CHARLOTTE, N.C. — While the beer landscape in Charlotte may be getting more crowded, it’s not all rivalries and brawls. Birdsong Brewing Co. has found a groove with collaborations through an array of partners and motivations.
“We can find inspiration anywhere,” said Birdsong principle owner Chris Goulet. “A song, an album, a foraged ingredient, a shared love of hops, Charlotte Craft Beer week, friendships, common interests.”
The brewery has collaborated on more than 25 beers with nearby NC breweries, as well as New Belgium Brewing Co., Colorado’s Left Hand Brewing Co. and about half a dozen local bands.
The process pushes the brewery outside of its comfort zone in the best way, Goulet says.
“We always learn something new about beer or the industry. Each one is it’s own experience,” said Goulet. “It gives us a chance to understand beer from a broader perspective and hang out with friends. The blending of music and beer is exactly what we seek.”
Larger-scale collaborations have proven to be fruitful for the brewery as well. Birdsong is in its second year of a relationship with the Charlotte Knights, Charlotte’s minor league baseball team.
The Knights had some basic criteria for the beer — light, interesting, low alcohol by volume — and Birdsong did the rest. Sales of All Knight Long, a 4.5 ABV (Alcohol By Volume) Belgian blonde ale, have continued to climb sharply since inception.
“And, we have a blast at the staff outing in good old section 102,” Goulet said.
Birdsong’s next large collaboration celebrates the brewery’s love of punny wordplay, music and nature. Bear Necessities, a New England style Double IPA created in concert with Lowes Foods, will debut in late July-early August.
Bear Necessities, brewed with oats, flaked wheat, Idaho 7, El Dorado and Cascade hops, clocks in at 8.5% ABV and 54 IBU (International Bittering Units). It will be available in cans and on tap in the Birdsong taproom and The Beer Den at 55 Lowes Foods stores across North Carolina.
About Birdsong Brewing Company
Founded in 2011 from humble roots, Birdsong Brewing Co. has grown to become the Charlotte destination for culinary-inspired, super-fresh, unfiltered, American-style ale. Using locally-sourced ingredients and fully embracing musical (and often whimsical) inspiration, Birdsong celebrates creativity with a new, weekly small batch release in the taproom every “Thursty Thursday.” Beloved by locals and sought-after by fans across the Carolinas, the 30-barrel brewhouse and taproom in the Belmont neighborhood embodies the #CanDoWillDo philosophy behind what Birdsong brews, thinks and believes. Charlotte’s third oldest brewery is the first in the Queen City to embrace solar power, installing a 75 kilowatt array for the roof of the brewery in 2018. For more information, visit birdsongbrewing.com.