Bond Brothers gets high scores for brews, atmosphere

I spent a couple hours in the hot sun Thursday afternoon, walking the downtown area of Cary, N.C., for a photo shoot. I'd studied maps of the area before embarking on the shoot, so I knew Bond Brothers Beer Company craft brewery was somewhere in that vicinity.

But I hadn't spent much time in the downtown first-hand to know exactly where it was. I just figured I'd come upon it at some point during my walk-around. That didn't happen.

I had parked my car in the Ashworth Village shopping center, So when I returned to my car after the shoot, I looked up the brewery on my iPhone maps app and pin-pointed the location. Turns out, I'd come oh, so close to Bond Brothers during the walk-around before unwittingly turning away from it unseen. This time, behind the wheel of the car, I wasn't going to miss it.

Like a lot of craft breweries I have visited in Indiana and North Carolina, Bond Brothers is situated in a converted industrial structure. The advantages of these buildings is that everything is in the open; there are no pillars or posts blocking access paths or views, for that matter. Some breweries do better at decorating these than others. Bond Brothers did a nice job with theirs; there is a good amount of seating indoors and at the bar, and even more in the spacious outdoors garden.

When approaching the brewery from Cedar Street, you see the brick facade shown above; there is an opening through the fence to access the door, which is situated in the outdoor seating area behind that fence.

I was hoping to do a flight -- small samplings of several beers -- which I like to do when I visit a brewery for the first time. Flights (and growler fills, for that matter) are huge deals at Indiana craft breweries. Not so much at North Carolina breweries, and as for growlers -- if a brewery offers them, they don't discount them or offer a one-day growler fill special like Indiana craft breweries. They charge quite a lot for them, in fact. The Bond Brothers bartender told me the brewery doesn't offer flights ... and doesn't even offer growler fills. Their best substitutes were 10-ounce servings -- most costing $3 (versus $5 for most pint glasses), and tall cans that contain 32 ounces (a/k/a crawlers).

So I indulged in three 10-ounce samples -- the Cary Gold cream ale (mostly filled glass on the right), the Short Stride Sessions IPA (half-filled glass) and the Local American IPA (oops, I forgot to photograph it), in that order. When I finished them all, I decided to devour one more Cary Gold, which I really liked. Both IPAs were good, too, but the cream ale impacted me the most, quite possibly because it was my first consumption of fluid since getting out of the heat.

My tastes in craft beers stay mainly among pale and cream ales and IPAs. I usually eschew stouts and porters, although I've been talked into trying some when I have a flight to fill. I know brewers toil at developing other blends -- sours, fruit- or wine-heavy concoctions, witts, bocks and the like. My experience is that those veer far away from real beer taste, that they don't taste like beer anymore. So I also tend to avoid those.

Several customers seated near me were drinking a purple-colored draft, which I soon learned was the Blackberry Raspberry Sorcery sour ale. I asked the bartender for a sample to see what the interest was. I place sour beers at the bottom of my likes at craft breweries; the Sorcery was, indeed, sour, but probably one of the least offensive I've ever had. Still, it would not be a beverage I would seek out again.

In between fills, I got up and photographed the brewing quarters (two photos below) where the company makes its brews.

Like a lot of craft breweries, Bond Brothers sells paraphernalia merchandising its brand and products. There were globes (glasses), tumblers and T-shirts on sale at the brewery, for example. But it also offers these items and more for sale at an online store.

Above and below: The bar area and two of the three staffers who served customers there the day I visited.

Above and below: A couple shots of the interior. I had been seated a couple chairs around the corner from the woman wearing the light blue top in the above photo. The vats and drums pictured previously were behind a large glass window immediately to the right of where the photo below ends. 

Above: A look at the outdoor seating area. 

Above: There was a Mexican fast-food truck, La Republica, stationed outside the brewery the day I visited.

Floating Goat Brewery shines big on a sampling trip to Fuquay-Varina

For Father's Day, Lee Ann nudged me to enjoy the day by checking out a craft brewery I've been wanting to drop in on in the Raleigh metropolitan area. Well, I became curious about it a little over a week ago or so when I sampled one of the Mason Jar Lager Company's beers while stopping in at Elevated Grain at Ten-Ten Road and U.S. 401.

So on Sunday afternoon, we drove to Fuquay-Varina to check it out. On the drive, we debated whether to go to Mason Jar's brewery or to its tavern. They are in different places in the southern Wake County community. Lee Ann was hungry, and we knew I'd be able to try the brews at either place, so ... we elected to go to the tavern.

Imagine my surprise when parking the car after arriving that I noticed a separate craft brewery -- The Floating Goat Brewing Co. -- right across the street from the Mason Jar Tavern. We stopped first at our original destination then checked out the Floating Goat afterward.

I bought a flight of four different brews at each place, and here are my findings. I'll go backwards, starting with the Floating Goat, because I liked the brews I tried there significantly more than those at the Mason Jar. On this day, Floating Goat knocked the ball out of the park; Mason Jar did not.

