Sunday, July 6, 2014

Fuquay-Varina newcomer – Draft Line Brewing



By Dathan Kazsuk | July 6, 2014
Twitter: @TriangleAT | Facebook: Triangle Around Town | Instagram: @trianglearoundtown

It seems as if the Triangle is becoming a hot bed for up and rising breweries – especially as of late. One of the newest breweries to enter the scene is Fuquay-Varina's Draft Line Brewing. With Aviator Brewery holding down the Fuquay fort for years, and the all women-owned Bombshell Brewing in the neighboring town of Holly Springs recently celebrating its 1-year anniversary, Draft Line has some catching up to do.


On June 28, Draft Line opened its doors to the general public to an amazing success. The brewery stated on its Facebook page that they handed out over 2,400 wristbands and served over 4,500 glasses of beer. And at $5 a pop, that's an amazing accomplishment for day one.


Jen and I arrived around 5 p.m. and met some friends as we tried pint after pint. We started with the Wilbon American Wheat Ale (5.3%ABV). The beer had subtle hints of orange peels that made this a perfect summer brew. We followed that up with the Graft Pale Ale (5.3%ABV). Then we sampled the SinglePath IPA (6.6%ABV) and the Deep Plunge Porter (5.6%ABV). My friend, Gina, tried the Hemmngs Pilsner (5.1%ABV) as well as the RiverSteam Scotch Ale (7.5%ABV), which she enjoyed. Between the four of us there that afternoon, we tried all six of the beers Draft Line has to offer.


I must admit that I wasn't disappointed in any of the Draft Line beers that afternoon, but I was expecting a little more. With so many craft beers springing up in North Carolina alone, I'm always searching for a brewery to awe me with its ingredients. If you're going for a porter, try adding coconut or curry. If you are aiming for a wheat beer, why not add peaches or Hibiscus flowers.


Draft Line does have the potential, and should keep up with the other breweries sharing its beer with fellow beer-drinkers like me. The next time we're in the F-V, we'll be sure to stop back at Draft Line for another pint or two.