Dashboards and Saddlebags the Destination Magazine™ Issue 035 February 2014 | Page 16

B

rewing Craft
eer Scene

I

t may be hard to bottle a place,
but it seems like we do it every
day across North Carolina.

The truth is you’re never far from
refreshing, intriguing local beers
and people who love to wax poetic
about ales, lagers, porters, stouts,
and the occasional seasonal experiment or collaboration your
neighborhood brewmaster has on
tap. The heady aroma of malted barley, bitter hops and fermenting yeast wafts
from more than 100 brewpubs and production breweries – already more than
any other Southern state and still growing – spread across big cities, coastal
villages, mountain towns and rural communities. Their tantalizing variety and
award-winning quality have earned the state an esteemed place in the world of
craft brewing, and more than a few honors.
North Carolina’s embrace of brewing also has attracted the attention of the beer
world’s bigger players, with New Belgium, Sierra Nevada and Oskar Blues setting
up operations in and around Asheville. That eclectic mountain town has become
a center of brewing activity, with more than a dozen breweries up and running,
and more on the drawing board. For four consecutive years, Asheville reigned
as Beer City USA, which furthered awareness of its hardcore brew culture.
Home to a handful of beer festivals, Asheville also ranks among the “24 greatest cities in the world for drinking beer,” according to Gadling, the world’s top
travel blog. Asheville even boasts informative guided tours that take visitors
to a selection of the city’s innovative microbreweries.
When you lift a pint to toast to North Carolina’s abundant breweries, you’ll have
plenty of interesting choices, with many creative and far from the ordinary.
There are ales and lagers galore, reflecting a range of styles and approaches, as
well as porters and stouts that stretch the traditional boundaries.
Several forward-thinking breweries are looking back, crafting new beers based
on historical beer recipes. Oyster House Brewing Company cooks up Moonstone,
a dry Irish stout brewed with, you guessed it, oysters. This 19th century English
recipe hearkens back to a time when oysters were cheaper than peanuts and
stout was the common man’s ale of choice.
A few North Carolina breweries are ignoring styles altogether. Durham’s
Fullsteam specializes in “plow to pint” beers that use local ingredients and
often don’t fit neatly into any particular beer category. Carver is brewed
with 500 pounds of North Carolina sweet potatoes, producing a surprisingly

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Dashboards and Saddlebags The Destination Magazine™