by Anna Beth Adcock | Oct 30, 2023 | November 2023, Stuff
Fine Bikes recently launched in Raleigh—and it’s simply off the chain.
“It’s like riding a bicycle.” … Find Charles Thompson fabricating, welding, brazing and painting road, gravel and mountain bikes built to communicate coolness and elicit a higher-quality ride via Fine Bikes, now available at Oak City Cycling. The Raleighite initially pedaled into bike maintenance as a passion project that quickly blossomed into more thanks to a mixture of mechanic experience and an extensive background riding bikes “as hard as possible.”
“I grew up around bikes,” shares Thompson. “My mom and brother worked at a bike shop when I was in my early teens, and it was a shared interest in our household.” However, after a BMX-related concussion at age 15, the biking enthusiast walked away from the sport—that is, until he moved to Raleigh during his mid-20s and returned to biking as a means of transit.
“That snowballed, and I found myself working at a bike shop part-time—and, eventually, I committed to full-time,” he explains. In 2016, he left that shop to make his way to DTR’s Oak City Cycling, with Fine Bikes marking OCC’s first-ever brand launch.
After taking a frame class with Steve Garn of Brew Bikes in 2020, Thompson slowly developed his process by making bikes for himself, his partner and his co-workers—all while garnering increased interest from the community.
“Due to getting asked many times over, I got my legal and insurance [stuff] sorted out, and I made a bike for my first ‘real’ customer earlier this year,” says Thompson. “I’m still working at OCC, and, through the shop, we are able to offer custom frames, paint and high-quality builds for those who are seeking more out of their bike.”
There’s no question that Raleigh’s bike culture is booming—and this local cycle biz only serves to further showcase the ever-burgeoning cycle culture, whether you’re zooming around the city or taking your two wheels off-road. Let’s get spoked! @fine_bikes
by Anna Beth Adcock | Oct 5, 2023 | Eat, October 2023
Sip into the season via fab fall brews around the city.
Trophy Brewing | Pumpkin Spice Milky Way
Pumpkin spice and chill with an awardworthy autumn beer in hand feat. your fave spices of the season—allspice, cinnamon, fresh ginger, clove, nutmeg and vanilla bean—for a roasty and toasty drink that’s the alcoholic version of hot cocoa and a decadent pumpkin pie.
Funguys Brewing | Apply Cheesecake
How do ya like them apples? Belly up to this mom-and-pop brewery setting its sights on “flavor-forward ales and lagers” and an easygoing atmosphere to kick back and enjoy a fall brewski. If you’re feeling fruity, order up a can of Apply Cheesecake—highlighting apple, vanilla, and cream cheese notes. Much needed endorfuns: found.
Gizmo Brew Works | Oktoberfest
If you like your beer sweet with a bit of bite, that’s what you’ll find with Gizmo’s lager-style-but-ale-brewed Oktoberfest bev packing all the flavor sans the heaviness. Cheers!
Crank Arm Brewing | Becky With the Good Bike Pumpkin
Becky’s got more than good hair. … Crank it up for Crank Arm’s lineup of fab fall bevs—especially if you pref a bit of pumpkin for your palate via a taste of the spoke spot’s pumpkin pie ale. Fall vibes, officially in gear.
Raleigh Brewing | Holiday Bash
You’re gonna wanna tap this winter warmer touting pumpkin pie and mulled cider tastes from now till Christmas—and beyond. Pro tip: Best enjoyed outdoors on a crisp fall evening.
Wye Hill Brewing | Spitzenqualitat
Prost! Crack open a cold one (or two) of a golden German-style lager brewed in the same style as modern Bavarian festbiers on the on the fab Wye Hill patio. Un-beer-lievable!
by Anna Beth Adcock | Oct 2, 2023 | Eat, October 2023
From the minds of Dram & Draught co-owners Drew Schenck and Kevin Barrett—along with partner Philip Duff—comes a duo of bottled liquors to the market.
Don’t walk, but run—er, rum?—for your fix of two world-class gin and rum bottles debuting Nov. 1. The carefully curated liquors include Moonbird Gin and GOATz Rum. Each distilled with an array of different botanicals and minimal sugar, the bevs are smooth enough to shoot straight, yet balanced enough to mix into a cocktail. Rum drinkers, daiquiris with GOATz come highly recommended (!).
“We distilled 10 botanicals separately, then blended the gins together to create the exact flavor profile we wanted,” explains Drew Schenck, co-owner of the new bottled bev enterprises. “That’s different—with most gins, you add flavoring or you have a gin pot… and what you come out with can vary based on the strength of the oils, peels or the botanical.”
Adds co-owner Kevin Barrett: … “We developed Moonbird Gin to be versatile. [Whether it’s] gin and tonic, a martini, or a Negroni… this gin stands up.”
Truly world-class, both spirits have amassed a fair share of passport stamps throughout the creation process. As for GOATz, the rum is distilled in Barbados, Jamaica and the Dominican Republic, then barrel-aged in Amsterdam and bottled in Schiedam, Holland.
