Natty Greene's Greensboro (Lee St. Brewery)

I decided to visit the Natty Greene's brewery house in Greensboro on Lee St. This isn't the same as the Elm St. restaurant and brew house this is where they brew their staple beers found all over the state in restaurants, bars, grocery stores and bottle shops.  The beers brewed here are Southern Pale Ale, Guilford Golden, and Buck Shot Amber for the year round brews and seasonals like Freedom American IPA, Red Nose Winter, Wildflower Witbier, and Old Town Brown. 

This brewery is smaller than I expected with the volume of beer that I see around the state.  Natty Greene's is the 2nd largest brewer in the State according to beer tax revenue paid.  I met Dan when I arrived and he was very knowledgeable about beer and the process at Natty Greene's.  He started as a bartender in the Elm St. location and was able to work his way to the brew house.  He really enjoys beer and talking about beer and is a great ambassador for Natty Greene's 

I was allowed to visit the brew operation where I met Scott the head brewer and he was busy brewing.  The smell from the brew kettle was phenomenal as this was the first time I've been in a brewery when they were actually brewing.  As small as the brewery is they are certainly the hardest group of brewers I have met to date.  Scott knows his stuff and has proven himself to be an excellent brew master.  Scott's brewing experience goes back to 1987 in Winter Park, Florida and includes stops at the World Brewing Academy in Chicago and Doemens Academy in Munich, Germany where he earned his brewing diploma in 2003, before landing in Colorado at Left Hand Brewing Co. Scott came to Natty's in August 2004when we opened our first pub opened in Greensboro; thus, he's the creator and originator of the majority of styles in the market today.

I was then able to meet with Sebastian Wolfrum the Director of Brewing Operations.  Seabass, as he's known around the brewery, hails from Southern Bavaria and came to Natty's in May 2006. He manages everything regarding brewing for the entire Natty's operation. He apprenticed and later worked at Ayinger in Germany and was awarded the German Certificate as a Brewer and Malster in 1999. Seabass, is a master and takes pride in the quality and consistency of his brews.

Most folks that know me know that I have not been a huge fan of Natty Greene's but after my visit today my opinion has changed drastically.  After seeing their operation and realizing how hard these guys work they all deserve a raised glass.  Next time you're in an establishment that has Natty Greene's have one and know that it was a labor of love, blood sweat and tears to get that beer to your glass. 

Cheers!!!
http://nattygreenes.com/

 

 

The brewing operation at Lee St.

Natty Greene's Raleigh

Nestled in the old Raleigh Electric Company Power House built in 1910 and on the National Register of Historic Places, Natty Greene's Raleigh is one of the neatest and eclectic breweries I've visited so far.  If you've been keeping up with my post you already know I am not a huge fan of Natty Greene's but still felt the need to visit the Raleigh brewery as it is a NC brewery and they do brew some different beers than those found in Greensboro.  I didn't have any of the beers that are also in Greensboro as I figure they will taste the same regardless of location.  I may take another trip to see if I am correct on this. 

I am not a Hefe-weizen fan but I did try the Hessian and just wasn't impressed but since I'm not a fan of the style I had a friend with me that likes the style and his opinion was it has too much clove in it.  I'll leave it at that and just let the drinker decide if it's good or not. 

They have a collaboration with Thirsty Monk in Asheville called Biere de Mars.  This one was pretty good and I'd hate to think that the reason I like it so much was due to Thirsty Monk being involved so I will give Natty's the credit on this one and say it's one of the best beers I've had from this company.  It's a Farmhouse style lager which smooths out the bite of a Farmhouse Ale.  Good balance of Hops and Malt as the style should.  Even with my love of over hopped beer I did have two of these and it's not a real hoppy brew.

Old Fort Cascadian Dark Ale (Black IPA) was hard to believe it came from Natty Greene's.  Hopped to the way I like it with the roasted malt that's just subtle enough to notice but not over powering.  My only complaint about this beer was that towards the end it seemed to get a tad fishy.  This could be due to oxidized lipids, when the oxygen reacts over time with the small amounts of oils in the grains/malts used in brewing.  I'm thinking I had an old batch and will be willing to drink this one again. 

