BEERS
HERE'S A HISTORY OF OUR FAVORITE BEER
ALTBIER
Originating from the German town of Düsseldorf, our classic Altbier transports you back to the 13th Century. German malt and hops make this medium body, slightly malty ale traditionally German through and through. With notes of caramel and toasted grain, this seasonal beer will have you raising your glass to a joyful, "PROST!"
AMERICAN BLONDE ALE
Our American Blonde Ale is a smooth, easy to drink beer with floral, light honey, and sourdough aromas. With a hint of herbal tartness, this crisp, blonde ale stays true to its simplistic style with notes of bread dough and lemon peel.
BALTIC PORTER
We took a 400 year old beer and brewed it in the traditional way through and through. Prevalent in Eastern Europe, this style is inspired by the Brits & the Russians resulting in something completely new (at the time), a high alcohol, robust malty beer with toasty, brown sugar notes. Munich malt takes a leading role with complex nutty, slightly caramel flavor. Expect it to be very malt heavy - not rich or cloyingly sweet - more like a freshly baked, rich pumpernickel loaf right out of the oven (then put in a glass).
BELGIAN PALE ALE
Belgian Pale Ale is one of the less-well-known Belgian styles, as it's not as big, boozy, and sexy as many of the Belgian beers that are imported to the US. Our Belgian Pale Ale is malty, bready and easy-drinking , with a dash of Saaz hops for flavor and aroma.
BELGIAN SINGLE
Our Belgian Single is the first installment of our 2022 Belgian series! Brewed with Dingeman Pilsner, Weyermann Pilsner, Epiphany Biscuit, and Simpsons Aromatic grain, as well as Saaz hops and Monestary Ale yeast, this beer boasts the lightest ABV in this Belgian lineup – following the naming tradition set by the stronger “dubbed” & “tripel.” This “single” – the name traditionally given to relatively light beers brewed by Trappist monks for their own tables – taps in at 5.7% & has floral, bready, & black pepper tasting notes.
BIÈRE DE GARDE
An homage to higher-gravity French farmhouse ales, Biere de Garde roughly translates to “beer for keeping.” Our version reflects the historical realities of this style of farming, when brewers made do with what was on hand. With three types of barley, wheat, rye, and oats, its aroma smacks of apple, pear, almond, and vanilla, with just a hint of lemon rind.
BOURBON BARREL AGED BIÈRE DE GARDE
A year of aging in Kentucky bourbon barrels adds layers of depth and nuance to our classic French farmhouse ale. This balanced, complex barrel beer is bursting with nectarine, citrus, pomegranate, and cracker flavors. Aromas of white wine, perry, and fresh peaches create a beautifully delicious ale.
SOUR BARREL AGED BIÈRE DE GARDE
In July 2018, we poured our flagship Bière de Garde into bourbon barrels, then stepped it up a notch, souring it with Pedio, developing a puckering acidity as it aged. Emerging from a 3-year snooze in those Heaven Hills Barrels, this small batch Barrel Aged Sour Bière de Garde has awoken with vigor. Tart yet sweet, with aromas of lemon, brown sugar, white wine, and sherry, and after a sip, lingering flavors of orange marmalade, vanilla, and anise.
BARREL AGED DON’T BE MEAN TO PEOPLE WITH BRETT & PLUM
Patience yields deliciousness – an easy lesson learned after tasting our Barrel Aged Sour Don’t Be Mean to People: A Golden Rule Saison with Plum and Brett – a magnificently long title for a magnificent beer nearly five years in the making. In 2017, our brewers filled Jim Beam bourbon barrels with our fan-favorite Don't Be Mean To People beer (which benefits local LGBTQ organizations), along with Brett, a popular fermenting yeast that creates pleasant acidic tartness. After a four year barrel slumber, we transferred this barrel aged beer back into tanks and blended it with plum and molasses. With tasting notes of stone fruit, sherry, and fruit pie – the waiting is over and the enjoying can begin!
