Virginia Craft Beer - Dec 2016/Jan 2017 by Virginia Craft Beer

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DECEMBER 2016

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DECEMBER 2016

Appeal to everyone around the table this Holiday Season.

BoldRock.com

1020 Rockfish Valley Highway (Rt. 151) Nellysford, VA 22958 | (434) 361-1030

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ingredients 8 Legend to Open Satellite 10 Brett Vassey Looks to 2017 12 News Roundup 14 Alewerks Rebrands 16 Colorful Commonwealth Cans 18 Marking Craft Beer to Women 20 Friends of Va Craft Beer 22 1-Year Anniversaries in Norfolk 24 Mug Shots 32 Brewing at Monticello 38 Three Notchâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d Collab 40 Profile Mad Fox 42 Profile Bull Island 44 Profile Green Flash 46 Young Vets Expands Tasting Room 48 Brew Reviews 50 Events 62 Brewery Guide

PUBLISHER/EDITOR Jeff Maisey ADVERTISING/MARKETING Jennifer McDonald Brian Koski CREATIVE DIRECTOR Brenda Mihalko CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Diane Catanzaro Steve Deason Jefferson Evans David Hunter Rayner Johnson Chris Jones Alistair Reece Chuck Triplett CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER Kathy Keeney WEBMASTER Giorgio Valentini DISTRIBUTION MANAGERS Rayner Johnson (NoVA/Fredericksburg)

Thad McDonald (C-Ville/Blue Ridge)

Copyright 2016/2017 Ghent Media, Inc. Virginia Craft Beer Magazine is published bi-monthly by Ghent Media, Inc. PO Box 11147 Norfolk, VA 23517 For advertising and subscription inquiries: 757.403.5852 jennifer.mcdonald@hotmail.com For editorial inquiries: 757.237.2762 jeffmaisey@yahoo.com virginiacraftbeer.com -6-

DECEMBER 2016

publisher’sNOTE I have been truly fascinated observing the amount

of change that has occurred across this great Commonwealth since SB604 passed just four years ago, ushering in a dynamic growth in breweries never before experienced in Virginia’s history. This magazine’s tagline – A revolution is brewing – couldn’t be more spot-on. Every time a consumer visits a Virginia brewery, orders a craft beer at a restaurant, or selects a six-pack of the local brew from the grocery store shelf he/she is supporting this revolutionary effort. As with any revolution, I suppose, there are growing pains and unexpected developments. As any military commander knows once the bullets start to fly in the theater of battle things can change quickly and adjustments must be made. I am fortunate to travel in a variety of social circles and listen to wide ranging opinions regarding our emerging craft beer culture. By and large, men and women appear to enjoy having a plethora of craft beer options at every turn, though some admit being overwhelmed at times. Are there now too many choices? Newer breweries are learning how challenging it can be to get shelf space and tap handles, even as retailers and restaurants have expanded available room. Crowding is becoming an issue. Similarly, a veteran brewer in Northern Virginia has lamented some customers travel less often to his establishment since other breweries have opened.Why drive 20 miles when the brewery down the street will do just fine is the thinking. Several brewery owners have expressed concern about the quality of beer being produced by some of the newer breweries and are pushing for more uniform quality controls statewide. Experienced brewers want to help everyone to be at their best for the sake of the industry. Another issue shared by some is the “confusion” in the marketplace regarding brands that do not fit the definition of “craft” beer being marketed to craft beer consumers. Others are of the opinion that “beer is beer” so let consumers’ tastes determine what they prefer to drink. In the end, if Joe Customer is shopping for a stout he could just as easily select a Guinness as a Virginia-brewed Irish stout. Another trend is that overly hoppy IPAs, while still the dominant popular style, may be taking a hit as consumers are looking to sessionable options as well as traditional, less extreme styles such as pilsner and lager. Nationwide, growth in craft beer sales has begun to slow, but I remain optimistic Virginia’s beer culture, buoyed by a strong “buy local” movement, will continue to be successful. Satellite expansions are a good indicator. And beer tourism is just getting established. Happy 2017! Let’s make it a great year in beer.

Cheers, Jeff Maisey

Publisher/Editor VIRGINIACRAFTBEER.COM

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brewNEWS

Richmond’s Legend Brewing to Open in Olde Towne Portsmouth By Jeff Maisey

egend Brewing Company will open a brewpub in Olde Towne Portsmouth along the waterfront in the historic, curved building that recently housed an art gallery and was the former home to a Mexican restaurant and The Max. Legend Brewing Company is one of Virginia’s oldest craft breweries. It specializes in traditional German, British and Czech style beers. Its flagship brew is Legend Brown Ale. Satellite, or secondary, locations for craft breweries are rising in popularity across Virginia. It provides a business the opportunity to strengthen its brand awareness in multiple markets. For example, Richmond-based Hardywood Park Craft Brewery has opened a satellite facility in Charlottesville where they brew a small amount of experimental beer on site, but also feature their popular brands shipped from the main brewery. Essentially, it is a retail and merchandising storefront and a means for the brewery to have a larger footprint into a desired market. Think Adidas or Disney stores, but in the form of a craft brewery. What’s unique about Legend’s Portsmouth philosophy is that they plan to go through their local distributor, Hoffman Beverage Company, rather than ship core brands direct from their RVA brewhouse. “With all the talk about how breweries are competing with restaurants, we did not want to come down there and bypass the distributor’s markup,” said Legend’s vice president Dave Gott. “We want to be a friendly neighbor.”

Dave Gott (center) and the crew from award-winning Legend Brewing Company

Gott said he sees the Portsmouth location being a compliment to the German-themed Bier Garden Restaurant in Olde Towne Portsmouth. According to Gott, the Portsmouth site was selected for its similarity to Richmond. In RVA, the patio overlooks a river with a great view of the city skyline. In Portsmouth, patrons can gaze across the Elizabeth River and see downtown Norfolk’s skyline. “In Richmond, Legend Brewing Company is known for its views,” said Gott. “The historical downtown Portsmouth is a good fit for us and it fits the kind of atmosphere we want for our customers.” Legend will operate a 3-barrel

brewing system in Portsmouth. Brewers from Richmond will use it to create unique, one-off beers, including an Oyster Stout. It will be a full service restaurant with 80 seats inside and a 70-seat outdoor patio. The full line of Legend beers, including its Pilsner and Hefeweizen, will be available on draft. Legend’s Portsmouth brewpub represents the first out-of-market brewery from Virginia to locate in Hampton Roads. San Diego, Californiabased Green Flash Brewing Company opened its large scale production facility in Virginia Beach in November. Legend Brewing Company’s Portsmouth operation will open in mid to late spring.

Strangeways to Open Fredericksburg Location S

trangeways, the funky Richmond craft brewery with an affinity for Belgian-style sours, announced it will open a second production facility and tasting room in Fredericksburg. A matching grant from the city of Fredericksburg paired with a $150,000 grant from Governor McAuliffe’s Agricultural and Forestry Industries Development Fund, made the expansion possible. The new location will allow the brewery to expand its barrel aging program. It will also be a homecoming of sorts for owner Neil Burton, whose family owned the Burton’s Menswear warehouse where the brewery will operate. Strangeways, like Port City Brewing Company in Alexandria, has taken advantage of the Dept. of Agriculture’s generous grant initiative as more breweries within the Commonwealth commit to purchasing Virginia-grown and harvested ingredients such as honey, hops, pumpkins and berries. – JM

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brewNEWS / industry

The State of Virginia’s Craft Beer Industry By Jeff Maisey

t has become tradition for us to sit down towards the end of the year with Brett Vassey, President and CEO of the Virginia Manufacturers Association and Virginia Craft Brewers Guild, and get his take on the events and issues of the current year and ask him to share his goals for the upcoming 12 months. Here is our conversation. When you look at 2016, how do you assess the current state of the craft beer industry in Virginia? We use three major metrics. One, we look at the total economic impact, and that’s usually a lagging number. We get that about six months after the end of the year. In 2015, we finally passed the threshold of $1 billion in economic impact. That’s a big deal. The second metric we use is barrels produced per million residents. That’s used nationally as a metric. We’re doing really well there. We’re well above the national average. We’re over 20 breweries per million residents. Finally, we look at start-ups – how many new brewery licenses were issued and how many breweries-in-planning join the association. That’s sort of a forward-looking observation that only the Guild has. We still

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have 10 to 15 entrepreneurs that joined and are in the brewery planning phase and are waiting for their opportunity. We’re probably going to have another 35 new breweries by the end of this year (2016) over last year. It continues to grow. There have been some indications that sales for craft beer has declined nationwide during 2016. Stone laid off some of its California workforce. Do you see this having an impact on Virginia’s craft beer industry, or are we immune due to the relative newness of our craft beer culture? I’m speculating because I don’t have the current data on the sales volume, but I have heard the reports from primarily the large California companies that have made some reductions in force. What we talk about internally is that we don’t see the consumption trailing off in Virginia. That’s the bottom line. We see a lot more competition among brewers. That’s clear. But as far as total consumption and converting consumers who may not be craft beer drinkers that does not seem to be trailing off. What does seem to be trailing off – and this may be part of the California phenomenon – we’re seeing tastes shift a

Brett Vassey (pictured in blue shirt) with staff at the 2016 Virginia Craft Brewers Fest in Roseland at Devils Backbone

little bit. We’re starting to see, particularly in Virginia, some brewers produce Virginia IPAs, not a West Coast IPA. It’s a little less hoppy. They use a lot more dry hopping. I wonder if the hops trend is starting to cool as more brewers get into the market and create more completion. They also create a lot more choices. We’re wondering if the real enthusiasts for independent craft beer are starting to look at different varieties like Brett, sours – the things that have not been mainstream. That’s the beauty of the industry. They can move so quickly to respond to consumers. How much of this evolving success is also related to breweries in Virginia increasing the amount of locally grown and harvested ingredients? I thoroughly believe the real enthusiast is looking for the difference between a craft brand that’s local and independent. They’re starting to ask those questions. That’s also what makes the authentic experience. Being able to talk to the owner. Being able to understand what motivates them to create great craft beer. How’d they name their company? How’d they name their particular beer? All of those things give that personal touch. It’s like know the chef at your favorite

restaurant. They’re very similar consumer movements. I think Virginia is following in the footsteps of some of our great leaders out of western states. We’re now seeing brewers opening brewpubs in partnership with restaurateurs. Champion Brewing is opening a new gastropub in Richmond with a very well-known chef. We never anticipated that when we started the Guild five years ago. We’re starting to see that farm-to-table, local ingredients, local chef, local brewer, local owner continue to evolve in new and different ways. It has more room for innovation.

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What is on the Guild’s primary agenda for 2017? For 2017 we’ve got a legislative agenda working with the other tiers dealing with the issue of pay-to-play. There will be a number of bills trying to shift a little bit of the statues that govern limitations on pay-to-play, meaning limiting trade spending; limiting point of sale display expenses. It levels the playing field for small players in the market. So we’ll be working with the other tiers, particularly the wholesalers. We’re going to be announcing the new location of the Virginia Craft Brewers Fest. Our goal is to grow the Fest to 7,000. Right now it’s capped at 3,000 at its former location. That selection has also given us an opportunity to set a 24-month growth plan to start three or four additional regional festivals that will be in partnership with local brewers and tourism authorities around the state. They’ll be in the four major regions. Finally, under marketing and tourism, we’re going to be expanding the Virginia Craft Beer Cup. We’ll be announcing the new rules and shift it to an earlier time so members can actually market their winning beers all year and fine tune their beer entries in the fall for the Great American Beer Festival (in Denver). We’ll be working to have a Virginia showcase at the Craft beer Conference in Washington, DC, and tours of Virginia breweries to highlight what Virginia’s done. They’ll have 15,000 people next year. We’re also starting our own quality committee and have seminars involving brewing excellence and production training for a brewer’s certification. That will increase safety, industrial hygiene, manufacturing technology. We’ll have a whole series of workshops on quality, general manufacturing practices. Those are the highlights we’re working on.

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Governor McAuliffe wants to be known as the Craft Beer Governor. How would you grade his performance thus far? The governor has been phenomenal in supporting our industry. He has bent over backwards to accommodate the industry and make sure if there are any barriers to growth that we can scale them. If there are any opportunities for growth we can make that happen, ie the legislation last year to clarify that brewing equipment is manufacturing equipment and therefore is exempt from sales tax. Increasing the state tourism corporation’s investment in craft beer tourism. They’re helping with exporting. They really have set the bar for every governor after. I would be remiss if I didn’t state very clearly that we wouldn’t be here if we hadn’t started this with Governor McDonnell. Governor McDonnell was the one that believed in our industry. Our friends in beer wholesale, who are our partners, believed in this ability as well. Together we got SB604 done. That really set everything else in motion. Governor McDonnell set the bar, but Governor McAuliffe has certainly reached that zenith and set us on pace for the next decade. We are forever grateful.

