Tap This - A Downpour at Clouds Brewing

 

It's Raining Beer: Housed in the old Napper Tandy building on West Street in Glenwood South,  Clouds Brewing doesn't at all resemble the previous tenant. It is a modern, slick and upscale bar with polished stone floors, a custom, concrete bar top, and a host of TV's. But what really sets it apart is the self-service beer wall, the Downpour, which allows patrons to sample, select and pour their own beer. This gives customers the freedom to try a little or a lot of the beer that they have never heard of. Clouds is importing beers from Europe and Western America (40 beers on tap + bottles / cans) to supplement their soon to be released personal beer line. It also offers a tasty, contemporary American menu with a German flair to soak up the suds.

 

Downpour Primer: The Downpour Wall features 10 of the 40 draft beers (rotated regularly). To access the beer wall you get a band that is good for 30 oz of beer. Then you can choose whatever glass you would like, tap the corner of the beer you want, and fill to your liking!  Of course, while you are sampling beer you can also grab a bite to eat at a table inside, out on the patio or at the full service bar. The food menu features something for everyone.  From the delicious Cloud Burger  to the Waldorf Salad  to the in-house, hand-made soft pretzels.

 

Opening Soon - The Brewery:  The "brewery" part of Clouds Brewery will be opening in January in North Raleigh and will be able to deliver (if the permits go as expected) beer by Mid-February to the restaurant. It will feature German style beers for the first year of operation.  Expect to find true German recipes for kolsch, dunkles and heffeweizens. This personal beer line will undoubtedly give patrons another reason to make a "trip to the Clouds".

 

Clouds Brewing:126 N West Street, Just off Glenwood Avenue, Raleigh; Hours: Sun - Thur 11am to Midnight, Fri - Sat 11am to 2am; Contact: (919) 307-8335; Website

 

 

To Bee or Not to Bee


Historic Polk House presents a Floorcloth Workshop at Artspace on Saturday Jan. 24th from 10am until 5pm. This workshop will use a quilt from the Polk House as inspiration; the color palette will be your choice.

Under the expert guidance of award-winning artist Kiki Farish, participants will learn the process of making a floorcloth. At the end of the day each will have a painted beauty that is coated with a water-resistant acrylic sealer for their home.

Students will receive a how-to lesson and a pre-cut canvas for a 2'x3' floor cloth, sketching, brushes, sponges, tape for edges and plaids, stencils and grids. Class time will be spent designing and painting on a heavy piece of canvas that has been stretched and primed. (The

Artist, Kiki Farish

canvas is not what is sold in craft stores. It will lie flat when finished.) Techniques covered are design planning, painting methods and finishing tips. Most materials are included, but students are required to bring their desired base paint color for personal matching.

History of Floorcloths -  A practical and durable alternative to an area rug, floorcloths were initially created in Europe in the 1400s; by the 1700's and 1800's, they had become popular in America. Often made from the canvases of ripped sails, floorcloths were traditionally used in place of rugs. In the late 1800's linoleum began to replace floorcloths as the most common floor covering; by the early 1900's the floorcloth was all but extinct.

The Historic Polk House is the restored Raleigh Home of Col. LL Polk - A founder of NC State University, Founder and first Commissioner of the NC Department of Agriculture. He was a founder and editor of the Progressive Farmer magazine (The parent publication of Southern Living) and an important national political leader of the late 1800's. His home at 537 N. Blount Street in Raleigh is a wonderful example of a middle-class Victorian home.

Floorcloth Workshop - Saturday, Jan. 24th. 10 am - 5 pm.
At Artspace Education Room - 201 E. Davie St, Raleigh, NC 27601
Cost - $325 per participant, or $300 each if you bring a friend ($150 per participant is tax deductible) Boxed Lunch and most materials are provided
Click Here to Register. Registration closes Tuesday, Jan. 10
Email Questions: - llpolkhouse@gmail.com Phone: (919) 943-5168, Voicemail: (919) 285-1537.