This May will mark the three year anniversary of the bill that was passed ushering in beers over 6.0% to be sold in North Carolina stores and restaurants. North Carolina was one of only 6 states at the time that didn’t allow “high gravity” beers, but three years later the state is a different place. Many restaurants in Raleigh now serve one or more high alcohol content beers and specialty beer stores have continually stocked their stores with new beers that were not available in the state before 2005. There are a couple of places in Raleigh that this has greatly helped business as well, including Peace Street Market and The Raleigh Times Bar.
The Raleigh Times is known in Downtown Raleigh as one of the few places to get a large selection of Belgian Beers. They frequently change their taps with the season or when the mood strikes. Brooklyn’s Brewmaster’s Revserve Extra Brun and Maredsous 8 are both new on tap and Dekonnick is gone. Peace Street Market has a larger selection of Belgians than The Raleigh Times Bar but you can’t necessarily sit and enjoy one with a full plate of Pork Nachos there. The Raleigh Times Bar even has a new blog that chronicles all the new beers they get in and what is to come soon. They have polls on the site very often and a nicely stated moto: “A retreat from the world, an oasis, An informational page keeping people abreast of the happenings and goings-ons at the Times as it relates to the world of beer and her lovers.” These are a only two of the many places in Raleigh you can find high gravity beers, the list is long.
Another thing that has benefited greatly from the high gravity beer deregulation is The World Beer Festival in Raleigh. Over 150 World-Class Breweries Participate in All About Beer Magazine’s World Beer Festival Raleigh. This will be the third year (coincidence, I think not) that Raleigh will have this event in Moore Square. Tickets go very quickly and it always sells out. They go on sale at noon next Wednesday March 26, so to avoid searching Craigslist for expensive tickets in a month, grab yours HERE.
World Beer Festival Raleigh
April 26, 2008
Downtown Raleigh, NC
Moore Square
1st Session: 12 noon to 4 pm
2nd Session: 6 pm to 10 pm
For more information of North Carolina Beer go to Pop the Cap, a great organization for beer lovers.
More Info on The World Beer Festival in Raleigh HERE
Tickets Here
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