When I arrived I ended up in The Great Room. Top of the Hill has three levels and three bars. I'll get into that a little more here in a bit. The young gentleman that met me at the door was very nice and polite and after I shared with him what I was doing he told me to just follow him. He took me up stairs the back way and through the kitchen on the third floor and right into the main restaurant and brew area. He introduced me to Chris Atkins. Chris seemed to be busy but as soon as we were introduced he told me to meet him at the bar. He ordered up a flight of beer and we started talking about beer. Chris, the newest edition to the brewing team, is a born and bred Durham-ite. A UNC Greensboro graduate, Chris went on to complete the Brewing Science & Technology Program at the World Brewing Academy and graduated from the Doemens Academy in Munich, Germany. Chris interned at the Lonerider Brewery in Raleigh before joining the Top of the Hill team he started out as a home-brewer and has a true love for the craft. Chris is truly an asset to Top of the Hill and they are lucky to have him.
We started with a flight that had Kenan Lager, Caldwell Cream Ale, Old well White, Plott Hound Pale Ale, Singleton Ale, Rams Head IPA. We then had some Cask Ales and I'll mention that later as well.
Kenan Lager is a typical lager that every brewery in America makes to please the masses. Kenan is one of the best ones I've had. Readers of the blog know that I am not a huge fan of this style and will let you decide. I'll just say that this one wasn't repulsive to me and I could drink it and be happy. Kenan is one of their three year round brews.
Caldwell Cream Ale really impressed me as it's served on Nitrogen and I've been really getting into the nitro beers of late as I feel they represent the true flavor of beer. If your a fan of Pubstyle ales then this one is for you.
Old Well White is a Wheat Beer and readers of the blog know that I am not a fan of the wheat brews. Any fan of wheat will almost certainly enjoy this beer. This is one of their year round brews.
Plott Hound Pale is mostly impressive as I've never had anything that compares to this. I'm a Hop Head and this one is well balanced with four type of malts. This beer is also brewed with 96% of the ingredients coming from North Carolina. So this is a true North Carolina beer and my favorite on their list. Not for the faint of heart but a true joy for the experienced beer drinker.
Singleton Ale was created out of an argument. This beer is brewed with only one Pale Malt and just the Liberty hops. It's a high gravity and very complex brew and everyone should at least get a sample of this. They also have this available in Cask on occasion.
I finished the flight with the Rams Head IPA. This would be my "go to" beer from here only because it's one of their three year round beers and fits my taste perfectly. Not overly hoppy as an IPA so even the non-ipa drinker can still enjoy it.
We finished the flights and I was introduced to Aaron Caracci the other brewer. Aaron was finishing up some work but I had a chance to chat with him for a bit as well. Aaron is not your typical brewer. He had no knowledge of brewing before being hired. He has grasped a hold of the craft well and you would never know he got the job while playing golf.
Chris, Aaron and I went down to the Back Bar. Available at the Back Bar only, Cask Beer is a throwback to how beer was made in the 1800’s. Beer is dry-hopped in a firkin, served through a manual beer engine & served between 50-55! which allows natural subtle nuances of flavor to emerge. Top of the Hill is the first establishment south of the Mason-Dixon line to have its own cask beer program. The beers change constantly as one would expect with cask beers. I was able to have the Smoked Porter Cask and it was truly heaven in a glass. I was then able to have the ESB and if you were to close your eyes you would feel like you were have a beer in a pub in 1860. Both of the cask ales I had were top notch and I'd recommend everyone to visit the Back Bar just to have a sample of true craft beer at it's finest.
Located in the space once occupied by the legendary Carolina Theatre, The Great Room Complex is the only large scale event space located directly on Franklin Street. They host weddings and rehearsal dinners to full-scale galas and concerts.
Finally it is worth mentioning that Top of the Hill also has it's own distillery. Their spirits include hand-crafted vodka, gin, & whiskey, created from scratch, using only organic Carolina wheat and botanicals distilled in a copper pot & columns from a 5th generation German still maker.
I must say that Top of the Hill was a great experience and I will be returning.
Cheers!!!!
http://toporestaurant.com/
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