Beer today, gone tomorrow: Asheville beer happenings Oct. 12-17

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/can releases

• On Wednesday, Oct. 12, Thirsty Monk will release its first bottled offering. River Monk, a German-style wheat ale brewed in collaboration with French Broad Brewery with Citra and Mandarina Bavaria hops and additions of orange zest, will be available in 22-ounce bottles at all Monk locations.
• Highland Brewing Co. will host a release party for this year’s Thunderstruck Coffee Porter on Friday, Oct. 14, from 4-9 p.m. at the brewery. From each purchase during the party, $1 will go to the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy. The beer will see wide distribution shortly thereafter.
• Asheville Brewing Co. will release this year’s Ninjabread Man spiced porter on draft and in 22-ounce bottles on Friday, Oct. 14, at 5 p.m. at all locations. This World Beer Cup gold medal winner takes ABC’s 5.6 percent ABV Ninja Porter and adds a hand-crafted blend of fresh vanilla beans, toasted cinnamon sticks, raisins, molasses and caramelized ginger to the mix. Ninjabread Man will be available at retail outlets and on draft around town shortly after the release.
• On Saturday, Oct. 15, starting at noon, Burial Beer Co. will release Tin Cup Camp Stout in four-packs of 16-ounce cans. Brewed with dark malts and a house blend of Counter Culture coffee, this is the first time Tin Cup has been packaged. A limited number of stainless steel mugs featuring the label art by David Paul Seymour will also be available for purchase.

Small-batch beers

• Burial Beer Co. releases three small-batch offerings this week. On Tuesday, Oct. 11, Hawkbill IPA will be tapped. This 6 percent ABV IPA is brewed with pilsner, oats and locally grown and malted rye. The hops bill consists of Mosaic, El Dorado and Galaxy, dry-hopped with Simcoe. Then, on Thursday, Oct. 13, The Organization of the Ten Crafts, a 4.3 percent Thai iced tea-inspired beer will be pouring. Brewed with Thai purple rice, local Riverbend pilsner, flaked barley, Victory malt, and spelt, it also includes adjuncts such as milk sugar, coconut sugar, tamarind, star anise, cardamom and black tea. Finally, Tin Cup Camp Stout will be tapped on Saturday, Oct. 15, to coincide with the beer’s first can release.
• **NEW** Catawba Brewing Co. is currently pouring Farmer Brett at all three of their three tasting rooms. This  7 percent ABV wild ale spent seven months with Brettanomyces in oak barrels during secondary
  fermentation, then an additional month of conditioning on fresh peaches.

Special events

• Bruisin’ Ales’ free weekly tasting will feature Stone Brewing on Thursday, Oct. 13, from 5-7 p.m. Free samples of Who You Callin’ a Wussie Pilsner, Delicious IPA, Mocha IPA, Unapologetic IPA, and Bourbon Barrel Aged Bitter Chocolate Oatmeal Stout will be available.
• Burial Beer Co.  will host its final Moonlit Art Market on Thursday, Oct. 13, from 8-11 p.m.
• The downtown Thirsty Monk will host a Weyerbacher Brewing tap event on Friday, Oct. 14. Weyerbacher COO Josh Lampe will be on hand to speak with guests.
• Twin Leaf Brewery will host a beer and pretzel pairing on Saturday, Oct. 15. Three specialty stuffed pretzels from Scott’s Knots will be paired with three Twin Leaf draft beers.
• Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. will host its annual Oktoberfest on Saturday, Oct. 15, from 5-10 p.m. at the Mills River brewery. General admission tickets are on sale now for $45, with designated driver tickets available for $30.
• EDISON Craft Ales + Kitchen at the Grove Park Inn will host a beer brunch featuring Fonta Flora Brewery on Sunday, Oct. 16, from noon-3 p.m. Reservations are available via Opentable.

New location

• Pour Taproom will be moving from its Haywood Road location in West Asheville to its new home at 2 Hendersonville Road in Biltmore Village. Pour will close on Friday, Oct. 21, and will reopen at its new location in December. The new facility will feature additional indoor and outdoor seating, expanded parking and a full kitchen serving small bites and more substantial fare. Pour has recently opened bars in Greenville, SC, and Santa Cruz, Calif. **NEW** Pour has tapped kegs of Foothills Brewing Sexual Chocolate, 2014 Rogue Brewing Old Crustacean and 2015 Highland Brewing Co. Cold Mountain to celebrate their final days in west Asheville.