DRINK
THE RIGHT MIX by JESSIE AMMONS
I
“IT’S A LOT TO TAKE IN, I KNOW. WE HAVE A TON TO OFFER ON TAP,” says Heather Ward, co-owner of Red Line Beer and Wine. Behind her, a ceiling-to-bartop chalkboard lists 24 current draft beer offerings (plus more scribbled in the margins), half of them local. That’s a lot for a cozy spot off of Hillsborough Street. “It’s an odd amount for a craft bottle shop, but for us it made sense. There are so many to choose from – why not just have so many to choose from?”
Alongside the dozens of taps are a robust wine selection, and plenty more brews in cans and bottles. To make the most of their offerings, Ward and co-owner Alex Selwaeh like to shake things up. “We do mixology beer,” Ward says, as Selwaeh begins pouring samples. He likes to combine certain hop flavor profiles in IPAs: “If something is very bitter, I mix it to balance it out,” he explains. The duo also likes to get creative. One memorable concoction came together last summer, when Red Line had on draft a hoppy brew loaded with the heat of habanero peppers called Ballast Point Habanero Sculpin IPA. Ward decided to cut some photographs by ELIZABETH GALECKE
100 | WALTER
