Local Beer in Wake Forest, NC

I forgot my favorite man, sittin’ over there. His name is Mr. Manilita, Mr. Bob Manilita. We were building out our summer beer plan when we got word from Freestyle Farms in New Zealand that they’re releasing a limited quantity of their new experimental hop, Manilita. It has a high oil content (that’s flavor) and they say it has notes of gummy candy, red grapefruit, and red berries. We get some orange citrus too.

A melody is the pleasing, orderly combination of parts signifying agreement, concord and peaceful coexistence. As is this Hazy IPA recipe. Oh wait, that’s the definition of harmony? Then what is a melody? Shit, we already named this beer. Anyways, on top of a wallop of Citra Cryo we included a ‘melodic harmony’ (yeah, that’s the ticket) of NZ Paradisi, Waimea, and US Sabro.

Yuzu you and I’ll zu me. A year has passed since we first started playing with terpenes and the development of these concentrated flavors hasn’t slowed down. Terpenes have been discovered to be a natural part of many things we taste with a significant contribution to hop and fruit flavors. We blended citrusy Yuzu terpenes with loads of citrus forward NZ Wakatu and Taiheke hops and fermented it with lager yeast for refreshing results. 

Collaboration with Edit Beer Co. in Raleigh for both of our 3rd Anniversary Parties. This big DIPA was dry hopped at 5lb/bbl with Citra, Mosaic, Idaho 7, and Anchovy (fishy in name, not flavor) hops. We played around with a small co-pitch of thiolized yeast and our usual Hazy strain to achieve another layer of complexity. The brew morphed into a sort of orange, mimosa flavored juice bomb. Let’s raise a pint to 3 years and many more “profits” to come!

Brewed with local Pecan smoked malt, dark but not ‘too’ dark with chocolatey notes from a blend of roasted malts. Pecan smoke is mild, so don’t be afraid to try it even if you’re averse to smoky flavors! Lagered for 10 weeks to get all the roast and smoke to really mellow and become cohesive.

Collaboration with DSSOLVR and Cellarest Beer Project in Asheville. An experimental recipe with 40% black seashore rye grown in eastern NC, a new ingredient in the brewing game that we’ve found out contributes a big creamy frothy body. We went a little old school with a touch of dark crystal malt, and a blend of old and new hops for dry hop. “Deep cut” Cascade CGX and Krush.

Annihilate your thirst! It’s better than water because its got electrolytes. We made a lightly wheated sour ale and fermented it on lime and pineapple. Then we added Strawberry, Orange, Clementine, and fruit punch Electrolyte powder making it the perfect juicy pre or post workout beer! It’s also good for your crops, it’s got what plants crave!

The first variant of our “Cacao is my Safe Word” Milk Stout. Fermented with raspberry puree, then rested on Ucayali Peruvian cocoa beans we roasted in house. Chocolatey up front with a pleasant, sweet raspberry pop in the finish. Fun fact, the farmers who grew the cocoa use the profits to restore parts of the Amazon Rainforest that were deforested.

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

This beer was the winner of our Blackbird Beer Madness bracket competition and brewed again by popular demand. When you’re looking for good swells for surfing in San Diego, look no further than 15th street. We modeled this IPA after those in the area. Clean and dry with solid bitterness. We got some fresh Strata, Idaho 7, and Citra for this one. 7.1% ABV.

So I have a surprise and it is possibly the best thing to potentially ever happen to anyone, anywhere in the history of the universe. Ladies and gentlemen, the world famous Li’l Sebastian. Inspired by our Johann Sebastian Springbock/Maibock, we used some similar brewing techniques but scaled it down into a smaller malt-forward lager. Once you taste it, you’ll know it’s not a pony, it’s a miniature horse.

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!

Learning and speaking a new language is hard, even more so when you’ve imbibed on a few alcoholic beverages. For those bold enough to attempt said feats this beer is for you. We brewed a Mexican lager with flaked Maize and Pilsner malt and then conditioned it on freshly squeezed lime juice, zest, and Pink Himalayan sea salt. Refreshing waves of lime and hints of salt transport you to warm sunny days. As a warning, this liquid vacation of a beer may increase your craving for chips and salsa.

We are welcoming summer with sunshine in a glass. This ambrosia salad inspired sour ale was brewed with a glorious amount of pineapple, orange, apricot and marshmallow, giving your palate the delicious notes of ambrosia salad. Served in our tulip glass for maximum aroma. Cheers to summer sun!

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.

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.