Crank Arm Brewing, a mi crobrewery located down town on Davie Street, looks as if it used to be an old auto shop, with a large garage door, painted brick walls and concrete floors. Exposed ven tilation and rafters further contribute to the minimal istic atmosphere, and sparse but effective lighting create a dim and somewhat old-timey feel.

The brew tanks and other equipment the brewers use are stored in the back of the room in plain sight, leav ing no doubt that the beer is made anywhere else.

Crank Arm also has many board games on the premises, as well as an oversized Jenga tower near the entrance, which I was too afraid of completely destroying to mess with during my visit.

It’s clear the guys who own Crank Arm like bikes and other renovated mechanical items. Much of the art and styling of the space is craft ed with stray bicycle parts, including chains hanging behind the bar and bicycle frames melded together into a much larger frame on the wall, accented with lush neon lighting. Nothing about the decoration is complex, but it is very well done. Crank Arm uses a little to seem like a lot.

As for the beer itself, I sam pled a few of their offerings and had only good things to report. The first brew I tried, the Icycle (intentionally mis spelled, as they name most of their beers after bikes and other “green” transportation methods), was described as a winter warmer Belgian Brown with ginger, carda mom and orange zest. It cer tainly did have a warming taste toward the end, with heavier flavors than are typi cal of a Belgian Brown. The various ingredients used in the beer served as very nice accents, complementing rather than overpowering the beer in any way.

The next beer I ordered was somewhat of a personal ex periment: the Holy Mole Por ter. This was a smoked porter made with Videri chocolate (from a Raleigh-area choco late company) and habanero included in the recipe. Now, I’m not usually a fan of por ters, but the chocolate and habanero f lavors overpow ered any other elements the beer had, resulting in a brew comparable to smooth choc olate syrup with a kick. The habanero flavor gently builds in the back of your throat un til a pleasant burn lingers for a short while after the beer is finished. It’s a very interest ing flavor—and one that is definitely worth experienc ing, though not something I would order on a regular basis.

Another recipe I tried brief ly was the Derailleur. This was an American-style barleywine that clocked in at 10.8 percent ABV. It defi nitely tasted strong, but went down much smoother than I would have expected. It was also somewhat drier than many beers.

Crank Arm Brewing opens at 4 p.m. on weekdays and noon on Saturdays and Sun days. It usually stays open suff iciently late for most people, but complete hours can be found online. They also have a listing of food options at their bar, which is simply a book of menus from nearby restaurants. If you find yourself hungry while on premises, they’ll send out a delivery guy on a bike to go get you what you ordered.

For more of Technician’s Ricky Hopper about Raleigh-area breweries and beer in general, add him on Untappd (rdhopper).

Please, always drink re sponsibly.