“We’re very proud of the GOATz Rum,” says Barrett. “It’s delicious; [it has] a ton of flavor without overdoing the sugar or vanilla. Just like with Dram & Draught, we looked at what was out there and did our best to make something we liked even better.”
The Moonbird Gin is also distilled and bottled in Schiedam, which, fun fact, is best known for its gin—and ~100 years ago boasted a whopping 400 distilleries. Now, there are only four—one of which was used to distill Moonbird.
To boot, the GOATz and Moonbird bottles themselves are not to be ignored. Both designs are baked on ceramic, making the bottles durable and collectible. “You can drop it in water, come back in 100 years and clean it, and it’ll look just like it does,” elaborates Schenck.
Available across 34 states for home delivery this month, the bottled pair are set to shake up the spirits scene. Want these bevs in Raleigh? Request it at your local ABC store. We’ll toast to that! spiritofthedao.com
by Heidi Reid | Sep 25, 2023 | Do, October 2023
Don’t sleep on Raleigh’s newest luxury slumber party biz.
Ever dreamed of a boujee sleepover while you were roughin’ it in an old sleeping bag on your friend’s hard basement floor? If you think your slumber party days are over, think again. … Dream Big Slumber Parties is hitting snooze on old-school sleepover parties and counting sheep with flair instead. And, yes, adults, that means you can also relive your nostalgic overnights in style (!).
From indoor campouts (complete with a make-believe campfire!) to outdoor movie nights featuring inflatable lounge chairs and a concession stand, these perfectly planned parties are ideal for kiddos and grown-ups alike—think birthdays, bachelorette parties, girls’/guys’ nights and sorority events.
The brainchild of Raleigh native founders Whitney Hill and Lucy Nally—who are of an age where many of their friends are having children—dreamt up the idea in March, inspired by a passion for party planning and the desire to create an extravagant experience for their kids. “We both love throwing parties, creating special events and setting up an environment to make special memories happen,” says Hill of the recently launched concept.
Although the idea was originally geared toward tots, Hill and Nally leaped at the opp to expand the luxury camps to accommodate all age groups—because adults deserve to get in on the fun too. “As I was putting up the glamping tent to take pictures, I thought, ‘Maybe I want to have my own adult glamping girls’ night with some s’mores and maybe a picnic table,’” says Hill.
NTM the duo recognized the incredible growth the city has experienced in the past year and felt Raleighites were ready for their idea. “One thing about Raleigh that has really [become apparent] is how family-friendly it is,” says Nally. “So many services and companies are open for families. Both of us love our families and love creating great childhoods for our children.”
Whether it’s unwinding with a girls’ night or throwing the best birthday party ever, really who isn’t ready to catch some Z’s in style? @dreambigsp
by Anna Beth Adcock | Sep 20, 2023 | Eat, September 2023
Pumpkin spice and everything not nice—a few foods that make us say “ew”?
Make no mistake—we love pumpkin spice as much as the next fall flavor fanatic (Thursday’s are PSL day at the RM office!), but some of the seasonal snacks go way too far. Between September to November, pumpkins pummel the flavor market, most notably found in lattes, muffins, cookies and the like. Here, we’ve rounded up some fall foods that cause us pause. Would you give these, ahem, interesting pumpkin products a try?
Pumpkin Spice Vegan Protein Powder
All about those gainz? Make moves and shake things up with some spice in your post- or preworkout sustenance. Could this be the pump you’re looking for or will you take an L…
Simply Gum Pumpkin Spice Chewing Gum
Chew on this? Pop a piece of pumpkin spice chewing gum for fall flavor (and fresh breath!) via this six-pack found on Amazon that’ll either last you until Christmas—or until you toss it. We give it two days…
Pinnacle Pumpkin Spice Vodka
Pumpkin haze might be a new level of tipsy. This vodka could amp up those seasonal cocktail creations with its seasonally spirited pumpkin + nutmeg notes. Spicy spirits worth the sip? You decide.
Pumpkin Spice Avocado Oil Caviar
Top your ice cream, dessert or coffee with this interesting creation (made with 100% avocado oil and sans the fish!) that’s blended with a scad of spices—think cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and allspice. Pinkies up?
Pumpkin Pie Dessert Hummus
Are chickpeas and pumpkin the perfect combo? We’ll let you be the judge. Grab your fave fruit or pretzel to sample a blend of chickpeas, pumpkin, vanilla beans, sugar and a mixture of fave fall spices (cinnamon! nutmeg!). Ready to dip?
Cinnamon Pumpkin Spice Trash Bags
“Pumpkin spice is so trash.” Said the creators of the cinnamon pumpkin spice-scented trash bags, probably. If eating it isn’t enough, toss your pumpkin spice leftovers into the bin, also flaunting the aroma of the autumn fruit. What a waste?
