From Foothills:Occasionally we get to introduce a new beer. Or two.
Not since we opened 13 years ago have we gotten to, all at once, introduce three.
But this spring affords us that opportunity. We have re-imagined Carolina Blonde and Carolina Strawberry, using those mainstays to inspire two new additions to our year-round cast of core beers.
We’re also adding a ‘malternative’ beer to our traditionally hoppy roster.
Here’s the lowdown on our new lineup:
THOUSAND SMILES GOLDEN ALE ABV 4.4%
BACKSTORY: Ever heard those baseball trades where there’s “a player to be named later?” That was Carolina Blonde. When Foothills went in search of a bigger brewhouse in 2010 to put in our (then) brand new brewery, our search took us to Carolina Beer & Beverage in Mooresville NC, where Carolina Blonde was born. That brewer was getting ready to start making energy drinks instead of beer, so when we bought his brewhouse he asked us to take Carolina Blonde in the deal. We changed it from a lager-esque brew to a cream ale, added a little wheat, and it became the lightest core offering we have.
Thousand Smiles is the next generation of that offering. Light bodied, slightly malt forward, with a fuller than expected mouthfeel from the oats addition. The small amount of acidulated malt used in the brew adds balance without adding tartness. Hops are mild and subtle. A very clean, very refreshing beer.
GRAINS: Pilsner Malt, Acidulated Malt, Oats
HOPS: Apollo, Cascade
OF NOTE: the ‘Thousand Smiles’ name came to us one day while driving home listening to a Jimi Hendrix song called ‘Little Wings’: “When I’m sad, she comes to me, with a thousand smiles she gives to me free”.
TANGLED VINE BERRY ROSE’ ALE ABV 4.5% BACKSTORY: Like Carolina Blonde, Carolina Strawberry came to us in the ‘bottling line’ deal. It’s always had a bad rap; when people see ‘strawberry’ they think ‘sweet’. Truth is, this beer has always used fresh strawberry puree, which lends more of the pectin from the fruit than the fructose, and therefore has always been slightly tart instead of sweet. Our marketing director declares this his ‘lawnmower beer’ – the one that tastes best after a spring/summer day of working in the yard.
Tangled Vine will be, like Thousand Smiles, a re-imagining of this core beer. It’s a tart fruit beer made with acidulated malt, which provides a rounder, fuller character to the beer, enhancing the flavor while adding mild acidity. That malt is balanced with cranberries, sour cherries and strawberries, to create a dry, tart and eminently drinkable ale. Lively carbonation adds bubbly character, and the balanced fruit taste has just the right amount of pucker.
GRAINS: Pilsner Malt, Acidulated Malt, Oats
HOPS: Apollo
OF NOTE: Rosé Ale is a style relatively new to the craft beer world; it’s kind of a liquid link between beer and wine. Based on styles like gose, Berliner Weisse, sours and more, brewers are producing a variety of rosé-inspired beers.
MALT SHAKER AMBER ALE ABV 5.8% BACKSTORY: OK, so this technically isn’t a new beer – but it’s the official branding of the amber ale we’ve been producing for a few months now. It came to our attention that, while lots of you enjoy drinking Foothills beer, some of you (gasp) prefer a less hoppy alternative. So our brewmaster T.L. came up with this deliciously malty amber ale. It’s smooth, sweet and mellow – medium bodied with lots of caramel and some nuttiness.
GRAINS: Canadian 2-row Pale, Caramel 20, Caramel 60, Dark Crystal, Wheat
HOPS: Cascade, Apollo
OF NOTE: This beer won the gold medal at the 2017 North Carolina Brewer’s Cup in the amber ale category
Start looking for these in bottles and/or on draft by the end of April! #cheers
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