by Joan Wilkerson Hoffmann | Jul 11, 2019 | Blog, Breweries, Community, Local Beer
Photo Credit: Matthew Ray Photography
Don’t miss your chance to buy tickets for Wilmington’s very first beer festival on the newly returned Henrietta!
Flying Machine Brewing Company teamed up with Wilmington Brewing Company, Wooden Robot (Charlotte), and Ancillary Fermentation (Raleigh area) to brew a collaboration beer called BOATS! (Yes, there’s an exclamation point) and host a four-brewery beer festival on a boat. Ticket holders will receive a glass, a hat, and unlimited samples, as well as a cruise on the Cape Fear River. And to top it all off, they can feel good about buying the tickets because it’s basically a $65 donation to the Cape Fear River Watch. That’s right, 100% of the proceeds will go to the local nonprofit.
But don’t let us tell you. We sat down with David Sweigart, co-owner of Flying Machine Brewing Company, to get the scoop on this Saturday’s Brew Voyage.
AT: Can you walk us through the event? What happens when the ticket holder arrives?
DS: There are two tours. Logistics for parking are provided on our website, but we recommend taking an Uber, Lyft, or taxi to and from the event. Passengers for each cruise will be given a commemorative hat and a glass, and invited to sip the evening away with four NC breweries on a river cruise. It’ll be chill. There is an inside/cover spot, so it’ll happen rain or shine.
AT: Does the price of the ticket cover the beers?
DS: Oh, yes. It’s unlimited pours.
AT: What was the inspiration for the event?
DS: Well, number one we’ve got two beautiful landmarks here and that’s the Cape Fear River and the [beaches], and we just wanted to utilize it. We wanted to have a fun event that was kind of low-key, chill, that brought in some outside breweries. But we also wanted to take advantage of some of our local environment like the Cape Fear River, which is a beautiful body of water. So take a boat trip and add on the respective breweries who we’ve paired with? Talk about a very intimate craft beer setting, and on top of it 100% of the proceeds to the Cape Fear River Watch.
Tickets for the event can be purchased at https://www.flyingmachine.beer/brew-voyage. And you should.
by Joan Wilkerson Hoffmann | Jul 7, 2019 | Blog, Breweries, Local Beer
A weekly roundup of local and craft beer that can be found around the area on tap, in bottles, or in cans. These are not beer reviews and should be used for entertainment purposes only.
Cali Mole Rush: 6.3% ABV 67 IBUs This is a classic West Coast IPA hosting restrained caramel notes twisted with a resinous and bitter finish.
From Us Wit Passion: 6% Belgian inspired witbier with freshly zested lemonpeel and conditioned on 160+ lbs of passionfruit puree. Tart. Tropical, Refreshing.
Hammer of God: 5.3% A Pils and rice unfilitered pale lager brewed as a tribute to fallen Marine Raider MSgt Aaron Torian.
Turn the Volume Down: 7.2% An Imperial English-style Brown Ale with notes of toffee and caramel. A nod to our vibrant local music scene.
Battleship Pacific IPA: 6.3% This tropical juice-bomb of an IPA is dedicated to all of our veterans, especially those who served on the USS North Carolina in WWII. In their honor, Front Street brews with hops from the south Pacific: New Zealand Waimea and Waiiti bring notes of guava, passion fruit, and lime, with a smooth mellow finish free of bitterness.
Makai Brewing
Blueberry Temptress: 4.9% The second of the sour Temptress series, this kettle sour was made with 42 pounds of blueberry purée. Just in time for National Blueberry Month!
by Joan Wilkerson Hoffmann | Jun 30, 2019 | Blog, Breweries, Community, Local Beer
Just Camping: 5.2% This stout is a lighter take on Glamping, one of the original favorites. While the roasted, chocolatey flavors and full mouthfeel still remain, the low alcohol greatly improves drinkability. Freshly peeled Madagascar vanilla beans tie it all together for a perfect campfire session.
Mango Kölsch: 5.5% Waterline’s classic Kölsch kickoff of the summer season! Light, crisp and refreshing as always, with a mild mango sweetness and a light Callista dry hop for the perfect beach beer. And don’t forget–the brewery under the bridge is now filling crowlers!
Breakfast with Pegasus: 5.5% Introducing the Hay Ale! A collaboration with Edmund’s Oast brewed with vanilla, lactose, and Tiffany Hay. Tastes like vanilla ice cream!
La Surfeza: 5.7% The same crushable, crisp, Mexican lager, now brewed with a hint of lime!
Mixed Culture Volume One: 5.7% ABV This beer was brewed back in November of 2017! Flytrap used both lactobacillus and brettanomyces to add pleasant tartness and some barnyard funk, then aged it on local blackberries for over 6 months. This well balanced sour is full of delicate flavor and has been conditioning in the bottle for 4 months.
