Virginia Craft Beer - Aug/Sept 2014

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ingredients 6: Commentary by Mark Thompson 10: Virginia Craft Brewers Festival 26: Center of the Universe 12: News Capital City Brewing 28: Strangeways 14: Pumpkin Beers 30: Champion Brewing 22: Beltway Brewing 34: Wild Wolf 24: Barnhouse Brewery 36: St George 38: Colonial Williamsburg 40: Homebrew USA 42: Brew Reviews 44: Keeping Tabs 47: Brewery Guide

PUBLISHER/EDITOR Jeff Maisey ADVERTISING/MARKETING Jennifer McDonald CREATIVE DIRECTOR Brenda Mihalko CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Diane Catanzaro Diane Flynt Jeff Evans Lee Graves Chris Jones Kim Kirk Robey Martin Joshua Rapp Learn Wade Reynolds Mark Thompson Chuck Triplett Michael Wingfield Dan Yarnall CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER Kathy Keeney Copyright 2014 Ghent Media, Inc. Virginia Craft Beer Magazine is published bi-monthly by Ghent Media, Inc. PO Box 11147 Norfolk, VA 23517

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For advertising and subscription inquiries: 757.403.5852 jennifer.mcdonald@hotmail.com For editorial inquiries: 757.237.2762 jeffmaisey@yahoo.com virginiacraftbeer.com

publisher’sNOTE

Jeff Maisey and Jennifer McDonald

August is officially Virginia Craft Beer Month

in the Commonwealth, and I can’t think of a better way to celebrate the occasion than attend the 3rd Annual Virginia Craft Brewers Fest on Saturday, August 23, held on the grounds of Devils Backbone Brewing Company’s Basecamp location.

The festival exclusively features Virginia-made craft beer and cider. The highlight is the awards ceremony and the opportunity to watch the much coveted Brewers Cup enthusiastically hoisted by the overall winning brewery. I should note that the “home team” at Devils Backbone is the two-time defending champion.

So, you might wonder, how are awards determined? What makes one Double IPA better than the next?

In this issue of Virginia Craft Beer Magazine, Mark Thompson shares his insights on how craft beer competitions are judged. Thompson is the founder and master brewer at Starr Hill Brewery. He is chairman of the Virginia Craft Brewers Guild and has judged many competitions, including the World Beer Cup. Writers Diane Catanzaro and Chris Jones, official judges, provide additional flavor to the experience festival-goers can expect.

A big focus in this issue is on individual brewery profiles. My hope is to plant a seed of curiosity so readers will explore more on their own. To that point we put the spotlight on several including St. George Brewing Company, Capitol City Brewing, Champion Brewing Company and Wild Wolf. NOVA beer enthusiasts Jeff Evans and Chuck Triplett provided a look at the specialized beers Beltway brews for other companies. RVA writer Robey Martin takes us on a tour of Center of the Universe and Strangeways. DC penman Joshua Learn turns us on to Barnhouse Brewery, a “farm brewery” located in the garage of a home on the outskirts of Leesburg.

Craft beer is part of our heritage here in Virginia. Our Founding Fathers might have failed without their ale in a quest for independence. My colleague Jennifer McDonald uncorks the brews of Colonial Williamsburg, where Virginia craft beer was sold in taverns during the 1700s and is highly sought after today. As a side note, you’ll notice in the photo above Jennifer and I enjoying craft beer on Bastille Day in Norfolk. If it were not for Gen. Lafayette and the French naval blockade at Yorktown our freedom might have been delayed. Salute!

Today, in communities across Virginia, it really has been wonderful to observe the outpouring of support for locally brewed craft beer. Since SB604 was passed in 2012, the growth of Virginia craft breweries has exploded 75 percent, bringing much needed jobs and tax revenue to cities and counties at a time when manufacturing was considered something to be outsourced to China or India.

Personally, I like to see Americans making things again, especially world class beer.

Let’s support our Virginia craft breweries and keep this revolution hopping!

Cheers, Jeff Maisey JeffMaisey@yahoo.com

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I Will be the Judge of That

BY MARK THOMPSON

Acelebrates the world class beers coming out of the ugust is Virginia Craft Beer Month, a time that

Commonwealth. During the entire month of August many of the 80-plus craft breweries in the state rejoice in the occasion to showcase their craft. The month culminates with the Virginia Craft Beer Festival in Nelson County.

As part of the Virginia Craft Beer Festival, there is a judged competition that is named the Virginia Craft Beer Cup. “The Beer Cup” as it is affectionately called by many of the state brewers is held to recognize excellence in Virginia beers. In its third year, this event is hosted by the Virginia Craft Brewer’s Guild which is a coalition of independent small, commercial breweries dedicated to growing the craft beer industry in the Commonwealth.

There are larger competitions such as The World Beer Cup and Great American Beer Festival, both of which are hosted by the Brewers Association. The Brewers Association is the national trade group for craft breweries whose purpose is to promote and protect small and independent American brewers, their craft beers and community of brewing enthusiasts. The World Beer Cup judges beers from all over the world, while the Great American Beer Festival judges beers from America.

The unifying theme for any competition is to assign some form of quality ranking to the individual beers entered into the competition. The style categories may vary from state, national, or international competitions but the process of narrowing the field to award Gold, Silver and Bronze medals are universal.

Virginia Beer Cup The Virginia Beer Cup (VBC) is a statewide competition and uses the competition guidelines set out by the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP). The BJCP is the standard bearer for most amateur beer competitions, including the American Homebrewer Associations sanctioned events. The BJCP was founded in 1985 and has administered the Beer Judge Examination to nearly 8,000 individuals worldwide. The BJCP certifies and ranks beer judges through an examination and monitoring process, sanctions competitions, and provides educational resources to current and future judges. The BJCP recognizes 23 unique beer styles that range from Light Lager to Belgian Strong Ale. A complete listing of the styles can be found at bjcp.org/2008styles/catdex.php.

Tom Cannon, who lives in Northern Virginia, is the acting competition organizer for the Virginia Craft Beer Cup. Tom is an officer with the BJCP and the acting Exam Administrator for the -6-

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organization. He is ranked as an Advanced Grand Master Level 2 judge with the organization. When asked how he got into Craft Beer, he jokingly said, “College.” That and some time spent in England was what sent him on his 20-plus year craft beer journey. Tom first took the BJCP exam in 1994 and has continued with his involvement ever since.

According to their website, “The BJCP’s mission is to encourage knowledge, understanding and appreciation of the world’s diverse beer, mead, and cider styles. To promote, recognize, and advance beer, mead, and cider tasting, evaluation, and communication skills, and develop standardized tools, methods, and process for the structured evaluation, ranking and feedback of beer.”

The 2013 Virginia Beer Cup featured 132 beers from around the state from 31 different breweries. Gold, Silver, and Bronze medals were awarded in 14 different style categories. From the 14 Gold medal winning beers, a ‘best of show’ was selected to represent the best of the best for that year in Virginia.

Commenting on this year’s competition Tom stated, “I expect this year’s Virginia Beer Cup will be much larger than last. I am expecting there to be over 200 beers from 40 or more breweries.”

World Beer Cup/Great American Beer Festival The World Beer Cup (WBC) and Great American Beer Festival (GABF) are two of the largest and most recognized beer competitions in the world. Both events are judged in the same manner as the Virginia Beer Cup, except that the GABF evaluate beers that are brewed in America and the WBC with beers from across the world. contiued

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The Great American Beer Festival is held in Denver, Colorado in late September or early October every year. The GABF was founded in 1982 and featured nine breweries the first year. The World Beer Cup is held every other year in conjunction with the Craft Brewer’s Conference which travels to different cities throughout the United States. Both of these competitions are judged under the beer style guidelines set forth by the Brewer’s Association.

Unlike the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) which recognizes 31 beer style categories, the Brewer’s Association has expanded its number of styles quite considerably. The WBC recognizes 94 distinct style categories and the GABF recognizes 90 categories. The individual style categories are arranged into three large groups consisting of Lager Beers, Ales, and Hybrid or Mixed style. The Lager and Ales are then further defined based on the country of origin for that particular style. A couple of examples would be Scottish Ale and American Lager.

Regardless of the number of style categories, the beers are evaluated to determine excellence of each category with the recognition of gold, silver and bronze medals. When asked for comment Chris Swersey, the Competition Manager for the Great American Beer Festival and World Beer Cup competitions, stated, “Evaluating beer happens on many levels. On a professional level, beer evaluation is a form of peer review. The results are public, so consumers can learn what beers meet a high level of quality and what beers exemplify certain styles as interpreted by the judges.

When industry professionals acknowledge the excellence in products from around the market, the consumers can be sure that those products are the finest available.” Chris has served as the Competition Manager for the WBC and GABF since 2002.

Mechanics of Judging The mechanics of how professional beer competitions are held vary slightly from event to event but all share the common principle of evaluating the quality of an individual beer as it relates to a specific style criteria. Each competition starts with a set of beer style guidelines that define the flavor attributes of that particular style. In the description of a given style, parameters are established on the original gravity, finial gravity, and alcohol by weight/volume, bitterness, and color the beer should have. For most beer styles, the parameters are well defined and give a range from low to high for that particular style. For example American Amber Ales have a range in alcohol by volume from 4.5 – 6 %.

Each style also has a written description that details the flavor attributes of that particular style in more detail. The written description for each style clearly establishes the intensity of flavors for each style of beer. These descriptions may describe the intensity of hop bitterness or aroma, the amount of perceived Carmel malt flavor, if chill haze is allowable, noticeable fruit flavors, and other flavor attributes that are appropriate for the style.

Regardless of the competition, participating breweries enter their beers into the category that they feel best represents the product that they make. The process of deciding what category to enter a particular beer into or which beers they make best represent a category is a tough decision. Sometimes a brewery might make a beer that sells well commercially but does not fit neatly into any category. Other times a brewery might have a beer that could be entered into a couple of different categories. Suffice to say, there are elements of art, science, and best guesses when it comes to what beers get entered into the competitions.

Once all of the beers have been entered by the breweries and assembled by the Competition Manager, individual judges set out to evaluate these beers based on the guidelines for that particular style.

Typically, a group of judges would be presented with a flight of up to 12 different beers of the same style for evaluation. Each of the samples range from 2-4 ounces of beer and are presented in cups that have been assigned random numbers. The judging is done ‘blind’ so that they never know what brewery the beer belongs to. The judges take written notes on quality attributes of each sample as to how it relates to that particular category.

After each flight of judging, the judges will select the top three beers from the 12 that they had been presented. For categories that have a large number of entries, like India Pale Ale, the process of narrowing the field down to the final three beers takes several flights. In this process, multiple groups of judges are presented up to 12 samples from which they choose the top three that get passed on to the next round of judging. This deductive process narrows the fields of beers until a final three are awarded the gold, silver, and bronze medals.

For example, 48 IPA’s are judged by four groups of judges that each selects the best three beers from their flight in the first round of judging. The second round would then be the medal round where the remaining 12 beers (top three from each of the four groups of judges) would be reduced to the top three beers for that category.

The World Beer Cup’s website accurately summarizes the roles of judges during any competition. The web site states, “Judges perform several important roles for each beer competitions. Judges determine winning beer entries that meet the standards of excellence set up

by the competition manger as defined by the style criteria. They are also expected to provide concise, accurate written feedback to entering breweries about their entries, describing positive product attributes as well as defects noted during the competition. This indirect communication to entering breweries adds value to entering breweries and provides a glimpse into the judging process.”

It is a very exciting time for Virginia Craft Beer. The Virginia Beer Cup is very similar to the Governor’s Cup that the state wine industry hosts every year and is a way to expand on the excellence of the beers from the Commonwealth.

When asked, Bill Madden of Mad Fox Brewing Company and one of the founding brewers in the Virginia Craft Beer movement says that he is very excited about the Virginia Beer Cup. “Events like this help to raise the bar on quality for all of the beers across the state. Someday, I would love to see Virginia Craft Beer become as recognized as the wine industry in the state.”

Virginia Craft Breweries have a lot to be proud of, and the winners of any of these competitions continue to show that a commitment to quality is paramount for our industry. Quality is universal as it does not matter whether it is a state competition like the Virginia Beer Cup, a national one like the Great American Beer Festival or an international one like the World Beer Cup. Mark Thompson is president and co-founder of Starr Hill Brewery in Crozet, VA. Thompson also serves as chairman of the Virginia Craft Brewers Guild.

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Devils Backbone brew crew hoist the 2013 Virginia Craft Brewers Cup

A Tale of Two Festivals

BY DIANE CATANZARO AND CHRIS JONES

Vplethora of beer festivals that have sprouted in the Birthplace of irginia is no slouch when it comes to festivals, however the

Presidents like ‘shrooms after a summer rain make us as happy as clams at high tide. As our focus is Virginia craft beer, we want to turn readers on to two upcoming festivals that have among the finest selections of Virginia craft beer you will see anywhere, paired with great music and a beautiful rural setting. These are both fairly new entrants to the festival scene. The Virginia Craft Brewers Festival is a craft beer festival with music, and the Lockn’ Festival is a music festival with craft beer. Both of these festivals are worth a road trip as they are unique and special in different ways.

First, we highly recommend the Virginia Craft Brewers Festival, on Saturday August 23 from 2 - 7 pm, in Roseland, Nelson County. This is a celebration of Virginia’s craft brewers, with a sizeable chunk of the 80+ craft breweries from all over the state participating. You think you know Virginia beer? Guess again....few Virginia craft beers have statewide distribution. You don’t know what you’ve been missing but it’s safe to say there are some Virginia beers you are going to love waiting for you to discover them! At the VBCF, you will be able to discover great beers from different regions of Virginia that are not available at your local bar or beer store. Many brewers and brewery owners attend this festival, so it is a great opportunity to learn more about the beers and meet the people who brew them. The setting is

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very relaxed, with green grass, fresh air, a view of the mountains, and the beer lines are pleasantly short...in general this festival is a familyfriendly, hassle-free experience. Lawn chairs, small shade tents for the kids, cornhole, hacky sack, ladder ball, bring ‘em on! Drink fresh Virginia beer, settle into your lawn chair, enjoy the live music, maybe join a cornhole game. There are food vendors (no outside food permitted), and you can pop into the Devil’s Backbone brewpub on the premises for a tasty meal. At 5:05 pm, you will see many brewery owners and brewers gather by the stage for the announcement of the Virginia Beer Cup award-winners in each style category. Mark Thompson, Founder and Master Brewer at Starr Hill, describes the judging process elsewhere in this issue. Which stout will be crowned the stoutest? Whose wit will reign supreme? Taste them all and make your predictions! The culmination of the awards ceremony is the Best of Show beer, whose brewery gets to take home the coveted Virginia Cup, and major bragging rights, for 2014.

