Another Brewgrass Blast

Another Brewgrass has come and gone. I am always amazed at how quickly the day goes by. This is certainly my favorite beer festival, mainly because I get a chance to reconnect with old friends and make new ones. One of the new friends I made is Anne Fitten Glenn, aka Edgy Mama, a local writer, blogger and beer lover (that is me and her in the picture, taken by her husband Drew). I also had a great time hanging with the local brew crew as well as some friends from Pennsylvania and Alabama. It was a perfect day and I am sorry that it had to come to an end.

So, how was the beer you ask? There was plenty of good beer to be had, and a few standouts that I will mention. Blue Ridge Brewing out of Greenville, South Carolina again impressed me. They brought a Black Honey Imperial Elixir Stout. Elixir is a good word to describe it, as the sweet honey really matched well with the roasted malts of the stout. If you have any gas and happen to be heading down to Greenville, be sure to check them out. It also turns out that there is some good beer to be had in Greenville, North Carolina as well. T.L. Adkisson is an award winning brewer that is doing some great things in the flatlands of North Carolina. His Double Peg Leg Pale Ale was one of my favorites, with a nice balance of hops and sweet malts. Its too bad that his beer can only be had at Hams Restaurant and Brewhouse in Greenville. Heading back to the other Carolina, Coast Brewing in South Carolina also brought some good beers, in particular their Rye Knot Brown. I am not usually a huge fan of Brown ales, but the addition of Rye really gave this beer some added depth. An interesting side note is that Pisgah's own Dave Quinn used to pester the current brewer of Coast, David Merritt, when he was a brewer at the now defunct Palmetto Brewery in Charleston. Coincidentally, Coast Brewing is also an organic brewery, just like Pisgah.

The locals also had some great beer flowing. Green Man featured their Imperial Stout which has made its second appearance, just in time for the cooler weather. French Broad also featured a Rye beer, the Rye Hopper, another brown ale with rye and some spicy hops to match. And of course there was the Highland Imperial Black Mocha Stout, which was a big hit at the festival. I was told that the beer would only be available at the brewery, but do not be surprised if it shows up in stores in a few weeks.

Again, it was such a wonderful day and I am already looking forward to next year's festival. Kudos goes out to Doug Beatty, who always puts on a great festival.