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brewNEWS Brewmaster and CEO Matt Rose (pictured right) and Assistant Brewer Brett Hagood in front of the new brewing system at Forge Brew Works.

Forge Brew Works

Offers a Lesson in Resilience

By Jefferson Evans and Ray Johnson

one is the big scraggly trademark beard. Gone, it appears, is a bit of weight from around the mid-section. Forge Brew Works brewmaster and CEO Matt Rose is looking svelte and healthy, whereas his brewery has added some serious heft in the form of a new 10-barrel brew house. It seems sorta appropriate that we interviewed Matt the day before Election Day given that the deeply trying nature of this presidential election will require some resilience on the part of our nation, and Matt Rose is a walking, talking, brewing testament to the power of resilience. As some of you no doubt remember, Matt’s wife, Kerri, was pregnant with their first child, only to be diagnosed with late stage cancer. Their son, Lance, was delivered early to increase the chances of his being delivered healthy while allowing her to begin treatments. Unfortunately Kerri passed away in January of this year, but the good news is their son is a healthy, active toddler. During the chaos and emotional toil of Kerri’s illness, and in the period following her passing, Matt understandably had to step away somewhat from the brewery and brewing, leaving the latter mostly in the hands of then assistant brewer, Rory. But after a time Matt stepped back in and took steps to bring out the full potential of his brewery. One important step was hiring office manager and jack-of-many-trades Shanna Carvell. Her card reads “Dragon

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Slayer,” and yeah, she’s pretty badass. Second, Matt brought in Brett Hagood as an assistant brewer, and outside of a possible sighting of him wearing a Cowboys hat on the job, Brett has fit in really well. And then there is that new brewing system from Alpha Brewing (out of Nebraska). Matt tells me “we got the full works,” including four 20-barrel fermenters and a new chiller so good it “can handle all the tanks crashing at once.” Matt casually mentions that with the fermenters kept from the original system, he now has over 100 barrels of fermenting capacity. So the recent past was extremely challenging, but the future is really bright. The problems these days are more of the good type, like adjusting for how crazy efficient the new system is, accounting for the dissolved oxygen numbers, and finetuning the quality control. As to the beer, Matt is mostly about the Belgian styles, with the occasional lager thrown in. A Belgian blonde ale was their first beer and a scaled up version of that recipe was the initial test batch on the new system. Matt mentions they are moving to yeast obtained from Jasper Akerboom (of Lost Rhino fame) and generally rotate between five different yeast depending on the beer. Forge has done something like 20 batches of barrelaged beer to date, the barrels ranging from mostly bourbon to rye and red wine. Obtaining some chardonnay barrels is in

the works. Now with Eagle Distributors, the brewery is trying to ramp back up as to outside accounts and hopes to approach the 150 mark within six months. So stop by the tasting room and raise a toast to the joy of good beer and the power of human resilience. At forgebrewworks.com and on Facebook.

A Beer to End All Wars THE BREWERS of the Brew Ridge Trail – Blue Mountain Brewery, Blue Mountain Barrel House, Devils Backbone, South Street, Starr Hill and Wild Wolf -- have joined forces after a hiatus to collaborate on an IPA in honor of those who served in World War I and II. With a tagline “The Great Pour” – instead of the Great War – the beer will be officially released on December 4 at Wild Wolf and be available at each of the breweries on draft. Ingredients from England, France, Belgium, Japan, Ireland, Czech Republic, Chile, Canada and USA were symbolically included. – JM

Breweries are popping up all over Virginia Beach. Try them all at VisitVirginiaBeach.com/craftbeer VIRGINIACRAFTBEER.COM

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brewNEWS / re-branding

Message in a (Beer) Bottle By Jeff Maisey

fter 10 years in business, award-winning Williamsburg craft brewery Alewerks is unveiling a fine-tuned core lineup of flagship beers that will appear in 12-ounce bottles with new label designs and on draft with reworked tap handles. The rebranding is first evident in the packaging artwork. Gone are the label illustrations. The visual focus now is on the Alewerks logo and name of the beer. In some cases, brands such as Washington’s Porter and Drake Tail IPA have been replaced. Above all, though, the true desire is for the flavor of the liquid to do the talking, not the thematic art. To learn more about the rebranding efforts at Alewerks I contacted operations director Michael Claar.

What led to the refinement of Alewerks’ flagship brands? Was it based on sales results? The majority of Alewerks beers have seen strong growth but we still saw more potential. Ultimately there was not one overwhelming factor, rather as we took a closer look at our line-up, asking ourselves if it made sense, the realizations and the changes started falling like dominoes. “If not now, when?” became a sort of mantra. Will the new names -- ie Superb IPA vs Drake IPA -- have better marketability? Drake Tail IPA’s recipe essentially priced it out of the market. We could not supply the IPA at a reasonable price without making sacrifices to the quality and we just were not willing to do that. Seeking a new year-round IPA was the catalyst of this project Alewerks has been known for such signature products as Bitter Valentine and Coffeehouse Stout, but lately has been producing more sessionable beers like Weekend Lager and Shorty Time IPA. Is this based on changes in the marketplace? We don’t think Alewerks is the only brewery sensing an increased demand for more sessionable craft beer but the direction you’re perceiving is truly born out of our desire, not market analysis. We never want consuming an Alewerks beer to feel like a challenge; that’s why we try to make even our stronger offerings balanced and easy to drink. Can you talk about the flagship packaging (no illustration on label)? Was this done to be more consistent with the brand/labels of the 22-ounce bottles? Alewerks is, and always has been, about the beer and not illustrations or fancy labels. We sought to convey that in our design, to essentially strip away the clutter and distractions. We brought the logo front and center because the most important thing the customer needs to know is the beer is from Alewerks and they can expect quality that results from passion. Are new tap handles in the works also? Indeed they are.You’ll see them everywhere in January. We’re really excited about them; it’s another dramatic departure. What currently are the strongest sales markets/cities for Alewerks products? Unsurprisingly we sell the most beer close to home, in Williamsburg and on the Peninsula with strong sales in Northern Virginia, though every major market in Virginia is growing for Alewerks. - 14 -

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Alewerks’ new bottle lineup

Can you provide a percentage breakdown on sales (12-ounce bottle 6-packs verses 22-ounce bottles vs draft)? Draft is about 55% of our volume and 12 ounce bottles 41%, so you can see the 22oz bottles are a pretty small amount of our sales. What parts of North Carolina are you expanding into in 2017? We’ve been in North Carolina for years actually but only in small amounts. Thanks to increasing our capacity by 50% in 2016 we will be able to supply the entire state with more Alewerks beer.

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brewNEWS / packaging design

Commonwealth Thinks Out of the Box for New Can Design By Jeff Maisey

ith an increasing number of beer brands crowding the grocery and specialty retail store shelves it is becoming a challenge for up-and-coming craft breweries to not only get space, but also compete for the eye of consumers scanning literally hundreds of bottles, cans and packaged sixpacks. One Virginia Beach craft brewery is taking a unique approach to the artwork on its new 16-ounce cans, packaged as four-packs. Commonwealth Brewing Company owner Jeramy Biggie shares his insights here. What qualities did each of the beers have that you chose to offer in cans? Aureole is a clean, dry, crisp Belgian Lager at 5.4% ABV with a hint of sweetness from the malt making it crushable and enjoyable as a session beer. Wapatoolie is an intensely tropical 7.3% ABV IPA with a big, bright citrus flavor and a crisp finish. Papi Chulo is a soft, hazy and very juicy 6.5% ABV IPA with a beautiful aroma from huge amounts of fruit forward hops! Marvolo is a smooth, velvety, chocolate bomb imperial Stout served in the first craft nitro can we’re aware of in Hampton Roads! We prefer nitro as it enhances the mouth-feel and perception of a silky smooth finish How popular have these brands been on draft? All four beers have been immensely popular in our tasting room and on draft lines in Hampton Roads. The new 16oz, 4-pack package makes them more accessible for people that don’t live close to Commonwealth. The can design is truly unique. How did the color concept and design come together? We worked on the can designs for almost a year and tried several concepts with a few different designers. Nothing felt quite perfect and I didn’t want to release this package format until I was 100% satisfied with the branding. I did some web research looking at different package concepts and found four different beers with branding that I admired. They all happened to have been created by the same UK designer, so I found his contact information and gave him a call. I could tell immediately that he understood our brand and what we were trying to accomplish aesthetically. From there, we discussed in depth the beers, their name origins, the ingredients, the flavors and all the imagery your mind spontaneously associates with those elements. The resulting cans are unique, bold, bright and visually portray the flavors therein. Will they be packaged as 4-packs? Yes – 16oz Did you use a mobile canning service or do you have a canning line on site? We are acquiring our own line now but are using Dominion Canning in the interim. Was there any concern the packaging may resemble that of an energy drink, or did you feel the uniqueness alone will catch the eye of consumers scanning the store shelves? This was never a thought. We wanted to convey the flavors visually rather than relying on descriptive words and that led us to the bold colors and organic patterns using polar and non-polar fluids of different densities (ex. oil and water) - 16 -

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Beyond Hampton Roads, where are Commonwealth beers distributed? What are your distribution expansion plans for the next year or two? We are happiest when we can follow our own creative impulses and try to make beers that will inspire us versus trying to grow a huge distribution footprint with a few brands and keep up with those demands. It makes us more excited about our work, and that passion and inspiration is in turn captured in our beer. We distribute these four styles in very limited quantities in Hampton Roads and Richmond, Northern VA and DC. Our packaged beers are always available at the brewery during and sometimes after release events at 2444 Pleasure House Rd, Virginia Beach VA 23455. We also plan to can new releases in our tasting room on at least a monthly basis! These beers will be available at the brewery in small run 4pack 16oz format batches and will not see distribution. Follow us on Instagram and Facebook for release event details. Any additional thoughts/wisdom on the art of packaging? I love the idea of visually describing the flavors you enjoy in your beer with blended organic materials, colors, textures, and patterns versus words or images. I’d also recommend never releasing a package format until you think you’ll be happy with it for the rest of your life. That’s hard to do and can often delay your plans.

Happy Holidays

Season’s Greetings

Happy Holidays

Something for everyone this holiday season As a craft brewer, you know it’s the details that delight your customers. When your packaging exhibits the same careful craftsmanship you put into your beer, you give them something they’ll treasure before they even open it. Our breadth of capabilities gives you more options with less hassle. And our track record gives you confidence we will deliver what you need, when you need it.

We can all drink to that - cheers to 2017! westrock.com VIRGINIACRAFTBEER.COM

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brewNEWS / marketing

Marketing Beer to

Women

By Jeff Maisey

here’s something you should know about women – they enjoy quality beer just like men. That’s how Ginger Johnson, founder of Women Enjoying Beer and who also has published a new book, How To Market Beer To Women: Don’t Sell Me A Pink Hammer, sums things up. “The thing that should hit us all right in the middle of the forehead is that beer is beer and people are people,” said Johnson. “The fact that we have to think about marketing beer to the world’s most powerful buyer and consumer is rather ironic. We seem to be stuck in a rut thinking women either don’t like beer or women only like certain kinds of beer.” How To Market Beer To Women: Don’t Sell Me A Pink Hammer tackles ten core questions about women’s relationship with beer. These are covered in the chapters that might seem obvious: Know Your Customer, Serving Women What They Want, and the like. First and foremost, showing mutual respect is essential, and that starts with inclusiveness. “If we do not see ourselves we don’t participate,” Johnson said. “I look at beer magazines and I think, ‘What gives?’ You walk around a grocery store and what do you see? You see a lot of women. Seventyfive to eighty-five percent of purchases are made by women. If you give them the image that they can be part of this you’re going to get more participation.” Women also don’t want to be viewed - 18 -

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stereotypically. Women want to see The book begins with a fun quote from themselves portrayed accurately in beer Britain’s Queen Victoria: “Give my people advertisements, not as scantily clad beer plenty of beer…and you will have no maids or as swim suit wearing Barbie revolution among them.” Dolls. Widely spoken. “Women need to put their foot down,” continued Johnson. “That way is old, it’s tired; it’s uncreative. The smart men I know find it ridiculous. Brand aside because there are some small brands that are equally horrific at offending audiences based on images and the names there’s Ginger Johnson no limits on that. If you see an offensive and her new book, How To Market approximation of an idea of what you are Beer To Women: in other people’s eyes, of course it’s going Don’t Sell Me A to turn you off. Marketing 101 is knowing Pink Hammer. your audience. When the beer makers, importers, distributors, bars, brewpubs… when they understand who their customer is they will be the successful one.” For women the experience surrounding beer is connected to the enjoyment of communicating and camaraderie. And – no surprise – women of all ages enjoy beer. Gone should be the assumptions that women either prefer wine, martinis and on rare occasion a fruity beer. Remember when Abita’s Purple Haze was often referred to as a “beer for women” or “girly beer” because of its raspberry infusion? Have you seen guys shy away from ordering a cheery limbic at the bar for fear of being made fun of? The fact is women and men crave the same thing in beer. “You have to focus on flavor,” said Ginger Johnson. “Flavor is the number one aspect of why people engage in beer. Why would we drink it if we didn’t like the flavor? The stereotype that women don’t like this beer or that beer is just as ridiculous as if we were to say men only like these types of beers because they’re men. Women like all kinds of beer.” How To Market Beer To Women: Don’t Sell Me A Pink Hammer is a fun, interesting read from cover to cover. It’s something everyone in the beer industry should read. There are numerous obvious truths that Johnson is keen to remind us of including this: Women are diverse so one size doesn’t fit all.

