Shameless Self Promotion
Trophy Brewing opens 2/20!

NC Beer Month
April 2013.  Do it.

Vletern, Belgium, home of the world's best beer
Westvleteren 12, brewed by Trappist Monks, has made the town a mecca for beer fans

Message in a bottle keg
Mary, Queen of Scots was done in by a keg of beer.

Garrett Oliver hosted a very special beer dinner for us on May 16. Guests were treated to an amazing dinner featuring dishes created by Chef David Mitchell and beers from Oliver's Brooklyn Brewery.

A slight variation on the typical beer dinner, Chef created the dishes and Oliver chose the beers to compliment the food palate. Known for his food-pairing prowess, Oliver did not disappoint. He augmented a few standards from Brooklyn's repertoire (East India Pale Ale, Local 1, Black Chocolate Stout) with some rare brews.

Ama Bionda, a new beer that Brooklyn has created and brewed in Italy paired perfectly with Chef's Brie and truffle tortellini. Dinner guests were some of the first stateside to sample the beer which is brewed specifically to pair with pasta. Cuvee Elijah, Cuvee Noire aged in Elijah Craig barrels, played well with the braised short ribs. This is one of Brooklyn's "Ghost Beers" brewed for special events and brewery pours. Dessert was a sweet and malty treat, pairing Black Ops and Black Chocolate Stout with a dessert of flourless chocolate cake with peanut butter mousse and caramel corn.

Oliver was at turns hilarious and informative. His passion for beer was evident through playful jabs at wine (beer is better food compliment) and evangelizing for craft beer culture (your first pint should always be a local brew). It was a great night all around, special thanks to Garrett Oliver for spending the evening with us at the Busy Bee.

We spent months preparing for this trip by following Beer Advocate roster updates as well as researching which beer bars to fit into our short trip. Feeling confident that our livers were adequately trained and our schedule was fully prepared, we headed north to Boston.

Day 1:

We arrived at the hotel and the very first person we saw, right next to our car, was Sam Calagione! We said hi and told him we’d be at his pre-EBF event at Lord Hobo shortly. By the time we arrived there was already a line down the street. Knowing that the line wasn’t going anywhere for a while, we decided to make our way to Cambridge Brewing Company right down the street.

Available spaces include the mezzanine (up to 75 people) and the Hive (up to 150 people).

Great for all types of events: office parties, work meetings, fundraisers, engagement parties, wedding parties, AM meeting groups, birthday parties and any other special event.

We also do private beer tastings where groups can taste rare beers with the experts here.  You can be involved with the beer selection or just let us handle it for you.

Email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for more information, or get your party started here:  Private Event Form

The Busy Bee?  Yeah, there's an app for that.

This app allows you to get the latest draft beer list, menus, events, and articles.  Never miss another beer release.

Check it out here. 

We are excited to join the Center for Sustainable Farming Systems (CEFS) in their 10% Local Food Campaign to promote North Carolina's farmers.  As a member we have pledged to buy 10% of our food from North Carolina farmers and businesses.  It's no secret that we buy much more than 10% of our food locally, but we are committed to doing our part.  We are excited to be a involved and love to promote the local food economy.  You can join too!

Woody and Chris made the trek up to Ommegang Brewery for their beerfest a few weeks back. Here's a quick summary of their trip. 

Even after last year’s antics, they invited us back for another BCTC.  We touched down in Syracuse, NY to perfect beer drinking weather.  We were greeted at the airport by our good friend and Duvel Moortgat employee Dave Gonzalez.

We headed straight to the Ommegang Brewery for dinner.  Upon arriving, we were each handed a 750ml bottle of Ommegang Zuur, which is one of our favorite brews.  The dinner went on to showcase all of Duvel Moortgat’s offerings from Chouffe, Maredsous, Duvel, and Ommegang.

About 400 of us attended the dinner, and we were all entertained with some great bluegrass throughout the evening.  Ommegang brewery sits on what was once a hop farm in beautiful Cooperstown, NY, so it was exceptionally scenic.  As dinner ended, we moved the party across the field to the fire pit and enjoyed the cool weather with more great beer.

More after the jump.