With the coming of spring, Carolina Brewery— one of the few founding craft brewers of the Tar Heel State’s now-booming beer culture— is playing on the tastes and aromas of the season with a limited edition India Pale Lager handcrafted for easy-drinking. The new beer was brewed in special celebration of Carolina Brewery partner and fellow Chapel Hill mainstay, the North Carolina Botanical Garden, for their 50th Anniversary, bearing the name of the garden’s 2016 “Wildflower of the Year,” the Rattlesnake Master.
“It seems fitting to celebrate our golden anniversary with a new brew, and we couldn’t be more thrilled that Carolina Brewery is adding their own flavor into the mix with their limited edition ‘Rattlesnake Master’ beer— named after our 2016 Wildflower of the Year,” said Damon Waitt, North Carolina Botanical Garden Director. “While the new brew’s namesake was used by indigenous peoples as anti-venom for rattlesnake bites, we think you will find other ways to put Rattlesnake Master India Pale Lager to good use.”
Crafted as a crossbreed of two beloved beer styles— a debut mashup for the Chapel Hill brewery— the Rattlesnake Master India Pale Lager blends the best features of ales and lagers into a thirst-quenching hybrid brew. Featuring a mixture of ale and pilsner malts topped off with caramel malt for enhanced color and a hint of sweetness, the brew layers in British-sourced Sovereign hops for an herbaceous aroma and mellow bitterness. Following a long, cool fermentation with Bohemian lager yeast, the Brewmaster also dry hops the beer with another fragrant piney ale hop— the smooth, citrusy American Simcoe— for a bright, nutty flavor finish.
“We are excited to brew this special new beer style we have never brewed before to help commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Botanical Garden. Carolina Brewery has a long history of working with the Botanical Garden and strongly supports all that they do for our community. This is going to be a fun local project with the beer available on our Chapel Hill brewpub and at various fundraising events for the garden throughout the summer.”
Hops: Sovereign, Simcoe
ABV: 5.2%
IBU: 42
To unveil this newest brew during NC Beer Month, Carolina Brewery will be hosting a tapping party on Thursday, April 14, at 5:30 p.m. at its Chapel Hill brewpub at 460 W Franklin Street. Pubgoers can purchase $3 pints of the Rattlesnake Master or enjoy the beer in a commemorative take-home pint glass for $5.
For more information on Carolina Brewery, please visit CarolinaBrewery.com.
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