TASTE: 160+ craft beers from Virginia and the U.S. ENJOY: 16+ artisan tacos, 35+ craft beers & live music at Taco Throwdown presented by STYLE Weekly
National Partner
July 16-18, 2015
RICHMOND, VA
EXPOLORE: Walk-Around Grand Tasting, dining and package options at nationalbeerexpo.com National Beer Expo.com TODAY!
greater richmond convention center
TICKETS ON SALE NOW
nationalbeerexpo.com
#CAHNBE2015
The capital ale house National Beer Expo benefits the legal information netwok for cancer
A P O CALY PSE ALE WOR KS Ask your favorite bar for Apocalypse draft selections or come visit our taphouse in scenic Lynchburg, VA. Open Wed. thru Sun.
Don’t Forget Your CANS of Red Hoppocalypse and Golden Censer
Apocalypse Ale Works introduces Cenful Blonde A Belgen blonde ginger ale. look for it on tap Now.
12 5 7 B R U N B R I D G E R O A D , F O R E S T , VA 2 4 5 51
4 3 4 - 2 5 8 - 8 7 61 • E N D O F B A D B E E R . C O M
The Charlottesville-Albemarle SPCA is a nonprofit animal welfare organization whose mission is to lead our no-kill community by setting the standard of excellence in animal welfare, while striving to end animal homelessness. The SPCA strives to also set a standard of excellence and leadership in shelter animal care, humane education and progressive animal welfare programs.
ounded in 1914, the SPCA has grown into a nationally recognized animal welfare organization with a nine-acre animal care campus. Since adopting a No Kill mission in 2006, with the support of the community, the SPCA has improved the lives of many animals and has found homes for over 30,000 animals, spayed or neutered over 44,000 animals and reunited more than 6,000 lost pets with their grateful guardians. The SPCA has earned state and national recognition for these efforts, including the prestigious Lifesaving Award from Maddie’s Fund. The SPCA benefits from more than 1,200 volunteers who gave more than 33,000 hours in 2014, which is the equivalent of nearly 16 full-time staff members. There are a variety of ways for people to volunteer their time at the SPCA, including dog walking, cat socializing, animal transporters, assisting at our Rummage Store, taking animals to off-site adoption events, foster care and more. The SPCA has over 2,500 animal adoptions yearly from the main SPCA adoption Center on Berkmar Drive, the PetSmart Adoption Center
4 VACB Winter 2015
in the Hollymead Center and from more than 100 off-site adoption events held each year. With this astonishing amount of annual adoptions, the SPCA offers a variety of programs to keep animals out of the shelter and remain with their owner. These programs include microchipping, behavior services, low cost spay/neuter, behavior training classes, trap neuter vet release (TNVR) of community cats and so much more. The SPCA’s approach to saving animals’ lives has been simple and successful, with time and energy spent on solutions, not excuses. The SPCA identifies areas that have the greatest impact on saving lives, such as reducing intake, increasing foster care and adoptions through innovative marketing and carefully allocating resources. This strategy has proven that the community can save lives today, while planning and implementing a more strategic approach for the future. The Charlottesville-Albemarle SPCA is located at 3355 Berkmar Drive. (off of Rio Road West, just off Hwy 29)
434-973-5959
caspca.org
Features
12
Girls drink craft beer, too! The Brew Betties
by: Anne Deery & Dave Warwick
16
American Mild Month
Celebrating the Mild Month of May by: Alistair Reece
21
Virginia Brewers Supporting Small Scale Growers
The Virginia Hop Initiative
This Issue 4
The Charlottesville-Albemarle SPCA
8
VA BrewPass Founder’s notes - by: Tommy Edelblunt
10
Fifth Season Gardening Charlottesville by: Kevin McElroy
18
Ladies of Lager by: Paula Upton
By: Jonathan Scott Virginia Craft Brews is a quarterly, grassroots publication celebrating Central Virginia’s craft beer innovators, small business and non-profit organizations. We support a specific non-profit each issue with ad space, cover logo and 5% of all ad sales. matt@virginiacraftbrews.com www.virginiacraftbrews.com Spring 2015
Our Team
Creative Director: Matt Goodwyn Writers: Alistair Reece Jonathan Scott Anne Deery with Dave Warwick Tommy Edelblunt Paula Upton Kevin McElroy Layout & Design: Tactics Branding Cover Photo: Timothy A. Brooks
WE PROUDLY SUPPORT OUR IMMEDIATE COMMUNITY BY SERVING FINELY CRAFTED PRODUCTS FROM THESE NEIGHBORING BUSINESSES: Double H Farms, Goodwin Creek Farm, A.M. Fog Mushroom Farm, Autumn Olive Farm, Twin Oaks Tofu, Ranch Wellington Farm, Sausage Craft, Ashland Mills Flour, 3 Fellers Gluten-Free Bakery, Hungry Hill Honey Farm
WWW.SOUTHSTREETBREWERY.COM 106 W SOUTH ST, CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (434) 293-6550
RESTAURANT HOURS Mon. - Sat. 11am - 10pm Sun. 11am - 9pm
9519 Critzers Shop Rd, Afton, VA 22920 (540) 456-8020 www.bluemountainbrewery.com
FREE MB BOTTLE OPENER - MENTION THIS AD
The Brew Shop - Quality Homebrew Supplies 11047 PIERSON DR. STE. A, FREDERICKSBURG, VA 22048
(540) 479-2040
Free Classes
WWW. T H E BRE W SH O P.BIZ
3 Anniversary rd
Join us for our
May 16th - noon to 10pm
MIDNIGHT BREWERY • 804-356-9379 2 4 1 0 G r a n i t e R i d g e R o a d - R o c k v i l l e , VA 2 3 1 4 6 W W W. M I D N I G H T- B R E W E R Y. C O M
VA BrewPass by: Tommy Edelblunt
Founder’s notes
