Mother Earth Brewing launch in WNC! Next Thursday!

Another Carolina brewery will launch next Thursday in Asheville: Mother Earth Brewing from Kinston, NC. Owner Trent Mooring and Brewmaster Josh Brewer (great name, eh?) will be coming along to chat beer and put beverages in your hands. The evening starts with a tasting at the humble storefront from 5:00-7:00 p.m. followed by four Mother Earth taps at The Thirsty Monk. Please join us, beer people, as we welcome a new North Carolina brewery into the mountains! We had the great opportunity to share a beer with Brewmaster Josh way back in late 2009 and we’re excited to have him back.

About the brewery: “Take the goodness of garden-grown products, the warmth of small town life, the earthy ethic of rock ‘n roll, a deep respect for a time-honored craft…and you have the ingredients of Mother Earth Brewing. Born in the summer of 2008, Mother Earth is the dream-child of Stephen Hill and Trent Mooring, two guys from Kinston, North Carolina, a sweet southern town in the heart of the old tobacco belt.”

Endless River Kölsch
“A clean, crisp beer, Kolsch offers a very slight fruity flavor and aroma. It is light gold in color, with a delicate head. This light-bodied beer appeals to nearly everyone who samples it. Expect to enjoy a slight tang in the finish.”

Weeping Willow Wit
“This beer style is over 400 years old, and continues to enjoy overwhelming popularity. Offering low hop bitterness, it is easy to enjoy. It pours very hazy, with a light gold color… we say it’s like summertime in a glass. Bitter orange peel and fresh coriander add zest and depth to this refreshing beer.”

Dark Cloud Munich Dunkel
“Steeped in a long history dating back hundreds of years, this “old-fashioned” beer is again in vogue. Lager is the German word meaning “to store,” so this beer ages three times longer than our ales do. “Dunkel” means dark in German, but don’t let the color fool you, it is by no means heavy, overbearing or bitter. In fact, it proves to be a very drinkable session beer.”

Sisters of the Moon IPA
“Made with hops grown in the good ‘ol USA… you’ll proudly support American farmers when you drink this beer! Light copper in color, it has an intense hop aroma and strong hop bitterness. Our hopback process uses fresh hop cones to take this IPA to unexpected places. Prepare for a mouthful of flavor.”

Beer City Bash

Jason Sandford, a.k.a. AshVegas, has a stellar story in this week's Mtn. X. Go read the whole thing. Get your tickets to Friday's Beer City Bash to celebrate a strong local industry and some of the best beer in the nation.

From Sandford's story:

Buncombe County alone now boasts seven craft-brewing operations, with two more set to open later this summer. Related businesses have benefited from those operations. Restaurants with dozens of beer taps buzz with locals and tourists alike. The dozen-year-old Brewgrass Festival is one of the toughest tickets in town. Asheville's beer boutiques ship local product nationwide. Another local business leads brewery tours, and farmers in the area are being urged to grow hops as an alternative crop. Even local bakeries and ice-cream shops are getting into the act, incorporating handmade beer into their recipes.

Asheville has more breweries per capita than such standout U.S. beer destinations as Portland — which Asheville tied in a recent online poll conducted by beer guru Charlie Papazian, the founder of the Great American Beer Festival, the American Homebrewers Association and the Association of Brewers. The unscientific poll, which named Asheville the East Coast's "Beer City USA," carries little actual weight. But seeing Asheville hold its own against a city eight times its size did send beer enthusiasts atwitter. And for local beer producers and consumers alike, the designation has become a point of pride and celebration — 15 years after Asheville's sewage pipes were christened with a mediocre batch of handmade brew.

He wraps it up with a fascinating timeline of beer history in Asheville. Thanks Jason. Thanks to all the zymurgists. Thanks to the people in Asheville who have created a connoisseur culture while jumpstarting this homegrown industry.

The Beer City Bash is a $10 ticket that gets you two beers, three bands, and a heapin' helpin' of civic pride. See you there.

Coming soon... The Lexington Avenue Brewery (The LAB) & Sweet Peas Hostel

With each passing week, we grow closer to the much anticipated opening of the Lexington Avenue Brewery (the LAB) and Sweet Peas Hostel. Located in the TS Morrison Building on North Lexington Avenue, these two businesses, covering a total of 12,000 sq ft of space, stand to reshape the flow of nightlife and travelers in downtown Asheville.

I recently had the pleasure of touring the construction site with Mike Healy, the co-owner of these two businesses. On that day in mid May, Healy had nearly 30 people working hard to try to get the LAB and Sweet Pea's up and running as soon as possible. Healy is shooting for a late July or August launch date.

Downstairs: Lexington Avenue Brewery (The LAB)

Located at 39 North Lexington Avenue, the LAB will be a 365 occupancy restaurant, bar, brewery with two music stages. Imagine a front of the house layout similar to the Usual Suspects, with a large serpentine bar topped with reclaimed pine from the roof and fronted with Tupelo gum also salvaged from the building.

Offering a unique blend of Southern and California cuisine, the restaurant will serve full lunch and dinner in a casual dining environment. The dining room and bar area will have a space to accommodate small musical acts.

At the rear of the building behind the brewery on the right and the stylish doorless airport style restrooms on the left, will be a larger music venue with a 99 person occupancy.

Directly behind the bar, will be the brewery operation. The 15 barrel JV Northwest brewing system will stock 3000 gallons of cold storage with a combination of German influenced brews, local favorites and seasonal offerings.

