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BBQ Fest Updates and Happenings

Here it comes: BBQ BASH weekend! Are you prepared? Kinston has a lot going on this weekend, and Mother Earth Brewing is right at the heart of it. It’s time for the 31^st Annual BBQ Festival on the Neuse.

Here’s what’s happening: FRIDAY, MAY 4^th 6:00pm.

Mother Earth Brewing is the proud sponsor of the Annual Chamber Burger and Brew Bash!

Don’t be late: at 6:00pm, activities will get moving! Get downtown early if you want to grab one of the best burgers around.

The Chamber Classic Burger will feature hand-shaped fresh burgers, cheese, chili, slaw, mustard, ketchup and onions or you can dress your burger to taste! More in the mood for a Dog? No problem, the Chamber has got you covered. They will offer Hot Diggity Dogs for sale. Of course, you’ll need some killer sweet potato fries to complete your meal by the river.

Pre and Post feast, head into Mother Earth Brewing’s Taproom, where you know you’ll see a bunch of familiar faces. Join the crowd and grab yourself a fresh, locally brewed craft beer.

Hang out in Mother Earth’s Beer Garden and then watch a dynamic fireworks show at 9:30pm. Just like last year, this promises to be an awesome display.

So, what can you expect on Tap? Of course, all the top-notch brews you have come to expect from MEB (Weeping Willow Wit anyone?) PLUS, Smokey Heart, a smoke ale created just for the Taproom by MEB’s own Matt Heart, will make an appearance! Yep, you can count on us to pour some ultra-delicious brews.

Saturday May 5th offers brewery tour after brewery tour and lots of incredible live music.

If you have not had the pleasure of going on a brewer tour, Do IT this weekend. You’ll get a sneak-peek behind the scenes (haven’t you always wondered what they do in there?) learn more about beer, and get to know some of the MEB staff. Don’t worry; we let you take your beer along on the tour!

Then, on the North Street Mother Earth Stage Pseudo Blue from Raleigh
Starts at 10:00 am!

This is a band that’s hard to define- except to say they’re awesome! Pseudo Blue is versatile, funky, bluegrassy and can put on one incredible show! No doubt; Pseudo Blue will please everyone in the crowd!

You’ll see old friends, meet new friends, and enjoy the best of Eastern NC! We look forward to chatting with you this weekend in the MEB Beer Garden!

Peace, Love and Beer… Trent

The Power of an Opportunity

Over three years ago, Mother Earth Brewing began making great beer brewed close to nature. Since that time, Mother Earth Brewing has actively searched for opportunities that not only limit their footprint, but also ones that give back to the land, creating a cycle of sorts that benefits us all in some small way. This is a story about one such opportunity.

As you probably know, malt is a main ingredient of beer. What you might not know is that breweries use a lot of malt. In fact, the average 40bbl batch of beer (like what’s brewed at Mother Earth Brewing) requires 2,400 lbs. of malt. Malt arrives at the brewery in 55 pound “malt bags”- picture the modern version of a burlap sack. Once the malt is added to the brew, the bag has fulfilled its purpose and is tossed aside. It is easy to see how those malt bags quickly accumulate. Enter nearly any craft brewery, and in some random corner, you’re likely to come across a disheveled stack of discarded malt bags.

One day, as Josh Brewer, Head Brewer for Mother Earth Brewing, passed that ever-growing pile, he considered what opportunity might be stacked before his eyes- there must be some way to give those bags a purpose again. In an effort to do so, he created a simple post on Craigs List: “Free malt bags.” What happened next truly amazed him. Just moments after making the post, Josh received a response: “I’ll take all the bags you have.” The reply came from James West, of the North Carolina Forest Service. As the Nursery and Tree Improvement Program Head, James knew just how to re-purpose those bags: to help collect some 70,000 pounds of tree seeds. A few emails later, James was on his way from Goldsboro to claim a fat stack of malt bags.

You might be surprised to learn that the North Carolina Forest Service operates a massive “seedling” program (a seedling is a young plant, grown from a seed.) The program began in 1954, and starts about 3 million trees a year from the 70,000 pounds of seed collected across NC. Every county in NC collects seeds (a tedious process done by hand) -places the seeds in malt bags, and sends the seeds to Goldsboro to be cleaned and otherwise prepared for planting. About 50 different species are collected. Once the seeds develop into one year old seedlings, they are used for forest, wetlands and wildlife restoration.  To successfully operate the program, the North Carolina Forest Service has to purchase roughly 2,500 malt bags a year. –Not any longer.

The new partnership between Mother Earth Brewing and the North Carolina Forest Service not only makes that disheveled pile of malt bags disappear, it offers Mother Earth Brewing one more opportunity to give back to the land.

Who knew a malt bag could be so powerful?

