Festive Fun! Rare & Vintage Beer Festival

Just Imagine

What if paradise isn’t clouds and harps at all – but a sunlit yard adjoining an old bottling plant? What if the saints traded robes for shorts and T-shirts, wandering happily from tap to tap and chatting with angels pouring ales? What if the rivers of heaven ran not with milk and honey, but with bright sours, velvety stouts, and rare ales you’ve only whispered about to fellow beer nerds? And what if the only real commandment in this paradise were simple: grab a glass, follow your curiosity, and taste everything?

I can now easily imagine this Shangri-La after attending the 14th annual Durham Rare and Vintage Beer Tasting. Held on a spring-like Saturday afternoon (March 7th, 2026), the sun shone down on happy festival-goers as we filed into the historic Durham Bottling Company to sample curated selections of rare brews, sours, and high-ABV vintage beers.

The Basics

What: Rare & Vintage Beer Tasting Festival 2026

Where: Durham Bottling Company, 506 Ramseur St, Durham, NC 277

Beers Ben tried: Sang Bleu Lambic, BTS: PBJ Imperial Milk Stout, Good Company Czech Dark Lager, Brux Domesticated Wild Ale, Bossloper Barleywine, Dark Side of the Brew West Coast Dark Pilsner, Really Lucked Up GF Sour, The Surrealist Society 2025 #11 BBA Imperial Milk Stout, Shibui Pilsner – Czech-Style Pils, Ammo Can: Nahvi Bravo 15-Month BBA Stout, Nouveau Riche French Pilsner, Pacifica-German Pilsner

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.

The venue buzzed with energy, featuring more than 60 breweries from North Carolina and beyond offering world-class, limited-release beers rarely seen in regular distribution. I particularly enjoyed engaging directly with brewers and brewery reps in the historic indoor space and outside under balmy blue skies. The event felt elevated, with high-quality, distinctive styles – especially barrel-aged stouts, sours, and farmhouse ales – taking center stage over the usual hop-forward selections.

Beyond the incredible beer, the friendly staff at the booths and the elevated food offerings made it an unforgettable afternoon of tasting and socializing. It was also heartwarming to know that proceeds from this sold-out event directly supported the Michael James Jackson Foundation for Brewing & Distilling, which provides scholarships to Black, Indigenous, and People of Color in the craft beverage industry. It was truly a perfect blend of rare beer culture, community, and charity.

Because of the sheer number of beers I sampled—and the long conversations I had with several brewers—I’m only going to highlight a few favorites in this post. But truly, it was all good.

Brasserie Cantillon – Brussels, Belgium

The festival had been rescheduled after the original late-January date was cancelled due to icy, frigid weather. As a result, a few brewers—especially those from out of state—were unable to attend. But that did not stop Brasserie Cantillon from traveling all the way from Brussels to showcase its famous lambic beers.

I tried Sang Bleu, a lambic blend with blue honeysuckle berries. This 6% ABV beer poured a deep red-purple with a faint blush-colored head. The aroma carried a tart, funky brightness with a whisper of berry. The flavor was sharply tart and fruity with a lively acidity, finishing bone-dry with lingering berry notes. With its medium body and brisk carbonation, it would have paired brilliantly with goat cheese or creamy brie—but alas, I made do without.

Eno River Brewing – Hillsborough, NC

I had a nice conversation with Assistant Brewer “Rev” and Head Brewer Alex Leonard of Eno River Brewing. Fresh off their recognition as the 2025 NC New Brewery of the Year by the NC Craft Brewers Guild, they had several unique offerings, including BTS: PBJ Imperial Milk Stout brewed with NC peanut butter and local blackberries.

This full-bodied beer (11.1% ABV) delivered a playful mix of peanut butter, chocolate, and dark bread notes, all floating atop a smooth, creamy milk-stout base. Decadent but balanced—like a childhood PB&J sandwich that somehow went to graduate school.

