Thursday was a beautiful day here in North Carolina and what better way to enjoy it than in downtown Greensboro and stopping in at Natty Greene’s Brewing Company. They have been a staple of Greensboro’s downtown since 2004 and are Greensboro’s “original” brewery. The first in town.
They started with a 7 barrel system, but in 2007 the bought a production facility and a 20 barrel system. Last year the opened up a taproom at this facility that is near the Greensboro Coliseum. But thanks to COVID they closed it down.
Their flagship beers are Buckshot Amber Ale and Southern Pale Ale, but Wildflower Witbier and Guildford Golden are also distributed. You can find their beer from DC to Savannah on the east coast.
They have remodeled the downtown brewery since I had been there (pre COVID) and it looks great! They have a variety of food and beer, an event space, and a large patio to enjoy the NC weather.
I started with their Ember (sour). They took their Red Nose Winter Ale, aged it in wood for a year and infused it with ginger and cinnamon. It smells sour with a hint of cinnamon and tastes just like the smell. It’s sweet, yet spiced and white wine like. I liked this one!
My favorite beer of the day was the second one I tried. Black Powder (Russian Imperial stout). Untappd says it’s 8.4%, but Natty Greene’s’ menu said 10%. Either way this one was great! Roast and chocolate on the sniff. You can definitely tell this is high abv on the taste. I got strong, rich and bitter chocolate. By the 3rd sip I got a little cookie flavor as well. So good!!
My friend Deb let me taste her beer. She had Juicy Love, a New England IPA. It was citrus forward and you could even taste the rind. Juicy, bitter and dry are the notes that stuck out to me. It is a solid brew!
I ended with Oktoberface (marzen). I know it’s a little late for this style, but I won’t be able to have it much longer until the fall and what a great style! On the nose I got malt and caramel, no surprise there. The sip followed the nose. It was really light and a little thin. This wasn’t my favorite marzen or Octoberfest beer, but it was still quite enjoyable.
It was a great to get out downtown, support local business, and have some great beers with a good friend.
Jaredthebeerguy 