The Triangle will see its first keg of NoDa Brewing‘s Midnight Madness Cascadian Dark Ale, the brewery’s version of a Black IPA with seven hop varieties, along with many other hard-to-find and seasonal North Carolina brews, at Spanky’s Restaurant & Bar in Chapel Hill, NC on Friday, Jan. 20, 2011.

Gavin Toth, floor/bar manager and resident beer enthusiast at Spanky’s, plans to clear the restaurant’s cellar to make way for new and exciting North Carolina beers in 2012. “I have a few beers that I have been hanging onto for a while, …and I’d like to have a little shindig/get-together at Spanky’s,” writes Toth. Continue Reading »

The News & Observer published an article today that profiles BeerProphet, an iPhone and iPad app developed, in part, by John Federal of American Brewmaster homebrew store, Pete Pagano of Tir Na Nog Irish Pub and Thomas Vincent of Big Boss Brewing Co., all of which are located in Raleigh, NC. Continue Reading »

Aviator Brewing Co. in Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina, announced yesterday that it will release 22-oz bottles of their Hot Rod Red in early January 2012. Previously offered only on draft and in growlers, Hot Rod is

[b]ased on the classic Irish Red Ale [and] is feisty and a bit hoppy. This beer has [a] malty sweetness that ends with a somewhat dry finish. Traditional East Kent Goldings are used with a nice touch of Cascade. A dash of roasted barley gives this ale a nice red color and a backend roasted grain flavor.

ABV: 6.1% IBU: 48 SRM: 15
Malts: 2-row Pale, Crystal 80L, Munich, White Wheat, Roasted Barley
Hops: Cascade, Centennial, East Kent Goldings

SkyBound Studios, a “digital design agency” based in Raleigh, designed the Hot Rod bottle labels, along with the labels for Aviator’s OctoberBeast and FrostNipper, both of which were released earlier this year. The TTB approved the Hot Rod label on December 18, 2011. Continue Reading »

The following labels for beers from North Carolina have received approval from the Alcohol and Tobacco, Tax, and Trade Bureau from December 1, 2011 to December 18, 2011. Continue Reading »

I had wanted to try NoDa Brewing Co.‘s beer ever since it opened six weeks ago in Charlotte, NC. Fortunately, I finally had the opportunity to have its NoDaRyeZ’d Double Rye IPA and Coco Loco Porter last Friday when the Triangle saw its first two kegs from the brewery at Rockfish Seafood Grill in Durham, NC. I recently caught up with NoDa brewer Chad Henderson to ask him a few questions about North Carolina’s newest operating brewery. Continue Reading »