Author: Mike Karnowski

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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House Saizon (for Fred Eckhardt)

House Saizon (for Fred Eckhardt) 6.2% ABV. A rustic farmhouse ale brewed with 100% local Riverbend pils and wheat malt and old world Styrian Goldings hops. Free rise fermentation with a blend of three yeast strains and bottled with a bit of Brettanomyces.
Bright lemony aroma with earthy notes from the hops. Very dry and minerally on the palate similar to a Pinot Grigio with a peppery fairly bitter finish. Just a perfect example of a traditional saison. The Brett will slowly add some interesting funk over the next 3-12 months.
It’s not often that light refreshing beers are suitable for aging but our care with bottle conditioning and the addition of Brett allows this beer to be aged for 3-4 years easily.305239971_3222420297972005_4519873177885241701_n

Tokyo Style Gose (for Otomo Yoshihide)

New beer release: Tokyo Gose (for Otomo Yoshihide) 4.7%. Back by popular demand, this summer crusher has been a favorite since we first released it.
Traditional Gose is a tart wheat beer brewed with salt and coriander. We substitute local white miso for the salt and pickled sushi ginger for the coriander. 100% local Riverbend malt.
The aroma is bright with ginger and a lemony acidity, the flavor is tart/sour with a lemon heads/ginger chews character. The miso adds just a hint of savory umami and sports drink saltiness.
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Original IPA circa 1840 (for Wally Funk)

One of the few beers we repeat every year and it’s one of our most intense and challenging: Original IPA circa 1840 (for Wally Funk). This is what IPA tasted like back when it was actually shipped to India.
Brewed with 100% Maris Otter malt and a calculated 160 IBUs of traditional East Kent Goldings hops. Aged in oak barrels with Brettanomyces for a full year then dry hopped with more EKGs.
Aroma is very funky with notes of sandalwood and gingerbread, the flavor is a battle between gorgeous mouth coating hop resin and Brett funk. The bitterness has mellowed considerably from the year in barrels and the flavor ends with a burst of dried apricot character from the EKG dry hop.
While this is the furthest thing imaginable from a modern hazy it will be bring joy to fans of Orval and should be tried by everyone in order to understand where the style originated and how far we have strayed.291452286_3177416012472434_8330779243451459973_n

Whiskey Barrel Aged Barley Wine (for Lou Reed)

New beer release: Whiskey Barrel aged Traditional Barleywine (for Lou Reed) 13%. An old school 6 hour boil English barleywine rested in American whiskey barrels.
Maris Otter malt and a bit of caramel wheat is all this needs to deliver waves of creme brûlée, New Orleans pralines and whiskey cordial candy. Aging potential 3-5 years.
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Mixed Berry Sour (for Chavela Vargas)

Mixed Berry Sour (for Chavela Vargas) 5.6%. A blend of two year old sour barrels fermented with 100% wild culture from the Asheville air aged on a mix of blueberries, raspberries and blackberries.

The light oak and gentle funk blend with a complex fruit character. The perfect beer for a charcuterie or cheese plate. A beautiful showcase of our local micro flora at an affordable price.

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Whiskey Barrel Aged Imperial Stout (for Phil Lynott)

Aging Imperial Stout in barrels goes back to the 1700s but aging in whiskey barrels is a truly American take. In my opinion a barrel is really the only “adjunct” needed for a beautiful imperial stout. It gives notes of vanilla and coconut that compliment the complex roast malt character. 13% ABV

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