Devil’s Backbone Brewing Company Basecamp at 200 Mosby’s Run in Roseland hosts the VCBF. Admission is $35 and includes a commemorative glass and all tastings. There are VIP packages with some additional benefits and reduced prices for designated drivers and children. Want to stay on site with no driving worries? You can buy a tent camping ($10), car camping ($5), or RV ($50) pass to stay Saturday night right on the rural site. Or, stay nearby at a B&B,

Wintergreen, or in Charlottesville about 35 miles away. (Consult the VCBF website for their lodging spreadsheet. Accommodations in Nelson County are likely convenient to the VCBF). Tickets and information regarding the VCBF are at http://vacraftbrewersfest.com/ Second, check out the Lockn’ Festival, a four-day music fest held from Sept 4-7 at Oak Ridge Farm, a large rural site in Arrington (near the Blue Mountain Barrelhouse). Lockn’s inaugural year, 2013, featured a stellar selection of Virginia craft beer. This year, they Bob Weir will make multiple plan to increase the beer appearances at emphasis and have a Lockn’ Festival Brewer’s Village with 18 mostly-Virginia craft breweries showcasing 2 taps each and a chance to interact in a relaxed setting with brewers and brewery representatives.

They will have additional beers outside of the Brewer’s Village if you just need a fill-up. The Edible Blue Ridge Stage will feature local foods, agricultural products and beer pairings. The food at Lockn’ was also a nice surprise, with a wide range of local vendors and better-than-typical festival food. And the music? A pretty amazing selection here as well! Here is a partial list of the line-up for this year: Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Bob Weir & Ratdog, Phil Lesh & Friends, Furthur, Wilco, Willie Nelson, the Allman Brothers, Hot Tuna acoustic, Widespread Panic with Steve Winwood, Del McCoury Band, Grace Potter & the Nocturnals, Gary Clark Band, String Cheese Incident, and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band!

Lockn’ features two side-by-side stages; while one band plays the other quietly sets up, so when a band strikes their last chord the next band begins almost immediately. Different artists play different days, so if you choose a one-day ticket ($109-129) check out each day’s lineup on the festival website. Four-day tickets are $285, with special under-age-25 student tickets for $180. You can bring lawn chairs, picnic blankets, shade umbrellas. No outside food or beverages. The festival features a marketplace with vendors selling clothing, artwork, crystals, jewelry, etc. This festival is not just for tie-dyed-in-the-wool jam band fans, although, if you are one, you are one you are sure to find kindred spirits. Lockn’ is well organized, the vibes are positive, the music rocks, and the beer selection is outstanding.

If you are driving to the festival each day, $20 parking pass allows convenient parking adjacent to the site for all four days; it’s best to buy online in advance. Or, you can tent, car, or RV camp on the festival site; there are shuttles from Wintergreen, and several hotels in Charlottesville and Lynchburg have shuttle packages. Some packages are sold out; at press time, the Quality Inn Lynchburg had a lodging deal for 4 nights, quad room, $884 includes shuttle service. This comes to $55 per person each night (plus tax). The nearest lodging you can find on booking sites like hotels.com are in Charlottesville (41 minutes) and Lynchburg (34 minutes). However, there are many local B&Bs and cabins you won’t find on booking sites.

Fortunately, the Lockn’ folks have posted dozens of these lodging options in an excel spreadsheet, with addresses and phone numbers, on their website. Go to http://www.locknfestival.com/ and click ‘info/ lodging/other lodging’ to find that cozy cabin or B&B, or click ‘Tickets’ to get yours before they sell out!

Northern Virginia’s Favorite Brewpub Award-winning handcrafted beer with a menu to match, appealing to craft beer aficionados and foodies alike. Upscale, but informal, always family-friendly.

Hoppy oktoberfest!

saturday, september 27 – noon to 6pm free outdoor festival showcasing 30+ unique seasonal and specialty ipa-inspired beers, great festival food, live music and more.

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2014 Brew & Blues Festival

BLUES

Saturday, September 27, 2014 • 11 a.m. – 7 p.m.

Come and enjoy tastings from 30 different microbrews. Food vendors will be offering tasty treats such as funnel cakes, steak-n-cheese, or just burgers and dogs. Several restaurants will also be open during the festival in case you prefer to sit and rest a bit while you eat.

Music fills the air throughout the day!

Admission is $15 in advance or $20 at the gate for those who wish to sample the microbrews. Tasters will receive a commemorative 16 oz. pilsner glass and 10 tickets for samplings or towards the purchase of full beers. Advance tickets can be purchased at the Chamber of Commerce on 106 Chester Street, Front Royal or the Front Royal Visitor Center at 414 E. Main Street, Front Royal.

Big Country B105 FM The River 95.3 FM

Northern Virginia Daily

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Blue Ridge Shadows Fox 99.3 FM

Please contact the Chamber at 540-635-3185 or email priffle@frontroyalchamber.com

www.brewandblues.com • www.facebook.com/frontroyalbrewblues

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Oktoberfest at Capitol City

Brewing Company

BY JEFF MAISEY

CAnnual Oktoberfest celebration is

apitol City Brewing Company’s 15th

scheduled for Saturday, October 4. The Arlington brewpub has invited 70 regional breweries – and several from Germany – to participate, thus making the event the largest Oktoberfest celebration in the Mid-Atlantic region. Campbell Avenue, the quaint street in front of the building, will be closed to traffic. Traditional German oompah music and costumed dancers will provide a sense of authenticity. Best of all, Cap City has organized a beer competition, challenging all participating breweries to submit their best Oktoberfest style beer.

“We have a small panel of certified judges who will judge the Oktoberfest beers being offered and award gold, silver and bronze medals,” said Capitol City’s brewmaster Kristi Matthews Griner.

Kristi Griner is one of the few women brewmasters in the nation. Griner said she has always felt welcomed and encouraged in the craft beer community and hopes to see more women become brewers.

“I believe this is our heritage as women,” said Griner. “We were most likely the ones who invented beer. There are many cultures that attribute beer to a goddess. It was probably a woman managing a food stock trying to make a soup that didn’t get it on the stove in time. I feel very passionate that this is our birthright. When I am talking to women who are interested in getting into the field, I encourage them. It’s very rewarding, and you can have a creative outlet with it.”

Kristi Griner, a mother of two, had been an

4001 Campbell Ave. Arlington, VA 22206 703-578-3888 capcitybrew.com - 12 -

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Brewmaster Kristi Griner

experienced kitchen manager in a variety of restaurants before landing a job, in 2007, at Hops Grill and Brewery in Alexandria.

It was at Hops that she was given her first opportunity to brew beer. She then moved over to Vintage 50, in Leesburg, and created 15 new beer recipes and revitalized its bar scene. She was a 2009 recipient of the AB Vickers Scholarship for the Concise Course in Brewing Technology at Siebel Institute of Technology, America’s oldest brewing school, followed by Siebel’s Draft Master program, in 2012, the same year she was hired as brewmaster at Capitol City Brewing Company. For Griner, it was a steep, yet exciting learning curve.

“The volume really floored me at first,” she said, regarding her position at Cap City. “At Hops, I was doing about 400 barrels a year.

At Vintage 50, we were doing 500 barrels. At Cap City, we do 2,500 barrels per year. So it was like, ‘Wait a minute, we just filled that tank up yesterday and now it’s a quarter of the way empty.’ So it was a big ramp-up in scale.”

At both Hops Grill & Brewery and Vintage 50, Griner was the only brewer on staff. At Capitol City, she manages a team of brewers and assistants.

Capitol City opened its doors at 11th & H Streets, in 1992, as DC’s first brewpub since Prohibition. A second location was added in Arlington’s pedestrian-friendly Shirlington Village, where today all of the beer for both restaurants is brewed.

According to Griner, the Downtown DC location accounts for roughly 60 percent of overall beer sales. She attributes this to the amount of foot traffic from surrounding hotels, tourists and events at the Verizon Center.

Shirlington, being more of a neighborhood, has more regular customers.

Capitol City brews four signature beers: Pale Rider Ale, Prohibition Porter, Amber Waves Ale and Capitol Kolsch. One in every three beers sold at both the Downtown DC and Arlington locations is a Kolsch.

Come late September, it’ll be Oktoberfest and pumpkin seasonal beers.

BREWS FOR ALLAH: Smartmouth’s Greg Papp and tasting room assistant manager Jason

Bigger Smartmouth, Hemp IPA

BY JEREMY BENDER

Spercent in August with the addition of three 60-barrel fermenting martmouth Brewing Company will increase its capacity 75

tanks.

The Norfolk brewery is also adding a full time brewer and assistant brewer to help with the workload to meet demand.

Smartmouth surprised many last October when its Notch 9 Double IPA garnered a bronze medal at the Great American Beer Festival in less than one year of the brewery’s opening.

Head brewer Greg Papp, a longtime fan of the music of the Grateful Dead, is honoring the late guitarist Jerry Garcia with a new session IPA he’s calling Missing Digit, a Hemp IPA made with hemp and hopped exclusively with Jarrylo and Nugget hops.

“We decided to make a session beer for National IPA Day (August 1) which also happens to be Jerry Garcia’s birthday,” said Papp.

“What makes it unique is that we added 100 pounds of toasted hemp seeds to our mash. The hemp is going to give the beer a really nice nutty characteristic.”

The beer, named for Garcia’s missing finger, is 4.20 percent ABV. Tie-dye T-shirts and a Dead cover band will add psychedelic flavor to the release party.

Brew Ridge Trail Collaboration Brew All six breweries – Blue Mountain Brewery, South Street Brewery, Blue Mountain Barrel House, Starr Hill Brewery, Wild Wolf Brewery and Devils Backbone Brewing Company – along the Brew Ridge Trail, stretching from downtown Charlottesville to Arrington, will participate in the 5th Annual Brew Ridge Trail Collaboration Brew. It is the first time the beer will be brewed and fermented at Blue Mountain’s Barrel House.

“The beer is a two-part brew in our only-one-of-its-kind-in-theUS parti-gyle brewhouse,” said Taylor Smack, brewmaster at Blue Mountain. “We are making sister beers from one common mash. The first beer is a powerful Double IPA, 8.5%, uber-hoppy; second beer is a Session India Pale Lager at 4.5% with the same hop profile of the DIPA scaled down to size. Names are still up in the air but we’re thinking “Earth” for the DIPA and “Moon” for the IPL. Each brewery is contributing a special hop variety for this collaboration. We will have 60 barrels of beer (30 barrels of each style) when this is finished.

We’re hoping a lot of establishments will feature both beers side by side so beer lovers can see how two beers born from the same mash can diverge and become so deliciously different.”

Prehistoric Beer?

Lost Rhino Brewing Company released its Bone Dusters Paleo Ale in late June and received a spotlight on NPR. The Belgian Amber style beer used yeast scrapped from a whale fossil dating back 35 million years. Lost Rhino’s Jasper Akerboom, a microbiologist, and amateur fossil hunter Jason Osborne hatched the project.

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All Hail the Mighty

Pumpkin

BY JEFF MAISEY

Abear – gallops through the forested mountains of Nelson County headless horseman – actually riding on the back of a ferocious

with bow and arrow on hand in search of prey. The rider isn’t seeking to terrorize the local population or even to catch a beast to feast upon.

The hunter is in hot pursuit of the craft beer industry’s most popular seasonal brew – pumpkin beer.

This imagery is captured on the label of Devils Backbone Brewing Company’s new Pumpkin Hunter, an ale brewed with pumpkin and spices (cinnamon, ginger, Allspice and nutmeg).

Brewmaster Jason Oliver describes the beer as a “liquid pumpkin pie.” Oliver debuted the beer on tap at the DB’s brewpub known as the Basecamp. Last year it was bottled for the first time under the label Ichabod Crandall, named for founder/owner Steve Crandall, and sold out before the first week of September.

Since another brewery already used the name Ichabod for its seasonal, Devils Backbone changed its brand to Pumpkin Hunter, which is actually more appropriate given Crandall’s passion for the great outdoors, hunting and fishing included.

Pumpkin Hunter will be available in kegs as well as bottled 6-packs. It is part of DB’s Trail Blazers series, six limited edition styles with a bold twist.

Nationwide, pumpkin beers are the top selling seasonal craft beer sold in bottles.

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Like any holiday or season specific product, retailers and distributors demand pumpkin beer be available on the shelves in early August – well ahead of the official beginning of fall and Halloween. Go to any Total Wine & More location and you’ll simply be amazed at the enormous displays of pumpkin beers produced by everyone from New Belgium (Pumpkick) and Southern Tier (Pumking) to Rogue Farms Pumpkin Patch Ale and Samuel Adams Harvest Pumpkin Ale. Virginia breweries are also keen on delivering this treat to consumers in numerous variations.

Four years ago, Crozet-based Starr Hill Brewing Company debuted its Boxcar Pumpkin Porter to rave reviews and booming sales. The brewery also said it made a smashing impact on another level – the pumpkin market.

“The first time we did it we made the commodities price jump a dollar in the middle of summer because pumpkins weren’t available,” said Starr Hill’s Mike Andres. “They said, ‘Do you really want eight tons of pumpkins?’ and I think Mark (Thompson) said something funny like, ‘Dude, you know what, we’ll get ten tons of pumpkins.’”

Starr Hill’s seasonal beers, including Grateful Pale Ale and Soul Shine – have been massive high notes for the company.

