Alright! Let’s talk about the second part of my trip down to North Carolina back on July 24th, 2019. If you are just coming into the this part of my trip, be sure to check out Part 1 of my North Carolina Trip at http://70.40.208.69/adamsbeerventures/2020/02/14/north-carolina-trip-2019-olde-mecklenburg-brewery-and-primal-brewery/
So now that we are caught up on the part of my trip, the second part of the trip is where it gets a little crazy! Well OK, so not to crazy but it was certainly a fun filled day visiting Ass Clown Brewing Company in Cornelius, North Carolina; D9 Brewing Company also in Cornelius, North Carolina; and dinner at Eddie’s on Lake Norman in Mooresville, North Carolina. My wife and I started by doing the whole tourist thing, so we visited the North Carolina Transportation Museum. Then went to a great BBQ joint before we headed over to the first brewery that day to meet up with our friends Matt and Katie.
On Matt’s recommendation we met up at Ass Clown Brewing Company in Cornelius, North Carolina. Boy am I glad we did!! Not only was it an awesome brewery, it was great to meet up with our friends and share in the beer ventures with them, especially since the whole trip down to North Carolina was partly Matt’s idea. Matt and Katie where already there at a table when we arrived, the brewery is kinda tucked away in a commercial/industrial plaza, but do let that fool you, it’s a great little brewery! There was a very small crowd there, but the tap room was quiet and comfortable, a fun atmosphere too. The bar tender was great, very friendly and was quick to help with beer selections! Of course I am not one to argue on the recommendations of a bar tender or brewer, so I grabbed flight.
One of the things that the bar tender recommended was their spicy beers, yep spicy beers! I actually have slowly become a fan of spicy beers that incorporate the flavors of hot peppers or any spice for that matter. Honestly the spicy beers they had were the ones that stood out to me. The first one I tried was Poco Picante Stout, yep a spicy stout brewed with peppers, cinnamon and cocoa. It was great! Not too over the top on the spice, well for me anyway. My wife said her mouth was on fire, but again, I like spice and am used to trying out hot sauces. The next was called Go Reap Yourself, an IPA brewed with Carolina Reaper Peppers! What an outstanding beer! Being that most breweries these days have just run of the mill IPAs, this was a way to stand out in the IPA game, in my opinion. Another take on beer styles I have come to really enjoy is anything barrel aged, except some wine barrel aged stuff, which I will talk about more in Part 3 of this trip. However I did enjoy their barrel aged offerings of Wasted Time, Snowday Massacre (Which was a collaboration with Bhramari Brewing Company of Asheville, North Carolina), and Unfold (which was aged with Fruit). They also had a solid sour called Starfruit Tart.
We stayed there for a couple of hours at Ass Clown Brewing Company and had an absolute blast! The atmosphere was there, friendly staff, and great beer! I would highly recommend you stop in and check them out, it’s worth the trip for sure! I have included their contact information below, along with the beers I have tried from them.
10620 Bailey Rd E, Cornelius, NC 28031
(704) 997-8490
Wasted Time-Traditional Ale-3.75
Snowday Massacre-Sour-4
Light Wave Orange Lager- American Light Lager-3.75
Bee Kvosic Orange Saison-Farmhouse / Saison Ale-3.75
Unfold-Sour-4
A Great Day For A Beer-Pilsner-3.5
Poco Picante Stout-Stout-4
Starfruit Tart-Sour-4.25
Go Reap Yourself-American Pale Ale-4.5
After Matt and I were happily buzzed, the wife’s drove us over to D9 Brewing Company which as I mentioned before is also in Cornelius, North Carolina. This was also kind of tucked away in a commercial plaza. Now they were a bit more crowded and a few people there had some really nice cars outside, like Ferrari, I remember seeing a classic Chevy muscle car too and we showed up in a rental Hyundai and a mini van……..yeah, we may have been lacking that day on car styles, but were certainly were not lacking in beer styles!!
Like I said, it was much more crowded here which was fine, no one was crazy, everyone looked happy and like they were having a good time. Staff was OK, other than ordering our flights, we really did not interact much with them, but I have no complaints on the staff. The atmosphere was what I would describe as an industrial feel and they offered outdoor seating as well. We snagged a couple of comfy couches outside and settled in for a couple of hours there.
In between continuing to catch up with our friends we enjoyed some great brews from D9 Brewing Company! They offered several tasty Sour and Wild Ale styles that certainly memorable. Pinch of Salt – Lemon Chiffon, Defying Gravity – Cape Canaveral, Whiskers On Kittens Blonde Sour, and Carnaval to name a few of the sours we tried. No complaints in the Sour Style Department at all, solid beers. Another brew that stood out for me was the More Cowbell – Imperial Mocha Porter, that was a really good Porter! What can I say the beer was great!
D9 Brewing Company certainly did not disappoint! Another great brewery we visited on this short but fun filled trip! Per the usual I have added the contact info and the list of beer I have tried from them below.
11138 Treynorth Dr, Cornelius, NC 28031
(704) 247-7200
Pinch of Salt – Lemon Chiffon-Sour Gose-4.5
More Cowbell – Imperial Mocha Porter-Coffee Porter-4.5
Reel Southern-American Light Lager-3
Defying Gravity – Cape Canaveral-American Wild Ale-4.75
Whiskers On Kittens Blonde Sour-Sour-4.25
Carnaval-Sour-4
Hakuna Matata-International IPA-3.75
Into the White-American Pale Wheat Beer-3.25
Swell Rider Tangerine Session Ale-American Pale Ale-4
Once we were finished at D9 Brewing Company we needed to grab some dinner. Once again on Matt’s awesome recommendations we headed over to a great restaurant right on Lake Norman called Eddie’s on Lake Norman in Mooresville, North Carolina.
Now I don’t typically write much about restaurants, but for this place I will make an exception. First off it was packed! If I remember right we only waited about 30 minutes to get a table at the most, but we were able to get some seats at the out door bar overlooking the lake. The four of us wasted no time getting some beers and drinks, and finding people to talk with. Eddie’s on Lake Norman offered a great selection of beers, domestic, imported and local craft. No shortage of variety there at all. Staff was great! Patient, but quick and tended to every customer in a timely fashion.
They featured a cover band that night in the outdoor section, we were lucky enough to get a table right in front of them. Matt was able to get the band to play some request of his and it felt as if our table became the life of the party along with an older couple at the table next to us that also joined in the fun!
The food was awesome! No complaints there at all. Great view of the lake, great food, great entertainment, great beer selections and of course great company to go with it all that day! It was hard to stop all the fun that night for sure. I highly recommend if you are down in the Lake Norman area of North Carolina to have dinner at least once at Eddie’s on Lake Norman, you won’t be disappointed. Here is their information for you below.
643 Williamson Rd, Mooresville, NC 28117
(704) 799-2090
What can I say about this day other than it was awesome! It was so much fun to hang out with our friends and enjoy all the breweries, craft beer, and food! I look forward to more trips like this. Be sure to keep and eye out for the last leg of the trip, day 3 or Part 3 of my trip down to North Carolina in the summer of 2019! And Remember, go have and adventure, try new things, and please drink responsibly!!
