First Friday in Raleigh

Oh beautiful Friday.

The most anticipated day of the work week gets even better the first week of every month. That's because downtown Raleigh's cultural and artistic hot-spots are teeming with free food samples, local craft vendors, wine, beer and live music.



Organized by the Downtown Raleigh Alliance, First Friday is a fantastic opportunity for Triangle citizens and visitors to enjoy a self-guided tour of local art galleries, studios, museums and other alternative venues.

A walk around December's iteration of First Friday included: Crank Arm brew and local vendors inside HQ Raleigh (including great talks and pumpkin bread samples from Relay Foods), wine and beer while admiring new exhibits at CAM,  hot cocoa and local fashion at Raleigh Denim Curatory and great music with no cover (and $4 Foothills beer special) at The Pour House.

Keep up with featured events for the next First Friday, on January 2nd, and start the New Year celebrating all varieties of Raleigh art and culture!

Drinking Raleigh Beer: Nickelpoint Brewing Co.

Big shout out to raleigh what's up? on her great post about new things to check out in Raleigh this month, which inspired me to pay a visit to the new kid on the Raleigh-beer-block: Nickelpoint Brewing Co.

English IPA

Beer Happy

Meeting of the Minds

Although their taproom just opened in the Five Points neighborhood, according to their website the brewery was founded in 2013.

Nickelpoint focuses on traditional English Style beers, which was evident when I visited, as they had a Blonde Ale, English IPA and Porter on tap. There was also a higher ABV Double Barley Steak Cake Stout, which I almost had to order just on principal of the name being boss.

Raleigh World Beer Festival

Triangle Beer lovers
enjoying the Lonerider Tent

Like a kid in a candy store.

An often overused phrase to describe a moment of extreme joy and excitement, but a phrase that immediately comes to mind when I think back to my emotions while attending The World Beer festival in Raleigh last year.

Booth upon booth of craft breweries as far as the eye can see. A bounty of kegs and bottles of delicious beer. A four hour window in which to sip, savor and sample to your hearts content.


The World Beer festival is an over 21 candy store.