Local Beer in Wake Forest, NC

John Lennon once said “There are two basic motivating forces, fear and love.” Well, one of Ian’s daily fears finally came true. He made the same mistake made so often by helpers in the brewery, one that he loves to shame others for, but rarely occurs by his own hands. He milled too much malt into our WC IPA recipe. There was no way to dilute it and reverse the mistake. As he began calculating the damage, every recipe specification would have to be changed. The love of brewing would have to be rekindled for a new balance to be achieved. So he cranked up the IBUs to about 90 (vs. 60-70 in our usual recipe), created a new sulfate heavy water profile to increase perceived dryness, and included a big CTZ dry hop for its muscular gnarliness alongside every IPA hop he found in our freezer. The result is a somewhat richer variant of our house WCs. Citra, CTZ, Krush, Waimea, Idaho #7, and Simcoe.

House made with a blend of watermelon syrups, kiwi flavoring, brewery quality filtered H20, and vodka. Gluten free.

As exciting as a jungle cat in the bathroom, this tropical flavored sour has a subtle acidity that simply mimics the fruit. This lightly wheated ale gets loads of mango and pineapple puree with a little extra tropical pop from mango and yuzu terpenes. Tigers love mango.

When I was eighteen, nineteen, when I really started to drink beer, I definitely wanted to become a brewer. It was almost impossible because it was— The dream was so big that I didn’t see any chance because I was living in a little town, was studying. And when I finally broke away from school and became a brewer, I thought, “Well, now, I may have a little bit of a chance.” Because all I really wanted to do is beer and not only drink beer but compose beer. I wanted to do a menu with the sounds of the ‘80s, the sounds of the ‘90s, of the ‘00s, and then have a sound of the future. And I didn’t have any idea what to do but I knew I needed some malt. So, we put some local Epiphany malt in the mash tun, lagered it, and dry hopped it with US Saaz. I knew that it could be a sound of the future but I didn’t realize how much the impact would be. My name is Giovanni Giorgio, but everybody calls me Giorgio.

Living is easy with eyes closed, misunderstanding all you see…but it all works out. It doesn’t matter much to me. Sour ale brewed with strawberry, lime, and pineapple.

In these unprecedented times, we have to find a new normal. We can’t just keep trying the same great recipes and expect greater results. After trying NC grown Black Seashore Rye grown in a couple other beers we decided its uniquely creamy frothy character would be perfect in a lower gravity Hazy. So here you have it, an unprecedented recipe for your enjoyment. Hopped with Krush and NZ Manilita.

It’s always a special day when we get to push our custom brewhouse’s capabilities and this was one of those days. We gelatinized and boiled purple corn and then step mashed it with pilsner and vienna malt to convert it into sugar. It was then finished with a decoction to pull as much flavor as possible. Fermented cold and naturally carbonated and clarified during a long maturation in horizontal tanks. The result is an incredibly smooth lager with subtle corn flavors and a pink/orange hue.

The Blackbird Brewery sells beer plus. Beer plus Waimea or Citra or Krush, which is what we’re drinking. This will sharpen you up and make you ready for a bit of the old.. Ultraviolence. This Hazy has it all. Bliss and heaven! Oh, its gorgeousness and gorgeousity made flesh. It’s like a bird of rarest-spun heaven metal or like silvery wine flowing in a spaceship, gravity all nonsense now. But by morning this beer will prove to you that all that ultraviolence and killing was wrong. You’ll be cured alright.

Pilsner but with a small twist. Brewed to be light, crisp, dry and snappy. German malt and Saphir hops start off the recipe but then at the end of the boil we added New Zealand Pacifica hops which lends a soft citrusy freshness and noble hop character that keeps the whole thing still feeling classic.

Named after the river that is home to Düsseldorf, Germany, where the Altbier was born. Brewed with large portions of Munich malt, a touch of crystal malt, noble German hops, and fermented cool with neutral ale yeast. This malty libation is a smooth, balanced, no frills amber beer! 5.5% ABV

If those birthday invites keep stacking up and you’re not sure you can afford them all, talk to us about our 6.5% interest!*, 30 year fixed loan. The asterisk means we round up to 8%, it’s just called the “6.5% interest!” loan. It’ll cover the tapas, or the bouncy house rental. While you’re signing the papers, enjoy this Hazy IPA packed with flavors to help you forget about interest rates and the economy. Hopped with Citra, Krush, and Dolcita Abstrax terpenes, brimming with a medley of tropical fruits reminiscent of those Caprisuns you crushed at all those birthdays.

Saison Du Héritage was brewed out of love for authentic belgian saisons. We did our best to pay our respects to the tradition and methods of brewing this style of beer. Our saison utilizes local barley and wheat from Epiphany Craft Malt in Durham and Spelt for rustic malt complexity which is brewed with a long traditional step mash. This beer consists of a blend of two saison strains from Belgium and is full of luscious fruity esters. À votre santé, mon amies!

Some say it’s always better to be overdressed, but who cares as long as you’re enjoying a beer in a pool. Dress your best, we won’t judge either way. Our pilsners are special beers that require extra steps and know-how on the brewhouse with extended maturation in the cellar. German malt is step mashed then hopped with Hallertau Mittelfrüh and Saphir. Naturally carbonated and lagered in horizontal tanks. Perfect for the most formal and informal parties.

So, what are you doing back at Blackbird? Well, I sat back and thought about the things we used to do, the beer I drank with you, the cheers, and many brews. I’m so in love, Girl You Know Wit’s True. We are channeling Milli Vanilli, but this beer is a classic, crushable Belgian Witbier with wheat, coriander, and orange peel. Order a pint and know my love is for you.

Classic German style wheat beer. 50% of this beer is made from wheat grown at Perry Family Farm in Rolesville four miles from the brewery and malted at Epiphany Craft Malt in Durham. Brewed the hard way, this went through five mash steps including two decoctions to get every bit of character these malts have to offer. Naturally carbonated and unfiltered.

The classic light and crisp German ale, drinks like a lager but with unique stone fruit, salt cracker and chalky aromas you only find in Kolsch. A special selection of malts and hops we don’t share with our other beers, a special yeast strain, tricky alkaline, and three week cold conditioning to settle into its personality makes this a one of a kind beer style we can’t get enough of.