he general idea behind the VA BrewPass is to attract new and returning customers to participating locations, while at the same time to give customers a means of saving money. It is, basically, a loyalty program for Virginia beer based on a membership. It is a win-win for everyone involved. With a lean startup, it is important early in the process to see if there is a market demand for the product you plan to introduce, and if there isn’t, change course (or pivot) quickly. I believe it is called the MVP that you want to start with. We are not talking sports here. It is the minimum viable product. I soft-launched virginiabreweries.com in early March of 2014, mostly to the sound of crickets. The website was meant to be a portal for those not familiar with the industry to learn about, well, Virginia breweries. Still today, the tagline for virginiabreweries.com is “Introducing you to VA beer.” I added the VA BrewPass section to virginiabreweries.com without announcing it to the world on social media. I needed a brewery willing to take on this experiment with me, one that was just crazy enough to go down this road with me. Not so sure about you, but I could only think
8 VACB Winter 2015
of one crazy brewery that prides itself on being just Strange enough for this type of thing. So, there I was about a little more than a month later, trying to sell my product amongst the twenty-five plus concoctions that Strangeways Brewing offers. By the end of the day, I managed to sell one card. Now Eric Ries, writer of “The Lean Startup”, may see this as yet another time to pivot. However, the product wasn’t fully realized. The idea was to be able to get access to specials at multiple places that serve Virginia beer. I was trying to sell an idea and not necessarily a product. The fact that I even sold one membership seemed like a win to me. Along with this one sale, I was offered tons of feedback, mostly feedback that was in line with what I already knew. I needed more locations on board to justify the $30 purchase. It was a tough first few months. Potential members to this new program wanted more locations on board, whereas locations wanted more members involved. I had to keep pushing the idea that, “if you build it, they will come,” to both locations and potential members alike. The product wasn’t really developed on either side of the coin. To top it off, there was a defect in the first set of cards that I introduced to the market. The ink was chipping off prematurely. Everything had to be put in the slow lane as I rushed to get a replacement, and then another replacement from a new manufacturer. I would later replace all cards that had been registered at that point. I would also replace all the cards yet to be sold at locations that were selling the cards on-site. I was slowly adding more participating locations. I am, to this day, thankful to all who took that initial leap of faith on this idea and on me personally. Something still wasn’t right though, even after I fixed the whole fiasco that was the poor manufacturing of the first set of cards.
I realized that having the VA BrewPass sitting back in a corner of virginiabreweries.com may not be the best thing for the program. Although I was starting to pick up some general search traffic to the website, this new program needed a voice of its own. I was still consumed with trying to sell the program when I decided it was time to create a new website which would be an offshoot of virginiabreweries.com. It would fittingly be called vabrewpass.com. There would still be a link to this new website from virginiabreweries.com, as they are closely tied together. At the same time, vabrewpass. com could sit off by itself. How someone reaches the website varies. It took me at least 3 months to create the new vabrewpass.com, working late hours, as it is really my only spare time.
It was during one of my trips when I was using my GPS to get to one location, that I had a little bit of a marketing epiphany. As it told me, “You have reached your destination,” I realized that is exactly what I should call each participating location - a destination. It was the small wins at the end of the day that kept me going. The small wins, and the fact that I loved traveling to all the breweries. Fast forward to February 8th. I launched the new vabrewpass.com, and this time, not to the sound of crickets. I was starting to peak interest from potential destinations and Virginia craft beer fans alike. This new website, more focused on being mobile-friendly, proved to be much more practical and in line with the overall purpose of the program. The participation rate on both sides has more than doubled since then, and I expect the trend to continue. The program itself seems to be a hit with members and most participating destinations, even before the new vabrewpass.com was introduced. The new website just helped kick things up a notch. I still have much planned for the VA BrewPass program. One new aspect of the program will be called “Journeys,” the gist of which is currently on display in the form of a “coming soon” page. The VA BrewPass is by no means a finished product. People across the nation are now visiting the site and are being introduced to breweries they may never have known about. Whether a person arrives with a broad search to learn about all the breweries in Virginia, or they are searching for a specific brewery and are introduced to others in the state, this part of the original idea is starting to come to fruition. Whether the VA BrewPass program, and all that is expected to come with it, will come to fruition, is still yet to be seen. I will say that it is starting to look more and more positive. There have been plenty of ups and downs thus far though, and I would expect nothing different in the future.
Beer is your art. Label design is ours.
It is true that, even without the VA BrewPass or virginiabreweries.com, Virginia brewing is on the trajectory to keep growing at a stellar rate. I want to help keep the trend going in anyway I can, to help introduce new customers to the industry and to help keep them there once they give it a try. I have learned a ton about attempting to start a business, while enjoying the quality product that is Virginia beer!
