Beer today, gone tomorrow: Asheville beer happenings March 20-26

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

• On Tuesday, March 20, Burial Beer Co. releases The Veil Behind the Curtain Mixed Culture Honey Saison (5.5 percent ABV). Forged from The Keeper’s Veil Honey Saison, the beer is aged in wood with mixed culture and refermented with a flower blend of chamomile, hibiscus, passionflower, elderflower and lavender. Each 750-milliliter bottle is hand-dipped in beeswax and rolled in a blend of the five flowers. Only 20 cases will be sold, and it will not see distribution. Then on Saturday, March 24, Own Benefactor IPA (6.4 percent ABV), made with nine different hops and fermented with kolsch yeast, and This Golden Carriage to Oblivion DIPA with Mango and Peach (8.2 percent ABV), double dry-hopped with Azacca and Simcoe hops, will be available in four-packs of 16-ounce cans. Own Benefactor will see distribution, but This Golden Carriage to Oblivion will not.
• Catawba Brewing Co. releases Evening Joe Coffee Blonde (5.7 percent ABV) on Friday, March 23. The pale-colored beer is blended with Arabica coffee and based on the brewery’s highest rated Small Batch beer from 2017. It will be available on draft and in six-packs of 12-ounce cans at all four Catawba tasting rooms and in its five-state distribution.
• Luella’s Bar-B-Que releases Incandescent, a golden sour ale brewed in collaboration with Wicked Weed Brewing, on Monday, March 26, at 5 p.m. at its Merrimon Avenue location. The beer was fermented with 2,000 pounds of smoked pineapple, plus fresh jalapeños, and will be available in 500-milliliter bottles and on draft. Incandescent then debuts at Luella’s Biltmore Park location Tuesday, March 27, at 5 p.m.

Small-batch beers

• In addition to draft releases of The Veil Behind the Curtain, Own Benefactor and This Golden Carriage to Oblivion the same days they’re available in bottles and cans, Burial is currently pouring its latest rotating hops take on Ceremonial Session IPA (4 percent ABV), this time made with Comet hops.
• **NEW** As of Wednesday, March 21, French Broad River Brewery is pouring Thyme-less Sage Saison, brewed with lemon thyme, pineapple sage and Citra hops.
• Wedge Brewing Co. taps its Bier de Garde (8.9 percent ABV) at its Wedge Studios location on Thursday, March 22, at noon.
• Catawba debuts a New England Session IPA (4.8 percent ABV) on Thursday, March 22, at all its locations. The beer is made with six specialty malts, oats and wheat and hopped with Ekuanot, Galaxy, Debittered Loral, Simcoe and El Dorado.
• **NEW** Sweeten Creek Brewing brings back its American-style Maerzen on Saturday, March 24.

Special events

• The Black Cloud hosts a Lagerly Weekend, Friday, March 23, and Saturday, March 24, featuring four lagers on tap: Zillicoah Beer Co./Homeplace Beer Co. Dark Corn Lager, Brevard Brewing Co. Premium Lager, Westbrook Brewing Co. Dark Helmet Schwarzbier German-style Lager and Hi-Wire Brewing Aerialist Spring Lager.
• Thirsty Monk celebrates Orval Day at both its locations on Saturday, March 24. Orval Trappist Ale will be on special and a portion of proceeds benefits MAP International.

North Carolina Beer Bracket

• There are still 16 breweries remaining in travel and culture website Strange Carolinas‘ North Carolina Beer Bracket to determine the state’s best brewery, including five from Asheville: Asheville Brewing Co., Burial, Highland Brewing Co., Hi-Wire and Wicked Weed​. Voting for the round of 16 ends Tuesday, March 20, at 8 p.m.