WhereT App & Lonerider Beer | Busy Brew Lager

Odds are that sometimes you just want a quiet place for a few beers or to grab some food. Maybe you tried to call a few spots, or Googled the venue to try and gather some intel about how busy it was at that time. Enter the WhereT app. Developed around the foundation of venue transparency, Brandon Lewis created the app as a remedy for the time lost and potential revenue lost for businesses. Lewis, who currently resides in Raleigh, NC, also partnered with Lonerider Brewery to create Busy Brew Lager. This beer was created exclusively for the WhereT app and is the only beer that truly works for you.

We took time to chat with Lewis, discussing his vision for WhereT and his successes with the social app. We even got to crack open a Busy Brew and taste the beer helping people KNOW before they GO.
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Brewery Bhavana | Patina Gold #1

Regret is hard to live with, especially when that thing was right in front of you. My story begins at Brewery Bhavana in downtown Raleigh. My wife and I attended one of their private parties where they served up some of their signature dishes and drinks. Edamame and ginger dumplings, pork and mushroom bao, an open bar featuring many of their core brews and if that weren’t enough, at either end of the room they popped bottles of barrel-aged beauties. To try it all, you either had to be super lucky or a pushy jerk. For better or worse, I was neither. So, I missed out on a beer that I thought would be gone forever: Patina Gold #1, a peach and apricot sour aged for four months in a Cabernet foeder.

Fortunately, Bhavana had the good sense to produce more. Even more fortunately, I found a bottle of Patina Gold sitting in the dusty back room of Chapel Hill’s Bottle Rev. Given the price ($14 a bottle), I had to think twice about buying it, but only twice. The regret from earlier, missed opportunity was gnawing at me.

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Bull Durham Acquired by R&D Brewing

On January 10, 2019, Bull Durham Brewing Company came under new ownership. And R&D Brewing, located on Capital Blvd in downtown Raleigh, became the proud new owners.

Before we get into that, let’s talk about Durham and its minor league baseball team, the Durham Bulls. Thirty-odd years ago, the Durham Bulls became part of popular culture with the release of the Susan Sarandon/Kevin Costner/Tim Robbins film “Bull Durham.” If Rotten Tomatoes can be believed, it’s safe to say people like it. I would say it has its moments.

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Brewery Bhavana | Cellar Door No. 3

Confession: I never wanted to be a beer snob. In fact, I fought it. But I wouldn’t be writing this if I succeeded.

I started drinking craft beer because I didn’t know better. All I knew was I liked it better than the macros. Before long, I was drinking craft beer because I did know better. Words like “boozy” and “barnyard” and “mouthfeel” entered my vocabulary. At bars, the hunt began with the most expensive. I researched the history of lambic and pilsner and bière de garde. And to complete my snob-ucation, I joined a beer club.

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Big Boss Brewing | Saints on Raspberries

Raleigh’s own Big Boss Brewing is at it again with a limited release of Saints on Raspberries. A tart, fruity twist on their Flanders red-inspired Saints & Sinners, Saints on Raspberries is another feather in the cap that is their foedre-aged “Strange Cargo” series. The twist? Six extra months in wine barrels soaking up raspberry essence. Now, without further ado, the beer.

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Big Boss | Oak-Aged “Strange Cargo” Trio

We at PorchDrinking are no strangers to Big Boss. They’re one of Raleigh’s best and brightest breweries. But we are strangers to their new oak-aged “Strange Cargo” trio. At least we were, until now. Read More

Lonerider Brewing | Sundance Grapefruit Saison

ABV: 6.0% | IBU: 34

Imagine you’ve just received an email from a local brewery notifying you of the imminent release of a new spring seasonal. Compelling, right? Who doesn’t love to see new beer on the scene? So, you keep reading. “If you would like a sample, please provide your mailing address…” How do you respond? If you’re me in that moment, you play it cool. Read More

Raleigh Brewing | Moravian Rhapsody

ABV: 5.2% | IBU: 37

For North Carolinians (and adventurous travelers) who are new to the craft beer scene, and for those same North Carolinians who love hoppy beers, but don’t know it yet, a brewery at the heart of the state has the perfect introductory beer for you. Read More

Event Recap | Big Boss Brewing’s Tavern Ale Release

On a dark and stormy November 9th night, Raleigh’s own Big Boss Brewing premiered their Tavern Ale as part of their regular seasonal line-up. Read More

Weekly Growler Fill | National Beer News Roundup

Big beer news was announced this week: the Bourbon County Brand Stout line up was released along with changes to the packaging. On top of that, craft beer growth is still on the rise and Yuengling is partnering with an unlikely company. Since I know you’re dying to know more, read on to get all of the details to these craft beer news stories and more in this edition of the Weekly Growler Fill.

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