The camping portion of the weekend turned out to be ill-fated, literally. Nicole came down with a cold or some sort of illness on Thursday, but being the trooper that she is, she decided we should try to go camping anyway. However, we started out on Friday later than we planned, so it was getting dark before we could find a legal spot to camp near Bryson City. To top it off, a cold front was moving through, so there were also spurts of rain throughout the evening.

Between the illness, darkness and rain, we decided a motel stay was in order. We ended up at the Ridge Top Motel in Bryson City. I must say that it exceeded expectations for $60 a night. The actual hotel looks much better than the photo on the website. It was not a bad stay and we were able to spend a couple hours drinking Dale’s Pale Ale on the second story porch over the motel office. Disaster averted.

On Saturday we had a delicious breakfast of crepes and locally roasted coffee at Cork & Bean, a wine bar and coffee shop in town. After breakfast we headed out to the brewery, about six blocks away.

The Brewery

The brewery is in an old hangar that the Tennessee Valley Authority built in the early 1940s to store equipment that was used to build the Fontana Dam. Most recently it was an apartment building for hippies.

The outside of the Nantahala Brewery

Nantahala is one of the newest breweries in North Carolina, having just started production in May 2010. However, the idea for the brewery first took shape in June 2008 while Chris and Cristina were on their way back from the National Homebrewers Convention in Cincinnati.

The Colliers traveled from their home in Atlanta to Cincinnati on their motorcycle, and took back roads on the return trip. The night before they finished the home stretch, they stayed the night at the Fryemont Inn in Bryson City. They were having a few beers in the hotel bar when they struck up a conversation with Mike Marsden and a guy named Sarge.

They started talking beer and breweries, and things went in motion. Chris had long thought about starting a brewery, but the brewing climate in his home state of Georgia isn’t very conducive to small craft brewers. Because of restrictive laws, much like in South Carolina, you either need to be a brewpub like Five Seasons, or huge like Terrapin or Sweetwater.

However, North Carolina offered three huge benefits to a small start-up brewery: growler fills, a tasting room and self-distribution. After running the numbers, Chris and Cristina decided to give it a go across the border.

They teamed up with Mike, who also owns Across the Trax, a bar and grill attached to the Nantahala brewery hangar, Joe Rowland, who owns the local Paddlefish outfit, and Ken Smith, owner of Smiley’s in Greenville, South Carolina.

The inside of the brewery is still in the process of being renovated. Team Nantahala has done pretty much all of the work themselves, from installing and refitting the 10-barrel brewhouse they bought from RJ Rockers, running the electrical in the building, putting in a new bathroom, even hanging tarps along the ceiling to insulate the brewery from the metal roof.

Chris Collier with his 10-barrel brewhouse

The goal is to have a tasting room with a bar in the large open front area with the brewhouse and fermenters visible in the back. You can see from the photos that there is a way to go, but it’s going to be a fun atmosphere when it’s done.

All this is even more impressive when you consider that Chris and Cristina still live in Atlanta, and Chris has retained his full-time job. They commute up to Bryson City on the weekends where they work around the clock brewing beer and working on the brewery. It’s been a difficult, but rewarding road to this point.

Renovations continue while the brewhouse pumps out beer

The Beer

All this would be for naught in my eyes if the beer didn’t match the coolness factor of the brewery. Rest assured, the beer is good. The year-round lineup includes Noon Day IPA, Nantahala Pale Ale and Bryson City Brown. Seasonals have included Eddy Out Stout, Nanny Gold and Depot Street Summer Wheat. There is an Octoberfest chillin in the fermenter as I type. I took home growlers of the IPA and the Stout seasonal.

The IPA is a wonderful example of a highly drinkable, yet flavor-packed IPA. It doesn’t hit you over the head and destroy your taste buds on the way down. It has a wonderful aroma of grapefruit citrus, and juicy-fruit flavor. It’s not overly sweet but does have a little bitter hop kick that slaps you about five seconds after swallowing.

It’s difficult in this age of pervasive IPAs to distinguish yourself with this style, but I found this one to be very pleasant, tasty and drinkable. Very good.

The stout is also solid. Jet black with all the roasty, caramel, chocolate you want in a stout. It’s reminiscent of a melted bar of dark chocolate, but it’s not too sweet nor too bitter. It’s medium bodied and flavorful, which make it very drinkable, much like the IPA.

If these two beers are any indication of what’s to come from Nantahala, I’d say that they have a bright future as the frontier beer outpost in Western North Carolina. Hold down the fort!

