NC's Best Local (Year-Rounds)

I drink a lot of Duck Rabbit Porter and I've never found it to taste sour. IMO, it's one of the best porters in the country. That means I'd put it up there with Founder's Porter, Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald, Sierra Nevada, Deschutes Black Butte, and Smuttynose. I'm excluding imperial, smoked, barrel-aged, or flavored porters from this comparison. If you taste this beer and you get an earthy flavor almost like good soil in a garden, that's Fuggles, a very traditional hop from the UK.

 

My problem with Duck-Rabbit is I just saw on twitter last night they are proud to announce they are releasing their first new beer in three years! I said back I am sorry guys, but that is just rediculous...they had all of NC's attention when they released Baltic Porter and that momentum is gone. It used to be I could only get BP at Sam's on the one day it came out...now it seems I can get it throughout the year. They need some hype with some one offs...

As for NC extras, I like to send things like BBL Aged People's Porter from Foothills, Irish Walker from OH, Natty Greene's Imperial Stout (hand # 1 through 600)...

 

IMO the most perfectly crafted year-round NC beer is Olde Mecklenburg's Copper.

 

As per this thread:

www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/oskar-blues-to-open-production-brewery-restaurant-in-brevard-nc.16050/

Ten Fidy

Torpedo is a close second.

Followed by Ranger

 

Can't believe that you think Rabid Duck is "below average." Really??

 

So, they had a solid lineup of around 10 beers and your beef is that they haven't been jumping on every hype train to come along in the past three years? The fact that Paul wants to focus solely on dark beers will limit the variety of styles Duck-Rabbit has to offer. Then there's the matter of working a new beer into an already busy production schedule. He's built his business around the 4 core brands. Dropping production on them could easily cost him some commercial accounts... That would be a poor choice.

 

If this post was meant to be satirical...well done, I was fooled.

If not, I can't believe what I'm reading. The endless quest for "What's next" and the hype machine are the most ruinous aspects of this industry. I consider it a feather in Duck-Rabbit's cap if they avoid the need to breathlessly hype every new beer and instead focus on making a consistently great core lineup.

 

The NC brewery I think has the most solid overall lineup is Nantahala. I've had 6 of their beers, all of which were at least "quite good". Their pale ale in particular is delicious. Cool brewery/taproom atmosphere and the friendly brewers/staff love to talk beer. Great spot for a post-hike or Sunday drive brew.

Speaking of Nantahala, anybody wanna swap me a Trail Magic for my last Mexican Cake?

 

They have not released a new beer in 3 years. I was completely serious. I have lived in North Carolina my whole life. My dad has been the golf pro at Chapel Hill Country Club for 29 years. He was born in Pilot Mountain. My grandpa on my mom's side owned Amos Hosiery in High Point and Wiston-Salem. I was born in Gastonia and am so excited about the new breweries coming. You are probably an NC democrat who hates change. I want as many new brews as possible. Not because I am pulling for one in particular...but because that is why I love beer. Diversity. I work at one of the top 100 restaurants in the country. Restaurants are all about wine. I have joined the Guild of Sommeliers, but I freaking love beer...more than wine. Beer amazes me. Take my dad for example...he loves miller lite and scotch...however, I let him try JW Lees Lagavulin cask brew and he was amazed...When I look at Duck-Rabbit...you say they are so good they are so consistent and no need to release something new. It amazes me you think like that. It is the exact opposite thinking of the whole industry. Brewers think like DJs...they borrow each other's music. They are willing to work together and collaborate in order to make something better. If I were Duck-Rabbit I would release special one-offs throughout the year. I would ask my employees to contribute their ideas in hopes of coming up with something great. If you opened a brewery and felt you mastered 6 beers you would stop coming out with stuff? Are you kidding me? lol... #creativity #ambition #forwardthinking #putmy401konlowriskplease

 

This will be the death of the industry. "Just had Bell's Hopslam, but that's gone now. Should I drink a Two Hearted, keep supporting this brewery? Nah, give me the next new hyped beer instead." Zero brand loyalty, and a hype machine that cannot sustain itself forever. Eventually everyone just gets burned out on more hops, more booze, more barrel aging, more hype.

I didn't mean my post so much as an attack on you as on those who are only looking for the next new thing, and can only judge a brewery's quality by their ability to keep us frothing at the mouth for the next hand numbered barrel aged must wait in line at 5 a.m. one-off. I think of Duck-Rabbit as extremely skilled brewers, partly because they've managed to grow and thrive without giving in to this mindset.

BTW: I'm not sure how or why it was introduced into the discussion, but the next time I vote Democrat will be the first. Personal opinion, as are all expressed here.

 

I'd have to recommend Fullsteam's lineup. They have a few higher ABV beers that I think could compete with any of the previously mentioned "extreme" beers that we all love, but they really shine with the simple, well crafted, and eminently drinkable worker's comp series. I think all of them fall into the American session category as far as alcohol and drinkability. With the heat coming on quick I find that a Beasley's Honey White, or a Fullsteam Southern Lager hit the spot like nobodies business. I love serious IPA's and stout's, but in the summer they are just too much. The only thing I do caution though is that you get them at the brewery, in a growler, or from a really good bar. I've had a problem with at least one bar, I'm looking at you Flying Saucer, that either didn't keep the lines clean or had some other sanitation issue that just ruined Southern Lager for me, stale and almost tart compared to the usual crisp malt and fruity yeast that I'm used to.

