Haw River Coming on Strong

Ever since I had the pleasure of trying Major Arcana I knew they were onto something amazing. I cant wait to see what they replace it with. I expect big things from them!

 

Yep lots of love recently for Haw River. Their last big release was a few weeks ago for the BA St. Benedicts Breakfast Dubbel and although it's a fairly "thinned out" it was really good. The release was extremely smooth and fun. They had Javaberry (which is ridiculously good) and the red wine ba dubbel as well. The bottle of the day imo was the Cotton Pickin' Farmhouse. Decent amount of funk and almost zero alcohol taste for 8.5%. Really looking forward to the next 6 months to a year when some of their sours start rolling out. Between Haw River and Fonta Flora who needs Wicked Weed. Great post Dustin

 

I'm obsessed with Haw River. I still haven't had the chance to make it out to seem them, but I hope I can soon. They make great beers, but I support their values and what they stand for.

 

Agreed. I went for the first time this past Saturday and loved it. Everything they had on was excellent...even the gluten free st benedicts! The wine barrel version probably took the cake, though.

 

They have always been strong...you are just late in realizing it!

 

I'm pretty obsessed with Haw River, too, and I completely agree with you, @CavemanRamblin, the Cottonpickin Farmhouse IPA is stellar. I swing by the brewery every few weeks and am always impressed with what they have flowing there, but the Farmhouse IPA is the first bottled beer that has blow me away. It's slightly spendy, but the craftsmanship, time, and ingredients put into it, along with the exceptional execution and balance makes it worth every penny.

 

I have been meaning to visit their taproom for awhile, but haven't gotten over there yet.

 

Another obsessed Haw River fan (see picture). Glad to see these guys getting some more love on BA. They just hit the 1 year mark, but once their sour program has really started to take off, its going to be fun for all of us. Just wait until you try Darius...I think it should be out by end of next year. One of my top 5 beers for sure. Cheers!

 

They just put 800 pounds of cherries into Heaven Hill barrels that I imagine contain the base beer for Darius. They said about 6 more months of aging which would mean we could be drinking it before summer. Of course, it's ready when it's ready and that's one reason I really like Ben's approach: he doesn't want to rush or half-ass things.

Other things I've heard mentioned:

• There are sours coming of age that will be put into bottles "soon". They have a dozen barrels of a golden sour that they've been adding various fruits to over the summer, so maybe these will make it to bottles?
• Lots of funky barrels probably heading for bottles actually, but they're working on procuring a better bottling line
• Potential coolship in the works
• Major Arcana might return someday, but would utilize different brandy barrels

A very good brewery that will only get better!

 

Saxapahaw is just a great place with a bunch happening. The feel of the area is great. Old Quaker territory and new folks that love the history. Saxapahaw is one of the nicest little spots in the entire southeast.

 

Yep, it's about 40 minutes from Greensboro, but we love it. We really don't like the night time drive home, so we recruit a family member to not drink but just a little, have a nice free meal, and deliver us back to Hamilton Lakes. Saturdays are great. I also have yet to go to the Ballroom, but I've heard great reports. The thinking behind Saxapahaw's development has been flawless and very real.

 

It's good, but just ho hum, nothing stand out. However, the price of $8 a bottle was fantastic!

 

My favorite part of visiting Haw River is going up to the General Store. If you haven't eaten there, you are seriously missing out.

 

As someone who visits every 2-3 weeks from Durham, I echo the praise for this place. The staff is generally very friendly, the mill area it's in has a great vibe, the outdoor spot is dog-friendly and has a nice view of the river, and most importantly, the beers are great. Highly recommend the trip (which, if you take the back roads through farm country, is also very beautiful, especially now that fall's here).