BOURBON BARREL AGED IMPERIAL STOUT
The already dark and hardy Imperial Stout carries classic bourbon barrel flavors - caramel, bourbon, and oak - in it’s aged version. Aromas of dark cocoa, coffee, and vanilla linger as you drink this rich and balanced beer.
BOURBON BARREL AGED RESERVE
Bourbon barrel aging is the perfect way to highlight our Reserve’s rich brown malts and house made Belgian candy syrup. The result is a Belgian Dark Strong Ale that is deliciously boozy with notes of strawberries, vanilla, stone fruit, and oak.
CAROLINA MALT LAGER
Malt can change everything. We took a simple and delicious recipe and used locally-grown Carolina Malt House Pilsner Malt to amplify the flavor. This refreshingly light lager has notes of lemon blossom and pear with a crisp, clean finish.
COUNTER CULTURE COFFEE
BALTIC PORTER
Our Counter Culture Coffee friends inspired a collaboration that combines the complex, chocolatey Hologram coffee with our robust, small batch Baltic Porter. 9 gallons of iced coffee and 3 pounds of whole beans infuse a rich coffee flavor, making the Counter Culture Coffee Baltic Porter a balanced blend of coffee and beer with notes of toasted almond and mocha.
DON'T BE MEAN TO PEOPLE: A GOLDEN RULE SAISON
In 2016, North Carolina signed House Bill 2 (HB2) into law requiring transgender people to use restrooms that corresponded to their sex at birth. We believe that this bill violates Golden Rule #000001.
We decided to do something about it. Teaming up with 40+ NC brewers, we created Don't Be Mean to People: A Golden Rule Saison. Each beer sold fundraises for Equality NC and Queer Oriented Radical Days of Summer (QORDS), an organization that leads camping trips for queer and transgender youth.
Don't Be Mean to People not only tastes delicious with notes of tangerine, white pepper, and banana, but is a friendly reminder that being friendly together yields some pretty amazing things.
DOUBLE IPA
First developed in the 1990s by American craft brewers to ‘push the envelope’ for hop aficionados, the Double IPA has now become a popular, and much loved, style. With double the hops than our signature India Pale Ale, we flexed our creative hop muscles to make a beer that has double the tastiness. The hop-tastic notes of melon, resin, and citrus carry the overall dry but smooth finish of this bitter, hop forward ale.
DUBBEL
A rich, malty ale, the Dubbel is brewed with Belgian yeast giving it notes of dark, dried fruit, along with aromas of strawberry and graham cracker. Clocking in over 7% ABV, this is a beer that originated from monasteries in the Middle Ages, so we encourage jousting while drinking (if your arms are long enough).
DUNKELWEIZEN
The Dunkelweizen says what the traditional Weissbier does, only louder. This is a bigger, darker rendition of our classic Weissbier made with German hops, malt, and yeast. Hearty clove and banana flavors rumble together in this traditional dark wheat.
ENGLISH BROWN ALE
A classic English ale, this malt-focused beer has a slightly lower ABV and offers a mild roasty flavor. Chocolate and dried fruit aromas are accompanied by tasting notes of toffee, roasted nuts, and brown sugar. This dark ale has a clean finish and will leave you chuffed to bits!
ENGLISH OLD ALE
An old ale is, you guessed it, an old, historical type of beer that is also referred to as a winter warmer. As an homage to our mates across the pond, we brewed our English Old Ale with traditional British yeast and base grain. This ale, with an ABV of 8.5%, is a sweet, toasty, rich beer that warms you up on cold London/Durham days.
EPIPHANY SAISON
Just like Frankenstein's monster, this delicious brown saison is a result of divine experimentation. Highlighting the biscuit malt from the Durham-based Epiphany Craft Malt, this beer has rich, complex notes of molasses, coffee, and freshly toasted bread.
EXPORT STOUT
Most beer drinkers are familiar with the Dry Irish Stout, popularized by a certain brewery in Dublin. The Export Stout is a somewhat bigger version of this beer made to survive oceanic travel, yet still retain the dry, roasted flavors of the original without out being too sweet or cloying.
