laid-back place for people to meet, enjoy life, and taste one-of-a-kind brews.  Crank Arm delivers locally using green transportation. Beer is delivered via rickshaw or waste veggie-oil powered truck in order to minimize the company’s impact on the planet.

Crank Arm Partners

Crank Arm Brewery Partners (left to right) Adam Eckhardt, Michael Morris, Dylan Selinger
Photo Courtesy of Crank Arm Brewery

Founders

Adam Eckhardt, a veteran salesman, has 6 years home brewing experience, and is the Founder of Crank Arm Rickshaw Company. Michael Morris, 4-time GABF winner and veteran brewmaster, has been brewing scrumptious beer for 14 years at several well-known breweries in the Raleigh area, including Capitol Brewing Company, Big Boss Brewing Company, and Natty Greene’s. Dylan Selinger is Manager/Rickshaw Driver for Crank Arm Rickshaw, and has been driving rickshaws in downtown Raleigh for over 5 years.

For more information, please visit http://www.facebook.com/CrankArmBrewingCompany or twitter.com/CrankArmBrew.

Contact:

Adam Eckhardt
Head of Sales and Distribution, Crank Arm Brewing Company
919-291-0643
adam@crankarmbrewing.com

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Fullsteam Brewery Launches New Year-Round Beer: Cackalacky Ginger Pale Ale

Page Skelton (left) and Sean Lilly Wilson (right)

Page Skelton of Cackalacky (left) and Sean Lilly Wilson of Fullsteam (right) –
Photo courtesy of Susan Dosier

One of the main goals of this blog is to get the word out and help support local businesses here in the Triangle. I also love to share news about local businesses working together. Especially when they are working together to create a new beer!

Fullsteam Brewery is one of my favorite breweries in the Triangle. Their dedication to quality craft brewing and commitment to community has had a huge impact on the revitalization of the Rigsbee Avenue area of Durham over the past two years. I  was only recently introduced to Cackalacky, but upon first trying the locally made sweet potato based  spice sauce at the TerraVITA Food & Wine event back in November I became a fan instantly.  So I am happy to share the news about the collaboration of these two great local operations to introduce a new beer for us all to enjoy!

Fullsteam Brewery and Cackalacky invite the public to attend the Cackalacky Ginger Pale Ale Launch Party on Sunday, Jan. 27 from 3 to 5 pm at Fullsteam Brewery. See the official press release below for additional details.

Press Release – January 3, 2013

When Fullsteam’s new Cackalacky Ginger Pale Ale (GPA) splashes into the NC beer scene later this month, Sean Lilly Wilson and collaborator Page Skelton are determined to pour up some fun.

It’s a beer to drink with friends, made by friends. Skelton and Wilson met each other through the Southeast Microbrewers Association more than ten years ago. The organization is now defunct, but the passion for beer and entrepreneurial bravado still burns brightly in both parties. This January, the Triangle will have the first chance to taste the lively new pale ale, spiked with ginger rather than spice sauce.

“This is a wonderful pale ale,” explains Skelton, the founder of Chapel Hill’s Cackalacky, Inc, known for it’s zesty sauce. “It’s nicely hopped—but not too hoppy. The beer has pluck and is incredibly drinkable. Our collaboration is about much more than the name. We brainstormed ideas for almost two years. We can’t wait to launch this great brew at Fullsteam and see where it goes.”

“Many of our beers have embraced our ‘plow to pint’ Southern agricultural mission,” Fullsteam’s Wilson explains. “The Cackalacky Ginger Pale Ale is more light-hearted. We think it’ll bring North Carolinians together no matter where you went to school or which political party you support.”

WHEN CAN YOU DRINK IT? WHERE CAN YOU FIND IT?

Fullsteam is currently brewing its first commercial batch of Cacklacky and plans to offer the beer in cans sometime this year. Fullsteam Brewery and Cackalacky invite the public to attend the Cackalacky Ginger Pale Ale Launch Party on Sunday, Jan. 27 from 3 to 5 pm at Fullsteam Brewery. The launch is perfectly timed on National Kazoo Day Eve. Kazoo playing skills are not required for admission but you may be required to play one in order to leave. Fullsteam will donate half of all profits made from Cackalakcy Ginger Pale Ales sold that afternoon to Funds To Farms.

