RALEIGH, NC—After several years spent cultivating their own hops, Mims Distributing Company, a beer distributor that services a nine-county area in and around the Triangle region, has announced the debut of Carolina Wet Hop IPA. It’s the first beer brewed with hops harvested from the distributor’s hops field. Produced in partnership with Carolina Brewing Company, Carolina Wet Hop IPA will soon be available to select local retailers for a limited time.

Carolina Wet Hop IPA is a single batch brewed with more than 22 pounds of Cascade hops from Mims Distributing’s hops field adjacent to its Ebenezer Church Road location. Four pounds of Willamette hops from Dragonfly Farm in Franklin County add to the craft brew’s earthy and piney aroma. Carolina Brewing Company adds Pale, Carapils and Caramel malts and extra nugget hops for bitterness.

A separate Cask Ale, also brewed from the Carolina Wet Hop IPA batch, has dried whole cones of Mims Distributing’s Cascade hops and Willamette’s Dragonfly hops, which undergo a secondary fermentation to ensure maximum flavor. The company will open the cask with Carolina Brewing later this fall in celebration of their partnership.

Inspired by partner brewery Sierra Nevada, who grows its own hops in Chico, Calif., Mims Distributing started growing hops in its own field in 2011 with the goal of partnering with a local brewer to produce a craft beer truly local to the Triangle. The brewery chosen by Mims Distributing, Carolina Brewing Company in Holly Springs, N.C., has brewed more than a dozen year-round, seasonal and special brews since 1994.

BREVARD, NC—Oskar Blues Brewery is breaking boundaries once again by sponsoring driver Landon Cassill and his JD Motorsports with Gary Keller team in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. Cassill will pilot the No. 4 Oskar Blues Brewery Chevrolet at Charlotte Motor Speedway for the Dollar General 300 on Friday, October 11.

“It’s so cool to have a craft beer sponsor, especially Oskar Blues Brewery. Craft beer fits so well with our sport, which is casual and accessible,” says Cassill. “This feels like a great partnership because our team is a lot like this brewery—we’re a homegrown race team working really hard to break through.”

This partnership will be the first of its kind for the craft brewery industry, featuring Oskar Blues Brewery brands on the racecar and fire suit. The No.4 Oskar Blues Brewery Chevrolet Camaro will sport the colors of the brewery’s thirst-quenching All-American made beers in a can: Dale’s Pale Ale and Mama’s Little Yella Pils.

“Oskar Blues Brewery is built on following our passions, whether it’s putting beer in a can or being the first craft brewery to sponsor NASCAR. We love blazing our own trail,” says Neal Price, Head of Racing Development at Oskar Blues Brewery.

Oskar Blues, the first craft beer in racing, also currently sponsors a Super Late Model, a Mod Coupe and two Sprint Cars that compete at tracks across the country. In addition, Oskar Blues is an official track sponsor at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Oskar Blues Founder Dale Katechis says: “We just like getting after it and being competitive. Whether it’s our complex and challenging beers, the aggressive mountain bikes our bike company makes, or going to the race track…speed is in our blood (www.reebcycles.com).”

Cassill, a 24-year-old from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, has several years of experience in the NASCAR Sprint Cup and NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS). He has a best finish of third in the NNS.

In celebration of this partnership, Cassill will make an appearance at the Oskar Blues Brewery Tap Takeover at Carolina Ale House on Wednesday, October 9, in Concord. He will be greeting fans and signing autographs starting at 6:30 p.m. Cassill also will make an appearance at the Oskar Blues Party Box in the Fan Zone at CMS on Saturday afternoon, October 12.

Dale’s Pale Ale and Mama’s Little Yella Pils are the only craft beers available throughout Carolina Motor Speedway—at the Super Speedway, the Speedway Club, zMax Dragway and The Dirt Track, as well as The Party Box in the Fan Zone.

CHARLOTTE, NC—NoDa Brewing Company is excited to announce their entry into the package market with a roll out of 16 oz. cans of Jam Session, their pale ale, and Hop, Drop ‘n Roll, their signature IPA, in late September 2013.

“Jam Session and Hop, Drop ‘n Roll are two of our most popular beers and having them available in a portable form (can) is the next logical step for us,” said Todd Ford, Co-Owner of NoDa Brewing Company. “Instead of the traditional 12 oz. cans, we have opted for a 16 oz. can. If you are going to drink a 16 oz. pint in restaurant or pub, why accept less from your can?”

Initially, NoDa Brewing cans will be available at bottle shops, specialty markets, bars and restaurants in the Charlotte metro with a roll out to supermarket chains within the year. In addition to its current draft presence at Panthers games within the Bank of America Stadium, both Jam Session and Hop, Drop ‘n Roll will be available at the stadium in cans starting in October.

“Cans basically act as small kegs with many of the same benefits including complete light protection, which minimizes the risk of ‘skunking’ the beer,” said Chad Henderson, Head Brewer of NoDa Brewing Company. “The cans are also more durable, easier to transport than bottles and more environmentally friendly. In past years the inner lining of cans has evolved so the fear of off-flavor from the can material is no longer an issue and the canning line itself will allow for lower levels of dissolved oxygen increasing shelf life for the product.”

About NoDa Brewing Company:

NoDa Brewing Company currently has five year-round beers and multiple seasonal offerings available on-tap at local bars & restaurants and the brewery tap room. Its on-site tap room sells beer by the glass & take-home growlers and provides brewery tours as well as hosts special events. Look and ask for NoDa on tap at your local restaurant and bar. For more, visit www.NoDaBrewing.com.

BREVARD, NC—Oskar Blues is pumped to announce the release of the first batch of the award-winning Ten FIDY Imperial Stout from the East Coast brewery. This much-anticipated seasonal brew is now fermenting in the tanks at both the ColoRADo and NC locations. It’ll be released at parties at both Tasty Weasel Tap Rooms and distributed to all 32 states where Oskar Blues is sold.

Less than nine months after the first North Carolina brew bubbled, the brewers have recreated all seven of Oskar Blues’ regular line-up of beers, finishing with the much-anticipated, highly-coveted Ten FIDY (10.5 percent ABV).

This supremely full-bodied seasonal, that has bulldozed beer connoisseurs, will be available at your favorite watering hole or retailer earlier than ever  this year—in September—thanks, in part, to the new(ish) brewery. Following the successful release of our spring seasonal, GUBNA, the FIDY will be available until February 2014 (or until it sells out), making it a perfect holiday gift beer. Stay tuned, as Oskar Blues plans to brew up a brand new seasonal in 2014 to be sold between the GUBNA and Ten FIDY releases!

The Brevard Ten FIDY release party takes place on Thursday, August 29, 2013, at the NC Tasty Weasel. Come taste the first NC FIDY, plus another special Ten FIDY tap. The night includes a chili cook-off with brewery judges (bring extra chili to share), music from This Mountain, a rockin’ folk band from East Tennessee, Ten FIDY corn hole, and special T-shirts featuring the “First in FIDY” license plate.

Western North Carolinians who visit the brewery will be among the lucky first tasters of this uniquely crafted brew, with its inimitable flavors of chocolate-covered caramel and coffee that hide the hefty 98 IBUs underneath a smooth blanket of malt.

The Longmont Ten FIDY release party will happen on Friday, August 30, 2013, at the ColoRADo Tasty Weasel Tap Room. The night’s offerings will feature a vertical tasting of FIDY from years past, plus a barrel-aged FIDY, a firkin of FIDY Pale, and a Nitro Smidy. Because if its hefty ABV, FIDY is uniquely cellarable and gets bought up and stored by beer geeks nationwide. The nectar becomes even more smooth with age.

An Asheville Ten FIDY release party will take place at Barley’s Taproom & Pizzeria on Tuesday, September 3, 2013. Keep an eye out for other bars and restaurants celebrating the return of this boundary-busting brew.

Ten FIDY is a super-strong beer that takes strength to make. This brew is made with an enormous amount of two-row malt, chocolate malt, roasted barley, flaked oats and hops. Ten FIDY’s nearly 5000-pound grain bill is just short of 50 percent specialty malts, which are packaged in 55-lb bags and loaded into the mills by hand. The many bags of oats are poured directly into the mash tuns. The oats and rice hulls have to be lugged up 20-odd stairs to the top of the brew-decks.

“Brewing Ten FIDY is unlike any of the other beers we make. We have to mash-in two batches just to get one kettle filled because we only take the most concentrated wort from each mash. It’s a very time consuming and labor intensive process. This is part of how we make Ten FIDY so unique, rich, and complex,” says Brevard head brewer Noah Tuttle.

Ten FIDY is packaged in 12-ounce CANS and sold in 4-pack carriers, as well as on draft at craft beer retailers, growler fill shops, restaurant, bars and more.

About Oskar Blues Brewery

Founded by Dale Katechis in 1997 as a brewpub and grill, Oskar Blues Brewery launched its craft-brewed beer canning operations in 2002 in Lyons, Colo. It was the first American craft brewery to brew and hand-can its beer. Today there are more than 200 craft breweries canning beer. The original crew used a hand-canning line on a tabletop machine that sealed one can at a time. Oskar Blues Brewery in Longmont packaged 59,000 in 2011 and grew to 85,750 in 2012 while opening an additional brewery in Brevard, NC, in late 2012.

The brewery population in Atlanta recently reached double digits.

Not terribly long ago, we explored the idea of confronting Jack Frost mano a mano and actually heading north in our wintry beer travels. Bold, but there’s a more comfortable way to soak up beer culture that puts hop bite ahead of frostbite. And with craft beer culture permeating every corner of the country, consider visiting existing and emerging hot spots in the American South.

It took the South a bit longer to appear on the beer map, considering, historically, it was more difficult to brew quality beer below the Mason-Dixon line (hotter temperatures spoiled the beer. Plus, no hops). But modern technology and passion know no bounds. So forget about talk of secession—the South is rising and even Yankees ought to pack a few growlers and shorts and prepare to eat more biscuits and gravy with breakfast than some folks might ordinarily get all year.

Atlanta

When RateBeer.com users vote two beer bars in Atlanta among the top in the U.S. (OK, one’s in Decatur, but they’re less than four miles apart), it’s clear The Big Peach plays a dominant role. No wonder the brewery population has reached double digits.

Brewerywise, it starts with Red Brick Brewing (2323 Defoor Hills Road). Georgia’s first craft brewery, founded as the Atlanta Brewing Co., counts Hoplanta IPA and Red Brick Brown among its core beers. It created the Brick Mason series for bigger beers, including a Double IPA and Vanilla Gorilla that sees a smoked porter receive smoked vanilla beans before aging in whiskey barrels. Red Brick’s 17^th Anniversary Ale is an imperial version of its brown ale, then aged in Jim Beam barrels.

SweetWater Brewing Co. (195 Ottley Drive NE) in the Buckhead neighborhood, was founded in 1996 and has grown into one of the country’s largest on the strength of its flagship 420 Extra Pale Ale. Its growing barrel program keeps it at the forefront of intriguing new beers. Visit the brewery for a tour Wednesday through Saturday, but really, just skip the tour and spend your time kicking it at the tasting room, where a ten spot gets six 5.5-ounce beers.

Atlantans have thrown their arms around 5 Seasons, now with three locations stretching from 5 Seasons-Midtown (1000 Marietta St.) to the original in Sandy Springs tucked inside The Prado shopping center (5600 Roswell Road) and 5 Seasons-North in the suburb of Alpharetta (3655 Old Milton Parkway). Two talented brewmasters helm the brew houses, both esteemed for the brews. On the pub side, the fare leans more toward gastro than grub. There’s no going wrong with the Organic Brisket Reuben with amazing hand-cut sweet potato fries (with cocoa chili). The entrees are always elegant, and, this being Atlanta, definitely go for the Coca-Cola Cured Duck Breast. (Do this preferably after visiting the World of Coca-Cola, aka the Coke Museum, at 121 Baker St. NW; worldofcoca-cola.com).

As if brewpubs aren’t fun enough on their own, Twain’s (211 E. Trinity Place in Decatur) is both a billiard hall and brewpub. Well, it started tapping only other people’s beers, but in ’06 the pub wisely started to brew its own. The Tropicalia Project is its series of single-hopped IPAs. The food menu is beered up, too, in small but fun ways like making spent-grain bread and offering IPA-brined pickles. With pool tables as well as shuffleboard and arcade games, hope you weren’t in a rush to go somewhere else.

The beer joint often seen as synonymous with Atlanta is the Brick Store Pub (125 E. Court Square in Decatur). On the main floor, it feels like you’re in a British pub, down to the horseshoe bar and British classics such as shepherd’s pie on the menu. The draft list is far-reaching, but you’ll certainly find a few taps dedicated to in-state brews from SweetWater and perhaps something from Athens’ Terrapin. Upstairs, the beer culture changes to little Belgium in the Belgian Room. Here, you can get your geek on with a bottle list that’s even longer than the one printed for downstairs, and—it goes without saying—pricier, too. But hey, Cantillon is worth the cost, and it’s on the list.

Newer on the Decatur scene but from the same Gallagher brothers who brought us The Pub is Leon’s Full Service (131 E. Ponce de Leon Ave.), its name taken from its former use as an actual filling station. Here, beer shares the spotlight with its cocktail brethren, and the munchies menu has gone more upscale, including Georgia shrimp and clams in a white wine broth. But fans of finger foods will love the frites served with a staggering array of dipping options (the curry ketchup and smoked tomato mayo are my faves) and the most talked about is the glassful of bacon strips with a side of peanut butter for dipping.

The Porter (1156 Euclid Ave.) in Little 5 Points is the other beer mecca in town. With over 800 beers to be enjoyed (including 40 on draft), how could it not be? Order a glass of the L5 Project Imperial Porter from Wrecking Bar, one of Atlanta’s other fine new breweries, or a bottle of Hard Time Barleywine from one of Georgia’s newest and most exciting micros. Happily, since you’ll be doing some serious drinking here, you get to do serious eating, too. The half-pound burger is a meal to behold, and if the Wrecking Bar is your first stop of the day, at least on weekends, the brunch options are mouthwatering. The toughest decision you make may be whether to go sweet with pancakes topped with bananas flambé and toasted pecans, or savory with a “Biscuit’wich” holding scrambled eggs, cheese and choice of breakfast meat (including soysage for those who don’t do meat).

Since I forgot to mention that Leon’s offers a bocce court, now’s a good time to do so, seeing as Ormsby’s (1170 Howell Mill Road) in Westside sports bocce action, too. It even hosts (Atlanta Bocce) league play. The smartly curated draft options are apt to include some of the other Atlanta-area breweries such as Monday Night Brewing, which morphed from three guys who met in a Bible studies group and learned how to homebrew together into a company that, after a year in operation, is expanding into a 30-barrel brewery that’ll see the addition of a tap room and, duh, bocce courts.

Last but nowhere near least is Taco Mac, the chain of family-friendly sports bars that kick-started beer education in Atlanta—now with 22 locations—and expanding throughout the South. By getting patrons to enroll in the chain’s Brewniversity program and continue trying new beers (not hard when the bars have over 140 taps), Taco Mac deserves the credit for expanding people’s craft-beer perceptions and palates.

In fact, once you have more than a few beers punched on your member card, you can gain access to The Fred (5600 Roswell Road), hidden away in the basement of the Taco Mac-Prado location. Taco Mac beverage director Fred Crudder says he has the best job in the world. This is his tangible proof: Order up a Mac ’n’ Cheese Kobe Burger, pair it with something off Fred’s Secret Stash list you thought you’d never get to try, and sink into a night of rarefied beer culture.