Beer Garden: 4.7% Need a lawnmower beer? Look no further. This crisp, refreshing German-style ale is the perfect beer for these hot Wilmington days.
by Joan Wilkerson Hoffmann | Jun 24, 2019 | Blog, Breweries, Local Beer
Downtown Jasper Brown: 5.5% An American brown ale that’s a little toasty with notes of milk chocolate and sesame. Very flavorful with a slight hop kick coming from Amarillo, Citra, and Simcoe.
Plum Lavender Gose: 4.7% A collaboration with members of the Cape Fear Craft Beer Alliance that was dreamed up during Cape Fear Craft Beer Week. It’s bright and zippy, with delicate fruit character and a briny finish. Keep an eye out for the cans, designed by local graphic designer Jarred Weinstein.
The Legend of MoTraNoTus: 6.3% A bright, hazy, juicy NE IPA made with a magical combination of Mosaic, Citra, and Ekuanot hops. Lots of citrus and berry flavors with a hoppy finish.
Family Session: 4.7% A very special Session IPA brewed with tangerines between Brewer Brothers-in-Law Mike Barlas and John Savard. Find it in 4pks at both breweries!
Piracy: 8.3% Piracy is a french Biere de Garde aged in Cabernet Sauvignon barrels for 3 years. No fruit added. Just the house culture and a lot of time and careful temperature and O2 control. Bottle conditioned for 3 months to develop just the right carbonation.
2 Legit 2 Wit: 5.1%
First, a poem from the brew house:
Our crew improves our grooves yo,
not just gonna repeat Blue Moon though,
cuz some hops would be better
than that bitter orange fetter
and we’re 2 legit to wit!
This Belgian wheat uses traditional coriander spice but ditches the orange peel for orangey Mandarina Bavaria hops in the perfect dry and easy-drinking summer refresher.
by Joan Wilkerson Hoffmann | Jun 19, 2019 | Blog, Breweries, Community, Local Beer
Wilmington’s local music scene is just as prolific as the craft beer scene, so we thought it would be fun to pick the brains of some of the city’s musicians to see what they’re sippin’ when they’re not singin’. Follow along as we feature this series of local tunes & brews.
Photo by Jeni Smithson
Kyle Lindley, singer-songwriter & member of Future Relics
“I have so many favorite beers, But lately it has to go Waterline’s Black Citra IPA. Even though I’m loving the trend in dry-hopped, hazy ipa’s, the Black IPA is well underrated, and only a few brewers do it well. Thank you Waterline!
It’s no wonder I love beer like I do music. They have many parallels. Beer and music both resonate culture.”
Photo Courtesy Brittanie Smith
Brittanie Smith, drummer for The Explainers
“My favorite local beer is Blair’s Breakfast Stout. Wilmington Brewing Company marries flavors of roasted coffee and chocolate to create this perfect heavy stout. If you’re lucky, they’ll have one of the bourbon barrel-aged versions on draft. Go getchu one!”
Photo Courtesy Tim White
Tim White, of D&D Sluggers
“I’m a big fan of Sours and Stouts, but lately Real Fake Doors from Skytown (a saison) is a favorite. Reference aside, its a really tasty, well done, saison with a clean finish. Goes well with their food.”
Are you a musician who wants to be featured on Local Tunes + Brews? Email the.enbrewsiast@gmail.com to find out how!
by Joan Wilkerson Hoffmann | Jun 16, 2019 | Blog, Breweries, Community, Local Beer
A weekly roundup of local and craft beer that can be found around the area on tap, in bottles, or in cans. These are not beer reviews and should be used for entertainment purposes only.
Hey Zay: 6.7% A New England IPA bursting with juicy goodness. This full-bodied beer is double dry hopped with Citra, El Dorado, and Mosaic.
Humuhumunukunukuapua’a Pale Ale: 5.8% Whatcha know ’bout Mosaic hops? Take a few sips and get to learning. All Mosaic in the kettle and dry hop for this American Pale.
.50 Ca. Kolsch: 5% ABV 25 IBUs A great light summer beer.
Bourbon Barrel Aged Baltic Porter: 8.1% This bourbon-aged black beauty completely redefines the flavors of a lager: dark and smooth after 8 months in an Elijah Craig barrel, with overtones of coffee and caramel, and a big coconut and bourbon hit.
Governable Parachutes: 4.8% Blurring the lines between an IPA and a traditional German lager, Governable Parachutes is hazy and golden with a very restrained bitterness and an unmistakably IPA-driven nose. Showcasing its bright hoppy notes of creamsicle, peaches and lime zest along side its more lager-driven characteristics including a hint of fresh grain in the aroma, a crisp mouthfeel and smooth refreshing finish. Now available in 16oz cans!
Soggy Purple: 5.4% This draft-only release is a mixed fermentation Berliner style aged on a second fermentation with raspberries.
