Beer today, gone tomorrow: Asheville beer happenings Nov. 7-13

Posted on by Scott Douglas
Image courtesy of Fonta Flora Brewery

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

  • Highland Brewing Co. releases this year’s batch of Cold Mountain Winter Ale with a three-day party at the brewery Nov.9-11. For further details on allotments, pricing and availability, see Tony Kiss’ recent Carolina Beer Guy article.
  • Oskar Blues Brewery releases Barrel-Aged Ten Fidy and Java Barrel-Aged Ten Fidy on Saturday, Nov. 11, at the brewery in Brevard. The line will begin early, with breakfast available from the OB ChubWagon and coffee from Hot Box Roasters starting at 7 a.m. Numbered wristbands will be distributed at 9:30 a.m, sales begin at 10 a.m. Barrel-Aged Ten Fidy will see limited distribution, but the Java variant is a taproom-only release.
  • Hi-Wire Brewing Co. releases Dark Berry Sour (6.9 percent ABV) on Saturday, Nov. 11, starting at noon at the brewery’s South Slope South Slope Sour and Wild Facility. Foeder-aged for nine months and with a total fermentation time of one year, Dark Berry Sour ale was brewed with raspberries, blackberries and blueberries. This beer will see limited distribution the second week of November and will be on draft in both of Hi-Wire Brewing’s taprooms beginning Saturday, Nov. 11.
  • Fonta Flora Brewery celebrates its fourth anniversary on Saturday, Nov. 11, with two special bottle releases starting at 3 p.m. at the brewery in downtown Morganton. The 2017 blend of Rhythm Rug Appalachian Wild Ale will be available in 500-milliliter bottles, and Fanny Pack Convention will be available in 750-milliliter bottles. Brewed in collaboration with Manchester, England-based ClodWater Brewing, Fanny Pack is a mixed-culture saison brewed with local barley, two different varieties of local rye and local malted oats, fermented with Fonta Flora’s mixed house cultures and then double dry-hopped during primary fermentation, fermented again on local scuppernong grapes and bottle-conditioned. Both Rhythm Rug and Fanny Pack will be available on draft (no growlers).

Small-batch beers

  • Burial Beer Co. taps three small-batch beers this week. On Wednesday, Nov. 8, The Occulture India Pale Ale (6.66 percent ABV) begins flowing, followed by the return of The Crucifix Belgian Tripel (8.8 percent ABV) on Thursday, Nov. 9 and The Foolish Elder Saison with Elderberries (6 percent ABV) on Friday, Nov. 10.
  • Catawba Brewing Co. taps a Weizenbock (8.2 percent ABV) on Thursday, Nov. 9, at all four Catawba tasting rooms. This German-style strong ale is brewed with a generous portion of malted and Midnight wheat, lightly hopped with Bravo and fermented with a Hefeweizen yeast strain.
  • Hi-Wire taps a small-batch New England IPA (6.6 percent ABV), brewed with four pounds per barrel of Mosaic and Citra hops, on Friday, Nov. 10 at the South Slope Sour and Wild Facility.
  • Fonta Flora releases four small-batch draft offerings in addition to Rhythm Rug and Fanny Pack Convention on Saturday, Nov. 11, for the brewery’s fourth anniversary party. A double dry-hopped variant of Double Hop Beard will be pouring alongside three unspecified variants of rum barrel-aged Imperial Stout, with all four beers available for growler fills.

Special events

  • Black Star Line Brewing hosts its official grand opening in downtown Hendersonville on Friday, Nov. 10, starting at 4 p.m. with live music, 12 BSL beers on tap, snacks, chair massages and more.
  • In addition to two packaged offerings and four limited-release draft beers, Fonta Flora will feature live music from gypsy jazz band One Leg Up and barbecue from Farmhouse BBQ at its fourth anniversary party on Saturday, Nov. 11.
  • Habitat Tavern & Commons celebrates its first birthday on Saturday, Nov. 11, beginning at noon with a grill-out (a $6 dollar ticket gets a pint and hamburger or hot dog) and a bounce house for the kids. At 2 p.m., Matt Addis will give a 30-minute presentation about the history of Habitat and the vision that gives life to the Commons. The day will also include birthday cake, a food truck, live music, a performance from the Asheville Improv Collective, raffles and more.
  • Blue Ghost Brewing Co. hosts its inaugural Wing Fling to celebrate Veteran’s Day at 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 11, at the brewery in Fletcher. The day’s events will include a wing sauce contest (those interested in competing can email J@blueghostbrewing.com for  more information) with a portion of proceeds from ticketed wing sales going to benefit an unnamed local charity supporting veterans and their families.
  • Asheville on Tap returns to the U.S. Cellular Center on Saturday, Nov. 11, 2-5 p.m. with VIP doors at 12:30 p.m. A list of participating breweries can be found here, and tickets are available through the USCC Box Office, online at Ticketmaster.com, or by phone at 800-745-3000.
  • Certified Cicerone and BREW-Ed owner Cliff Mori begins his 2017 series of monthly free beer classes on Monday, Nov. 13, 7-9 p.m. at Hi-Wire’s South Slope Sour and Wild Facility. The November class will focus on the history of sour beers, spontaneous fermentation, lambic production and Jester King’s “methode gueuze.”
  • Hi-Wire’s Big Top facility hosts a kick-off party to celebrate the start of the House That Beer Built, an Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity home sponsored by the Asheville Brewers Alliance and various local breweries. Hi-Wire will donate $1 from all sales of Lion Tamer Rye IPA and Blonde Ale from the night to the house-building project. Guests will be invited to sign a wall stud that will be used in the construction of the house, and a door prize will be provided by Asheville Habitat. This event is free and open to the public.
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