Beer today, gone tomorrow: Asheville beer happenings May 23-29

Beer Today, Gone Tomorrow is the one-stop home for Asheville-area beer news. Check back throughout the week for updates and send your own to wncbeertoday@gmail.com.

Bottle and can releases

• Green Man Brewery will release a series of rare and limited bottles throughout AVL Beer Week (Friday, May 26-Saturday, June 3), starting a little in advance of the organized festivities with the Thursday, May 25, debut of Wilder, a three-year blended American blond sour. Snozzberry will not be available as previously announced.
• Catawba Brewing Co. and Eagles Nest Outfitters’ collaboration beer ENO Pilsner (4.9 percent ABV) will be released on Friday, May 26, at all Catawba locations. The traditional German pilsner is brewed with pale malted barley and hopped with Noble, Tettnanger, Hallertau Mittelfrüh and American Idaho No. 7. ENO Pilsner will be available through August on draft and in six-packs of 12-ounce cans wherever Catawba beers are sold.
• Highland Brewing Co. will release the latest offering in its Big Beer, Small Batch series, Hawaiian Lounge Juice Extra IPA, on Friday, May 26 at the brewery. The brew is made with passionfruit and mango as well as Azacca and Citra hops.
• On Friday, May 26, Burial Beer Co. will be releasing its latest batch of Skillet Donut Stout in 16 ounce cans starting at noon. It will be the last time this celebrated beer will be released until winter.
• Asheville Brewing Co. will release its annual imperial stout, Carolina Mountain Monster (12.8 percent ABV), on Friday, May 26 on draft and in bottles. Brewed with locally roasted, cold steeped coffee and fresh vanilla beans as well as Honey Malt and Gold Naked Oats from the U.K., the beer will be available at all Asheville Brewing locations, alongside a limited number of cellared bottles from 2016.
• On Sunday, May 28, Burial will host the taproom-only release of the first two bottles from its new Mixed Fermentation Program starting at noon. The Fall of the Damned Bourbon Barrel Aged Sour Red Ale (7 percent ABV) began in a Brunello foudre where it rested for three months before moving to bourbon barrels for nine months, after which it was blended and racked onto two pounds of blackberries and marionberries per gallon for additional aging with marionberries and blackberries. 500 milliliter bottles will be available for $16 each, limit three per person. The Seperation of Light and Darkness Mixed Culture Saison (5 percent ABV) started out as a clean-fermented saison which was then aged on carefully selected cultures of brettanomyces and lactibacillus for 12 months before being dry hopped with a mild dose of complimentary hops. It will be available in 750 milliliter bottles for $16 each, limit six per person.
• On Sunday, May 28, Pisgah Brewing Co. will release Bourbon Barrel Aged Mountain County Tripel as a brewery exclusive release in its taproom. The beer was made by aging Pisgah’s 9.9 percent ABV Belgian-style Tripel in Four Roses bourbon barrels for 12 months. The release will begin at 1 p.m., and a special Cellar Blowout has been planned for the day as well, featuring cellared specialties and other bottle offerings on special all day.

Small-batch beers

• Burial will be releasing three new small batch beers this week, along with the return of Skillet Donut Stout and Gang of Blades DIPA (both on Friday, May 26) and the aforementioned Fall of the Damned. Tapped on Wednesday, May 24, Wrathmaker Brett IPA is brewed with a blend of pale barley and local Riverband Wheat and hopped with Mosaic, Azacca, Idaho 7, Citra, El Dorado and Cashmere. The beer also includes an addition of Lactose, Pineapple purée and Burial’s house brett culture. Next, on Thursday, May 25, Insatiable Penchant for Vice Berliner Weisse will begin pouring. This 4.4 percent Berliner Weisse is brewed with local Riverbend Wheat and German pilsner malt before being refermented on NC strawberries, juniper and rose petals.
• Zebulon Artisan Ales will host a special tap takeover featuring historic British ales on Friday, May 26, and Saturday, May 27, during normal operating hours (1-6 p.m.) at its brewery. Historical re-creations straight from the original brewer’s logs, including Pale ale, IPA, Porter, Burton Ale, Stout and more will be available. $20 admission includes a special half-pint glass and tickets for five pours. A special mixed four-pack of Lost and Forgotten Beer Styles will also be available for purchase at Zebulon and at bottle shops throughout North Carolina.