Floating Goat Brewing Co.

At the Floating Goat, I tried the What the Buck Pale Ale, Rusted Red Ale, Horny Honey Wildflower Witbier (year-round offerings) and the seasonal Stiff Leg Belgium Tripel. That's my flight in the photo leading off the post; I'd already downed the pale ale (second from right). The horny honey is on the far left, then the Rusted Red and, on the far right, the Stiff Leg.

I give the three staples very high marks, and I was tempted to grab a growler of the pale ale -- my favorite of the trio -- to take home. But ... I inexplicably decided against it at the last minute.

The What the Buck Pale Ale was refreshing -- a recipe that reflected -- for my taste, anyway -- a perfect blend of malt (medium) and hops (low), which is how I like my pale ales. When you get that combination, it does not force me to question whether I'm going to enjoy the rest of the drink. In those cases when brewers boost the hop content in some pale ales ... I often question whether the beer should have been marketed as an IPA. Indeed, with Floating Goat's Pale Ale, my palate was in brew heaven.

To me, the Horny Honey wibier tasted like Floating Goat's pale ale with a hint of sweetness -- something that I did not mind at all. I also found it refreshing and enjoyable. Also enjoyable was the Rusted Red, which also had a fine balance of malt and hops ... and a slightly earthy undertone I wasn't expecting.

The Swift Leg Belgian Tripel was fresh, but its citrus (especially the grapefruit I sensed) did not sit well with me. That doesn't mean this is knock on the beer, because people who enjoy that kind of thing I'm sure will rave about it. But I don't usually enjoy brews with citrus emphasis. (For example, I'm not a huge fan of Blue Moon).

Another factor that made me happy with my visit to Floating Goat was the eclectic decor and array of clothing merchandise on display -- evidence by a handful of the pictures you'll find below. The upside down goat logo is one of those "different" things. When I turned to a display of T-shirts and smiled at one emblazoned with "Brew - Quay," the woman working the taps explained that it's a play on the town's name ... and a nod to the town's growing reputation for having several craft breweries within its small confines.

One sign hanging in the seating area advised visitors of the following: "We have no WiFi. Talk to each other. Pretend it's 1995."

Mason Jar Brewery and Tavern

The Mason Jar Tavern was busy on Father's Day. Our server said the kitchen was backlogged as much as 45 minutes, so we decided to munch on an appetizer while I sipped my flight (first picture below).

My flight consisted of the Pull Tab Pilsner (far left, which I had already finished), the House Lager, the new Hype-Hop Ottamus and the Luchador Mexican Lager.

Mason Jar is a lager-focused brewery, which makes it stand out. I usually like lagers, so I thought this would be a slam dunk enjoyment. I tried the pilsner first, and it was my favorite of the batch. The House Lager was not crisp or refreshing, the Hype-Hop was what you'd expect -- on the hoppy side. I went a year or so when I really enjoyed IPAs, but in the past four months or so, I've eschewed hoppy brews. And the Hype-Hop reminded me why.

The Mexican Lager was my second "favorite," but I think I'm using the word "favorite" too loosely. I'm not sure I'd return to it.

Ten-Ten Road area of Raleigh gets new taproom serving mostly local craft beers

Until this week, I'd had little chance to explore the local craft brewery scene since moving to the Raleigh area of North Carolina. Then just the other day, I learned that a taproom, Elevated Grains, featuring packaged and draft craft brews and had opened not far from my home, so I thought it was worth checking out.

I met one of the two co-owners, Mike, on that afternoon and while we were chatting, his mother and stepfather walked in. They had come to town from their home in San Antonio to help Mike celebrate his birthday that weekend ... and to fete Mike and fellow owner Scott on the taproom's opening.

I sampled all six brews on tap on Thursday, and while two or three stood out, I didn't dislike any of them -- including the stout, which is usually a beer I don't particularily care for. The stout was Milky Way, from Trophy Brewing in Raleigh.

In fact, all the beers on tap last week were from North Carolina except the Double Aught pilsner from Bear Republic Brewery of Healdsburg, Calif., a sample of which you'll see in the 5 oz. snifter at right.

My favorites were the Newlin' original pale ale from Haw River Brewery of Saxapahaw, N.C., and the Oktoberfest, another from Trophy in Raleigh. Also on tap were Classic Saison of Blackberry Farm of Walland, N.C. (that's the saison at left), and Grove, a New England IPA from Brewery Bhavana in Raleigh. When I came back a second time Saturday -- it was Mike's birthday. Scott and Mike said those brews -- available in 5, 10 and 16 oz. glasses (see price chart below) -- would remain on tap until the kegs hit bottom, at which time a new brew would be introduced in its place.

Elevated Grains is at 7987 Fayetteville Road, Raleigh. It's in modest quarters at the southern end of the Food Lion strip mall at the northeast corner of U.S. 401 (Fayetteville Road) and Ten-Ten Road. Scott said he and Mike have long-range ambitions to move into a larger space when they are ready to start brewing their own beers. For now, though, they work to introduce locals to other craft brews -- those they favor, in particular.

