Drinking Beer in Charlotte

[kermit]

Nice (but kinda light) piece on the role of brewers on neighborhood redevelopment and economic impact. The deceloping a sense of place angle is particularly undrrated in economic development IMO.

https://www.curbed.com/2017/6/13/15788960/brewing-economic-development-craft-beer

Edited June 14, 2017 by kermit

[ah59396]

On 6/12/2017 at 10:24 AM, wilmore said:

They aren't part of InBev, they use them as a distributor. As the guy is saying, they are a publicly traded (on the pink sheets) company; InBev or someone there could buy stock in them, like anyone could, but why would they. 

Ah okay.  Thank you for the clarification.

[grodney]

NoDa brews more Hop Drop per day than they brewed in their first two years combined!  http://nodabrewing.com/2017/06/15/the-beer-that-started-it-all/

 

 

 

[SouthEndCLT811]

Anyone know if this plan is one of the already named breweries looking for the right brewery space?

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/business/biz-columns-blogs/whats-in-store/article157342789.html#storylink=latest_side

Edited June 21, 2017 by SouthEndCLT811

[grodney]

Well, I'm no designer or artist....just a beer drinker....but I'm totally unimpressed by Sycamore's new cans.  Though they're better than the old design.  And it's interesting, but not surprising, that their lineup is now 3 mass-consumables (lager, blonde, white wheat) plus an IPA....no more Peak Farm Double Pale.  They nail the "know your audience" part.

[nonillogical]

Speaking as a designer who would have loved a stab at a bottle/can series for a brewery, I think the new designs are very well executed, with a good evolution of the logo and really pleasing colors and typography. They feel a little plain right now (although I personally think the throwback feel that gives them is cool), but I'm betting that's just because this is the base lineup, and future releases could use this same format but do more with texture and the background, or even occasionally flip hierarchy to focus on more of a full type treatment for the beer and minimize the Sycamore logo. 

I'd be really surprised if Peak Farm doesn't continue getting canned. It has seemed to be a hit for them on tap but I don't know how it sells in stores.

Edited June 26, 2017 by nonillogical

[ah59396]

Yeah, I'm not a huge Sycamore fan.  But I think they nailed these.  They look fantastic. 

[Guest]

3 hours ago, nonillogical said:

Speaking as a designer who would have loved a stab at a bottle/can series for a brewery, I think the new designs are very well executed, with a good evolution of the logo and really pleasing colors and typography. They feel a little plain right now (although I personally think the throwback feel that gives them is cool), but I'm betting that's just because this is the base lineup, and future releases could use this same format but do more with texture and the background, or even occasionally flip hierarchy to focus on more of a full type treatment for the beer and minimize the Sycamore logo. 

I'd be really surprised if Peak Farm doesn't continue getting canned. It has seemed to be a hit for them on tap but I don't know how it sells in stores.

I went to Fatheads in Middleburg Heights, OH, the original, this weekend. 1st of all, their food is great, though the location is tough, its in the back of a old industrial park. Their beer was pretty great. I talked to someone high up there, claimed he was the owner, I researched him, he is not. He did say they are still intending to open a Charlotte Brewery in 2018. Should be around 18,000 sq feet. No clue where they would go, not a lot of spaces in SouthEnd foot the bill in my opinion. Personally I think Hawkins Design Center would fit the bill best for them, but I dunno if they are going to want to spend that kind of rent. I look foward to them entering the market. 

I also wonder how much longer it'll be before ABV announces its BBQ Brewpub at Bowers Fibers.

[atlrvr]

I building permit was just filed under the ominous "Project IPA"  for Bowers Fibers today.

[CLTProductions]

38 minutes ago, atlrvr said:

I building permit was just filed under the ominous "Project IPA"  for Bowers Fibers today.

[grodney]

This is crazy.

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

 

[cltbwimob]

2 hours ago, ricky_davis_fan_21 said:

I went to Fatheads in Middleburg Heights, OH, the original, this weekend. 1st of all, their food is great, though the location is tough, its in the back of a old industrial park. Their beer was pretty great. I talked to someone high up there, claimed he was the owner, I researched him, he is not. He did say they are still intending to open a Charlotte Brewery in 2018. Should be around 18,000 sq feet. No clue where they would go, not a lot of spaces in SouthEnd foot the bill in my opinion. Personally I think Hawkins Design Center would fit the bill best for them, but I dunno if they are going to want to spend that kind of rent. I look foward to them entering the market. 