EXTRA PALE ALE
We love our Pale Ale so much we thought, “Why not go bigger?” Our Extra Pale Ale has a creamy, smooth mouth feel with an upfront bitterness and bright citrus hops. Featuring a toasty malt background balanced by pine and grapefruit notes, this ale is slightly on the hoppy side (not to be confused with the dark side).
FALL IPA
We've brewed a brown IPA to celebrate the cooler temperatures and changing season. This beer features Crystal and Loral hops for flavor and aroma, eschewing the more traditional and summery citrus flavors. We've kept the bitterness levels low so you can focus on the beautiful aromas and flavors from the hops and grain.
FIG SAISON
Our take on the crisp, flavorful ales brewed by farmers specifically for summer refreshment, the Fig Saison starts with several varieties of wheat, barley, rye, and, of course, figs. With a complex mix of yeast and fruit aromas that perfectly match its higher level of carbonation, the Fig Saison pours a rich red color and finishes dry with a mix of fruit, floral, spice, and subtle fig-ish notes.
FRESH HOP IPA
Wet-Hop IPAs are made with freshly-harvested hops, so they are only available at the end of the growing season, once. a year. Citra and Mosaic hops were freshly picked from the bine in Yakima Valley in Washington and shipped overnight for our brewers to receive the freshest possible hops. This is your one chance a year to enjoy this beer at it's freshest! Peak hop season.
GOSÉ
The Gosé is a traditional German Ale that can trace it's origins back to the 16th century, in the town of Goslar. Legend has it the town's water supply had a brackish taste, as it was near the ocean. The sea salt, along with a healthy lactic fermentation, give it a unique tart and salty flavor combination.
IMPERIAL STOUT
Created in the 18th Century by British brewers for the kinda scary Czars of Russia, the Imperial Stout was designed to be dark, strong, and hardy enough to handle the long and perilous voyage across the Baltic Sea. And you do not want to disappoint the Czars of Russia. Our version is made to stand the test of time, too, featuring rich flavors of chocolate, toffee, coffee, currant, and vanilla. Budem zdorovy!
INDIA PALE ALE
For our IPA, we used the traditional West Coast India Pale Ale as our template, then forgot where we put the template, then created something completely different. It’s a simple, easily enjoyable IPA with a crisp bouquet of lemon citrus, grapefruit rind, and melon. Tangerine and passion fruit dominate the hop flavor, but without the usual overwhelming bitterness.
INDIA PALE LAGER
In the 19th century, beer makers decided to brew beers in two main categories: ales and lagers. Brewers in the age of the internet decided categories were dumb and created the India Pale Lager, which shares the strong hop notes found in IPAs, but also the classic, easy-to-drink quality lagers are known for. We brewed our IPL with Magnum, Huell Melon, and El Dorado hops, and fermented it with lager yeast. With tasting notes of stone fruit, bread crust, and pine, this beer will have you questioning those goofballs that ever thought beer could be kept in categories.
IRISH RED ALE
Enjoy a pint of our Irish Red Ale, a deep red easy-drinking beer that dials in at just 4.4% ABV – making it the perfect beer for a few toasts. With tasting notes of graham cracker, tea leaves, & almond, this pint may just inspire you to do an Irish jig (green attire optional).
KOLSCH
Our Kolsch is exactly what a great Kolsch should be: a refreshing, easy-drinking beer. Brewed with Magnum and Tettnang hops, along with Carolina Gold, Carolina Wheat, and Vienna grains, this Kolsch stays true to style with clean, balanced flavor. This straw-colored ale has tasting notes of lemon peel, melon, and biscuit.
LEMON CUCUMBER SOUR WITH BUTTERFLY PEA FLOWER
You didn’t ask for purple beer, but boy did we deliver. For the second beer in our Experimental Brewing Series with our pals Spaceway Brewing Co., we created a delightfully crushable summer beer: a Lemon Cucumber Sour. This ale was brewed with precisely 12 fresh cucumbers, lots of lemon zest, Philly Sour yeast & bright butterfly pea flower to give it that perfectly purple hue. With notes of lemon candy, cucumber, and floral tea, this ale is a collaboration that brings balanced sweetness with pleasant tartness in a glass.
