by Joan Wilkerson Hoffmann | Mar 28, 2019 | Blog, Bottle Shops, Breweries, Community
Beach Boots: An Evening with the Pink Boots Society
This Friday at Fermental, join the Wilmington Chapter of the Pink Boots Society for an evening of celebrating women in beer!
I’m a little biased this week, since I’m one of the Chapter Leaders of PBS Wilmington, but I can also guarantee the event is going to be great. We’ve got some beers coming from the Biere de Femme festival, which happened earlier this year at Highland Brewing in Asheville, and was hosted by Pink Boots NC. We’ll also be featuring several beers from local area breweries that are either brewed by women or at breweries owned by women.
My personal favorite is Light Urple–a collaboration beer that I had the privilege of brewing with some of the ladies from The Crooked Lotus in Sneads Ferry, and Bill’s Front Porch in Wilmington. It’s a Belgian pale ale brewed with honey, butterfly pea flower, and the proprietary Pink Boots hop blend from this year. It’s dry, hoppy, and a beautiful, rich purple color.
Come hang out with me and the other ladies at Fermental from 5-10p this Friday. Trust me–we’re a hell of a good time.
If you’d like information about Pink Boots Society, or have questions about joining, please visit pinkbootssociety.org or reach out to me, Joan, at the.enbrewsiast@gmail.com.
Here is a link to the Facebook event
by Joan Wilkerson Hoffmann | Mar 21, 2019 | Blog, Bottle Shops, Breweries, Community, Local Beer
What better way to celebrate Cape Fear Craft Beer Week than a *free* shuttle to scoot you around and sip local liquid!? The Port City Brew Bus is doing just that this Saturday, March 23 from 11 am to 5 pm. Two different buses will be running two independent routes, both of which are starting downtown.
Read on to learn about the Hop On/ Hop Off brewery shuttle routes and what I would get if I got to ride the buses that day! ( And don’t forget to tip your driver!)
Route A:
Starting/Ending at Bombers Beverage Company: Bombers is arguably one of my favorite bottles shops in town for definitely two, but possibly more, reasons–the selection is great and the people who hang out there are amazing. (To be fair, the owners are two of my best friends…I got married there, after all.) It would behoove you to just pick Kyle or Sunni’s brain and ask them what you should drink. They’ve never lead me astray.
Edward Teach Brewery: I’m a big fan of a fruit beer, so I would definitely go for Teach’s Peaches, a peach wheat ale. It’s perfect for our imminent spring, and the brewery does a great job of introducing fruit without presenting cloying sweetness.
Broomtail Craft Brewery: Get a Moe Beer. It’s a super delicious brown ale named after a very sweet dog, and they’ve had it on draught since day one.
The Sour Barn: The sister brewery to Broomtail is a fabulous mecca for fans of sours. The blackberry gose came out most recently. I only had a pint, but I could have easily (responsibly) had a pitcher.
Flytrap Brewing: My very, very favorite beer (maybe in the city) is Hoppy Tripel. It’s a dangerous one since it creeps up over 8%, but since you’ll be at the end of your tour and I KNOW you’re not driving home, you’ll be fine.
Route B:
New Anthem: I recommend closing your eyes and pointing at the draught board at New Anthem and ordering whatever you land on. You won’t be sorry. I had a pour of The Feels today and loved it.
Waterline Brewing: This tour is going to be great for hop heads. The Waterline Black IPA is awesome. It’s roasty, hoppy, and clean, and I highly recommend drinking it. I think it’s fabulous.
Wilmington Brewing: One of my favorite things to do is drink a Tropical Lightning from the source, but if you’re nervous about it being too boozy, try a Beach Time Session IPA.
Wrightsville Beach Brewery: At the end of a long day (whether or not it includes a long day of drinking) the first and last things I want are the same–a good, crisp lager. The Lame Street Lager from WBB is perfect.
by Joan Wilkerson Hoffmann | Mar 7, 2019 | Blog, Breweries
Ever wished you could drink a beer that was good for you? Like actually good for you? Well, wait no more!
Panacea Brewing Company, Wilmington’s local kombucha creator and purveyor, is now brewing beer. Their first brew is a 6% ABV lemon, lavender, hops, gluten-free kombucha beer.
You can find it on draught in their taproom, located at 102 Old Eastwood Road, unit A5, Tuesday-Sunday from 10:00am-9:00pm.
