Craft Beer--Beer Events Calendar--Information
The last stop in Greenville was at Fireforge Brewery & Taproom. Here Hoppy quaffed a John Hopcock Hazy New England IPA. Info. on the brew is listed below.
John Hopcock – A hazy, juicy New England style IPA. According to Fireforge, John Hopcock was a nano brewer, patriot and contemporary of Samuel Adams during the American Revolution. 6.5% ABV 10 IBU.
The next stop on the trip was Hoppy’s first time visiting Greenville, SC. Here he visited Think Tank Brew Lab, which opened in April of this year. Hoppy enjoyed a Gold Blonde Belgian Strong Ale and a House Pale Ale. The latter was recommended by the founder/brewmaster, Ryan Kurlfink, and I found it to be an excellent hop-forward pale ale! Info on the brews imbibed are listed below:
Gold Blonde – Biscuity malt, soft peppery spice, creamy. 6.8% ABV
House Pale Ale – Citra Cryo Hops. 5.6% ABV
The next stop on the beercation was at Edmund’s Oast Brewing Co. Brewery & Taproom. I visited here previously during their grand opening weekend in 2017, I have also visited their Restaurant and Brewpub on two previous trips. (By the way, I love their Muscadine Pie.) Previous Charleston visits have also included the following area breweries: Revelry, Holy City, Westbrook, Palmetto and Pawleys Island.
While at the Brewery & Taproom Hoppy enjoyed a flight of four IPAs. These were as follows:
Bound by Time – Made with good old-fashioned hop-bursting techniques and irresponsible dry-hopping technology, Bound by Time is an offering to those looking for something brimming with hop character and as unadulterated as a butterfly’s wing. 7% ABV 70 IBU.
Foresworn – Brewed with whole leaf Centennial hops. 7% ABV.
Viridi Rex – Double dry-hopped Double IPA. Sacrificing over four pounds of hops per barrel, we have evoked potent notes of mango, papaya, orange, and an ever-so-sinister warming sensation on the back of the tongue. 9.5% ABV 70 IBU.
Like Tears in Rain – Hazy IPA brewed with Simcoe Cryo, Chinook Cryo, & Mosaic hops. 6% ABV.
Hoppy’s next visit on the October Beercation was at Frothy Beard Brewing in Charleston, S.C. Here he drank a flight of four IPA’s before deciding on the Dino DNA for a pint. The flight included the following ales:
They Do Move In Herds – A fresh hop IPA. Strata hops (passion fruit, pungent/dank) were used in the mash, first wort pre-boil, during boil, in whirlpool tank and in the hop back on the way to the fermenter. These hops were picked off the bine in Oregon and mailed overnight to be used the very next day. Typically, hops are dried whole and/or pelletized. 6.8% ABV.
Life Uh… Finds A Way – West Coast Style double IPA with Centennial, Cascade, Columbus used in first wort pre-boil, boil, whirlpool, hop back, and finally dry hopped. Big resinous pine and grapefruit citrus. 9.6% ABV.
Dino DNA – Whole Leaf Chinook (piney, resinous, citrus) and Whole Leaf Williamette (citrus, berry, spice) were added during first wort pre-boil, boil, whirlpool hop back, and finally dry hopped in the fermenter. We also dry hopped with Columbus (herbal, citrus). 7.8% ABV.
Bubbles! The Destroyer of Worlds – Mango IPA with Mosaic hops. 7% ABV.
The second stop on the beercation was in Asheville, NC at Cellarest Beer Project, where I had the pleasure to attend their first annual Cellarfest. I drank three tasty beers, of which my favorite was the Hellion. The description of each are as follows:
Xanadu Oak Aged Festbier – Brewed with Zillicoah Beer Company, this fest style lager was made with German grown but NC malted Ursprung Grain and Crystal Malt from Epiphany malt house. Hopped with Northern Brewer hops and fermented in stainless steel before being lagered in our American oak puncheons with French oak heads for 16 weeks. Notes of baked rye bread, honey and woody spice. 6.5% ABV.
Etiolation IPA – Fermented in cherry wood with our house wild yeast caught on Haywood Road. Made using our custom single source NC malt and Streaker Oats from Riverbend Malt House and Idaho 7 and El Dorado hops. Notes of pineapple, grapefruit and papaya. 7% ABV.
Hellion Oak Aged Helles Lager – Brewed using Riverbend Southern Select and Mt. Hood hops and fermented with our choice lager yeast. It was then lagered in our M+ American oak puncheons with French oak heads for 19 weeks. Notes of wood vanillin and spice, soft dough with a noticeable tannin structure. 5.5% ABV.
Other trips to Asheville have included visits to these breweries: Sierra Nevada, New Belgium, Burial, Greenman and Wicked Weed.
The following are pictures from the 1st Annual Cellarfest:
Outdoor Seating
The first stop on the October Beercation was in Knoxville, where Hoppy visited Balter Beerworks. Here he imbibed a Falconer’s IPA hopped with Falconer’s Flight and Simcoe hops at 6.8% ABV and 50 IBU. For those of you that may not know, Falconer’s Flight hops were developed by Hopunion LLC in 2010, and are an exclusive proprietary hop blend created to honor and support the legacy of Northwest brewing legend, Glen Hay Falconer. There is also a Glen Hay Falconer Foundation which was created to celebrate his life, and which provides three scholarships annually. In 2021, the Foundation provided two educational scholarships to the World Academy of Brewing at the Siebel Institute and one to the American Brewer’s Guild. More information can be obtained here.
Hoppy also enjoyed a pint of the Bear Blend which is a coffee oatmeal porter brewed with local Three Bear’s Coffee. It clocks in at 5.6% ABV and 20 IBU.
Below are photos of the brewery and pub:
