Fainting Goat is more than a funny YouTube video; it is Fuquay-Varina’s newest brewery. Fuquay-Varina is one of my favorite craft communities. Asheville is clearly the Capital of Craft in North Carolina, Raleigh and Charlotte have a wonderful growing market of breweries, and Wilmington and Fuquay have great craft beer clusters. With Fainting Goat’s arrival,…
Feathers, Fur and Fermentation: Duck-Rabbit Craft Brewery
Most beer drinkers in North Carolina are probably familiar with Duck-Rabbit — one of the most successfully distributed craft breweries in the region. Duck-Rabbit’s Milk Stout, Brown and Amber ales are grocery store staples all around the Southeast, ranging from Florida to Tennessee to as far north as Pennsylvania. You might be surprised, then, to…
K.I.S.S. Keep It Simple Stupid- Carolina Brewing Company (CBC) – Holly Springs NC
Carolina Brewing Company keeps it simple: In the vast majority of its beers, CBC uses just four ingredients – hops, malt, yeast and water. The results helped kick off a movement in North Carolina brewing. Founded in 1995, this brewery might accurately be described as the grandfather of craft brewing in the Triangle, a community…
Ponysaurus Express: Ponysaurus in Durham
The half-pony, half-raptor tap handle has been spotted roaming about at bars and restaurants throughout Durham and the Triangle for the past few years. (You had one job, Phil! One job!) But hold on to your butts: Ponysaurus is now open with their own taproom on Hood Street in Durham. They started their soft launch the last…
Every Beer has A Story- White Rabbit Brewing Company Angier NC
Take a journey down the rabbit hole with me to this fantastic brewery. One of my favorite quotes from Alice in Wonderland is “Who in the world am I? Ah, that’s the great puzzle.” Well there is no doubt this brewery knows who they are and fully commits to it. White Rabbit has fully embraced…
Painting the town RED- Raleigh Brewing Company- Raleigh NC
Raleigh Brewing Company (RBC) beers have been no stranger to the fridge in my home for quite some time. My wife is a fan of “Hell yes Mam” and long before visiting this brewery I’ve enjoyed “House of Clay”. So why has it taken me so long to visit this Capital City Brewery? I don’t…
Burial Captures The Funky Spirit Of Asheville — And Makes Great Beer
Some breweries have you at “Hello.” Asheville’s Burial Beer Co. had me at, “Hey you guys!” As we walked to Burial from the north on Collier Ave., we were greeted by a giant mural on the side of the building that depicted Magnum P.I. and Sloth from The Goonies, arm-in-arm in front of a wall…
Making Beer Out of Thin Air! Outer Banks Brewing Station- Kill Devil Hills NC
We all understand the reference of turning water into wine. The process of tuning air into beer is not as direct and more of a modern marvel than miracle. It wasn’t accomplished with a wave of the hand, but more through months of acquiring permits and approvals by bureaucratic processes. But the fact that the…
A great place to get Lost… Lost Colony Brewing- Manteo
The outer banks of North Carolina in a special place, there is so much to do and so many thing to see. It was the home of the first colony and some of the most notorious pirates in the world. This is the perfect place to brew beer if you ask me. Plus the town…
Day Drinking: Aviator Brewing Company in Fuquay Varina
On a random Monday afternoon I found myself in the familiar taproom of Aviator Brewing Company. This was far from my first visit to Fuquay-Varina to have a beer at this establishment. My relationship with this well-known North Carolina brewery started a bit rocky. I first visited Aviator several years ago and had a horrible…
Where Everybody Knows Your Name: Nickel Point Brewing Company in Raleigh
We found ourselves visiting Nickel Point after an old high school friend and fan of First in Flights asked us to visit his neighborhood brewery. After being treated to a good time, we are grateful for the invitation. My old friend, Jason, was generous enough to participate as a guest Brew Crew member on that…
The Old Mill Closed But Many A Yarn Is Still Spun
Haw River Farm House Ales- Saxapawhaw NC Saxapawhaw is a small former Mill town with a population of about 1,500. For over 150 years life centered around the textile mill it served as the lifeblood of the community. In 1994 tragedy stuck this community when a tornado severely damaged the textile mill and it never…
First in Flights 