I also wonder how much longer it'll be before ABV announces its BBQ Brewpub at Bowers Fibers.

I am still interested to know if ABV even plans on a separate production brewery or if the whole operation, brewery and all, will be run from Bowers Fibers.  I really thought 701 Griffith Road was to be the production facility but read a few weeks ago that a plumbing supply company had leased most of the space in the building.

[Guest]

18 minutes ago, cltbwimob said:

I am still interested to know if ABV even plans on a separate production brewery or if the whole operation, brewery and all, will be run from Bowers Fibers.  I really thought 701 Griffith Road was to be the production facility but read a few weeks ago that a plumbing supply company had leased most of the space in the building.

Yea I was surprised when that occured as well. I could see them at Camp North End instead now, but I'm fairly certain Production Operation is still planned seperately. 

[grodney]

Charlotte Magazine published the "50 Best Craft Beers in Charlotte".  Oh boy.  They "consulted with local beer experts, bottle shop owners, bartenders, and others".  I've had well over 100 different Charlotte beers this year, and probably the same last year....and I've never had the #1 or the #2.  Spoiler: They're from Heist.

http://www.charlottemagazine.com/Charlotte-Magazine/July-2017/Charlottes-50-Best-Craft-Beers/

I need to think about this and see if I can come up with anything that's missing.  Hmmm, I haven't had my bottle of Dude Imbibes this year, but last year's was FANTASTIC.

Spoiler on brewery representation:

8    NoDa
5    OMB
5    Birdsong
5    Triple C
4    Heist
4    Wooden Robot
3    Legion
3    Unknown
2    Sycamore
2    D9
2    Sugar Creek
2    Lenny Boy
2    Free Range
1    DreamChaser's
1    High Branch
1    Blue Blaze
 

 

[grodney]

Other notable absences: Wake Up Porter, Sticky When Wet, Puppies on Penguins, Capt Peanut Butter Choc Revenge, Head of the Horseman, Whiskers on Kittens, Midnight Madness, Orange Citrus IPA, Gordgeous, Hornet's Nest, White Blaze, Eat a Peach, Fake Plastic Trees, Dark Choc Sea Salt. And my personal favorite Cold Crash although it wasn't as good last year.

Man, Wake Up Porter is EXCELLENT.  And Gordgeous.  So those 2 plus Dude Imbibes would be my 3 biggest omissions.

 

[NeverSummer]

That list is absolute nonsense. 

[InSouthPark]

Well I can tell you this: #1 and #2 on this list are well above and beyond anything else that has come out of CLT.  

[ah59396]

15 minutes ago, InSouthPark said:

Well I can tell you this: #1 and #2 on this list are well above and beyond anything else that has come out of CLT.  

Heist is very underrated.  It got a bad rap a while back, but it pumps out some very good stuff.

[JRNYP2C]

10 hours ago, grodney said:

Charlotte Magazine published the "50 Best Craft Beers in Charlotte".  Oh boy.  They "consulted with local beer experts, bottle shop owners, bartenders, and others".  I've had well over 100 different Charlotte beers this year, and probably the same last year....and I've never had the #1 or the #2.  Spoiler: They're from Heist.

http://www.charlottemagazine.com/Charlotte-Magazine/July-2017/Charlottes-50-Best-Craft-Beers/

I need to think about this and see if I can come up with anything that's missing.  Hmmm, I haven't had my bottle of Dude Imbibes this year, but last year's was FANTASTIC.

Spoiler on brewery representation:

8    NoDa
5    OMB
5    Birdsong
5    Triple C
4    Heist
4    Wooden Robot
3    Legion
3    Unknown
2    Sycamore
2    D9
2    Sugar Creek
2    Lenny Boy
2    Free Range
1    DreamChaser's
1    High Branch
1    Blue Blaze
 

 

DreamChaser's?  I have found that place to be mediocre - at best.  And how has Wooden Robot been relegated so far down the list?  I agree with NeverSummer.  This list is questionable.

