The Return

It's been suggested to me that it might be a good idea to start a beer blog to share my thoughts on different things, so here we go. I'll try to do the best I can to keep ideas flowing, be it tasting notes, current events, new releases or festivals, or debates/controversies (I do love me some controversy).

I just got back from six days in North Carolina, and it was truly glorious. We rented a cabin up in the mountains, so the weekend was full of breathtaking scenery, as well as just a bit of peace and quiet. On the way down, we stopped at Bruisin' Ales in Asheville. For those of you not in the know, Bruisin' Ales is a boutique store right at downtown Asheville, that crams more awesome beer into such a small space than you would see at one of the giant supermarket-style liquor stores. It's owned by a husband and wife team (Jason and Julie Atallah) who just do a great job at supporting craft beer.

We rolled into town about 5:30 Friday night on the way out to the cabin, and ended up staying for about forty-five minutes (most of which was my fault... but nobody here is laying blame). The two guys working there (I want to say Jon and Tim) were awesome, grabbing some limited releases for me from the back, and helping my friends who are learning about beer pick out some things they might like.

I found more than my fair share of local and interesting beers. My friend and I split a case of Highland Black Mocha to session over the weekend, and I was fortunate to grab a couple bottles of the Imperial Black Mocha, which has been a big want of mine for quite a while. Also, I was lucky enough to head down the same week Terrapin Gamma Ray was re-released as a summer seasonal. Just the most drinkable wheatwine I've had, fantastic. Other beers from Highland, Terrapin, Big Boss, New Belgium (had to bring back some Fat Tire or I wouldn't hear the end of it!), New Holland, Duck-Rabbit, Bell's, all solid breweries we can't get up here. The only thing I would have liked to come home with was some bottles from Pisgah, they only had growlers. Alas, next year.

Now, the hard part is drinking it all to make room for more beer. Funny how it seems to accumulate faster than it can be consumed. I also have a ton of reviews to put up from the weeks before I left, so methinks some of them will make it on here. Until next time, internets.