I'd say Mother Earth has the best IPA in the area, though Greenman's is pretty good too.

Big Boss's Blanco Diablo is good on a hot day, same thing with Mother Earth Weeping Willow.

I really like Lonerider's Sweet Josie with any kind of southern food, and their porter is quite good too.

 

Mmmm... now THAT'S good sarcasm!

 

I still buy Duck-Rabbit. I have Baltic Porter, Rabbid-Duck and Olde Rabbit's Foote...I just want to see more releases. I spoke with the brewer and he said they only have 9,000 barrels. He said they are hopefully expanding soon. I guess its all in the philosophy of the brewery. Great Divide, Dogfish, New Belgium...all release cool new beers, every year...I trade for cool beers, but it would be awesome if I had a local brewery that come out wih new stuff a little more frequently. It doesn't mean I need BrewDog Abstract...however, Olde Hickory right now is doing a better job in NC...When Sierra Nevada, New Belgium and Oscar Blues come to NC along with a few other small breweries...they are going to release a lot of beers. Now the other breweries are by no means required to do the same, but they should jump the gun before they get run over with new releases, that are good, might I add.

 

Or, perhaps, they could cater to the non-extreme-hype-BA crowd, which comprises almost all beer drinkers in the world. Even your example of DFH is derided by the extreme-hype-BA crowd because a lot of their experiments aren't judged to taste very good, and it seems like they're releasing new beers every year just to release new beers every year.

Most of the breweries around here release new beers and experiments very frequently. If you think breweries in NC aren't doing small batches of new stuff, you're not paying attention. And getting "run over with new releases" is just nonsensical. The KBS release time is a frenzy of people going nuts trying to get a hyped, limited-release, once-per-year beer. And then people either go back to drinking the quality, available beers or they just didn't care about the hype train in the first place and drank the quality, available beers anyhow.

Luckily, you're not.

 

I wish I could like that reply more than once.

 

Don't be a jerk man. It''s my opinion that they should do some other stuff and yes I do pay attention. I have Olde Rabbit's Foot...are you saying they should not make a beer like that a little more often? Event Horizon, Magic Trail, Barrel-Aged Sexual Chocolate...these are awesome beers that get people talking about your brewery. SC, for example, is amazingly good. If they released it year round it would sell so well...but I personally like their approach. They get people excited for the release. Are you excited Goose Island got bought out so they will now mass produce their beers including Bourbon County? The last thing you said is intentionally trying to get a rise out of me. You are just going to stab at me and this is going to go back and forth...so take it easy and enjoy the same beers over and over...you either don't trade for cool stuff or are being a complete hypocrite.

 

I am not being a jerk. Your opinion is that they will get "run over" with new/seasonal/limited releases. As I pointed out with the KBS example, this is nonsensical (makes no sense). I pointed out that one of your examples of a brewery that continually releases new/different beers is a bad example...exactly for the reasons you think it's a good thing. I pointed out that the hype/limited beer crowd is a very, very tiny portion of all beer drinkers (the subtext is that there's something like 99+-% of the market which isn't that, IE a good portion of the market to focus on as a business).

You say you wish more breweries did limited releases or something "but it would be awesome if I had a local brewery that come out wih new stuff a little more frequently". Seriously, every single brewery besides Duck-Rabbit in the area does this. You are aware of things like Lindley Park, the Mother Earth sour series that's upcoming or Silent Night or Tripel Overhead or any bottled Aviator beer or any bottled Roth beer or Seven Devils or Eiraphiotes, or any beer that Fullsteam makes, right? All of those are new, one-offs within the past year basically. So I don't think you know what you're talking about if your position is that you wish more local breweries came out with new stuff more frequently.

Maybe you don't remember/weren't in the Midwest when KBS and such weren't hyped up. You know what? It was incredibly better when it was possible to buy Hopslam, KBS, and all the other beers (Blushing Monk in bombers for example) without jumping through hoops and nonsense like waiting lists, when they were available for more than one day each. Hopslam was a grocery store beer (and still is in OH/MI for all I know). To answer your question, yes, that is 100% better than being stupidly hard to find. I am very excited to see the BCBS line with more resources behind it and more distribution.

The last thing I quoted is because you said something really silly. Look at the talked-up breweries around the country. Every single one is doing what you want. Duck-Rabbit is not, but you want them to do that too. That's stupid. Sorry. And I trade for stuff I want to drink, not cool stuff. I don't give a damn if something is super-hyped - if it is, I'll trade for it if it's something I personally really want or I'll try it at a tasting or I won't bother. I don't trade for something because it's rare/limited, I trade for something that I want to taste because it sounds delicious. If you only trade for rare stuff, I feel sorry for you. You're doing it wrong.

 

30 Bucks isn't so tough.

Olde Hickory Imp Stout - 14 bucks
Foothills Bourbon Barrel Aged Porter -7 bucks. Still on the floor at City Beverage.
Duck Rabbit Imp Stout = maybe 3 bucks a bottle at City as well.
Duck rabbit Baltic Porter - 3 bucks a bottle.

The BBL Porter is a real winner IMO, I love the stuff.