You can find Elevated Grains on Facebook and Instagram. Store hours right now (they are subject to change) are noon to 10 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday; 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday; and noon to 7 p.m. Sunday and Monday. Elevated Grains does not serve food, but customers are welcome to bring food or have it delivered to them at the taproom. The strip mall has a Dominoes, Jersey Mike's Subs, China Moon and Smithfield's BBQ close by (and a Wendy's and Subway across Ten-Ten Road).

Below are photos showing Elevated Grains' packaged warm and cooled craft brews.

Above: Mike chatting to a customer near the array of glasses. Elevated Grains has 5, 10 and 16 oz. (pint) glasses available, and also has a modest number of wines. 

Daredevil in name only; the brews are nothing you have to shy away from

When I walked into Daredevil Brewing Co. on Thursday, I suppose I could have been intimidated by the institutional art of a guy dangling from the ceiling on wires. Ah, but this is Daredevil, I thought to myself; I have to expect creativity.

Sort of like what co-owners Bill Ballinger and brothers Michael and Shane Pearson did a year ago when they saw an opportunity as the town of Speedway, Ind., was revitalizing its core merchants district just across West 16th Street from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (yes, the BIG racetrack).

The beer entrepreneurs, who since 2012 had been operating out of more humble quarters in Shelbyville, Ind., moved their brewery into a new 30,000-square-foot state-of-the-art building at 1151 Main Street, Speedway, becoming the first newly constructed beer production facility in the Indianapolis market since Prohibition.

Daredevil joined a burgeoning craft beer industry in Indianapolis. Until then, and almost always since, other microcraft breweries in Indianapolis had opened in existing structures.

On Thursday, I made Daredevil my most recent stop along a tour of Indianapolis area craft breweries, inspired by a wonderful draft of of Daredevil's Lift Off American IPA that I had enjoyed earlier in the day when lunching at Rick's Boatyward Cafe along Eagle Creek.

When I got to Daredevil, I was greeted by Troy, who lined up a flight of eight brews (below) -- seven of the brewery's own draft beers and one of Daredevil's version of Arrogant Bastard Ale, a recipe Daredevil is licensed to produce through Stone Brewing in San Diego, Calif.

The brews I sampled, pictured above, left to right, are the Arrogant Bastard, Whimsy Summer Saison, Dunkel (a dark, malt-balanced Munich-style lager), Maibock seasonal, a golden strong Muse, the Double IPA Rip Cord, Vacation Kolsch and the Lift Off. I passed on the J.W.P. American Stout, although Troy's bartending cohort, John, let me try a swallow of it when I was through with the full flight. Unfortunately, one brew from the menu (below) that the brewery did not have on hand for me to sample was its Slips Stream Pale Ale.

My goal when indulging in flights is to sample them from low IBUs (international bittering units) to high. Troy arranged the brews for me as they appear on the beer menu; rather than rearrange them in my IBU order, I just consulted the menu for the IBU information ... and consumed away.

Since I'd already sampled the Lift Off (which has an IBU of 72) at Rick's, I decided to put it off till the end, which turned out to be just right anyway because its 72 IBUs were the highest on the menu.

The lowest IBUs in the flight were the Kolsch and Dunkel (both 20). I finished off the Kolsch quickly, and it satisfied nicely, as I fully expected from my experience with the clear, all-barley German ale, which has its roots in Cologne.

As a brown lager, the Dunkel surprised; I recognized the chocolate notes that I dislike with many heavily malted dark beers (which is why, generally, I eschew them), but they were not overbearing, and I was able to finish the whole sample.

The seasonal Maibock, a dark golden offshoot of German pilsners and lagers, was next up (25 IBU). It was a little maltier than I like, but it was nevertheless refreshing. After that, I delved into the golden strong Muse (32 IBU), whose fruit notes struck me immediately. I'm also not a fan of these fruity beers, but perhaps because I had sampled the other styles before this, the Maibock did not offend. I could definitely see trying one of these outdoors on a hot afternoon.

I was finally ready for the Rip Cord, the double IPA, which has an IBU of 70. Before I got to it, both Troy and John had told me this is one of their favorites. I did like it, but I still think that I'd turn to the Lift Off more often than not. As it turns out, the Lift Off is Daredevil's most distributed variety. I believe Troy said it also is the second-most distributed craft beer in all of Indiana. (Troy, if I messed that up, please correct me in the comments!).

After finishing off the Lift Off sample, John let me sample the stout. It was what I had imagined. Because I don't consider myself a stout or porter expert by any means, I won't even attempt to elaborate.

I'm chagrined to say my visit missed by two days Daredevil's cool Fourth of July Barbecue and Brews observance with Main Street neighbor Barbecue and Bourbon.

You can find Daredevil Brewing on Facebook, Twitter ( @DaredevilBeer ) and Instagram ( @daredevilbeer )