Long Time No See

Yes, I am still here. After getting called out by the Bruisin' Ales blog and the Mountain Express, it is high time I made another post or two. Here's a quick summary of the beer happenings around town.

Highland is going to be releasing seasonal beers throughout the year, and the first one on tap is the Shining Rock Lager, a Bock that will be Highlands first ever lager. I am a great fan of lagers and am looking forward to trying this out. It will be followed by the Cattail Peak Wheat in the summer, and the Clawhammer Oktoberfest in the fall. The Tasgall is taking a backseat for now, but may be available as a seasonal release at a later time. You can sample the new lager at Bruisin' Ales beer tasting on May 1st. In other Highland news, the Highland Cup homebrewing competition happened over the weekend. In a promotion similar to the Samuel Adams Longshot beers, the winner will have his beer brewed and sold by Highland. This year's winner was a cream ale brewed by Aaron Schenk, and the beer should be available this August.

Pisgah will be unleashing some new bottle offerings shortly, as both the Solstice and the Hellbender barleywine will be available soon. The Solstice will be a year round offering, and I am really excited to finally get to try the Hellbender, as I always seem to miss it when it comes around. The Hellbender is on tap at Barleys right now if you want a chance to try it.

Green Man brewing has released an Abbey Ale that is on tap at Jack of the Wood, and probably at Dirty Jack's as well. It is inspired by the Chimay Grande Reserve (the one with the blue label), and it is an excellent interpretation of the style. This is a limited release so be sure to swing by to try one.

Word on the street is that the Wedge Gallery brewery should be opening soon, hopefully this month. As soon as it opens I will write a full report on it.

So, goodbye for now. I promise my next post won't be a month from now.