Another standout was the “mlíko poured” Good Company Czech Dark Lager (5.3% ABV). Rev served the beer from a Lukr side-pull faucet, producing a dense, wet, creamy foam designed to be enjoyed almost like a shooter. Luckily this was one of my first tastes of the day, so I was able to fully appreciate the velvety, creamy wonder of the experience. Highly recommended.

Didn't get a clear photo of Brasserie Cantillon's festival booth, so we shamelessly sourced one from the web.

Maybe there's no beer in your heaven, but after attending the Rare & Vintage Beer Festival, Ben has other ideas.

Doh! Forgot to make a note of the folks' names from Sierra Nevada. If you know, comment below.

Sierra Nevada – Chico, CA and Fletcher, NC

I’m always glad Sierra Nevada has a brewery in North Carolina. That way, I feel completely justified in raving about a beer brewed by one of the true pioneers of American craft brewing. Sierra Nevada did not disappoint, offering some truly rare and vintage selections.

Brux Domesticated Wild Ale (8.6% ABV, aged 14 years) was a collaboration with Russian River Brewing—another legendary innovator. Brux is a Belgian-style ale fermented in the bottle with Brettanomyces yeast. After fourteen years of age, the result was a deep brown, complex, yet surprisingly drinkable beer. The Brett funk had softened over time, leaving behind layered notes of pear, apple, caramel, and vanilla over a gently malty sweetness. Even the yeast sediment at the bottom added an intriguing depth of flavor. Very impressive.

Alex (left) and Rev (center) gave me many reasons to put Eno River Brewing high on my "Must Visit" list.

Atomic Clock Brewing Co – Durham, NC

It was nice to see Jeremy from Atomic Clock Brewing again after running into him the previous week at Big Frosty. This time he was serving Bossloper Barleywine (10.7% ABV).

Interestingly, many of the festival offerings leaned toward imperial stouts with a few barleywines sprinkled in—likely a holdover from the event’s original January timing. While I haven’t historically had much experience with barleywines, this one was a pleasant surprise. Deep brown in color, the first sip delivered a warming burst of alcohol, but subsequent sips revealed layers of sherry-like richness, dark caramel, butterscotch, and brown sugar. By the end of the pour, it had become one of my favorite beers of the day.

Atomic Clock Brewing has a great taproom in Durham, AND they have a Thursday Beer + Empanada special!

NoDa Brewing Co – Charlotte, NC

I ran into Pierson from NoDa Brewing, whom I had also met at Big Frosty the previous week. He was serving Dark Side of the Brew West Coast Dark Pilsner (4.8% ABV).

This was a fascinating beer technically: triple-decocted, hopped with European hops in the boil, then whirlpool and dry-hopped with American varieties. Wowza. By the time I tried it, my taste buds had already been through a dozen imperial stouts and barleywines—so I suspected I might not fully appreciate its subtleties. I was probably right. Still, I liked it enough to know I want to try it again sometime when my palate isn’t quite so “taste-dead.”

Pierson is another example of the kinds of friendly folks who made NoDa Brewing our top visit of 2025.

DSSOLVR – Asheville, NC / Durham, NC

We’re fans of DSSOLVR’s beers and enjoy visiting their Durham taproom, so I was delighted to see that Vince Tursi—one of the founders—was pouring at the festival.

DSSOLVR is known for imaginative flavor combinations, and their festival lineup did not disappoint. I started with Really Lucked Up Gluten Free Sour (6% ABV) brewed with Lucky Charms cereal. It pours a fluorescent green that initially calls to mind the slime from Ghostbusters—but that didn’t stop me from diving in.

And I’m glad I did. The beer bursts with sweet-tart tangerine notes over a surprisingly creamy body (despite being lactose-free). Somehow it manages to be wildly unusual yet incredibly drinkable. The only logical conclusion: it must be magically delicious.