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brewNEWS / social media

Are you a Virginia Craft Beer Fan? By David Hunter

f you’re reading this magazine, you’re already a Fan of Virginia Craft Breweries! But you may not be part of the Facebook Group called “Fans of Virginia Craft Breweries.” I founded the group in March of 2013 and it just surpassed 10,000 members in late October! You can find us on Facebook groups here: https://www. facebook.com/groups/FansofVACB/. The mission of the group is to bring awareness to all the great beer being brewed right here in Virginia. It’s a platform where beer fans can share their experiences as they visit the breweries and attend events across the state. Many types of conversations take place in the group but one of my favorites is when fans ask for recommendations of what breweries to hit when they’re visiting a particular part of the state. It’s almost as if the group acts as a mini travel agency. Fans also post about upcoming events, beer releases, and general craft beer news. The primary focus of the group is Virginia craft beer but occasionally the discussion drifts outside the borders. Fan Matt Fisher one day decided to create a thread called “Roll Call.” It’s a daily thread where Fans post what they’re drinking regardless of if it’s Virginia craft beer or not. It’s an engaging thread and one that keeps us hoppin’ all day long. Another Fan, Kyle Nichol, created a thread called “Untappd Tuesday” where members post screen shots from their Untappd App. Both of these interactive threads are mash tuns of fun and give you the opportunity to get to know other Fans and what their beer preferences are. We’re lucky to have many members who are from the Virginia craft brewing community. We have brewery owners, master brewers, assistant brewers, beer servers, regional beer reps, tap house owners, bottle shop owners, etc… It’s great when folks within the community chime in on conversations. Many brewers use this platform to announce their releases and also sneak peeks of collaborations between the breweries. Speaking of collaborations, the group has been fortunate to partner with some Virginia breweries on several collaborations. The most notable collaboration was with Three Notch’d

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Brewing Company in Charlottesville, VA. Head brewer Dave Warwick reached out to me one day and offered to do a collaboration with the group! He asked me to decide on the style but we wanted the group to come up with the name. “Fandom of the Hopera” was born, a Red Double IPA. Our first collaboration was in 2015 and we followed that up the next year. We hope to do it again in 2017 and

Rules.” I approached owner, Trae Cairns, with the concept and he was very excited to partner on this. We’re actually going to be brewing Majority Rules again sometime in November. This year we’ve also worked with several Virginia breweries to hold Sunday morning Fun Run’s. The runs are only three to four miles and food trucks are waiting for us back at the brewery. Before

David Hunter enjoying a Virginia craft beer

possibly bottle a portion of the brew! Contrary to that collaboration was our effort with Midnight Brewery where the name was already decided but we let the Fans decide on the style. I put a poll up on the Facebook page allowing fans to choose the style and Coffee Milk Stout edged out Double IPA by a nose. Since a majority of the Fans decided the outcome we called this collaboration “Majority

we kicked off this series I needed a name so I reached out to Cheyenne Burnham with Strangeways Brewing to help me and she nailed it on the first try, “Fans on the Run.” We finish out the year at Lake Anne Brew House on November 13 and December 18 at Kindred Spirit Brewing. Again, join us on Facebook groups and look for us on Instagram, Twitter and Untappd.

VIRGINIACRAFTBEER.COM

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brewNEWS

Bold Mariner and Coelacanth

Celebrate 1 Year By Jeff Maisey

wo Norfolk craft breweries located within a mile of each other are celebrating their first anniversaries – The Bold Mariner Brewing Company and Coelacanth Brewing Company. Bold Mariner held its celebration in midNovember. Coelacanth’s party is on Saturday, December 10. Much beer and good times, events and fundraisers have flowed from each location. The first year in business proves to be a learning experience as consumers and the market help define the breweries’ niche. Both breweries have been active in regional beer festivals and related offsite events. During the past year, where Coelacanth owner Kevin Erskine became the co-marketing committee chairman of the Virginia Craft Brewers Guild, Bold Mariner owner Michael Stacks and his team garnered several awards, including a gold medal in the Guild’s statewide Virginia Craft Brewers Cup completion for its Scurvy Dog Saison. I recently checked in with both Stacks and Erskine to get their perspectives on their respective first year in operation.

Most craft breweries find their original game plan changed soon after opening due to greater than expected demand. Was this the same for you? Michael Stacks: Yes.We were conservative on figuring how much beer we needed to produce and found out soon that we would be brewing more often than we had anticipated. My original plan was to brew on my own for the first year; three months later we brought John O’Reilly onboard as our head brewer. Kevin Erskine: Actually no, -- we are still on target for our original plan. From the very beginning we said we weren’t going to do things like everyone else - avoid making hoppy beers; no pumpkin beers – try to set trends - not follow them. So we started with interesting flavor combinations (Rosemary Lemon Wheat, for example) and well balanced dark beers. As far as growth, we were looking to build a base of discerning beer lovers across Hampton Roads, and then expand as it made sense.

Now we are getting interest in our beers from DC and Richmond, and we haven’t even promoted in those markets. We’ve purchased a small bottling line and will be putting our beer in large format bottles for people who want to take our beers in something other than a growler. And we are getting ready to can – right in line with the plan to start canning around year two. How have you adapted to consumer demands? Michael Stacks: More variety in the tap room. People love to try what’s new. On day one we had three beers on tap.When you come in for our 1st anniversary party we will have fourteen different beers to choose from.We really like this. It allows us to keep evolving and experimenting with new beers, which is a fun thing for brewers. Kevin Erskine: I wouldn’t say we’ve adapted - but again - from the beginning we thought that “there are enough hoppy beers,” and our fans have reiterated that time and time again. We hear from more people who are pleased that we don’t do hoppy beers far more than people coming to Coelacanth complaining about a lack of IPAs. We had planned to make interesting beers like our Gose and our Imperial Pils from day one, and it’s nice to see that the latest trends at the Great American Beer Festival were light Sours and Pils! Which beers have emerged as your flagships? Any surprises?

The Bold Mariner Brewing Company owner Michael Stacks

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DECEMBER 2016

Michael Stacks: Bold Dominion, Red Maiden, and Dog Zebra.We are surprised with the popularity of our seasonal and limited runs. Monkey’s Fist Coconut Hefeweizen and our Baja Roasted ale were so popular we are planning to brew twice as much next season. Liberty Risk Double IPA has also been very popular and our Scurvy Dog Saison might jump into the top three after taking home gold in this year’s Virginia Beer Cup. Kevin Erskine: Our Rosemary Lemon Wheat was the second beer we made – we knew there was a place for a flavorful, but

light-bodied beer with a decent ABV – that beer was Coelia and it is our top selling beer. As a matter of fact, Busch Gardens put it at the top of their Bier Garden menu! We weren’t surprised by that one. We had planned to do a Coffee Milk Stout as a one-off, and that turned into Kopimanis. People liked it so much it’s in the year-round line-up. Likewise Hippocampus – an American Blonde with a trio of mild peppers and a slight heat. People love that beer! Two other beers that are fan favorites are Illuminari (a Smoked Lager) and Phonics (Chocolate Hazelnut Brown Ale).We decided that we’d keep those as seasonal beers and have people look forward to them.We are already getting advanced orders for this year’s Phonics. What have been your most important lessons learned thus far? Michael Stacks: Running your own business takes a lot of time and hard work. We have put together a small team at Bold Mariner and everyone is key to our success. Kevin Erskine: Staffing. Get the best people – especially in the Tasting Room – and let them do their thing.We have people who come in on certain nights just because one or another of our servers is working that night. What are your plans for 2017 and beyond? Michael Stacks: Cans! Cans! Cans! We have been working hard to get everything in order to fire up our own packaging line. Along with the cans we also plan on expanding our distribution footprint, keep an eye out for us north of the Bay. Kevin Erskine: Get our beer into cans and bottles. Steady measured growth into some contiguous markets, and to do a few collaborations with some old friends in Richmond.

Kevin Erskine behind the bar at Coelacanth Brewing Company

WINTER ALES THAT ARE GOOD FOR WHAT AILS YOU. Looking for a unique seasonal tasting tour to chase away the winter blahs? Norfolk boasts an impressive collection of craft breweries, gastropubs and beer bars. Locally brewed and colorfully named, a delicious assortment of one-of-a-kind ales beckon. Plan your Norfolk craft beer getaway at visitnorfolktoday.com.

1-800-368-3097

VIRGINIACRAFTBEER.COM

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mugSHOTS

Three Notchâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d Brewing Company RVA Collab House Grand Opening Reception Richmond

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DECEMBER 2016

Smartmouth Brewing Company 4th Birthday Party Norfolk

VIRGINIACRAFTBEER.COM

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mugSHOTS green flashâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s treasure chest fest Virginia Beach

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DECEMBER 2016

Mad Fox Brewing Company Cask Ale Festival Falls Church

Brew Ridge Trail Collaboration @ Wild Wolf Brewing Company Nellysford

VIRGINIACRAFTBEER.COM

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Season’s

Greetings! Beer enthusiasts will love this fun and cheerful greeting card series. The art is hand drawn and coupled with a muted color palette and printed on a natural cover stock to create a vintage look. The eco-friendly series is available in four retro color variations. Set of 12 cards, $15.

Fresh Cut Designs LLC Ashburn etsy.com/FreshCutDesignsLLC

hot dog!

Your dog will look stylish in this black bandana with the “Respect Craft” graphic. It’s the perfect stocking stuffer for your friend who loves their dog almost as much as their beer! The bandanna is screen printed by hand in environmentally friendly water-based ink. $10

BrewShirts Lynchburg etsy.com/brewershirts

A Fresh

Face

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

These reusable and washable make-up remover pads are perfect for the ecoconscious, beer loving woman! The soft, flannel pads can be used with liquid make-up remover to gently and effectively erase the day’s eye and face make-up. The pads are made of two flannel outer layers in a fun beer print and a cotton inner layer. Set of 7, $10.

