Posted on 08/23/2005 7:26:07 AM PDT by Constitution Day
N.C. brewers taking advantage of law allowing stronger beer
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- Scott Maitland isn't exactly expecting a huge payoff from the barleywine brewing in his Top of the Hill Brewery and Restaurant. The beer, about 11 percent alcohol by volume with a taste similar to port, probably won't be a best seller. But he sees another reason to brew it anyway.
"It's fun, baby! That's why, it's fun," he said. "It's a big day. We need to celebrate."
Like Maitland, local brewers are taking advantage of the "Pop the Cap" legislation signed by Gov. Mike Easley over the weekend. The law raises the state's limit for alcohol in beers and other malt beverages from 6 percent to 15 percent.
Most local brewers and restaurateurs agree that they probably won't see a huge increase in business from customers seeking stronger beer, but they say the new law has generated an interest in beer that may attract customers. The brewers also say they're enjoying the chance to try new things and offer a greater selection.
"Ultimately what's good for the consumer is good for all of us, in the sense that this may get people interested in beer," Maitland said.
Maitland has named his new product Pop the Cap Barleywine. The strong beer will be served by the half-pint and will be more expensive per ounce than Top of the Hill's other beers. Stronger brews can require twice as much grain in order to yield the higher alcohol content, and they use a longer fermentation process.
And that longer process is one reason that many breweries may only offer one stronger beer, said Owen Ogletree, a Georgia beer enthusiast who led a successful effort last year to raise that state's alcohol limit in beer from 6 percent to 14 percent.
"Brewpubs are all about volume and selling as many pints as they can," Ogletree said. "They don't want to lock up a fermenter with this strong beer that has to age for four months."
In Georgia, Ogletree said, craft beer sales increased in the year after the new law passed, but some retailers say they are now leveling off. Some of the big winners under the new law were out-of-state brewers who distribute their products in Georgia, as well as importers, he said.
"Belgian beer importers tell me Georgia has been one of their best states in the past year," Ogletree said.
A Southern Season in Chapel Hill is using the new law as a chance to revamp its beer section.
Jay Murrie, who is manager of the retailer's wine department and oversees the beer section, said the store has a long list of requests from customers seeking beer they've found out of state or during international travel. The store now carries about 100 to 120 beers.
Murrie said the store will probably eliminate 20 to 30 of those, beers that are available in large grocery stores, but will add about 80 new beers.
Most restaurants in the state won't see much benefit, but the new law should help brewpubs and restaurants serving high-end beer, said Paul Stone, head of the N.C. Restaurant Association.
"For some people it will have a very nice effect, but (for) a lot of people it may not just be their clientele," Stone said.
The new law also may give North Carolina breweries that distribute beer a better chance at earning a national reputation, said Paul Gatza, director of the Brewers Association in Boulder, Colo. "This is an opportunity for them to make some interesting styles that beer enthusiasts would stand up and pay attention to," he said.
But beer enthusiasts may be the only ones really paying attention in the end, said Zach Hart, brewmaster at The Mash House in Fayetteville, which will soon offer a new, strong Imperial India Pale Ale. The brewery is part of a chain of locally owned restaurants and supplies other restaurants in the group, including Michael Dean's and Hi5 in Raleigh.
"In the beer community, we have a nice little clique of people. It's a thing that we want, definitely," he said. "The average beer, Budweiser drinker, it's not going to affect them at all."
Jeff Welch and Cliff Leath, who were drinking beer together at a tall round table near the bar at Carolina Brewery in Chapel Hill on a recent night, agreed, saying the new beers were really for a niche market.
Leath said he's not the type who would "go out and just drink a Budweiser," and that when he is drinking beer, he's looking for something with a "nice taste." He said that people at microbreweries are after quality, and will probably be willing to pay extra for the more expensive, stronger brews.
"The people who are going to be drinking beer (at a microbrewery) for the most part aren't going to be looking for the lowest price," he said.
Scott Maitland isn't exactly expecting a huge payoff from the barleywine brewing in his Top of the Hill Brewery and Restaurant. The beer, about 11 percent alcohol by volume with a taste similar to port, probably won't be a best seller. But he sees another reason to brew it anyway."It's fun, baby! That's why, it's fun," he said. "It's a big day. We need to celebrate."
Scott Maitland is a good guy.
Just after September 11, this Gulf War veteran & businessman ran afoul of the oh-so-tolerant liberals in Chapel Hill just for exercising his First Amendment rights.
What did he do? He hung a banner that read "God Bless America, Woe to Our Enemies" over his restaurant's balcony.
Below are a couple of threads related to our FReep of the Chapel Hill town council and mayor:
09/18/2001: Chapel Hill (NC) makes restaurant remove banner
09/29/2001: Diverse viewpoints voiced in Chapel Hill NC (Reaction to Freepers' E-Mails)
FYI :)
I believe so, but it is somewhat offset by his large contributions to Chapel Hill's NPR station WUNC.
Barleywine is very easy to brew wrong and very hard to brew right. Few malt beverages taste worse than a poorly brewed barleywine.
Nobody's perfect.
I have never had it. What's it like?
I cut him some slack being that he has to run a successful business in that town and its a good source of advertising and "community support" to draw customers.
I'm pretty sure that's the main reason he does it...
It is a rich heavy brew with low carbonation, dark color and full flavor.
Barleywine is an ale, not a lager like doppelbock, but think of a doppelbock consistency fermented longer (from a 6% alcohol content to a 9-12%), add more hops to the flavor and that's what barleywine tastes like.
It can get very flat very quickly, it can be overhopped and the alcohol content can get ahead of the flavor to the point where there is an unpleasant aftertaste.
Anchor Steam makes a decent, accessible one called Old Foghorn which can be pretty good unless it has been gathering dust for months in a forgotten corner of your local beer distributor.
More alcohol per calories may benefit many people's waistlines...
MY SiL told me that Carolina Beer is very good. Haven't had the chance to try it yet.
October 8 bump.
Can't wait to try the new beers that will soon be in NC.
MKM
Go for it!
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