Next came The Surrealist Society 2025 #11 BBA Imperial Milk Stout (12% ABV) brewed with toasted pecan, cinnamon, coffee, and maple syrup and aged 24 months in Elijah Craig barrels. This stout fully lived up to its luxurious description. Toasted pecan leads the way, followed by layers of coffee and cinnamon, all supported by just enough bitterness to keep the sweetness in check. The finish lingered beautifully and practically demanded another sip. This was my favorite beer of the event—and I wasn’t alone. Two other people came up asking for refills of “#11” while I was tasting it.

DSSOLVR's Really Lucked Up was "surreal" as their motto claims – also one of our top visits of 2025.

Cellarest Beer Project – Asheville, NC

I spoke with Mark Goodwin, Cellarest’s founder and head brewer. Mark has an impressive brewing background, including time at Burial Beer Co. He explained that he likes to ferment and rest his lagers in wooden casks, which help remove impurities due to the high surface area of the wood.

I tried the Shibui Pilsner – Czech-Style Pils (4.5% ABV). Mark noted that, like all of their beers, this pilsner is brewed with 100% North Carolina malts. Traditionally, pilsners rely on European pilsner malt for their soft, bread-like character. American malts can sometimes be slightly more robust or grainy, which can shift the delicate balance of the style.

However, thanks to their careful wood fermentation and conditioning process, Cellarest delivers a beautifully crisp and clean Czech-style pilsner that remains impressively true to the minimalist character of the style.

Cellarist Beer Project is yet another reason we are plotting our big "Tour d' Asheville" later this summer.

Forgotten Road Ales – Graham, NC

I spoke with Steve, the self-professed “Do-Everything Guy” at Forgotten Road Ales, and later met Founder and Head Brewer Ben Farrar when he was kibitzing with the folks from Blackbird Beer.

Forgotten Road had three barrel-aged stouts on tap, and at Steve’s recommendation I tried Ammo Can: Nahvi Bravo 15-Month BBA Stout (13.2% ABV). Its flavor profile stood out among the many barrel-aged stouts I sampled. The aroma hinted at banana bread, and the flavor opened with a subtle banana note before moving into warm cinnamon-vanilla tones as it developed in the glass. A distinctive and memorable stout.

Steve is the self-professed "Do-Everything-Guy" at Forgotten Road Ales.

Bond Brothers Beer Company – Cary, NC

I had to try Bond Brothers' Nouveau Riche French Pilsner (4.8% ABV) because… a French pilsner? What sort of craziness is that?

As it turns out, quite good. The beer drinks much like a German pilsner, with light bready malt and a crisp snap of hop bitterness. Jackie from Bond Brothers explained that they used French hops, which tend to be slightly softer and more delicate than traditional German varieties.

Ben had beer nerd questions, and Jackie from Bond Brothers had answers.

Blackbird Brewery – Wake Forest, NC

I spoke with Ian and Harmony VanGundy, the co-owners of Blackbird Brewery. Ian studied brewing in Germany and has a deep appreciation for traditional German styles, though he often adds his own creative twists.

For example, in his Pacifica-German Pilsner (4.7% ABV), he uses traditional German malt and hops but adds New Zealand Pacifica hops as well. The result preserves the noble hop character while adding a subtle citrus brightness that lifts the beer beautifully.

This image of Ian (left) and Harmony (right) of Blackbird with Ben (center) of Forgotten Road makes us smile.

Parting Thoughts

Not everyone, of course, would describe the Rare & Vintage Beer Festival as their personal vision of paradise. Some people picture quiet beaches, mountain cabins, or a hammock somewhere far away from crowds and clinking glasses.

Fair enough.

But if, like me, you light up at the sight of a tap list two pages long… if you enjoy swapping tasting notes and stories with newfound friends… and if you delight in discovering a sour, stout, or barleywine you’ve never encountered before—well then, a sunny afternoon in an old bottling plant surrounded by great brewers, great people, and more remarkable beer than any mortal should reasonably expect in one place might come awfully close to heaven on earth.

What are your thoughts on the Rare & Vintage Beer Fest?