Natty Greene's - Cannonball Double IPA
www.bigdraft.com
Food Pairings: Spicy food such as hot wings or a BBQ pork sandwich. Even a Brat with spicy dijon mustard and a heap of sauerkraut.
Package Availability:
- On draft at the brew pub
- Growlers
- Kegs
Best Places to Enjoy: Hanging out at the brew pub with some friends and a good crowd.
Other Natty Greene beers to try: There are many. Here is a listing of core beers to check out and a listing of specialty beers they offer.
Immediately my sinuses were buzzing with the tingle of a citrus bouquet...You could just see it in the glass. The tell-tale haziness of a double IPA is like a warning shot to your taste receptors that they are about to be baptized in the holy water of hop almighty.
Have you ever had one of those beers that you only tasted (as in at a beer festival) and it just grabbed you and wouldn’t let go? What I mean by that is when you think of a memorable beer this one particular brew often pops into your head. For me, one of those beers is Natty Greene’s Cannonball Double IPA. I chose the Cannonball to round out this 5x5 edition due to the impact it had on me in such a short window of opportunity. Let’s face it, as fun as beer festivals are, it is quite impossible to accurately and fairly taste what a beer has to offer when you’ve been drinking a range of styles over 3 to 4 hours.
Natty Greene’s was one of the early booths we visited at the 2006 World Beer Festival in Raleigh/Durham, and I was blown away by the IPA’s explosion of flavors and the awakening aroma wafting from my 2 oz pour. Immediately my sinuses were buzzing with the tingle of a citrus bouquet and my taste buds were watering for that resinous burst of hop goodness I knew was about to engulf my palate. You could just see it in the glass. The tell-tale haziness of a double IPA is like a warning shot to your taste receptors that they are about to be baptized in the holy water of hop almighty.
The Cannonball IPA is just one of about 7 seasonal and another 11 or so specialty beers offered at Natty Greene’s Pub and Brewing Co. situated in downtown Greensboro, North Carolina. Known for an eclectic crowd that grows louder by the hour and a range of Southern-style fare including a tasty BBQ sandwich, Natty Greene’s has had some impressive growth over the last year. 
Owners Chris Lester and Kayne Fisher recently opened an additional 18,000 square foot brewing facility to augment the brew house production going on at the pub. This will allow them to brew their seasonal beers at the pub and the 6 year-round core beers at the new brewery. They also plan to add a bottling line for expansion into the retail grocery market. The goal for the brewery is to expand their triangle market in 2008 and begin winning over beer enthusiasts in Charlotte in 2009. The new additions will increase production from 10,000 barrels a year to 25,000 a year. This is some impressive growth and expansion from a brewery only in business for a few years.
Having only tasted a small rationing of the Cannonball Double IPA, I look forward to the opportunity to fully immerse myself in its hoppy intoxication. Much like a Muse for extreme beer lovers, double IPAs can be the evil side we love to entertain. At times they can be so taxing on your taste buds you have to give them your undivided attention. I for one can’t wait to plaster my hind end to a seat at Natty Greene’s, order up a serving of Twisters with spicy mustard and a BBQ pork sandwich with coleslaw, and wash it all down with a pint or two of the Cannonball Double IPA. That is definitely undivided attention I am willing to give.