As a “branding thing,” an extra “r” was been added last year to the beer’s name. From here on out we’ll refer to it as Boxcarr.

Boxcarr is a delicious, full-of-flavor English brown, medium bodied

porter with a nice nutmeg and cinnamon finish.

Like most Starr Hill products, Boxcarr has a musical reference. Think Johnny Cash, lyrics to the Pixies’ “Here Comes Your Man,” the Grateful Dead – even Boxcar Willie. Secondly, there is a freight train line running next to Starr Hill’s brewery.

Pumpkin beers seem to appeal to a wide array of consumers.

“The pumpkin category will crossover any non-beer drinker because of the fanaticism of people just wanting to try pumpkin beers,” Andres explained. “Maybe it is the sweetness of it. I’ve seen everyone – women and men – just crazy about the new pumpkin beer. You’ll see way more craft breweries in Virginia start doing more pumpkin beers.”

One of those other made-in-Virginia beers is the Pumpkin Porter brewed by Capitol City Brewing Company in Arlington. Since Cap City is strictly a brewpub, it doesn’t feel the pressure to offer its pumpkin brew in late summer. In fact, the beer will appear on tap the weekend of October 3. That’ll give those pumpkin enthusiasts a late season opportunity to enjoy what is likely to be a scarce beer.

Nationwide, pumpkin beers are the top selling seasonal craft beer sold in bottles.

Capitol City brewmaster Kristi Griner is a big fan of the style.

“I really like the way the chocolate malts compliment the spices but also the flavor of the gourds themselves,” said Griner. “We use a blend of pumpkin puree and butternut squash. Butternut squash is ripe in September and gives you a definitive gourd taste, and not just loaded with spice. I don’t like beers that are all spice with no actual vegetable in them. We add brown sugar, ginger, nutmeg, clove, cinnamon and all spice. It’s quite lovely and fragrant.”

Pumpkin beers are sure to be available August through midSeptember at a local craft brewery near you. Some of the other excellent Virginia-brewed variations include Williamsburg Alewerks Pumpkin Ale (bottles and draft), St. George Brewing Company’s Pumpkinfest (Oktoberfest style beer with pumpkin and spices), O’Connor Brewing Company’s Punkelweisse (traditional German style dark wheat beer with pumpkin and fall spices), Strangeways’ Gourd of Thunder and Hardwood Park Craft Brewery’s Rum Pumpkin.

VIRGINIACRAFTBEER.COM

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mugSHOTS

Summer Brewfest at Town Point Park (Norfolk)

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AUGUST 2014

SEPTEMBER 20, 2014

Town Point Park 12:00pm - 8:00pm Downtown Norfolk Waterfront, Virginia

#VARIBTOBERFEST Free & c i l b u P e h t o t Open

f o s Ton Q B B & R BEE Live Music! *Craft beer sampling tickets available for purchase

For more information visit

Fun at Wild Wolf Brewing Company

festevents.org

or call

757.441.2345

(Nellydforf)

VIRGINIACRAFTBEER.COM

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mugSHOTS

Retailer Open House at Starr Hill April 18, 2014 - Crozet

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APRIL 2014 AUGUST 2014

Rocktown Beer & Music Festival April 26, 2014 - Harrisonburg

Red Wing Roots Festival July 11,12 & 13, 2014 - Harrisonburg

Join us along the Downtown Norfolk Waterfront for one of the state’s largest outdoor wine festivals featuring more than 30 Virginia wineries. All wines e during the event are available for purchase by the case, bottle or glass.

VIRGINIACRAFTBEER.COM

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Custom Bottle Cap Coasters

These hand-made beer bottle cap coasters are perfect for mancaves, gifts, or anything!

Each coaster is made of eight beer caps and then poured with several layers of epoxy to give a see through, glass like appearance.

Handmade, Wall Mounted Bottle Opener

Beer Cap Boutique Charlottesville etsy.com/shop/BeerCapBoutique

All bottle openers are handmade from recycled flooring ensuring a unique designs.

Seafoam Green Designs Lorton etsy.com/shop/SeafoamGreenDesigns

beer CRAFT These talented Virginians are getting their craft on in celebration of the beer lover in all of us!

Custom Painted Beer Mugs

The hand-painted beer steins are completely customized with cartoon-style portraits, personalization and hidden messages on the inside of the glass! These unique gifts are sure to be a hit with those beer-lovers in your life. They’re perfect for any occasion: weddings (groomsmen, bridesmaids, newlyweds, parents), anniversaries, graduation, birthdays, and more.

Limefish Studio Palmyra etsy.com/shop/limefishshop - 20 -

AUGUST 2014

Custom Belt Buckle

Handmade forged metal belt buckle with an inlaid Smartmouth can and a clear epoxy.

Matthew D. Sieber, Wilway Forge, Virginia Beach etsy.com/people/WillwayForge Also available at Kitsch, 807 Shirley Ave., Norfolk 757.961.9855 • kitschva.com

• • • • • • • •

••

Beer for the Day. Cocktails for the Evening.

For all your Craft Cocktail Needs.

915 B WEST 21ST STREET, NORFOLK, VIRGINIA • 757.651.6772 • WWW.TABLE7ANTIQUES.COM VIRGINIACRAFTBEER.COM

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Beltway Brewing Founder and President Sten Sellier with Head Brewer Drew Perry

Making Headway at Beltway 22620 Davis Dr. #110 Sterling 571.989.2739 beltwaybrewco.com

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AUGUST 2014

BY JEFFERSON EVANS AND CHUCK TRIPLETT

W

hen you walk through the doors of Beltway Brewing Company in Sterling, Virginia you are immediately struck by a couple of things – that this is one big, clean, modern, shiny brewery, and that they have lots of space, with more space on the way by the time you read this. A back wall will have been knocked down to make additional room which will most likely be used for dry storage and more tank space. Beltway Brewing may have a non-traditional business model, i.e., brewing solely for other business entities with no brands of its own and no intent to change that fact any time soon, but Founder and President Sten Sellier and Head Brewer Drew Perry have maxed out their production capacity and are producing some fine beers. Inside the box, outside the box, whatever the future is bright.

Drew Perry is from south Jersey and made his bones in the brewery trade at Flying Fish Brewing for over 6 years, first in Cherry Hill and then after the move to Somerdale, NJ – moving up from the packaging line to a position as Brewery Manager and being part of brewing teams that won 4 GABF medals along the way. He is a member of

the Masters Brewers Association of the Americas and is a 2007 graduate of the American Brewers Guild Intensive Brewing Science and Engineering Program. When Sten posted a “brewer wanted” ad on probrewer.com, Drew decided to apply.

One might wonder why he would leave Flying Fish after having made the leap to Brewery Manager, but Sten provides some insight as to at least part of Drew’s decision making process.

“My initial impression of Drew was that he had an impressive attention to detail. Not the kind of guy to take short cuts or let things slide to save time, money, or effort. He also truly loved to brew. After being so good at his job, he ended up being promoted to brewing manager at his former brewery, he got bored because he wanted to be back in a hands-on brewing role. I thought that was awesome and everything we needed.

Attention to detail and a true passion for making great beer every day.” And for Drew’s part, he tells me he found the ideal of the different business model attractive.

That model has led Sten and Drew to working with a wide range of customers, near afield, and

as far away as Florida and Gadsden, AL – the home of Back Forty Beer Company, Beltway Brewing’s biggest customer, and which at any one time might place an order representing the equivalent of about 2,400 cases of beer. The beers brewed for one local customer, Adroit Theory, have proved some of the most labor intensive and challenging to brew. Some customers, like Back Forty, come to the table with recipes already in hand, whereas others, such as Buffalo Wing Factory, have given Drew pretty free range in formulating recipes and he notes that “the startups have been pretty open to my suggestions”. Batch One brewed was a hoppy amber test batch and Batch 72 was Adroit Theory’s Day of the Dead, a 13% ABV double stout. One of Drew’s favorite beers brewed so far is a 9.5% ABV American brown ale aged in rye whiskey barrels.

Whatever the beer, the raw materials might be 100% provided by the customer, might be provided by Beltway if readily available from their suppliers, or it might be a combination.

However, costumers provide all packaging materials, whether kegs, cans, or bottles.

Adroit Theory’s Day of the Dead Canning and bottling is brewed at Beltway are handled by mobile bottling and canning lines provided by two different companies.

And shipping of the final product is always arranged by the customer, whether they show up in an old beat up station wagon with paneling on the side, or send a semi –trailer.

One aspect of the brewery that Sten takes great pride in is the on-site quality control lab and the work done by lab technician and assistant brewer Drew “Wiley” Wiles who grew up in a family with a wine vineyard, has a degree in microbiology, and worked in the lab at a Children’s Hospital. Sten says Wiley’s “enthusiasm for being a part of our exciting business is what made him the clear favorite over the other qualified candidates we were interviewing”. And the job is no easy task given realities such as the number of yeast to be propagated, the different customers and beer formulations, and the quality control issues involved with maintaining consistencies in the different brands Beltway brews for its customers.

Looking back at the road so far, Drew (the brewer) tells me “the first two months were the toughest. We were ready to go but some of our clients were just not there yet”. That meant capacity that was not being taken advantage of and money not coming in, but that turned around and now they have settled into a work cycle of something like brewing for 10 straight days, followed by something like packaging for 10 straight days. And in the category of “life comes full circle” factoids, Drew mentions that the newly opened Old Ox Brewery in Ashburn is brewing on the old Flying Fish brewing equipment he made his bones on back in the day. A little weird, that, buts its beer, so it’s ok.

Beltway Brewing is located at 22620 Davis drive #110, Sterling VA 20164. The tasting room is open Thu-Fri, 4-9pm, and Sat 1-9pm. beltwaybrewco.com/ and on Facebook.

VIRGINIACRAFTBEER.COM

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Saddle-up to Barnhouse Brewery 13840 Barnhouse Pl. Leesburg 703.675.8480 barnhousebrewery.com

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AUGUST 2014

WORDS & PHOTOS BY JOSHUA RAPP LEARN

Y

ou may think one of Virginia’s first farm breweries as being a quaint, easy-living place situated up a series of winding, forested country roads in the unincorporated hamlet of Lucketts, just north of Leesburg. You might imagine a line of cars parking on the grass next to a country house whose brewpub is nothing more than a garage fitted up with a multiple tap bar system. There would be a few tents outside with a collection of local residents and weekend day-trippers up from the capital and the bathroom would be in the house just beyond the laundry room. You would imagine the owners, who both work day jobs, would only be able to open the brewery for one weekend a month.

In the case of Barnhouse Brewery you’d be right about every detail except that the journey to get here hasn’t been as quaint or relaxed as its idyllic setting. For brewer Roger Knoell and his wife Christine, it’s been 20 years in the making, dating back to when Christine first gave her husband a homebrew kit. “I never would have imagined that a beer kit under the Christmas tree would wind up being a retirement business and a future way of life,” Christine told me as we sit under the tent

during one of the last weekends the brewpub is open.

I’m sipping the barrel-aged Quarter Horse Porter that lets just enough of the Maker’s Mark bourbon flavor seep into the dark chocolate without overshadowing the pungent roast aroma.

The barrel that aged it sits a few yards away surrounded by stools – it’s been retired as a table. And while Roger, a software developer by day, said his first batch was murky, cloudy and terrible, Christine – a registered nurse – maintains that it wasn’t that bad. In any case, he kept at it, eventually kegging batches for friends until they began getting calls from strangers looking for their beer.

“We started having people that we didn’t know who were at their parties calling up saying ‘Hey! How do we get your beer?’” Roger said, on the patio overlooking homegrown hop vines.

Christine reacted by telling him they should get things going and 21 months ago Barnhouse went into official business.

While the journey hasn’t always been smooth – at one point, they were forced to dump nine kegs down the drain, an experience Christine describes

being “like an arrow through our heart” – new state licensing laws under the state’s farm brewing bill that could come into play this month (INFO TK) will allow them to get a cheaper license more suitable than their current exemption allowing them to brew in a rural area.

And the timing couldn’t be better. Roger and Christine have recently purchased an 18-acre plot three miles away on Spink’s Ferry Road where they plan to open a larger farm brewpub complete with a standalone tasting room that doesn’t double as a garage as well as a covered patio, fire pits and a 10-barrel brewing system that will trump his current barrel-and-a-half operation.

As you might expect from a farm brewery, Roger keeps his brews along the traditional lines, focusing on basic but extremely wellexecuted styles like a stout and a hefeweizen, among 15 others. While his Dogwood IPA, the Kittocton Kölsch and Hop Dog Pale Ale sell the best, he prefers the darker beers. “If given the opportunity on a desert island, I’d choose stouts any day of the week.”

The craft beer market has noticed his hard work. Roger said distributors have already shown interest in bringing kegs into bigger markets, telling him “When you’re ready, just let us know.”

It’s easy to see how this “retirement” Christine describes will come to light. Guests mill about sipping on pints while I taste the expertly balanced pale ale hopped in part from Roger’s cascade vines on top of a solid grainy backbone of barley malt. When I asked Christine about putting up with Roger’s beer obsession, she said “when someone’s so passionate about something, you can’t help but support him.”

Otherwise, she said, she would have thrown the towel in a long time ago.

Paddle the

GAULEY. Party in the

HOLLER. Sept. & Oct. 2014

Barnhouse Brewery is located at 13840 Barnhouse Pl, Leesburg, VA 20176. For more info: (703) 675-8480, barnhousebrewery.com

GauleyRiverRafting.com

VIRGINIACRAFTBEER.COM

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Chris Ray enjoys a beer in the tasting room

Center of the Universe Hits a Home Run

BY ROBEY MARTIN

11293 Air Park Rd. Ashland 804.368.0299 cotubrewing.com

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AUGUST 2014

“W

nationwide military charity to support.” e always joked around and said we would quit our jobs and start a brewery,” That same year, Homefront IPA was produced and sold at Safeco Field. The beneficiary was said Chris Ray, a former Seattle Mariners pitcher Operation Homefront, an organization providing who co-founded Ashland, Virginia’s Center of the emergency assistance to military troops and their Universe Brewing Company.