Peace, Love and Beer...Trent

Annoucing New Beer Series

The Mother Earth Brewing team is excited to announce the creation of a new beer series: Window Panes. We’ve been putting the collection together for several months now, and we know you’ll be as pumped about it as we are. Here’s what it’s all about…

Window Panes is a collection of four North Carolina inspired beers; one beer will be released every quarter of 2012. Each beer is fermented with a North Carolina fruit (blackberries, raspberries, figs and peaches) and then barrel aged for up to three months in pinot noir, chardonnay, or brandy barrels.

We’ve limited production to 20 barrels, and we’ll package Window Pane in a special 750 ml cork and cage bottle (bottle just like our Silent Night Tripel Overhead.) Of course you’ll be able to buy the bottles at the Mother Earth Brewing Taproom- and they’ll also be sold in several stores across the state. And don’t worry; you’ll be able to grab it on tap at the Taproom too. Grab a pint or a bottle and help us celebrate the fruit farmers of our awesome state.

In the coming months we’ll be releasing the 1^st beer of the Window Pane series: double wit, fermented with blackberries and aged in a pinot noir barrel. I promise it’s going to be a pleaser!

Keep posted on FB for updates on its release. –And don’t forget to check out our events page for some outstanding live music!

Peace, Love and Beer… Trent

BEER BENEFIT January 20th Taproom

Mother Earth Brewing and Terrapin Beer Co. are honored to host a BEER BENEFIT on January 20th, 2012, starting at 5pm in the Mother Earth Brewing Taproom. The BEER BENEFIT will help local farmers stay on their feet while one of their biggest customers, Chef & the Farmer, gets back to offering die-hard followers a most unparalleled dining experience.

As you have no doubt heard, our local restaurant, Chef & The Farmer, suffered a fire in their kitchen during the early morning hours of Saturday, Jan. 7.  Although the fire was quickly contained, this top-notch, award winning eatery suffered extensive smoke and water damage, and remains closed for the foreseeable future while the damage is assessed and cleanup begins.

We planned an amazing collaborative beer dinner with our friends from Terrapin Beer Co.- to be held on January 20^th at Chef &The Farmer. Clearly, the beer dinner won’t be happening; but in its place we’re hosting a BEER BENEFIT on the very same night.

Chef & the Farmer, is “a restaurant that celebrates the heritage and bounty of North Carolina’s Coastal Plain” to that end, “Chef Howard works with over 15 small farms in eastern North Carolina to supply the restaurant with proteins, produce, dairy, nuts and grains” according to their website. Many of you can attest to the incredibly fresh, multidimensional flavors experienced during an evening at “The Chef.” Many of the farmers that owners Ben Knight and Vivian Howard work hand-in-hand with will endure a substantial economic strain during this time of clean up and restoration. When we asked Ben and Vivian for guidance on the best way we could help, they suggested we do something to assist these local farmers, many of whom operate very small specialty farms that sell most of what they grow to the restaurant. 

So, we’re doing what we can to help them by doing what we do best:  having a party!  On Friday, January 20, the originally scheduled date of the dinner, we’re having a Beer Benefit at the Mother Earth Tap Room & Beer Garden, presented jointly by Terrapin Beer Co. and Mother Earth Brewing.  We’ll feature some awesome rarities from both breweries on tap (see below), as well as having John Cochran, Spike Buckowski, and Dustin “Ranger” Walker of Terrapin and Trent Mooring, Stephen Hill and Josh Brewer of Mother Earth on hand to meet beer lovers and talk about their creations.  We’re also having a schwag raffle, with tickets available for purchase at the event that could net you some really awesome goodies from both Terrapin and Mother Earth.  Please remember: All of the proceeds from the raffle, as well as a portion of the Tap Room sales for the evening, will go to help these local farmers stay on their feet while their largest customer rebuilds and gets back on their own two feet.

We know that thanks to the support of both the Kinston community and the craft beer community, Chef & the Farmer will be back and better than ever soon, sourcing the freshest possible ingredients from these farmers once again.  Come out and celebrate with us on Friday, January 20.  This is certain to be a very special and memorable evening for everyone involved.  We can’t wait to see you here!

SPECIAL DRAFTS

From Terrapin Beer Co.:

Hopsecutioner IPA (7.2%) - This Killer IPA earns its name by using six different types of hops while still remaining an aggressive well balanced beer.

Free Spirit (6.8%) – A very special and limited release, Free Spirit is a saison brewed with Sunflower Seeds and Elderflower.  One of only three kegs to make it to North Carolina!!

From Mother Earth Brewing:

Tripel Overhead (10.0%) – Our spring seasonal, a Belgian-style Tripel ale aged in Heaven Hills bourbon barrels.  Vintage 2011.

Silent Night (9.5%) – Our winter seasonal, an Imperial Stout, brewed with coffee and molasses, and aged in Heaven Hills bourbon barrels.  Vintage 2010.

