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Drinking Beer in Charlotte


ah59396

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I count* 16 different CANS of NoDa beer this year (so far).  I've had 15 of them.....didn't have Capt Peanut Butter's Chocolate Revenge.  I really really hope we get Cold Crash cans.

*I counted fairly quickly without exhaustive research and easily could have missed some......5 regs (coco, hdr, par4, cavu, jam), 5 annys (monstro, ryzed, collab, capt pb, good will), plus jito, gord, cakes, holidays, riot, and sticky.

 

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4 hours ago, grodney said:

Went to Seaboard Taproom and Wine Bar in Matthews on Saturday afternoon.  Good place overall.  Some bar space, some long tables, some smaller tables, varied outdoor seating in at least 3 segments (front patio, side patio, enclosed patio between taproom and future brewery.  Beer selection was weird....lots of variety, but nothing local.  Check out current tap list here: https://www.taphunter.com/location/seaboard-taproom-wine-bar/6436034429845504

The local beers are all across the tracks at Temple Mojo (great use of the spot by the way). I went to both the weekend before and 25 of 26 taps at Temple Mojo were NC beers. Seaboard does the opposite and has a variety from around the US and wanted to include many "classics" in their lineup. 

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29 minutes ago, InSouthPark said:

The local beers are all across the tracks at Temple Mojo (great use of the spot by the way). 

Oh wow, awesome: https://www.taphunter.com/location/temple-mojo/5533975643422720

I was told Mojo is growler-only, but pics show tables and taphunter shows half-pours and full-pours in addition to growlers.  Nice!

Edit:  p.s. Triple C "Eyes of the World" is $19/growler at Temple Mojo.....and $36 for same at Growler USA!

 

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32 minutes ago, grodney said:

Oh wow, awesome: https://www.taphunter.com/location/temple-mojo/5533975643422720

I was told Mojo is growler-only, but pics show tables and taphunter shows half-pours and full-pours in addition to growlers.  Nice!

Edit:  p.s. Triple C "Eyes of the World" is $19/growler at Temple Mojo.....and $36 for same at Growler USA!

They do growlers of all beers on tap, but it's 100% a sit down and grab a beer place. Lots of bar stools, high tops, 4 person tables, and a large 10+ community table. Order beers at the bar, no table service. The decor is really cool as well, paying homage to the bike shop. It was very busy when we went that Sunday and they were still in soft opening mode.  They are supposed to have a patio out back but it was past sunset so we never went to check it out.

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In brewery updates, Bold Missy posted some more construction pictures, but it seems clear they won't make a 2016 opening....see below for year-by-year breakdown.  

Also, Hyde posted their first construction pic, so that's good news......related, they won best beer and best sausage at JJ's sausage fest.

And still nothing from Resident Culture, despite a "Spring 2017" statement.

CharMeck new breweries by year:        
2009    1    OMB
2010    1    4 Friends
2011    3    Ass Clown, NoDa, Birdsong
2012    2    Triple C, Heist
2013    3    Lenny Boy, Unknown, D9
2014    5    Barking Duck, Sugar Creek, Sycamore, Primal, Bayne
2015    5    Free Range, Wooden Robot, Salud, Three Spirits, Legion
2016    2    Blue Blaze, Thirsty Nomad
2017    5?    Bold Missy, Resident Culture, Divine Barrel, Seaboard, Hyde

Plus Catawba taproom/brewery and Heist 2nd taproom both likely in 2017.  Fat Head's has stated 2018.

Map:  https://mapsengine.google.com/map/edit?mid=zvfji2eVQoVE.kz5BFo-0quQ8

p.s. I just hate calling Salud a brewery.  Does anybody know if they even brew?  I was there in August and they didn't have any house beers on tap.

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RE: Salud. It's a nano brewery so they brew really small batches (1.5 barrels is what I think is their capacity). Out of all the times I've been there, I've never once had their beer. So not sure whey they actually offer it. TBH, I haven't really made an effort to look very hard either.

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22 hours ago, HopHead said:

RE: Salud. It's a nano brewery so they brew really small batches (1.5 barrels is what I think is their capacity). Out of all the times I've been there, I've never once had their beer. So not sure whey they actually offer it. TBH, I haven't really made an effort to look very hard either.

Their website shows they have brewed 8 batches, but on untappd and there are a few more batches out there, with the last two being released at their funkfest and the shop (November).  So they are brewing, just not a whole lot.