“Phil [Chris’ brother] and I were avid families. homebrewers. But it wasn’t A year later, Center of the Universe opened its until 2010, when I was doors in Ashland, with traded to San Francisco, Mike Killelea as head that we really saw brewer. Killelea was firsthand how expansive the craft market was on from Legend’s Brewing, the West Coast compared the oldest brewery in Richmond, where he had to Virginia. We began spent the previous six researching and working years. on our business plan from Chin Music has been a hit with RVA craft beer enthusiasts that point. In 2011, while “At the time, I was the I was playing with the Mariners, we came up with Chairman of the Virginia Craft Brewers Guild,” Killilea said. “Chris sent me an email asking me for the idea of brewing a beer for the troops. My best brewer recommendations. I had been at Legend friend, Tim Thomas, was stationed in Afghanistan for about six years, and there was very little room with the Army. Through various connections, we for advancement. So, in addition to a few other got linked up with Matt Lincelcolm at Fremont Brewing, collaborated on a recipe and picked a names, I put myself on the list that I sent to Chris.”

Killilea said it wasn’t so much about separating himself from the other brewers in town or Legend, but making the best and cleanest beers possible and that was what attracted him to COTU. Their mission was very clearly similar to his from the beginning and it seemed like a natural fit.

COTU is centered (pun intended) around brewing well-rounded, well-made beers and supporting the community that supports them.

The Rays and Killelea both speak incredibly highly of their support system, not only of the individuals who choose to work day to day at the brewery but the neighborhood around them. They feel it’s a major player in advocating the beer they produce and the fellowship that follows them.

“You put so much of yourself in the beer, that you want it to be perfect,” Killilea said. “Luckily, we have a great team here at COTU, and our distributor has been top notch. The biggest reward is when someone finds out that I work at COTU (happened at my bank yesterday) and they tell me they love COTU. It never gets old.

COTU’s starting lineup

“What’s great about working here is that the beer always comes first. We’re always talking about beer, and styles that we like.”

Chris Ray agrees and adds, “We are fortunate to be in good company right now in Richmond, and I hope it stays that way.”

In 2014, Center of the Universe partnered with Richmond’s Triple A Baseball team, the Richmond Squirrels. With Chris Ray’s recent past in baseball and Killelea’s skill for making clean yeast-forward lower ABV beers, the partnership seemed like a natural progression. The result was an easy amber lager, Chin Music.

The Rays and Killelea are not under the notion that the next steps as a brewery in such a moving market is going to be easy. They know the game is changing as more local competition starts to form and more options become available. Chris Ray doesn’t plan on straying from his initial mission, however.

“I think a lot of the breweries out there should just focus on creating the best/cleanest beer possible. You should treat every beer, no matter what the style, as if it’s the most important beer you ever made. We try to do that here at COTU. It’s what I try to instill in my brewery team – Don, Mike and Harrison – who by the way are great.”

COTU’s additional starting lineup of homerun brews includes Ray Ray’s Pale Ale, Main St. Virginia Ale (pilsner), Pocahoptus (IPA), and Slingshot Kolsch. The designated hitter for late summer and fall is Monkeys Uncle, a Belgian-style triple.

VIRGINIACRAFTBEER.COM

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Sampling is the best way to explore at Strangeways

Strange art making use of found objects adorn the walls

Drink & Think Strange

BY ROBEY MARTIN

I 2277 Dabney Rd. Richmond 804.303.4336 strangewaysbrewing.com

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AUGUST 2014

t all started at a SB 604 and HB 359 signing party. Not the idea of a brewery, Neil Burton had that already. But the partnership. Mike Hiller and Burton, his now partner/co-owner, have only known each other a short time, a little over two years.

“I was visiting from Northern Virginia where I was working for a soon-to-be-closed brewery,” Hiller recounted. “Mike Killelea from Center of the Universe fame invited me to the event. I think he and John Wampler from Legend Brewing actually introduced me to Neil. Neil was looking for a head brewer and I was looking for a brewery.”

It took just that summer to make the decision that Hiller would become Burton’s brewer, and while that decision was being made the brewery name materialized – Strangeways. The name is an homage to both Burton’s and Hiller’s style, whether in the brewery or outside out it. When asked about the name, Hiller is very open.

“We decided from the outset that we definitely did not want to brew what we called “typical” beers. That means we didn’t want to brew what everybody else was already brewing. We wanted to be different, sure, but mostly we wanted to challenge ourselves and the beer community by

brewing weird, very different beers. Plus, we weren’t about to start a brewery called STRANGEways and then produce a regular line-up of beers. The name kind of forces us to brew strange beers.”

He goes on to say it is an awesome challenge for him as a brewer.

New techniques, new challenges and new processes are certainly keeping him on his toes and a keenly interested following close at his heels. In the past year, Hiller has brewed over 20 distinctly different beers with some very interesting monikers. From a Sorachi Sour to a Bier de Mars to an Eisbock, the variations continue to be impressively odd. Richmond, Virginia is not the only audience that has taken notice.

In April, Saveur Magazine touted Martian Spring, a variation on a Bier de Mars, as one of the most refreshing they’ve had with its crisp clean ending and burr-like bubbles. In May, Bon Appetit named the brewery as one of ten to watch in the United States. BA ran the gamut of brew they suggested, calling out the mind-bending techniques like the Eisbock’s, Freeze Ray, actual freezing and ice removal that causes the ABV to amp up to blotto proportions.

• #1 Craft Beer bottle shop in Virginia by Ratebeer.com • #1 Golden Tap Awards by Veer • Best Retail Beer Selection (Specialty shops) • 5 time winner of “Best of the Beach”

Weekly craft beer tastings every Thursday from 4:30pm-7:00pm 5 new beers every week!

Follow us on Facebook for the latest new beers to arrive!

Store hourS: Mon.-Sat., 10am-8pm (Closed Sundays) 486-WInE (9463) Visit our new website! www.grapeandgourmet.com Barrels and the backroom tasting space

With the recent national attention, it would be easy to stray from the local support, but Strangeways manages to balance the two humbly.

Hiller states that he understands the hesitation of the local community to embrace the stranger beer. He himself at one time was a very picky eater and can empathize with those that have a more discerning palate.

“Sometimes I feel like we have an uphill battle to get [Richmond] beer drinkers to step out of their comfort zone and try some of our more ‘out there’ beers. Whether it’s someone who doesn’t drink a lot of craft beer or a seasoned veteran of the Richmond craft beer community, getting people to set aside long-held opinions or preferences long enough to try, for instance, a sour beer or a honey bock can be difficult.”

But not insurmountable. To make things more palatable, Hiller and Burton collaborated with some well-known and well-loved beer individuals in the Richmond area. A notable win from one such collaboration is their O.T.I.S. cucumber melon sour. In a partnership with a (very visible in the Richmond beer community and honorary mascot of the local Beer Den) French Bulldog named Otis (and of course his owner), Strangeways concocted an accessible sour beer, pleasing both beer aficionados and beer beginners. Collaborations like this in the community seem natural for Burton and Hiller. The brewery is a constant social gathering. Many a father and family, including brewer and owner, made a new tradition for this year’s Father’s Day by quaffing a Uberlin Berliner Weiss, another collab with local beer-centric restaurant Capital Ale House, a fruity, funky wild Brettanomyces claussenii yeast explosion.

“The biggest reward for me is very simple and it is another big part of why I brew beer; our beers make people happy,” Hiller said. “That’s it! Every day, I see people smiling, having a good time, and enjoying each other’s company while drinking our beers. I create something that brings people joy.”

Strangeways Brewing is located at 2277 Dabney Road in Richmond.

For info at 804-303-4336, strangewaysbrewing.com

4000 Virginia Beach Blvd., Loehmann’s Plaza (next to the Central Library)

5

$

off purchases of $40 or more.

Coupon must be presented at checkout and cannot be combined with any other discount.

Not valid for use on gift certificate purchases or on previous purchases.

Offer expires 10/15/14

Constitution Day

Celebration

Saturday, September 20, 2014 FeATuRing

WINE FESTIVAL

$20/advance or $25/gate WINE FESTIVAL

Live Music Mansion Tours Kid Activities Balloon Rides Wagon Rides * Fireworks by Pyrotecnico

$10/car. Visit website for complete details.

Montpelier.org | 540.672.2728 VIRGINIACRAFTBEER.COM

- 29 -

Hunter Smith

- 30 -

AUGUST 2014

BY JEFF MAISEY

L

ike most craft breweries, Charlottesville-based Champion Brewing Company quickly learned in order to keep up with demand, rapid expansion would be a necessity.

Hunter Smith, Champion’s 28-year-old president and head brewer, had previous experience in his family’s winery business in nearby Afton, Virginia. Even so, the explosive popularity of beer took him by surprise.

Smith attended Northeastern University in Boston for his under graduate degree before enrolling at the Siebel Institute for technical brewing.

To sharpen his business skills, he also took classes at the University of Phoenix. He credits the combined education as being instrumental to his success as a brewery operator.

Champion Brewing Company, known for its high-quality Killer Kolsch and Missile IPA, operates out of two facilities in Charlottesville.

Beer enthusiasts visit the 150-seat tasting room building, located just a stone’s throw from C-Ville’s pedestrian-friendly downtown. A small brewery is attached where Smith and his staff brew one-off experimental beers, limited batch seasonal and barrel aged brews for the taproom. Bourbon barrels are used to age the Double IPA. Wine barrels are used to age sour beers. The small brewing room sports a three-barrel mash ton and kettle with five six-barrel fermenting tanks. Champion brews 500 barrels of beer per year out of this space.

About a mile down the road is Champion’s major manufacturing space where they produce their four core beers, including the Killer Kolsch and Missile IPA. This brewery currently produces 8,000 barrels annually with plans to increase to 10,000. At the beer factory are four brewers: Levy Duncan, Josh Skinner, Patrick Gibson and Bryan Peters.

I recently popped in to Champion to learn more, and to catch a World Cup match on their TV screens. Here’s an excerpt from my interview with Hunter Smith.

How did you get interested in the craft beer business?

I started as a homebrewer. I had a buddy whose dad was in the Hampton Roads area that was really into craft beer. I really got the bug and started homebrewing when I moved to Charlottesville from Suffolk about six years ago. I did that for four years while I was working at my parents’ winery – Afton Mountain Vineyards – and I still work there. While at Afton, I developed a business plan for Champion. I got some tactical experience about using tanks and hoses, and how these things work. Once I had the business plan I got a loan and started the brewery in 2012.

Most craft breweries are struggling to keep up with demand. Are you finding that to be true at Champion?

Yeah, that’s our situation. It’s kind of ridiculous because we just put in this huge brewery that we thought would solve all those problems forever, and we already have to add tanks. It’s like the more you grow the more you grow more.

Where are Champion beers distributed?

Right now we are in all of Virginia and DC. We’ll be opening markets in North Carolina soon as well.

Which region have you seen the greatest demand thus far?

You’re always strongest in your own backyard. Really, it is all over the state: Northern Virginia, Charlottesville, Richmond and Virginia Beach comprise the strongest areas.

Describe your average visitor at the taproom? Are they primarily local, daytrippers or tourists?

They are everybody from fourth-year college students to grad students to young professionals like myself, Baby Boomers, middle agers and retirees. It’s wild. Friday night is usually consistent with people who go out drinking in downtown. Otherwise, it is everybody.

Since you have winery experience, you have encountered people who tour wineries within close proximity. Are you seeing the same thing in Charlottesville, where beer enthusiasts basically brewery hop?

We get a lot of that, particularly on the weekends during the day. People are coming from other breweries. The tourism thing is really taking off.

There are now several different companies that do guided brewery tours the same way they do winery tours.

You can really tell by the number of flights we sell to people who haven’t been here before. That’s a really good indication as to how many tourists we had that day.

What can you tell us about your packaged (cans) side of the business?

We do cans exclusively. Right now we have two: Missile IPA and the Killer Kolsch. I work with a local design firm to come up with the graphics to illustrate the ideas that I have. They are actually hand-drawn illustrations and translated to the can. I prefer cans for several reasons. The obvious one is that it is a bigger piece of design so you can get the whole can rather than just a bottle label. It’s also much better for the beer; it keeps out light. It gets cooler faster. You can also take cans places you can’t take bottles, like the beach, hiking, to the pool. All things considered it’s a better option. And it’s more green. It is easier to recycle than glass.

What percentage of sales are you doing between draft and can sales?

We thought it might be around 50/50, but it is closer to 70/30 cans to kegs.

The packaged beer has really taken off. We have a hard time keeping up.

How are you making both short term and long term projections?

I wouldn’t be surprised if growth is a 50 percent increase over the next two years. We are looking at doubling the amount of tanks we have. That will more than double our production volume. It’s kind of like catching a shark. It’s really hard to know exactly what you’re going to land. But that’s where we’re headed.

continued VIRGINIACRAFTBEER.COM

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Where did the name Champion come from?

It was just something in my head. I always felt really ambitious and expected the best in what we do. The name is one that was available.

When something that strong and iconic was available I snagged it as quickly as I could.

You have a large taproom and outdoor patio.

How important are these to your business?

We can fit 150 heads inside and we don’t really have a limit outside. It’s a huge part of our business.

Without the taproom, we never could have done what we did so far. SB604, the law that allowed taprooms in breweries, was huge. We would never have the production brewery; we’d never be in DC and all over Virginia without the ability to sell pints of beer from the small brewery here.

Everybody’s a bit wind-blown. It has happened so ridiculously fast. I think they are really happy and proud. They drink more beer than they used it.

Bill Madden over at Mad Fox is known for his kolsch beers. He said a good kolsch is challenging to produce because the brewer is essentially “naked,” meaning any tiny flaw is noticeable.You at Champion brew an excellent Killer Kolsch.What is your process?

We ferment the kolsh with an ale timetable. It is an ale. It usually takes us two weeks. It is very clean.

