by Joan Wilkerson Hoffmann | Feb 20, 2019 | Blog, Local Beer
Vimana Pacifica: 5.1% dry-hopped with New Zealand Rakau hops. It has notes of pineapple and green tea with a dank finish.
Yuzu Gose with Kaffir Lime Leaves & Orange Zest: 4.2% It’s light, refreshing, and balanced! The layers of citrus are complemented by the salinity from the addition of Sea Love sea salt.
Murk Master Flex: 5.9% This hazy pale ale is loaded down with oats and flaked wheat for a light and creamy body. Azacca and Amarillo hops impart notes of citrus, pineapple, and spicy mango. #FLEXONIT
Mango Man Randy Sour: 6.8% A tart Belgian IPA fermented with mangoes.
Old North Stout: 5.8% Brewed using locally sourced malt from Epiphany Craft Malt. Dry, roasty, and full of flavor!
The Original IPA: 8.8% Ever wonder what IPA tasted like when it was first invented? Front Street has brewed a beer exactly like the original IPAs shipped from England to India. An authentic 1830s recipe, aged in oak barrels for a whole year, just like when it arrived on the subcontinent. It’s surprisingly bright, dry, and refreshing, with a golden color and a bold bitterness.
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.
by Joan Wilkerson Hoffmann | Jan 31, 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.
Latest Rotating IPA: The newest rotating house IPA from Flytrap is a West Coast style brewed with CTZ, Centennial, & Simcoe Hops.
Strawberry Rhubarb Barrel Sour: This beautiful golden sour drinks dry, like extra-brut champagne, with a bracing sourness. Almost a full year of aging in oak with a mixed culture has yielded marvelous layers of subtlety that can’t be rushed. And 50 lbs. of real strawberry and rhubarb add a soft whisper of refreshing fruit. A 5.4% ABV gem.
Imperial Stout: This 8.7% imperial stout has fresh notes of vanilla up front with a smooth coffee finish.
Kill the Headlights: A Citra double dry hopped IPA ringing in at 7.8% featuring pale malt, wheat, and some Munich. The hop bill features Citra, falconers flight, centennial, and calypso.
3rd Street Lager: This lager got a facelift! The bitterness has dialed back to create a grassy, easy-drinking brew that clocks in at 5%.
All The Cool Kids Are Doing It: This is a soft, citrusy, hazy pale ale. It’s a lighter alternative to its bigger, juicier NEDIPA siblings.
by Joan Wilkerson Hoffmann | Jan 16, 2019 | Blog, Breweries, Community, Local Beer
Waterline Brewing Company, fondly regarded as the brewery under the bridge, is now hosting a movie night on Thursdays. Local blues legend, Randy McQuay, is the host. “He calls the new series a ‘passion project’ meant to feed his soul and yours,” according to taproom manager Maria Speaks.
It’s the building itself that brought McQuay to Waterline. He used to have a studio in the Art Factory, which shares a building with Waterline. “It’s a pretty magical building,” says Speaks.
Rob Robinson, owner-operator of Waterline Brewing, and McQuay have been in talks about this for quite some time. They thought it would be good to test out in the slower, cooler months when people are more keen on spending time inside.
McQuay is trying to keep it light-hearted, selecting fun movies like The Big Lebowski and Blues Brothers. “He’s trying to provide a fun evening for all demographics,” according to Speaks.
But don’t worry, McQuay isn’t giving up slinging tunes. You can still find him crooning in the taproom on a fairly regular basis.
Check out our Events Calendar for details on upcoming movie nights and other events.
by Joan Wilkerson Hoffmann | Jan 9, 2019 | Blog, Bottle Shops, Community, 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.
First up we’ve got Kyle Harshner, owner-operator of Bombers Beverage Company in Downtown Wilmington.
AT: What are your favorite things about bartending?
KH: Human interaction is very important and the bartender is the hub of social interaction. Helping someone discover a beer they’ve never had or a wine that really blows them away is the highlight of my day. Pointing people in the direction of my favorite places to eat and drink while they explore our ever growing town. Listening to people talk about this that and the other, while offering advice that promptly gets ignored as they drunk dial an ex-lover… So people for the most part.
AT: Do you have any advice for future craft beer bartenders?
KH: Trends come and go. Hazy, milkshake, pastry and brut are just some of the trend words thrown around today, and I can’t even imagine what they will be in the future. Sometimes sticking to the classics is best… A well made IPA or god forbid a lager! But always keep an eye on what’s coming over the horizon.
AT: If you were a beer, which one would you be?
KH: I would be my favorite beer LONDON PRIDE! It’s malty sweetness accompanied by a bitter backbone, in my opinion, really puts together the perfect beer. It’s not too boozy and is absolutely something to be enjoyed in all seasons. I don’t know how it would really describe me in any way, I just think everyone should drink it.