Nikita Sparrow Studio Richmond etsy.com/NikitaSparrowStudio - 28 -

DECEMBER 2016

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For the Craft Beer Lover

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Thomas Jefferson (Illustration by John Hickey)

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DECEMBER 2016

The Brewers

of Monticello P

I am lately become a brewer for family use. – Thomas Jefferson

erhaps one of the most quoted lines from a letter by Thomas Jefferson to Joseph Coppinger, especially among enthusiastic homebrewers looking for presidential validation of their hobby. Beer was, in common with households throughout the recently established United States, central to life at Monticello, the plantation high on a hill that overlooks both Jefferson’s childhood home of Shadwell and the city of Charlottesville.With an inherent distrust of water, and a culture that continued to share much with the mother country, citizens of the new republic had long taken beer for both nutrition and hydration, the Jeffersons were no different. Jefferson was particularly keen on Coppinger’s book, The American Practical Brewer and Tanner, such obvious bedfellows, because it contained a procedure for malting Indian corn. Jefferson didn’t grow barley on his 5,000 acre plantation, he did however raise corn and wheat. Therefore a method of malting the corn for use in beer would naturally be of interest. In the very same letter as the quote above, Jefferson notes he had followed the procedure the previous autumn with perfect success. Out of these details has arisen the image of Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration of Independence, founder of the University of Virginia, and third president of the United States as an avid homebrewer. A homebrewer whose reputation and recipe has been used by at least two breweries to create commercial beers trading on this very image. All this despite the fact that Jefferson wrote to his longtime friend, James

Barbour that “I have no receipt for brewing,” going on to say that he doubted whether “the operations of malting and brewing could be successfully performed from a receipt.” As with any image built on the quotes of eminent men, the reality is more interesting, complex, and tinged with the darkness of the spirit of their age.While the quote above is taken verbatim from a letter penned by Jefferson to Coppinger, it is not the full quote in context: “I am lately become a brewer for family use, having had the benefit of instruction to one of my people by an English brewer of the first order.” Just by finishing off the quote, the image of Jefferson the homebrewer is shattered and a new image comes into view, that of the brewers of Monticello being an Englishman and one of his “people,” a thoroughly sanitized way of saying a slave. The Englishman was Joseph Miller, the slave was Peter Hemings. It was these men who in the autumn of 1814 perfected the malting of the corn tended by enslaved field hands and used it to make beer. Caught up in the machinations of the War of 1812, Captain Joseph Miller and his daughter were attempting to lay claim to inherited property in Norfolk,Virginia. Being citizens of the enemy, the Millers were ordered to head away from the coast of Virginia and eventually pitched up in Albemarle County, home of Thomas Jefferson.While unable to leave Albemarle County due to the war with Britain, Captain Miller became acquainted with the master of Monticello, who clearly valued the fact the Miller was a master brewer.

Peter Hemings’ story is rather less documented, being one of Jefferson’s slaves that labored for his comfort. The story of Monticello is as much the story of the Hemings family as it is of the Jeffersons. The matriarch of the family was Betty Hemings, the child of an African slave and an English sea captain, she belonged to Jefferson’s father in law, John Wayles. According to her grandson Madison, Betty bore six children to her master, including Peter and his better known sister, Sally, for whom Jerfferson’s bride Martha Wayles would be a half-sister. There is in the long and tortured history of Virginia a recurring theme of shadow families, where a slave owner has taken one of his chattels as a concubine and produced children. Thus it was that Betty and her clan came to be at Monticello when John Wayles died and his shadow family became the property of his daughter and son-in-law. In the autumn of 1813 Captain Miller and Peter Hemings came together as master and pupil to perform the malting of grains and the brewing of beer for the big house on top of the small mountain, a task that Hemings learnt “with entire success.” Brewing in the late 18th and early 19th centuries was very much a manual affair, one without the pumps, valves, and automation that many brewers take for granted today. Hemings and Miller didn’t have access to drills to power their grain mill; in fact we don’t how they milled the malted wheat and corn they used for the beer. Did they have a donkey powered grindstone? Was it powered by other slaves? Was the malt ground at the flour mills on the nearby Rivanna River? Simply put, all we have is

By Alistair Reese VIRGINIACRAFTBEER.COM

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The Beer Cellar at Monticello

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DECEMBER 2016

vaguely reasoned conjecture. Assuming the flour mills on the river were used and the brewing took place at the house itself, did they transport the grist on a horse and cart or on the backs of enslaved men up the hill? As I say we just don’t know. We don’t even know where the plantation brewhouse was. Though it was certainly part of Jefferson’s schemes and plans, indeed the earliest designs for Monticello include spaces for brewing and storing beer, its location is yet to be discovered. Assuming it was near the main house, there was yet another problem faced by the Monticello brewers, that of water. Sure you know that water is 98% of the volume of beer, but what do you do without a reliable water source, without being able to just turn a tap and have fresh running water? When building the house, Jefferson had a well dug that was 65 feet deep, took 45 days to dig, and failed six times before 1797. By 1810 Monticello was supplementing its well water with rainfall collected in leaky cisterns. If all else failed, there were springs on the mountainside, or, at the bottom of the hill, the river and the back breaking task of hauling brewing liquor up the steep sides of the mountain. A sobering fact, forgive the pun, when you remember that for every pint of beer brewed, another three or four pints of water are used. Just having the basics required to make the wort likely involved more hard work than many a modern homerewing enthusiast would care to do, including growing the corn and wheat. Barley wasn’t grown at Monticello, hence Jefferson’s eagerness to find Coppinger’s book and a method for malting a grain that grew readily in the red clay soils of Virginia. As well as growing and malting the grains needed for the wort, Jefferson’s garden supplied at least some of the hops required to add bitterness to counteract the sweet wort, though right up to the year he died the household would buy in hops for brewing. It was over the boiling kettles of liquor and wort, taking the fruits of slave tended lands that Miller and Hemings formed a relationship which resulted in more than just beer for the table. From correspondence between Jefferson and Miller when the war had come to an end, Peter Hemings became a very accomplished brewer. This fact clearly gave Miller much pleasure as he commented in a letter to Jefferson,“I am glad he has dun so well.” I often wonder what kind of beer these men from very different backgrounds brewed as they worked together in the Monticello brewhouse, especially given the very different beers put out by Yard’s and Starr Hill claiming to represent Jefferson’s well regarded table beer.Yard’s Thomas Jefferson Tavern Ale uses honey, wheat, and rye, claiming it is “just like the beer Jefferson made at Monticello.” Closer to Jefferson’s home, Starr Hill Monticello is made from just malted wheat and corn and is as pale as many a

witbier.While having a very definite opinion as to which I prefer to drink, I am not convinced that either truly represent what was actually brewed in Jefferson’s time. In reading Coppinger’s treatise on the use of Indian corn in brewing, the author states that the end product is “peculiarly adapted to the brewing of porter.” Porter, of course, was a well-known style of beer in the newly formed United States. Even during his days fighting for the British in the French and Indian War, George Washington was making porter from a recipe that used copious amounts of molasses to provide the fermentable sugars, as well as rich dark color associated with this beer style. Did Hemings and Miller take Coppinger’s advice and supplement their Indian Corn based wort with molasses to make porter for Jefferson, his household, and his guests? Perhaps they used the knowledge gleaned from Michael Combrune’s The Theory and Practice of Brewing to produce malts ranging in color from pale to dark so that they could produce different types of beer as required. Sadly we will never really know what kind of beer the brewers of Monticello actually made.What we can be sure of, though, was that the beer was served to an appreciative audience in the dining room where Jefferson welcomed his friends and guests. As Hemings continued brewing the beers for Monticello, requests came in from Jefferson’s acquaintances for a recipe so that they might reproduce the beer they so enjoyed. One such friend was James Barbour, a former governor of Virginia, who wrote that he remembered drinking “some ale at Monticello’ that came from a recipe from some intelligent Briton,” presumably Captain Miller. Barbour was so keen to introduce beer to the life of his plantation that he had built the facilities necessary for malting and brewing.With the material wherewithal to brew ale he requested from his friend the recipe, prompting Jefferson’s well known response that he didn’t believe it possible to brew “from a receipt.” Another fan of the beer being served at Monticello was James Madison, longtime colleague of Jefferson, and the man that succeeded him as president of the United States. Madison’s own plantation, Montpelier, is only about 20 miles from Monticello, and Jefferson encouraged Madison to send someone to participate in the brewing so that he might learn and take that knowledge back there. In the very same letter, Jefferson notes that “our malter and brewerm” presumably Peter Hemings,“is uncommonly intelligent and capable of giving instruction,” an observation that gives us the merest hint of the esteem with which Jefferson held this particular member of the remarkable Hemings clan. We do, however, in the letters of Jefferson to Barbour and Madison, have some insights into the kind of beer that Peter Hemings was producing.We know, for example, that the autumnal brewing consisted of three 60-gallon casks of ale, or about 680 litres, and used a bushel of malt to every eight to ten gallons. A US bushel weighs somewhere between 32 and 34lbs, so at a bushel of malt per 10-gallon cask, you are looking at a starting gravity somewhere around 1.100 or 24° Plato.With a 24° wort, and assuming an attenuation of about 70%, Peter Hemings’ highly regard ale was likely somewhere in the region of 9% abv. In the same letter to Barbour, Jefferson notes that commercial brewers were squeezing fifteen gallons from a single bushel of grain, claiming that such beer was “often vapid.” In many ways the legend that has sprung up around Jefferson and brewing is an Monticello is brewed with malted wheat, flaked corn and torrefied wheat. Starr Hill archetype of the modern craft brewing brewers cook the corn at 190F for 30 minutes in order to bring out all of the corn industry, with Jefferson the first “rock star flavors before cooling and starting the mash. They also add hops grown at Monticello brewer” trading on a rootsy image of into every batch. It is fermented with a house ale strain and is completely unfiltered. self-sufficiency which doesn’t stand up to The corn imparts a unique softness in the flavor and is also perceptible in the inspection. Jefferson may have described aroma. The beer will experience some revisions in 2017. himself as “a brewer for family use” but as

Starr Hill Brewery’s Monticello Reserve Ale

continued

VIRGINIACRAFTBEER.COM

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Growler-like jugs in Jefferson’s Beer Cellar

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DECEMBER 2016

we have seen he didn’t actually engage in the activity of brewing, leaving it to a slave, who Jefferson would never set free, and the stranded Englishman that trained him. The “intelligent Briton” would in time be able to claim the inheritance in Norfolk which had prompted his leaving England just as rumors of war were doing the rounds. The years of neglect though had great diminished the value of his inheritance, and despite Jefferson lobbying for his citizenship of the United States to be recognized given his birth in Maryland, there is no record of him trading as a brewer in the new world, despite Jefferson’s fulsome praise. Eventually Captain Miller’s daughter would purchase an estate just outside Charlottesville. Peter Hemings was the man that brewed the beer that garnered such respect from Jefferson’s contemporaries, yet history turns a blind eye, ignoring him and his many talents – as well as learning malting and brewing, Peter was a skilled chef, having been trained by his older brother James, who himself learnt his craft in Paris while Jefferson was the US ambassador to France. After Jefferson died on July 4, 1826, Peter would be sold on as Martha Jefferson sought to pay off the vast debts built up by her father. Hemings’ new owner would give Peter his manumission and he would see out his free days as a tailor in Charlottesville.” Despite the reality of Monticello’s beers not being brewed by Jefferson in any meaningful sense, there is a deeper truth to be taken from this triumvirate, and that is the centrality of beer to life at the time. Everyone drank beer, from the humblest farm hand to the men that sat in seats of power. The brewing of beer was part and parcel of everyday life for pretty much every household, given that commercial brewing was very much in its infancy, and the skills taught by Miller to Hemings, with Jefferson’s keen eye for observation looking on, were those that had been passed down through generations of Englishmen, on both sides of the Pond. Who knows what was discussed by these men as they stood around the mash tun and kettle during one of the spring or autumn brewing sessions. I can half imagine them having the most mundane of chats, what was growing well in the garden, the price of hops, the continuing building of the University of Virginia, and probably even that perennial favorite, the weather. One thing I feel would be for certain, it wouldn’t be a time of grand political or philosophical exchanges, or even salacious gossip fresh from Main Street in Charlottesville. The conversation would likely weave around the everyday experiences and lives of the brewers of Monticello, just as the beer they were brewing would, given time, take its place as an everyday part of life at the house on the hill.

Explore our great outdoors and enjoy great beer, too. Come tap into that authenticity you crave. Real fields and farms. Pristine waters. Endless mountain views. Hiking trails. Farmers’ markets. Mountain biking. Music festivals. Fascinating small cities. And local characters. We’re all that and more. Wherever your adventures take you, we’ve got a brewery nearby to quench your thirst.

Refresh yourself on the Shenandoah Beerwerks Trail.

@beerwerkstrail Shenandoah Beerwerks @shenandoahbeerwerks

beerwerkstrail.com

Please Drink Responsibly.

