Brew Bash at Mattie B’s

Pizza. Chips. Beer. These three words are enough to make me come running, regardless of the context. So even though it’s a bit far away in Durham, separated from me by the terror that is I-​40, I still made the trek to this event.
After flying down I-​40 and exchanging angry honks with all of the knuckleheads on the road, I managed to make it right before the first beer was poured and the first pizzas came out. 5 New Belgium beers were available for us to generously sample (and resample) — Fat Tire, Spring Blonde, Snapshot, 1554, and Ranger.
Two presenters, with one looking delightfully like Steven Spielberg, enthusiastically shared their passion with us. Each tasting was preempted by information about the specific brew, as well as information about beer in general. Due to the noisy environment, most of the presentation was hard to hear, but I still picked up many interesting tidbits.
The food was simply amazing. Mattie B’s allowed us to try a terrific assortment of pizzas. My favorite pizza has to be the Buffalo Chicken and Caesar. Pizza here is New York style, with big thin slices that need to be folded.
Mattie B’s gave us crazy Unilocalers a great night of brews and bar food, which could’ve been made even better were it easier to hear the presenters talk about the beer. I’ll happily return to Mattie B’s for more of that otherworldly Buffalo Chicken and Caesar Pizza.

A great night learning about beer! It was a pleasure to be there for Adam’s last event as a New Belgium Ranger — he’s done it so well — and to learn about the history of the brewery and the ingredients that make each style of beer what they are. The food provided by Mattie B’s was plentiful and in the classic style of beer accompaniments, chips and pizza. I managed to snag one slice of the lone meatless pie that came my way and it was quite delicious, and I heard rave reviews about the meat pizzas from everyone around us. Lauryn, Adam, the Mattie B’s team, and the All About Beer folks did a fine job of turning an otherwise ordinary Wednesday night into a night of educational fun!

What a great event! This was my favorite elite event I have attended for many reasons. Mattie B’s was a wonderful host and their food was delicious! The All About Beer Magazine staff was entertaining and made learning about the beers fun! And of course, the New Belgium team was wonderful!
Mattie B’s is definitely a place I would love to come back to. The atmosphere of restaurant was laid back and friendly. The food was great and there was more than enough to go around! I think my favorite thing we got to try was the pizza with apples on it. It was different and very tasty! The appetizer chips were a close second though.
All About Beer Magazine was so gracious with their magazines they gave us as well as all the beer materials. It definitely helped me learn more about what makes up beer tastes. I am very excited about my trial subscription and even more excited about beerfest in a month!
The New Belgium team was great. I loved sampling the six beers they provided for us and learning how each was different. Fat Tire was definitely my favorite but I like each and every one of them. It was wonderful to learn more and I will definitely be ordering some New Belgium beers out and about. The evening ended with beautiful glasses from New Belgium.
So many great people, so much great swap, such a great event!

Super fun! Mattie B’s was a great host location and they were really generous with the food! I loved their unique pizzas. (I think I saw one that looked like it had a Caesar salad on top of it?!? But I was so full by that time, I couldn’t possibly squeeze a slice of that delight into my tummy– embarrassingly enough, I pretty much had to unbutton my jeans so I could breathe…)
My friend Rebecca came along with me and this venue is right around the corner from her place. I have a feeling we will be back here.
The brews were awesome too. I loved the selections from New Belgium and I loved all the info we got from «All About Beer». It was a little loud, and difficult to hear, but I still think I learned some things I didn’t know before about some of my favorite things. «Favorite things» in my world includes hops, malt, IPAs, etc.
We got some cool give-​aways and I love the beautiful Beer Glass from New Belgium! I will drink my beer proudly from it!
And most importantly: Thank you Lauryn for being such an awesome CM. You continue to Wow all of us with your organization, planning, spirit, and generousness! I love coming to your events!!!

