Beer

BEER Our Beer Bracket’s New Champion

The local brew competition returned this year. Here are the results

WE BROUGHT BACK our annual Beer Bracket in May on charlottemagazine. com. We matched up 32 local brews in a March Madness-style competition—initially divided into four categories: IPAs, Lights, Darks, and Sours. Thousands voted, but several contests came down to single-digit wins. On this page, you’ll nd this year’s winner, and on the next page, the second-, third-, and fourth-place beers. —Andy Smith

1

WOODEN ROBOT BREWERY’S OVERACHIEVER

It seems tting that a pale ale called Overachiever would be the beer to best a wildly popular Imperial IPA. At 5.3%, it’s a little more than half the ABV of Hop Cakes, but that’s what Wooden Robot head brewer Dan Wade set out to do: pack the character of a hazy, heavy-hitting, New England-style IPA into a more approachable, “obsessively drinkable” pale ale.

“We originally wanted to brew it as a brewer’s beer,” Wade says. “At the end of the day, as a brewer, you want to have a low-alcohol beer that still tastes great with full avors and won’t get you inebriated.”

Overachiever was on the original lineup at Wooden Robot, which opened in 2015 in South End before it expanded to NoDa with a new wood-aging facility in 2019. Despite being a “brewer’s beer,” it’s grown in popularity and is now regularly canned. In Charlotte magazine’s friendly competition, it cruised past brews that include the beloved Jalapeño Pale Ale from Birdsong Brewing.

“IPAs can turn people o because of the bitterness, which can be polarizing,” Wade says. “We were able to make something that really has some broad appeal, with a so mouthfeel and that haziness. (Overachiever) is avorful enough to make it noteworthy but light and easy enough so you’ll enjoy more than one.”

LAST YEAR’S TOP LIGHT: Wooden Robot Brewery’s Good Morning Vietnam

HOW THE BEERS WERE CHOSEN

We introduced new rules to the selection process this year:

» No beer from our rst Beer Bracket in 2020 was eligible. » Breweries had to be either inside or within three miles of the I-485 loop. Businesses based outside of Charlotte were eligible, as long as they actually brew beer in Charlotte. » Beers were selected based on rating on BeerAdvocate and

Untappd; national awards; and general availability. Only one beer per brewery this year. » Seeding was based on opening date, where applicable. See the entire bracket at charlottemagazine.com/beer-bracket.

2

NODA BREWING COMPANY’S HOP CAKES

This Imperial IPA made it to the nal round but fell to this year’s champion by a few dozen votes. Hop Cakes, which debuted in cans in 2015, combines sweet citrus and hops with the taste of Vermont maple syrup, of which 110 pounds are used in every batch. Its popularity inspired NoDa to cra variations for the taproom, including Chocolate Chip Hop Cakes, Blueberry Hop Cakes, and Strawberry Hop Cakes. It sells only the original in cans, though.

LAST YEAR’S TOP IPA: Legion Brewing’s Juicy Jay IPA (the overall champion)

3

TRIPLE C BREWING COMPANY’S UP ALL NIGHT BREAKFAST PORTER

This Dark contender has an “Outstanding” score of 90 on rating platform BeerAdvocate. Among the ingredients that inspired Up All Night Breakfast Porter’s name: German chocolate malts, aked oats, honey, lactose, and an infusion of co ee from Magnolia Co ee Company. Triple C usually releases limited batches around November. A bourbon barrel-aged version, which they typically release in the weeks that follow, adds a toasty, richer layer to the fan favorite.

LAST YEAR’S TOP DARK: NoDa Brewing Company’s Coco Loco

4

DIVINE BARREL BREWING’S CAROLINA COBBLER

Divine Barrel created this Berliner—a wheat beer style known for its cloudiness and sour quality—to conjure images of cobbler cooling on your grandmother’s windowsill. They accomplished that by combining cherry, Madagascan vanilla, cinnamon, lactose, and graham crackers. Its drinkability has converted those who usually avoid sours. The brewery also makes peach and blueberry variations of the beer.

LAST YEAR’S TOP SOUR: Triple C Brewing Company’s Rainbow Sherbet