CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA

Just outside Charlotte’s metropolis in South End section, SOUTH END BREWERY & SMOKEHOUSE was stationed in an enormous tan building with maroon trim – but closed by 2008. Other chain locations are in Raleigh, Charleston, and Jacksonville.

On July ’06 visitation, the scent of hickory hit my family as soon as we sauntered into the large interior space. Large screen TV’s lined right side non-smoking area while left side bar area led to outside deck and glass-encased brew tanks were centrally located. Expansive menu included smoked meats alongside seafood (grouper/ yellow fin tuna/ crab cakes) and plentiful bar selection featured cognacs, single malt Scotches, bourbons, vodkas, and martinis.

Steam pipe-laden wood trays served maize-soured horsehide-leathered hay-wafted raw-grained dry body South End Blonde Light, buttery clay-hopped citric-deficient wheat-dried South End Blonde Ale, brittle lemon-candied sweet-salty conflux Ironman Wheat, sour orange-peach-fig-swayed Olmstead Red, and gently hop-prickled grapefruit-lemon-floral embittered Motorman’s Pale Ale. Better and darker were chocolate malt-dominant Chinook-Fuggle-hopped cocoa-buttered sedation Banktown Brown, dry walnut-hazelnut-dabbed cherry chocolate-y India Brown Ale, and sweet hazelnut-chocolate-espresso confection O’Ryan’s Oatmeal Stout.