It's here- Beer Festival Season. That delightful time between late-April and mid-October when festivals featuring beer are held nearly every weekend. While we can't participate in all of them (sadness!) we do our best to join those held in our distribution area; to support the NC beer industry and our loyal customers! We're already confirmed for the following festivals (sorry if I've missed any while typing this!), and we might very well add more...

• Summertime Brew Fest, July 14th, 2:30-8
• SugarBrew, August 4th, 12-6pm
• Twin City Taps, August 11th, 12-6pm
• High Country Beer Fest, September 1st, 3-7pm
• Charlotte's Oktoberfest, September 29th, 2-7pm
• Knoxville Brewers Jam, October 6th, 1-7pm
• Hickory's Oktoberfest, October 12-14th

Cheers!

Not only is craft beer booming in NC, but the industries supporting craft beer are on the rise as well. Growing hops can be tricky in North Carolina, but NC State University (among others) is actively experimenting. Everyone is invited to take a tour of the farm on July 14th, 2012 from 9am-12pm at the Lake Wheeler Road Laboratory in Raleigh. For more information contact Scott King at Scott_King@ncsu.edu.

Cheers!

May 14th - 20th 2012 - American Craft Beer Week!

The Olde Hickory Tap Room (restaurant location with close ties to the Olde Hickory Brewery) is joining in this national celebration of quality craft beer with several ways to enjoy these great brews.

To start: We'll have 19 American craft beers (and a cider) on tap. A variety of brewers and styles to choose from!

Then we're making every night a Pint Night that week- buy a pint of the featured beer and take home the glass (limit one per customer, while supplies last, etc.) The schedule as it stands right now is:

• Mon. 14th: Mother Earth Weeping Willow Wit
• Tues. 15th: Duck-Rabbit Brown
• Wed. 16th: NoDa Brewing Ramble on Red™
• Thurs. 17th: Highland Brewing Black Mocha Stout
• Fri. 18th: Foothills Brewing Hefeweizen AND Foothills Brewing Hoppyum
• Sat. 19th: Sierra Nevada Hoptimum
• Sun. 20th: Crispin Cider French Broad 13 Rebels

But we also want to help our patrons learn more about the beer. So we are offering a special menu in addition to our regular menu. It will feature both Tap Room classics (many with Olde Hickory beer as an ingredient) plus a few items created just for the week. Each item will be listed with a suggested beer beer pairing, and an explanation of why that is the perfect beer to complement the dish.

And finally, Thursday through Saturday only, we'll be serving cask ale from Olde Hickory. The casks are still a secret, but one thing is certain...there will be at least one Black Death (Black Raven and Death by Hops)!

For more information about the Olde Hickory Tap Room visit www.oldehickorytaproom.com and for more information about American Craft Beer Week visit American Craft Week Week's official page

We are very excited to announce that Olde Hickory won 2 medals at the 2012 World Beer Cup (TM)! The Event Horizon won a bronze in the Wood- and Barrel-Aged Strong Stout category and Imperial Stout won a bronze in the American-Style Imperial Stout category.

Fellow NC breweries Front Street Brewery and Outer Banks Brewing Station also won medals at the competition, so congratulations all around!

The 6th Annual American Craft Beer Week is less than two weeks away! This event was celebrated nationwide by over 300 breweries in 2010 and runs from May 16th through the 22nd in 2011. The Olde Hickory Brewery will be joining in with several events both at the brewery itself and at the Olde Hickory Tap Room.

From May 16th though May 20th every night will be a Pint Night at the Olde Hickory Tap Room! Each night one of the great American craft beers on tap at the restaurant will be paired with matching glassware - buy a pint and keep the glass (one per customer, while supplies last- y'all know the drill).

The Olde Hickory Brewery has also delivered firkins to the Tap Room as well! 5 total - one each night from the 16th through the 20th. See some of our most popular ales in a new light! Among the firkins are a Table Rock, a Death by Hops and a Black Raven! Try a pint from a firkin and compare it to a sample on draft - it will give you a whole new appreciation for the the complexities of craft beer.

And to make the week extra-special the Olde Hickory Brewery will be open for tours from 5-6pm each night from the 16th through the 20th! We're don't currently have regularly scheduled tours, so this is a unique opportunity to see behind the scenes at one of NC's award winning breweries.

More events will be announced soon. We're looking forward to seeing everyone and celebrating American craft beer, the growth of the industry and the spirit of its supporters!

Cheers!