What makes a perfect Saturday afternoon? For me it was being holed up in a fabulous joint with a bunch of beer lovers and brewers sampling from 10 local casks. Oh, and I can’t leave out the great food and the great weather. This is the second year for General Manager Derrick Smith and the... View Article
A great thing about touring prospective colleges with my daughter Anne is that she is already well-heeled on the pleasures of a good beer scene. I had wanted to visit Dennis Thies’ Green Man Brewery for quite some time. Apparently we picked the perfect day. After a four-hour drive, we pulled up to the building as... View Article
The final phase of my Charlotte weekend occurred after the Pints for Prostates first annual board meeting. The Pints for Prostates’ board meeting went for quite some time as the board worked through some of the guiding principles of the organization and the future plans. It was some heavy lifting by a group of passionate... View Article
Recently, Rick Lyke invited me to join the board of directors for Pints for Prostates, a charity I’ve been fundraising for the past couple of years. A yes came quite easily and our first board meeting was this Saturday in Charlotte. You’ve got to love a board where the pre-meeting is scheduled in a place... View Article
After my last insipid, yet bizarre, entry into the competition for the SweetWater Brewing Co’s’ Brew Your Cask Off Cask Ale Festival (March 5th, SweetWater Brewery, 6:00 pm to 10:00 pm), the powers that be suggested I should pair up with some talent, like their brewer maybe? Was it that obvious? Steve Farace, marketing gonzo... View Article
Did you see the footage of the Vikings’ dome coming down? Pretty wild, and like good chaos theory it lead to a discovery of a great beer. I’m not such a fan of the NY Giants. Actually, I find being a fan an exercise in suffering, not something I’m fond of. However, I am a... View Article
I’m sure you’ve all watched the Big Show — Sam and Dogfish Head take the Discovery Channel, and Sony, by storm. It was quite a romp actually. We got a great glimpse of Sam’s envelop-pushing, madcap, genius and a great look at the team of stalwarts who executes his vision. Fabulous combination. Meanwhile we also... View Article
It’s rare that a beer lover gets to watch a brewery being born. However, years ago I offered a young man a job at the magazine for no apparent reason other than he seemed really interesting. Along the way he lead the charge to change the alcohol limit law in the state of North Carolina... View Article
While running errands the other day I got a funny call from Andy at Triangle Brewing Co. He needed a favor. Now, you need to understand this. The Boys From Triangle are some very resourceful, self-reliant, guys not above some serious razzing and I’m one of their favorite targets. Andy calling me for some help? ... View Article