It takes a lot of patience. We have an attention paid to quality control and cleanliness. Everything we do is very much under a microscope. We also do use a microscope to count the yeast and run a lab.

It takes a lot of testing. Levi, our lead brewer, like myself, is very scientifically minded and hardcore about quality control.

So you are right, and so is Bill, if you do a lager or a kolsch that doesn’t have a lot of other flavors to cover it up, anything bad will be quite weird.

There is a lot of excitement about Virginia beers, especially due to the heightened awareness our breweries have garnered in national competitions. How does it feel to be part of this craft beer movement?

Collaborations are popular amongst brewers.

It’s awesome. I think Virginia is really a supportive What do you have in the pipeline? state of local products. We’ve been producing We’re working on one with New Holland Brewing, local products for people to be proud of, and out of Michigan. Two of our four collaborations not just beer. The success of Legend and Devils have been with bands. So we’ve done the Black Backbone helps to shine a light on the rest of us.

Me Stout with Against Me and also Stickin’ in My Jason Oliver is a friend of mine. Blue Mountain and Rye IPA, which is our rye IPA we did with the punk Missile IPA is the bomb Starr Hill have really help shine the light on Virginia. band NOFX. We’ll be doing can options for both of It allows a brewery this small to grow. It’s because of their support. those next year. I was a musician for ten years before I got into this. That’s a big part of who I am and what I’m into. Punk rock has always guided me Your parents, being in the Virginia wine business, what do they think philosophically and my interest in music. of the success you’ve had in such a short amount of time?

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AUGUST 2014

VIRGINIACRAFTBEER.COM

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Danny Wolf

Beer & Cheer for the Whole Family at Wild Wolf 2461 Rockfish Valley Hwy Nellysford 434.361.0088 wildwolfbeer.com

Nachos and more are available in the restaurant

- 34 -

AUGUST 2014

BY JEFF MAISEY

W

hen Danny Wolf completed his course work at the Seibel Institute of Technology in 2008, the job market was tight in an economy described as the worst since the Great Depression.

His mother, Mary Wolf, a retired vice president of product marketing at America Online, wanted to help her son find a way to gain experience in the brewing industry.

In the process, Mary, a diehard wine lover with a 3,000-bottle cellar, developed a passion for craft beer.

The two soon decided to go into business together and open one of the few son/mom breweries in the world.

Wild Wolf Brewing Company opened in 2010 as a homebrew retail shop and a nano brewery. In

November 2011, Wild Wolf expanded by opening a full service restaurant and brewery.

Wild Wolf is a family-friendly brewery experience – a 10-acre destination. The main building, which houses the restaurant, brewery and bar, is a former school house (Rockfish School, 1910-39). Out front is a large patio with tables and chairs shaded by Siberian Elms. The grounds surrounding the brewery also include a gazebo, outdoor pavilion, a small play area for children, working waterwheel and pond with large koi swimming near the surface. Dogs, too, are welcomed guests on the patio.

“We try to create a destination where people can come and enjoy the relaxing Bier Garden,” said Mary. “We have a hop yard with chickens. We have live music Friday, Saturday and Sunday yearround.”

Wild Wolf offers 10 to 12 beers on tap daily

from 11:30 AM to whenever the bartender says it’s Last Call. These craft brews include their Alpha Ale (a super hoppy American Pale Ale), Blonde Honey (Belgian style Blonde Ale with honey, Wild Wolf’s flagship brew), American Pilsner, Wee Heavy (Scottish Brown Ale) and the Dry Stout. Seasonal beers of note: the spicy Ginger Lager, Howlin’ Pumpkin, Predator Bock and Wild Wolf Bitter.

In addition to their draft beer, Wild Wolf also offers a wide array of beers packed in 12-ounce cans and large 22-ounce bottles. The bottles, in particular, are uniquely designed, ceramic and painted with fun, pop art imagery with product names such as Strawberry Schwarzcake and Area 151(named after the auto route on which the brewery is located and featuring a flying saucer with a nod to America’s most famous UFO site). Kick It Hunny, the official beer of the Richmond Kickers soccer team, features a sexy blonde kicking a ball with her high-heels. The artwork is playful, very Penelope Pitstop in style.

“We felt like the 22-ounce bottles needed to be unique because they’re not as easy to sell,” explain Mary. “We wanted something that was eye-catching. They are beautiful. Some people even collect them, which is great.”

Wild Wolf Brewing Company recently added a 60 and 30-barrel fermenting tank to meet growing demand across the Commonwealth for its packaged beer. This provides them with a maximum of 5,000 barrel production.

The restaurant component is equally important. The selections range from a vegan 3 Bean Chili and BBQ Pulled Pork Nachos to a variety of salads, burgers and sandwiches. Entrees include Fish & Chips, House Smoke Brisket and Fish Tacos. Numerous items are gluten-free like the Veggie Risotto, Jamalaya and Shrimp & Grits.

Patrons of the brewery cross all demographics, but Mary has noticed a new trend: an equal number of Millennial women drinking craft beer as men. She theorizes as to why.

“For me personally, and I know this probably applies to a lot of women, the beer I tasted in college wasn’t worth the calories,” she said.

“When I discovered craft beer, I said, ‘Now this is good.’ Craft beer changes your profile of what you’re going to enjoy if you’re going to have an alcoholic drink. That’s why I switched from wine to beer. The flavor in craft beer is so amazing. With wine you find a style you like, but there just isn’t the variety and complexity. More and more women are seeing that. At the end of the day, beer’s just fun.”

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VIRGINIACRAFTBEER.COM

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St. George’s William Spence Jr and Larry’s Lemonade founder Larry Wilson

What’s New at St. George?

BY JEFF MAISEY

W

204 Challenger Way Hampton 757.865.7781 stgeorgebrewingco.com

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AUGUST 2014

hat’s new at St. George Brewing Company in fall season. To have a pint and think of the cooler Hampton? days of fall.”

The short answer is pumpkin, honey and As a fun experiment, St. George will have a few lemonade. casks of the pumpkin lager and then re-ferment Confused? it in a hollowed-out pumpkin. This unique, one-off Doesn’t sound like beer? beer will be exclusively available for one or two Let me explain. days at the brewery’s tasting room.

In the craft beer world, pumpkin brews have In addition to the PumpkinFest, St. George also become the most popular seasonal product. produces an Oktoberfest as a fall seasonal.

While we think of October being the prime month The brewery began in 1998 when William of fall and the obvious connection of Halloween Spence Sr. retired from the US Air Force. and jack-o’- lanterns, “My dad could not pumpkin beers now hit find anything he liked the retail and restaurant doing so drinking beer market in mid-July. was a good option,” said St. George’s Spence Jr. “He eventually PumpkinFest is a turned it into a family pumpkin lager, an business.”

Oktoberfest style beer Today, St. George with pumpkin puree and is one of the longest spices. The traditional running craft breweries German Oktoberfest in Virginia. Recently, beer is technically a the brewery has been Marzen brewed at the growing and harvesting St. George PumpkinFest end of March and stored ingredients on its until late summer or fall. Lager is a German word grounds, including honey. St. George has five for storage or stored beer. bee hives positioned in its back lot and contracts St. George considers its PumpkinFest a limited with professional apiarist Andy Westrich and release as they produce 50 barrels available in his apprentice George Cameron to harvest the bottled 6-packs and on draft. They expect the honey and maintain the hives. Westrich also uses pumpkin lager to sell out by early September due the hives as an educational tool for the Colonial to the fanatic demand of craft beer enthusiasts.

Beekeepers organization. The hives will produce “People just clamor for the fall season,” said St. anywhere from 100 to 400 pounds of honey in the George Brewing’s William Spence Jr. “By August, spring and fall. Head brewer Andy Rathman will be they are tired of the hot summer and thinking of the developing a recipe for a honey beer. Currently,

Fresh honey from the brewery’s bee hives

the brewery does not have the available fermenting tank time to brew a honey beer due to maxed-out production of its primary lineup of beers, seasonal and specially contracted obligations with Tupper’s Hot Pocket, Back Bay Brewing and Larry’s Lemonade.

Spence Jr. believes they can produce 1,600 gallons of honey beer in the fall. While no final decision has been made, a honey brown ale or honey porter are being strongly considered.

“It’s nice using local ingredients,” said Spence Jr, “and what’s more local than your own backyard?”

Also in St. George’s “backyard” are Virginia Beach-based Back Bay Brewing Company and Larry’s Lemonade of Hampton. St. George, based on Back Bay’s recipes, brews and packages the beers you find in restaurants and retail shelves for the Virginia Beach brewery. They also ferment and send to market a specialty item that has become a major success – Larry’s Lemonade.

“It was about a three year project in my backyard,” explained

founder/owner Larry Wilson. “We did a lot of taste testing. From there, we got hooked up with the brewery and here it is.”

Larry’s Lemonade is technically a malt beverage that tastes and looks like lemonade. It’s amazingly refreshing, and has an ABV of 5%.

Its base is the same as beer, starting out as malted barley, water, hops and yeast. The rest of the recipe is a secret.

“It is different flavors of stuff and bring it all together,” said Wilson.

Wilson also manufactures the eye-catching tap handles for his product – three bright yellow, realistic looking lemons stacked high.

“When everybody goes to bars they want to squeeze them because they look like real lemons,” said Wilson.

Currently, St. George has two 30 barrel tanks of Larry’s Lemonade fermenting. Bartenders are not only serving the alcoholic lemonade in pint glasses, but also using it as a mixer in vodka drinks, ice tea and whiskey sours.

Larry’s Lemonade is available throughout Hampton Roads as well as the Outer Banks of North Carolina.

Beyond the day to day operations, St. George has entered a few competitions including the Great British Beer Festival, a real ale festival in London on August 12-16. St George sent a cask of its English Nut Brown Ale with honey.

At home, August is designated Virginia Craft Beer Month and is highlighted by the Virginia Craft Brewers Fest on August 23 at Devils Backbone Brewing Company near Wintergreen. It’s a festival and competition exclusively featuring Virginia beer.

“It’s nice that Devils Backbone has the facilities for it,” said Spence Jr. “A lot of the breweries popping up never really imagined – especially the ones operating before SB604 – having a field next door to put on a festival. Most of these breweries are in industrial parks or strip malls that don’t have the facilities to do a craft beer festival. So they are landlocked where they are at. So it is nice for us to have a festival at Devils Backbone.”

DYNAMIC BREWS. DISTINCTLY NORFOLK.

IT’S A GREAT TIME TO BE A BEER LOVER! Good times are always on tap in Norfolk. From signature brews to seasonal offerings, O’Connor Brewing Company and Smartmouth Brewery are serving up something for every enthusiast to savor. Hop into one of Norfolk’s many bars and gastropubs and enjoy a cold pint paired with fresh local fare. With a group of four or more, take a gastronomic adventure on Norfolk’s Beer and Wine Tour.

Get a taste of our local flavor at visitnorfolktoday.com.

1-800-368-3097

VIRGINIACRAFTBEER.COM

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Frank Clark, Master of Historic Foodways at Colonial Williamsburg, demonstrates the beer making process.

Beer is King in Colonial Virginia!

BY JENNIFER MCDONALD

W

ith August being Virginia Craft Beer month, it seems appropriate to explore the early days of Virginia’s beer culture. I recently had the opportunity to meet with Frank Clark, Master of Historic Foodways at Colonial Williamsburg, and get a history lesson on beer and brewing in Colonial Virginia.

Beer was the beverage of England. The English were (and still are) huge beer drinkers and that did not change when the colonists crossed the pond. Beer was an important beverage to the colonists. For Eighteenth Century Virginians, the day began with beer and bread, and the consumption continued

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throughout the day. They went to work in the fields, would stop for lunch and drink beer, go back and finish out the work day, and then return home and drink more beer. Over the course of a 14-hour day, most men would have consumed 8-10 beers. Beer drinking was not just limited to adults either. Back in the day, beer was consumed by kids as well. Why all this beer drinking? In a time before drinking water safety standards and sometimes scarce nutritional resources, beer was king. In addition to providing nutritional value and generally being safer than water, beer was also considered to be medicinal.

Frank explains, “The philosophy was ‘Why

drink water which will give you nothing, when you can drink beer which will provide some nutrition.’”

According to colonial records, when the settlers arrived in Jamestown, one of the first things that they did was set up a brewery.

Then, they sent a letter back to England requesting that two brewers be sent to the new colony. As anyone who has ever tried their hand at brewing can probably imagine, without temperature control, brewing in colonial times was challenging due to the climate. Hot summers and cold winters made it difficult for commercial brewing to take off in Virginia. Frank says, “Based on records, we know that in 1780, when the capital of Virginia relocated from Williamsburg to Richmond, there were only two breweries in Williamsburg - one at the Capital and one in James City County.

Home-brewing, on the other hand, was very prevalent. Almost every family in Virginia brewed their own beer. Eighteenth century Virginians brewed Molasses Beer, also known as Small Beer. As the name implies, this beer was made from molasses as well as wheat bran, hops and water. All of the ingredients were boiled together, strained and fermented.

Frank has made several batches of molasses beer and he says that it is surprisingly good.

This type of beer was cheaper, quicker, and easier than making beer from grain.

Frank says that according to the records, eighty Virginia families were making Small Beer. Frank continues, “Pretty much every housewife knew how to make this. It was a skill that women learned early. In the 18th century, you wouldn’t marry a woman who didn’t know how to brew beer just like you wouldn’t marry a woman who couldn’t cook.”

Virginians were able to grow their own hops. Frank says that the first hops were planted in 1621 and have been growing ever since. There are records noting that the Governor purchased 40lbs of hops from Carter’s Grove located just outside of town, and there is evidence that molasses beer was being made at the Capital. Frank explains that a half empty barrel of molasses beer and a half empty barrel of molasses and 40lbs of hops were found in the cellar. The molasses beer was probably for the slaves and servants.

The governor was drinking beer from England as indicated by the 1,100 bottles of English ale found in the cellar!

For those of you interested in tasting a little bit of history in the form of early colonial beers, Colonial Williamsburg has partnered with Williamsburg AleWerks to create beers based on the Colonial recipes.

