Beer today, gone tomorrow: Asheville beer happenings March 21-27

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

• Catawba Brewing Co. releases South Atlantic Hops Pale Ale (5.5 percent ABV) on Friday, March 24, at the South Atlantic Hops Conference at the Crowne Plaza Resort and in the brewery’s tasting rooms, where it will be available on draft and in six-packs of 12-ounce cans. The beer was made with all North Carolina ingredients sourced from Epiphany Craft Malt and Cardinal Pine Hops Farm. Also, as reported in last week’s Beer Today, Catawba has moved the release of Red Rhum Barrel-Aged IPA (7.5 percent ABV) to noon Saturday, March 25, at its South Slope location. Available in 22-ounce bottles, Red Rhum is Catawba’s first specialty bottle release from its long-running barrel program, made by aging 2016 vintage REDiculous Red IPA for eight months in Flor de Caña Nicaraguan rum barrels, then dry-hopping the beer.
• On Saturday, March 25, Twin Leaf Brewery debuts Enter the Wild Barrel-Aged Wild Saison (4.9 percent ABV), a one-time release, single-barrel creation and the first in a barrel-aged wild beer series. The price for 500-milliliter bottles is $14.25. The same day, Mexican Chocolate Stout, MDXXI (8.2 percent ABV), will be re-released in 500-milliliter bottles for $10.75 each. There will be no purchase limit on either beer.

Small-batch beers

• **NEW** Burial Beer Co. releases four beers on tap this week. Tuesday, March 21 brings Kindling Coffee Kolsch (4.9 percent ABV), made with Counter Culture Coffee, followed by the latest single-hop take on Ceremonial Session IPA (4 percent ABV), this one featuring Equinox, on Wednesday, March 22. A new version of Tin Cup Camp Stout (5 percent ABV), made with Counter Culture Coffee’s Boka, becomes available Friday, March 24, and gives way to the return of Blade & Sheath American Farmhouse Ale (6 percent ABV), hopped with Saphir, Crystal and Huell Melon, on Saturday, March 25.
• **NEW** Sanctuary Brewing Co. taps a new batch of The Beet Goes SaisOn Beet Saison and releases  Champagne Berliner Weisse on Wednesday, March 22. The new releases are available at a reduced price of $3.50 per full pour on Wednesdays and Thursdays.
• Catawba taps its Vienna Lager (5.6 percent ABV) on Thursday, March 23, at all of its tasting rooms. A throwback to the world’s first pale lager, the beer is brewed with authentic Old World ingredients using lightly kilned malts and Hallertau Mittelfrüh hops.

Special events

• Thirsty Monk‘s Sour Fest takes place Monday-Saturday, March 20-25, at its downtown and Biltmore Park locations. For a full list of what will be on tap, visit the Downtown bar’s Instagram account and the Biltmore Park bar’s Facebook page. In addition, both locations will feature a Gose Bar WednesdaySunday, March 22-26. As a nod to the biergartens of the Liepzig region of Germany, patrons may order apricot-, pomegranate- and woodruff-flavored versions of Thirsty Monk Brewery‘s Easy Gose.
• Bruisin’ Ales‘ free weekly tasting will be held Thursday, March 23, from 5-7 p.m. and will feature selections from Birdsong Brewing Co. Specific offerings have yet to be determined.
• Hops & Vines‘ Friday tasting takes place Friday, March 24, from 6-8 p.m. Burial’s The Root of Our Addiction Gruit Stout will be on tap and Burial brewers will be present to talk about how homebrewers can make excellent gruits at home with herbs, spices, flowers and botanicals.
• Oskar Blues Brewery and Cigar City Brewing celebrate their partnership and the start of Cigar City distribution in North Carolina with a launch party at noon Saturday, March 25, at Oskar Blues’ Tasty Weasel taproom in Brevard. Then on Monday, March 27, from 5-9 p.m., Barley’s Taproom taps beers from each brewery. Oskar Blues Dale’s Pale Ale, Old Chub Scotch Ale and other offerings from the Brevard brewery will be available at Barley’s along with Cigar City Jai Alai IPA, Tampa Style Lager, Florida Cracker Wit and Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Brown Ale.