Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Craft beer lovers, unite! In NoDa, in Feb.

The inaugural Queen City Brewers Festival will be held at the Neighborhood Theatre (511 E. 36th St.), on Saturday, Feb. 4. The event will feature a diverse selection of beer styles and flavors to taste and learn about from representatives of Charlotte-area craft breweries.

“Charlotte’s craft beer market has exploded in recent years,” Nils Weldy, the festival organizer, said in a press release. “Charlotte is raising the bar of beer culture not only in North Carolina, but across the Southeast, and the purpose of this event is to spotlight our emerging craft breweries. At the same time, we are bringing awareness to a Charlotte-based nonprofit whose goal is to improve the quality of life for citizens within the Charlotte community.”

Expect at least seven breweries and some 30 beers. Each brewery will showcase its full lineup, and is also being encouraged to bring one "super" flavor or style of beer brewed especially for the festival -- which takes place the day before the Super Bowl.

There will be two tasting sessions: 1-4 p.m. and 6-9 p.m. Admission is $20 per session and tickets go on sale at 11 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 8. Proceeds raised from the event will benefit Partners for Parks, which seeks to promote and enhance parks, recreation and open space in neighborhoods throughout Mecklenburg County and the surrounding area.

Details: www.QCBrewFest.com.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Awesome! Wish I could be there to test out all the brews.

Charlotte Beer said...

This sounds like it will be a great event, and one that wouldn't have been possible a few years ago. In addition to established breweries like OMB and Four Friends, Charlotte is now fortunate to have upstarts in NoDa Brewing, Birdsong Brewing and Heist Brewery.

Reinheitsgebot said...

10.99 for a six pack and $6 a pint! LOL. 95% of these breweries cannot even afford refrigerated transport. You guys aren't purist. Just someone else trying to make a quick buck. No different than A.Busch or Miller Coors.

Beachfront property in Arizona.

Charlotte Beer said...

There's always someone who just doesn't get it.

If you think there's no difference in taste between craft beer and "A. Busch or Miller Coors," well I've got some beachfront property in Arizona for you.

Anonymous said...

Drinking beer for charity just makes me all warm and buzzy inside. Looking forward to it!

TheCentralScrewtinizer said...

"Charlotte is raising the bar of beer culture not only in North Carolina, but across the Southeast"

Oh Please. No one outside Meck county know or cares about Charlotte's brews. Asheville, the triangle, Foothills in Winston all have a positive national reputation.

Ra Ra Charlotte Ra Ra

Prove me wrong. You can't!

Anonymous said...

TCS - takes time to build a reputation, and the local breweries haven't been around nearly as long as Foothills and the Asheville scene. The idea is that Charlotte has finally joined the party and is no longer a black hole for NC craft brewing.

Mellow out, have a couple beers, stop hating and enjoy a cozy local secret while it's still local. There's plenty of room on the bandwagon. And plenty of beer! Have a seat and get in on the ground floor!

TheCentralScrewtinizer said...

Charlotte had the first microbrews in the state.

Dilworth, Atlantic Beer & Ice, Southend and The Bread Mill were all here in the mid 90's. But they are all long gone. These will be long gone too.

Red Oak and Sedgegarden were in Greensboro.

MoosewithaJ said...

had a beer at a the beagle once (a few months back) called the copper. A NC beer and seriously a really good beer. I'm so taking off work that night and drinking up! Plus folks be responsible get a a DD.

Charlotte Beer said...

@TheCentralScrewtinizer: Please note that the article's quote didn't say Charlotte was the best craft beer city in the southeast -- it merely said that the city is "raising the bar," and I don't see how you can dispute that.

A city's craft beer culture can't be judged simply by the number of breweries it has. You also have to consider all of the Charlotte bars and restaurants that are dedicated to craft beer, as well as the many craft beer events that occur every month in this city.

Charlotte is home to the nation's largest beer club (Charlotte Beer Club), which shows that there are hundreds of very passionate craft beer lovers in the city. In addition to the craft-focused bars, we also have great bottle shops in Vintner Wine Market, Brawley's Beverage, Common Market(s) and Custom Home Pubs.

Oh, and Charlotte bars have won Stone Brewing's "Most Arrogant Bar" title two years in a row, and I suspect Mac's Speed Shop will take home that prize again this year.

I could go on and on giving reasons that Charlotte's beer culture is growing by the day, but it's best experienced firsthand. Hopefully that hand is holding a delicious craft beer that was either bought or brewed in our fine city.

Daniel
www.charlottebeer.com

Charlotte Beer said...

Furthermore, I find it very disheartening that someone would just assume the new Charlotte breweries will fail or go the way of breweries long gone.

Awareness of craft beer is at an all-time high -- it's a very different culture than the 90s, and it's much, much more likely that a city like Charlotte can sustain all of these breweries.

It just seems a shame that you would seemingly be rooting for a local business to fail.

Javier Mejia said...

I believe that all breweries in the Charlotte area are excellent. But I particularly think two, in particular, will definitely put on on the map. That's Noda and Assclown. These guys are making waves with their products and that's an undeniable fact.

It is unfortunately that the 90's breweries didn't make it. But we're experiencing a renaissance of sorts in Charlotte and there is nowhere to go but up.

The Charlotte Craft Beer community is here to ensure that doesn't happen.