June 16, 2015 · 6:42 am

Tour De Fat in Returns to Durham this Saturday!

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Tour de Fat is New Belgium Brewing’s traveling celebration of all things bicycle to increase awareness and participation in cycling as a sustainable form of transportation. Each year Tour de Fat travels to 10 cities across the U.S. The day-long festivities are free in every city, but the proceeds from beer sales go to local non-profits.

The events kick off with a costumed bicycle parade around downtown Durham that will wind through downtown Durham, ending in grassy area by the Durham Performing Arts Center. That’s when eclectic entertainment takes over from musical acts to yo-yo performers, bike contests and even vaudeville acts (great people watching). To get a sense of what this family friendly event is like check out the short video below. To view the schedule of events on Saturday in Durham visit http://www.newbelgium.com/events/tour-de-fat/durham.aspx.

If you want to get a “Carnie Cut” to sport at the event make sure you stop by Pedro Williams in Durham on Friday. See details here. If you are in Raleigh you may also want to checkout the Yelp Pre-Party Kickoff Event at the Raleigh Historic Depot (Tasty Beverage, Jose & Sons, Videri Chocolate Factory) and take the train over to Durham.

Tour De Fat Durham ~ Saturday June 20, 2015
318 Blackwell Street, Durham NC
Bike Parade : 11am
Revilation: 12pm-5pm
https://www.facebook.com/events/829292973816701/

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June 11, 2015 · 10:35 am

Things to do in Raleigh this Weekend

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This week I’m focusing in on things to do in Raleigh because there is so much happening downtown this weekend. It’s going to be a hot one, but don’t let that stop you from getting outside and exploring. Here are a few of my suggestions for things to do in Raleigh. Enjoy!

Friday June 12th

Outdoor Movie “Back to the Future” in City Plaza
Each Friday in June you can catch a classic 80’s movie in downtown Raleigh’s City Plaza. In addition to the movie there are typically several food trucks as well. Festivities begin at 6 pm and end around 10:30 pm. The movie starts at sundown (between 8:15 pm-8:30 pm). There is some limited seating provided, but it is recommended you bring your own chair or blanket. No coolers allowed. http://downtownraleighmovieseries.com/

Saturday June 13th

Slingshot Coffee Co. Birthday Celebration & Pop-Up Shop
Hard to believe but this weekend Slingshot will celebrate 3 years of making their delicious cold brew coffee. They are hosting a birthday party and pop-up shop with local vendors at their HQ this Saturday from 10am-2pm. Look for an appearance from new ice cream truck Two Roosters – can you say free affogatos? https://www.facebook.com/events/767992396648752/

Sub Noir Brewing Co. 2nd Anniversary Party
Sub Noir is a local micro brewery located  a little north of downtown Raleigh near Whitaker Mill Road. They are celebrating their 2nd Anniversary this Saturday with special cask offerings and food trucks from 12-8pm. You can get all the details on their facebook event page here: https://www.facebook.com/events/1572048256387560/

Sunday June 14th

Downtown Raleigh Food Truck Rodeo
Fayetteville Street will be lined with 50+ food trucks this Sunday from 1-6pm. There will also be local North Carolina Beer for sale. As always I recommend getting there right when the event starts to avoid longer lines. A list of trucks and event map is typically posted to the website a day or two before the rodeo. http://www.downtownraleighfoodtruckrodeo.com/

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June 9, 2015 · 3:29 pm

Picture of the Week: Black Mountain Cider at the Beach

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This week’s picture comes from my recent trip to the beach (even I need to explore outside the Triangle now and then). Instead of my usual beer I brought a bottle of Black Mountain Ciderworks “Pomona” hard cider to enjoy while taking in the sun and the surf. Black Mountain is a small batch ciderworks located in western North Carolina where the climate is better suited for apple orchards. They locally source their apples from nearby Hendersonville, NC and chop and press these  local apples into the juice that becomes their cider, fermenting it in small batches.

I’ve actually never tried “hard cider”  before so it was a nice surprise to discover how refreshing it is. I was expecting it to be overly sweet and flat like a juice, but that was not the case at all. It had a great flavor profile, semi-sweet with apple and vanilla and the perfect amount of carbonation. It reminded me of drinking glass of crisp champagne. I think cider may be my new beverage of choice to enjoy on a hot day at the beach. Here in the Triangle you can find bottles of Black Mountain’s cider for sale at Sam’s Quick Shop in Durham and Carrboro Beverage.

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Black Mountain Ciderworks
104 Eastside Drive #307
Black Mountain, NC 28711 (map)
website: http://blackmountainciderworks.com
twitter: @BlackMtnCider
Instagram: @Black_Mtn_Ciderworks
facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BlackMountainCiderworks

 

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June 8, 2015 · 7:22 am

Summer Music Update

The Jason Adamo Band at Midtown Music Fest

Over the weekend I attended the Midtown Music Fest in North Hills. It was a great music event featuring three bands (The Jason Adamo Band, Four Founders, American Aquarium) and local beer from Big Boss Brewing. Best of all the event was FREE. Now that summer concert season is upon I thought now would be a good time to share my updated list of upcoming free and low cost summer music in the Triangle. Check out the event websites below for additional details. Hope you have a great summer filled with music!

Raleigh

Durham

Chapel Hill

Carrboro

Cary

Apex

Clayton

Hillsborough

Wake Forest

Saxapahaw

Pittsboro

  • First Sunday Market
    Market featuring handmade crafts and music every first Sunday March through December 12-4 pm

High Point

Chatham County

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June 5, 2015 · 10:45 am

My visit to the 919 Beer Podcast – Local Beer & Trends in the Triangle

919Beer

Photo courtesy Wayne Holt

I’ve been told  I have a great face for radio. Maybe that’s why earlier this week I was invited to sit down with  99.9 The Fan’s Joe Ovies and 919 Beer’s Adam Eshbaugh and Wayne Holt to talk about my blog, trends in the Triangle and the ongoing patio debate in downtown Raleigh on their weekly podcast. Seriously though, it was an honor to talk with these guys and stick around to listen in on their discussion about the local craft beer scene. I don’t want to spoil the whole thing for you so go ahead and catch the full podcast here on WRALSportsFan.com and remember you can also subscribe to the 919 Beer podcasts on itunes.

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After 5 years of managing this blog  it was a fun  to share my thoughts about why I started and trends I’ve noticed happening around the Triangle. However the real highlight of the podcast was sitting in to listen to Joe, Adam, and Wayne share interesting stories about the craft beer community and recap their weekend beer adventures and upcoming events. These guys have their fingers on the pulse of the craft beer community and I highly recommend subscribing to their free podcast and following them on twitter and facebook to stay up to date on news about local breweries and beer events.

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About 919 Beer
919 Beer is focused on building the craft beer community by engaging, educating, and being a resource for all who want to be a part of the craft beer scene. They host monthly “Taste the Triangle” events at local breweries, a weekly podcast where they discuss the latest news in the craft beer scene. They also organize and put on “Beericana” –  a huge music and craft beer festival in Holly Springs. This year’s festival is scheduled for September 12, 2015. You can learn more about Beericana at http://www.beericana.com.

website: http://www.919beer.com
facebook: https://www.facebook.com/919beer
twitter: @919Beer
instagram: https://instagram.com/919beer/

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