Smokey Hart – A special one barrel pilot release.  Details to come!!



Thank you for helping your local farmers.

Peace, Love and Beer... Trent

Expanded Tap Room Hours!

Here's some awesome news to kick-start your 2012: The Tap Room will be open more often for your enjoyment!

Word has really spread about the fresh craft beer we pour at the Tap Room; each week we get lots of "regulars" a bunch of new locals, and a host of guests from around NC and an amazing variety of other states. It has been a lot of fun to hear the story of how those from far away places heard of Mother Earth Brewing, and made plans to visit.

So begining January 1, 2012, we welcome you to come enjoy the Tap Room more often, with the following expanded hours:

Every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday: 4pm - 10pm
Every Saturday: 1pm - 6pm

So the big change is that the Tap Room will be open every Wednesday and every Saturday.  If you have not had the chance to experience a brewery tour, we've made it even easier for you to do so. Now, brewery tours will take place every Saturday begining at 1pm, 2pm, 3pm and 4pm. Tours begin in the Tap Room.

Remember that we offer a killer beer patio, complete with heaters and incredibly comfortable chairs and couches. It's the ideal place to gather after the work day is done.

Due to its overwhelming popularity, we are scheduling even more live entertainment for 2012- so join us on Facebook, and keep checking our Events page for all the news.

I want to sincerely thank you for your patronage; we truly appreciate your support as we make Kinston synonymous with incredible craft beer.

Peace, Love and Beer... Trent

Brewing an ALL NC Beer!

Yes, we're brewing an All NC Beer!

The holidays remind us that North Carolina’s Christmas trees beat all others; in fact NC is ranked second in the nation in number of trees harvested. Our Christmas trees rule, but I’m here to talk about hops. You might not know that a sizable number of hops are being harvested right here in the Tar Heel State and hops make Santa happy. We all want that fine fellow Ho-Ho-Ho’ing, don’t we?

Well, Mother Earth Brewing is about to make good use of this little known (ever-increasing) NC crop- taking the ‘NC harvested’ initiative to a new echelon. That’s because this Friday Josh and crew are brewing a one barrel batch of “all-NC” beer. A pale ale made with Cascade hops from the sustainable oriented Echoview Farm of Weaverville and malt from Riverbend Malt House – located in Asheville. The crew will use Riverbend’s Heritage Malt, a 6-row malt that is produced from Thoroughbred barley grown near Salisbury, NC. This malt sports a mild flavor profile that “contributes a slight nutty flavor, but allows the specialty grains to take center stage” according to the experts at Riverbend. We’re pumped to say the least, so keep up with tweets and FB posts for the release date of this NC-grown brew.

While hops are still considered a “specialty crop” in NC- there’s nothing short of a hop movement going on in NC. Take a few minutes to visit the information found on Echoview Farm’s website; you’ll be amazed at all the hop activity. Locally, we’ve successfully grown hops on a farm in LaGrange, and outside the Mother Earth Brewing Taproom. Several months ago we even brewed a special batch of beer made with these ultra-local hops. Fresh, delicious, and homegrown- it was a winner all the way around.

This is probably a good time to brag about another fine NC fact:

According to the NC Brewers Guild, “North Carolina boasts more craft breweries than any state in the American South, with 21 brewpubs and 28 production breweries statewide. If you're in North Carolina, you're probably just a few miles from a great craft beer.”

So as you take down your tree this year, raise a pint to all those NC farmers who continually push themselves to keep NC agriculture on the map. Thanks for a giving us what we need to craft a killer NC brew.

Peace, Love and Beer…Trent

Have a Silent Night.

RELEASE PARTIES: RALEIGH & KINSTON

The official Silent Night 2011 release party happens on Thursday, December 1^st at the Mother Earth Brewing Tap Room. Not only will we debut 2011 Silent Night, we’ll also have 2010 Silent Night on tap so you can enjoy a two year vertical tasting. Of course, a limited number of Silent Night bottles will be for sale- last year we sold out incredibly fast, and we expect that this year’s Silent Night will be equally popular. We’ve heard lots of talk about people giving Silent Night as a cherished holiday gift; pair it with a Mother Earth Brewing snifter glass for a complete package of holiday cheer.

What's so special about this year's Silent Night?
So here’s something that’s got us extra pumped about 2011 Silent Night: Counter Culture Coffee tweaked their classic 1922 Mocha & Java blend just for us to give Silent Night an even more pronounced note of rich dark chocolate. For added body, richness, and complexity, we also mixed in Counter Culture's sweet, heirloom Jagong coffee from northern Sumatra. Four pounds of savory beans went in each 20bbl batch. They were rough ground and steeped in the whirlpool for an hour. Hmmm, Goodness.