Art & Robin Hill have been slinging the local ‘booch since 2016, and Wilmington is better for it. Their liquid is available around town, both at their taproom and in various locations around the Wilmington area including Waterline Brewing and Luna Caffe.
Unclear as to what kombucha is? It’s a fermented tea that’s barely alcoholic (typically .01%ABV) that bears gut-friendly bacteria which encourages happy digestion amongst other things.
by Joan Wilkerson Hoffmann | Feb 27, 2019 | Blog, Breweries, Community, Local Beer
This week joining us Behind Bars we’ve got Jarrod Howe, the taproom manager at Broomtail Craft Brewery. Broomtail is one of the very first craft breweries to emerge on the scene following Front Street and they’ve been knocking it out of the park ever since.
AT: What’s your favorite thing about bartending?
JH: I would definitely have to say my regulars. I’ve been hanging out with some of our customers for 3 years and consider many of them to be very good friends. We all look out for each other and it never really feels like work when you are hanging out with your friends (and lots of them bring me food). Also, lots of dogs. Dogs, food, friends, music, and beer. What could be better?
AT: Do you have any advice for current or future craft beer bartenders?
JH: The best advice I can give to any bartender (and I stress this to all of the new employees I’ve trained) is to get to know your regulars. Learn their names, learn their orders, just learn about them as people. I am consistently humbled by the kindness and generosity of our customers. Who knows, some of these people might become one of your friends, and who doesn’t want to tip their friends well?
AT: If you were a beer, which one would you be?
JH: I’m gonna go with our Moe-Beer Brown Ale. Simple, yet classic and delicious, you can never go wrong with our flagship Brown Ale, and as Broomtail’s longest working employee, the people that come to our taproom expect to see me (like it or not), just like they expect us to always have our Moe-Beer ready to pour.
by Joan Wilkerson Hoffmann | Feb 13, 2019 | Blog, Breweries, Local Beer
The Behind Bars series focuses on those that serve us our favorite libations at craft beer-focused breweries, bottle shops, bars, and restaurants.
This week joining us Behind Bars is Allison McPherson from Bill’s Front Porch! Keep an eye out this year for the Market Street brewery to break ground on their new taproom behind Captain Bill’s on Cinema Drive.
AT: What’s your favorite thing about bartending?
AP: My favorite aspect of bartending, without a doubt, is meeting people. I have built some amazing relationships with customers who are now not just customers, they are friends.
AT: Do you have any advice for current or future craft beer bartenders?
AP: The advice I would give is to go try as many craft beers as you can, even if you don’t like a specific style. For example, I am really not a huge fan of stouts or any beers that have coffee and chocolate notes, but I will still sample them if a brewery has one on draft. This helps me find a beer for a patron who doesn’t know what they are looking for when they come into Bill’s Front Porch. They tell me the flavors, style, body, etc. that they want and that helps me find just the right beer for them.
AT: If you were a beer, which one would you be?
AP: Definitely a dry-hopped sour.
by Joan Wilkerson Hoffmann | Feb 6, 2019 | Blog, Breweries, Local Beer
A weekly roundup of local and craft beer that can be found at Wilmington breweries, in bottles, or in cans. These are not beer reviews and should be used for entertainment purposes only.
Brown Sugar Baltic Porter: A full-bodied lager with notes of dark chocolate, brown sugar, and roasted barley. 6.2%
Love Potion Porter: A sweet release for you and your sweet! It’s a 6% porter brewed with cocoa nibs and raspberry.
Raspberry Molay: This is Mad Mole’s traditional German kölsch with raspberry added! The result is a crisp, fruit-forward beer with a deep magenta hue. 6%
Ba’al: This is a false idol of gold in a 16oz can brewed with pale malt, wheat, citra, and loral. It’s bursting with citrus and tropical fruit.
For Whom the Belgian Tolls: A bourbon barrel aged Belgian Golden Strong Ale that was a collaboration between Wrightsville Beach Brewing and Makai.
Sinful Stout: The mocha latte of beers! This luxurious indulgence is brewed with rich chocolate velvet coffee beans and golden naked oats for a silky, sensual experience, while roasted black malt imparts dark chocolate intrigue. Each sip will leave you craving more. This Valentine’s Day, treat your sweet to this salaciously satisfying chocolate delight.