DesignByWatermark.com (434) 295-5625
Fifth Season Gardening Charlottesville
harlottesville home brewers are lucky to have such a comprehensive supply store in Fifth Season Gardening. I began brewing about 4 years ago, and I picked up my first extract beer kit at Fifth Season. I was excited to get started, and had planned on setting my 5 gallon brew pot up on my glass top stove to brew a partial boil. Other than having all the supplies one might need, I found out early that the staff is more than happy to answer any questions the novice brewer might have. On my first trip there, I happened to run into Chris, a neighbor of mine, who turned out to be a brewer also, which I was previously unaware of. He was also happy to help in getting what I needed. Other customers have answered my questions on several occasions, as well. When I told Chris my plan to set up shop in the kitchen, he invited me to come over to his house and use his propane burner and 8 gallon pot on his back porch. He walked me through my first brew day, prevented me from making our house smell like boiling wort (which
10 VACB Winter 2015
by: Kevin McElroy
I enjoy, but my wife Shannon probably would not have appreciated as much) and opened my eyes to the benefits of a propane burner and brewing outside. I never did brew a beer inside on the stovetop, but I imagine it wouldn’t have gone quite as well. That first beer, an IPA, still stands out as one of Shannon’s favorites to this day. I continue to use Fifth Season for the majority of my brewing ingredients and supplies, now that I am brewing all grain batches. They carry over 50 different varieties of barley, over 50 varieties of hops and over 70 varieties of yeast, more than enough to produce almost any style of beer you can imagine.
which over 500 sq. ft. is dedicated to home brew supplies. If they don’t carry something that you would like, just let Anna know. If there is enough interest, they are always willing to add items to their inventory. Charlottesville’s store has more home brew sales than all four other stores combined. A typical trip to Fifth Season includes chatting with John, the unofficial brewing expert of the shop, about my recent and future brewing plans, while he measures out my grains. I then spend about 20 minutes going through the two refrigerators filled with hops and yeast, trying to pick out the right combination for whatever brewing that day.
Charlottesville’s Fifth Season Gardening opened its doors in 2010, the fifth of five current stores, and the only one in Virginia. The other four reside in North Carolina. Anna Haupt took over ownership of the store shortly after it opened, when the previous owner decided to move back to North Carolina. Five years later, the store seems to be continually growing into what is now a 12,000 sq. ft. space, of
The biggest event held at Fifth Season is the annual Home Brew For Hunger in October. This year will be the third annual event, bringing over 40 home brewers and 100 different home brews to Charlottesville from all over the state. Local craft breweries also get in on the action, serving their beers to those who attend, as well. In addition to giving local home brewers the opportunity to share their craft with the community, the event raises money and canned food for the Blue Ridge Food Bank, and raised nearly $10,000 this past year. Each of the past two years, a brewer has been chosen to have their beer brewed at Three Notch’d Brewing Co. down the street and have their beer featured on tap in the tasting room. I have attended each of the first two events, first as a taster, then as a brewer, and I can’t decide which to go as this year. It’s a great opportunity to talk with the brewers and learn about the different styles of beer they’ve brewed, some of which can be quite unique. As a
The Olive Oil
Taproom
brewer, it’s a great way to get feedback on your beers, and it’s exciting to have some of the local craft brewery brew masters try your beer as well. Last year, I brewed an Imperial Stout and an IPA fermented with Saison yeast. I poured beer with my one month old, Jameson, strapped to me, which got us a lot of attention. We didn’t leave with any awards that day, but got to talk to a lot of beer enthusiasts and brewers, including several of the local professional brewers.
At the Shoppes at Bellgrade and In Short Pump
Taste and Pair
Extra Virgin Olive Oils and Aged Balsamic Vinegars
SAVE
20%
ON TOTAL PURCHASE OF $30.00 OR MORE - OR ONE FREE 60 ml SAMPLER WITH ANY PURCHASE !
Give the gift of
Health and Flavor Fifth Season also hosts several workshops for the Urban DIY’er. Want to learn how to brew? Stop by on National Learn to Home Brew Day (November 7th this year) for a free demo on the brewing process. If you’re interested in other DIY crafts, they offer workshops on everything from making your own cheese at home to kombucha tea or wine and, of course, plenty of hydroponic and organic gardening supplies, as well.
W W W. T H E O L I V E O I L T A P R O O M . C O M
In Short Pump at Ste. 607 200 Towne Center W. Blvd.
At the Shoppes at Bellgrade 11400 W. Huguenot Rd. Ste. 116
(Behind Ethan Allen near Rt.288)
Midlothian, VA 23113
804-360-7929
804-897-6464
Girls drink craft beer, too! How Brew Betties started. The members. What we do. ack in 2012, New Belgium Brewery hosted the Clips Beer and Film Tour in Charlottesville, which included an evening in a local park with New Belgium beers and short films done by fans. The event raised money for a local non-profit called Better World Betty and one of the current Brew Betties worked with Better World Betty at the time and was asking for some help. I volunteered as a “beer gypsy” and walked around with a hip tray (and gypsy clothes) handing out beer samples. I was serving the Rampant, which is a very hoppy beer with a high ABV. I was a little surprised at how many women specifically wanted that BIG beer. I decided those ladies were folks I would like to hang out with. (Sometimes I’ve said the Brew Betties are the “love child” of Better World Betty and New Belgium Brewery!) After the event, I went in search of a ladies-only craft beer group and was surprised that there wasn’t one nearby in Charlottesville, so I started the Brew Betty group online via Meetup in September of 2013. The BB had 30 members within a few months and 100 members by our first anniversary. As of April 2015, we are at 131 members! We get together anywhere between 1 and 4 times a month for a variety of events. For example, one of the Brew Betties hosted a beer tasting at her home. We each brought a 6-pack of our favorite craft beer, tasted them one at a time, and talked about the characteristics and what we liked. Our group has a strong focus on education related to craft beer. We
12 VACB Winter 2015
by: Anne Deery with comments from Dave Warwick
are always learning new things from each other, as well as continually asking many questions of folks in the craft beer community. The members are very diverse. Some members are in their twenties and one member just retired. We have members who had their first craft beer months ago and members who have been home brewing for years. The diversity has actually been a wonderful surprise! Frequently, folks ask if we home-brew and the answer is yes, although we haven’t done much brewing yet. The first batch we did as a group was a partial mash kit for a Witbier. To learn about yeast, we bought two identical kits, and used liquid yeast in one and dry yeast in the other. We learned a lot, had so much fun AND ended up with 5 cases of tasty beer! We’ve done a mini beer/food pairing with Taylor Smack at Blue Mountain Brewery, a private tour and tasting with Farris Loutfi at Lickinghole Creek and a private tour and tasting with Hunter Thompson at Champion. In March, Whole Foods cheese monger Nick Frantz did a beer and cheese pairing specifically for the BB. We’ve also gathered to go to festivals and events like Homebrew for Hunger. The Charlottesville beer community has been unbelievably kind, welcoming and accommodating to say the least. The events we have done within the brewery community have frequently been private Brew Betty events, which really help us get the most from the experience, as well as develop personal relationships. Our local breweries’ willingness to share their time and expertise has been way beyond what I ever expected.
