{"id":4088,"date":"2013-03-25T21:26:36","date_gmt":"2013-03-26T03:26:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/tombedell.com\/?p=4088"},"modified":"2013-03-25T21:37:48","modified_gmt":"2013-03-26T03:37:48","slug":"tap-beer-of-the-week-hoppyum-ipa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/tombedell\/golf\/lifestyle\/4088\/tap-beer-of-the-week-hoppyum-ipa","title":{"rendered":"TAP Beer of the Week: Hoppyum IPA"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Flight delays going and coming on a recent trip led to two missed connections and quite a few extra hours spent at the Charlotte Douglas International Airport, better known as CLT. The upside? I now know where to find a decent beer there, and I\u2019m going to point the way.<\/p>\n

There is no problem finding banal beer at many places in the airport as well. But, as usual, why bother?<\/p>\n

I first ran into the Carolina Beer Co. bar area months ago, and once stranded on this trip I sought it out again. It\u2019s practically hidden at the end of Concourse D, but was nonetheless fairly lively last Thursday evening. But there\u2019s also a spot on Concourse B called A Taste of Carolina that serves the same state-produced craft beers, available in samplers.<\/p>\n

I opted for the less hectic Concourse D area, where there are ample tables if spotty wifi. And I opted for a sampler, trying beers from the Carolina Beer Company, The Olde Mecklenburg Brewery and Foothills Brewing.<\/p>\n

The Carolina Beer Company began in the Charlotte area in 1997; its brands were taken over by Foothills Brewing in 2011. (Foothills also acquired the Cottonwood brand.) A big seller was (and is) Carolina Blonde, a 5% ABV golden ale with aggressive carbonation, a lightly sweet and medium-bodied palate. It\u2019s good, if nothing special, although it’s easy to imagine it as ground-breaking in the Carolinas in 1997.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

It was preferable to either offering from The Olde Mecklenburg Brewery, established in 2009. This was a bit of a surprise, since many OMB beers have received high scores on beer rating sites. They wouldn\u2019t have this evening. Both the Copper (\u201can authentic D\u00fcsseldorf-style Altbier\u201d) and the seasonal Dunkel suggested that someone had dropped a stale washcloth into the fermenters. The Copper had a faint impression of caraway poking through, but was mainly sour, and not in a good way. The Dunkel was equally unpleasant.<\/p>\n

Hoppyum was the clear winner, but it\u2019s more than the best of a bad lot. It\u2019s a rollicking and fragrant American IPA, citrusy, herbal, dominated by Simcoe hops, with an appealing earthy sweetness and puckering dryness to the finish. Quite scrumptious.<\/p>\n

According to the brewery\u2019s marketing director, Ray Goodrich, \u201cHoppyum is one of our core brands, our bestseller, and the favorite beer of our president and brewmaster Jamie Bartholomaus.\u201d<\/p>\n

The company began in 2004 as a Winston-Salem brewpub, and has obviously been going strong ever since, adding a production brewery in late 2011 that should increase annual production to 40,000 barrels.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Outside the area it is probably best known for the semi-notorious Sexual Chocolate, an annual limited release Imperial Stout difficult to obtain. (Not<\/em> available at the airport, alas, so I\u2019ve still never had it.)<\/p>\n

Bartholomaus is clearly an eclectic brewer. He produces more than a score of year-round and seasonal beers and has fistfuls of Great American Beer Festival and World Cup Beer medals in the trophy case. If Hoppyum is indicative, then I could wish Foothills would also take over a few more tap handles with their People\u2019s Porter, Torch Pilsner or India-Style Brown Ale.<\/p>\n

It would add even more upside, and might make a delay at CLT downright desirable.<\/p>\n

Name: Hoppyum IPA
\nBrewer: Foothills Brewing, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
\nStyle: American IPA
\nABV: 6.2%
\nAvailability: Year-round, NC, SC, VA and TN.
\nFor More Information: www.foothillsbrewing.com<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

In Concourse D at CLT<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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