VIRGINIACRAFTBEER.COM

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Steve Deason

Unites with Richmond

Three Notch’d Brewing Company

launches second satellite By Steve Deason Head Brewer Stefan McFayden

ave Warwick, founding brewer of Three Notch’d Brewing Company believes “Beer is better with a friend but so is brewing.” Therefore those who know the Great American Beer Festival multi medal winning Warwick should not be surprised that the idea for the RVA Collab House in Richmond was his. Warwick pushed for a pilot brewing system at the original Three Notch’d Brewing in Charlottesville for brewing with community involvement. His partners had some concerns but the ability to also brew test batches and provide a new beer each week for the tasting room won them over. Warwick says their collaborations with charities, businesses, bands, UVA affiliates, hop farmers, and more have helped the brewery build strong relationships in their community. The brewery sponsors a home brew contest yearly and the winner gets to brew their beer on the pilot system and have it served in the taproom. A previous contest winner Elated Coconut Porter was so popular it will be available again in January. When Three Notch’d opened their first satellite location in Harrisonburg, Warwick asked Head Brewer Mary Morgan to brew at least one collaboration a month and “she ran with it.” Harrisonburg collaborations are working well according to Warwick due to Morgan’s friendly personality and her pursuit of local ingredients. Warwick says with a beer

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DECEMBER 2016

mecca like Richmond they knew they had to do something unique. They chose the RVA Collab House name as a declaration of their commitment to build friends through brewing. Twenty-three brewers were interviewed for the RVA Collab House and Stefan McFayden got the job. Warwick says McFayden is “A good kid, a stand-up guy with a great personality. I knew that place was going to be a collaboration house so I wanted somebody who was super friendly, super patient, very warm and welcoming.” He also says “his home brews were phenomenal.” Warwick goes on to describe how their love of McFayden’s Centennial Simcoe IPA was pivotal to the hiring decision. Look for Hops Addition at the RVA Collab House if you want to try this beer for yourself. McFayden says he is most proud of a Hoppy Brett Saison he home brewed. It was his first shot at mixed fermentation but he says he has done many more and lots of sour beers too. Because of contamination risks he hasn’t brewed any Brett or wild yeast beers at RVA Collab House. McFayden is however exploring collaboration with his second cousin David Thornton known for his work with native yeasts at SouthYeast Labs and Carolina Bauernhaus Ales. Although not the Brett recipe, I highly recommend McFayden’s hoppy saison Hudson Hornet. McFayden says he has received a steady

stream of proposals via the “ Collaboration Request Form” link on the Three Notch’d web page. When reviewing requests McFayden focuses on 1. A group with a mission. An organization that supports a great cause. 2) The Cultural Arts Community. 3) Musicians and 4)Those who can provide unique ingredients. McFayden sums up the criteria as there must be “something other than just wanting a beer with their name on it.” He is looking for those groups who are in accord with the brewery’s slogan of “Leave your mark.” After discussing the beer and the concept McFayden and the collaborators set a brew date and release date. On brew day the collaborators join him at eight or nine in the morning to mill grain and mash and boil a three and half barrel brew. McFayden sets a pace where everyone can have fun and he can do a little teaching along the way. Because of this he normally waits until the next day to finish filling the breweries seven barrel fermenter with a second batch. On release day the group and their mission is presented by McFayden and the collaborators. Although some events are off-site, normally the beer is presented at the brewery during “Tap That Thursday” where the first keg is sold for $3 a pint. There is no investment required of the collaborators but some buy kegs for their own use. The inaugural RVA “Tap That Thursday” featured 9th Street Singer Coffee Porter brewed

in collaboration with Confluence Coffee Company. McFayden grew up not far from the brewery’s Scotts Addition location. While attending James Madison University he discovered the range of craft beer at the nearby Jack Brown’s Beer and Burger Joint. After graduation he took up home brewing and then “got serious about it” by expanding his operation and studying brewing for about four years. Once hired McFayden spent several months at the Charlottesville location training on commercial equipment. He also volunteered at Hardywood Park Craft Brewery for their packaging team and poured beers and filled growlers for “Growlers to Go.” His goal was to get to know the local industry folks better before the Collab House opened in October. One of the groups McFayden wants to work with is “First Fridays” Art Walk in Richmond. He used to live in Jackson Ward

and now lives in Carver so he considers the event part of his neighborhood. McFayden would like to feature an “artist of the month” at the taproom. The brewery is too far from the galleries to be part of the actual event so thoughts are to launch the artist program with a collaboration beer the night before. The League of Conservation Voters has expressed interest in collaboration. McFayden says the organization’s focus on the environment and land preservation aligns with the breweries desire to work with local growers. The RVA Collab House worked with Whole Foods to create an Apple Streusel Brown Ale and they are in discussions with several magazines about collaborations including one that would involve a nearby music hall. McFayden says RVA Collab House is very dependent on the other locations especially Charlottesville. The RVA location doesn’t have much storage space

for ingredients nor a keg washer. The Charlottesville brewery will increase production capacity by 300% next year when they move to their new location in the IX Arts Park. The RVA Collab House also serves beer made at their main brewery. Three Notch’d Brewery’s popular Biggie S’mores was released the week before Thanksgiving. In December look for the releases of Brother Barnabas Belgian Triple and Bring the Payne Triple IPA. The founders of Three Notch’d Brewing have plans to do more satellite locations and are shopping for locations. Under consideration are almost every area of Virginia and a few in Maryland. When asked about the experience of being a brewer at a satellite location, McFayden said “the brand is built around Dave Warwick.” Knowing Warwick, I am sure he would say the brand is built around relationships, one collaboration at time.

rva collab house • 2930 west broad street, richmond • threenotchdbrewing.com/rvacollabhouse

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of an

Old Salt By Jefferson Evans and Chuck Triplett - 40 -

DECEMBER 2016

Jefferson Evans

The Wisdom

he man has been around. He is like part of the bedrock of the greater Washington D.C. area brewing scene. He ain’t the chattiest of brewers but his humor is wry, his eyes are piercing, and his words carry great weight. Bill Madden is the truth. Mad Fox has a 15-barrel brewing system.What changes has the system seen since the brewpub opened in July 2010? “The system has basically stayed the same because we would have to tear down walls to do anything major,” Madden said.“We did replace our filter with finings, which created some space. The usual lifespan of a new system is to be okay for six or seven years; issues start to occur at 10-plus years, things like stress fractures in tanks, doors needing to be replaced, and such. I’ve never been at a brewery long enough to experience those 10-year issues but hope to.” Kristi Griner (who refers to Bill as her beer guru) is someone he talks to about such issues; the irony being that Kristi brews on the 10-plus-year-old system that Bill brewed on many years at Capital City Shirlington, starting back in 1995. What is the current business environment like? “It’s a tough market these days,” said Madden.“There are so many breweries opening up and it is putting a lot of strain on everyone. If you aren’t the new thing then you are an old salt. In 2014, there were something like 40 breweries in Virginia and I knew practically all the brewers and brewery owners, but now there are so many it feels like I can barely scratch the surface.” How is business outside of the original brewpub? “Business at the taproom in Glover Park is starting to pick up –finally,” Madden shared.“It has felt like that things have been waiting for the election to resolve.We have a small number of accounts in DC, but just don’t have the bodies to chase that. Four or five years ago it was easy to sell in DC, but the market now is craft savvy with lots more options. The [Nats] stadium is fantastic. The guys at the loading dock, who know the best who moves how much beer, keep asking us what we’re putting in the beer.” Bill describes how well the breweries at the stadium (Mad Fox, Port City, DC Brau, 3 Stars, Old Ox, Heritage) work together. Levy Restaurants runs those stands and has mentioned that it has been a

mad fox brewing company • 444 W Broad St, Falls Church

Bill Madden behind the bar at Mad Fox Brewing Company

pleasure to work with the breweries. To date Mad Fox has not done any canning, but has done some limited runs of mostly barrel-aged beers in the bottle. Like many brewers, even though Bill works with more than one barrel broker, with so many breweries doing barrel-aged beers, availability is limited and costs are high. He mentions, too, the challenge of tracking the barrels and how there have been times they let beer sit in the barrel longer than was really productive, which can accomplish little sometimes beyond increasing the Angel’s share. As to festivals, he is a founding father, having been a primary force behind the Shirlington Oktoberfest festival. He mentions that while Mad Fox puts on a number of festivals, the impact is less and less given how busy the beer calendar is. That said, the Mad Fox Hoptoberfest always does well, followed by the Barleywine Fest, Springbockfest, and cask beer fest. “A new beer drinking generation is coming of age now, having never been without a plethora of craft beer options,” observes Madden.“That said, when it comes to cask beer it would be nice if more brewers did traditional styles. I don’t need gummi bears or lucky charms in my cask beer.” Bill teaches real life brewing and his students have landed near and far, whether Charlie Buettner of Fair Winds, Mike Morris of Crank Arm or Kevin Kozak of Front Street Brewery of Wilmington, NC. The old salt keeps spreading the good word, whether or not that new beer drinking generation realizes where their plethora of choices comes from.

madfoxbrewing.com VIRGINIACRAFTBEER.COM

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Bull Island Brewing:

Chris Jones

Hampton’s Newest Craft Brewery

By Diane Catanzaro and Chris Jones

ast March, Doug Reier was on vacation out west, in the Reno/Sparks area of Nevada. Perhaps he went to Reno,“the biggest little city in the world,” for a little R&R before he started a new venture, building a new brewery on the Hampton,VA waterfront. So Doug, interested in the Nevada beer scene, ambled into the production brewery for Great Basin Brewing Company, Nevada’s oldest and most award-winning craft brewery, and asked a young guy he meets if he can buy some a beer. The guy tells him nope, can’t, because of a Nevada law that prohibits breweries above a certain size from direct sales, but if Doug sticks around until the guy finishes some work, he’ll give him a beer. Free beer, now that’s a winning hand in a town crawling with casinos, so Doug waits, then finds himself drinking Great Basin beer, with the 27-year-old head brewer for Great Basin, Thomas Lee. The two of them taste and talk, and Doug tells Thomas of his plans to open a seven-barrel brewery in Hampton,Virginia. Thomas, intrigued, asks Doug if he’s hired a head brewer yet, and Doug said no. Thomas says he knows someone who might be interested. A bit later in the conversation the identity of the prospective brewer is revealed, and it’s Thomas himself! In a gambling town, Doug and Thomas had placed their bets, on each other. In the next few weeks, Doug flew Thomas “back east,” to check out the 757’s beer scene and the Hampton riverfront location where Doug was building a brewery. Something clicked, and in early October, Thomas Lee left the - 42 -

DECEMBER 2016

Bull Island Owner Doug Reier and writer Diane Catanzaro

Truckee River and the Silver State for the Hampton River and the Old Dominion, and is now head brewer for Doug Reier’s Bull Island Brewing Company located on the Hampton, VA waterfront. Bull Island Brewing Company is located on the Hampton waterfront at 758 Settlers Landing Rd. Driving or walking over, it is not easy to see from the street, being tucked away in the office/parking garage building across the brick courtyard from the Crowne Plaza Hotel. The beauty in the brewery’s location jumps out at you if you approach it from the river, as a gaggle of friendly marauding pirates did at Bull Island’s grand opening party in late October. One of the best sights a salty sailor or plundering pirate can see as they pull up to the dock and step ashore is a brewery and tasting room beckoning like a suds-soaked siren. Or, is it a malted manatee? There is no better port call for a malt-starved mariner after some aweigh time than a brewery. Landlubbers will feel just as welcome, and can even venture out on the Miss Hampton II for a harbor cruise, which has daily cruises that depart from the waterfront just a few steps from the brewery. Other activities within

short walking distance are the Virginia Air and Space Museum with its NASA-related exhibits and IMAX Theater and the shops and restaurants on Queens Way and Wine Street. Beer hunters may wish to visit Venture, the Taphouse on Queensway, Marker 20, the Conch & Bucket, or La Bodega Hampton. As soon as you enter the brewery, brewer Thomas Lee’s sense of humor is evident, with pop culture names given to the mash vessel, fermenters and bright tanks.Your beer got started in the Monster Mash vessel, and at some point either fermented or was clarified and carbonated in Hawkeye, Kramer, Rosie, or Ziggy, and other such names. There’s also malted musings in their somewhat eclectic beer list. For their soft opening they had their five flagship beers on tap: Dare Double Stout; King Street Kolsch; Laura’s Favorite Belgian Tripel; Queen’s Way IPA; and Waterman’s Wheat. For their grand opening on 29 October, they added an Oyster Jalapeno Porter and a Pumpkin Brown Ale. By mid-November the plan was to have nine different things on tap, and by January, an even ten. Their beers are tasty. The Double Stout is an English Imperial Stout, a bit bitter,

