'Cuegrass '10

April 17, 2010 brought us the opportunity to enjoy the second annual North Carolina 'Cuegrass Festival. Put on by The Pit and local bluegrass bands and brewers, the event is a great way to enjoy some nice spring weather. They set up a stage outside of the restaurant for the bands, and 2 tents, one for beer and one for barbeque. Sandwiches and beer were both $5, with some amount of the proceeds going to the Future Farmers of America. Beer and food could both also be ordered inside.

The beer tent selection was a downgrade from last year, with only four taps, Mother Earth Weeping Willow Wit, Lone Rider Peacemaker Pale Ale, Big Boss Blanco Diablo, and Carolina Pale Ale. We tried the Peacemaker and Blanco before ordering other beers from the bar inside. The Big Boss and Lone Rider offerings both were great for the atmosphere, easy drinking, but not bland. If anything they went down a bit too quickly, which at $5 a pop can add up quickly.

Inside we tried out a Smuttynose Robust Porter and then finished up with a couple of Highland's Seven Sisters Dubbel. The Porter was light enough to drink out in the sun, but still had a nice roast flavor and not too much sweetness. The Dubbel was maybe a bit heavy for the afternoon sun, or maybe that was just because I was getting full of beer and barbeque! Regardless it was very tasty, with some nice spicy yeast flavors that complemented the malt base well.

Keep an eye out for this event next year, it's sure to only get bigger and better!

Big Oak Release Party

At Brixx Brier Creek yesterday, I found out about a new beer that is being brewed by Red Oak. It sounds like basically an Imperial Red Oak. The beer is described as a Vienna style lager brewed to the strength of a bock. I am curious to see what this tastes like, as I can't say I've ever tried a style like this. Although it will probably share some characteristics of regular bock beers, which is a pretty wide ranging style.

The release party is all day Tuesday, April 13 at Brixx Brier Creek. The party is also going on at The Flying Saucer Raleigh. Stop by either place to taste the newest beer from Red Oak!

Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout

Thursday April 1st brought us the opportunity to enjoy a 2 year vertical of the highly acclaimed Founders KBS. The tasting was hosted at The Flying Saucer in Raleigh, and featured both 2009 and 2010 versions of Founders bourbon barrel imperial stout. According to the brewers this beer is has "massive amounts of coffee and chocolate". It is then cave-aged in oak bourbon barrels to add even more taste and complexity.

Both beers looked almost identical in the glass, a dark black, with a thin, light mocha colored head. The smell is intense chocolate and a touch of coffee, I was surprised at the lack of roast or coffee notes in the nose.

Tasting them though, the beers differ a good bit. The 2009 is much smoother, with much better balance between all the flavors. You definitely get a little bit of bourbony oak, but the chocolate is what stands out. The sweetness masks most of the coffee in my opinion. The mouthfeel of the 2009 is a bit creamier and thicker than the 2010, which adds to the experience.

The 2010 version is way too fresh, with just an explosion of flavors and tastes that does not meld well together. You can tell it's the same beer, but very harsh around the edges. This is really a beer that you must force yourself to age. I think the 2009 version was even a bit hot with alcohol, and would be really curious to try a larger vertical that left out the current year's version.

Imperial Pilsner Cask

Natty Greene's Raleigh is having a special cask of Imperial Pilsner on Friday April 2nd. The cask will be tapped at 5pm. Be on time, I'm sure this one will go quick. They will be charging $5 for this instead of their regular $4.