Springfest Pilsner is a little hoppy for the style but I have no complaints about this beer.  I'm a firm believer that man can survive on a good Pilsner and it is my go to style of beer if I don't know what I want or what's available.  It is a tad nutty which isn't a bad thing in my opinion and as I was "checking in" with the beer on Untappd I read some others that had the same note.  So apparently this is a character of this beer.

Revolution American IPA was a huge let down and disappointment.  When I was visiting the Greensboro location I noticed a lot of "check ins" with Revolution and I requested it there but was told that it was only a Raleigh brew.  Needless to say I was looking forward to trying this beer that so many others were drinking.  First of all the oats in this brew are over powering and it hasn't got the kick of a true IPA much less an American IPA.  I almost didn't finish this beer as it tasted like it had been filtered through the game worn sock of a Durham Bulls player.  I'm assuming it's good for the Bud or Miller drinker as a bridge beer but they won't stay here long if they really start enjoying craft brews.

Spell Hall is their Anniversary IPA to celebrate the third anniversary of the Raleigh location.  It's not bad and actually is very palatable but could use more hops for the hop-head but probably the right amount for the masses that want something a little different.  It reminded me of a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale but also had a "nutty" flavor like the Springfest.  This one definitely is above the masses and I highly recommend it along with the Biere de Mars.

All in all I think I like the Raleigh location much better than the Greensboro location but then again that is just my opinion and I'll let you decide which one you like better.  Take a trip and let me know your thoughts.

Cheers!!!

Natty Greene's Greensboro

Natty Greene's Greensboro is located right downtown Greensboro.  I've been here a few times but mostly have had their beers at the Baseball stadium and a few that I've bought at the local grocery store.  I've never been 100% impressed with Natty Greene's and I commonly refer to it as "Redneck Craft Brew".  They do have their niche and I am glad they are here.  They do take brewing to a level that allows domestic beer drinkers to drink something other than the humdrum of a standard domestic.  They give the locals something to brag about and a place for out of towners to go to have something other than a standard domestic.  I think Natty's has the potential to brew much better beers than it does as I've had some of the stuff they only serve in the pub and it's not too bad.

They have 3 staples and 4 seasonal beers that are found in restaurants, bars, pubs and stores in NC.  Guilford Golden, Buckshot Amber and Southern Pale Ale. With the Seasonal beers being Freedom America IPA, Red Nose Winter, Wildflower Witbier and Old Town Brown Ale.  I've had all of these at various times and all three are drinkable and while not domestics they do favor a domestic style. These beers are not brewed on site in the Greensboro or Raleigh Pubs but in a separate location located in Greensboro.  They do allow the brewers to create pub specific brews that are only found in the pubs they are brewed in.   

In the Greensboro brewery recently I had the Gunsmith's Dark Munich Lager which carries the style well but also with the Natty Greene's penchant for "dumbing down" beer.  The Revolution American IPA is a decent IPA but not much different than the Southern IPA that I was able to tell.  It's not in my opinion an American IPA but just another variation of a standard IPA that they already brew.  The General Stout is a fine example of what this brewery is capable of brewing and they should start moving in that direction with their other beers.  The Swamp Fox Belgian Blonde should be renamed to just Swamp Water, if it wasn't for the Belgian yeast this beer would offer nothing of value at all I do not recommend this beer at all and as rare as it is for me I didn't even finish it.  The Appalachia Irish Honey Red is an outstanding beer and I had two of them and even contemplated purchasing a growler but since my tab was already reaching the $30 range I declined.

All in all Natty Greene's should be on your list of breweries to visit but don't come in with huge expectations of something grand and magnificently different.  Keep in mind the clientele they cater to and you can still have an enjoyable experience depending on your choices.

Cheers!

http://www.nattygreenes.com/

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