New brew in town

For all its vibrant diversity, the Triangle's culinary scene has lagged behind other regions when it comes to locally brewed beer. While craft breweries and brewpubs have sprouted like moist barley all over metropolitan areas from the Pacific Northwest to New England, only a handful are to be found in our neck of the woods.

That situation just got a little better, thanks to a couple of transplants from Connecticut, Andy Miller and Rick Tufts. The only major drawback about the Triangle, the two agreed (over beers, as Miller tells it), was the dearth of local brews. And since Tufts had been an avid home brewer for 12 years, it didn't take the soon-to-be-partners long to put two and two together.

In this case, two and two added up to Triangle Brewing Company, which the friends opened in July in Durham. The microbrewery specializes in Belgian and American style ales, brewed without pasteurization. Belgian Golden Ale, the company's flagship brew, packs an 8 percent alcohol wallop, but it's crisp enough for summertime quaffing.

For the time being, the Golden Ale is the brewery's only beer available for sale. Tufts plans to introduce an Abbey Dubbel around the first of next year, followed by an Imperial Amber (which promises to be a hoppy monster at 8.5 percent alcohol).

Before you start Googling Triangle Brewing Company for its address, note that this is a wholesale operation, not a brewpub. You'll find Belgian Golden Ale on tap at Carolina Ale House in Brier Creek, Flying Saucer in Raleigh, Satisfaction in Durham and Tupelo's in Hillsborough. Blinco's Sports Bar in North Raleigh expects to tap its first keg any day now, and Tyler's Taproom in Durham will start pouring it next week. Given the current popularity of Belgian style beers, I expect you'll see Triangle Brewing taps popping up at several more pubs in the near future. Check the company's Web site for an updated list.

Double your pleasure

Along similarly heady lines, Carolina Brewery known to beer and burger fans for its original West Franklin Street location in Chapel Hill, has opened a second location at the U.S. 15-501 exit of the U.S. 64 bypass in Pittsboro (120-100 Lowe's Drive). Not to be outdone, the folks who own MacGregor Draft House and Sawmill Tap Room, as well as three others scattered around Wake County, have raised that number to an even half-dozen with Falls Tap Room (5009 Falls of Neuse Road; 790-7813) in North Raleigh. And the recent opening of Wake Forest Ale House (11685 Northpark Drive; 556-8666) brings the number of pubs in the Carolina Ale House chain to eight.

Greg's Hot List: Tapas Time

Hmmm, whatever happened to those people who said tapas was just a fad? Fact is, it’s hard to imagine a dining style that’s more suited to the modern lifestyle. Here are a few places where you can celebrate that lifestyle to your heart’s content.

Blue Martini, 116 N. West St., Raleigh.

GlassHalFull, 106 S. Greensboro St., Carrboro.

Humble Pie, 317 South Harrington Street, Raleigh.

The Red Room, 510 Glenwood Ave., Raleigh.

Riviera, 135 S. Wilmington St., Raleigh.

Serena, 5311-A S. Miami Blvd., Durham.

Talulla’s, 456 W. Franklin St., Chapel Hill.

Tasca Brava, 6325 Falls of the Neuse Rd., in Sutton Square, Raleigh.

Underground, 861 W. Morgan St., Raleigh.

Zely & Ritz, 301 Glenwood Ave., Raleigh.