Tag Archives: North Carolina Beer

Free Screening of Brewconomy at Meredith College January 24th

Brewconomy

If you’re a fan of the local breweries in the Triangle and across North Carolina then you will not want to miss this documentary. Brewconomy is a film by  Raleigh based film director Camden Watts that looks at positive impact on local  brewers, farmers, community, and local economy that has come from the growth of North Carolina’s now 1.3 billion dollar craft beer industry.

The documentary will screen at the Meredith College Documentary Film Festival in Raleigh on Sunday, January 24th, at 2:00 PM. The festival is free and open to the public. A panel discussion will take place after the screening. A full schedule can be found on the event website here.  To get a sneak peek of Brewconomy watch the short trailer below.

 

 

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Compass Rose Brewery Grand Opening Celebration This Saturday

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Compass Rose Brewery opened this past May in North Raleigh. Now that they have been up and running for a few months and have their brewing operation underway they plan to celebrate with a Grand Opening party this Saturday, October 24th. To mark the occasion they’ll have live music, food trucks, and of course plenty of their own beers and guest brews on tap.

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I’ve been to the brewery several times over the summer and it has quickly become one of my favorite places to hang out and enjoy a pint or two. Part of the reason is it is located very close to my house in North Raleigh. The brewery and taproom is just off Gresham Road in an industrial park situated between Litchford Road and Capital Boulevard. But convenience is only one aspect of Compass Rose that makes it a great spot.

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Another big draw for me is that the taproom is very impressive. It’s around 5500 sq ft of open space with high ceilings, and reclaimed wood finishes with an industrial design look. There’s a ton of room with lots of seating including large picnic tables and long high-top tables making it the perfect spot to meet with groups of friends. There are several strategiaclly placed tvs including a large screen projector making it a nice option for watch games. They also host weekly events include Trivia, Open Mic Night, live music and a rotation of local food trucks. There are also board games and a large chalkboard wall for kids giving the space a family friendly vibe – and yes they are dog friendly too!

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Of course, the main attraction is the beer, Compass Rose is 10 BBL brewery offering a rotating selection of their own craft beers along with guest beers from other breweries from NC and beyond. They typically have around 16 beers on tap in addition to wine by the glass. There is large glass wall which provides a nice view of their brewing tanks from the taproom. This Saturday at the Grand Opening Compass Rose will have six of their own beers on tap Saturday including their Oktoberfest, Saison, Pale Ale, Pumpkin Hefeweizen, IPA and Agave Cream Ale.

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The party this weekend will also include live music and food trucks. “Fontaine”, a pop and rock band that recently moved to Raleigh from Boston, plays from from 1 to 4 pm followed by 80-90s rock band “Dispense As Written”  playing from 7:30 pm until 11pm. Food trucks scheduled Saturday include Kat-n-Around (German Food) serving from noon to 6 pm along with Not Just Icing (Cupcakes) and Arepa Culture (awesome Arepas!) serving from 6 pm on.

Whether you plan to check out the Grand Opening Party this weekend or visit on another day I highly recommend a visit to Compass Rose. North Raleigh desperately needed its own brewery and with their great selection of beers and beautiful space Compass Rose has delivered a wonderful brewery and taproom to fill the need.

Compass Rose Brewery ~ Grand Opening Celebration Saturday October 24th
3201 Northside Dr #101
Raleigh, NC 27615 (map)
website: http://compassrosebrewery.com/
facebook: https://www.facebook.com/compassrosebrewing
twitter: @CompassRoseBrew
instagram: @CompassRoseBrewery

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Brewgaloo Returns to Downtown Raleigh Saturday April 25th!

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Brewgaloo Returns April 25, 2015

One of my favorite Raleigh events returns next Saturday. Shop Local Raleigh’s Brewgaloo 2015, a North Carolina Craft beer festival featuring only NC breweries, live bands, food trucks and local vendors. The 4th annual festival will be held in downtown Raleigh’s City Plaza on April 25, from 2-10pm. This event supports Shop Local Raleigh and its mission to sustain programs that strengthen our local businesses.

Here is what you can expect at Brewgaloo 2015

  • 70 local NC breweries (list of breweries)
  • 50 local food truck and vendor partners. (list of food trucks)
  • 17 live local bands.
  • Brewers, food trucks and vendors stretching from city plaza to the Capital in downtown Raleigh.

General admission is free. The purchase of beer tokens includes a pint glass (special unbreakable acrylic souvenir glasses, available while supplies last). Guests can purchase $5 drink tokens to use for full pints (1 token) or a sampler card totaling 5- 3oz samplers (1 token).