My simple intention with the group is to create meaningful craft beer experiences for women. That can mean brewery events, tours and festivals, as well as pairings, educational and one-of-akind events. It may also mean volunteering with beer-centered activities and supporting local organizations. I really hope to get the BB more involved in supporting non-profits. Combining craft beer and non-profit support makes the Brew Betties my dream hobby! How the BB Maibock came to be. Dave and I met when Three Notch’d first opened in 2013. They’d only been open a few weeks when I wandered in. Dave was planning collaborative brewing with individuals on a new pilot system and I threw my hat in the ring at the brewery Grand Opening. I followed up several months later highlighting the benefits of brewing with C-ville’s only, all girl, craft beer group. (There were lots of
Don’t wear
BEER GOGGLES when choosing a realtor!
FEA F EA E AT TU TUR UR U R IING NG N G V VII RG RGIN RGI NIIIA NIA A BR B R EW EW EWE WE ERIE E RIE RI R IES
804.405.9200 Call Kori for a sober talk about buying a new home and/or selling your current one.
The Brew Betties Continued. folks waiting to brew with them.) Before making the pitch, I researched the beers 3NB had already brewed, including style and ABV, and picked a style, the Maibock, a Spring lager, that was unique to their lineup. As far as the recipe, the BB met with Dave weeks before brew day and we tasted 7-8 different Maibocks. We learned about the style, talked with him about what we liked as far as taste, ABV, color and mouth feel, and he crafted a recipe based on our conversation. We wanted to stay true to style, but on the high end of the usual ABV. On brew day we found out 3NB liked the Maibock idea so much, they wanted to make a full 20-barrel batch. The beer ended up being in high demand, so this year they doubled the batch. Although the Brew Betties Maibock briefly had another name, Dave felt like we were leaving our mark by being Charlottesville’s first, ladies-only, craft beer group. That’s why it has our name. Dave Warwick: The Process As soon as the Brew Betties arrived, they were greeted by twenty-six 55 lb. sacks of malted barley that needed to be thrown into the mill. To get a head start, I dumped in some bags ahead of time, but I left enough so each of them could dump in at least 1 bag. The barley used in this beer was German and contributed the malty, caramel-like body of this German springtime lager. Once the barley had been ground up into a fine grist, we all headed into the brew house to begin the brewing process. I assigned five of them specific tasks for the day, which of course, they embraced with great
14 VACB Winter 2015
enthusiasm! A scribe for the brew sheet, the control panel operator, a timekeeper, someone to be in charge of the water flow and the other in charge of temperature control. The first step of the brewing process is filling the mashtun vessel up with hot water and the ground barley. The ladies operated the pumps, controlled water flow and maintained the exact temperatures under my supervision. This oatmeal-like mixture is called the mash. The hot water activates enzymes that convert the starches into sugar that will later be vital in fermentation. We now have a very sweet liquid we call wort. The wort is removed from the barley and sent into the brew kettle, all with the Brew Betties at the controls. In the brew kettle, hops are added to provide bitterness that will balance out the sweetness from the barley. The German hops we used in this beer will provide a spicy/floral-like flavor to the beer. After the wort has boiled for 90 minutes, it is now time to cool it down to 52 degrees and introduce it
to the yeast awaiting its arrival in the fermentation vessel. Once the kettle has emptied into the fermenter, the brewing process is complete. Over the next 10 days, the yeast will eat the sugars from the barley and create alcohol and CO2. The final stage is called conditioning and can take up to 4-6 weeks. This is where we drop the temperature even further, down to 32 degrees, and the yeast goes into a dormant stage and slowly drops out solution and settles to the bottom of the fermenter. The Brew Betties certainly couldn’t wait around for all this to happen, but they did have a couple hours worth of cleanup to do before they could call it a day. Brew Betties founder, Anne Deery, led the crew by crawling into the mashtun and hand scrubbing the walls and raking components. This is the worst part of brewing, but Anne embraces it and loves it! The final product is a medium-bodied, German lager that is perfect for the springtime. It’s crisp and refreshing, but the higher alcohol reminds us that we still have some chili nights ahead of us. When Anne approached me about doing a beer together, it was a no brainer. I was more than excited to join forces with her. One of the main visions of the brewery from day one was to emphasize community relationships through a vast variety of collaborations. It’s just more fun to drink and brew beer with friends. Brew Betties captures that concept as well. They are a group of friends sharing craft beer experiences together. It was fate that the Brew Betties started up close to when
Brew Betties Three Notch’d started up. It was destiny for us to have a relationship and I hope it continues to grow through years and years of brewing this Maibock together.
