We are so thrilled to be lucky enough to host Four Saints Brewing to kick off NC Beer Month. Since I arrived at Fearrington in 2017, I’ve had the pleasure of getting our beer dropped off by Joel McClosky, one of the founders of the brewery… We’ve shared good beer stories, chatted about emerging beer styles, what’s going on in the industry, and have lusted after the idea of holding a beer dinner together for quite some time. A few years go by, and my pride growing more and more for local brews, I wanted to hold a beer dinner so we could showcase how amazing beer pairs with food!

Four Saints is located just down the road in Asheboro, and have been the only brewery in the area as far as historical county records go back. Joel and Andrew still brew on a very small scale, and make a few core beers all year round, with a whole section of Belgian styles — their first true love, while also getting to “play” with different styles for the rest of their beers. The brewery pays homage to the Patron Saints of Beer: Saint Wenceslaus, Saint Nicholas, Saint Luke, & Saint Augustine, and each of these Saints has their own seasonal beer. Joel and Andrew have never been afraid to try out new batches of beer, or naming beers like “Yoga Pants Latte” as a cheeky way to poke fun at their pumpkin ale. They truly have fun with what they do, and it always comes across in their products.

Over the course of the dinner, you will get to experience 5 different beers, from their readily available Omie Blonde Ale, to their seasonal release Bandwagon New England IPA. They’ve even pulled out of their cellar a few library release bottles of Saison that have been aging for years! (What a treat!!!) Now of course, our own Chef Colin Bedford has paired up some stellar traditional comfort foods with a twist to match this massive range of beers. The Beef Wellington alone will send you into a state of nirvana, but pair this with Four Saints’ Genesis Belgian Dubbel?! Let’s just say, you won’t leave hungry…

Lastly, I just want to say how in awe I am of the local products we create and have access to in NC. When I think of the craft beer movement in NC, it’s such an interesting bit of beverage history. NC’s first brewery opened in 1985 and is still open today — they were the first innovators to get legislature in place to allow breweries to sell directly to their guests, a law we still have in place. This allows each of our individual craft houses to sell our favorite brews directly to us. A massive thanks!!! The craft movement didn’t really hit NC on a massive scale until the mid-2000s when breweries started to pop up from the coast to the mountains. Around 2010, Asheville brewers started to hit their stride in being nominated year after year for the Beer City USA title. It wasn’t until 2013 that the state actually declared April as NC Beer Month, and I’ve been celebrating ever since. Come rejoice with me on Thursday, March 28th for our four course dinner with Four Saints.

~Laura Francis, Sommelier & Fearrington Beer Taster In Chief