With Wilmington’s brewery business booming, area bars and bottle shops are gearing up for the summer season. Beginning next month, several will host events featuring guest breweries from across the state as well as across the country. Others are expanding their outdoor spaces in anticipation of the warmer weather ahead.
Bombers Bev. Co., 108 Grace St., will host Founders Brewing Co. of Grand Rapids, Michigan on Wednesday, April 1 and Ballast Point Brewing for a full 12-tap takeover on Saturday, May 30. Bombers is also completing work on its new “beer alley” offering outdoor seating.
Wilmington Brewing Company, 824 S. Kerr Avenue, is also in the process of creating an outdoor beer garden.
Fermental, 7250 Market St., will host Mother Earth Brewing of Kinston on Wednesday, April 22 for a pairing dinner with Vittles Food Truck. On Saturday, April 25, Fermental kicks off its 2015 Brewery Event Series with
Battle of the Brews featuring two award-winning craft houses, Ballast Point Brewing and Atwater Brewery of Detroit.
Fermental owner Steve Gibbs says the event will be an evening of “tastings, giveaways, live music, food trucks, brewery staff and a bit of friendly competition.”
Guests can sample several beer styles and cast votes for winners in each of six categories. Beer will be available for sampling as well as by the pint or growler.
Burnt Mill Creek, 2101 Market St., will host a Brewery Tap Takeover Series that will begin Saturday, May 2 and run every other Saturday through October. Foothills Brewing of Winston-Salem will be the first guest brewery of the season, followed by Oskar Blues of Brevard on May 16.
“I like to think of this as a six-month-long beer festival,” said owner Hunter Ford. “A lot of beer festivals can be overwhelming because there are so many breweries present. But these individual tap takeovers will allow people to have more intimate conversations with the brewers and really taste what each one has to offer.”
Ford says the events will be family friendly and include a variety of food trucks as well as performances by local musicians.
Palate Bottleshop and Reserve, 1007 N. Fourth St., has created what it's calling an advent calendar for North Carolina Beer Month. The calendar, displayed in Palate's storefront window, will reveal a featured North Carolina beer each day. Several events, such as guest brewers and pairings, in conjunction with NC Beer Month are in the works, according to general manager Andrew Bopes. Information on all upcoming events will be posted on Facebook and Instagram.
Finally, look for Brewer’s Kettle to open its Wilmington store at the former1950’s era gas station at 4718 Oleander Drive in late April.
Have a tip for Restaurant Roundup? Email us at [email protected]