When I learned about this event, combining the fun folks behind World Beer Festival, a slew of New Belgium Brew, and Mattie’s new restaurant brainchild (who owns Six Plates, my all-​time fave Durham restaurant), it sounded like a trinity of awesome. And I’m so glad I had the opportunity to attend!
Upon arrival, I filled out my nametag and selected a seat. Little did I know that this seat would prove to shape my whole event experience… The long group of tables did not receive equal dispersion of food as the booths. My gaze hungrily eyeballed nearby four-​tops devouring whole pizzas and wings. Our table of 10 eventually received two pizzas over the course of the event, but nary a wing to be found! I was able to sample a slice of BBQ pizza (nice thin crust, with a sweet BBA sauce and plenty of chicken), but let the vegetarians throw down on the veggie pie. Other tables had some interesting looking toppings; I’ll need to come back and explore the options! (And try the wings. Ahem.) The chips menu here is massive, and it was fun to note that the particular chips at our table strongly resembled the truffle frites at Six Plates.
The upside with my choice of seat is that it was actually ideal for dispersion of drinks. We were first to be served, and for most of the event, benefited from having Daniel (All About Beer prez) and Adam (New Belgium rep) giving their entertaining beer background & tasting tips within earshot. There was plenty of the five varieties available for everyone to have a taste, and then some. New to me – and now a new fave — the Spring Blonde.
Lots of schwag at this event, which is always fun! Especially digging the New Belgium glassware. What really rounded the night out was having the opportunity to get up after the formal tasting, and mingle a bit with Unilocalers. It all adds up to a wonderfully well-​balanced Wednesday night. Thank you for hosting, Lauryn!

This is seriously one of the best Elite events I’ve ever attended! From the amazing Unilocal swag (obsessed with my new bottle opener) to the All About Beer Mags and beer tutorials the incredible New Belgium tasting to the delicious food from Mattie B’s, Andrew and I had a blast!
Our Beer Guide (Matt?) was phenomenal– very funny and we learned a ton. Each beer was delicious and I loved learning about the history of the company and their new offerings. Can’t wait for the brewery to open in Asheville!
We also really enjoyed the different chips and pizzas we got to try and will definitely be back to Mattie B’s soon to enjoy a proper meal. MANY thanks Lauryn, the All About Beer team, Mattie B’s and New Belgium for a fantastic evening!

I didn’t touch a drop of beer and still had fun!
Since I’m the best fiancée ever, I RSVP’ed to this event knowing that there would be nothing for me to drink. Jay is the beer-​lover in our little twosome, so the party was all for him.
Our beer guide, Adam, was phenomenal and talked his way through each and every sample and threw a lot of knowledge at us. Jay enjoyed all 5 beers and was happy to have tried some that he was unfamiliar with. Definitely a great event for beer fans.
Mattie B’s must have received the memo that I was hungry, because the food just kept coming. The specialty homemade potato chips (both sweet and regular!) were delicious, and the BBQ chicken pizza was very yummy. We even got to take some home :)
All in all, we had a lot of fun catching up with our Unilocaly pals. Thanks for a fun night, LC!

YUM! Thanks everyone!
I had no idea we were going to be bombarded (in the best way possible) with overflowing beer and pizza! The staff hosting the event from Mattie B’s and New Belgium beer were awesome and the food was delish! My hips now hate me for eating 3 giant pieces of pizza as big as my head. But it was incredible.
I look forward to coming back to MB’s for a real meal at this cool and low-​key local hang out.

This has been so far one of the best Unilocal events I have been to yet. I don’t even drink beer but thought, why not and give it another try. I can never find anything I like. Well, I FINALLY found a beer that I like and learned a lot about beer! The Beer guides were just wonderful.
Mattie B’s, I don’t even live near by but I will be back! The food was great! The creations you all have with your food was wonderful. All the different types of fresh chips, I was in heaven!
Thanks for a wonderful night everyone! I now enjoy wheat beer!

This was one of my favorite Elite Events I’ve had the pleasure of attending. From the guides to the brews to the swag, everything was on point.
The folks from All About Beer were fantastic and really showered us with magazines and guides to help us through the tasting. Our Beer Guide from New Belgium was a hoot! He led us through five different brews, each one different than the last. I learned so much about beers I was largely unfamiliar with. And who doesn’t live a little beer trivia? I walked away with a growler koozie, score!
Mattie B’s thank you for the delicious food… it just seemed to keep coming. The Granny’s Love Pizza was one of the best things I’ve ever eaten. A white pizza with apples, who would have thought? It was the comfort food to trump all comfort foods. I will certainly be coming back for more.
Thanks to all for fabulous night!

My favorite Unilocal event! This was my first visit to Mattie B’s but will not be my last. We were seated at community tables, great way to meet new Unilocalers and reconnect with others.
We received magazines and guides from All About Beer and Adam from New Belgium walked us through the beer tasting, teaching us how to taste and appreciate different beers and sharing beer facts. I really enjoyed Fat Tire and the lager,. And we had more than a «tasting». I was starting to feel buzzed but luckily there were plenty of housemade potato chips and pizza to fill our tummies. The pizzas are reason enough to drive from Raleigh. I tasted the Buffalo Chicken and Granny’s Love. I’m in love!
We filled out the beer quiz and fabulous prizes were given. Congratulations to all the lucky recipients! And thank you Lauryn, All About Beer, New Belgium and Mattie B’s for a fabulous event!