and quite warming at almost 8% ABV. The kolsch is, well, kolschy, and something you can knock back easily at 4.8% ABV. Laura’s Favorite Belgian Tripel, one of Doug’s recipes, tastes like its right out of Brugge. The Queen’s Way IPA, a West Coast style, is a big hop bomb and a handful of fun at 6.8% ABV. The Waterman’s Wheat is a delicious American-style wheat beer, and at 4.6% ABV, a fine thirst quencher. The Pumpkin Brown was pumpkin and brown as one would expect, and was a treat, not a trick. The most unusual offering was the Oyster Jalapeno Porter. At 5% ABV it was not too big and not to small, and it was rich and roasted with hints of chocolate in it. The hook? The peppers! We don’t know how they did it, but they captured the inherent heat of the jalapeno, and as an added bonus, captured that smells-like-a-fresh-cut-just-pickedwhoa-hot-pepper pop. As tasty as their beers are, you’d think Mr. Lee had been brewing forever. Forever is a relative term in this case, because he’s only 27, so in Thomas’ case, forever is three years. Three years! You know how many a brewer got their start as a homebrewer, and spent

years as a kitchen zymurgist, perfecting recipes before getting into the brewing biz? Thomas was a homebrewer for five months before getting an opportunity to brew in Great Basin Brewing’s production facility.“I had the feeling this was what I was meant to do in a way,” he told us.When he first visited Great Basin, he was bowled over by brewing. He said “Man that looks like fun! (Brewers) making their own schedule …music’s cranked up … the best people I know are brewers … I want to be one of those guys!” And now he is. So what does it take to brew in a sevenbarrel brewery like Bull Island? Well, a strong back for starters. Delivery trucks can’t drive up to the brewery’s doors, so grain, 2,000 pounds at a time, has to be manually moved from curbside to the brewery grain storage area. That’s done by maneuvering a hand-operated pallet jack loaded with a ton of grain 128 steps from curbside to inside. If Thomas is going to whip up a batch of IPA, he needs to load and crush about 700 pounds of grains to do so, so he’s going to move 14 bags at 50 pounds per bag, from the storage area to the grain mill. Then, lift that

barge, tote that bale, he’s going to pick up 14 bags, hoist them over his shoulder, slice them open, and gently empty them into the mill.When the brewing is done, the brewer must kneel on the floor to empty the grain from that mash vessel, and that grain is now wet and substantially heavier.Why onto the floor? There’s a rectangular opening near the bottom of that mash tank, around 14 inches by 10 inches, too small to get a shovel into, and it’s less than knee-high from the floor. So how does Thomas get it emptied? By hand, using a stainless steel hoe, scraping the contents into plastic tubs that’ll weigh around 100 pounds each when filled.We asked Thomas if his brewer gig came with a gym membership, and he said no, but he didn’t think he’d need one thanks to the workout he’ll get brewing at Bull Island. Check out his biceps, colorfully tattooed with hops and barley, and you will agree. Check the website for tasting room hours and get thee to Bull Island. There is plenty of free parking at surface lots between Settlers Landing and Queensway, and the parking garage for the Crown Plaza is extremely convenient although it may not be free.

bull island brewing • 758 Settlers Landing Rd, Hampton • bullislandbrewing.com

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LOST RHINO BREWING COMPANY 21730 Red Rum Dr., Ashburn, VA 20147 Tasting Room Hours: Mon Closed | Tue - Thur 11:30am–9pm | Fri-Sat 11:30am–10pm | Sun 12pm–5pm Check out our newest beers @ lostrhino.com |

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Green Flash COO Chris Ross in the Virginia Beach tasting room

Green Flash

Opens in Virginia Beach By Jeff Maisey

reen Flash Brewing Company is now officially open in Virginia Beach. Pony up to the bar and order a pint of West Coast IPA, Passion Fruit Kicker, Soul Style IPA, Jive IPA, Hoppy Birthday, or Sea to Sea Lager, a crisp golden lager brewed in celebration of the Virginia Beach location. Also available are beers from their recently acquired Alpine Beer Company, including Alpine Mandarin Nectar and the rare Pure Hoppiness. Green Flash is the second West Coast craft brewery to open in Virginia. (Stone Brewing opened in Richmond this spring) As breweries from the Left Coast expand their distribution, they have strategically sought locations in the Mid-Atlantic region to better service consumers east of the Mississippi while reducing transportation costs and providing a fresher, less expensive product. In Virginia Beach, Evan Chamberlin will serve as the head brewer. Chamberlin is joined by three other brewers from the San

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DECEMBER 2016

Diego home base as well as an additional crew of six from Virginia. Chamberlin is excited about the East Coast location. “The water here is perfect for IPAs,” he said. That’s a plus given the brewery’s notoriety for producing exceptional IPAs. Overseeing Green Flash Brewing Company’s Virginia Beach operation has been COO Chris Ross. Ross said the Virginia Beach brewery will feature a state-of-the-art automated packaging system. These cases of bottled beer as well as kegged brew will be housed with the brewery’s cold storage (giant refrigerator) which can hold some 80,000 cases of beer. Ross expects the brewery will see 15 to 25 truckloads of beer depart the dock each week for points north and south. On the retail sales side of the business, Ross said Virginia will have its own rep based in Richmond. Philadelphia and New York City will also have one person devoted to promoting the Green Flash

brands through events, tap takeovers and tastings. As construction was still underway in Virginia Beach, with crews installing monstrous fermenting and brite tanks, Chris Ross gave me a tour of the brewery. Here’s an excerpt of what he had to share. The tasting room features a bar for buying pints and six-packs to go and then a separate bar for growler fills. Why two different bars? This is set up very similar to San Diego. We have a tasting bar. We have a growler bar where you can also buy a case or kegs to-go. That will also be the tour bar where people come in for tours. They’ll sign in. When you go on a tour you get to taste four beers. We have an event room for private functions that has its own bar with room for 12 taps. It has a roll-up garage door which opens to a private beer garden separated

from the main beer garden. It is an indoor/ outdoor event space for weddings, business meetings etc. It will be set up with an audio/visual system for slides, movies and that kind of thing. It also has a prep kitchen for catering and any food service that’s needed. It is something we did not have in San Diego. We had the space here to do it so we thought it’d be really nice. Can you give us some sense of the production side of the brewery? The brewhouse where we make the barley into wort is the exact same system we have in San Diego. It’s a 50-barrel system. When you get into the cellar where the beer is fermented and where wort gets turned into beer with the addition of yeast, all those tanks are the same size and manufacturer as the ones in San Diego. What we’ve tried to do is replicate the exact equipment so the process can be duplicated very easily. The idea is to keep the beer exactly as it is in San Diego. The San Diego facility right now is maxed out at 100,000 barrels a year capacity. This facility (Virginia Beach) is also designed to do 100,000 barrels. So far we’ve only put half the fermentation tanks in to start. The first phase will be to see if we can keep the thirsty people on the East Coast well satisfied, and then when the demand gets to the point where we need to add more fermenting tanks we’ll just add more. The first Stone beer off the Richmond assembly line was its IPA. Can we assume the first Green Flash beer made in Virginia Beach will be the West Coast IPA?

What did Green Flash see in Virginia Beach as an ideal location for East Coast production and distribution? That gets back to the whole business case for putting a second brewery somewhere. Go back to what the company was thinking three or four years ago. The San Diego brewery was nearing capacity. First of all, the brewery moved there (San Diego) from a small brewery in Vista, California, which was where Green Flash was founded. In 2011, we opened up the facility in San Diego and that had half the capacity it does now. So it is a similar situation. We put the brewhouse in – a 50-barrel system – and quickly had to put in the additional fermentation tanks in to get it to 100 barrels. As they were doing that, we asked, what’s our next move? Then the discussion began, do we continue to find additional space in San Diego and build another big brewery in San Diego, or perhaps we look somewhere else. At the time Green Flash was expanding well beyond California. There are lots of big breweries in San Diego including Ballast Point and Stone. As it turns out we were the first San Diego brewery to be in all 50 states, which was kind of unusual for a brewery our size. Given that and that there was high demand on the East Coast it turned out Virginia and Pennsylvania were our two largest states (in sales) next to California. We thought we should have our brewery on the East Coast because all of our beer

is shipped on refrigerated trucks. It’s expensive to get the beer from San Diego to the East Coast. It affects our pricing. The conclusion was the best place to put the brewery was going to be Wilmington, North Carolina. Virginia Beach was actually the preferred location. That’s the one everyone on the selection committee liked, however the state law at that time did not permit tasting rooms in breweries. To us it is such an important part of who we are. The purpose of the tasting room is to engage customers and have customers see how much we love to make beer, and be part of the process. Without that it was a no-go for us. As we were walking down the path to lock-in the Wilmington location the state law (of Virginia) changed. It happened at the right time for us. We selected the site. The city of Virginia Beach was very kind to us, and so here we are. What makes Virginia Beach better for us than Wilmington is that this is the largest metropolitan area in Virginia. That’s just permanent population. You have this influx of tourists during the summer, spring and fall that makes it more attractive. We want the brand to be exposed to as many people as possible. The other thing that is really excellent is we can get the one-day freight between Miami and Boston from Virginia. You can also do as far west as the Mississippi River. Our plan is to supply beer from this facility to everywhere east of the Mississippi.

It will probably be one of three beers: the West Coast IPA, Soul Style or Alpine Duet. Those are our best selling beers, and we plan to have those on draft. Which one gets done first? I’ll leave that to the brewers. They may have this method where they stage production based on yeast management, and one beer might be better to do first if they can reuse yeast. But it will be one of those three beers. Will there be at some point a Green Flash East Coast IPA? Everybody keeps asking that.You can’t say never, but it’s not currently on the radar. The beer that we had made specifically to honor the opening of this brewery was really the Sea to Sea Lager, which is a great summertime beer. It has Neptune on the can. That’s what we want to be the known beer for this facility.

West Coast IPA will flow in Virginia Beach

green flash brewing • 1209 craft lane, virginia beach • greenflashbrew.com VIRGINIACRAFTBEER.COM

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Young Veterans brewmaster Neil McCanon and president Tom Wilder in the newly expanded tasting room

Young Veterans Talk Tasting Room Expansion By Jeff Maisey

oung Veterans Brewing Company, in Virginia Beach, re-opened its expanded tasting room on November 11 – Veterans Day. The spacious bar and retail area features high, Army green walls, black ceiling, camouflage backdrop behind the bar, and lots of taps. I recently caught up with brewmaster Neil McCanon and president Tom Wilder to learn more about their enhanced craft brewery. Can you share your vision of the thematic interior décor of the new tasting room? Tom: We have steel signs that were made by Farside Fabrications. The bathroom sign says,“Head, Latrine and Restroom.” So we’ve covered everyone: civilians, marines, army, and their terminology for the bathroom. We’ve designated a section at the bar that says “hurry up and wait here.” That’s where you order your beer. Our new bar is twice as long as it was before, and its decked out in aged steel and riveted together.We wanted it to look like an old submarine. We put in a 400-square-foot cooler. All of our taps come right through the wall

Tom: That’s our Canteen Command corner. now. Additionally, we’ve put in beer garden They’re stainless steel and personalized for tables. Neil and I have a special place in our hearts for German beer and German culture. the individual who drinks out of that mug. All their mugs stay here.We all have jackets that Neil: I think our long-term aesthetic is we wear. There’s a fee to join, but you get a towards that nostalgic World War II imagery jacket, mug, stainless steel growler and other that we love so much. It inspired some of our merchandise, along with special privileges design choices.We have a lot more of that up throughout the year. A lot of the breweries on the walls now. have jumped on this and started doing it too. Tom: We converted ammo cans as light fixtures. They are 50-caliber ammo cans that The upgraded tasting room officially opened on November 11 – Veterans Day we installed lights into and put them around – which is always a big occasion for your the perimeter.We also did the exposed brewery, right? ductwork.We wanted to go with olive drab and black and steel. Neil: We combined it with Buy a Veteran a The idea for the camouflage is I watch Beer, which is a program we’ve done now the show “M*A*S*H” and I will often times for all three years where people have an think of ways to decorate our place with that opportunity to come in the taproom and appeal to it. The camo net was definitely an pre-purchase a beer for a veteran.When idea I got from watching “M*A*S*H.” a veteran comes in they can get up to two Neil: We have a Vietnam-era mural plan for the far wall.We’re going to use the space also for military heritage items. One of the things we’re looking for the most is local military heritage pieces.

beers that day bought by someone else.

You also have a section of a wall filled with hanging mugs. What is your mug club all about?

Neil: We recently joined up with a Veterans Beer Alliance out in Colorado. There are 20plus veteran-owned breweries.

