Waxhaw Pub Crawl

The Waxhaw Pub Crawl went down this weekend. My lack of blogging means there was nary a word about it from my end. But the Waxhaw Social Club, which hosts the event, was kind enough to provide a detailed rundown of the evening in an earlier post.

I've reproduced it here so it's easier to find:

Well, geez, it looks like you missed the 2nd Waxhaw Pub Crawl as well! We had posters on each of the pub windows and inside the establishments for nearly 2 months (as we did the first time). And the venues were handing out our flyers for months, too.

We posted frequently on the FaceBook pages of the participating bars (plus our own FB group: Waxhaw Social Club), additionally we have our own website at www.waxhawsocialclub.com. Finally, we had a great article come out in the Union County Weekly several days ago that many people saw and then came out to the crawl for some fun.

Last year we had around 50 people show up, and this year we had 85-90 and we raised money for Project2Heal, another terrific local Waxhaw charity. We raised $1,030 in proceeds that will go to Charlie Petrizzo's endeavor of donating highly trained Labrador retrievers to special needs kids.

Most importantly, we injected a great amount of money into the local Waxhaw economy and the pubs are telling us that they had one of their best night's ever or more than doubled their normal Saturday night take.

We began at 5PM at The Main Street Grill/Icehouse Saloon who roped off the entire parking lot and had a bluegrass band, BBQ pork plates and cold beers outside as well as in. Then we had the entire outdoor patio at Maxwell's, and then we headed to SouthSiders where they had an outdoor keg ready for us with their new UFO/Harpoon beer. Finally we ended with karaoke at the Stuffed Olive. The party went on until 2AM!

Given the size of the pubs we visit, 85-90 people is truly the max that they can hold comfortably (given that they have other patrons there at the same time having dinner, etc). So, we worked a bit to manage the size of the crowd to not be excessive.

Hey, there's always the 3rd Waxhaw Pub Crawl for you to get a shot at! Stay tuned! 

The missus and I failed to attend, mostly because we had a neighborhood block party scheduled at the same time. The Pub Crawl had a better turnout, but the block party was nothing to sneeze at either. I would bet there were no glow sticks at the Pub Crawl.

Thanksgiving brew @ Maxwell's

Maxwell's Tavern posted an update the other day with some good news for local beer connoisseurs. I guess this is a nice First Friday surprise.

Special Treat for ALL OUR BEER LOVERS. This Friday, Olde Mecklenburg Brewery selected Maxwells to tap their limited release Thanksgiving beer, Bauern Bock. A handful of establishments receive one keg and one keg only, and we are the only place to get it in the area. This will go FAST, and then there will be no more until next year.

Bauern Bock is a German-style doppelbock lager, Bauern Bock is rich and malty with a deep amber color to match the changing colors of the fall season. It is also OMB's "biggest" beer at 7.5% ABV.

This will be tapped This Friday (11/4) at 6pm.

Thanks OMB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hmm, what are the odds I can get over there at 6pm?

Waxhaw Pub Crawl?

Apparently the first annual Waxhaw Pub Crawl occurred Saturday night, but who knew? The philosophical side of me wants to ask "Does a pub crawl really occur if I haven't heard about it?"

I suspect I'm not the only person who heard about this fundraising event after the fact. I'm sure others are more well-versed in Waxhaw happenings than I, but I'm struggling to understand how I never caught a sniff of this until the day after. It's practically a part time job for me to keep up with beer-related town news and somehow this failed to enter my radar.

From Lori's Facebook page, the money raised benefited the Adam Faulk Tanksley Foundation to chomp out childhood cancer. I blogged about their annual AdamFest festival back in September. I concluded my thoughts with a note about how I wish I had more notice so I could've blogged about it beforehand.

And here I am once again wishing I had more notice to share the details of this fun fundraising outing for an excellent cause before the event and not afterwards. I suspect more money would be raised towards fighting childhood cancer if the respective parties would get the word out a little better. Who do I complain to at the apparently secretive Waxhaw Social Club?

I've got so many questions: how many attended? Where was one to find out about this event? How did money get raised for the Adam Faulk Tanksley Foundation? Koozie and tee shirt sales only? Or was there a participation fee? Did the bars contribute as well? How much was earned in all? And how fun was it? So many questions.

UPDATE: fixed typo

Tuesday pint nights @ Maxwell's

Per a Facebook update, every Tuesday will be a Stella pint night starting tonight.

EVERY Tuesday...Stella Pint Night! Buy a pint of Stella Artois on draft, and keep the glass! Starting today!

They had me at "keep the glass." What can I say? I'm a simple man.

Unfortunately, Tuesday's aren't very convenient for me with Cub Scout and other duties, so I'm not sure when I'll be able to score myself a Stella glass. I may have to make some time the next few weeks.