The focus of the brewing operation will be "making beer the way the German's have been for the past 400 years," explains brew master Ben Pierson. Pierson's long list of brewing experience includes training at Kaltenberg Brewery in Furstenfeldbruck, Upland Brewing Company in Bloomington, IN, as well as several years as both brewer and brewmaster at Asheville's Green Man Brewing Company.

Pierson explained that the brewing at the LAB will utilize "infusion mashing" to produce 30 kegs per batch. The goal is "clean and balanced" beer that provides true "drinkability." "I want to make something that, besides its balance, is easy to drink and makes you think the entire time that you are drinking it."

Beer style lineup provided by Pierson:

• White Belgian Style Ale
• German Kolshe
• Bohemian Pilsner
• Oktoberfest Marzen
• Hefeweizen
• American Style IPA

Winter Seasonals:

• Porter
• Chocolate Stout

Ben Pierson stands beside the brewing operation at the LAB.

Continue reading to learn about Sweet Peas Hostel and to see more photos...

Asheville Brewers Alliance

All those zymurgists have a blog! Go say hi.

Best Beer Retailer in the World: Bruisin Ales

Asheville's own Bruisin' Ales made number 3 on the list of Best Beer Retailers, according to RateBeer.com. This is a global award.

From the Press Release:

As it has been for the last 8 years, RateBeer Best was again the largest beer competition in the world -- over 1.97 million reviews of 91,000 beers from over 8700 brewers worldwide were tallied. A particular emphasis was placed on tastings from the last year's performance. Additionally, brewpubs, bottle shops, restaurants and bars around the world were awarded prizes. Cheers to all the winners and to everyone who keeps the magical world of craft beer growing!

About the reviewers:

RateBeer is now home to the most experienced beer critics in the world with three master beer tasters having over 11,000 documented beer ratings. Additionally, over 2700 RateBeer members have over 100 ratings each.

[..]

90% of RateBeer's top 10 raters are from outside the United States. The depth and breadth of RateBeer's beer database is unsurpassed.

[..]

RateBeer Best is a beer competition unique in its independence -- it is unsupported by big brewers and distributors.

RateBeer Results Page
Bruisin Ales website

A Word From Our Sponsors

There are eleven different local businesses who came forward to sponsor our Extrava this year. Between now and party day, I'll be posting messages from them. Check out their sites and services. They love you.

"The Asheville blogging community is the voice of our community - a voice that represents fresh ideas and solutions for our community's improvement. InsideDesign is supporting the blogging community through events like Extravablogiversapaloozathon and providing expert web design services to up-and-coming bloggers. If you want to be a part of this voice, we're here to help.

Learn More at www.insidedesign.info"

The above was written by sponsor Eric Sopp - He's getting us two kegs of Highlands for the party.

Free Beer at LAAFF

The Lexington Avenue Arts and Fun Festival is coming on September 7th, and the organizers are seeking very special people to do a very special job:

"That's right, FREE BEER!

The LAAFF organizers need responsible parties (da ta da, "you") to sit for a couple of hours at one of the 3 beer tents and watch over the comings and goings of kegs and money. That means you'll keep track of the kegs and the cash that is collected, but you will NOT be serving beer, just hanging around, which is why you get to drink!!! In return you get FREE BEER! (Plus you get to meet all kinds of kewl people but don't tell anyone)"
[...]
"Here are the shifts that we still need to fill:

12-3:30
3:30 - 7:00
7:00 - 10:00"

If you're interested in free beer at LAAFF, you can contact Amy at aak111@hotmail.com

Free Beer

Craggie Brewing Company is having a beer tasting today from 2-5pm.

See you there?

Date: Saturday, August 23, 2008
Time: 2:00pm - 5:00pm
Location:Craggie Brewing Company
Street: 197 Hilliard Ave

Bloggers caught at Bele Chere

I was only at Bele Chere for about an hour on Friday, but I bumped into three other bloggers, two of whom I caught in action. Above is our fave Supergrrrl, What the hell?, selling brewskis, and below is maverick Ashvegas doing his thang with the Urban Challenge contestants. Not pictured is Mimosa man Jer of Virtual Inanity. Who have you run into?

Belgian Beer Bar

Beer Advocate forum rumor: "A Belgian beer bar, The Thirsty Monk, is coming to Asheville, NC this Fall where Hookah Joe’s is currently. This bar will be only Belgians and Belgian-style, starting with eight draft lines and tons more in bottles. The opening date is scheduled for September, so keep your eyes open."

Hookah Joe's is moving into the soon to be former Hairspray.

Resolution: Let the drinking begin

Ashvegas City Council tonight will vote on the following resolution. This is why it's important to keep abreast of your local government:

Resolutions making provisions for the possession and consumption of malt beverages and/or unfortified wine at the following 2007 Special Events:
-Mountain Sports Festival on May 4-6
-Asheville Downtown Association’s Downtown After 5 events on May 18, June 15, July 20, August 17, and September 14
-Fourth of July Celebration on July 4
-76th Annual City of Asheville Open Tennis Championships Picnic on July 19-20
-GoomBay!Festival on August 25-27
-Lexington Avenue Arts and Fun Festival on September 9
-Fiesta Latina Festival on September 22
-11th Annual Brewgrass Festival on September 22
-Asheville Greek Festival on September 28-30
-The Asheville Grizzlies home games on various dates during the summer.