The first batch of Cackalacky Ginger Pale Ale is fermenting away under the watchful eye of Fullsteam’s head brewer, Chris Davis. Visitors can see the brewing in action at Fullsteam Brewery, 726 Rigsbee Avenue in the D.I.Y. District in Durham. Beginning Jan. 27, the beer will be available only on draft at the brewery, but look for expansion later in the year through distribution channels in the Triangle, Charlotte, Washington D.C., and and Charleston, S.C.

ABOUT CACKALACKY AND FULLSTEAM

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Cackalacky Spice Sauce
Photo courtesy of Susan Dosier

Page Skelton left his day job in corporate America to create Cackalacky, Inc. approximately 12 years ago. Today, his original Cackalacky® Spice Sauce is sold in all Fresh Market locations in the U.S. as well as hundreds of independent natural and specialty stores throughout the Southeast, including Costco, Whole Foods, Earth Fare, and A Southern Season. Cackalacky Spice Sauce has been featured by Our State, Southern Living, NPR and The Food Network. Last January, Bon Appetit selected Cackalacky Sauce as a favorite Southern food product for the Dixie Pantry. www.cackalacky.com 

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Fullsteam Brewery
Photo by TriangleExplorer

Fullsteam Brewery was founded in Durham, N.C. by Sean Lilly Wilson in 2010. The plow-to-pint brewery has drawn national attention for its passionate mission of creating distinctly Southern beers that celebrate the culinary and agricultural heritage of the South. Fullsteam has been covered by Southern Living, Garden & Gun, Our State, SeriousEats.com, BeerAdvocate, DRAFT, and GQ.com. Founder Sean Lilly Wilson was a 2012 James Beard Award nominee in the Wine & Spirits category, and the brewery’s persimmon beer, First Frost, is a finalist in the upcoming 2013 Good Food Awards. www.fullsteam.ag

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Filed under Businesses, Durham, Local Beers and Breweries

Food Lovers’ Guide to Raleigh Durham & Chapel Hill

One of the greatest rewards I have experienced through my explorations of the Triangle and writing my blog is meeting great new people. Over the past few years of blogging I have made many new friends and learned a lot from them about the local Triangle foodie scene. At the top of the list of a great foodie friends in the know is Johanna Kramer, aka the “durhamfoodie“. Johanna recently published an incredible new book that every food lover in the Triangle should have. It is titled Food Lovers’ Guide to Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel HillThe Best Restaurants, Markets & Local Culinary Offerings

This book provides the inside scoop on the local foodie scene for visitors, newcomers and long-time Triangle residents alike. It is a comprehensive guide of the Triangle Foodie scene full of indispensable food-related information including:

  • Food festivals and culinary events
  • Farmers’ markets
  • Keeping up with food news
  • Food Trucks
  • Specialty food shops
  • One-of-a-kind restaurants and landmark eateries
  • Recipes using local ingredients and  traditions
  • The best breweries and brewpubs

Book description from the DurhamFoodie website:

“This guide has all the best in the way of food that Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill has to offer. There are numerous recipes from top local chefs, as well as interesting notes on foods unique to North   Carolina. Consumer interest in all things local is at a high point. Food Lovers’ Guide to Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill is the ultimate resource for food lovers to use and savor.”

Available at area bookstores including:

Barnes and Noble New Hope Commons
Barnes and Noble Southpoint

And these local independent booksellers:

The Regulator in Durham
Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill
Quail Ridge Books in Raleigh

Book Signings

Sat. Nov. 10, 2012. (Time TBD)
Elliotts Provision Company, Pinehurst.

Fri. Nov. 16, 2012. (6:30-8pm)
Relish, Raleigh.

Sat. Dec 1, 2012. (Time TBD)
Mother Earth Brewing, Kinston

Sat. Dec 1, 2012. (Time TBD)
Chef and the Farmer, Kinston

Tues. Jan. 8, 2013. 7-8pm
Southwest Regional Library, Durham

For more information visit Durham Foodie or follow Johanna on facebook or twitter at @durhamfoodie

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Filed under Local Beers and Breweries, Markets, Restaurant Reviews