Pop The Cap’s web connection and email service isn’t all that great. Plus, we’re focusing on new opportunities and ventures.

If you’d like to get in touch with Sean Wilson, (former) president of Pop The Cap, email him at sean at fullsteam dot ag.

To see how things are progressing with the North Carolina Brewers Guild, check out http://ncbeer.org.

Thanks for all the support over the years! We’ll see you at the tavern.

Pop The Cap | No Comments »

Going out in style! Here are a few pictures of the final PTC beer dinner. Many thanks to our host, Chef Ashley Christensen of Poole’s Diner. A special thanks to our original “Grand Cru” sponsors featured at the dinner:
– Brooklyn Brewery
– Highland Brewing Company
– Unibroue
– North Coast Brewery
– Rogue Ales
– Ommegang

More pictures.

Beer dinner, NC beer, Non-NC beer but dang good | 1 Comment »

Join us at Poole’s Downtown Diner on August 26th for the final Pop The Cap beer dinner. We’re wrapping this venture up with a bang, pairing beers from our earliest “Grand Cru” brewery and distributor sponsors with Chef Ashley Christensen’s amazing creations. Gathering at 6pm.

Call 919-832-4477 to RSVP.

Opening
Rosemary Tellicherry Popcorn, Chicken Liver Pate, and Farmhouse Cheddar
Unibroue Éphémère, Chambly, Quebec
A light, refreshing ale brewed with green apple and spices. 5.5 % ABV.

First
Chilled potato and heirloom apple soup
Highland Cattail Peak Wheat, Asheville, North Carolina
Highland’s summer seasonal, brewed with wheat and rye, flavored with hibiscus. 4.7% ABV.

Second
Braised fresh bacon with roasted beets
Unibroue 17, Chambly, Quebec
A Belgian Strong Dark Ale with layers of dried fruit, pepper, and caramel. 10% ABV.

Third
Roasted poblano with North Carolina shrimp and roasted tomato
Rogue Imperial Red, Newport, Oregon
A spicy and malty strong red ale from one of the Pacific Northwest’s standouts. 9% ABV.

Fourth
Braised short rib with wild mushroom and white sweet potato gratin
Ommegang Abbey Ale, Cooperstown, New York
Ommegang’s flagship ale: a complex Belgian-style Dubbel with layers of dried fruit and spice. 8.5% ABV.

Dessert
Crème caramel
Brooklyn Black OPS, Brooklyn, New York
A bombastic bourbon-barrel aged Imperial Stout. Incredibly dark, with a mouthfeel of coffee, caramel, chocolate, and bourbon. Extremely limited release. 10% ABV.

After-dinner
North Coast Old Stock Ale, Fort Bragg, California
The perfect after-dinner beer: whiskey-like in its smoothness, with hints of vanilla and molasses. 13.25% ABV.

Beer dinner, Eastern NC, NC beer, Non-NC beer but dang good | 1 Comment »

Today (August 13th) marks the three-year anniversary of the lifting of North Carolina’s 6 percent alcohol cap. Go celebrate! There’s no official event planned to mark the day, but I’ll have more info on the August 26th dinner at Poole’s soon.

It’s been a good three years. Many thanks to all the breweries, retailers, and distributors that took advantage of the change in the law and who bring us incredible beer — from lands far away and from right here in North Carolina.

Pop the cap on something special today! I’ll be opening up the Heinzelmännchen growler of Hefeweizen I bought yesterday in Sylva.

NC beer, News, Pop The Cap | 3 Comments »

If upon reading that headline, you’re all, “I know! It does!” …well, then Food Network wants to document you, make fun of you, then redeem you in front of millions. (That’s how these shows work, right?)

Casting call in Charlotte on August 16th.

The scoop, direct from Food Network:

Are you a hopeless home cook? Or is someone you know totally incompetent in the kitchen?

Food Network is looking for the most disastrous cooks in the country to participate in a very different
culinary competition show! This is the opportunity of a lifetime—to work with the best chefs in the country and learn to cook like a professional. Seeking outgoing people with a genuine inability to cook, but a need and desire to improve!

