Legion Brewing thought the oldest road race in Charlotte deserved its own beer
The oldest road race in Charlotte deserves it own beer. At least that’s what Elizabeth 8K Road Race coordinator Rob Zabel thought when he and the race committee met to figure out ways to partner with the community. Legion Brewing owner and brew master, Phil Buchy, was thinking the same thing.
“This is one of the biggest races in our community here, Plaza-Midwood/Elizabeth, and we wouldn’t take no for an answer for being involved,” says Buchy. “We wanted to show our support. The race is hundreds of feet away from our brewery, it made sense that we wanted to be involved in a good organization and something so close to our doorstep.”
So they launched the “The Big E” Session Ale.
Elizabeth 8K Road Race is in its 31st year, making it the oldest road race in Charlotte. In 2016, more than 1000 runners from all over the city participated. This year, the race is Saturday, March 25 at 8 a.m. A one-and-a-half-mile run/walk is open to kids and adults also.
According to Buchy, Legion’s head brewer, Alexa Long created a winning recipe. It is a session ale, which is a generic term for low alcohol beer. “You can drink more than one of them, without walking sideways,” said Buchy. Zabel and the race committee had suggested a light and refreshing beer with lower alcohol content for early morning runners who may want a celebratory beer.
Long started with a wheat-based farmhouse ale, and blended Montmorency cherry juice into the low gravity (low alcohol) beer. Buchy said, “It is super refreshing and light on the palette. The wheat gives it a lemony finish, and the subtly of the cherries – it’s something I would want to have after finishing an 8K for sure.”
Legion Brewing has a ritual for naming their new beers. Typically, Legion employees suggest ideas for a name and then a decision is made. This time, Zabel was invited to be a part of this tradition. The group decided on “The Big E”, because it fits for the Elizabeth neighborhood and its famous Elvis impersonator. Hardin Minor, a longtime Elizabeth resident, is well known for his impersonation of the “King of Rock and Roll” each year at the race.
“The Big E” was launched on Thursday, March 2 at Legion Brewing. It coincided with Charlotte Runners’ Thursday night “Legendary Legion Run”, a weekly 4.4 run that starts and ends at the brewery. Zabel said, “The launch party kicked off with about 80 runners for the weekly run. When they finished, they gathered inside to socialize, drink and listen to live music. It was a great evening with a lot of positive feedback about The Big E.” The new beer was so popular that it was gone by the end of the weekend. Luckily, Legion has some in reserve for the race. The Big E will be available at Hawthorne’s New York Pizza and Bar at the awards ceremony.
Money raised from the race is donated to Tree Charlotte to promote the tree canopy in Elizabeth and all over Charlotte. Legion Brewing donated 10% of the proceeds (about $243) from the launch party to Tree Charlotte.
Stop by at Legion Brewing, 1906 Commonwealth Ave. Hours: 2 p.m.-10 p.m. Monday-Wednesday; Thursday and Friday 2 p.m.-11 p.m.; Noon-11 p.m. Saturday, Noon-8 p.m. Sunday
Photos: Brittany Smith
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This story was originally published March 17, 2017 at 7:53 AM with the headline "Legion Brewing thought the oldest road race in Charlotte deserved its own beer."