Brian enjoying the Eddy Out Stout

This time around, I decided to take a different approach. Rather than going Captain Kirk again on my mash tun and risk falling short or going back in time, I brewed a 5-gallon batch of barleywine using 24 pounds of grain. While the barleywine still fell short of my anticipated original gravity, it came in at 1.106, which should give me anywhere from 10.5 to 11.5% ABV by the time it’s all said and done.

After sparging the barleywine mash, I sat there staring at grain in the mash tun. What was I to do? I couldn’t let all that perfectly good sugar to go waste. Then it dawned on me: do a second runnings beer!

The barleywine is on the left, pale ale on the right. Same grain, different density.

It’s an easy process. Once I had sparged the barleywine to my desired boil volume and drained the mash tun, I added more hot water to the mash tun while the barleywine was brewing and let it sit. After the barleywine was all done, I drained the second runnings into the brew kettle, sparged the grains again until I achieved my boil volume again, and brewed it up like normal.

While the barleywine came out a deep amber at around 1.106 OG, the second runnings beer (which I’m calling a pale ale) was a bright yellow with an OG of 1.032. I’m hoping it’ll end up being around a 3% ABV beer, which I’ve moderately hopped and plan on dry hopping in secondary.

You can play around with second runnings beers, too. The sugar concentration point is much lower than the first runnings beer, so it will come out lighter in color and density. You can add small amounts of specialty grains to your second runnings mash, such as roasted barley or caramel malts, to impart more color or different flavors to your session beer.

I wouldn’t worry about letting the second runnings water sit in the mash tun with the grains for a while the the first runnings beer is brewing. At that point the sugar conversion will be complete, so it won’t hurt anything if it’s hanging out for a while.

For an extra few hours, a couple ounces of hops and a yeast packet, probably totaling $10, I’ll have five bonus gallons of a refreshing pale ale ready in about two or three weeks to hold me over while the barleywine finishes out and mellows over the next three to five months. Not a bad deal!

Last weekend I attended the Brew at the Zoo beer festival at Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia, South Carolina. It was a nice little festival. The venue was cool. There were some great breweries there who brought some excellent beer. I don’t want to shortchange them.

Lemurs are cool, especially after a couple beers, but it's not why I go to a festival.

However, the price tag for zoo non-members was $40. I’ve been to some awesome festivals for less than $40. This was good. It wasn’t awesome.

What kept it from being awesome? For me, it comes down to two things that plague most of the festivals I’ve attended:

1. Lack of unique beers
2. Volunteers running the pouring stations

Other than that, Brew at the Zoo was pretty well-done. However, it made me think about what I liked most about the festivals I that I really enjoyed. Keep in mind, I represent the niche of beer appreciators, not just people looking for another night on the town.

I came up with six things I think are crucial to make any festival rise above the average beer-sampling event. Follow these tips and you’ll please everyone from the novice to the most dedicated beer geek. And most importantly, they’ll come back the following year and they’ll bring friends.

You want people like Cornelia attending your festival. Trust me.

1. It’s all about the beer

Beer festivals should be about just that: beer. For a beginner, any beer festival is great because there are certain to be beers there they haven’t had. For beer geeks, the bar is set a little higher. I can’t go into any grocery store and find anything new. I’ve had almost everything available in this state.

So, to convince me to spend money to attend a beer festival, promise me there will be some beer there that I’ve never had. I’ll pay to try something I can’t get normally. At Brew at the Zoo, the only brewery I saw that brought anything unique to South Carolina was Sweetwater Sch’Wheat, which at this point is only available in Atlanta. I really appreciated that.

See if you can get breweries to bring out some rare stuff. Consider:

• Beers in the brewery’s portfolio normally not available in that market
• Trendy far-out styles like sours, brett-funky, belgians, and barleywines
• Casks are always a hit. They are unique and are easy for breweries to prepare.
• Barrel-age something
• Bring something out from the cellar. Beer aged two or three years beer will get the beer geeks in a tizzy.

In order to convince breweries to bring these gems, you’ll probably have to pay them something for the beer. Did you know that at most beer festivals, breweries provide the beer for free? Imagine that, paying a brewery for what they produce. Crazy concept.

I know that Brewvival Festival in Charleston paid breweries for the beer they brought, and it had the best beer selection of any festival I’ve ever gone to. I estimated about 40% of the beers that were served I had never tried. For me, that’s remarkable.

