Visiting a Trio of Winston-Salem Craft Breweries

Over a decade ago, Foothills Brewing launched the Winston-Salem craft beer scene with a solid core lineup including People's Porter, Torch Pilsner, and Hoppyum IPA. The brewery is still a major player today with three locations and abundant seasonals and limited releases. They have also been joined by eight fellow breweries including three we recently visited: Wise Man Brewing, Fiddlin' Fish Brewing Company, and Small Batch Brewing.

Wise Man Brewing opened a few years ago after renovating a vacant 90-year old structure where they offer a large portfolio of craft beer in multiple styles.  Each staff member is a certified cicerone so be prepared for an excellent experience as they explain or suggest appropriate beers.  I chose a sampler consisting of the Liquid Measure w/ Blueberry, Peach, & Raspberry IPA; Circumstances of Collision Sour IPA; Thousand Chords Grisette; and Bound To Get Down Brett Pale Ale.   The first two were loaded with fruit, creamy berries for the first and blood oranges, pomegranates, and tangerines. Fantastic.  The second two were funkier with spices in the Grisette and tart fruit in the second. Fortunately, a staff member suggested the Krankies Shape Shifter Blonde Ale, an interesting beer where green coffee beans were aged in red wine barrels then returned to Krankies to be roasted.  The coffee beans elevate the otherwise soft ale with a concentrated aroma and long finish. A crowler, please.

Fiddlin' Fish Brewing Company reflects the lifestyle of the Blue Ridge Mountains: hiking, fishing and enjoying great music. The brewery is located on historic Trade Street near the downtown Arts District and provides a spacious environment to sample and watch the Nationals in the World Series. I chose another quartet sampler starting with the Hardy Bear Helles Lager - a refreshing beer with the expected minerality. Next was the Raspberry Black Currant Sour, a tasty beer that was deliciously tart. This led to the Cherry A Tune Cherry Rye Blonde where malted rye was added to a blonde ale grain bill and dark cherries infused after fermentation. Very complex. The sampler was filled out with the Pine Barren Pale Ale, a collaboration with the North Carolina Zoo and named after the Pine Barren Tree Frog. There is a decent amount of hops creating a robust yet clean beer and portions of the proceeds benefit the zoo.  Once again a staff member suggested an additional beer, the Black Mountain Chocolate Stout where cocoa nibs from neighboring Black Mountain Chocolate is brewed into the milk stout. A delicious creamy beer.

Small Batch Brewing was our last stop, located directly downtown and offering a full food menu, shakes, spirits, and craft beer. Here we stayed on the darker side starting with the Porter in the Rye and the Percolator Mocha Stout. Both were complex and tasty. But also check out their full range blonde to pilsner to gose to IPA.

And as always, theCompass Craft Beverage Finder will guide you to these destinations. Cheers.

1718 Brewing Ocracoke: Jam Box for Brunch

1718 Brewing Ocracoke is well into their second summer and with an obvious demand, the brewery is operating at full capacity to continuously provide 10-12 beers on tap. During our weekly visit to this island, demand outpaced supply as several beers kicked and even a power outage didn't deter beer consumers. Garick & Jacqui Kalna opened the 10 bbl brewery in October 2017 and named it for the year Blackbeard was killed off Ocracoke's Springer’s Point. In July 2017, Garick gave a group a tour of the brewery, but it wasn't until this year that I was able to return.


The building itself fits neatly into the architectural feel of the village using mostly re-purposed wood, paneling, and shingles from the former Café Atlantic as well as reclaimed barn wood from Athens, Ohio. Other re-purposed items include the flight trays which were constructed from wine barrel stays and the tap handles from pieces of rough wood. And the seashells placed inside the filled-in knot holes in the wood floor are one of my favorite features.

Our first taste of 1718 Brewing's beer was at the Ocracoke Oyster Company where the Public AfterThoughts IPA was on tap while listening to Martin Garrish and Friends. This is a heavy IPA, even more than the 6.8% suggests. Next came a visit where I learned there's a major sour series in play as well as an old favorite -- the Brunch Coffe Kolsch. This beer is already a classic, the java flavors blend seamlessly into the minerality of the Kolsch - providing a flavorful and still refreshing beach beer. Another favorite of our family is the Happi-Jaq Juicy IPA - clean and more quaffable than the AfterThoughts. On the darker side, the Needs MoreCowBell Milk Stout and Mexican Chocolate Stout were solid with the Mexican providing just a touch of heat.

As for the sours, three kicked during our visit, the Prickly-Pear, Quat the Puck, and the Jam Box (Raspberry, Sea-salt, & Coconut). Each was excellent but the coconut in the Jam Box added just enough distinction to elevate above the others. Once the raspberry version kicked, it was replaced with the next in the series the Jam Box Blackberry Lemon. Once again, a nice sour - but the previous was a winner.

A few 1718 Brewing Ocracoke beers make their way up Highway 12 into Hatteras and the northern beaches but allocate time for a personal visit. Now that the Hatteras-Ocracoke passenger ferry and Ocracoke Trolley are running smoothly - there's no need to drive so feel free to imbibe. Cheers.

#OBX Gains Another Craft Brewery in 1718 Brewing Ocracoke

I remember the days when Ocracoke Island was dry as Hyde County outlawed sales of any craft beverage. Over time this barrier island in the Outer Banks of North Carolina slowly received it's alcohol liberation as the county slowly allowed the sale of beer and wine and eventually liquor.

During the transition from dry to wet county, Garrick Kalna and his soon to be wife Jacqui arrived on the island and design a three year plan to open a micro-brewery on the island. Garrick had brewed domestically and commercially in Colorado throughout his college years. The plan's initial phase included opening the very successful Ocracoke Coffee Co. So successful, the plan was extended 18 years until they sold the coffee shop in 2012 and laid the foundation for 1718 Brewing Ocracoke by purchasing the former Atlantic Cafe next to Howard's Pub.

It was still a long process. Last year during our annual visit to the island we noticed the brewery being built out with the tanks visibly from the road.  And this year we saw progress from the outside but wasn't sure if 1718 Brewing was operating until we hit Zillies Island Pantry where their Pepperberry Saison and Coffee Kolsch were on tap. The first round was purely investigative whereas the next few were because these beers were excellent. The Coffee Kolsch was a complete eye-opener regarding the style and completely surprised on it's refreshing character. The Pepperberry exudes spices, I'm not sure what the pepperberry provides, but the beer hit all the Saison characters.

The next day we setup a private brewery tour where Garrick interrupted a day of brewing and construction to give our large group a tour and a taste of his Good Bones IPA a New England inspired IPA which translates to a balanced use of hops. While sipping, Garrick provided a brief history of his background, which included volunteering at the Outer Banks Brewing Station, plus an overview of the brewing operation, regulations, and his IPA centric focus. While answering our questions it became readily apparent that Garrick is not only a self described water geek, but also an expert on yeast cultures.  Expect some interesting craft beer coming from 1718 Brewing and for those unfamiliar, the brewery's name and banner reflect the island's Blackbeard culture: the year he was captured and killed and Blackbeard's flag.

With the current disaster caused by the Oregon Inlet construction, local businesses will need your assistance once tourists are allowed back onto Hatteras and Ocracoke. theCompass Craft Beverage Finder will guide you to Ocracoke's first brewery. Cheers.