Queen City Brewer’s Festival is a Charlotte beer-lover’s dream every February, but the global pandemic has forced them to get creative this year. For the 10th Anniversary of the fest this year, they’re celebrating in the format of a collective beer release: Court Shoes Only.

Court Shoes Only is a double IPA collective release that breweries in the area can opt-in to. A portion of each sale of Court Shoes Only will benefit ACEing Autism. This is a nonprofit whose mission is to serve children with Autism Spectrum Disorder through unique tennis programs.

Collective beer releases really kicked off over the past year on the national level such as All Together IPA created by Other Half Brewing in New York City and Black is Beautiful Stout created by Weathered Souls Brewing in San Antonio. Court Shoes Only is a more localized version of this initiative uniting the Charlotte beer community.

The recipe for Court Shoes Only was co-developed by Chad Henderson, head brewer and co-owner of NoDa Brewing, and Chris “Tropes” Tropeano, head brewer and co-owner of Resident Culture Brewing Company. Every participating brewery can choose to put its own spin on the given recipe. Breweries from all around the Charlotte area are joining the initiative and supporting the cause.

Here are the participating breweries as of January 28, 2021

• Amor Artis Brewing: Releasing the week of 2/1 coming in at 8% ABV
• Armored Cow Brewing: Releasing 2/5 in collaboration with Middle James coming in at 9.2% ABV
• Birdsong Brewing Company: Releasing 2/6 on draft only with Strata, Citra and Callista hops and coming in at 9.5% ABV
• Buzzed Viking Brewing Company: Released on 1/29 and coming in at 8.5% ABV
• Cabarrus Brewing Co: Releasing in early February
• Catawba Brewing Co: Releasing on 2/1 with more of a West Coast version of the given recipe
• Cavendish Brewing Company: Releasing in early February and Cavendish added Vic Secret hops
• Devil’s Logic Brewing
• Divine Barrel Brewing: Released on 1/28 as a West Coast IPA coming in at 7.2% ABV and hopped with Citra, Simcoe and Azacca
• The DreamChaser’s Brewery
• Edge City Brewery: Releasing 2/7 and Dry Hopped with Citra, Mosaic, Sabro, Cashmere, Vic Secret, Chinook, Belma, Motueka, Waimea and Tahieke hops; Edge City chose to use 10 hop varieties for the 10th Anniversary of the festival
• Heist Brewery: Releasing a collaboration brew with Salud Cerveceria
• High Branch Brewing Co.: Releasing 2/3 with Simcoe, Chinook and Citra hops
• Ghostface Brewing: Releasing 2/10 at all locations
• Good Road Ciderworks
• Lake Wylie Brewing Co.: Releasing 2/2
• Legion Brewing: Releasing in early February
• Lenny Boy Brewing Co.: Brewed with Simcoe and Citra hops and coming in at 8.7% ABV
• Lower Left Brewing Co.: Releasing 2/12 on draft and in crowlers and double dry-hopped with Citra, Simcoe, Azacca and Galaxy; the grist is 25% oats for a hazy and creamy body coming in at 8% ABV
• Middle James Brewing Co.: Releasing 2/5 in collaboration with Armored Cow coming in at 9.2% ABV
• New Sarum Brewing Co.: Releasing 2/5 in cans and is triple dry-hopped and brewed with blood oranges coming in at 9% ABV
• NoDa Brewing Company: Co-creators of the recipe for the collaboration, their version releases 2/5 in cans and on draft using Citra, Ekuanot, Cascade and Mosaic hops and comes in at 8.8% ABV
• Percent Tap House: Released 1/29 in cans with Strata and Citra hops and coming in at 8.2% ABV
• Petty Thieves Brewing Co.: Releasing 2/5 as a sour double IPA hopped with Mosaic and Cashmere, brewed with carrot juice, with blueberries added during fermentation, and then conditioned on orange puree
• Pilot Brewing: Released 1/29 on draft, for crowler fills, and in 16oz 4-packs. Brewed with 100% Citra hops coming in at 8.5% ABV
• Protagonist Beer: Releasing 2/5 on draft and in crowlers at both locations; a double Brett IPA hopped with Citra, Cascade and Simcoe coming in at 8.2% ABV
• Red Clay Ciderworks: Releasing 2/13 as a Cider with grapefruit hopped with Citra, Simcoe and Mandarina Bavaria
• Resident Culture Brewing Company: Co-creators of the recipe for the collaboration, their version subs Motueka hops for Azacca
• Salud Cerveceria: Releasing a collaboration brew with Heist
• Seaboard Brewing: Double dry-hopped with Citra, Mosaic and Simcoe and coming in at 8% ABV
• Slow Play Brewing: Releasing around 2/12 and dry-hopped with Citra and Azacca
• Southern Range Brewing Co.: Releasing 2/5 using Citra, Simcoe and El Dorado hops
• Southern Strain Brewing Company: Releasing 2/1 on draft only
• Sugar Creek Brewing Company: Releasing 2/13
• Town Brewing Co.: Releasing 2/4 as an 11% ABV Triple IPA
• Traust Brewing Co.: Releasing 2/1 and using Amarillo hops instead of Azacca
• Triple C Brewing Co.: Releasing 1/29 and brewed with Simcoe, Citra, Mosaic and Nelson Sauvin hops
• Twenty-Six Acres Brewing Co.: Released 1/26 on tap and in cans; dry-hopped with El Dorado, Citra and Simcoe with coconut added, coming in at 8.8% ABV
• Wooden Robot Brewery: Releasing in both taprooms 2/5 using Simcoe, Citra and Strata hops

Be sure to snag Court Shoes Only from your favorite Charlotte-area breweries and support the amazing cause of ACEing Autism. Here at PorchDrinking we can’t wait to try them side by side and compare how each brewery personalized the recipe!

Featured image courtesy of NoDa Brewing

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