Biere De Noel (for Saint Bibiana)

This year’s Christmas beer is a classic Belgian style quad with subtle spicing with fresh orange peel and a pinch of allspice.
Light holiday spice blends nicely with delicate Belgian yeast notes in the aroma. The flavor is sweet toffee/caramel with a hint of licorice. Drinks dangerously easy for a 12%+ beer, perfect for sipping in front of a fireplace or post thanksgiving dinner.
Aging potential on this is immense, at least 5 years if not 10.

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Patersbier (for Saint Arnold)

Patersbier (for Saint Arnold) 6.7% ABV. The Trappist monks brew strong, mostly darker beers for the public but they make a beer just for the monks to drink that is lower in alcohol and usually lighter in color. Patersbier=beer for the fathers.
Our take on the style uses 100% Belgian pils malt, delicious Belgian beet sugar and French Aramis hops. Free rise fermentation using our house Belgian yeast.
Hoppier and drier than a typical blonde with a bright spicy yeast nose with some grassy hops. Malty yet very dry this will appeal to saison drinkers but without the phenolic yeast. Not really a beer for aging.391495822_817569320163159_2207581755358360773_n

Traditional Imperial Stout circa 1850 (for Vasily Arkhipov)

My favorite beer that we make is our traditional Imperial Stout. A timeless beauty that needs no adjucts or gimmicks. Brewed with only the finest English Maris Otter, brown and black malts and firmly bittered with East Kent Goldings hops.
Coffee, cocoa and some fruit from the yeast in the aroma, the flavor is dense with espresso, dark chocolate fudge and bitter German licorice candies. Dangerously drinkable despite being 11% ABV.
Past releases are drinking fantastic with 3-4 years of aging but it isn’t necessary.387807106_816309966955761_708487028730427323_n

Tokyo Style Gose (for Hattori Hanzo)

Tokyo Style Gose (for Hattori Hanzo) 4.5% ABV. Traditional Gose is a German sour wheat beer brewed with salt and coriander. We re-imagined it through the eye of a Japanese brewer and substituted local white miso for the salt and pickled sushi ginger for the coriander.
The result is a bright, tart refresher that would be amazing paired with charcuterie or pool side. Big ginger aroma with a subtle umami note from the miso.
While examples of this beer at 2-3 years old are still wonderful this is not meant for aging. Only 500 bottles produced.
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Original IPA circa 1840 (for Winston Churchill)

This is not a modern IPA, it’s not even a vintage west coast IPA, this is IPA as it tasted back when it was actually shipped to India. 100% Maris Otter pale malt and an eye watering 160 calculated IBUs of traditional East Kent Goldings hops. Aged in oak barrels with Brettanomyces for a full year then dry hopped with even more Goldings hops.
The aroma is like a Christmas cake with orange marmalade, gingerbread and warm spices. It’s definitely funky from the Brett but not in the typical “barnyard” way. The funk flavor battles it out with mouth coating hop resin and a bit of oak tannins. Unbelievably complex yet surprisingly drinkable.
We release this once a year and it has its fans that think it’s the best beer we make and for others it’s just too weird. What is for sure is that Zebulon is likely the only brewery in the world making this style. I think everyone should try it at least once, if only to know how IPA tasted originally.7.8% ABV.344600901_613328300679304_1508795248818042830_n

Mango Sour (for Lee “Scratch” Perry)

Mixed culture fermentation in stainless then aged on a ridiculous amount of mangoes. Lightly dry hopped with tropical Multihead hops. Insane color that seems to glow from the glass. The aroma and flavor is straight mango juice. The acidity is bright and refreshing and makes this a great summer crusher. 6.1% ABV

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Me and the Devil #5 (for Bon Scott)

Me and the Devil #5 Whiskey Barrel aged Imperial Stout with Vanilla (for Bon Scott) 13% ABV. Ultra traditional vintage Imperial Stout aged for 10 months in Pinhook rye whiskey barrels with an expensive addition of Ugandan vanilla beans.
Is it still considered a “pastry stout” if it’s amazingly drinkable? vanilla, chocolate, whiskey and oak in the aroma, straight melted bittersweet chocolate in the flavor and finishes with a bit of rye whiskey and a firm bitterness.
Just perfect for the style, decadent and dessert like but without the cloying sweetness much of the style has. Bottle conditioned 500 ml bottles $13

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Experimental Forest #4 (for Simona Kossak)

Experimental Forest #4 (for Simona Kossak) 6.2%. Our annual embrace of local trees as an ingredient.
This year’s version is a Belgian style grisette (think Pilsner with a Belgian yeast) brewed with locally foraged spruce tips and spice bush berries. Lightly hazy from the oils in the spruce. Drinks like a Belgian blonde ale with a fairly intense piney spruce finish.
A fun and unusual beer as all the beers in this series are. Brewed with 100% local Riverbend Carolina Malt.

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Biere de Noel (for Amanita mascaria)

Biere de Noel (for Amanita muscaria) 12.8% ABV. We missed last year’s annual Christmas beer because of stupid covid but we are back!
Belgian quad double aged in second use whiskey barrels (the first were Wild Turkey barrels that previously held Imperial Stout and the second were Elijah Craig barrels that held barley wine) along with our house Brett culture. Then we aged it on a modest amount of sweet cherries.
The original plan was to emulate those cherry and booze filled chocolates that are a holiday tradition. This is close but also with a serious cocktail thing going on like a whiskey and cherry coke. It’s all subtle and well integrated though and is dangerously drinkable. Aging potential of 5-10 years.

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