Two such beers are Old Stitch and Dear Old Mum, both of which are only available in the taverns and the AleWerks tasting room.

Old Stitch is a brown ale with a well-balanced, light hop-nut flavor and clean finish. Dear Old Mum is a golden unfiltered Mum style ale,

A Taste of the Past Tour the Governor’s Palace in Colonial Williamsburg and learn about making beer in 18th century Virginia.

flavored with coriander and grains of paradise. Frank explains that the Mum style beer originated in Brunswick in Northern Germany. It was considered more medicine than beer. It was made with wheat, oats, barley, and 10 different herbs. As the beer moved from Germany to England, the English took out the herbs and put in spices such as cardamom, coriander, grains of paradise, and long pepper. The style becomes similar to a Belgium Whit. Both brews were quite good and the light and refreshing taste of Dear Old Mum proved to be a perfect summer time beer.

Frank is also working with Geoff Logan, head brew master at AleWerks, on a Porter and Bristol Beer, the fore-runner to an IPA. Frank explains that IPAs started to develop at the end of the 18th century, but they really didn’t take off until the 1920s. Geoff and Frank are developing an IPA that would have come out of Bristol, a big shipping center on the west coast of England.

In the 18th century, people drank beer in many different forms and in many different beverages. A popular winter beverage was FLIP which was made by combining egg yolks, sugar, butter, rum and beer. To complete the beverage, you would take a red hot poker out of the fire and stick it in the drink. The heat from the poker caused the liquid to “flip,” foam up and thicken. In addition, the eggs cooked and the sugar caramelized giving the drink a very sweet flavor. Almost, every tavern in town would have featured this on their menu.

Another popular drink was cock ale, a form of medicinal beer. The process for making this concoction was a little extreme. You would beat a chicken to death and put it in a sack with raisons, currants, and various spices. Then, the sack was suspended in a cask of ale for two weeks and then bottled up. This beverage was supposed to be medicinal and healthy. Martha Washington had a recipe for this and a distilled version called Cock Water.

Wassail, the most famous hot beer punch, was made with roasted apples, toast, beer, sugar, and spices and then heated. Colonists would carry their wassail and go from house to house caroling. Unfortunately, Franks says that there is no proof that Virginians wassailed.

The American Revolution had a huge effect on the drinking habits of colonial America. Prior to the Revolution, Americans drank rum and beer. After the Revolution, rum and beer were considered English, old-fashioned, and not patriotic. People started to drink whiskey made from American corn and cider made from American apples.

Throughout the 19th Century, whiskey became the beverage of choice.

Despite the popularity of whiskey and distilled beverages, beer continued to quietly flourish especially with the increase of immigrants from Northern Europe who brought with them the knowledge of brewing and an appreciation of beer. The rest they say is history!

In colonial times, taverns served a multi-purpose function. You could eat, drink, sleep, and stable your horse at one of the many (18 at one point) taverns in the Capital city. Today, Colonial Williamsburg features four taverns – King’s Arm, Christiana Campbell’s, Shields, and Chowning’s.

During a recent visit to Williamsburg, my husband and I opted to explore Chowning’s Tavern. According to county records, Josiah Chowning opened Chowning’s Tavern in October 1766 and operated it until his death in 1772.

As we set foot into the 18th century building, we are transported back in time. The furnishings are reminiscent of an English alehouse with dark wood and plank tables. We are greeted by hostesses and servers dressed in 18th century fashion. And, the ambiance is enhanced by lively period themed music. Our first order of business after being seated at a quaint two-top table in front of the fireplace was to order a beer! The menu states that the tavern’s beer and ale inventory varies. On our visit, the following draft selections were available: Old Stitch, Dear Old Mum, Chesapeake Pale Ale, Washington’s Porter (all from Williamsburg AleWerks), 8 Point IPA (Devil’s Backbone), Alter Ego Saison (Smartmouth), and Liebotschaner Cream Ale (Wilkes-Barre, PA).

Patrons have several options when ordering – you can order a pint and keep the Salt Glaze mug for $25, try a flight of 3 ales of your choice for $9.50, or select a pint, quart, or 6 oz taste. A nice selection of Virginia wines and several rum based libations are also offered as well as bottled beer and ciders.

The food menu consists of colonial inspired favorites.

For starters, one can choose from soups, salads, or tasty selections such as Brunswick Stew, made with young fowl and fresh garden vegetables served with corn muffin ($7.75 cup, $11.25 bowl), Welsh Rarebit, an 18th century savory of cheddar cheese and mustard-spiced beer sauce over toasted sippets ($9.00) or White Bean Dip with garden vegetables and a mint pesto ($8.00).

Heartier options include a selection of Flat Breads and Sandwiches such as The Ploughman’s Favorite Flat Bread featuring hot coppa ham, fennel salami, Calabrese salami, proscuitto ham, provolone cheese and garden tomato relish ($12.25) and the Beef Trencher with caramelized onions, aged cheddar cheese and beer spread, and horseradish sour cream ($12.25). All flat breads and sandwiches are served with choice of Tavern slaw, sour cream & chive potato salad, or fresh potato chips.

Lastly, there are several items large enough for sharing. We selected The Waterman’s Tasting featuring Old Bay poached shrimp, roasted red pepper mayonnaise, Atlantic smoked salmon, horseradish sour cream, and blue crab rémoulade ($18.00). If you saved room for dessert, sweet treats include a variety of tarts and ice cream.

The next time you are in Williamsburg, be sure to include a visit to Chowning’s Tavern!

Chowning’s Tavern is located at 109 East Duke of Gloucester Street, Williamsburg. For reservations, call 888-965-7254.

VIRGINIACRAFTBEER.COM

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The staff at Homebrew USA is all about fun

Happiness is a Boiling Pot of Wort

Homebrew USA is a beer nerd’s dream come true

BY DAN YARNALL

N

inety-nine percent of all professional brewers started out as homebrewers. For me, it was a weird desire to tinker over a boiling pot of wort in my one bedroom apartment back in 1995.

Many of my friends and family at the time would scratch their heads and wonder why. I rambled on and on about beer like a televangelist trying to convert souls. Some would claim that still goes on to this day. Any-who, the most unsettling part about being a born-again brewer was the fact that my local homebrew shop didn’t share my enthusiasm. They acted as if I was merely buying a loaf of bread and pack of smokes. I tried to talk about ideas and product but they didn’t seem too interested.

Maybe it was them or the fact that they were staring at a wild-eyed maniac shouting about a smoked IPA doppelbock. Oh, well!

Fast forward to my professional brewing days, I never forgot where I started. When I first moved out to Virginia, I swung by Hampton Roads’ premiere homebrew shop. Homebrew USA is a beer nerd’s dream come true. I could go on and on about the amazing variety that they have but it’s better if you experience it for yourself. The best part of

the store is easily the people. These guys speak beer. They are as enthusiastic with the beginner as they are with a seasoned pro.

After traveling around the world with the Navy, Neal and Elizabeth Erschens decided to buy an existing homebrew shop back in 2007.

Back then, local businesses weren’t exactly knocking down doors to get craft beers. The Southside sported zero breweries and one brewpub. Nonetheless, they took a chance and rebuilt the old store.

In my book, I would consider them pioneers in the 757. Contrary to the norm, Elizabeth was the primary brewer in the household.

She began 25 years ago when she lived in Philadelphia. Shortly after arriving to the city, she began to visit a “broom closet” sized homebrew shop called Home Sweet Homebrew. Mixing malts, hops and water profiles were her passion. She still insists that it was her idea to open the store. Neal merely nodded and quickly raised his shoulders in agreement.

Joined by their son, Vaughn, and a motley crew of experienced homebrewers, Homebrew USA has two locations – Norfolk and Hampton.

So for many homebrewers, or soon to be brewers, that might be reading

With a good attention to detail, homebrewed beers can be as good (if not better) than some commercial ones.

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AUGUST 2014

this, one question is always quickly on their lips: Why shouldn’t I just buy my stuff online? Well that’s easy. Will an online shop help you modify the local water supply to make a classic Czechoslovakian Pilsner?

Probably not! Does an online store support local brewing clubs/events?

Definitely not. Has an online store ever helped open every single local brewery in the area? Absolutely not. I can guarantee that the local beer landscape wouldn’t be anywhere as diverse if it wasn’t for these guys.

I’ve personally helped open two of the area’s breweries, and Neal and Elizabeth were always there to help with anything that we needed. Need hops? They got ‘em. Need volunteers? They got ‘em. Truly wonderful people that Hampton Roads should be uber proud to call their own.

So enough blubbering about people that I love and proud to call my friends, and on to beer. One of their faithful workers also happens to be an award-winning homebrewer. His beers are wonderful and he is always on staff with any technical questions from wild-eyed maniacs wondering about smoked IPA doppelbocks. Recently, Andrew Jackson (no not the 7th President of the US) dropped off a few of his selections for me to sample. Since this column is all about me getting buzzed in the middle of the day and telling my wife that this is part of my job, lets crack them open.

The first is a milk stout that he brewed. Typically, milk stouts are low ABV stouts that are spiked with lactose. Since lactose (milk sugar) is tougher for yeast to metabolize, a lot of residual sugars are left over giving the beer a sweetness and bigger body. Andrew’s example is spot on. The nose is a sugary chocolate with hints of roastiness. The taste is full bodied chocolate shake with a lingering dark cocoa. I’ve

A sampling of homebrew supplies

been known to be very critical of homebrewed beers. A lot of technical errors exist from odd flavors to unsanitary brewing conditions. However, Andrew has shown that with a good attention to detail homebrewed beers can be as good (if not better) than some commercial ones.

Beer is not the only thing that can be brewed at home. Ciders are increasing in popularity and are actually easier to brew than beer.

Simply find dirty cider (unpasteurized, unfiltered cider) and add yeast.

It’s that easy. Andrew calls his version the Dapple Apple. He uses cider, corn sugar and Champagne yeast for a refreshing “house drink” as he calls it. As I pour the cider into a glass, the concoction puffs up with an enormous white head that acts and smells like a premium sparking white wine. As the head receded, a pale yellow liquid is in front of me with little signs of carbonation. The nose is dry apples. The taste is initially sweet and tapers into full apple flavors and lingering sweetness. Once again, no technical flaws and something that anyone can make themselves at a fraction of the cost of store-bought. Nice Job AJ. If you’ve ever had a hankering to DIY, please visit the fine folks at Homebrew USA or check out their website: Homebrewusa.com Dan Yarnall is COO / Head Brewer at Back Bay Brewing Co in Virginia Beach VIRGINIACRAFTBEER.COM

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brewREVIEWS KING OF HOP IMPERIAL INDIA PALE ALE

This is the latest edition to Starr Hill’s all-star All Access series of special, limited edition beers available on draft and in 22-ounce bottles. The Crozet-VA brewery is keen on naming its beers with musical references. So what can be bigger during late summer concert season than a beer named after Michael Jackson? King of Hop Imperial India Pale Ale goes for the gold by including four hops varieties: Citra, Simcoe, Amarillo and Falconer’s Flight. While there is plenty of characteristic hop bite and citrus aroma, the dry finish is clean and nicely balanced, which will appeal to hop heads and non-hop heads alike. Something for everyone – kinda like the King of Pop himself. 7.5% ABV. It’s a palate thriller! You just can’t beat it.

Starr Hill Brewery Crozet

starrhill.com

RHINO CHASERS PILSNER

What makes this crisp pilsner so remarkably different from its Czech cousin? An upfront spicy Americangrown Hallertau and Saaz hop flavor, first and foremost. Hopheads who normally turn their nose up at the pilsner style will find this exceptionally clean, refreshing brew for the endless summer. 5.6% ABV

Lost Rhino Brewing Company Ashburn

lostrhino.com

SOUR BANSHEE

RATINGS 5 = Exceptional 4 = Damn Good 3 = Pretty Good 2 = Needs Help 1 = Sucks

I was first drawn to this beer because of its name. I love sour brews as well as the goth-rock music of Souxie & the Banshees.

Like all of Blue Mountain Barrel House beers I’ve consumed, I found the Banshee as enjoyable as it is surprisingly complex. I tend to pour a little hard and as a result got a nice head that remained throughout.

The sourness is subtle at first but then expands once swallowed. A hint of the bourbon barrel aging and just the right amount of crystal malts added proper balance. I’m spellbound. 7% ABV

Blue Mountain Barrel House Arrington

bluemountainbarrel.com - 42 -

AUGUST 2014

DAM LAGER

This classic American lager pours a clear golden amber color. It is low hopped and boasts a sweet caramel toasted malt flavor. The name is a nod to the damming and flooding of Smith Mountain Lake in 1963 to generate electricity. At 4.5% ABV, you can definitely sink a few! ‘Bout damn time for a beer!

Sunken City Brewing Company Hardy

sunkencitybeer.com

TURBO COUGAR

This is a revved-up lager as part of the brewery’s experimental Trail Blazers series. Officially, it’s dubbed a Blond Bock Lager, and the profiles of all three styles blend well together. You’ll certainly want to take it for a spin if you want a light bodied beer with a malty characteristic. 6.5% ABV provides the turbo-drive.

ESSENTIAL PALE ALE Port City Brewing Company’s Essential Pale Ale is great example of a true American Pale Ale. It is a deep golden color with a fruity hop aroma of peaches and apricots. American hops are balanced with English and German malts to create a pleasing bitter taste at the end. The complex full flavored character is crisp, smooth and refreshing. It will quickly become an essential item for your beer fridge!

5.5% ABV

Devils Backbone Brewing Company Lexington

dbbrewingcompany.com

Port City Brewing Company Alexandria

portcitybrewing.com

S-TURNS SUMMER HONEY SAISON

Like a surfer’s quest for the perfect wave, a craft beer enthusiast’s search for the perfect summertime beer can be found in O’Connor Brewing Company’s S-Turns Summer Honey Saison. Of their limited edition seasonal brews this is hands down my favorite. Found in 22-ounce bottles and on tap in local restaurants (and the brewery), S-Turns is delightful in every way. Pour into a classic Belgian saison glass. Observe the yellow-white cloudy color and one-inch head with nice lacing.