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Not exactly new, but new to me. I went to Lenny Boy's new digs for the first time this weekend...wow, what a HUGE improvement over the old spot! They will now find a spot in my rotation of places to visit. At 4pm Saturday, the entire place was full and standing room only. 

Side note: If anyone is planning to go to Olde Meck's Christmas market, be prepared to drive around for 10-15 minutes looking for a spot.  Our original plan was to go directly to Olde Meck, but after driving around 10 minutes and not finding any parking spot for blocks, we headed over to Lenny Boy for an hour in hopes the crowds would leave as it got dark.  They sorta did and we were able to get a parking spot a few blocks away.  Huge crowds and huge lines for beer (went fairly quick tho). Luckily the parking situation sort of controls the crowds to some extent. It didn't feel too crowded inside.

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17 minutes ago, InSouthPark said:

Not exactly new, but new to me. I went to Lenny Boy's new digs for the first time this weekend...wow, what a HUGE improvement over the old spot! They will now find a spot in my rotation of places to visit. At 4pm Saturday, the entire place was full and standing room only. 

Funny coincidence.....we went there Saturday for the first time as well!  They have yoga at 10, open at 11, and we got there at 12.....there was NOBODY there except for a couple straggling yoga ladies finishing their beers.  We had a couple beers, waiting/hoping the A-Bao truck would open (since the bartender told us it would around 12:15ish), but finally left at 1:45 with no food.  By that time, there were maybe 10-12 people in 4-5 different groups there.......nothing like what you saw at 4pm!  It was really pretty sad how empty it was from Noon-1:30....(although that's actually perfect for us....super quiet and relaxing)....glad it picked up later!

Anyway, yeah, the place is great.  We really loved it.  Huge upgrade from their old place.  Lots of space, lots of seating, some comfy-looking benches in the corners, tons of expansion space, lots of parking, etc.  

We also hit Wooden Robot and Triple C, both of which were PACKED.

 

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1 hour ago, grodney said:

Funny coincidence.....we went there Saturday for the first time as well!  They have yoga at 10, open at 11, and we got there at 12.....there was NOBODY there except for a couple straggling yoga ladies finishing their beers.  We had a couple beers, waiting/hoping the A-Bao truck would open (since the bartender told us it would around 12:15ish), but finally left at 1:45 with no food.  By that time, there were maybe 10-12 people in 4-5 different groups there.......nothing like what you saw at 4pm!  It was really pretty sad how empty it was from Noon-1:30....(although that's actually perfect for us....super quiet and relaxing)....glad it picked up later!

The food truck was cooking when we got there so maybe they an cook issue. Nice idea to have it parked inside. 

I have found that most breweries in Southend are dead until 3-ish on the weekends.  Apparently the millennials sleep until noon! I too, usually like it quite and relaxing. I'll go back to being old now. :mellow:  

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13 minutes ago, InSouthPark said:

The food truck was cooking when we got there so maybe they an cook issue. Nice idea to have it parked inside. 

I have found that most breweries in Southend are dead until 3-ish on the weekends.  Apparently the millennials sleep until noon! I too, usually like it quite and relaxing. I'll go back to being old now. :mellow:  

Pre-3 on Saturday/Sunday is my favorite time to hit up NoDa breweries, too. #getoffmylawn

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Hey, does anybody want to play a Brewery Prediction game?  Predict when the new breweries will open in 2017: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfYQ0E5apBaUhSL9rufHBott1GI2IVXQUjz55d5pzCHAztdOw/viewform#start=invite

No wagering, no prizes......just the attention and glamour of UrbanPlanet.

Submit entries by 12/31/2016, then we'll see what happens.

If you don't want to use your real username, enter whatever you want.  We'll give accolades here either way.

Here's a map:  https://mapsengine.google.com/map/edit?mid=zvfji2eVQoVE.kz5BFo-0quQ8

 

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CBJ has an article on the prospects of raising the self-distribution cap on brewers in 2017. The article is probably paywalled (sorry), but it doesn't say much other than the Fords (at NoDa) and John Marrino (OMB) are optimistic that their lobbying efforts will finally pay off (this will be the 8th attempt to raise the cap).

The article also said that OMB expects 22,000 barrels in 2017 (the cap is 25,000) and that he will pull OMB out of upstate SC as he approaches the limit. NoDa expects to do 18,000 barrels and said unequivocally that they will stop growth before hitting the cap. Todd Ford made the scariest threat of all by implying that NoDa will back off on experimental styles as they approach the cap.

http://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/news/2016/12/14/forecast-2017-charlotte-brewers-see-momentum-for.html

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It looks like Hyde Brewing's building has been gutted, leaving just brick walls and a roof.  Below are action photos as I cruised by on the train yesterday afternoon.