Another pint night at Maxwell's

Maxwell's Tavern is having another pint night on Friday, October 7th from 5-8pm.

The nitty-gritty:

buy a pint of Olde Mecklenburg's Mecktoberfest and keep the glass
(two per customer)

See the Facebook page for all the details.

Old Mecklenburg Brewery at Maxwell's

I had grand designs to attend both Pint Night at Maxwell's Tavern and to also stop by the Main Street Grill for a cheeseburger since I haven't had the opportunity to do so for quite some time. My wife had grand designs that we spend the evening with the neighbors.

So I only fulfilled one of two - stopping in at Maxwell's Tavern drawn by the promise of being able to try Früh Bock, their new spring seasonal brew. The lure of free samples may have played a significant role in my decision-making process, but I supposed that depends on who you talk to.

It was pretty hopping in there, but I didn't mind hovering close to the bar. Ryan Self of OMB fame quickly got me a sample of Früh Bock. It definitely seemed like a spring brew, but it was a little too fruity for my tastes. So I decided to get a pint of my old OMB standby, Copper Amber Ale, which I usually drink via growler.

It arrived with two glasses - one full and one empty. To my surprise, each pint of OMB purchased during the event got you an OMB-branded pint glass.

With free pint glasses limited to two, I quickly made the command decision to have two pints before attending my family obligations. Ryan himself made a good decision setting the two-glass limit as who knows how long I would've stayed collecting free glassware.

I wanted to give Früh Bock a chance, so my second pint was of it. I stand by my original assessment although I'm sure it'll have a healthy following. In fact, per a Maxwell's Tavern Facebook update, the Früh Bock ran out within two hours.

I always thought a micro-brewery would fit right in in Waxhaw at the old Rodman-Heath cotton mill, formerly referred by me as the old smokestack building. Maybe someday one will and Maxwell's (or Southsiders) will be holding another Pint Night with free pint glasses.

And for those wondering, I will get my cheeseburger from the Main Street Grill; I may just have to wait for the next First Friday to do so.

Pint night at Maxwell's

Tomorrow night is Pint Night at Maxwell's Tavern, featuring some of the brews from the Olde Mecklenburg Brewery, including Copper Amber Ale, one of my favorites as I've noted before, and OMB's new spring seasonal, Fruhbock.

This apparently will be the first place locally that Fruhbock will be available, so if you're interested in being one of the first to try it, Maxwell's is the place to be.

The action begins at 5pm and OMB leaves at 9pm.

Is it too much to ask the OMB rep to fill up my empty growler?

Copper Amber Ale at Maxwell's

I forgot to add in my earlier review that Maxwell's Tavern also offers Olde Mecklenburg Brewery's Copper Amber Ale (on tap, I imagine) for $4. That's a worthy beer if you're considering it.

And for the money-conscious, you cannot beat the price of a growler at Southern Spirits if you choose to go that route -- 4.5 pints for the price of 2.5 pints. That's the equivalent of two free pints for local beer-drinking penny-pinchers!

Southsiders has a liquor license

Looks like Southsiders has received their liquor license based on some recent Facebook posts.

Southsiders Public House: OOOOOO - Some nice scotch and burbon just walked in the door! Makers Mark, Woodford Reserve and Eagle Rare single barrel Bourbon AND Grants, Johnny Walker Black and Dewars Scotch also Try a Kettle One or Grey Goose Vodka Martini up with a blue cheese stuffed olive - Patte's also perfected the brandy alexander and of course - our soon to be famous Shaughnessy's Irish coffee

Interview with craft-beer pioneer

Nothing Waxhaw related here, but an interesting interview with craft beer pioneer Fritz Maytag. Interview lasts about 10 minutes.

I could still envision a brewery moving into the old smokestack building, with limited release brews (Derail Ale?), weekly growler samples to local bloggers, local brews on tap in local ale houses, etc.
In fact, I fail to see a down side.

Free the moonshine!

Reason.tv has a nice report on the arcane rules prohibiting home distilling in America.



From the article:

Jimmy Carter legalized home brewing in 1978, and that newfound freedom fueled the craft beer movement that continues to lavish beer lovers with endless choices. But in many ways, laws that govern whiskey, gin, and other distilled spirits are stuck in the 1920s.

Federal agents still raid distilleries much like they did during Prohibition, and making any amount of moonshine at home is not only illegal, it's a felony that can carry up to five years in prison. The result is a market dominated by a few big names, where would-be craftsmen are forced to hide their work.

And yet, despite the danger, America is in the midst of "moonshine renaissance," in which a new wave of hipster hobbyists has joined with old-time 'shiners to flout the law and do what they love to do.

