2014 Carolina BrewHaHa Update

Time to collect my notes and photos and describe the fun-filled and educational day I spent at the Carolina BrewHaHa yesterday. This one, the Second Annual, had more breweries so it took me a bit longer to cover them, mingling with the happy sippers and trying to get the best photo angle. Where else can you work in such pleasant conditions (heat not withstanding) with a beer in your hand?! Well, outside of a brewery anyway.

My apologies to any I missed, see ya next year?

Music, fun and games and beer.

Winning combination for a festival

VIP section's Wall of Beer had rare beers including Oskar Blues ten FIDY, Bell's Hopsulation, Andersonvalley's Holy Gose.

 My first beer taste of the day was this amazing Sierra Nevada Equinox, a single hopped (Equinox) IPA. Only two bombers were available so only early birds paying attention got to try it. I'm not familiar with the Equinox hop so will be doing some research. Apparently a SN proprietary hop.







Title Sponsor Thomas Creek had their excellent Trifecta IPA available which Josh McGee was happy to pour.

Todd from Anderson Valley Brewing had a not-yet-released brew to try: AVBC Blood Orange Gose. I could easily have drunk it for the rest of the afternoon, but people kept getting in line for it.







Let's let Todd describe it himself:

More sights:

Did I mention that there was food?

Back from last year:

Happy burger customer.

Coleslaw had Centennial hops mixed in. Delicious, added to burger.

Gortex lets us in on the recipe:

Jake and Stella announcing some winners for special beer prizes, one of which was Pliney the Elder!

Even Skjervold from SouthYeast Labs likes other people's beer too!

Where's the cheese?

Love the name... and the Irish Red was very malt tasty.

Gortex traded his Anderson Valley Gose sorbet for some Stone 18th Anniversary?

Padenrich Station got the music off to a great start.

Homebrewers from the Anderson area were there to offer unique samples.












And the fun cont'd:

Clemson Brew Crew brewed away! Even had a sample left from last year.

Hi-5 from Terrapin was one of the top three beers for me, for the day.

Palmetto Moon Shine had delicate samples of some intensely flavored shine.

Bean bag toss with beer requires a deft touch. Here's how it's done.

New take on a "beer" mustache.

Great looking folks and equally great Espresso Porter.

Met a fun group who remineded me that I had take their pic last year and wanted to get their pic again. Happy to accommodate and I even found last year's pic, for a "before and after" meme:

This year.

Last year.

A schedule conflict forced me to leave early (and miss the rain!), but as I left, the band Peartree Music was entertaining the crowd with some vintage Grateful Dead, always a good choice for beer drinking.

 Whew! Tired all over again just looking at the pics. Only 364 days and we can do it again.

Cheers.