The taste is exceptional and goes down easy. Locally sourced clover honey is used. It’s like drinking juice, therefore it must be good for you as well. At 7.5% ABV, take it seriously so you don’t wipeout.

O’Connor Brewing Company Norfolk

oconnorbrewing.com VIRGINIACRAFTBEER.COM

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Virginia Craft Beer has an eye on the upcoming beer related events and festivals throughout the state APPALACHIA Bottoms Up Beer, Wine, & Shine Festival Sat., Sept. 6, 2-9pm Enjoy food, wine beer, moonshine, great entertainment, a silent auction, and more!

Tazewell Fairgrounds Fairground Road Tazewell 276.988.9792

BLUE RIDGE HIGHLANDS Labor Day Celebration at Foggy Ridge Cider Sun. Aug. 31 Enjoy music, art, and food $10 music and tasting 1328 Pineview Rd. Dugspur 276-398-2337 foggyridgecider.com LOCKN’ Music Festival Thurs.-Sun., Sept. 4-7 4-day music festival with an emphasis on world class music locally sourced food & sustainability Oak Ridge Farm 2300 Oak Ridge Rd. Arrington locknfestival.com Foggy Ridge Cider Chef Series Sun. Sept. 21, 12-5pm Roanoke’s Lucky Restaurant will offer French and Southern inspired gastropub food paired with ciders. $10 Pairing ticket 1328 Pineview Rd. Dugspur 276-398-2337 foggyridgecider.com

CENTRAL VIRGINIA Be Bold 4 Miler at Bold Rock Cidery Sat, August 2, 9am-4pm Post-race party with cider samplings, live music, food trucks, and race awards ceremony 1020 Rockfish Valley Highway Wintergreen 434-361-1030 boldrock.com Arts and Ales Festival at Wild Wolf Brewing Company Sat. Aug. 2, 9, 16, 23, & 30 and Sun. Aug. 3, 10, 17, 24, & 31, noon-5pm Local artisans, craft beer, & live music 2461 Rockfish Valley Highway Nellysford 434.361.0088 wildwolfbeer.com

Steal the Glass at Blue Mountain Brewery Thurs., Aug. 7 11am-10pm Purchase a $5 beverage and keep the Blue Mountain Brewery logo glass. No limit on glassware.

9519 Critzer Shop Rd. Afton 540.456.8020 bluemountainbrewery.com

Hop Pickin’ Party at Blue Mountain Barrel House Sat., Aug. 16, 12pm until all of the hops are picked!

Volunteer for 2 hours and your lunch is on us. Live music!

495 Cooperative Way Arrington 434.263.4002 bluemountainbarrel.com

Monkey’s Uncle Belgian Triple Release Party Sat., Aug. 9, 3-6pm Center of the Universe 11293 Air Park Rd. Ashland 804.368.0299 cotubrewing.com

Annual Virginia Craft Brewers Festival at Devils Backbone Brewing Company Sat., Aug. 23, 2-7pm An amazing outdoor setting with Virginia craft breweries, music, food, family fun and more. The return of the Beer Cup will appear with judging of local Virginia beers.

200 Mosby’s Run Roseland 434.361.1001

Annual Community Hop Harvest at Blue Mountain Brewery Wed., Aug. 13, 12pm until all of the hops are picked!

Volunteer for 2 hours and your lunch is on us. Live music!

9519 Critzer Shop Rd. Afton 540.456.8020 bluemountainbrewery.com

Dylan Jakobsen Concert Sun., Aug. 3, 3:00pm Starr Hill Tasting Room 5391 Three Notch’d Road Crozet starrhill.com Beer of the Month Launch Party at Wild Wolf Brewing Company Wed., Aug. 5 Kick It Hunny, A Belgian style American Pale Ale and the official beer of the Richmond Kickers soccer club.

2461 Rockfish Valley Highway Nellysford 434.361.0088 wildwolfbeer.com

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Blue Ridge Highlands

2

Appalachia

3

Shenandoah Valley

4

Northern Virginia

5

Chesapeake Bay

6

Eastern Shore

7

Central Virgnia

8

Southern Virginia

9

Hampton Roads

Beer of the Month Launch Party at Wild Wolf Brewing Company Wed., Sept. 2 Blonde Hunny – An unfiltered Belgian style Blonde Ale with wheat and a lot of honey in every pour.

2461 Rockfish Valley Highway Nellysford 434.361.0088 wildwolfbeer.com

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Submit your upcoming event to Jennifer.McDonald@hotmail.com

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Hop Harvest at Blue Mountain Brewery Steal the Glass at Blue Mountain Brewery Thurs., Sept. 4 11am-10pm Purchase a $5 beverage and keep the Blue Mountain Brewery logo glass. No limit on glassware.

9519 Critzer Shop Rd. Afton 540.456.8020 bluemountainbrewery.com Orange Street Festival Sat., Sept. 6, 9am-5pm Food vendors, arts and crafts booths, beverage garden and live music all day.

East & West Main St. Orange 540.672.5216 orangevachamber.com COTU Oktoberfest & “Das Bier Run” 4x1 mile Sat., Sept. 13, 2-9pm Center of the Universe 11293 Air Park Rd. Ashland 804.368.0299 cotubrewing.com Blue Ridge Cycling Festival at Devil’s Backbone Brewing Company Fri., Sept.19-Sun., Sept. 21, 7am8pm Off road and on road cycling and after-party with lots of food, drinks, family time, and live music.

434.361.1001 dbbrewingcompany.com

Lynchburg Beer & Wine Festival Sat., Sept. 20, 11am-7pm Over 16 area wineries and breweries from the state and beyond will have craft ales and lagers on tap with 96 different varieties for you to sample and buy. Artisans, food vendors, and live music.

Tasting Tickets: $15 in advance, $20 at the gate. General admission: $10 Lynchburg City Stadium 3176 Fort Avenue Lynchburg 434.473.7319 lynchburgbeerandwinefestival.com Taste of Freedom Sat., Sept. 20 Featuring Virginia wineries, cider houses and breweries as well as regional artisans and crafters. $20 in advance, $25 at gate James Madison’s Montpelier 11407 Constitution Highway Montpelier Station 540.672.2728 montpelier.org Top of the Hops Beer Festival pres. by Starr Hill Brewery Sat., Sept. 20 Showcasing craft beers from around the world.

Charlotteville nTelos Wireless Pavilion 700 East Main Street Charlottesville 434.245.4910 topofthehopsbeerfest.com Oktoberfest at Blue Mountain in Afton Sept. 26-Oct. 6 New beer releases, menu specials, daily activities and live music.

9519 Critzer Shop Rd. Afton 540.456.8020 bluemountainbrewery.com

Beast Feast Sun., Sept. 28, 1-5pm A stellar selection of Richmond’s chefs and mixologists featuring local meats & veggies and brews & wine.

Patrick Henry’s Scotchtown 16120 Chiswell Lane Beaverdam 804.227.3500

HAMPTON ROADS Missing Digit Hemp IPA Release Party Fri., Aug. 1, 4:30-9pm In honor of National IPA Day and Jerry Garcia’s birthday. Wrap-n-Roll Food truck and live music by Second Glance Smartmouth Tasting Room 1309 Raleigh Avenue, Suite 300 Norfolk smartmouthbrewing.com Pintathlon Kick-Off at O’Connor Fri., Aug. 1, 8, 15, 22, & 29, 4-9pm Featuring two or more special pins created by our brewers especially for this month-long endurance event.

Pintathletes--guests who drink from each pin over the course of the month--will be awarded at the Brewer Battle Royal.

O’Connor Brewing Co. 211 W 24th Street Norfolk 757.623.BEER (2337) oconnorbrewing.com Dog Street Pub Craft Beer Festival Sun., August 3, 12-5pm Virginia beer & food tastings, live music, and raffle prizes to benefit Anderson’s Corner Animal Hospital Advance Tickets: $25 Beer, $20 Food, $40 Combo, $5 more day of Merchants Square Williamsburg 757-293-6478 dogstreetpub.com

Smartmouth Beer Dinner at Still Sun., Aug. 3 450 Court Street Portsmouth smartmouthbrewing.com Craft Beer Trivia Night at O’Connor Thurs., Aug. 7, 5:30pm Virginia Craft beers & breweries themed Trivia Night, CXB BBQ & Eats, and 30% off all tasting room retail.

O’Connor Brewing Co. 211 W 24th Street Norfolk 757.623.BEER (2337) oconnorbrewing.com Smartmouth Steal the Pint Night at Ocean & Ales Thurs., Aug.7 5601 Richmond Rd. Williamsburg smartmouthbrewing.com Steal the Pint Nights at Berret’s Taphouse & Grill Aug. 7 featuring Wild Wolf Brewing Co. and live music by Scott Varney Aug. 14 featuring Starr Hill and live music by Lovecats Aug. 21 featuring Port City and live music by Eric Horgan Aug. 28 featuring Beach Brewing Co. and live music TBA 199 South Boundary Street Williamsburg 757.253.1847 berrets.com Lil SIPA Release Party at O’Connor Sat., Aug. 9, noon-9pm Celebrate the release of the new Session IPA, Lil SIPA! O’Connor Brewing Co. 211 W 24th Street Norfolk 757.623.BEER (2337) oconnorbrewing.com VIRGINIACRAFTBEER.COM

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1st Annual Commonwealth Summer Picnic at O’Connor Sun., Aug. 10, 2-8pm Live DJs, BBQ, taco and ice cream trucks. In collaboration with Commonwealth, a top-line street and sportswear retailer.

Admission is $5-$10.

O’Connor Brewing Co. 211 W 24th Street Norfolk 757.623.BEER (2337) oconnorbrewing.com He Said She Said Beer Dinner Thurs., Aug. 14 Join Brewmaster Mark Thompson and Sommelier Gina McVeigh at this multi-course dinner paired with beer and wine.

River Stone Chophouse 8032 Harbour View Blvd.

Suffolk 757.638.7990 Food Truck Rodeo: Iron Chef Style at O’Connor Sat., Aug. 16, noon-9pm Multiple food vendors, one secret ingredient (beer!)

O’Connor Brewing Co. 211 W 24th Street Norfolk 757.623.BEER (2337) oconnorbrewing.com Bells Beach Release Party at O’Connor Sat., Aug. 23, noon-9pm Celebrate the re-release of Bells Beach, an Aussie-inspired Galaxy Saison.

O’Connor Brewing Co. 211 W 24th Street Norfolk 757.623.BEER (2337) oconnorbrewing.com Brewer Battle Royal at O’Connor Fri., Aug. 29, 4-9pm Each of O’Connor’s seven brewers will develop and brew his own unique 5-gallon recipe for an Abbey-style beer and compete to be your favorite.

O’Connor Brewing Co. 211 W 24th Street Norfolk 757.623.BEER (2337) oconnorbrewing.com Ribtoberfest Sat., Sept. 20, noon-8pm Beer & BBQ collide in one deliciously mouth watering food for all, featuring finger-lickin good BBQ, fabulously frosty craft brews, live music, restaurant competitions, and great family fun.

Town Point Park, Waterside Drive Norfolk 757-441-2345 festevents.org - 46 -

AUGUST 2014

NORTHERN VIRGINIA RhinO’fest Release Party Thurs., Aug. 6, 4pm Be the first to try RhinO’fest Märzen Amber Lager (2013 GABF Gold Medal Winner) Lost Rhino Brewing Co. 21730 Red Rum Dr, Suite 147-157 Ashburn lostrhino.com Native Son Release Party Thurs., Aug. 20, 4pm Featuring Native Son Virginia Ale every ingredient, including the local Ashburn yeast, is from Virginia.

Lost Rhino Brewing Co. 21730 Red Rum Dr, Suite 147-157 Ashburn lostrhino.com Local Mondays at Stone’s Cove Kitchen Mon., Aug. 25 Come sip on some of your favorite Port City Brewing Co. brews and enjoy some Northern Virginia flair.

2403 Centreville Road Herndon 4th Annual Bands, Brews, and Barbeque Festival Sat., Sept. 13, 11am-6pm Enjoy some of Virginia’s finest barbecue and beer and listen to everything from classic rock to blues.

Manassas Museum Lawn 9101 Prince William Street Manassas 703.361.6599 historicmanassas.mymediaroom. com/wire/events/viewevent.aspx Fredericksburg Area Oktoberfest Sat., Sept. 20, 5-9pm and Sun., Sept.

21, 12-7pm Family fun with sing along, stein holding contest, Oompah music, ginger bread walk. Authentic Oktoberfest Beer from Blue & Gray Brewing.

Blue & Gray Brewing Co. 3300 Dill Smith Dr. Fredericksburg 540.371.7799 blueandgraybrewingco.com Beer, Bourbon, & BBQ Sat., Sept. 20 Enjoy 40 bourbons, 60 beers on tap, BBQ, live music, and seminars.

Reston Town Center 11900 Market Street Reston 410.878.9900 beerandbourbon.com

Hoppy Oktoberfest at Mad Fox Sat., Sept. 27, noon-6pm A free outdoor festival showcasing a unique selection of more than 30 seasonal IPA-inspired beers (both Mad Fox and other brews from around the region and beyond), plus have live music and grilled festival food.

Mad Fox Brewing Company 444 West Broad Street, Suite I Falls Church 703.942.6840 madfoxbrewing.com

Mountain Jamboree at Massanutten Sat., Aug. 30, 5-10pm Food vendors, beer garden, wine hoop dance, kids’ activities, and fireworks Proceeds benefit the Shenandoah Valley Travel Association.

Tickets: $15 advance, $20 at gate, kids under 7 are free Massanutten Ski Area 4614 Massanutten Dr McGaheysville 540.437.3368

RhinO’fest Oct. 4, 12-7pm Featuring traditional German food, polka bands, games and local vendors.

Lost Rhino Brewing Co. 21730 Red Rum Dr, Suite 147-157 Ashburn lostrhino.com

Rockbridge Beer & Wine Festival Sat., Sept. 6, noon-5pm Wine and craft beer tasting, food and great music!

