Beer today, gone tomorrow: Asheville beer happenings July 5-10

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

• Burial Beer Co. will release the second installment in its Earth As We Know It series of small-batch double IPAs, Post-Apocalyptic Awakening, at the brewery on Saturday, July 8, starting at 4 p.m. Brewed with with Vic Secret, Citra, Hallertau Blanc, Mosaic hops, Post-Apocalyptic Awakening is a taproom-only can release.

Small-batch beers

• Wedge Brewing Co. will release two new beers this week. The first, RiverKeeper Radler (3.7 percent ABV), is a classic German-style blend of hefeweizen and Schultz Brothers Grapefruit Soda brewed to celebrate the Saturday, July 8, French Broad River clean-up float. The second brew is the first to be produced on Wedge at The Foundation’s new brewhouse by brewers Andy Shepard and Ian Leightner. Simply titled Beer, this 5.3 percent ABV ale was made with only four ingredients — water, yeast, Motueka hops and American Pilsen malt.
• Thirsty Monk is currently pouring a small-batch variant of one of its regular offerings, Cherry Brother Noah Belgian Chocolate Stout. Currently available at both Monk locations, Cherry Brother Noah adds a blend of cherry puree and two different tart cherry juices to the traditional Brother Noah recipe’s dark malts and French Broad Chocolates cacao nibs.
• **NEW** Bhramari Brewing Co. has tapped a Pineapple Upside-Down Cake Milkshake IPA.
• Catawba Brewing Co. taps a Hoppy Kolsch (5.4 percent ABV) on Thursday, July 6, at all Catawba locations. The beer features a traditional malt bill of Old World Pilsner malts, but has been aggressively hopped, American-style, with Noble, Tettnanger and Hallertau Mittelfrüh. The beer is a collaboration with Pisgah Area Southern Off-Road Bicycle Association (SORBA), and $1 from each pint will be donated to this non-profit organization to maintain trails in Pisgah National Forest, Bent Creek Experimental Forest and DuPont State Forest. SORBA representatives will be at Catawba’s South Slope location on the release day at 6 p.m.

Special events

• Burial Beer Co. will host three events this week. First up, the Off Topic discussion series continues on Wednesday, July 5, from 6-7 p.m. with Nick Nunns of Denver’s TRVE Brewing Co. Along with Burial co-owner Doug Reiser and co-owner/head brewer Tim Gormley, Nunns will discuss blending beers, building a business and head banging to metal music while sampling some of TRVE’s offerings. Tickets are $10 at the door and include a TRVE glass to keep, access to the talk and shared TRVE bottles. Then, on Saturday, July 8, starting at 5 p.m. the tasting room’s taps will be taken over by breweries in town to collaborate with Burial, including Other Half Brewing, TRVE, Creature Comforts Brewing Co., J. Wakefield Brewing and Fonta Flora Brewery. Lastly, on Sunday, July 9, from 3-4 p.m., the next installment of Off Topic will feature Sam Richardson and Matt Monahan of Brooklyn’s Other Half, who will join Reiser and Gormley to discuss beer as part of popular culture and the influences that make hype in the marketplace. Tickets are $10 at the door and include an Other Half glass to keep, access to the talk and shared Other Half cans.
• Hi-Wire Brewing will host two events this week. On Wednesday, July 5, the brewery will begin its monthly Sours on the Slope series, featuring sour and wild ales produced in its South Slope Specialty Brewery along with locally made food products and bottles from the brewery’s cellar. Each pairing will start at 5 p.m. and go until the beer runs out. $15 includes both a flight and food. July’s tasting will feature the brewery’s soon-to-be-released Flanders Red. Then, on Friday, July 7, at 6 p.m., Hi-Wire will host New Orleans’ NOLA Brewing Co. for a sour tap takeover at its South Slope Specialty Brewery. NOLA sours will be available — including a barrel blend collaboration with Hi-Wire — and some small-batch Hi-Wire sours. Pre-set NOLA flights will be available for $15, with 10 ounce pours also available.
• On Wednesday, July 5 at 7 p.m., Catawba will host another edition of its Beer and Chocolate Pairing events at the Banks Ave. Rickhouse. Crawford Rizor of French Broad Chocolates will guide guests through pairings designed in cooperation with Catawba’s Certified Cicerones. Tickets are $20 and available here.