Tom: That’s now been picked up by Bold Mariner. They have a Buy a Veteran a Beer program. So does Heritage Brewing Company (Manassas,VA).

young veterans brewing company • 2505 horse pasture road, virginia beach • yvbc.com - 46 -

DECEMBER 2016

In addition to the tasting room, you’ve also expanded your brewing capacity to keep up with demand. What can you tell us about your upgrade? Neil: We just finished our inaugural batches of Goat Locker, GI Pilsner and our Pineapple Grenade – the flagship beer for us. Our maximum production capacity before was 1,000 barrels.We came in around 900 (barrels per year). Now we hope to get in the 3,000 barrel range.We’ve been prepping the market via Beltway Brewing and their (contract) production of Pineapple Grenade. We had a 3-barrel brewhouse, and now we have a 20-barrel. That 3-barrel, direct-fire was pretty much a big home-brew system. So it took a lot of work to maintain quality and pump out a lot of beer on that system.What we have now is a fully modernized 20-barrel. It has the Siemens controls on it. It’s a leap and long jump ahead of what we had before. Pineapple Granade is your flagship beer. It is also unique in that it is a pineapple infused hefeweizen. How do you see this brand gaining more traction both within the 757 and beyond? Neil: One of the things we’ve thought was with the increase in craft breweries and the inability of any restaurant to add a whole lot more taps is getting one tap. That’s what you want to do. Get that flagship out there.We want to push Pineapple Grenade into the rest of Virginia, especially focused more here regionally. Hampton Roads still has the ability to absorb more growth in that brand.We just recently got into major grocery store chains and places we couldn’t before because we didn’t have the volume. So we can still grow in the local area, and then the rest of the state.We’d also like to aim regionally – DC and North Carolina. Tom: That (uniqueness) has helped with its marketability. It has really great artwork so it looks really cool. There have been times when people associated Pineapple Grenade with girliness, and that was one of the reasons why we did not go that route with the pineapple image. It’s not a girly drink. It’s a hefeweizen with pineapple in it. It’s a flavorful craft beer with fruit infusion. It’s for everybody. Our intention with that beer was to be unique but also to fill that demand for locally brewed Blue Moon.You’ve got Blue Moon and Shock Top out there, but they are owned by Miller-Coors or Anheuser-Busch and there’s not a good brewed wheat beer that is brewed locally. There are a lot of great hefeweizens out there. Ours just takes it to a new level. I’ve also seen an increase in pineapple additions into several different beers. But when we started making Pineapple Grenade the only other pineapple beer that I knew of was from Maui Brewing in Hawaii. Beyond Pineapple Grenade is there another brand you’d like to develop as a secondary A-list beer? Neil: I think at this point we’re talking about our GI Pilsner in a big way. It’s got a lot of appeal for lager drinkers, but as a traditional German pilsner it’s got more body than they’re used to. It’s a clean, delicious beer. On the GI Pilsner label we went with an ammo can. If you look at the ammo cans in our taproom it’s designed after that. Tom: It’s just as simple as it can be for anybody who wants to grab a six-pack of lager, take it home and drink it. I definitely see a market for lagers and pilsners. That’s sort of growing now. People are looking for a local option to the beer they consume the most. If it happens to be Budweiser or Miller and they want a local option that’s GI Pilsner. VIRGINIACRAFTBEER.COM

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brew Woody Stout

Santa’s Little Helper

Hampton

Norfolk

St. George Brewing Company

Last year this excellent bourbon barrel aged stout won a silver medal in the World Beer Championship and we can see why. First and foremost its ultra smooth and flavor-forward with a sensual smoked coffee appeal with caramel and chocolate. Put another log on the fire and enjoy. 6.8% ABV

Some dragons aren’t meant to be slain. Consume the entire six-pack of this big (9% ABV), dark, malty beast of a beer and you’ll be in the grip of something stronger than thy self. Take it slow, resist mo’ and enjoy the deliciousness of this full bodied winter brew two or three in one sitting. Charm this dragon, don’t fight it.

Ashburn

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Imperial Stout

Lost Rhino Brewing Company

DECEMBER 2016

Smartmouth Brewing Company

This Red IPA is dry-hopped and features a crisp, sweet, spicy aroma. The chocolate and caramel malts are balanced with the spicy Centennial and rye flavors giving a clean, smooth finish. Santa’s Little Helper is part of Smartmouth’s Bright Idea Series and the fun illustrations on the 750 ML bottle remind us why we sometimes need a little help getting through the holidays! 6.6% ABV

Czeched Out

Wild Wolf Brewing Company Nellysford

This Czech style pilsner is brewed with traditional Saaz hops. Saaz hops originated in Bohemia and are considered one of four noble hops, hops which are low in bitterness and high in aroma. They are the main component in Czech style pilsners. The result is a very crisp and clean finish. Straw in color, with a toasted, bready malt aroma and medium hop bitterness, this is a noble beer – perfect for your next gathering! 5% ABV

Winter White

Legend Brewing Company Richmond

Warm up with a winterized version of a classic Belgian Witbier. Legend uses a blend of Belgian malts and wheat in the mash to create a rich, sweet body and tangy crispness. Spicy hops blend with coriander and orange peel and then, combine with an authentic Belgian yeast strain to create this winter warmer. 5% ABV

Blood Orange

Bold Rock Cider Nellysford

Bold Rock Hard Cider’s new seasonal Bold Rock Blood Orange is a unique blend of blood orange juice and local Blue Ridge apples. It has a distinct hazy orange color that is reminiscent of orange soda or juice. It features a crisp tartness and a tangy citrus flavor with a smooth dry finish. This light and refreshing cider is perfect to drink on its own or paired with a meal. Plus, it’s naturally gluten free. 4.7% ABV

reviews

VIRGINIACRAFTBEER.COM

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jimmy and the jawbones bring it on the strings december 10th at damascus brewery BLUE RIDGE HIGHLANDS

Holiday Open House at Foggy Ridge

Live Music at Damascus Brewery

Sat. & Sun., Dec. 17 & 18 Celebrate the holidays on our last open weekend of the season. Enjoy cider, holiday snacks, and music of the season. $7 tasting fee includes commemorative glass. Foggy Ridge Cider 1328 Pineview Road Dugspur 276.398.2337 foggyridgecider.com

Sat., Dec. 3, 10, & 17, 7-10pm 12/3 – You Knew Me When, 12/10 – Jimmy and The Jawbones, 12/17 - David and Valerie Mayfield Damascus Brewery 32173 Government Rd. Damascus

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DECEMBER 2016

Live Music at Right Turn Clyde Sat., Dec. 3, 5-9pm Music by Farmhouse Ghost and food by Till and Grill Right Turn Clyde Brewery 300 Main Street Narrows 540.921.7283

CENTRAL VIRGINIA Cards Against Humanity SIN Night at Strangeways Every Monday, 4-9pm Good beer, insane laughter, & extreme inappropriateness! Bring a team of 4-7 people and the game. Plus, if you are in the service industry, receive 20% off specials. Strangeways Brewing 2277A Dabney Rd. Richmond strangewaysbrewing.com

Game Night at Garden Grove Brewing Every Monday 3445 West Cary Street Richmond 804.918.6158 gardengrovebrewing.com

Rib Night at Wild Wolf Every Monday, 5-10pm Wild Wolf Brewing Company 2461 Rockfish Valley Hwy. Nellysford wildwolfbeer.com

$2 Tuesdays at South Street Brewery Every Tuesday until 9pm $2 draft beers (under 8% ABV) 106 South Street Charlottesville 434.293.6550 southstreetbrewery.com Brewer Tap Spotlight at

Pint Specials at Wild Wolf Every Tuesday, 5-9pm Wild Wolf Brewing Company 2461 Rockfish Valley Hwy. Nellysford wildwolfbeer.com

World of Beer Every Wednesday, 6pm Featuring a handful of carefully selected beers, showcasing the true talents of the featured brewery being represented. Come early and grab yourself a glass with purchase of a featured brew! World of Beer 852 W. Main Street Charlottesville 434.760.0771 worldofbeer.com/locations/ charlottesville

Steal the Pint at Starr Hill Every Wednesday A different pint glass each week and specials on growler fills on any core brand. Starr Hill Tap Room 5391 Three Notched Road Crozet starrhill.com

Steal the Pint at Wild Wolf Every Wednesday With any $4 pint purchase, receive a pint glass to take home. Wild Wolf Brewing Company 2461 Rockfish Valley Hwy. Nellysford 434.361.0088 wildwolfbeer.com

Trivia Night at Garden Grove Brewing Every Wednesday 3445 West Cary Street Richmond 804.918.6158 gardengrovebrewing.com

SERVING LUNCH, DINNER & AMAZING BEER

7 DAYS A WEEK WWW.SOUTHSTREETBREWERY.COM | (434) 293-6550

Happy Hour at Blue Bee Cider Every Thursday Featuring new ciders on draft as part of the small batch cider draft program. 212 W. 6th Street Richmond 804.231.0280 bluebeecider.com

Hardywood Winter Court Every Thursday, 5:30-9pm Up to 6 food trucks on site. Hardywood Park Craft Brewery 2420 Ownby Lane Richmond

WE PROUDLY SUPPORT OUR IMMEDIATE COMMUNITY BY SERVING FINELY CRAFTED PRODUCTS FROM NEIGHBORING BUSINESSES

Trivia Night at Wild Wolf Every Thursday Tacos & Trivia Wild Wolf Brewing Company 2461 Rockfish Valley Hwy. Nellysford wildwolfbeer.com

Friday Cheers at Blue Mountain Barrel House Every Friday, 5-9pm Enjoy live music from 6-8pm and food trucks 5-9pm 495 Cooperative Way Arrington 434.263.4002 bluemountainbrewery.com

Live Music at Wild Wolf Every Friday & Saturday, 7-10pm No cover. Wild Wolf Brewing Company 2461 Rockfish Valley Hwy. Nellysford wildwolfbeer.com RESTAURANT HOURS Mon. - Sat. 11am - 10pm Sun. 11am - 9pm | 9519 Critzers Shop Rd, Afton, VA 22920 (540) 456-8020 | www.bluemountainbrewery.com

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Get in the holiday spirit and help Champion Brewing Company

celebrate it’s 4th Anniversary

on Friday, December 23 from 4-11pm. Enjoy a new beer release and jazz interpretations of Christmas classics by Charles Owens Quartet. VA Beer & Wine Tasting at Michie Tavern

Local Bucket Sunday at World of Beer

Concealed Darkness Release & Pig Roast

Hardywood Christmas Morning Release

Every Sat. & Sun., 1-4pm Enjoy tastings from VA craft breweries and wineries. Michie Tavern’s General Store 683 Thomas Jefferson Parkway Charlottesville 434.977.1234

Every Sunday Get specials on local beers for the local beer bucket offering on Sundays. 852 W. Main Street Charlottesville

Sat., Dec. 3, 1-10pm Live music by Mikrowaves, Great American Canyon Band, & Lobo Marino. Hardywood Park Craft Brewery 2420 Ownby Lane Richmond

Brunch at Blue Mountain Brewery

Thurs., Dec.1, 7-9pm Multi-course beer, cider, and food pairing. Reservations required. Wild Wolf Brewing Company 2461 Rockfish Valley Hwy. Nellysford 434.361.0088

Sat., Dec. 3, 10am-3pm Dark Hollow Reserve and two variants available for purchase. Live music at 12pm. Special brewery tours, special beer tappings throughout the day. Free buffet. Blue Mountain Barrel House 495 Cooperative Way Arrington 434.263.4002 bluemountainbrewery.com

Every Sunday, 11am-2pm Enjoy live music 2:30-5pm 9519 Critzer Shop Rd. Afton 540.456.8020 bluemountainbrewery.com

Brunch at Wild Wolf Every Sunday Live Music from 2-5pm; No Cover Wild Wolf Brewing Company 2461 Rockfish Valley Hwy. Nellysford wildwolfbeer.com

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DECEMBER 2016

Cider & Beer Dinner at Wild Wolf

Fireside Film Series at Bold Rock Cider Fri., Dec. 2 & 30, 8-10pm Enjoy a family friendly movie the first Friday of the month and an adult focused movie on the lasts Friday of the month. Food and hard cider will be available for purchase. 1020 Rockfish Valley Highway Nellysford 434.361.1030 boldrock.com

Dirt to the 5K Sat., Dec. 3, 8am-9pm 5K - $20 includes race day t-shirt and a free beer. Proceeds benefit Children’s Miracle Network Wood Ridge Farm Brewery 165 Old Ridge Road Lovingston

Richmond Craft Mania Handmade Holiday Sat., Dec. 3, 12-7pm, Sun., Dec. 4, 12-5pm Hardywood Park Craft Brewery 2420 Ownby Lane Richmond

