By Brian Beauchemin

Many traditional beers make their way into our local taprooms this month, including a classic Irish stout served on nitro and an Irish red just in time for St. Patrick’s Day celebrations. Old school German lagers and an English bitter are found alongside brews with strawberries, tropical fruits, and honeysuckle. This time of the year is wonderful as the lighter, lower alcohol beers for spring and summer are joined by a few hefty malt bombs to help lighten the mood. Unless otherwise stated, the beers are already available in local taprooms or supporting establishments.

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Birdsong Brewing

On tap just in time for the St. Patrick’s Day weekend, Foggy Dew is a taproom-only dry Irish stout. Releasing March 14, the 4.7% ABV will be poured on traditional nitro.

Available on draft in their taproom, Prehistoric Dog is a burly 10.5% ABV imperial stout. Dark chocolate and brown sugar notes add depth, while flaked oats provide a touch of creaminess, creating a mosh pit of flavor with every sip. Once you try it, you’ll see why a metal song was fitting for this hard-hitting brew. 

Wild Wild West is a 7.0% ABV West Coast IPA brewed with the usual suspect of Citra alongside the new kid on the block, Elani. Both hops pack loads of stone fruit character with Elani bringing an extra dose of peach. Golden in color and with enough IBUs to tip the scale into the real IPA category, the beer is available March 13 in the taproom and March 17 in distribution.

The spring and summer seasonal, All Knight Long, releases March 27. The 4.5% ABV

American blonde ale has a golden hue and a slight sweetness on the palate but a dry finish. Great for enjoying at the ballpark while catching a Knights baseball game or soaking up the sun on a patio. 

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NoDa Brewing

Carolina Quencher is a 5.2% ABV tropical wheat ale. The refreshing brew is loaded with passion fruit, orange, guava, mango, and pineapple.

Just in time for St. Patrick’s Day, Balor’s Eye is a traditional Irish red ale that releases March 15 in the brewery’s taproom. Brewed with United Kingdom malts and hops and fermented on Irish ale yeast, the 4.9% ABV beer provides caramel and biscuit notes with a touch of roast.

A brand extension of their flagship Hop Drop ‘N Roll, Hop Drop Light is a low-calorie, low-carb session IPA. Utilizing the same malts and hops as its bigger brother, the brewery touts the 4.7% ABV beer as a sessionable, health-conscious take on their flagship IPA. Releases March 21 in the brewery’s taproom. 

One week later, on March 28, What the Kell? will also be released in their taproom. The beer is a traditional unfiltered kellerbier sporting a drinkable 5.5% ABV with a bready taste and a round finish. 

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Olde Mecklenburg Brewery

The German-style brewery enjoys a good St. Patrick’s Day and to help celebrate they’ve brewed Irish Red, a taproom-only draft beer. This 5.6% ABV red ale delivers a rich blend of sweet malty bread, toffee, and toasted walnuts, complemented by a fruitiness of cherry and strawberry.

The spring seasonal Bock Party captures the promise of warmer days ahead, combining a slight malty sweetness with a refreshing touch of fruity aroma from its Noble Bavarian hops. Releasing March 20 in their taproom on draft and packaged, the 6.0% ABV spring bock provides slight floral and melon notes.

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Pilot Brewing

California Common is currently a small batch release available only in the brewery’s taproom but a larger batch made for distribution hits the market March 21. Made with Fonio grain, from parts of West Africa, the brew delivers rich, nutty flavors, a hallmark for the California Common style.  

Available March 14, Hazy Skies Hefeweizen is a 6% ABV pale, refreshing, and lightly-hopped German-style wheat ale with a dry finish, fluffy mouthfeel, and light banana and carnation-like character. 

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Southern Strain

Brewed with North Carolina malt, Phantastik Hazy IPA is hopped with PHANTASM, Mosaic, Michigan grown Chinook, and Centennial hops. Expect a bouquet of mango, passionfruit, and juicy citrus from this 6.8% ABV hazy. 

Doobie Dubbel is the brewery’s take on a Belgian dubbel. North Carolina malts and a Belgian yeast provide rich, malty, and fruity aromas. The 7.3% ABV brew delivers a malty beginning and finishes dry with notes of cherry, caramel, and dates.

Vienna Lager is a traditional toasty Vienna lager brewed with North Carolina Vienna and Munich malts, balanced by Hallertau hops. The beer is lagered for 6 weeks and filtered to crisp and crystal-clear perfection. The 5.4% ABV lager will be on draft March 21 in both of the brewery’s taprooms. 

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Sycamore Brewing 

Honeysuckle Summer Ale is a 5.3% ABV golden ale utilizing Virginia-grown barley that was malted in Asheville at Riverbend Malting. Dry-hopping with Loral and Cashmere hops and the use of a natural honeysuckle extract provide flavor that is fruity and floral up front, followed mid-palate with toasted wheat bread, light honey, melon, and peach, with earthy and herbal notes. The golden ale finishes with lemon citrus and slight spice. 

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Town Brewing 

Another beer with summer in mind, Brewey Decimal is a strawberry blonde ale. Light and refreshing with sweet, juicy strawberry flavors complemented by a mild malt backbone. A touch of biscuit-like malt character adds depth to the 4.9% ABV ale and minimal hop bitterness allows the fruit to shine.

Available March 15, Emotional Support Badger is a 5.7% ABV English-style pub ale sporting a balanced malt-forward profile with flavors of caramel, light toasty bread, and a hint of nuttiness. Mild hop bitterness from East Kents Goldings provides balance without overpowering, while an English yeast provides slight fruity esters.

Brewed with 100% Pilsner Malt, Zuper Nova is a clean, crisp, and dry hoppy lager. A moderately low 5.3% ABV allows for easy drinking while enjoying the bright floral aroma. Great for lager drinkers and hop heads alike. Releases March 29. 

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Triple C Brewing

Cranes In the Sky is a hazy pale ale that pours light yellow with a pillowy white head. You’re first met with aromas of juicy fruit, candied pineapple, sweet mango, and a hint of shredded coconut. Flavors of tropical fruits, bright citrus, juicy mango, and a slight melon presence then round out this 5.3% ABV juicy brew. 

Releasing March 14 on draft-only, Tipsy Cow is a 5.2% ABV milk stout. The creamy dark stout with lactose delivers full-bodied flavors of coffee, milk chocolate, caramel, and cocoa with a sweet finish. 

Bier is a classic German pilsner with aromas of whole grain bread crust and a touch of noble hops. Initial malt sweetness on the palate balanced by a medium bitterness leads to a crisp, dry finish. The 5.4% ABV medium-bodied lager will be available March 21.

Rounding out the month with a March 28 release, In the Beginning is a traditional west coast double IPA. Both bitter and malt forward, it’s brewed with classic American hops for a blend of citrus and piney hop aroma and flavor while balanced by a mild warming malt sweetness. What American craft beer was built on in the beginning. Percent ABV was not available at time of print. 

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Wooden Robot Brewery

What She’s Having is a bold 8.5% ABV double IPA. The brew is loaded with Vista, Alora, Ariana, and Citra hops providing rich tropical fruits, spice, and bright refreshing citrus.

Toning down the alcohol a bit, Identity Fusion is a 6.7% ABV hazy IPA that blends traditional malt character with bold, juicy hop flavors. Brewed with a Vienna-heavy malt bill and kettle-hopped with Ariana, the beer projects a smooth, slightly bready base. Dry-hopped with Citra, Mosaic, and Comet, releases aromatic notes of tropical fruit, citrus, and pine.