Definitely worth checking out if only to learn a little more about moonshine.

UPDATE 9/4: Shrinking size of video so it fits into my template.

Got me a growler

Last week, I stopped at Southern Spirits and after throwing caution to the wind, picked up a growler of Olde Mecklenburg Brewery's Copper Amber Ale.

I'd heard about growlers before but never about this particular brewery. For those not familiar with growlers, it's approximately the equivalent of six pints of beer in a big jug. It supposedly has a special cap to keep the beer fresh for longer to avoid the problems that occur to a 2-liter of soda a day or two after it's been opened. At least that's my layman's take on growlers...

For the Copper Amber Ale, I shelled out $20 with $10 to be returned when I return the jug. Not a bad price to pay for six 4.5 pints of quality beer. An employee at Southern Spirits claimed that once cracked, the special cap would keep the remaining beer fresh for 90 days. This seemed dubious, but I wasn't particularly concerned since I'm confident six pints of beer would never last that long in my house.

My final verdict: the beer's real good (that's as detailed a beer review you'll get from me), but the growler will not keep it fresh for anywhere close to 90 days. By day 4, there was noticeably less fizz.

But a growler is definitely a cheap way of enjoying a quality pint of beer without paying bar prices. I plan to pick them up when entertaining out-of-town guests; it's a good way to share a good local brew without leaving the house.

UPDATE 11/4: I had to correct some poor math. A growler is the equivalent of 4.5 pints, not six. It's still a good deal in my opinion, but sorry for the mistake.

Grand opening set for The Stuffed Olive

In case you missed it, a representative from The Stuffed Olive commented on my earlier post on the new bar and grill coming to town.

And it contained the grand opening date of Monday, August 9th, so there will soon be another bar and grill in town to offer a little healthy competition to Southsiders. I hope an unending price war between the two causes beer prices to plunge accordingly, although I suspect the odds of this occurring are slim to none.

If the representative from The Stuffed Olive is still around, inquiring minds want to know what beers will be available and which of those will be on tap? Serving liquor drinks as well? Menu available yet? So many questions...

New beers at Southsiders

Per a Facebook update by Mark, Southsiders has one new Irish beer (O'Hara's Irish Red), which doesn't appear to be on tap.

Another two are set to arrive on tap this weekend -- Shiner Bock & The Cottonwood seasonals.

Rogue Kell's Irish Ale is supposedly on the way.

I may have to stop in and try an Irish Red this evening if I can convince my family to stroll into town for First Friday.

Road construction crimping Southsiders' style

Southsiders had a series of Facebook posts indicating recent construction at Broome Street and South Main Street (and no doubt the recent train derailment) has caused problems for potential patrons.

For the benefit of those who don't follow them on Facebook:

Open letter to Rep Curtis Blackwood
Dear Representative Blackwood:
While I understand and know that the repairs at rout 16 & 75, today being Saturday, I’ve noted ZERO activity today. I understand that this project will take up to 5 weeks perhaps longer.

And then:

I guess I can understand not working at night (though that would help in fact working around the clock would turn a five week project into less than 2) but to not work on Saturday during the day vexes me.

Vexes? It appears I'm not the only one vexed by elements of Waxhaw.

As a small business, we struggle to make ends meet anyway but having 2 main throughofares cut off is killing our business. We have several employees most are single moms who are working very hard to support their families.

And then:

We’ll have no choice but to cut their hours. Again we understand the need for these improvements but on behalf of our employees and for ourselves we’d like to see everything that can be done being done to whittle that 5 week completion date back as far as we can. Regards,Mark & Patte KennedySouthSiders Public house

And finally:

Remember - it's an open letter to Rep. Blackwood-I'm just trying to get some movement 5 weeks 1 shift per day 5 days a week for a major artery is out of line.

I imagine the continuing poor economy is playing at least a small role as not everyone can afford to go out as often as they'd like.

Although it seems a little premature to play 'we're-gonna-have-to-cut-the-hours-of- single-moms' card in my opinion. And along those lines, I'm not sure if there's an ideal time to play that card.

I suspect business will pick up a little now that it appears the derailment fiasco has run its course and word filters out that the alternative routes to Southsiders (eg. Church and South Main) are open.

I'd be surprised that anyone wanting to visit Southsiders for a beer, dog, or sandwich will be put off by having to travel one block farther.

Potential trouble?

A little Facebook birdie (otherwise known as Mark himself) says Southsiders now has wifi access.

While I welcome the change, beer and wifi could make for an interesting combination.

Beyond Waxhaw: Creative Loafing highlights new Hickory Tavern

Just a heads up that the Creative Loafing recently highlighted the new Hickory Tavern in Wesley Chapel. I'll be visiting tomorrow evening, so I'll see if it can hold a candle to Southsiders. Unfortunately for Hickory Tavern, it's already got one strike because I have to drive to it.

