Booze news: From breweries to whiskey, Charlotte’s cocktail scene is hot
News and booze – what could be a better combo? We’ve got 4 developments on the beer and liquor front for you:
Breweries run up against the law
Suzie Ford, co-owner of NoDa Brewing Company, told Charlotte Magazine that the brewery will try to produce 24,999 barrels of beer next year.
Why that specific number? Because an N.C. law requires a brewery to turn distribution of the beer over to a third-party company once it hits 25,000 barrels in a year.
Did you know? NC is No.3 in the US for most craft breweries — and jobs tied to those: http://t.co/X6GNAH1fR3 #ncbeer #cltbeer #craftbeer
— Charlotte BizJournal (@CBJnewsroom) April 15, 2015
The facts
-As of now, no Charlotte brewery has hit the 25,000 barrel mark, but with several of them expanding locally it could become an issue soon. And we at C5 are all for more local beer.
-There’s a bill in the N.C. House that would increase the cap from 25,000 to 100,000, but its chances of passing don’t look promising.
Quote
-“When you sign with a distributor, it’s ‘till death do you part’ and my understanding and interpretation is that we’d have to turn everything over….We couldn’t just keep Charlotte if we wanted to and give away areas outside of Charlotte. It would be everything, and we do not want to, and won’t do, that.” –Ford to Charlotte Magazine.
Birdsong’s new nest
Full tap room at the new nest! A photo posted by Birdsong Brewing Company (@birdsongbrewing) on Apr 4, 2015 at 11:06am PDT
Birdsong Brewing opened its new location (1016 North Davidson St.) earlier this month. The most important part? More space=more beer.
The highlights:
-17,000-square-foot space includes the brew room and taproom, as well as a private event space filled with local art.
-The brew room has a 30-barrel system, compared to the old location’s 10-barrel system. A canning line will start putting out cans of Jalepeño Pale Ale soon.
Jalapeño Pale Ale from @BirdsongBrewing in cans in June. Only in Charlotte pic.twitter.com/W4msh9DQ1L“@KathyMcCourt1 hook me up 4 beachhouse — mike fenn (@fennmich) April 10, 2015
-The patio: Picnic tables, Adirondack chairs, cornhole and food trucks. Birdsong has clearly established itself as a new player in C5’s top 10 beer-drinking patios.
South End distillery
Andrew and Liz Porter plan to open Doc Porter’s Distillery in South End this summer.
Doc Porter’s, named after Andrew’s grandfather, will be a grain-to-glass operation, using local ingredients and an in-house grain mill.
It plans to offer whole-wheat vodka and, eventually, gin and barrel-aged whiskey.
Made a nice home for our three new friends! #Fermenters #DrinkLocal pic.twitter.com/Vswm8VuWEy
— Doc Porter’s (@DocPorters) April 10, 2015
The Whiskey Room
Ri Ra Irish Pub in uptown opened The Whiskey Room on the second floor of its space at 208 N. Tryon St., and the Observer’s Théoden Janes went to check it out.
The highlights:
-If you just want to dip your toe in, there are punch bowls perfect for sharing with friends ($20 for a two-person or $45 for four); $12 craft cocktails including the Tipperary (aka an Irish Manhattan); and Irish coffees for $10.
-More advanced whiskey drinkers, meanwhile, can order glasses straight-up (from $7-$65) or go with a boilermaker that pairs a whiskey with a craft beer ($12).
-Also, you can get straight-up and cocktail flights.
Just make sure you get a ride home.
Russell Burton contributed. Photos: Mark Hames/Charlotte Observer; Ri Ra Charlotte.
Corey Inscoe covers sports for the Charlotte Observer’s community sections, but also really likes good music, good food and Charlotte beer. Follow him on Twitter @CoreyInscoe.
This story was originally published April 28, 2015 at 2:41 PM with the headline "Booze news: From breweries to whiskey, Charlotte’s cocktail scene is hot."