Beer Venture 2012 in The Triangle

After planning for several months, starting with a mere piece of printer paper, a marker, and the power of the inter-webs, BeerVenture 2012 finally happened as summer began.  This was our first attempt at cramming as much driving and beer-related tourism possible into one day.

The tour began at the famed Carolina Brewing Company. Well - let me back up... A major factor in the whole day was having Mrs. Hacksaw Brewing be the DD (some bargaining was done pre-beer venture). We decided to head to Holly Springs at 1PM and did an hour hike around Lake Johnson in Raleigh to work up our thirst for the day to come.

12:45PM - We arrive at Carolina Brewing Company and were immediately handed our first pints of beer. We tried to get "The Goat" Spring Bock, but the keg kicked just before we reached the taps. Sad times, but an India Pale Ale for Jacob and a Summer Ale for me would do nicely. Mrs. HB provided the crucial taste test for each beverage consumed– does it taste like beer? Both of these ales passed the test with ease.

After a tour and before leaving, they opened the taps back up the and we both opted for the Belgian Tripel - 9.4% ABV. We were expecting a half pint, but a full pint is what was served (and what we consumed).

A quick drive over to Bass Lake Draft House, the only non brewery/ brewpub of the day, would give us needed sustenance for the next leg of the journey. Although not a brewery, copious amounts of craft brew were readily available. I selected a Pyramid Outburst IPA, Jacob a HoppyYum IPA from Foothills in Winston-Salem, and Mrs. HB decided to test out her palette on a Founders Cherry Ale. Although the Cherry Ale passed the beer test, it was not very enjoyable. My beer tasted like liquid hops (which is in no way a bad thing), and Jacob's of course was high quality IPA - Foothills Hoppyum

3:30PM - Our flight landed at Aviator Brewing Company and we were in for quite a treat. Although they weren't giving away free pints hand over fist, they gave plenty of free samples.

The highlights included Steamhead California Common (extremely drinkable and well balanced), Hogwild IPA (powerful punch of bitterness and hop aroma), and the winter seasonal that had been aged in bourbon barrels. Jacob went one up on me here by grabbing a full pint of Steamhead for the tour. Sadly I was never able to catch that lead.

The Aviator tour was amazing, and the key takeaway is that the owners are risk taking, ballsy and passionate about growing their business. They even brew root beer so the kids have something at their restaurant!

Next stop, Lonerider Brewing Company. We corralled one of the "Outlaws" into giving us a tour. He asked for a dollar per person for a tour and I obliged him (though I'm pretty sure he just pocketed the cash). He may or may not have had a beer or two lead on us, but gave a decent tour of the place.

At the time, the taproom was a bit austere, but the beer was pretty tasty. The "True Britt ESB" (think True Grit for the Western reference) was good not great. Their signature brews, "Shotgun Betty" or "Sweet Josie”, might have been better options, but much more beer was on our horizon.

Just down the street lay ROTH Brewing company. This place was unlike any of the others to say the least. The smallest brewery in all of NC (at the time at least), these guys brew in a 2 BBL system (that's 4 kegs at a time),12 hours a day, every day. On top of that they bottle (by hand), and do a fair amount of R&D. The R&D was explained as we saw some non-ROTH beer in the cold room they had been drinking. 

Our bodies needed food again so we headed to Durham.

Bull City Burger and Brewery - Excellent burgers, but don't forget that fries are extra that you have to ask for because they won't remind you! Hip place with sweet LED lighting making their brew system look like a place you'd want to have a rave. Good selection of beers, but I chose poorly and I take full blame. I had the WonkaWash – a chocolate beer that was as sweet as its name might imply. Others chose the Pro Bono Porter or the Rogers Lager which were much better choices for this point in the adventure. Even if I had the stamina for the Hee-Haw Peach Wheat beer you can bet your stack there is no way I'd be drinking something that tastes like a liquid peach. If it won't pass the beer/not beer test I have a hard time drinking it.

With full stomachs it was Full Steam ahead to the next rocking brewery. Fullsteam Brewing in Durham had an incredible atmosphere and a host of beers that pique interest, but several seemed to be palette wreckers. I tried my hand at the "Working Man's Lunch" - and struggled to finish this. I needed an IPA at this point in the night and they didn't have it. Jacob's "Carver" sweet potato beer didn't really taste like sweet potatoes, and then there was the "El Toro" which was decent but not what I was seeking. Have to give this place props because they try some crazy stuff and I'm sure a trip here 6 months from now could yield vastly different results. We didn't get to see the brewing system here due to the timing so another trip here is in my future.

I was worried we wouldn't make it, but at 11:30PM our party arrived at Big Boss. I had never been here before, and to this day I can't fathom why not. This place is out of this world. Incredibly slick branding and a wicked bottle collection that lines the entire taproom and tops my collection in terms of total bottles. Jacob went with the "High Roller IPA," and I wish I had because it was delicious. Embarrassingly it took some help from our fearless driver to finish my "Saucy Pants Ale" (she deserved half a pint after the day). "Sack Time Rye Amber" and the classic "Bad Penny Brown" were easily handled by the group.

After 12 hours of drinking, 8 breweries/brewpubs/draft houses, BeerVenture 2012 was complete.

If you go back to the first picture of my printer paper you'll see I also have started planning out a BeerVenture for Asheville! Who wants in?

–Ben