As many of you may already know, the judging for the 2nd Annual Olde Hickory Pro Am was held on Sat. April 30th. We had over 130 entries this year with the many fine entries from NC joined by some great brews from SC, TN and VA! Judging lasted 6 hours as some hard decisions had to be made.

For a full list of the results visit the Catawba Lager and Ale Sampling Society (CLASS) website at www.classhomebrewers.org. The Best of Show winners are:

BEST OF SHOW

1st Place
Jason McCammon – Munich Dunkel
“Dunkel My Schnitzel”

2nd Place
Alex Buerckholtz – American Barleywine
“Cheap Leather Jacket Part 2″

3rd Place
Jason Howard – Dark American Lager
“Black Hood”

with an Honorable Mention for:

Jason Howard – Vienna Lager
“Action Man”

We're looking forward to brewing Jason McCammon's Munich dunkel in a few weeks! Be on the lookout for it at the Olde Hickory Tap Room, Amos Howards, and other locations throughout NC.

Cheers!

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!

Registration for the 2nd Annual Olde Hickory Pro Am, co-organized by the Olde Hickory Brewery and CLASS Homebrewers, is now open. Visit the CLASS (Catawba Lager and Ale Sampling Society) website at www.classhomebrewers.org for a full list of rules as well as registration information. The competition is earlier this year and it is now open to homebrewers from South Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee and Georgia as well as North Carolina. Important dates to note:

2/5/2011 - Opening day for Online Registration
3/14/2011 - Opening day for Drop Off of entries
4/15/2011 - Last day for Online Registration and Drop Off (6pm)
4/30/2011 - Olde Hickory Pro-Am
5/1/2011 - Results posted on www.classhomebrewers.org
5/9/2011 - Scoresheets mailed out to entrants

Good luck!

The 2nd Annual Charlotte Craft Beer Week (CCBW) is rapidly approaching. The organizers have worked hard to bring together a schedule of events and brewery participation that will top last year’s amazing first run! The Olde Hickory Brewery is excited to be a part of numerous events during the March 11th-March 20th event. Where can you find Olde Hickory beers? Glad you asked…

Friday March 11th, 2011
Visulite Theater
6:30 - 9:30
"Brawley's Black & Blue: Woodstock"
Event Horizon will be on tap. Only a quarter barrel keg, so get there early!

Sunday March 13th, 2011
Brixx Uptown
All-day event
"NC Tap Take-over"
We’ll be bring several kegs…

Sunday March 13th, 2011
Duckworth's Charlotte
1:00 - ?
"Craft Beer Festival"
We’ll be bringing some of the best beers we’ve been keeping for a special occasion: Irish Walker Cask (Dated 2-11-2010); Double Dry Hopped Death By Hops Cask, 2011; Imperial Stout Cask, 2010; Barrel-Aged Scottish Ale keg; 2010 Event Horizon keg!

Wednesday March 16th, 2011
Common Market
7:00 - 10:00
"NC Brewery Event"
Olde Hickory will be bringing a cask of 2011 Irish Walker!

Friday March 18th, 2011
Mac's BBQ: both the Steele Creek & South Blvd locations
Time to be announced
"Casks for the Catawba"
We’ll bring a cask of oak-aged, dry-hopped Table Rock to each location.

And there are more events/appearances still to be announced!

Our Charlotte brewery representative, Jonathan, will be at almost all the events (he’s only one guy, so he can’t be in 2 places simultaneously!!) so if you have any questions or want to know how to help bring Olde Hickory beers to your favorite retail store of bar/restaurant be sure to ask around for him!

For more information about the CCBW visit the official website at www.charlottecraftbeerweek.org/.

Cheers!

As the temperatures begin to rise and we put away our snow shovels and watch the plants begin to sprout our thoughts turn to...

Beer Festivals.

Hickory Hops is one of the earliest NC beer festivals of the year and a pretty darn good one if we so say so ourselves! The 9th annual Hickory Hops will be held on Saturday April 16th from 1pm to 7pm. Breweries will be coming from NC, TN, SC, and GA and bringing some of the best beers in the area! There will also be great live music and some of the most fun and interesting festival goers anywhere.

A General Admission tickets grants access to over 40 breweries and beer sampling, live music plus a souvenir tasting glass. Designated Driver tickets are also available. No glass or sampling for these good-hearted folks, but they will still get to hear great music and have the chance to talk with some of the most talented brewers in the Southeast! 21 and older only (this includes the Designated Driver tickets) and no pets allowed in the festival area. The event is under tents, so it's rain or shine. If there are any tickets left they will be available at the door for $35 General Admission and $10 Designated Driver. Or save yourself anxiety about availability - pick up tickets in Hickory, NC at Olde Hickory Tap Room or Amos Howards for $30 General Admission, $10 DD. You can also purchase tickets online and find out more info at www.hickoryhops.com.

Cheers!