Where Silent Night stands right now: Last week we transferred Silent Night out of the barrels (where it rested for two long months) and moved it into the brite tanks. Capturing this bad boy in its 750ml cork and cage bottle will happen next week. It’s a labor of love.

If you missed enjoying our Silent Night, Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout last year, head into the Tap Room to grab a pint while it lasts. Remember, we have heaters that keep the spacious beer garden toasty, and comfy seating that’s inviting you to sit down for a silent night with friends.

More SILENT NIGHT good news:: If you’re having trouble waiting until December 1^st, then check out the early release party that’s going down at Beasley's Chicken + Honey in Raleigh on Wednesday, November 30, 2011 starting at 6pm. Stephen, Josh and I will be on hand to personally present Silent Night to the Triangle region. A gang from Counter Culture Coffee joins us at this ultra admired, unbelievably popular eatery.

We hope you’ll join us in bringing in the holiday cheer;  Silent Night style.

Peace, Love and Beer... Trent

Edible Whole Foods...

Recently, Stephen and I spent an afternoon at Whole Foods with Fred Thompson, publisher of Edible Piedmont Magazine. Fred was interested in helping his followers learn more about craft beer, and we were more than obliged to help him out.

This short video is a great introduction to three of our beers (Endless River Kolsch, Old Neighborhood Oatmeal Porter and Weeping Willow Wit.) It has an added bonus: Fred offers a great beer cheese soup recipe made with Sunny Haze, our German Style Hefeweizen. We also have a short chat with Fred about the importance of sustainability as a fundamental element of Mother Earth Brewing- and specifically discuss the merits of our unique 6pk holders.

So go ahead and click: you’re sure to learn more about our craft brew, and grab a great recipe too. It’s a perfect dish for Halloween weekend.

–And kudos to Fred and his team for winning the 2011 James Beard Foundation Publication of the Year Award for Edible Communities Publications.

Peace, Love and Beer… Trent

Josh Brewer Wins Smackdown!

Mother Earth Brewing’s Josh Brewer Wins World Beer Festival 2011/CraftBeer.com Smackdown!

While the title may lead you to believe otherwise, Josh’s recent Smackdown win doesn’t mean he’s rough around the edges. On the contrary, he did an ultra-smooth job of marrying beer with food. That’s what the World Beer Festival’s Food & Beer Pairing Challenge is all about. Julia Herz, Publisher of CraftBeer.com (and the Brewers Association Craft Beer Program Director) moderated, mediated and ensured this highly anticipated event was even more electrifying than everyone imagined it would be. Turn-out was awesome and the energy was high.

So here’s how a Smackdown goes down: Four hand-picked brewers are given a pre-determined food selection and must choose a craft beer that best suits the food. In short; Brewers go head-to-head to create the ultimate beer and food pairing in front of a 100 person audience stuffed with over-the-top foodies and beer lovers. Along the way they sit on stage and talk smack, reveal a bit about themselves to the crowd, and relish in the opportunity for friendly competition. The pressure is sweet! The audience serves as judge and jury (they were stoked!) and in a blind taste test chose Josh’s pairing of Mole Poblano with Mother Earth Brewing’s Dark Cloud, Munich style Dunkel – earning him the title of World Beer Festival 2011/CraftBeer.com Smackdown Champion. I’m so glad Stephen and I were right on hand to watch Josh weave his magic.

So if you’re wondering what makes a good food and beer pairing, here are a few notes on what the Brewers had to say about crafting a successful pairing.

The food and the beer should be able to stand proudly on their own; yet as a whole, they should be better than the parts. An ideal relationship.

The beer’s attributes should complement, contrast, or even cut. For example, the bitterness in hops balances sweetness. Carbonation bites through rich foods and cleans the tongue.

If you’re interested in more pairing tips, you’ll find every clue you need at CraftBeer. The site sports a boat-load of tips… it’s really very interesting stuff.

Cheers to Josh!

Peace, Love and Beer… Trent

Seasonal is on its way...

Well, it's almost that time of year again. Our Fall Seasonal, Old Neighborhood Oatmeal Porter was just released- and the much anticipated Silent Night Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout is headed your way. Here's the scoop.
Silent Night is scheduled to be released on December 1st. Right now it's headed to 24 whiskey barrels for a stay of about 2 months. Then, this Winter Seasonal will be transferred into a brite tank, undergo carbonation, and finally get carefully bottled into a 750ml "cork and cage" bottle. Of course, on release, you can buy it at the Mother Earth Brewing Taproom- but you can also experience it in kegs at various locations across the state.
What's very cool about this year's Silent Night is that we've collaborated with Counter Culture Coffee (out of Durham.) Silent Night has been seeped in the whirlpool with a special custom coffee blend made just for Mother Earth Brewing. We anticipate the results to be mind-blowing. Stay tuned.
Peace, Love and Beer... Trent