In the immortal words of Teddy KGB, “Pay that man heee’s money.”

2. Get brewery representatives to work the pouring stations

Almost every volunteer that I’ve encountered working a pouring station at a beer festival has been friendly, respectful and energetic. They are great people. They just don’t know much about the beer.

If you can convince the brewer him or herself to come out, all the better. I love talking beer with beer people. There’s no better way to make a disciple for life than for the person who makes the beer to make a personal connection with their customers. Those customers will fight for you, literally.

At a bare minimum, get someone working the station that can answer three basic questions:

1. What’s in the beer?
2. What other styles do you have besides what’s available here?
3. Where can I buy your beer?

The bar is not set high. Just find someone, anyone, that knows something about your beer and you’ll have an advantage.

Beards are often overlooked, but are necessary to legitimize any beer festival.

3. Hydration is key

It’s obvious that water helps keep people safe and hydrated. However, water should be available at every pouring station. If you care about beer, give people an opportunity to rinse their cup before getting the next beer.

Respect your customer, respect the beer.

4. People don’t go to beer festivals to stand in bathroom lines

It’s a beer festival, people are drinking a lot of liquids. That liquid needs to go somewhere. Have more bathrooms available than you think you’ll need.

5. Food is more than fuel

Food not only helps keep people from going over the intoxicated edge, it’s a wonderful complement to good beer. Put some thought into your food vendors and what they’ll have available.

6. Go with the flow

Traffic flow is crucial. Pay special attention to prevent bottlenecks and dead-ends, as well as the potential for lines at the entrance, bathrooms and pouring stations.

Don’t oversell the event. No one wants to deny a paying customer, but for the sake of the reputation and longevity of future festivals, decide how many people can comfortably fit in the space and cap ticket sales.

Not only will it make the event more comfortable for those in attendance, you’ll get a lot of buzz if your event is perceived as “exclusive.” Brewgrass is a perfect example. The festival is in September, but tickets go on sale in February and it sells out in less than a week. That’s a hot ticket.

Another reason why Brewgrass is a hot ticket.

I have a few other suggestions, though not as crucial:

• Have the event outdoors. Being inside feels more restrained, like you don’t want to spill beer on your parents’ carpet. It’s a beer festival, not a trade show.
• Splurge and get glass taster glasses. It’s a classy move.
• Music is important to any party. For a beer festival, pick bands that play good background music. Jam bands are best.

This prodigal beer son will be making a return this Saturday, August 7, for Brew at the Zoo at Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia. The event is from 7 to 9:30 pm and costs $30 for members, $40 for non-members.

I’m helping Thomas Creek pour beer for a shift. Since it is a relatively short event, Thomas Creek will only have bottles on hand, so don’t be disappointed if I can’t make a Midnight Train, BlitzCreek or Grandma’s Pearls without their full compliment of draft beer available.

I hope to see some old friends Saturday night. Come out so I can pour you a beer!

Are you a writer or beer aficionado who is looking for a unique way to plug into the industry? Well, I may have an opportunity for you. The Southern Brew News is now looking for someone to take on the role of Hop Tips Correspondent.

I’ve held that position for nearly two years, but I am resigning my post in August. Since I started a new job in June, I haven’t had the same flexibility in my schedule. I now feel the need to pull back on my obligations.

It’s a pretty easy job, really. Hop Tips is a semimonthly an e-newsletter that contains a calendar of upcoming events for the eight states that comprise the Southern Brew News region.

It takes me anywhere from one to two hours to put each issue together from events that people send me and what I get from various sources around the interwebs. The best part is, it actually pays. It’s not much, but it’s something, which is more than what most beer writing gigs can say.

Helpful skills include:

• Basic knowledge of HTML
• Intermediate knowledge of beer
• Advanced knowledge of the English language

If you are interested, contact Jamie Magee at the Southern Brew News at jamie@brewingnews.com. Good luck!

This is the second site redesign, the last coming in April 2008. I think two years is enough for one look. Though, I’m still happy with the logo and don’t plan on changing that.

I’m going to play around with the theme for a bit and see if I can tweak it to optimal usability and appearance, so I hope you don’t mind a few changes and possible hiccups over the next few days. Don’t worry, Untamed Beer has a new look, but it still has the same great taste you’ve grown to know and love.

The photo in the header is of a couple Grundy tanks (used to finish beer after fermentation) at Coast Brewing Company. I want to go explore the Titanic in one of those things…

It’s not that we don’t have good beer available in Greenville. Thomas Creek and Blue Ridge represent us well on the brewing side. We have a great beer bar in Barley’s Tap Room.