[lewy2000]

9 hours ago, grodney said:

Other notable absences: Wake Up Porter, Sticky When Wet, Puppies on Penguins, Capt Peanut Butter Choc Revenge, Head of the Horseman, Whiskers on Kittens, Midnight Madness, Orange Citrus IPA, Gordgeous, Hornet's Nest, White Blaze, Eat a Peach, Fake Plastic Trees, Dark Choc Sea Salt. And my personal favorite Cold Crash although it wasn't as good last year.

Man, Wake Up Porter is EXCELLENT.  And Gordgeous.  So those 2 plus Dude Imbibes would be my 3 biggest omissions.

 

I'd add Unknown's Hospitali-tea to your list. Otherwise pretty amazing beer scene that's emerged in Charlotte.

 

[grodney]

14 hours ago, ah59396 said:

Heist is very underrated.  It got a bad rap a while back, but it pumps out some very good stuff.

Well, it's hard to call it underrated....considering it got #1 and #2 in Charlotte Magazine, and considering the ratings it gets on both BeerAdvocate and Untappd.  I mean the ratings are CRAZY high (see below).  But yeah, using me as a data point they are (apparently) very very under-rated......but I haven't had any of these (alleged) amazing beers they're turning out.  

Yesterday I checked all the Charlotte beers on BeerAdvocate and Untappd. (side note....I can't believe the sheer number of ratings generated by Untappd....unreal...example: Sticky When Wet has 11 ratings on BA, and 794 ratings on Untappd).  If I use a minimum of 10 BA reviews to qualify, and average the BA and Untappd ratings, Heist has 12 of the top 15 beers in Charlotte.  If I limit it to 20 minimum, then they have the top 4.

10 BA reviews minimum, all over 4.00 average:

 

 

20 BA reviews minimum, all:

 

NOTE:  I also didn't look at any beers under 3.90 on BA.  So there are probably other beers that are below 3.90 on BA that would sneak into these rankings by having their Untappd rating pull them up......but almost certainly not into the top 10 on either list.

 

[grodney]

Are both those lists working?  The 2nd one isn't showing up for me....but it seems to be a connection problem with photobucket.....probably local.

Edited June 28, 2017 by grodney

[Guest]

14 minutes ago, grodney said:

Are both those lists working?  The 2nd one isn't showing up for me....but it seems to be a connection problem with photobucket.....probably local.

Is it possible to sway these ratings with fake ratings? Just asking because how in the world are the 90% of the top 10

[grodney]

21 minutes ago, ricky_davis_fan_21 said:

Is it possible to sway these ratings with fake ratings? Just asking because how in the world are the 90% of the top 10

Yes of course on BeerAdvocate with so few ratings it would be easy to create a bunch of fake accounts.  With the number of reviews on Untappd, though, I think you'd have to automate it.....which is certainly do-able, but way more trouble.

Number of ratings for top Heist beers: Citraquench'l 2367 (4.4), Blurred is the Word 1410 (4.27), Thirst 1382 (4.08), High Fives 1546 (3.72), San Fran Disco 1297 (3.5).

And if you're going to make rating bots to boost your ratings, why would you give some beers (like High Fives and San Fan) such bad ratings?

If I use only the Untappd ratings they still get the top 7 and 8 of the top 10.  So the other explanation is that Untappd is used by 100s or 1000s of millennials and/or faux beer lovers, and they all think Heist is really swell because it's trendy and the place is cool and they all get drunk while eating too-small plates of food, and so they give the beer high ratings even though it isn't that great.  I mean the number of Yelp reviews that LOVED the beer when they first opened was laughable, when I can tell you it undeniably sucked.....this article in Charlotte Mag even admits it: http://www.charlottemagazine.com/Charlotte-Magazine/July-2017/Inside-the-Evolution-of-Heist-Brewery/

But there are certainly real beer drinkers right here on UP that stand by their beers.

So I don't know.

 

 

Edited June 28, 2017 by grodney

[swh1972]

Nice article from the American Airlines in flight magazine (American Way) highlighting the influence of women on Charlotte's growing brewery scene.

https://americanwaymagazine.com/these-women-are-reshaping-charlotte’s-craft-beer-scene

 

Sorry - missed this already being mentioned a page back by Grodney

Edited June 28, 2017 by swh1972