Raise a pint to local North Carolina ingredients.
Several N.C. breweries are turning to farmers and foragers for local ingredients, such as persimmons, figs and cherries, to use in their brews.
Fullsteam Brewery in Durham uses local persimmons for its First Frost winter ale. Owner Sean Lilly Wilson turns to the public in the brewery’s Forager Collective – a group of anyone who wants to collect the in-season fruits they’re looking for, such as figs or mulberries, contacted via social media.
Ben Woodward of Haw River Farmhouse Ales in Saxapahaw used 80 pounds of local ground cherries for a sour golden ale and a pound of local marigold flowers for a saison.
With the popularity of eating and drinking local continuing to grow, more North Carolina breweries are likely to follow suit.