What’s been missing is the beer store. Sure, the big boys have a good selection, but I’m talking about a craft beer store, run by owners who are as passionate and more knowledgable than I am, who are willing to stock a beer than only 10 people in the city are likely to try just so they can say they carry it, and who are around and actually want to talk beer with their customers.

The void has been filled. On July 1, The Community Tap opened on Wade Hampton Blvd. Mike Okupinski and Ed Buffington not only had the dream, they took the leap, and the rest of us are here to reap the spoils.

The 1,600 square-foot shop was built out entirely by Mike and Ed, along with their fathers and the help of a few other friends, including Josh Beeby, the owner of Barley’s Tap Room. According to Mike, “We wanted to build a store we’d expect to find in a residential area, that we would want to walk into ourselves.”

The store features a wide range of beer, which is sure to get more diverse as they get more entrenched in the market. Whenever the pair has some downtime between customers, they are working the phone, talking to their distributors to get new products, or contacting breweries directly to get them to send their latest and greatest to South Carolina.

In some cases, Mike and Ed also contact breweries that don’t even distribute in our state to let them know there is a market if they want to bring in their beer. It’s good to know we have beer lobbyists out there working tirelessly to bring exciting new beer to us.

Mike and Brian in front of the growler station

While the bottle selection is good, the highlight of the store is the growler filling station. Built out like a real bar, there are six taps to choose from. You can use one of the Community Tap provided growlers or bring a container of your own.

Mike also stressed the fact that they can special order beer, even if they don’t usually carry it in the store, “Anything out there you see, odds are we can get it.” So if you have any requests, let them know.

Also, with the next beer tasting laws that just passed, The Community Tap will be having their first in-store tasting around the last week in July. Check back with their website for more info.

What, Wine at a Beer Store?

In addition to beer, The Community Tap also has carries a selection of wines in the store. As a beer apologist, part of me was, let’s say, curious when I heard about the wine. I’m sure some of you may be thinking, “They better have a good excuse for this, other than higher margins.” Ok, I was thinking that.

Rest assured, they do have a good excuse. In addition to loving beer, Ed also has a passion for wine. Understanding the intricacies of wine helped form the bridge that brought him into Craft Beer Land.

Ed talking wine

The Community Tap doesn’t carry any Yellow Tail. The wine inventory consists of small, independently owned wineries. Ed and Mike have personally tasted and approved each bottle. Wine is not simply a token gesture to increase profit margins and cater to high-maintenance women.

Oh, and I forgot to mention the best part. Almost every wine bottle in the store is under $25. I say bring it on!

I highly recommend that you check out the store. They’ve got good beer, a cool atmosphere, and Mike and Ed are very helpful. Don’t be shy about letting them know what you want to see on the shelves, either. They are committed to uniting us with the beer we want to drink, and the entire beer community will benefit.

It’s going to be a 4-course meal, each course paired with a beer and wine selection. I’ve personally selected the beers and will describe each pairing at the dinner. It’s $20 to participate. Space is limited, so reservations are recommended, call 864-286-1070 to prepay and guarantee your spot.

I would love to see my fellow beer lovers come out and represent to show all the wine people where it’s at. Here is the menu:

First Course
Blackened shrimp bruschetta
Thomas Creek Red
Madonna Riesling

Second Course
Brixx salad
Victory Prima Pils
Drouhin Laforet Chardonnay

Third Course
Sundried-tomato stuffed chicken
Terrapin Hopsecutioner
Kings Ridge Pinot Noir

Dessert
Strawberry tiramisu
Rogue John John Dead Guy
Hyatt Cabernet Sauvignon

Hope to see you there!

In order to make the event a success, they need the help of the beer geek community. They are looking for donations of rare beers that would fetch a good price in an auction, especially beer not found in Louisiana. As you can see on the auction’s web page, they have a very nice list of beers that have already been donated, including many personal donations, but the more beer they have the better.

If you have a bottle or two of something you would like to donate, please contact Polly Watts, owner of The Avenue Pub at 504-586-9243 or theavenuepub@gmail.com. She can give you more information on where to send the beer, as well as info for tax write-off purposes.

How awesome would it be to put our beer geekery to a good cause? Please consider supporting the effort. Remember, good beer karma comes around. If you give up a cherished treasure, more will surely come your way in even greater abundance.

(A special thanks to Chris Willoughby for letting me know about this event.)