Homebrew for Hunger

Who can take a sunrise, sprinkle it with dew
Cover it with choc’late and a miracle or two
The Homebrewer can, Oh the Homebrewer can
The Homebrewer can ’cause he/she mixes it with love and 
makes the world taste good…
(My interpretation of the Willy Wonka/Aubrey Woods/Sammy Davis Jr. classic, “The Candy Man“)

I like it when goodwill is served straight up in a frosty mug of craft beer. The inaugural Homebrew for Hunger Festival (H4H) on Saturday, November 12th, is one of those Chapel Hill events that bundles a lot of greatness into a tidy package of Try Not To Love This. 

Several breweries with open doors to the public dot the Triangle beerscape, and I support all those big little guys, from Carolina Brewery to Aviator. H4H excites me because it provides an opportunity to spotlight the homebrewer – my favorite mad scientist. Spruce, cardamom, oatmeal, cocoa, green tea, apple must…there’s room for all these ingredients in beer, says the homebrewer, just maybe not all those ingredients in the same batch. “Homebrew for Hunger expects to showcase beers from over 30 homebrewers. Already 19 homebrewers have registered offering more than 100 gallons of homebrew for the tasting session including Smoked Milk Stout, Rye IPA, Chinese Green Tea Ale, and Belgian Orange Spiced Ale.”

In addition to celebrating local beer, the event organizers from Fifth Season Gardening Company will raise their glasses to support the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina. “Proceeds from Homebrew for Hunger will feed hungry children in central and eastern North Carolina. The Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina serves 150,000 pounds of food every day to more than 500,000 individuals. North Carolina is among five states with statistically significant higher rates of household food insecurity than the U.S. national average.”

Highlights from the event will include “Homebrew U”, demonstrations on homebrewing basics, a panel discussion featuring craft brewers from Mystery Brewing, Fullsteam, and Bull City Burger & Brewery as well as tastings from the participants. 

The Deets:
Tickets are $20 each, and are available at www.homebrewforhunger.com as well as Fifth Season Gardening Company locations in Carrboro and Raleigh
Saturday, November 12th
12pm – 5pm
at the West End Public event space, 462 West Franklin Street, in downtown Chapel Hill

IMO, you can’t beat Brixx Pizza on Monday for $1.95 pints of almost two dozen local and domestic craft beers. What are your favorite spots in the Chapelboro to share a locally made beer with friends?