Festive Fun! Big Frosty 2026 is a Crowd Pleaser

Everything, All at Once

I was like a kid on Christmas morning! That is, if the kid were past a certain age and all he wanted for Christmas was the chance to speed-date all his favorite NC breweries.

Big Frosty took place at Raleigh Beer Garden’s expansive South Glenwood location, with friendly and knowledgeable brewery reps on hand to answer my many questions. We lucked out with warm weather and crystal-clear skies, even though RBG was ready with tents and heat lamps—none of which were needed on this rare, beautiful day in late February. We watched in delight as someone wearing an inflatable polar bear suit mingled and danced to the upbeat music provided by a DJ. Other guests played mini golf across the long, deep property that is RBG. What’s not to like? We had a terrific time.

There were 25 breweries on hand, mostly from NC, pouring samples of some of their most popular beers along with a few more exotic creations. North Carolina brewing was well represented from all corners of the state: Asheville, Charlotte, the Triad, the Triangle, and Wilmington. Many of these breweries we’ve visited in person, but some we haven’t, so it was especially thrilling to meet those folks and sample their beers.

The brewery tables were mostly staffed by local sales managers, with a few exceptions. Compass Rose’s Head Brewer, Austin Nield, was holding court with a “bruleeing” demonstration (more on that later). The breweries’ sales teams were delightful and showed deep knowledge of the beers they were pouring. We also said hello to our friend Matt Polleta, Taproom Manager for RBG, but we didn’t get much of his time—he was running back and forth handling both festival and taproom operations.

The Basics

What: Big Frosty Beer Festival 2026

Where: Raleigh Beer Garden (see our related articles Part 1 and Part 2).

Beers we tried: Atomic Clock Afterburn Smoked Helles Lager, Foothills Brewing Sexual Chocolate, Incendiary Shift Flagship – Double NEIPA, French Broad River Brewery Gateway Kolsch, Leland Brewing Brunswick Brown Ale, Deep River Brewing Peanut Butter with a Chance of Fluff, Highland Brewing Pilsner, Highland Haze – Hazy IPA, Funguys Brewing Dipped Chocolate Strawberry. Short tasting notes down below.

Important NC Beer Explorer Tip: When consuming alcohol, always have a designated driver. Be safe out there, friends! Follow these simple tips for safer consumption.

But First - BURGER!

Rebecca and I started out at the bar inside because we were craving an RBG smashburger with beer-battered fries. The food at RBG is one of the many draws for us, our favorite being the Bacon & Bleu Burger. However, they were still serving the brunch menu when we arrived, so we opted for the Beer Garden Burger, which proved to be a perfectly acceptable second choice. All the burgers at RBG are huge, artful creations, so we can easily split one; but we suggest trying several items and taking home any leftovers. You’ll be glad you did

Eating at the bar also provides a prime opportunity for some stealthy people-watching. We always get a kick out of customers wandering into RBG for the first time and going “deer in the headlights” over the massive wall of taps. Some 30-somethings wandered up to the bar next to us and asked for “light beer,” and seasoned bartender John Michael didn’t bat an eye as he gently guided them toward a Fullsteam Paycheck Pilsner—crushable, but also crisp, tasty, and rewarding. Earlier, another pair of customers had been blown away by John Michael’s deep knowledge of every tap on the wall; he told us he’s been into craft beer for about ten years.

Shared or unshared, RGB's burgers are a meaty feast.

Now for the Beer

With our giant shared burger before us, we were ready for some samples. The first sip of the day was Trophy Brewing’s Horchata Stout. This lush black beer carried aromas of coffee, cinnamon, and caramel. The taste followed suit, with strong but not overpowering notes of cinnamon, caramel, and vanilla, layered with hints of chocolate and coffee. Its initial sweetness gave way to a mild bitterness, with a medium mouthfeel that felt a little lighter than one might expect from an 8% ABV stout. It finished with a bittersweet chocolate-cinnamon-latte note. The Horchata Stout was a very well-balanced and drinkable beer considering its complexity, and it paired beautifully with our burger.

