Beer today, gone tomorrow: Asheville beer happenings May 31-June 6

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.

Small-batch beers

• Burial Beer Co. has new batches of The Rosary Export Stout (7.4 percent ABV; Monday, May 30), Haysaw Saison (7 percent ABV; Friday, June 3) and Surf Wax IPA (7.2 percent ABV; Saturday, June 4) this week as well as the release of The Ocean Swallows the Sun Hibiscus Gose (4.5 percent ABV), a traditional tart German ale brewed with Pilsner, Riverbend Rye, Oats and Honey malt, sea salts and lightly hopped with Saphir and Columbus.
• As of Friday, June 3, Hi-Wire Brewing is pouring Mosaic Wheat (4.7 percent ABV, made with a single addition of Mosaic hops) and Summertime Session Ale (4.6 percent ABV, made with Centennial, Simcoe and Mosaic hops) at its South Slope Taproom.

AVL Beer Week events

Tuesday, May 31

• From 1-3 p.m. upstairs bar at Barley’s Taproom & Pizzeria, certified cicerone and local beer educator Cliff Mori of BREW-ed will lead participants through an exploration of hops, malt and yeast by tasting and discussing beers that highlight the characteristics of each ingredient. Tickets are $35 and available online.
• From 5-9:30 p.m., Catawba Brewing Co., Go Kitchen Ready and Rhubarb host a beer dinner at Yesterday Spaces. Five courses of farm fresh food will be paired with five courses of Catawba’s brews and craft beer cocktails. Tickets are $99 and can be purchased online.
• From 5-9 p.m, Thirsty Monk Downtown celebrates the women of the local craft beer industry. On tap will be Unite Ale, a Belgian-style golden strong ale brewed by these industry figures in collaboration with the Pink Boots Society on International Women’s Day. A portion of every pint sold benefits Our Voice, a 501c3 serving victims and supporting survivors of rape and sexual assault in Asheville and Buncombe County.
• From 6-11 p.m., Jack of the Wood will be pouring the entire Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. Beer Camp Across America lineup as well as rare kegs from Wicked Weed Brewing.
• From 6-7:30 p.m., Zebulon Artisan Ales brewer/owner Mike Karnowski leads an informal lecture at the Weaverville brewery on the evolution of the IPA. The talk includes five 8-ounce pours of historic IPAs brewed as close to historical records as possible. Seating for the first 30 attendees is available, after which it is standing room only. The cost is $20 and covers all beers. RSVP to gabe@zebulonbrewing.com.
• Starting at 8 p.m., The Grey Eagle hosts a Lo-Fi Brewing Co. tap takeover, featuring beers by Pisgah Brewing Co. co-founder Jason Caughman‘s new Charleston-based brewery, during the Slick Rick concert. Tickets are $25.

Wednesday, June 1

• Starting at 3 p.m., Green Man Brewery will be pouring 2014, 2015 and 2016 vintages of its Dweller Imperial Stout at the Greenmansion.
• Starting at 4 p.m., all Thirsty Monk locations will have Thirsty Monk Brewery beers on tap. Full pour purchases come with a complimentary pint glass.
• From 5:30-7 p.m., Tasty Beverage Co. will be pouring 10 different beers from 10 different local breweries.
• From 5-11 p.m., Altamont Brewing Co. hosts a Brewers Barbecue with the cooking of a whole pig and beers from Bearwaters Brewing Co., Oyster House Brewing Co., French Broad Brewery and Knee Deep Brewing Co.
• From 5-7 p.m., Bruisin’ Ales hosts a free tasting with Quest Brewing Co. brewmaster Don Richardson. Samples of Golden Fleece Belgian Pale Ale, Smoking Mirror Porter, Ponce Cucumber Jalapeño Saison and Barrel-Aged Elegast (Flemish-style sour) will be poured.
• From 5:30-9:30 p.m., Thirsty Monk holds its third annual Not So Big BIG Beer Festival at its warehouse space at 92 Thompson St. in Biltmore Village. Tickets are $10 and include admission to the festival, a souvenir Thirsty Monk festival tasting glass and one Thirsty Monk 750-milliliter Brother Noah growler to go. Tokens will be available for $3 each that can be redeemed for festival pours or various food options. Thirsty Monk Oak-Aged CocoNorm coconut porter, French Broad Brewery Wee Heaviest Belgian-style scotch ale, Haw River Farmhouse Ales Shortstraw White IPA, Highland Brewing Co. Warrior Mosaic Rye India Pale Lager, Foothills Brewing Barrel Aged Sexual Chocolate imperial stout, New Belgium Brewing Transatlantique Kriek sour ale, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. Chocolate Chili Stout, Stone Brewing Vintage Imperial Russian Stout 2014, Prairie Artisan Ales TRVE Edition sour red farmhouse ale, Grimm Artisanal Ales Vacay sour ale and Afterimage imperial IPA, Allagash Brewing Co. Tiarna sour ale, Boulevard Brewing Co. Tropical Pale Ale, Founders Brewing Co. Sumatra Mountain Brown, Anderson Valley Brewing Co. Horse Tongue Wheat and Bell’s Brewery Hopsoulution imperial IPA will be poured.
• From 6-10 p.m., Bhramari Brewhouse hosts a five-course beer dinner created by chefs Josh Dillard and Jake Whitman paired with house beers created and brewed by Gary Sernack. Tickets are $65 and available online.
• From 6-9 p.m. at Pour Taproom, Highland Brewing Co., Hi-Wire Brewing and New Belgium Brewing compete to see whose keg kicks first.
• From 7-8:30 p.m., Catawba Brewing Co. hosts a beer and chocolate pairing at its South Slope brewery. Four beers will each be paired with both a chocolate bar and a truffle. Tickets are $20.

