Charlotte Craft Beer Week Announces Event Schedule

The inaugural Charlotte Craft Beer Week, scheduled for March 18-28, will highlight craft domestic and imported gourmet beers at nearly 30 events spread across the region.

Charlotte Craft Beer Week will feature tastings of rare and exotic brews, showcases for North Carolina and East Coast breweries, food and beer pairing events, educational experiences and the chance to meet a number of brewers and industry luminaries.

“The line up for Charlotte Craft Beer Week is really coming together thanks to the hard work of the organizing committee and a number of brewers, distributors and retailers that want to expose people to all of the great craft beer flavors,” said Darrin Pikarsky, founder of the Charlotte Beer Club. “We have more than two dozen events on the schedule and will likely add a few more prior to the start of the event. If you enjoy beer, you are going to find at least a few events you will want to attend.”

The goal behind Charlotte Craft Beer Week is to celebrate a new golden age of beer in the Queen City and introduce more people to the dozens of amazing beer styles and venues now available locally. Tickets for the events will be sold at each of the host locations. The event is modeled after successful beer weeks in Philadelphia and San Francisco designed to reflect the growing beer culture in the U.S.

“Beer is more flexible than wine when it comes to the occasions when you can enjoy it, flavors that it offers and options for matching it with food,” said Rick Lyke, a Charlotte-based beer writer and contributor to the soon to be released book, ‘1001 Beers You Must Taste Before You Die.‘ “Charlotte Craft Beer Week is a celebration of a great beverage that has been at the center of civilization for thousands of years. We’re lucky to live in a place and time where we can enjoy some of the world’s great beers and ales right in our hometown.”

The event schedule is still being finalized, but the 11-day celebration of all things beer includes:

March 18, 7-9 p.m.: Charlotte Craft Beer Week Tap the Keg Reception at Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery at 401 N. Tryon St., Charlotte.
March 19, 7-10 p.m.: Brewery Night featuring Victory, Brooklyn, Oskar Blues, Terrapin and Heavy Seas at The Flying Saucer Draught Emporium at 9605 North Tryon St., Charlotte.
March 20, 3-6 p.m.: Beasts of the East Big Beer Tasting at The Liberty Gastro Pub at 1812 South Blvd., Charlotte, featuring Terrapin, Victory, Heavy Seas, Flying Dog, Schmaltz, Brooklyn and Sweetwater. A portion of the proceeds from this event will benefit Pints for Prostates.
March 21, Noon-3 p.m.: Abita Cajun Brunch at Tavern on the Tracks, 1411 S. Tryon St., Charlotte.
March 21, 3-7 p.m.: North Carolina Brewers Guild Tasting at The Flying Saucer Draught Emporium. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the North Carolina Brewers Guild.
March 22, 6-9 p.m.: Hugh Sisson Beer School at Dilworth Neighborhood Grille, 911 E. Morehead St., Charlotte. Featuring Brewer Hugh Sisson of Clipper City Brewing and Heavy Seas Ales of Baltimore, Md.
March 22, 5-8 p.m.: Redhook Keep the Pint Night at Brick House Tavern, 209 Delburg St., Davidson.
March 22, 6-9 p.m.: Olde Mecklenburg Fruh Bock Dinner at The Liberty Gastro Pub.
March 22, 7-10 p.m.: Magic Hat Brewery Night at The Pizza Peel & Tap Room, 4422 Colwick Rd., Charlotte.
March 23, 5-8 p.m.: New Belgium and Bison Brewing Sustainability Beer Dinner at Vintners Wine Market in the Arboretum, 8128 Providence Rd., Charlotte.
March 23, 6-9 p.m.: Catawba Valley Brewing Meet the Brewer Tasting at Ed’s Tavern, 2200 Park Rd., Charlotte.
March 23, 6-9 p.m.: Sierra Nevada 30th Anniversary Celebration featuring Bigfoot Barleywine at Pizza Peel & Tap Room.
March 23, 6:30-9:30 p.m., Stone Brewery Dinner at The Common House, 1101 Central Ave., Charlotte.
March 23, 6:30-9:30 p.m., Abita Beer Dinner at Zink American Kitchen, 201 N. Tryon St., Charlotte.
March 24, 5-9 p.m.: German Bier Fest at Olde Mecklenburg Brewery, 215 Southside Dr., Charlotte.
March 24, 5-9 p.m.: Hop-A-Palooza at The Common Market, 1515 S. Tryon St., Charlotte, featuring Double and Imperial IPAs loaded with hops.
March 24, 7-9 p.m.: Stone Brewery Keep the Growler Night at The Flying Saucer.
March 25, 6:30-9:30 p.m.: Carolina Beer Co. Dinner at Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse, 222 S. Tryon St., Charlotte.
March 25, 7-10 p.m.: Freak Fest at The Common Market featuring freaky beers, live circus freaks and live rock and roll music.
March 26, 4-7 p.m.: Bison Burgers & Bison Beers at Ed’s Tavern. Four course beer dinner using locally sourced ingredients and matched with Bison’s organic ales.
March 26, 5:30-7:30 p.m.: Michigan Breweries Double Header Part I with Bell’s, Founders and New Holland at Total Wine & More, Park Towne Village, 1600 E. Woodlawn Ave., Charlotte
March 26, 8-11 p.m.: Michigan Breweries Double Header Part II with Bell’s, Founders and New Holland at Dilworth Neighborhood Grille.
March 26, 8-11 p.m.: Dogfish Head Beer Tasting at Pizza Peel & Tap Room.
March 27, Noon- 4 p.m.: Carolina Beer Co. Tour & Tasting, 110 Barley Park Lane, Mooresville.
March 27, 1-5 p.m.: 5+1 Cask Beer Festival, Duckworth’s Grill & Taphouse, Park Towne Village, 1600 E. Woodlawn Rd., Charlotte. Cask conditioned beers from Foothills, Founders, Highland, Duck-Rabbit, New Holland and Rock Bottom.
March 27, 6-10 p.m.: Stone Brewing Most Arrogant Bar in America Celebration, Tilted Kilt, 13230 Carowinds Blvd., Charlotte.
March 27, 7-10 p.m.: Black & Blue at Visualite with Brawley’s. Visualite Theater, 1615 Elizabeth Ave., Charlotte. Black beers with bluegrass music.
March 28, 2-5 p.m.: Charlotte Craft Beer Week Last Call, Common House.

More details on the Charlotte Craft Beer Week are available at www.charlottecraftbeerweek.org. Tickets and reservations for individual events should be made directly with the venues. Craft beer focused restaurants, bars and retailers interested in hosting an event should contact Darrin Pikarsky at darrinpikarsky@gmail.com.

Charlotte Craft Beer Week urges you to drink responsibly. Please designate a driver or use public transportation when you attend one of these great events.