Fredericksburg’s Local Brewery & Brewpub Brewpub now open
Tuesday through Saturday 11am-10pm Free Tasting room Mon 9-1, Wed 2-6, Fri 3-8 and Sat 10-2 Free Tours of brewhouse every Saturday 10-2 Show your copy of Virginia Craft Brews for a Free etched pint glass “Fresh Brewed from my local brewery” Available Tuesday-Thursday
in the brewpub when you buy a pint of beer. (Through May 31, 2015, limit 1)
Virginia Hefeweizen an authentic unfiltered German Wheat beer now on tap and in growlers to-go!
540- 371-7799 3300 Dill Smith Dr. Fredericksburg, Va 22408 • BlueAndGrayBrewingco.com
The Brew Betties are the power behind the tasty beer.
The non-profit Better World Betty. Since we doubled the quantity of beer this year to 40 barrels/ 80 kegs, we decided to bottle some of it for sale. (Last year the Maibock was only available at the brewery and local bars and restaurants.) Three Notch’d kindly offered to donate a portion of the bottled beer proceeds to a local non-profit chosen by the Brew Betties. After researching several nonprofits, we chose Better World Betty. Supporting Better World Betty is a fun connection for us AND they do fantastic work in our community. This is what they say about themselves. “Better World Betty is Charlottesville’s favorite local resource for living a more sustainable lifestyle. Our mission is to empower people at work, school, play and in their own home with the local resources and information they need to reduce their environmental footprint, one friendly step at a time!” Also, Whole Foods in Charlottesville kindly donated appetizer platters for our private tasting event, in support of the Brew Betties and Better World Betty. Winter 2015 VACB 15
The Mild Month of May Imagine the scene. group of friends are sitting around a large table, each of them taking mouthfuls of beer from pint glasses as they share banter about life, the universe and everything. The beer in their glasses is darker than the bitter the old fella at the bar is drinking while he’s doing the crossword in his newspaper, but not as dark as the stout the girls in the corner are laughing over. The group round the table will be staying for a while. They like a drink, and it is May, which means, in the UK at least, it is Mild Month. Mild is one of those styles of beer that is painfully misunderstood. It’s not a low gravity porter (though some do share the darkness and roastiness of that style) and is not an “easy-to-drink” brown ale (though once upon a time brown ale was simply a brewery’s mild in a bottle.) It’s a style, which over the centuries, has been different things to different people. To Victorians, it was just a young beer, yet to develop the racy flavors of age. In the immediate aftermath of World War II, it was still one of the four standard beer styles being made by British breweries. To many of my generation, it’s an old man’s drink to be overlooked in favor of pale lagers in the mainstream and over hopped pale ales in the craft world. To me, mild is a dream of a style. Low gravity makes it something I can enjoy three or four of with lunch. A color range from pale to deep brown means practically any kind of specialty malt can be layered on top of the pale base, allowing for almost infinite flavors. Hops, while present, take a back seat, the focus being a balance of malt and hop, a rounded pint that doesn’t challenge
16 VACB Winter 2015
by: Alistair Reece nor deter the drinker. It’s the beer that before you know it has slipped down the glass and you need a refill. It is a dream that is so seldom realized. A couple of months ago, I wrote a post on my blog, Fuggled.net, about the possibility of having an equivalent of the British ‘May is Mild Month’ on this side of the Pond. It was one of those posts which was just me thinking out loud. As I re-read the text, I figured it would do no harm to see if any of my brewer friends here in Central Virginia would be willing to brew a mild for May. To my surprise, they mostly said yes, and so I decided to ask other breweries to come onboard, as did fellow beer writers Tom Cizauskas and Lew Bryson.
of the classic British Dark Mild, some are making the lesser known pale mild style, while others, including Pleasure House Brewing in Norfolk, are creating a new style, the American Mild. The American Mild shares many of the characteristics of the traditional British Dark Mild, low alcohol, restrained hopping, deep amber to dark brown color, but made with American ingredients. American pale malt, being rather different from Maris Otter or Golden Promise; American hops are more about pine resin, tropical fruits, and grapefruit than the orange and spice of an East Kent Goldings; American yeast strains tend to the clean end of the spectrum, rather than adding additional fruity characteristics. To quote from the project’s website, www.mildmonth.com, an American Mild is:
“A restrained, darkish ale, with gentle hopping and a clean finish so that the malt and, what hops are present, shine through.”
With May upon us, there are 15 breweries in Virginia, and 45 across the country, that will have mild ale on tap in their tasting rooms. There is a full list at the end of this article. Some, such as South Street in Charlottesville, and Staunton’s Redbeard Brewing, are doing versions
Perhaps I don’t fit in with the stereotype of the craft beer drinker, in not wanting my face ripped off and trampled upon in a full frontal hop assault, or so sour that it would pucker the face of the most severe prohibitionist, but I think not. My experience as a barman and general eavesdropper in bars suggests I am far from alone in being sure that easy drinking beers have their place, and to disagree completely with a well known Virginia brewer friend of mine, there is a market for session beers. That market is May, or as I like to call it, American Mild Month.
