Beer, Food, & Books! That’s what I go hunting for when I’m in a new place. Local places with cool stuff I can’t find at home, or anywhere else if it’s really special! Finding the local brewery, hole-in-the-wall cafe, or small used bookstore that fits the bill… That’s the memories I enjoy taking home. You…
Haw River Farmhouse Ales
Located in lovely Saxapahaw, NC (just West of Chapel Hill), Haw River… “specializes in crafting special brews steeped in Belgian tradition, but elevated by local creativity. Full of flavor and native ingredients, we believe beer is more than just something you drink. It’s an experience meant to be shared with those around you. It’s about community….
East meets South!
We just got back from Saigon Market and Sam is making dumplings! What to drink… Staccato Signals, an unoaked sour ale from Steel String Brewery in Carrboro, NC. It’s made with “locally foraged Southern yuzu zest, NC made white miso, local ginger and NC malt.” It’s kind of the perfect pairing, East meets the South! So good! #eastmeetssouth…
There’s a New Anthem for NC Beer…
We’ve got some of my new favorite IPAs in the shop now! New Jack and Steez, from New Anthem Beer Project, in downtown Wilmington, NC. (That’s as local and fresh as you can get!) Easy drinking and beautifully dry-hopped with lots of citrus and tropical flavors. Perfect for the beach! #canscangoanywhere#newanthembeerproject #ilmbeer #ncbeer#drinklocalbeer #nccraftbeer #surfcitync#topsailisland…
Lunatic Beer Pairings!
Dessert course tonight: @sugarislandnc Raspberry White Chocolate Cupcakes and @wickedweedbrewing Lunatic Belgian Blonde Ale. The dessert’s tart raspberries, creamy chocolate, and light vanilla cake complement the Belgian spices, slight sweetness and lighter malt bill in this golden ale. Individually, the flavors in the sweet wouldn’t work as well with the beer… but all together they…
Holiday Cheers!
It’s our (1st) Annual Holiday Beer & Food Advent Calendar! Unwrapping holiday treats all month! All month long we’ll be opening our Holiday Beer & Food Advent calendar and sharing what we find on Pair & Ale, along with our Facebook and Instagram pages. Follow along for all the great holiday beers, food…
Biere de Bird
Being someone who revels in the enjoyment of good food and beer, I’m always grateful when Thanksgiving Day rolls around. I love all the traditional holiday fare! Turkey, mashed potatoes, oyster dressing, cranberry sauce, deviled eggs and, of course, dessert. With such a broad range of flavors served on Thanksgiving, it’s truly a day made…
Sweet Potatoes & Event Horizons!
It’s Halloween, arguably the sweetest time of the year around here! It’s time for Goblin Green Key Lime Pie, Dead Velvet Cake, and Spider Web Macaroons … and more! Sugar Island Bakery’s Halloween menu is up! Just in time for all the Fall Festivals, Halloween Parties, and/or (insert holiday themed celebration). We celebrated a…
My scone has a Napoleon Complex.
Every so often, Sam makes these wonderful savory scones incorporating her latest food finds. Readers of Sam’s blog (at sugaronfrontst.com) will already know that there is a new Farmers Market in Wilmington at Ogden Park and we’re taking part! This gives us a chance to see all our farming friends on a weekly basis and…
Belgian beers and blue cheese.
We made some new friends, and heard from some old ones this week! Haw River Farmhouse Ales came all the way from Saxapahaw, NC to see us at the bakery… and they brought beer! Haw River specializes in Belgian-style ales made with NC creativity (and ingredients). Haw River sources everything possible from farms within 100 miles…
Freak of Nature?
Yes! And it’s so, so good. The first thing that comes to mind with Freak of Nature is “juicy.” The lovely orangeish gold color hints at this, followed by an aroma of tropical hoppy dankness. There’s a strong malt backbone nicely balanced by hop bitterness on the first sip. But it quickly leans more towards a…
Aged cheese & wild ale.
For two decades, the Tate family has been making delicious cheeses at Goat Lady Dairy in the rolling hills of central North Carolina. We’ve been in love with their Smoky Mountain Round goat cheese for a long time; but now we find ourselves compelled by Providence… an aged goat milk cheese. The Tates call Providence a: “A…
Beer/Wine + Food @ Sugar Island Bakery! 