As I type this, I’m still recovering from the Brewgaloo Festival that went down in downtown Raleigh, NC.
It was put on by Shop Local Raleigh, and if you don’t have something like this in your hometown, you should get it started. Unfortunately, I used too much of my cell phone battery on Strava so I wasn’t able to get any pictures.
They had all the Breweries that I would expect represented like Aviator, Big Boss, Lonerider, and Natty Greene’s which all make fantastic beer. However, I was there on a mission, to find breweries I haven’t tried before, and most did not disappoint.
There were 24 breweries total represented, and I would like to take a second to talk about 2 that really stood out to me (obviously I didn’t get to try all 24, though I made a valiant effort). White Street and Starpoint Brewing took the cake for me. I haven’t tried any of their beers prior to this event, so they’ve gained at least one new customer.
White Street brought an Imperial Pale Ale with them that was sensational. It was sort-of sweet up front with a traditional hoppy-ness breaking through for an incredibly crisp and refreshing ale. This beer would be best paired with a super-long road ride in the middle of the summer.
Very similar yet uniquely different, from Starpoint was their “Mornin’ Wood” double IPA. Much more straight forward than the White Street, but no less delicious. They describe it as “balanced” and that it is. This would go really well with a mountain bike ride on a hot, muggy day.
The beer was obviously why I went to this event, though the food trucks did not disappoint either. All-in-all, I can’t wait for the next one.