Weekly Specials Monday - 1/2 off burgers and side with beverage purchase after 6pm. Tuesday - Kick the Keg - 1/2 price pints on select drafts. Wednesday - 1/2 price growler fills all day. Thursday - Special Events. Check Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Trinkin. Friday - Chalkboard specials after 5pm. Saturday - Beer school at 4pm and live music at 7pm. Sunday - Brunch coming soon!
Check www.Trinkin.com for the most up to date taplist! www.BrewGastropub.com • @brewrva • 11-10 Sun-Thurs • 11-11 Fri-Sat Chesterfield Meadows Shopping Center - 6525 Centralia Road, Chesterfield, VA 23832 The Shoppes at Bellgrade - 11400 West Huguenot Rd, Midlothian, VA 23113
804-454-0605
© 2015 BrewGastropub
Ladies of Lager latest pairing, Garden Grove Beers and Hobby Hill Pretzels by: Paula Upton n December of 2012, I moved to Richmond to start a new job, and building a circle of friends was a priority. I didn’t know about Meetup at the time, so I utilized the only other mass communication resource I knew – Craigslist. My plan was to gather a diverse group, but I thought that having some kind of commonality would provide a nice springboard for conversation. I had been a craft beer fan for a few years, and was beginning to discover that Richmond was a prime city for exploring this further - so my post was a call for female craft beer connoisseurs. I got a fair amount of responses, and in January of 2013, we had our first gathering. There were five of us, and it was a good time! We tossed around ideas for the group, and decided to visit different “beer centered” venues around the city. I continued to post on Craigslist and over the next few months, the group grew to about ten or so consistent attendees. During that time, I discovered Meetup, and joined a few groups, but I noticed there wasn’t an existing group for female beer enthusiasts. In July, we decided to list our group on Meetup, and the search for a name began. Ideas were collected, a vote was taken, and “Ladies of Lager” was born, thanks to founding member, Tammy Salazar’s winning submission. Once we arrived on the Meetup scene, our membership grew quickly, and our weekly gatherings at local breweries, bars and restaurants began to draw a consistent group. During 2014, we expanded our activities to include volunteering at beer events and festivals, and we even got the opportunity to brew alongside Dave Warwick at Three Notch’d Brewing
18 VACB Winter 2015
Company in Charlottesville. April was designated “Brewery Month” and we were treated to tours, tastings and discussions at Midnight Brewery in Rockville and Strangeways Brewing in Richmond. Then in July, with the support of Tom Porter at Center of the Universe Brewing Company in Ashland, we celebrated our first anniversary. During the fall and winter we enjoyed many generous hosts – Hurley’s Tavern, Burger Bach Short Pump and McCormack’s Big Whisky Grill, to name a few, and we held our first tasting in a member’s home (a huge success!).
We have started 2015 with new event ideas, and food pairings have become a favorite. January’s festivities included a Beer and Cookie pairing, and in February, we enjoyed a Beer and Chocolate pairing in partnership with Triple Crossing Brewing Company and Chocolates by Kelly, both of Richmond. Most recently, we held a Beer and Pretzel pairing featuring Richmond’s newest brewery, Garden Grove Brewing Company and Hobby Hill Farm Fresh of Goochland. Garden Grove’s beers are strongly influenced by the Belgian and British brewing traditions, and their small size will allow for experimentation and minute
adjustments with our recipes and production methods. This allows them to coax the most unique and fantastic qualities from their ingredients and methods. “We will always strive to create beers that attain the caliber of the world’s great beers. Our techniques and tastes have been crafted from the world’s brewing, winemaking, culinary and agricultural traditions.” Hobby Hill Farm Fresh started small by attending local farmers’ markets, and then offering their products to online Food Co-ops. Certified as Virginia’s Finest, their pretzels come in eight different flavors. Let’s face it… beer aficionados and foodies have the perfect love-love relationship. There is nothing better than a cold beer and a hot pretzel. In April, our food pairings will continue with a Potluck Dinner - Ladies of Lager style. For this event, teams will bring a homemade appetizer, entrée or dessert and pair it with an appropriate beer. To make it even more interesting, all food must be prepared with beer as well! Also, on tap for the spring…our first brewery tour and an educational program for members who want to increase their microbrew knowledge by completing the Certified Beer Server and Cicerone courses. Today, the Ladies of Lager has grown to a group of 80+ diversified women who enjoy craft beer, good conversation, quality friendship and great times. We are supported by co-organizer Roz Marwood and focus group members Lisa Ames, Heather Neil and Lisa Rogers. Our mission is to support the local craft beer industry and to contribute to our community through volunteer efforts. For more information or to join our group, please connect with us on Meetup, Facebook and Twitter or contact us at rvaladies.of.lager@gmail.com.
v
GARDEN GROVE BREWING COMPANY
~ Located in Carytown! ~
MANY FLAVORS!
Wholesale & Retail Available!
804-598-6095 orders@hobbyhillfarmfresh.com hobbyhillfarmfresh.com
Access a growing list of specials at popular VA beer destinations
• Carytown’s neighborhood brewery •100th brewery in Virginia • New taps weekly • Unique style beers like Solera Stout, Abbey de Loco, and Death. • Relaxed Atmosphere • New Patio • Family Friendly - Kids Welcome • Great for office parties and other events • Featuring fresh cheese and meat trays H O U R S O F O P E R AT I O N MON - WED 4PM TO 10PM • THURS 4PM TO 11PM FRI 4PM TO 2AM • SAT 12PM TO 2AM • SUN 12PM TO 11PM
Use the code ‘VACraftBrews’ to save $5 at checkout!
