We won our first ribbon!!!!!

We won first place in the Old Ale category in Charlotte, NC!!

The winner was, of course, our UBU clone that we've been brewing for Kevin's wedding in November. I guess we finally got it right this time!!!

We've got more things on tap and ready for the competition season, so we'll see what else happens, but we are now the proud brewers of an award-winning beer! I guess this means we have to keep this one a regular, and at 7.58%, we're bound to pay our dues for many mornings to come.

Thanks to everyone for supporting Natsmile Ales, especially our namesake Natalie, and we'll see you in the winner's circle!



P.S.- Go Pistons!! DEEEEEETTTRRROOOIIITTT BASKETBALL!!!!!

The new Logo Unveiled!!!!!!!!

There it is, at long last. The face of Natsmile Ales. It's a blank palate so we can color it to any beer we make. What do you think?

Coming soon- Our Logo

Natsmile Ales has employed the help o f renowned artist and director Rick Boven to create our new logo and masthead. As soon as the prints get scanned, we'll have them up for you. They are exciting, though, let me tell you.

Alright, there has been some news in the last month or so. Ben judged in his first BJCP national competition. He drew smoked and wood-aged beers. Whew. It was a great experience nonetheless and worth the experience.

We've got Kevin's baby almost ready, and two bottles of the UBU have been sent to the 2008 US Open. We'll see.

Our first summer beer, a strawberry wheat fermented with two pounds of strawberries per gallon, will be on tap soon for our Summer Gathering at the brewery. We've also got a great IPA on tap that we're tempted to call 'Grapefruit is for Breakfast!' which showcases carared malt. Ubu is also around as always this season, and coming up is some of Jamil's cream ale which will also be showcased this at the brewery's fling. Please email bovenb@gmail.com for tickets.

Competition update and upcoming brewing adventures

Well, Natsmile Ales got snubbed in our first competition. However, there is a ray of hope. We didn't know that we were supposed to name our specific herb, vegetable, or spice in said category, and if we had, our Juniper Red Ale would have scored in the high 30's, probably enough for a ribbon in that category. Guess what we're brewing again really soon? Guess who we're firing for clerical errors? That's right, Juniper Red Ale and the homeless guy we gave a fifth of Wild Rose to for filling out our boring comp paperwork. Bad Bum! No screw-top rotgut for you!

One a lighter note, the pic in this fortnight's blog features a book I'm brewing with a lot lately. It's very good and I recommend it.

Coming up, we're brewing a classic ESB from said book, more Juniper Red, and maybe another UBU clone. (Dammit, Kevin, quit your stupid weekend job!)

Competition Time!!!!

As promised (and proven by the lack of information) we've been brewing like mad hatters high on Un-Birthdays in preparation for competition season here in NC. Up for judging is the always popular NATALIPA along with a fantastic rookie in our Baltic Porter, and our Juniper Red Ale, brought out of retirement by our best friend and patron Chris 'Dusty' Robertson.

We've recently increased our capacity at the brewery to bring you more and various beers. That's right, we're churning out almost 17 barrels a year! Our first batch went almost flawlessly and yielded ten gallons of extremely drinkable Dry Stout that will no doubt be consumed in a single night of debauchery known as St. Patrick's Day. If you know the brewers at Natsmile Ales, now is the time to get in with them to taste this stuff.

Up next? Glad you asked. Maple Brown Ale. UBU Imperial Red Ale. (if Kevin will quit his job and realize that he's a brewer at heart) Ben still wants to attempt a Belgian Triple. He also dared an NC tornado to arm-wrestle tonight, though, so we'll see. He's a crazy bastard.

Love you guys. Drink good beer. Listen to real punk rock.