MARZEN
This German amber lager was first introduced to the world at the 1872 Oktoberfest celebration and has been considered the Oktoberfest style beer henceforth. Derived from the German word for March, this beer was traditionally brewed in the spring in anticipation for the fall festivities. No need to put on your dirndl and lederhosen to enjoy this balanced, malty ale with notes of caramel.
MUCHU DURHAM ALE
North Carolina ingredients and Japanese flavors inspired the Muchu Durham Ale, a collaboration brew we crafted with Dashi for Durham’s 150th anniversary. Muchu, which means "crazy about" in Japanese, are our exact sentiments about Durham. This ale is brewed with sake yeast, buckwheat, Sorachi Ace Japanese hops, szechuan peppercorn, and locally grown Koshihikari rice from our friends at South Wind Produce. The blend of these bold flavors creates a well-balanced, full bodied beer with notes of earthy tea and hints of lemon. Cheers to Durham!
MUNICH DUNKEL
Hailing from Bavaria, the Munich Dunkel was the first beer to be subject to the purity law in 1516 which stated that beer was to be exclusively brewed with barley, water, and hops. Good thing you don't need any other ingredients to make delicious beer. This traditional, rich lager has toffee notes with subtle toast aromas.
MUNICH HELLES
Hell may be pretty sinister here but in German it translates to "pale" or "bright". Münchners were inspired by the Czechs' popular pilsner for this malt-forward, hoppy, light beer. Before you know it you'll be saying, "Noch ein Bier, bitte!"
NORWEGIAN KVEIK FARMHOUSE IPA
Brewed with Kveik yeast, our Norwegian Kveik Farmhouse IPA is named after this hardy ancient Norwegian yeast strain that can withstand high temperatures between 66 and 98 degrees, whereas other (non-ancient, un-wegian, & obviously boring) ale yeast strains typically ferment happily between 66 and 72 degrees. With tasting notes of pineapple, honeysuckle, and vanilla, this beer may ferment in toasty conditions, but we promise it’s served perfectly cold.
OATMEAL STOUT
We've reinvented breakfast with our Oatmeal Stout that'll give you the warmth of the morning meal with smooth stout-y booze. With aromas of caramel, black molasses, and hazelnut, this medium-bodied beer is rich with flavors of dark chocolate and light coffee.
OYSTER SAISON
Brewed originally in collaboration with James Beard Nominated Chef Matt Kelly for St. James Seafood Restaurant and Raw Bar, this dry, hoppy Oyster Saison is the perfect ode to the sea. 10 pounds of fresh oyster shells infuse a whiff of ocean breeze, along with underlying notes of minerals and brine.
PEACH SOUR
Our Peach Sour is bright and refreshing with notes of flaky pastry crust and tart peach skin. Ideal for a hot day, this dry yet spritzy sour ale uses local Epiphany malts for a delectable biscuit malt character with a peachy punch. Why eat fruit when you can just drink it?
PEACH COBBLER SOUR IPA
This Peach Cobbler Sour IPA is a collaboration with our friends at Spaceway Brewing Co. as part of our Experimental Brewing Series. We brewed this unique, small batch beer with Triumph hops and Sour Philly yeast, souring it during the fermentation process. This ale is an adventure for your taste buds, with notes of peach, vanilla, and warming spices. Who knew experiments could be so delicious?
PILSNER
Pilsner was originally created in the town of Pilsen, now in the Czech Republic. The trifecta of soft local water, revolutionary malting techniques, and local Saaz hops created the most recognizable beer style today. Bready flavors mixed with an herbal undertow make this beer an instant classic.
PLUM SAISON ALE
The Plum Saison is a refreshing and light take on the traditional saison, with a hint of plum added for acidity and complexity. As fig begat Fig Saison, plum begat Plum Saison.