The second beer we sampled was Incendiary Brewing’s Irish Coffee Demitasse (Coffee Milk Stout). We’re already fans of Incendiary’s bourbon barrel-aged imperial stouts, so we were intrigued to try their take on a lighter stout style. This one came in at 5% ABV rather than the typical 10%+, giving it a somewhat lighter character than a barrel-aged stout. Still, it was anything but lightweight when it came to flavor and complexity, translating smoothly into the essence of an Irish coffee with cream. Its center combined tartness and sweetness with hints of cinnamon and graham cracker, finishing with slightly bitter notes of coffee, cream, and spice. Well done.

Party on the Patio

After our shared burger, we spent most of the festival outside, where the breweries had set up tables and were pouring samples. We were happy to see Austin Nield, Head Brewer of Compass Rose, serving samples of freshly “bruleéd” beer. He gave us a “before” taste of his Northside Black Lager—which drank somewhat like a dry Irish stout—and then plunged a red-hot metal poker into the pitcher, creating an impressive burst of steam and a thick foamy head. The “after” (bruleéd) beer had a dense, creamy foam and showcased richer flavors of caramel and smoke. Austin explained that the technique comes from a German tradition called Bierstacheln.

We spent about 2.5 hours at Big Frosty, and now that we’ve been, we’ll make a point of going every year. The only downside—if you can call it that—is that every brewery is very generous with their pours. Those little glasses may only hold four ounces, but with 20+ breweries offering at least two samples each… well, you can do the math. The reality is that we do end up pouring out a few ounces here and there in the interest of responsible consumption.

But what a great problem to have. So much good beer and such a fun time that you have to pace yourself. And while we’ve certainly learned a lot about beer and brewing through all our North Carolina explorations, the key thing is that breweries are really about community and connection. Without those ingredients, it’s just a beverage. Big Frosty reminded us that we may come for the beer—but we stay for the people and the stories.

Photo of actual customer (not) trying to pick one beer at Raleigh Beer Garden

NCBE's Beer Notes - Big Frosty Beer Festival 2026

(Note: we have shortened our notes for this post – we tried a lot of beers, and a festival setting makes deep note-taking challenging.)

Atomic Clock Afterburn Smoked Helles Lager 4.8%

Lovely smoke notes with pecan. Not overpowering. Nuttiness from pecan. Full character of a helles. One of our favorites. Asked for second pour. Malty, light sweetness balanced with light bitterness

Foothills Brewing Sexual Chocolate – Imperial Stout 9.6%, 75 IBU (limited release – Valentine’s Day)

A cocoa-infused imperial stout, opaque black in color with a dark brown head. Big chocolate aroma with complex notes of espresso, molasses, toffee and dark fruit. Brewed since 2007, this was my first time tasting this legendary, multiple award-winning beer but will not be my last. Now I need to try the bourbon barrel aged version!

Incendiary Shift Flagship – Double NEIPA 8.1%

The aroma is strong citrus/pine with a hint of sweetness coming through. Taste is a complex blend of Northwest and tropical fruit hop notes with a creamy mouthfeel. Initial sweetness is quickly balanced by a solid bitterness. High carbonation lifts the pine to blunt its intensity. The finish is long as the grapefruit and bitterest notes taper off and finish bittersweet.

French Broad River Brewery Gateway Kolsch 5.3%

Gave me that deep satisfying feeling of drinking a very well made, true to style Kolsch. German ingredients, no American pyrotechnics!

Leland Brewing Brunswick Brown Ale 5.5%

UK style. No gimmicks

Deep River Brewing Peanut Butter With a Chance of Fluff – Brown Ale 6.2%

Yummy, peanut butter and marshmallow! Not overly sweet.

Highland Brewing Pilsner - German style 5.5%

True blue German Pils! Prost!

Highland Haze – Hazy IPA 7.4%

Good, solid NEIPA with nice balance of tropical and citrus notes. Easier drinking than 7.4% would indicate.

Funguys Brewing Dipped Chocolate Strawberry - Smoothy Sours 5% ABV

Fruity nose, fresh strawberries. Lives up to its name. Chocolate is subtle. Rebecca really loved it.

What are your thoughts on Big Frosty?