Virginia Horse Center 487 Maury River Road Lexington 540.464.2950 horsecenter.org

SHENANDOAH VALLEY Blues & Brews Festival Sat., Aug. 9, 12-7:30pm Enjoy music, craft beer, food, & crafts.

Tickets: $15 in advance; $20 day of festival Frontier Culture Museum 1290 Richmond Rd. Staunton 540.324.3215 shenandoahconcerts.com Microfestivus Sat., Aug. 9, 12-6pm Over 100 beers from 40 micro and craft breweries from the Mid-Atlantic region.

Tickets: $35 Elmwood Park 706 S. Jefferson St. Roanoke 540.224.1217 microfestivus.squaresociety.org Taste of the Region Sat. Aug. 16 Featuring regional artisans in wine, spirits, brews, sodas and the culinary world and live music by Cedar Creek Band.

The Homestead Resort 7696 Sam Snead Highway Hot Springs 540.839.1766 Blue Ridge Music & BBQ Festival Sat., Aug. 23, 10am-6pm KCBS BBQ Competition, live entertainment, a Battle of the Bands, children’s activities, food and craft vendors, and beer!

Tickets: $7 in advance, $10 at the door; Kids 10 and under Free Rockingham County Fairgrounds 4808 South Valley Pike Harrisonburg 540.434.3862 blueridgemusicandbbq.com

Virginia Chili, Blues, N’ Brews Sat., Sept. 13, 2:30-10pm Chili tasting, amazing blues, artisans and exhibitors and micro and mega brews.

Tickets: $10-$125 1 Lumos Plaza Downtown Waynesboro 540.447.6350 virginiachili.com PAC ‘N The Streets:A Nostalgic Family Friendly Street Fair Sat., Sept. 13, 10am-5pm Food vendors, wine, beer & cider tasting garden artisan booths, strolling street performers, and more!

East Beverley Street between Market and Augusta Streets Historic Downtown Staunton 540.885.3211 stauntonperformingarts.org Rocktown Fall Beer Festival Sat., Sept. 20, 2:30-8pm Featuring a great selection of serious craft beer and a stellar musical lineup.

Tickets: $34.00 in advance, $40.00 at the door for adults. Children under 12 are free.

Turner Pavilion & Park 228 South Liberty Street Harrisonburg 540.432.8909 www.rocktownfestival.com Brew & Blues Festival Sat., Sept. 27, 12-8pm Live entertainment and beer tasting from approximately 20+ varieties.

Tickets: $15 in advance, $20 at the gate Village Commons Main & Chester Streets Front Royal 540.635.3185 brewandblues.com

GREG BOSQUE

Flying Mouse Brewery

brewery GUIDE BLUE RIDGE HIGHLANDS Bull & Bones Brewhaus 1470 S Main St., #120 Blacksburg 540.953.2855 bullandbones.com Chaos Mountain Brewing Company 3135 Dillons Mill Rd. Calloway 540.334.1600 chaosmountainbrewing.com Creek Bottom Brews 307 Meadow Street Galax 276.236.BEER (2337) cbbrew.com

The Damascus Brewery 32173 Government Road Damascus 540.314.2782 thedamascusbrewery.com

Sunken City Brewery 40 Brewery Dr. Hardy 540.420.0476 sunkencitybeer.com

Ardent Craft Ales 3200 W. Leigh Street Richmond 804.359.1605 ardentcraftales.com

River Company Brewery 6633 Viscoe Rd. Fairlawn 540.633.3940 therivercompanybrewery.com

Wolf Hills Brewing Company 350 Park St. Abingdon 303.5508762 wolfhillsbrewing.com

Beer Hound Brewery 6420 Seminole Trail Barboursville 434.985.2192 beerhoundbrewery.blogspot.com

Shooting Creek Farm Brewery 1188 Thomas Farm Rd. Floyd 540.745.8700 shootingcreekbrewery.com

CENTRAL VIRGINIA Apocalypse Ale Works 1257 Burnbridge Rd Forest 434.258.8761 endofbadbeer.com

Blue Mountain Brewery 9519 Critzer Shop Rd. Afton 540.456.8020 bluemountainbrewery.com

VIRGINIACRAFTBEER.COM

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Blue Mountain Barrel House 495 Cooperative Way Arrington 434.263.4002 bluemountainbarrel.com C’ville-ian Brewing Company 705 W. Main Street Charlottesville 434.328.2252 cvillebrewco.com Center of the Universe Brewing Company 11293 Air Park Rd. Ashland 804.368.0299 cotubrewing.com Champion Brewing Company 324 6th St SE Charlottesville 434.295.2739 championbrewingcompany.com Devils Backbone Brewing Company Basecamp 200 Mosbys Run Roseland 434.361.1001 dbbrewingcompany.com Double Dizzy Brewery Amelia Court House 804.505.0109 doubledizzy.net Extra Billy’s 1110 Alverser Dr. Midlothian 804.379.8727 extrabillys.com/ ExtraBillysBarBQ2.htm Garden Grove Brewing Company Richmond 804.338.6029 gardengrovebrewing.com

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AUGUST JUNE 2014 2014

Hardywood Park Craft Brewery 2408 Ownby Ln. Richmond 804.420.2420 hardywood.com Isley Brewing Company 1715 Summit Avenue Richmond 804.499.0721 isleybrewingcompany.com James River Brewing Company 561 Valley St. Scottsville 434.286.7837 jamesriverbrewing.com Jefferson Street Brewery 1309 Jefferson St Lynchburg 434.455.1514 jeffersonstreetbrewery.com Legend Brewing Company 321 W. Seventh St. Richmond 804.232.3446 legendbrewing.com Licking Hole Creek Farm Brewery 4100 Knolls Point Dr. Goochland 804.314.4380 lickingholecreek.com Midnight Brewery 2410 Granite Ridge Rd. Rockville 804.356.9379 midnight-brewery.com South Street Brewery 106 South Street Charlottesville 434.293.6550 southstreetbrewery.com Starr Hill Brewery 5391 Three Notch’d Rd. Crozet 434.823.5671 starrhill.com

Strangeways Brewing 2277 Dabney Rd. Richmond 804.303.4336 strangewaysbrewing.com The Answer Brewpub 6008 West Broad St. Richmond facebook.com theanswerbrewpub.com Three Notch’d Brewing Company 946 Grady Ave Charlottesville 434.293.0610 threenotchdbrewing.com Triple Crossing Brewing Company 113 S. Foushee St. Richmond triplecrossingbeer.com Wild Wolf Brewing Company 2461 Rockfish Valley Highway Nellysford 434.361.0088 wildwolfbeer.com

HAMPTON ROADS Alewerks 189-B Ewell Rd. Williamsburg 757.220.3670 williamsburgalewerks.com Back Bay Brewing Company 614 Norfolk Ave. Virginia Beach 757.531.7750 backbaybrewco.com Beach Brewing Company 2585 Horse Pasture Rd., #204 Virginia Beach 757.563.2337 beachbrewingcompany.com Brass Cannon Brewing Company 8105 Richmond Rd., #105 Toano 757.566.0001 brasscannonbrewing.com

Gordon Biersch 4561 Virginia Beach Blvd.

Virginia Beach 757.490.2739 Home Republic Brew Pub 328 Laskin Road Virginia Beach 757.226.9593 O’Connor Brewing Company 211 W. 24th Street Norfolk 757.623.2337 oconnorbrewing.com Smartmouth Brewing Company 1309 Raleigh Ave., #300 Norfolk 757.624.3939 smartmouthbrewing.com St. George Brewing Company 204 Challenger Way Hampton 757.865.7781 stgeorgebrewingco.com Young Veterans Brewing Company 2505 Horse Pasture Road, Ste. 104 Virginia Beach 757.689.4021 yvbc.com

NORTHERN VIRGINIA Adroit Theory Brewing Company 404 Browing Ct., Unit C Purcellville 703.722.3144 adroit-theory.com Adventure Brewing Co. 33 Perchwood Dr. Fredericksburg 540.242.8876 adventurebrewing.com

BadWolf Brewing Company 9776 Center St. Manassas 571.208.1064 badwolfbrewingcompany.com Barnhouse Brewery 13840 Barnhouse Pl. Leesburg 703.675.8480 barnhousebrewery.com Battlefield Brewing Company 4187 Plank Rd Fredericksburg 540.785.2164 chancellorpub@msn.com Beltway Brewing Company 22620 Davis Dr. #110 Sterling 571.989.2739 beltwaybrewco.com Blue & Gray Brewing Company 3300 Dill Smith Dr. Fredericksburg 540.371.7799 blueandgraybrewingco.com Capitol City Brewing Company 4001 Campbell Ave. Arlington 703.578.3888 capcitybrew.com Corcoran Brewing Company 205 E. Hirst Road, Suite 105 Purcellville 540.441.3102 corcoranbrewing.com

Crooked Run Brewing 205 Harrison St. Leesburg 571.978.4446 crookedrunbrewing.com

ciderGUIDE

Forge Brew Works 8532 Terminal Rd., Ste. L Lorton 703.372.2979 forgebrewworks.com

BLUE RIDGE HIGHLANDS Foggy Ridge Cider 1328 Pineview Rd. Dugspur 276.398.2337 foggyridgecider.com

Gordon Biersch Tyson’s Corner Mall McLean 703.388.5454 gordonbiersch.com

CENTRAL VIRGINIA Albemarle CiderWorks 2545 Rural Ridge Ln. North Garden 434.297.2326 albemarleciderworks.com

Heritage Brewing Co. 9436 Center Point Lane Manassas 800.432.1792 heritagebrewing.com

Blue Bee Cider 212 W. 6th St. Richmond 804.231.0280 bluebeecider.com

Hops Grill Brewery 3625 Jefferson Davis Hwy. Alexandria 703.837.9107 hopsonline.com Lost Rhino Brewing Company 21730 Red Rum Dr., Ste. 142 Ashburn 571.291.2083 lostrhino.com 1

Blue Ridge Highlands

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Appalachia

3

Shenandoah Valley

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Northern Virginia

5

Chesapeake Bay

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Eastern Shore

7

Central Virgnia

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Southern Virginia

9

Hampton Roads

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Potter’s Craft Cider Charlottesville potterscraftcider.com

Old Hill Cider 17768 Honeyville Rd. Timberville 540.896.7582 oldhillcider.com

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Castle Hill Cider 6065 Turkey Sag Rd. Keswick 434.296.0047 castlehillcider.com

SHENANDOAH VALLEY

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Bold Rock Hard Cider 1020 Rockfish Valley Hwy. Nellysford 434.361.1030 boldrock.com

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Winchester Ciderworks 2502 N. Frederick Pike Winchester 540.550.3800 WinchesterCiderworks.com

9 VIRGINIACRAFTBEER.COM

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Mad Fox Brewing Company 444 West Broad St., Ste. I Falls Church 703.942.6840 madfoxbrewing.com Mad Horse Brew Pub 34 E Broad Way Lovettsville 540.436.0669 madhorsebrewpub.com Mud Hound Brewing Company Leesburg, VA mudhoundbrewingco.com Old Bust Head Brewing Company 7134 Lineweaver Rd. Warrenton 540.347.4777 oldbusthead.com

Rusty Beaver Brewery 18043 Jefferson Davis Hwy Ruther Glen 855.478.7892 rustybeaverbrewery.com Sweetwater Tavern 14250 Sweetwater Ln. Centreville 703.449.1100 greatamericanrestaurants.com Sweetwater Tavern 45980 Waterview Plaza Sterling 571.434.6500 greatamericanrestaurants.com Sweetwater Tavern 3066 Gate House Plaza Falls Church 703.645.8100 greatamericanrestaurants.com Vintage 50 Brew Lounge 50 Catoctin Cir., NE Leesburg 703.777.2169 vintage50.com

Port City Brewing Company 3950 Wheeler Ave. Alexandria 703.797.2739 portcitybrewing.com Portner Brewhouse Alexandria 703.646.0466 portnerbrewhouse.com Rock Bottom Brewery 4238 Wilson Blvd., Ste. 1256 Arlington 703.516.7688 rockbottom.com/arlington

Wild Run Brewing Company 3071 Jefferson Davis Hwy Stafford 540.659.3447 wildrunbrewing.com

Shenandoah Valley Backroom Brewery 150 Ridgemont Rd. Middletown 540.869.8482 facebook.com/ BackroomBrewery

Blue Lab Brewing Company 123 S. Randolph St. Lexington 540.458.0146 bluelabbrewing.com

Roanoke Railhouse Brewery 451 C McClanahan St. S.W. Roanoke 540.293.2423 roanokerailhouse.com

Devils Backbone Brewing Company - Outpost 50 Northwind Lane Lexington 540.462.6200 dbbrewingcompany.com

Shenandoah Valley Brewing Company 17 Middlebrook Ave. Staunton 540.887.2337 shenvalbrew.com/

Flying Mouse Brewery 221 Precast Way Troutville 540.992.1288 flyingmousebrewery.com

Soaring Ridge Craft Brewers 523 Shenandoah Avenue Roanoke 540.529.2140 soaringridge.com

Piccadilly’s Brew Pub 125 E Piccadilly St. Winchester 540.535.1899 piccadillysbrewpub.net Parkway Brewing 739 Kessler Mill Rd. Salem parkwaybrewing.com Queen City Brewing 834 Springhill Road Staunton 540.213.8014 qcbrewing.com Red Beard Brewing 120 South Lewis St. Staunton 804.641.9340 redbeardbrews.com

Three Brothers Brewing 800 N Main Street Harrisonburg 540.432.8940 threebrosbrew.com Winchester Brewing Company 110 West Boscawen St. Winchester 540.999.6161 winchesterbrewingcompany.com

Southern Virginia 2 Witches Winery & Brewing Company 209 Trade St. Danville 434-549-BREW (2739)

Is there someone we’re missing?

Email Jennifer.McDonald@hotmail.com with any additions or corrections

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5391 Three Notch’D Road Crozet, VA VIRGINIACRAFTBEER.COM

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AUGUST 2014