Drink ticket pre-sales are available at local stores, Ray Price Harley Davidson and Galatea Boutique or online at http://shoplocalraleigh.org/brewgaloo/. Tokens will be on a special sale of 5 tokens for $20 through April 24! Pre-sales will also be able to arrive early to get their tokens, wristband and cup on the day of the event.

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Event Details
Brewgaloo 2015  ~ Saturday, April 25th
Raleigh City Plaza (Map)
2:00 – 10:00PM
Website: http://www.shoplocalraleigh.org/brewgaloo/
Twitter: @Brewgaloo
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Brewgaloo

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A Visit to Deep River Brewing Company ~ Clayton, NC

Deep River Brewing Company ~ Clayton, NC

Deep River Brewing Company opened in Clayton back in April 2013 and is touted as Clayton’s first “legal brewery”. The brewery and taproom is the creative passion of husband and wife team Paul and Lynn Auclair. Together they have created what is quickly becoming one of my favorite local breweries. The brewery, located just off Main Street in downtown Clayton has a great tap room that is open Thursday through Sunday. It is a great place to relax, enjoy a pint, and grab some food from a gourmet food truck.

Deep River Brewing Co. Taproom

Deep River Brewing Co. Taproom

I took the scenic 30 minute drive from my home in North Raleigh down to Clayton earlier this summer to visit the brewery for the first time. Inside is a great open space with high ceilings and a cool rustic bar to perch at and enjoy your beer. There are also a few large picnic tables and old whisky barrels used as tables providing providing additional indoor seating.

The bar

The Bar

Deep River keeps a variety of their beers on tap ranging between $4-$5 a pint and they even offer other local beers on a guest tap (which I always think is great). On my last visit they had Fullsteam Brewery’s Summer Basil on featured on the guest tap. You can purchase a pint, try a sample flight, fill a growler, or buy one of their several canned beers to take home with you.

Pint of Deep River’s Riverbank Rye-it Pale Ale

I’ve been to the brewery twice now and have sampled their Twisted River Wit, Riverbank Rye-it Pale Ale, and the Double D’s Watermelon Lager. I enjoyed them all, but I think my favorite so far is the Rye-it Pale Ale. They also have several others beer offering ranging from a Black IPA to the 4042 Chocolate Stout. You can see a full list of their beers here.

 Outdoor Seating & Visit by Sol Tacos Food Truck

Outdoor Seating & Visit by Sol Tacos Food Truck

Another thing I lover about the setup at Deep River is the additional picnic table seating outside. The picture of the outdoor seating area above is from earlier this summer. A few weeks after I took it they installed a beautiful wood bar top along the rock wall the encloses the outdoor seating section. On the weekends you will typically find people playing corn hole, enjoying live music or grabbing lunch or dinner from one of the scheduled local food trucks. You can see the monthly food truck schedule here.

Deep River’s Watermelon Lager

I highly recommend paying a visit to Deep River, but if you don’t have a chance to go out to Clayton you can still find their beer for sale in several Triangle bars. Deep River has also started a canning line for several of their beers and they can now be found on the shelves of many of the local bottle shops, Whole Foods, Harris Teeter, and Weaver Street Market stores.  The Deep River taproom is open Thursdays 5-9pm, Fridays 4-9pm, Saturdays 1-9pm, Sundays 1-6pm. Tours by request Thurs-Sat.

Deep River Brewing Company
700 W. Main Street – Suite 102, Clayton, NC (map)
website: http://deepriverbrewing.com
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acebook: https://www.facebook.com/DeepRiverBrewing
twitter: @DeepRiverBruin

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3rd Annual Brewgaloo Local Beer Fest ~ Saturday April 26th in Raleigh

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Shop Local Raleigh  presents the third annual Brewgaloo local beer festival on Saturday April 26th (2-10pm) in downtown Raleigh’s City Plaza. Brewgaloo 2014will feature more than 40 craft breweries from North Carolina including several favorites from right here in the Triangle. There will also be 30 local food trucks on hand to feed the hungry crowd and live music  provided on two stage from 11 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.

As with any event, I always recommend getting there early to beat the crowds. It is also smart to utilize public transportation like the free R-Line and have a designated driver. Enjoy NC Beer Month!

Event Details
Brewgaloo 2014 Saturday, April 26  rain or shine
Raleigh City Plaza (Map)
2:00 – 10:00PM

Website: http://www.shoplocalraleigh.org/care-2/brewgaloo/
Twitter: @Brewgaloo
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Brewgaloo

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