POMEGRANATE WHEAT
We’ve tapped our Pomegranate Wheat Ale, a fruited version of our classic wheat ale. Brewed with over 40 pounds of pomegranate deliciousness & the usual makings of a wheat ale – Carolina Gold and Flaked Wheat grain – this ale is sweet in the front and finishes tart. This ale has tasting notes of pomegranate, wheat bread, and banana chips.
RASPBERRY WHEAT
For our Raspberry Wheat Ale, we took our humble wheat ale and added 66 pounds of raspberry deliciousness, transforming this classic ale into a fruity beer nirvana. Brewed with Carolina Gold, Flaked Wheat, and Munich 2 grain, this beer pops with the sweet juiciness of ripe raspberries and notes of vanilla and wheat bread.
RAUCHBIER
Rauchbier is best defined by its name in German: “smoked malt.” Our Rauchbier is characterized by a distinctive smoke flavor, which comes from the smoked malt – or malted barley dried over an open flame – used when brewing. This malt, along with Saaz hops and five additional types of grain, create a unique beer with aromas of black pepper, licorice, and caramel, and tasting notes of leather, hickory, and anise.
RED RYE IPA
Our Red Rye IPA delivers on the dark and rich cravings we all have during cold winter months, while still carrying the huge hop flavor you would expect from a mighty IPA.
RESERVE ALE
The result of our finest brewing efforts, the Ponysaurus Réserve is a Belgian Dark Strong Ale featuring rich brown malts and Belgian candi syrup made in-house. Flavorful Belgian yeast yields a complex yet elegant set of fruit and floral notes, while the candi syrup ferments almost completely, resulting in a scarily drinkable beer clocking in at just under 10% ABV
THE RUNAWAY IPA
A funky IPA made in collaboration between Ponysaurus Brewing Co. and Runaway Clothes. And remember, you can't spell funky without F-U-N. You also can't spell it without K-Y. Well, this just got weird.
RYE PALE ALE
Originally brewed exclusively for Dashi in downtown Durham, the Rye Pale Ale has a light body, firm bitterness, and spicy/piney aroma designed to complement and contrast a bold, umami-filled meal. Due to it's quick popularity Rye Pale Ale can now be found at the Ponysaurus taproom and elsewhere in the Triangle.
SESSION IPA
Our Session IPA is a take on our regular IPA – keeping the same depth of hop & flavor, but created for sessional enjoyment. Brewed with Magnum, Mosaic, and Citra hops, this ale has refreshing notes of blood orange, guava, and breadcrust. Described as easy-drinking and super-sessionable, this beer will have you pondering, "what kind of session is the most drinkable?" The answer: a beer session. The best kind of session. Session ended.
SCOTTISH ALE
Reflecting the Scottish tradition of brewing beer with a small amount of hops so as to avoid unnecessary interaction with British traders (the bastards), our Scottish Ale is a rich, smooth, malt-focused beer that pours incredibly dark. Nutty Marris Otter malt provides deep hits of caramel, coffee, and chocolate in both the aroma and flavor. Like a drinkable kilt for your gullet.
SPRING IPA
The Spring IPA is brewed to bridge the gap between the maltier beers we like brewing in the winter while reflecting the softer, gentler weather we can look forward to in the spring. This IPA features Mandarina Bavaria and Azacca hops.
SMASH PALE ALE
Our SMASH beer highlights two of our favorite things on earth, malt and hop. This single malt and single hop pale ale truly showcases the fruity, honey notes of the Maris Otter base malt and Sorachi Ace hops. The crisp, clean flavor of these ingredients shine through in this smashingly good ale.
SOUR – APRICOT
The Apricot Sour delivers bright bursts of tart peach skin, lemon curd, and pastry. With funky aromas of vanilla and caramel, this fruited sour is a favorite for seasoned sour drinkers and sour novices alike. It has the flavor of mouth puckering, lightly sweetened lemonade with a hint of apricot and a lactic finish.
SOUR – BLACKBERRY PEACH
Our Blackberry Peach Sour is a complex fruited beer that definitely packs a punch. Bright and thirst quenching this unique sour has prominent flavors of blackberry with a tart, acidic peach aroma. Balanced fruity notes will leave a sour taste in your mouth (but in a good way).
