Upcoming releases

It’s a busy time for craft beer lovers and no; I’m not talking about the fact that pumpkin beers are already out (that’s for another blog post). A number of new releases are set for Charlotte breweries; here’s a quick rundown:

NoDa Brewing Company

This Saturday at high noon, NoDa is releasing Hot Pistol, which won Best in Show at the brewery’s Top of the Hop Pro-Am back in April. Hot Pistol is a Belgian Chocolate, Raspberry and Habanero Stout entered by David Tollefsen. If that name sounds familiar, he and Glenn Cutler are the NC Beer Guys, who do a terrific job keeping people up to date on what’s going on in the statewide craft scene.

David’s homebrew recipe was brewed on NoDa’s 15 bbl production system last month. After its release this weekend at the brewery’s tap room, you will also be able to find it on draft in select Charlotte and Raleigh/Durham (where the NC Beer Guys reside) establishments. In conjunction with the release, NoDa is also holding a habanero eating contest Saturday at 2 p.m.

Birdsong Brewing Company

If you listened to the most recent Charlotte Beercast, the guys had a big announcement at the end: Charlotte’s first podcast beer. The Beercast folks are teaming up with Conor Robinson, Birdsong’s head brewer, next Friday (Aug. 16) at 6 p.m. to brew “Tribute” (there’s also a chance a podcast may be recorded during the process).

The beer’s name was landed on as a result of two things: First, Birdsong’s “THURsty THURsday” pilot batches (and most of their beer, actually) are titled after a song/musician (Recent examples include Day Tripper and Dirty Deeds).

This title comes from the same name of the Tenacious D tune, which starts out, “This is the greatest and best song in the world … Tribute.” Like many Tenacious D songs, it then evolves into a story that includes heavy metal, demons and … you know what, just watch the video to get a better explanation.

So, why Tribute? Well, the beer is going to be brewed as a, well, tribute, to Heady Topper, which arguably is the best beer in the world. The Double IPA from The Alchemist Brewery in Vermont currently sits at No. 1 on Beer Advocate’s list, and I’m inclined to agree. The Charlotte Beercast folks sampled Heady Topper in Episode 4, and were impressed as well.

It’s a great beer—one of the best I’ve ever had—and I’m excited to try the batch from Conor and the Charlotte Beercast crew. The tentative release date for Tribute is Sept. 5 at the brewery at 5 p.m.

Olde Mecklenburg Brewery

Panthers season is upon us, but Olde Mecklenburg is all about the Hornets right now. Hornets Nest Hefeweizen, that is. Folks can’t get enough of Hornets Nest, which is why OMB decided to release it once again. It’s currently on tap at the Brauhaus, along with bourbon barrel-aged Fat Boy Baltic Porter (another tremendous beer).

The folks at OMB have also been hard at work brewing Mecktoberfest, which won the silver medal at last year’s Great American Beer Festival in Colorado. This smooth amber lager is a tremendous beer (especially for the fall months), and will be released Aug. 23 at the brewery’s tap room.

Triple C Brewing Company

How do you make a great beer even better? Age it for months in bourbon barrels. OK, that may just be my opinion, but I was excited to find out that not only is Triple C’s Up All Night returning, the brewery is also releasing a bourbon barrel-aged version as well.

If you didn’t get to try it last year, Up All Night is a breakfast porter brewed with honey and coffee. It was perfect for those cold winter nights, and adding a bourbon-barrel aged version to the mix is making me look forward to the November release even more.

Triple C is also working on a special beer to celebrate its one-year anniversary. Look for Road to Nowhere Porter to be released Aug. 24 in conjunction with an anniversary party at the brewery.

Four Friends Brewing

The newest addition here isn’t a beer, but a baby boy for Four Friends co-owners Jon and Beth Fulcher. Sebastian was born last weekend and is the newest addition to the Four Friends family. At the tap room, Four Friends has a special Pineapple Habanero Blonde and will also break out a cask-conditioned keg of 24K, their Belgian Golden, this weekend.

Ass Clown Brewing Company

If you’ve been to Ass Clown, you know owner/brewer Matt Glidden is always concocting something new with his small batches. As of late this week, Ass Clown was pouring Cinnamon Hazel Sour, Chocolate Sea Salt, Vanilla Brown and Honey Oat IPA, among others. Make the trek up north to Cornelius; you won’t be disappointed. Beers change almost every week, so be sure to keep up on Ass Clown’s Facebook page for the most up-to-date pours.