Brew Ridge Trail Collaboration Release Sun., Dec. 4 Blue Ridge Trail Week celebrates the commemoration of WWI and WWII with a Collaboration Release “A Beer to End all Wars” at Wild Wolf Brewing Company. Wild Wolf Brewing Company 2461 Rockfish Valley Hwy. Nellysford 434.361.0088 brewridgetrail.com

Plant Night at Center of the Universe

Holiday Yuletide Extravaganza at Blue Mountain Brewery

Tues., Dec. 6, 7-9pm Terrarium Building Workshop $55 includes all supplies. Center of the Universe 11293 Air Park Rd. Ashland

Thurs., Dec. 8, 4-7pm Fun for the whole family! Holiday music & hot chocolate with Santa & his elves. 9519 Critzer Shop Rd. Afton 540.456.8020 bluemountainbrewery.com

March of Dimes Community Tap Night Wed., Dec. 7 James River Brewery 561 Valley Street Scottsville

VMI Keydets Holiday Party Wed., Dec. 7, 6-9pm Steam Bell will be hosting a holiday party for all RVA area VMI Keydets and their families. Enjoy A1e, a new beer release created specifically for the VMI community. Steam Bell Beer Works 1717 E. Oak Lake Blvd. Midlothian

Strawberry Fields Silver Tree Mini Wreath Workshop at Isley Wed., Dec. 14 Create an everlasting simplistic winter wreath using botanical leaves. No experience necessary! $35 per person includes all materials. Isley Brewing Company 1715 Summit Ave. Richmond

Hardywood Kentucky Christmas Morning Release Sat., Dec. 10, 1-10pm 4 bottle limit Hardywood Park Craft Brewery 2420 Ownby Lane Richmond

Namaste for a Beer Yoga

Live Music at Castleburg Brewery

Sat., Dec. 10 & 24, 11am-12:15pm For beginners with options for advanced. $10 Strangeways Brewing 2277 Dabney Road Richmond

Sat., Dec. 17, 6-9pm Featuring Commonwealth Bluegrass Band Castleburg Brewery 1626 Ownby Lane Richmond

Câ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ville Charity Pub Crawl

Hops & Hymns

Sun., Dec. 11, 12-7pm Holiday themed pub crawl in Charlottesville to support local charities. Random Row Brewing Co. 608 Preston Ave. Charlottesville randomrow.com

Sun., Dec. 18 & Jan. 15, 7-9pm Enjoy singing your favorite hymns with friends while sipping on delicious JRB brew. James River Brewery 561 Valley Street Scottsville

History Happy Hour

Champion 4th Anniversary & Holiday Party

Mon., Dec. 12, 6:30-8pm The Civil War continues to shape American life today. Join us to explore Civil War memory and how different generations have either carefully remembered or forgotten aspects of the war to fit their points of view. Capital Ale House 623 E. Main Street Richmond 804.649.1861

Fri., Dec. 23, 4-11pm Celebrate Championâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 4th Anniversary with the release of our first spontaneously-fermented wild saison. Charles Owens Quartet will be performing their jazz interpretations of Christmas classics. Champion Brewing Company 324 6th St. SE Charlottesville championbrewingcompany.com

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Celebrate the Holidays with Foggy Ridge Cider at their season finale December 17 & 18. Enjoy cider samples, holiday snacks, and music

of the season as you peruse a wide array of cider related gift ideas and seasonal treats. New Year’s Eve at Blue Mountain Brewery

New Year’s Eve Party at Wild Wolf

Music of Indonesia at Hardywood Hardywood Bourbon Barrel Sun., Jan. 15, 3-5pm Sidamo Coffee Stout Release

Sat., Dec. 31, 3-8pm Family friendly New Year’s Eve celebration with sparkling cider toasts and countdowns to New Year (4:30 & 7:30pm). 9519 Critzer Shop Rd. Afton 540.456.8020 bluemountainbrewery.com

Sat., Dec. 31, 7:30pm-midnight Enjoy cocktails, a 3 course dinner, music, and champagne toast. $40 per person in advance by 12/24; $50 after 12/24 Wild Wolf Brewing Company 2461 Rockfish Valley Hwy. Nellysford wildwolfbeer.com

Enjoy music of Gamelan Raga Kusuma and Rumput. Gamelan is a sight to behold, performing on bronze percussion instruments accompanied by a highly formalized dance. Rumput is a collective of musicians who perform stringband music of Indonesia. Hardywood Park Craft Brewery 2420 Ownby Lane Richmond

New Year’s Eve Party at Steam Bell Sat., Dec. 31, 8pm-1am Ticketed NYE celebration! Steam Bell Beer Works 1717 E. Oak Lake Blvd. Midlothian - 54 -

DECEMBER 2016

Sat., Jan. 28, 1-10pm Hardywood Park Craft Brewery 2420 Ownby Lane Richmond

COASTAL VIRGINIA Trivia Night at Wasserhund Every Monday, 7-9pm Wasserhund Brewing Company 1805 Laskin Road Virginia Beach 757.351.1326 wasserhundbrewing.com

Trivia Night at Home Republic

Firkin Friday at Cogans North

Every Tuesday, 7pm Featuring Smartmouth Live Trivia Home Republic 328 Laskin Rd. Virginia Beach 757.226.9593 homerepublicvabeach.com

Every Friday A new firkin is tapped each week. 4311 Colley Avenue Norfolk 757.627.6428 coganspizza.com

Big Ugly Running Posse Every Wednesday Join Big Ugly Running Posse for a 1, 3, or 5 mile run starting at Big Ugly. Then, reward yourself with a beer! Big Ugly Brewing Company 1296 Battlefield Blvd. Chesapeake biguglybrewing.com

Trivia Night at Alewerks Every Wednesday, 7pm Alewerks Taproom 189-B Ewell Rd. Williamsburg alewerks.com

Team Trivia at Tradition Every Wednesday, 7pm Tradition Brewing Company 700 Thimble Shoals Blvd. Newport News 757.303.3415 traditionbrewing.com

Weekly Tasting at bottleBOX Every Wednesday 5-7pm Join your favorite brewery’s representative as they walk you through a free sampling of new and exciting beers. 325b W. 21st Street Norfolk 757.918.9932 bottlebox.beer/events

Pint Night & Tap Take Over at Home Republic Every Thursday Home Republic 328 Laskin Rd. Virginia Beach 757.226.9593 homerepublicvabeach.com

Virginia Craft Beer Thursday Every Thursday Enjoy local Virginia brewed beers for $3 a pint. Tapped Gastropub 1550 Laskin Road Virginia Beach 757.965.5585 tappedgastropub.com

Commonwealth’s Annual Holiday Artisan Market Sat., Dec. 3, 12-6pm Kick off your holiday shopping and support local artists and craftsmen. Enjoy two holiday barrel-aged beer releases and live music. Commonwealth Brewing Company 2444 Pleasure House Rd. Virginia Beach

Sipping Session at Bottlecraft Tues., Dec. 6, 5-8pm Featuring James River Brewing Company Bottlecraft 1560 Laskin Road Virginia Beach 757.995.7891 bottlecraftbeer.com

Bold Friday Fundraiser for Heal the Warriors Fri., Dec. 9, 6-8pm Heal the Warriors will host a Beard-A-Thon. Prizes will be awarded in four categories: Longest Beard, Most Decorated Beard, Crowd Favorite, and Money Raised. Proceeds benefit Heal the Warriors. Food available for purchase by The Grilled Cheese Academy. Bold Mariner Brewing Company 2409 Bowdens Ferry Rd. Norfolk boldmariner.com

Beer Release at O’Connor Sat., Dec. 10 Brigantine Barleywine & Ironclad Barleywine – Aromas of lemon and pineapple are paired with flavors of light toffee, orange zest, and grapefruit. O’Connor Brewing Company 211 W. 24th Street Norfolk 757.623.2337 oconnorbrewing.com

Home Republic: Holiday Portly Stout It’s that special time of year again, bringing holiday cheer and our Holiday Portly Stout. A traditional stout with a unique blend of holiday spices with subtle notes of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and vanilla – it’s Christmas in a pint glass! A local and veteran owned brewpub at the Oceanfront 328 Laskin Road | Virginia Beach, VA 23451 | HomeRepublicVaBeach.com VIRGINIACRAFTBEER.COM

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Coelacanth 1 Year Anniversary Party Sat., Dec. 10, 12-10pm Enjoy special beers including our 1st Anniversary Beer “Zoot Suit,” Jazz Age Oatmeal Stout, Bourbon Barrel Aged Quad, Strawberry Belgian Blonde, and more. Live music and food trucks. Coelacanth Brewing Co. 760 A West 22nd Street Norfolk coelacanth.com

Santa Speedo Run at Bold Mariner Sat., Dec. 10, 12-9pm Dig out your bathing suits and Holiday cheer! A race t-shirt and beer ticket package will be available for $20 the day of the event. Each participant is encouraged to bring a new unwrapped toy for Toys for Tots. Run will start at 12:30pm a one mile open course. Live music and food by Karnage Asada. Bold Mariner Brewing Company 2409 Bowdens Ferry Rd. Norfolk boldmariner.com

Veer Magazine’s Golden Tap Awards Presented by Southern Bank Tues., Dec. 13, 5-9pm Celebrate the best beer, breweries, beer bars & restaurants, food trucks, bottle shops, and festivals that Hampton Roads has to offer! Enjoy beer from all of the local breweries. Free Admission. Proceeds from beer sales benefit Hope House Foundation. O’Connor Brewing Company 211 W. 24th Street Norfolk 757.623.2337 oconnorbrewing.com

Paint & Pints at PHB Thurs., Dec. 15, 6:30-8:30pm Pleasure House Brewing Company 3025 Shore Dr. Virginia Beach

Saturnalia Cask Celebration Sat., Dec. 17, 6-11pm Pleasure House Brewing Company 3025 Shore Dr. Virginia Beach

The O’Connor Food Truck Challenge: Winner’s Round Fri., Dec. 30, 3-10pm Food trucks will compete while you judge for the crowd favorite. O’Connor Brewing Company 211 W. 24th Street Norfolk 757.623.2337 oconnorbrewing.com

Sipping Session at Bottlecraft Tues., Jan. 3, 5-8pm Featuring Wasserhund Bottlecraft 1560 Laskin Road Virginia Beach 757.995.7891 bottlecraftbeer.com

Jazz Night at Bottlecraft Thurs., Jan. 5, 7-9pm Featuring Russell Scarborough Trio Bottlecraft 1560 Laskin Road Virginia Beach 757.995.7891 bottlecraftbeer.com

Beer Pairing Dinner at Circa 1918 Mon., Jan., 9, 6-9pm Pleasure House Brewing’s beers will be paired with the delicious and innovative food of chef Chad Martin at Circa 1918 Kitchen. Circa 1918 10367 Warwick Blvd. Newport News

Social Hour at PHB Wed., Jan. 11, 6-8pm Hosted by Navy Spouse Connection, this event is a great way for military spouses to meet new people. Pleasure House Brewing Company 3025 Shore Dr. Virginia Beach

Barrel Aged Blues Sat., Jan. 14, 11:30am-4pm Presented by Winter Blues Jazz Festival and DoG Street Pub. Tickets: $37 Merchants Square Williamsburg winterbluesjazzfest.com

NORTHERN VIRGINIA Public Service Night at Bad Wolf Every Monday, 4-8pm Police, EMT, Fire – Happy Hour pricing with valid ID Bad Wolf Brewing Company 8420 Kao Circle Manassas

Team Trivia at Ornery Every Monday, 7:30pm Happy Hour extended to 9pm. Weekly prizes! Ornery Beer Company 14389 Potomac Mills Road Woodbridge

Trivia Night at Bad Wolf Every Tuesday, 6-8pm Bad Wolf Brewing Company 8420 Kao Circle Manassas

sa-weeeeet!! Flying Mouse Brewery is hosting a holiday dessert potluck on december 17 - 56 -

DECEMBER 2016

Vinyl Night at Lost Rhino Every Tuesday, 6-9pm Bring your own vinyl! Lost Rhino Brewing Co. 21730 Red Rum Drive, #142 Ashburn

2016 GolDen

TAp AwArDs Presented by:

Tuesday, December 13, 5-9pm Celebrate the best beer, breweries, beer bars & restaurants, food trucks, bottle shops, and festivals that Hampton Roads has to offer! Enjoy beer from all of the local breweries! Proceeds from beer sales benefit Hope House Foundation.

FREE admission