2011 was the year that Charlotte broke its love affair with wine in favor of craft beers, with a Craft Beer Week hitting its stride and no end to the brew infatuation in sight for 2012. Numerous pubs and taphouses dedicated to the love of hops are cropping up around town, among them Duckworth's with several locations, Revolution Pizza & Ale House in NoDa, Dandelion Market uptown, Pizza Peel and Tap Room in Cotswold, and South End's Liberty Gastropub, which seems to keep on top of the trends. Expect beer dinners to compete with wine dinners in 2012, and more beers on tap behind every bar.
Charlotte even has an authentic beer garden and beer hall now: the VBGB Beer Hall & Garden in the N.C. Music Factory. Look for another biergarten atop the Pavilion at the Epicentre come spring. The Olde Mecklenburg Brewery also has a biergarten where numerous festivals featuring their fresh brews are held all year.
Local craft beers are being brewed in Charlotte at Olde Mecklenburg Brewery, as well as the new NoDa Brewing and Birdsong Brewing, side by side in on North Davidson.
Having created a bewildering variety of creative martinis composed of liquors, herbs, juices, and every other thing on the back bar, area mixologists are returning to old favorites, such as old fashioneds, manhattans, and the time-tested highball.
Bourbon is Charlotte's favorite spirit with not one, but two area venues bearing the name of distilled drinks: Whiskey Warehouse, Plaza-Midwood's favorite drinking establishment, and Whisky River, a happening club in the Epicentre uptown.
Some restaurants, including Midwood Smokehouse and Good Food on Montford, are smoking their bourbon for a new taste sensation. Combining two hot trends - bourbon and smoky goodness - expect to see more in 2012.
Other mixologists are concentrating on making their drinks more healthful. Enter the "skinny cocktail" made with natural juices and a minimum of simple syrup. Skinny margaritas seem the most popular, with Vida Cantina in the Epicentre shaking up one of the best.
2012 promises to be an exciting year at Charlotte restaurants and bars. Look for politically themed cocktails as the Democratic Convention approaches, as well as expanded "late night" happy hours featuring small plates and "shareable" appetizers, especially in the Center City.
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