Come to our open call:
Saturday, August 16, 2008
The Blake Hotel
555 South McDowell Street
Charlotte, NC 28204
10am – 2pm

NOMINATE YOURSELF
• Do your kids beg to eat out, after you’ve worked hard to make a family meal?
• Has your husband/wife told you it was probably better if you ordered take out?
• At the big potluck dinner, are you always asked to “just bring the napkins?”

NOMINATE SOMEONE YOU KNOW**
• Is someone you know constantly offering you food that you have to turn down?
• If you know a mom who can’t scramble an egg, a colleague who can’t convince anyone to try their culinary creations, or a friend who tries but can’t seem to get it together in the kitchen, this is your chance to get them the help you BOTH need!

**Nominators: you must attend the interview with the person you nominate

HERE’S HOW TO APPLY:
• Email us at hopelesshomecookchar@optomenusa.com
• Tell us why you (or the person you are nominating) is the most disastrous cook in the country
• Include name, age, hometown, occupation, contact phone number, and a recent photo of the hopeless home cook

For any questions, please refer to http://www.foodnetwork.com/hopelesshomecook or call (646) 216-4282.

Okay, that’s their spiel. Here’s mine…Clicky to see the above in PDF goodness. Now go freakin’ learn how to cook an egg! (Hint: crunchy scrambled eggs are delicious! Use both the egg and the shell for this special morning treat.)

News, The other 5.9% | No Comments »

What’s the point of promoting beer culture…when the industry is doing it so well?

Pop The Cap has done its job, certainly in v1 and I think in v2. I’m thrilled to be moving on to

Fullsteam Brewery

Join us as we thank PTC’s long-time brewery supporters for a final, blow-out dinner, featuring the amazing talents of Chef Ashley Christensen and the beers of our long-time Grand Cru sponsors.

Menu coming soon.

Call 919-832-4477 to RSVP.

Pop The Cap | 4 Comments »

Folks, I’m not writing much on the PTC blog these days. Soon I expect to share with you some exciting new news that will take PTC into new directions.

For now, I simply ask that you enjoy this Carl Lewis video.

Carl Lewis, Olympic athlete

News | 2 Comments »

It’s great to see that a winery from the state’s highly-successful wine region is adding beer to the mix! Also great to see is that the winery/brewery is thinking about growing its own hops. It’s important for the state’s breweries to show first-hand beer’s agricultural roots.

From the Winston-Salem Journal:

Old North State adds a beer to its repertoire

Old North State Winery in Mount Airy recently became the first winery in the state to also brew beer.

The winery is selling its first beer, an American pale ale, at its restaurant, Scuppernongs, winemaker Ben Webb said. A pint costs $4. Samples of the pale ale are also available in the winery’s tasting room.

Webb said he would like eventually to add five Old North State-made beers to the winery’s rooster of 12 wines. He currently is developing an India pale ale.

Old North State is not the only winery in the state to branch out from grapes. McRitchie Winery in Thurmond makes hard cider. Buck Shoals Winery in Hamptonville produces mead (a fermented beverage typically made with honey and yeast).

Webb is experimenting with growing his own hops for the winery’s beers.

Contact the winery at 789-9463 for more information.

News, Triad | No Comments »

Wow,

Lew Bryon, in an article for Conde Nast Portfolio and MSNBC, names Durham’s World Beer Festival one of the top six beer fests in the world! He even mentions the cask and barrel tent (bold mine)…

World Beer Festival (October 4)
At World Beer, All About Beer magazine gathers together not just craft brewers from around the country but also importers who bring beers from around the world. On the first Saturday in October, they all arrive at the historic ballpark in Durham, North Carolina, where “Bull Durham” was filmed. There are specialty presentations of aged beers, cask-conditioned beers, and rare and expensive beers. It doesn’t hurt that Durham sits smack-dab in the middle of some of the best barbecue country in the South.

And it’s not like Lew is glowing about the WBF because he’s heard good things about it. He was there!

News | 1 Comment »

Extra! Extra! Read all about it! Chris Davis meets famous people at the Craft Brewers Conference in San Diego! See the pictures at popthecap.org if you’re getting this as an RSS feed!

News | No Comments »