Thursday, June 2

• At 11:30 a.m., Bhramari Brewhouse releases Rusty Buffalo, a Buffalo Trace bourbon barrel-aged Oud Bruin.
• From 3-10 p.m., Green Man Brewery pours flights of two vintages of Holly King Barrel Aged Holiday Ale and two vintages of Demon Dweller Imperial Stout.
• From 4-10 p.m., Thirsty Monk Biltmore Park hosts a patio party with New Belgium Brewing. Citradelic IPA, the Lips of Faith Hof Ten Dormaal golden ale collaboration, selections from the Hop Kitchen Series and more will be on tap.
• Starting at 4 p.m., Burial Beer Co. hosts its third annual Skillet Six Ways event, featuring six adjunct versions of its Skillet Donut Stout with Vortex Doughnuts pairings. Flights of all six Skillets will be available.
• At 4 p.m., Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. taps a cask ale in its Mills River tasting room.
• From 5-8 p.m., Bruisin’ Ales hosts a blind tasting of 10 Asheville and Western North Carolina IPAs. Participants will rate the selections, and those who can guess which IPA is which receive bonus points with the chance to win prizes at the end of night. Tickets are $6.
• From 6-9 p.m., Buxton Hall Barbecue hosts a five-course beer dinner created by chef Elliot Moss and his team using Oskar Blues Brewery products and Defiant Whisky wooden spirals in the cooking process. The event also includes a special-release beer from Oskar Blues created with whiskey-aged wooden spirals from Defiant and inspiration from Buxton Hall. Tickets are $50. Online RSVPs are closed but call 232-7216 to check availability.
• From 6-8 p.m., Sanctuary Brewing Co. hosts an adoption party with Blue Ridge Humane Society in conjunction with the release of the brewery’s Blueberry Wit and Chocolate Orange Wit.

Friday, June 3

• Starting at noon and running all weekend, Bold Rock Hard Cider celebrates its fourth anniversary at its Mills River taproom with WNC musicians, food and cider pairings, tours, activities for children, raffles and educational demonstrations.
• From 3-7 p.m., Wicked Weed Brewing features select farmhouse ales from Jester King Brewery and Blackberry Farm Brewery at its Funkatorium location.
• From 4-5 p.m., Thirsty Monk hosts a special AVL Beer Week edition of its popular Monk Beer Academy series at its downtown bar. Certified cicerone and draft quality manager Jeremiah Tracy leads a guided tasting of local lagers. Reserve a spot in the free class online and purchase a tasting flight ($12-15) at the bar.
• From 4-8 p.m., Highland Brewing Co. taps its Asheville-made collaborative batch of Stone Brewing Arrogant Bastard Ale in its tasting room. $2 from every pour benefits Foster Care to Success.
• Starting at 5 p.m., Asheville Brewing Co. releases BerLemon Weisse, an American sour wheat made with fresh-squeezed lemons in the classic Berliner Weisse style, at its Coxe Avenue location.
• From 6-10 p.m., Sunny Point Café hosts a collaborative four-course beer dinner with New Belgium Brewing. Tickets are $50 per person, excluding tax and gratuity. Reservations are available for seatings at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. and can be made by calling 252-0055.
• From 6-11 p.m., Pour Taproom hosts games of Beer Pong Battleship featuring brews from Samuel Adams.
• From 6-11 p.m., Sanctuary Brewing Co. pairs five of its beers with vegan food items from West First Wood Fired Kitchen. Tickets are $25 in advance online and $30 at the door.
• From 6-9 p.m., The Hop Ice Cream Café presents eight ice cream flavors made with Asheville brews at its Haywood Road location. Dairy and vegan beer/ice cream options will be available by the scoop, pint or as a flight of four. Beer-flavored Hopsicles will also be for sale.

Saturday, June 4

• From 10 a.m.-3 p.m., The Grey Eagle hosts a four course beer breakfast pairing featuring selections from local breweries.
• Starting at 11:30 a.m., Sweeten Creek Brewing holds a kickoff party for its summer picnic series with food specials and free local music on the creekside lawn.
• Starting at noon, Catawba Brewing Co. celebrates the release of its King Coconut Porter with a luau party at its South Slope tasting room.
• From noon-4 p.m., Hi-Wire Brewing hosts a crawfish boil and the release of its first cans — Lager and Gose — at its Big Top taproom. $10 suggested donation for food.
• From 2-5 p.m., Just Economics presents the Just Brew It homebrew tasting and competition at Wedge Brewing Co. 2016 Just Economics membership is required to attend and ranges from a $25 basic membership to a $55 VIP membership.
• From 6-9 p.m., Bruisin’ Ales hosts a four course Flights & Bites beer and food pairing. Tickets are $20 and the event is limited to 30 people.
• At 8 p.m., The Grey Eagle hosts the AVL Beer Week closing party. The Blue Dragons will be playing sweet tunes and it will be a chance to raise a glass to everyone that made this week big with beer. Tickets are $8.