Don't forget to submit your entry for the 2017 Brewery Prediction contest:  https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfYQ0E5apBaUhSL9rufHBott1GI2IVXQUjz55d5pzCHAztdOw/viewform#start=invite

Map of breweries: https://mapsengine.google.com/map/edit?mid=zvfji2eVQoVE.kz5BFo-0quQ8

20161215_154041_zpszg6zunvd.jpg

 

20161215_154044_zpslbgiewxc.jpg

 

20161215_154046_zpsimfy0ng3.jpg

 

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51 minutes ago, kermit said:

CBJ has an article on the prospects of raising the self-distribution cap on brewers in 2017. The article is probably paywalled (sorry), but it doesn't say much other than the Fords (at NoDa) and John Marrino (OMB) are optimistic that their lobbying efforts will finally pay off (this will be the 8th attempt to raise the cap).

The article also said that OMB expects 22,000 barrels in 2017 (the cap is 25,000) and that he will pull OMB out of upstate SC as he approaches the limit. NoDa expects to do 18,000 barrels and said unequivocally that they will stop growth before hitting the cap. Todd Ford made the scariest threat of all by implying that NoDa will back off on experimental styles as they approach the cap.

http://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/news/2016/12/14/forecast-2017-charlotte-brewers-see-momentum-for.html

We will riot in Raleigh if breweries such as NoDa stop making experimental beers because of the cap. :angry:

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50 minutes ago, kermit said:

Todd Ford made the scariest threat of all by implying that NoDa will back off on experimental styles as they approach the cap.

I would say Todd is bluffing on this one. That is essentially "selling out" by saying they are going to worry about producing the core beer and that's it.  That implies they care about $$$ more than the beer, which seems pretty much the opposite.

Either way, I wish them luck. Its retarded to be told you can't distribute your own goods after you make "too much".  My only concern is the lack of real support they might get from other mid-sized breweries, the ones with some money to throw around.  Many many many already have given into the distributor model and have nothing to gain by raising the cap (unless they give them the ability to get out of their contracts). Someone like a Wicked Weed would have been a key player in the fight but they had to give into the dark side earlier this year. 

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Went to Kit's Trackside Crafts in Pineville on Saturday.  Cool place.  One of the bartenders also works at Wooden Robot.  I asked if Robot has any opportunity to knock out a wall and expand.  He said no, but he said they're definitely looking at doing a 2nd space...probably building from the ground up....probably early 2018. 

Made my first trip to Barking Duck yesterday.  Not much to report.  It's hidden back in an office park.  Nobody there (3-4:30pm Sunday) except us and one of the owners.  About 8 of their own beers on tap and a few guest taps.  Beer was okay I guess.....nothing exceptional.....nothing horrible....the Sriracha Pale was different and interesting and good.  They're not allowed to have glass (yet?), so the plastic cups are kind of funny.  They had a couple TVs tuned to NFL.  The whole thing was sort of a drinking-at-your-homebrewing-buddy's vibe.

Also hit Temple Mojo in Matthews for the 2nd time in the last couple weeks.  Love that place.  Great local beer selection.  Brewery taproom vibe.  Good music.

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I think I'm at 28 breweries this year....13 in true CharMeck, with 4 more in the area, and 8 more in NC (with 0 in Asheville!).  My most-visited appears to be Birdsong with 8, followed by Sycamore at 6, and Legion/NoDa/TripleC at 4.

Will be hitting a few more on Dec 30 to finish out the year....don't know if I'll get any new ones, though.

Reflecting on stuff like this always amazes me with where the Charlotte brewery scene is, compared to nearly non-existent just 8 years ago.

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http://www.charlottefive.com/catawba-brewing-charlotte/

Nice update on the Catawba Brewing construction.  March time frame for opening. Maybe we will get REALLY lucky find another Todd Boera to be their head brewer in Charlotte (he was Catawba's former head brewer who started Fonta Flora). They let him experiment away before he left to start his own. 

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I'm very excited for this new brewery. Not trying to be Debbie Downer, but the trash truck wash station and storage is literally right across the street behind the old fire dept logistics. During the summer the smell gets pretty bad. I hope it doesn't hurt business and the other nearby redevelopments.

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