SOUR – CHERRY
This fruited sour ale will make you rethink cherries. With a subtle pink hue and sharp flavors of cherry pie, lemonade, and cinnamon, this beer has all the juicy flavor with none of the pits.
SPICED HOLIDAY AMBER
When brewing our Spiced Holiday Amber, we embraced the challenge of capturing the best of the holidays in a pint of beer. Using all of our favorite fall ingredients, we brewed this spiced ale with clove, honey, allspice, ginger root, & cinnamon sticks. This beer tastes like the first glimmer of holiday lights during a light snow flurry – along with notes of ginger snaps, cinnamon, & brown sugar. With aromas of fresh baked pie, skip the eggnog and head straight to the beer tap.
SPRING IPA
The Spring IPA is brewed to bridge the gap between the maltier beers we like brewing in the winter while reflecting the softer, gentler weather we can look forward to in the spring. This IPA features Summit and Azacca hops.
SUMMER IPA
Our Summer IPA is a splash of cold relief from the hot, southern heat. Fuller and juicier than our year-round India Pale Ale, this beer has a unique malt-forward grain bill. Notes of ripe summer fruits distinguish this Idaho #7 single-hop IPA, highlighting the pungent tropical fruit and citrus flavors.
SUMMER SAISON
Feels like summer, especially when we are drinking this dry, fruity beer. Made with German Saphir hops, this saison has distinct fruity overtones with a clean finish. Dive right into this refreshing, seasonal pint of liquid gold.
TRIPEL
The Tripel is a strong, light-colored Belgian-style ale. The origin of the name comes from the Trappist tradition of marking bottles with a single, double, or triple "X" to indicate the strength. While the original "tripel' would have likely been dark, the modern interpretation was established in the early 20th century by Westmalle, whose beer provides the standard by which all others are judged.
VIDERI CHOCOLATE STOUT
A collaboration between Ponysaurus and local chocolatier Videri, our Chocolate Stout is designed to mimic the pure simplicity of a bar of dark chocolate. With a simple grain bill and fresh cocoa nibs added directly to the beer for ultimate flavor commingling, the result is a dark, clean beer that tastes more like artisan chocolate than chocolate cake.
VIENNA LAGER
As is our style, we brewed the Vienna Lager to be true to tradition. This beer is brewed with Hallertau Mittelfruh hops and German malt creating a malt-forward aroma with notes of caramel, hazelnut, and pretzel dough. Very similar to the Munich Marzen (aka the official Oktoberfest beer), this is Austria's technique for a lighter malt ale.
WHITE IPA
What do you get when you cross the flavor profile of a refreshing Belgian Witbier and the hoppiness of an American IPA? Our White IPA! This ale quenches beer-thirst with tasting notes of lemongrass, orange peel and tropical fruit. Brewed with Magnum, Amarillo, Cascade, and Centennial hops, along with fresh coriander and orange peel, our White IPA has a light malty backbone with lingering flavors of fresh hops, melon and citrus.
WEISSBIER
A celebration of traditional German wheat beers, our Weissbier features the classic banana and clove flavors, with the refreshing tartness and citrus notes that can only be found when the beer is at its freshest. We serve the beer cloudy on purpose, as the suspended yeast is crucial to its overall impression.
WEIZENBOCK
Bigger. Bolder. Stronger. This strong wheat beer isn’t your average pint. Clocking in at 7.5% ABV it gives you all the flavor of the Dunkelweizen on a grander scale. Made with all German malt, hops, and yeast, this aging winter beer is banana bread in a glass. Notes of browned bread give you a warm, fresh, out of the bakery, finish.
WITBIER
Warm, sunny days give us a hankering for a good, old-fashioned wheat beer. Our Witbier is brewed with unmalted wheat, 1 pound of fresh orange peel, and coriander seeds. The result is a crisp, dry wheat beer with fragrant aromatics of citrus that will entice you to dive in head-first.