3445 WEST CARY STREET, RICHMOND, VA 23221
Lickinghole Creek Craft Brewery
Bourbon Barrel Three Chopt Tripel Ale
Alc. 11.3% by Vol.
2014 | AGED IN 15-YR-OLD OAK BOURBON BARRELS | 39 IBU
1 Pint, 9.4 fl. oz.
Virginia’s Farm Brewery
LICKINGHOLE CREEK
BOURBON BARREL
BOURBON BARREL THREE CHOPT TRIPEL
The Three Chopt name comes from a nearby colonial-era trail marked by three hatchet marks on a tree. Our Tripel is a non-stop-hopped version of a European Classic. We use American grown Sterling and New Zealand grown Motueka hops that help impart a lemon and lime characteristic with a hint of tropical fruit. Multiple hop additions throughout the boil create a textured, full flavor.
Join us on
JUNE 6TH
for the release of our
Bourbon Barrel Tripel
Aged for over 3 months in Kentucky Bourbon Barrels, notes of vanilla, oak and the choicest bourbon compliment the honey and citrus notes Three Chopt Tripel is known for. Multi-layered, complex and deceptively smooth.
Nature’s Best
Brewed & bottled with love by LICKINGHOLE CREEK CRAFT BREWERY 4100 Knolls Point Dr. | Goochland, VA 23063
TH R E E C H O PT T R I PE L
• Home Grown Brewery
• Hops, Barley, Herbs & Spices grown on property • Deep well water used in the brewing process • Located in beautiful Goochland County on 290 acres Alc. 11.3% by Vol. 1 Pint, 9.4 fl. oz.
LICKINGHOLE CREEK
is a farm brewery producing hops, barley and beer on 260 acres in the heart of Virginia. Lickinghole Creek is a water-conscious brewery. We brew with well water drawn from the deep. Our wastewater is purified on site and returned clean to the Lickinghole Creek watershed. Our name pays homage to Little Lickinghole Creek, which runs through the farm’s rolling hills. Since pre-colonial times the creek has been known as the Lickinghole where wildlife stopped to drink from the nourishing waters. May the tradition continue.
Special Hours Noon ‘til Sunset Enjoy favorite brews, live music and multiple food trucks
4100 Knolls Point Dr. Goochland, VA 23063
Brewed & bottled with love by LICKINGHOLE CREEK CRAFT BREWERY 4100 Knolls Point Dr. | Goochland, VA 23063
(804) 314-4380 sean@lickingholecreek.com
is a farm brewery producing hops, barley and beer on 221 acres in the heart of Virginia. Lickinghole Creek is a water-conscious brewery. We brew with well water drawn from the deep. Our wastewater is purified on site and returned clean to the Lickinghole Creek watershed. Our name pays homage to Little Lickinghole Creek, which runs through the farm’s rolling hills. Since pre-colonial times the creek has been known as the Lickinghole where wildlife stopped to drink from the nourishing waters. May the tradition continue.
CA REDEMTION VALUE CT, IA, ME, MA, VT, NY, DE, OR, FL, HI 5¢, MI 10¢, OK+
www.lickingholecreek.com
Virginia Brewers Supporting Small Scale Growers irginia has over 46,000 farms, over 8 million acres, which are associated with dedicated growing, with over 52 billion annually contributed to the Virginia economy. The Virginia Craft Beer industry has not only influenced agriculture, and Small Scale growing in particular, but has spurred job creation and contributed to increasing Agri-Tourism. Brewers are finding that many of the ingredients required to produce outstanding Craft beer can now be grown right here in Virginia. Secretary of Agriculture Todd Haymore has served two Governors in his role and has been a huge proponent of leveraging Virginia’s agriculture and expanding the state’s wine and craft beer industries. Virginia now boasts over 250 wineries, contributing almost 750 million annually to Virginia’s economy. In 1979, Virginia only had 6 wineries. In 2012, Virginia was named a Top 10 Wine Travel Destination. Acreage associated with grape production has risen, right along with the growth of the number of wineries, and many see the same potential for Virginia Hops. Julia Herz of the Brewers Association recently stated that Virginia’s Craft beer has experienced 52% annual growth in volume and ranked 15th in the nation in terms of the number of operating breweries. Just as Virginia Winemakers require grapes, Virginia brewmasters require hops and other seasonal ingredients. Early Virginia colonials used wild hops, but as the production of hops expanded in the “Old World”, it soon moved to the colonies. Both Virginia and New England became centers
by: Jonathan Scott
of hop production, with multiple small farms contributing. But, by mid-1800s, much of the production was located in New York. Both beer and cider were staples in Virginia and Jamestown, but planted hops would give way to another crop, tobacco. About the same time, production in the Pacific Northwest had begun. The New York hop crop was devastated in the early 1900’s by powdery mildew. Twenty or so years later, downy mildew destroyed New York’s Hop industry. The correlation between small-scale grape and hop growers continued, as the Pacific Northwest became home to some of the largest vineyards and hop yards in the United States. Brewers hope that small-scale growers in Virginia can return hops to Virginia’s top twenty-five crops. Grapes currently rank 19th, Apples 15th and Virginia barley 20th in terms of commodity production. According to a recent survey conducted by the Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia has about 30 acres of hops, or about 13,000 plants, allocated to support the expanding Virginia Craft Beer industry, as of last year. This acreage results in about eight thousand pounds of hops, consisting mostly of Cascade, Columbus and Nugget. These levels cannot sustain all of Virginia’s breweries, but can contribute to small batch offerings released by brewers. Cascade is a hop derived from a cross between Fuggles and Serebrianker. The hop has a very pleasant citrus and flower aroma, with some grapefruit qualities. It has been planted mainly for its resiliency and has been proven easy to grow compared to others. One of the largest hop yards in Central Virginia is Huguenot Hops in Powhatan
