Red Oak

A long standing classic in NC that I've been drinking for many years.  In the 90's when I lived outside of NC every time I came in to visit my family I would always grab a Red Oak during my visit.  At the time I didn't know half about beer as I know now but I knew I was having a good beer.  After I moved back to NC I would visit the old brew pub located near Guilford College on occasion.  I began to notice in the mid 2000's that the original flavor I had once enjoyed wasn't the same and I eventually quit drinking the brand for a few years.  In 2007 they had moved to the location they currently brew in and I decided to give them another shot.  The quality was back and the beer was once good again.  It wasn't exactly how I remembered the beer from the 90's but that is to be expected when a brewery makes major changes.

The tour of the brewery has got to be one of the best tours in the country.  It cost $10 and if your like me the initial thought was why would anyone pay to tour a brewery?  Well, I'll tell you it's well worth the $10.  The tour is very informative plus you get to see all the inner workings of the brewery.  You are first taken in to where the brewing actually starts and you see the Lauter Tun and the brew kettles.  The Brew-master gives an informative talk on how the process works.  You are then walked into the Fermentation room and since they brew nothing but Lagers it's a little chilly in there.  They use double lined tanks and are able to keep the fermentation at the perfect temperature.  After the fermentation cellar you get to see the bottling and kegging operation. The end of the tour is the best part....  BEER!!!!!   Yes, you get to drink the beer that is made right there in the brewery while standing in the brewery.  It's not a bar it's a sink with 4 tap handles coming out of the walls and you literately stand around with your group and drink the beer while still looking at the tanks as such.  It's not the typical brew pub atmosphere.  You also receive a very nice Red Oak glass that would cost you $10 just to buy it alone.  So the way I look at it you buy a $10 glass and get a tour and beer for free.  Tours are only offered at 3pm on Friday and I recommend getting there early as the tours do fill up quickly.

Red Oak is one of the few breweries that stands true to the Bavarian Beer Purity Law from 1516.  I'll be writing more about the Purity Law later on and how it has been amended and how it applys today.

If you're a "hop head" then Red Oak will not be your "go to" beer but if you like a nice well rounded crisp malt lager then Red Oak very well could become your favorite North Carolina beer.  They keep it simple and only brew three beers and a Seasonal.  Their standard original Red Oak is an Amber Lager also known as Munich Urtyp (Old Style) Lager.  Then they have the Hummin' Bird which is a Golden Style or Helles Lager as found in parts of Bavaria.  The Battlefield Bock is a Bavarian Style Bock and stays true to the style.

Prost!!!

http://redoakbrewery.com/

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