New Bold Missy head brewer brings her ‘West Coast flair’ to the South

To close out 2017, Carli Smith loaded up a U-Haul trailer and began a cross-country trip that would take her from San Diego to a new start in Charlotte. Like so many other recent arrivals before her, a new job was the culprit behind the move.

However, her new title does set her apart from other recent arrivals: Head Brewer.

After spending three years running the show at the Rock Bottom Brewery in La Jolla, she’s ready to unleash her West-Coast flair on Charlotte’s craft beer scene, and NoDa’s Bold Missy Brewery is pleased to have her at the helm.

To properly welcome her to Charlotte, and to lessen winter’s impact a bit, Bold Missy is throwing a celebratory Luau for her debut offering: a West-Coast-style IPA called “Surf Star.” Expect Hawaiian shirts and an ice cream truck to pair with this hop-forward libation.

In true Bold Missy fashion, Surf Star draws its name from a “bold missy” from history, specifically Mary Ann Hawkins, a legendary surfer and swimmer.

Visitors to Bold Missy’s taproom may have noticed Smith’s fingerprints already; she’s already been at work tightening up and modifying existing recipes. “Find A Way Wheat” ditched the formerly-used extract and now features tangerine peel and puree.

“I can pick (extract) out from a mile away in a beer,” says Smith on her tastes, “so that’s a bit no-no for me.”

Smith’s rise to become head brewer started off with impeccable timing. While working as a hostess for Gordon Biersch Brewery and studying accounting, Smith had the right days off. The head brewer there needed some help in the brewhouse.

After ten months of tutelage, she transferred to Rock Bottom to become their assistant brewer. During this time, she fed her brain with textbooks that the brewer still had from the brewing program at UC-Davis. This continued for a year and a half, until the brewer left to form his own operation, and she took the helm.

“The Rock Bottom model is great for teaching and giving young brewers great experience,” she says of her ascent. “I owe everything to that company.”

Now that she’s settled in, what else might you find from the newest Bold Missy?

Next up is Hug Machine, set for a debut at this year’s Queen City Brewers Festival on February 3. It’s an English brown ale (one of Smith’s favorite styles) featuring cinnamon plus coffee from Mooresville’s Black Powder Roasters. (Look for it at the taproom for the rest of the month.)

Also on the docket is a collaborative brew with Legion Brewing’s Alexa Long, another head brewer in the Queen City. They’re currently slated to mash in on March 8, commemorating International Women’s Day and celebrating the Pink Boots Society’s efforts to support women in the brewing industry. Expect that libation to arrive at the end of March.

While women consume over a quarter of the craft beer produced, a 2014 survey from Stanford University shows only 4 percent of breweries have a female head brewer. So Carli Smith takes rightful pride in her work.

“I like making clean, balanced beers,” she says. Go get a taste of her “West Coast flair” at tonight’s “Surf Star IPA” release.

Bold Missy Brewery: 610 Anderson St.

Photo: Bold Missy

This story was originally published January 22, 2018 at 8:00 PM with the headline "New Bold Missy head brewer brings her ‘West Coast flair’ to the South."