County, operated by Kurt Stanfield and Devon Kistler. The partners are expanding again in 2015 to bring more hops to local brewers. Charlottesville Hops, operated by Chris Gordon, is also expanding to offer increased production. Virginia hop farms are typically under an acre in size, but there are a few that have expanded. Black Hops Farm, a new hop farm being created in Loudoun County, will not only be planting six acres of hops, but will also offer a processing facility. The farm was recently awarded a state grant totaling 40,000, matched by another 40,000 from the USDA. Brewmaster Dave Warwick of Three Notch’d released 10 Farmers Pale Ale in 2014, encompassing 100% Virginia Hops. Hops farmers from all over Virginia contributed to the release by providing fresh “harvest” or “wet” hops direct from the farm. Three Notch’d also has a taproom located in Harrisonburg. Its Brewmaster Mary Morgan states, “Sourcing locally is on my mind for every small batch beer released.” Morgan has used hops, herbs, pumpkins, malt and apples, all sourced locally from Virginia farmers, to create outstanding small batch releases for the taproom. Three Notch’d has released Wet Hop & Wild, Buncha Crazies DIPA and many other releases utilizing local ingredients. Jeremy Wirtes, Brewmaster Triple Crossing Brewing Co., believes in local sourcing, as well, and has been active in experimenting with local hops, local hop blends, malts and yeast strains from local cultivator Jason Ridlon of RVA Yeast Labs. Wirtes believes “Differentiation of quality ingredients is key.” If Triple Crossing releases are any indication to the quality Virginia has to offer, the local brewing Winter 2015 VACB 21
industry has found a great partner in Virginia farmers. Triple Crossing Brewing Co. is lauded as one of the best up and coming breweries in Virginia and is known to produce some of the best “hoppy” beers in the region. Tim Bornholtz and Stan Johnson of Adventure Brewing Co. in Stafford released Blazing Trail IPA, utilizing Virginia hops.
Small Scale Hop Growing for Small Batch Beers
Jeff Metz of 7 Hills Brewing Co. believes, “Forming partnerships with breweries to provide select ingredients in the future would help to support the viability of both industries.” This is what the industry refers to as “contract” growing. The majority of Virginia hop farmers have been growing for less than two years, according to the Extension study. Jonathan Newman, brewmaster at The Virginia Beer Co. sees various challenges facing new breweries. While sourcing local ingredients from Wood Mill Malt House and yeast from RVA Yeast Labs, Newman understands that the availability of local ingredients from growers and producers is not finite, and knows that “once they’re out, they’re out”. Newman believes in the added level of “story for a beer”. When produced with local ingredients, it is something that customers gravitate to. Brad Cooper from Steam Bell Beer Works also acknowledges the challenges. “Brewers can order from main line suppliers and can easily find the value, color and many other pieces of information that they need to make a consistent quality product.” Bill Cavender of Black Heath Meadery sources 100% of all his honey from Virginia. Cavender has established relationships with Bearer Farms and Golden Angel Apiary, but also sources baby ginger from Casselmonte and berries from Agriberry. The relationships being established between Virginia Brewers and Small Scale Growers is most likely exactly what Secretary Haymore envisioned. These working relationships contribute to an even greater and stronger Virginia economy and will eventually have a direct impact on pricing for the consumer. It is common to see brewers and chefs from Virginia walking the various farmers‘ markets, like South of the James in Richmond. Brewmasters are returning to the traditional trinity of brewing; taste, smell and touch. Whether it is hops, berries, apples or other Virginia grown ingredients, brewers reduce their delivery and shipping expenses by sourcing locally. They have relationships with the growers. They know them by name. They know how they grow and what their capabilities are. Not only are they farmers, ranchers or growers, but are also customers of the very breweries they supply.
22 VACB Winter 2015
“The Virginia Hop Initiative would like to thank the following for their support of Virginia Agriculture and for recognizing the benefit such relationships have to Virginia’s overall economy! Thank you for supporting Local Agriculture!”
Cans or Bottles
Cans are easier to recycle, faster to refrigerate, impenetrable to light & oxygen as well as the Preferred Choice for public venues.
Low Minimums - Pay for what you use
No capital investment in canning and packing equipment.
Hassle Free
No maintenance, upkeep, or sterilization required. Flexible configurations adapt to fit any brewery.
Brand Friendly
We offer steam applied Shrink Sleeves and our extensive industry contacts make the addition of cans to your portfolio pain-free.
Unmatched Experience
The Mobile Canning Systems affiliate network has filled over 25 million cans.
www.olddominionmobilecanning.com
UnLeAsHeD #gOpRiMaL An unfiltered American IPA, Primal Instinct, exhibits the best qualities of American-grown hops. We’ve blended five different malts to create a strong malt backbone and complemented them with five flavorful hop varieties, including hand-harvested cascade hops grown in our very own hopyard. This blend imparts robust aromatic and tasting notes of tropical citrus and resiny pine.
2 4 6 1 R o C k F i S h h W y • n E l Ly S f O r D , vA w I l Dw O l F b E e R . c O m