On a small side note, since the URL references Waxhaw's bar scene, I kept waiting to read about Southsiders, but 'twas not to be.

Nothing going on in Waxhaw

Well, at least according to my posts. In reality, I've been a little busy lately and a little under the weather.

Some stuff I could've posted on but didn't are:

* First Friday -- A Friday evening event where local businesses stayed open later on Friday. Supposedly a pretty big deal based on all the follow-up articles (here & here for example). Unfortunately, my family spent the evening at home because we had no idea it was going on. And while I don't pretend to know everything in Waxhaw, I like to think I follow Waxhaw happenings a little more than your average joe. So a little more awareness about the "Second Friday" might benefit area businesses even more.

Just wondering, but is the next one going to be called "Second Friday" or are they all going to be "First Fridays"? That's a serious question.

* For those in the broom market, Waxhaw has a new artisan broom store. An article by none other than Dorothy Moloney can be found in the March 14th edition of The Waxhaw Exchange. It's run by Mark Hernig and is simply called the Broom Shop. Good luck to Mark who's also done much to improve the outdoor exhibits at the Museum of the Waxhaws. Hopefully his shop doesn't go the way of the Waxhaw Fresh Market, which is no more.

* If you've driven by a baseball field recently, you've probably noticed that the spring season is starting up again.

* Waxhaw UMC is selling a cookbook. Joyce Blythe was nice enough to personally deliver my copy to me. If you're interested, contact her for more details. On a sidenote, this is the first instance of my vote for town commissioner physically paying off for me. I can honestly tell you that neither Brett Diller nor Erin Kirkpatrick have hand-delivered local cookbooks to my house.

* I see a Chesterbrook Academy (a pre-school) is going in at the old smokestack building by Fox's Pizza. I'm a little disappointed with that because with the beer & liquor referendum passing (mentioned here), I thought that place would make an ideal location for a micro-brewery. Oh well.

* I finally visited Southsiders tonight after the new bar was put in. A very healthy crowd was there. I figured what better day to go get a couple pints of Guinness than St. Patrick's Day.

* And perhaps the biggest news: I was finally able to score a couple packs of Silly Bandz, making me the world's greatest dad at least for the evening. For those of you unaware, Silly Bandz are rubber bands shaped like animals, cars, dinosaurs, etc. They are all the rage in elementary school (and beyond I hear) & my wife had been unable to secure them in Waxhaw. Rumors of shipments to the local Walgreens always seemed to fall through. But I was able to secure some in nearby Gaston County.

UPDATE 3/31: Fixed typos

SouthSiders profiled in Observer

Ron Stodghill profiles Waxhaw's SouthSiders in today's Charlotte Observer.

"Last Friday night, we were the only place in town conducting commerce," boasts Kennedy, who, with her husband, Mark, co-owns SouthSiders, a modest little joint in downtown Waxhaw.

"That's because we are the only place in town with a bar."

SouthSiders is one of those delightful rarities of modern life, a family-owned business that, with voters' help, beat City Hall. It's the tale of a daughter, beer and an uncle: the daughter of an old-school Chicago pol gets mad at city leaders who won't let her sell beer and makes them cry "Uncle."

But not until the 14th paragraph do we learn the most useful piece of info:

The passage has breathed new life into SouthSiders, Patte says. Adding beer - for now, Blue Moon and Guinness on tap, and 20 bottled brands - has not only boosted revenues by more than 35 percent, but added four waiters to the payroll.

I haven't visited since the new bar was put in, so I'll have to make my way over there at some point and have a pint -- Guinness because I don't understand the fascination with Blue Moon. Hopefully the beer on that tap will be rotated out.

My visit to SouthSiders

The hustle & bustle of Christmas combined with a trip north afterward has knocked me out of my blogging rut. I've been away from this blog for a while, but it's time I get back in the swing of things.

I finally made it into SouthSiders on Saturday for a beer. Given my past cheerleading of the referendum, you might've figured I'd be camped out there, but, alas, no.

I stopped in Saturday evening to check out their first official dart tournament. A lowkey affair, but a excellent number of participants for their first foray into competitive darts. I arrived fashionably late so did not compete, but I'd been gorging myself silly at 521 BBQ & Grill in Lancaster County.

Now, as for the beer, it looked like a nice selection, but I zeroed in on the Lager, so I didn't get a good look at what else was available.

It appears taps and a bar are to be installed around the beginning of February; it'll be nice to sit down for a pint of Guinness or Harp.

Unfortunately, I neglected to ask Mark if there are any specials. Hopefully that'll be my next big scoop because what's a bar without drink specials.