A Note from BBC15 Partner, the North Carolina Craft Brewers Guild. This fine group is hosting Live Beer Blogging on Saturday, July 18 at 5:15 PM in the Ballroom of the Four Points Asheville Hotel. We look forward to getting to know all the NC beers presented at LBB!
The North Carolina Craft Brewers Guild (NCCBG) is proud to be a sponsor for this year’s Beer Bloggers and Writers Conference. Our mission at the Guild is to advance the interests of North Carolina’s craft breweries and be a vibrant coalition of craft brewers proud to promote and showcase NC craft beer. With more than 130 breweries from our mountains to our coast, North Carolina is making its mark as The State of Southern Beer.
At the 2014 World Beer Cup, considered by many as the “Olympics of Beer Competitions”, eight North Carolina breweries walked away with the highly regarded medals, including four winning gold. NoDa Brewing in Charlotte, took gold in the prestigious, and highly competitive, American IPA category with its Hop, Drop, ‘N Roll IPA. Other North Carolina breweries to bring home gold medals were White Street Brewing in Wake Forest, Outer Banks Brewing in Kill Devil Hills, and Asheville Brewing Co. Asheville has also earned the well-deserved title of Beer City U.S.A. for several years running and boasts more breweries per capita than any other U.S. city.
The effort that our state has been putting into its burgeoning craft beer industry is paying off. With more breweries and brewpubs than other any other Southern state, including three major craft brewery expansions, we have become heralded by the national Brewers Association as one of the top five fastest-growing beer states in the country. The economic impact of craft beer and brewing in North Carolina has reached $791 million and provided 10,000 jobs for our residents. Breweries are investing in our local agricultural communities by sourcing their ingredients from NC farms, malt houses, and hops farms, as brewers realize and appreciate not only greater sustainability in the process, but ultimately a greater depth of character in the brews themselves.
Here are some highlights of upcoming events for the rest of 2015:
- Highland Brewing Company of Asheville will be hosting the first annual Ale Share Beer Fest, on July 26th, with proceeds benefiting Asheville parks and greenways. https://www.highlandbrewing.com/whats-up/event/ale-share
- August 29th is the High Country Beer Fest in Boone, NC, where visitors can enjoy craft brews, food, music, and educational seminars, all in an effort to raise money for the ASU Fermentation Sciences program. http://hcbeerfest.com/
- Approximately 70 breweries will come to Holly Springs, NC on September 12th for Beericana. Craft beer, music, and food trucks, what’s not to love? http://www.beericana.com/
- Asheville will hold Brewgrass 2015, “North Carolina’s original beer festival”, mid-September,showcasing over 50 breweries and live music. http://brewgrassfestival.com/
- On October 10th, Durham will host the 20th Annual World Beer Festival at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park. http://allaboutbeer.com/gather-for-beer/world-beer-festival/durham-nc/
- Head to the coast for Wilmington’s Lighthouse Beer and Wine Festival on October 24th, offering beach-goers over 100 craft breweries to sample. http://www.lighthousebeerandwine.com/
For more information, visit www.ncbeer.org or contact the the NC Craft Brewers Guild at 919-526-0938.