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Taste 200+ craft beers from Virginia and the U.S. For consumers and the trade Grand Tasting - Taco Throwdown Lunch - Brunch - Dinner - Seminars friD AY, JULY the Brewer’s Cup 5K and 1Mile 17 pr e
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APRIL 2015
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VIRGINIACRAFTBEER.COM
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ingredients PUBLISHER/EDITOR Jeff Maisey
6: Virginia Craft Brewers Guild 8: Re-branding Starr Hill 14: Trouble Comes in 3s 16: Mug Shots 22: Brew Tours 24: Women’s Brew Day 26: Allen Young Brews at Big Ugly 28: Adventure Brewing 32: Alewerks in Williamsburg 34: Need the Mead 36: Brew Loco 38: Brew Reviews 40: Festivals & Events
ADVERTISING/MARKETING Jennifer McDonald CREATIVE DIRECTOR Brenda Mihalko CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Diane Catanzaro Steve Deason Elizabeth Erschens Jeff Evans Lee Graves Chris Jones Robey Martin Chuck Triplett Allen Young CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER Kathy Keeney WEBMASTER Giorgio Valentini Copyright 2015 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
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APRIL 2015
For editorial inquiries: 757.237.2762 jeffmaisey@yahoo.com virginiacraftbeer.com
publisher’sNOTE One of the great things about living in Virginia is that we
enjoy all four seasons, though I must admit some degree of glee now that spring is here. Virginia is in full bloom during this time of year as robins return to budding trees and extract worms from the soil, farm markets awake from hibernation, people of all shapes and sizes return to sandy beaches, the cracking sound of a wooden bat smacking a baseball on opening day fills the air, and festivals galore offering Virginia’s finest pop up like sprouting daisies full of color and life. Sidewalk café seating and craft brewery patios are abuzz with sunglass wearing folks clad in their favorite brand-logoed or slogan-championing T-shirt. My friends, there is simply no better location on the East Coast than in Virginia. In this issue of Virginia Craft Beer Magazine, we feature a sizable listing of the must-attend spring and summer festivals and events spotlighting the beers and ciders made right here in the Commonwealth. Mark your calendars and plan to attend as many as you can. Our team of writers has been busy as pollinating honey bees. Where Diane Catanzaro takes us on a comedic brewery tour, Elizabeth Erschens rails against baseless social media posts as they relate to breweries. Elizabeth also shares her experience crafting a batch with some of Virginia’s best women brewers recently at Devils Backbone. And speaking of a special brew, Allen Young puts his brewer boots back on in Chesapeake for a Big Ugly occasion. RVA’s “Beer Guy” Lee Graves turns his attention to Black Heath Meadery and Robey Martin gives us the skinny on Buskey Cidery. In Northern Virginia, Steve Deason shares the goings-on at Adventure Brewing Company. The ever-knowledgeable Jeff Evans and Chuck Triplett unveil three challenges facing NoVA breweries and take us inside Brew Loco, where homebrewing supplies and coffee are daily conversation. Additionally, we tune-in to some changes coming to Starr Hill and hear what’s on Brett Vassey’s 2015 agenda concerning legislation and rule changes that’ll benefit the brewing industry. This issue of VCB mag represents our one year anniversary. Jennifer and I have enjoyed crisscrossing the Commonwealth and meeting fellow craft beer enthusiasts – and I do mean enthusiasts. As legendary crooner Frank Sinatra used to sing, “the best is yet to come,” and the future for Virginia’s craft brewery scene is bright and booming. We’ll certainly do our part to keep you informed. Hope you enjoy!
Beer is your art. Label design is ours.
DesignByWatermark.com (434) 295-5625
Cheers,
Jeff Maisey JeffMaisey@yahoo.com Follow us on Facebook - facebook.com/virginiacraftbeer, Instagram @ VirginiaCraftBeerMagazine, and Twitter @VACraftBeerMag
VIRGINIACRAFTBEER.COM
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brewNEWS
Brewers Guild’s 2015 Agenda BY JEFF MAISEY
TRichmond at Capital Ale House, where it was announced
he Virginia Craft Brewers Guild held its winter meeting in
the Commonwealth’s craft brewery industry had surpassed 100 businesses. The Guild is a subsidiary of the Virginia Manufacturers Association. I caught up with Brett Vassey, President and CEO of Virginia Manufacturers Association, to learn more of his plans to further strengthen the beer industry. What are the Virginia Craft Brewers Guild’s big initiatives for 2015? The first big initiative for 2015, for us, is to standardize tasting room regulations to improve safety. The second is to expedite labeling, particularly for seasonal products. Third is to deal with social media advertising verses First Amendment free speech/public communications. Those are three important regulatory issues for us to deal with. The second major activity is to improve tourism around beer exploration. We want to substantially improve the social media through an app, through expanded work with the Virginia Tourism Corporation and local beer trails, and increase exposure of our really small brewers across the state for tourists who just want to drive around and taste. Another important issue, it seems, is to have more consistent ABC enforcement across the Commonwealth. Is this something you are addressing as well? That’s part of the reason we’re working with ABC on those first three items, to try to help create a standard set of guidelines on
Brett Vassey (pictured far right) is President and CEO of Virginia Manufacturers Association
tasting rooms, tasting areas, social media and labeling across the state. That way these companies have predictability. And ABC is committed to that goal. What specific changes are you working on related to social media? We have not formulated all that we want. What we’re trying to accomplish is to have a clear separation of First Amendment free speech corporate communication and advertising. There is a way to do that, but unfortunately social media – like Facebook – blurs those lines, and regulators aren’t really sure what to do so it’s easy just to say no. We’re trying to get that clarified and uniform. So far it has been very positive in the initial conversations. We’re still six months to a year before we’ll have a final conclusion because we’re going to have to include retailers, beer wholesalers, the whole alcohol market in this solution. We now have 101 craft breweries operating in Virginia. Where do you see the industry going in the next three to five years? We predicted that because of Senator Jeffrey McWaters’ SB604, in 2012, that improved the opportunities for craft brewers to sell onsite, we think within the next three years we’ll have 150 breweries. In February, we announced the 101st mark. That is a monumental achievement. We went from about 40 to 101since SB604 passed. It proves that good legislation can open up markets.
Center of the Universe Expands Distribution
Aexploration and expansion beyond the galaxy of Richmond. Brothers Chris and Phillip Ray have selected Ray Ray’s shland-based Center of the Universe brewing company has selected the Hampton Roads market for its first
Extra Pale Ale, Pocahoptas IPA, Main Street Virginia Ale and Slingshot Kölsch as their starting brand lineup on the road. “We are going to put in whatever time we need to get our feet firmly planted in the Hampton Roads area, before we venture somewhere else,” said Chris Ray, regarding the new market and potential future expansion. “We will continue focusing on improving our beers, branding, and relationships with everyone including the wholesalers, retailers, and consumers. We don’t exist if one of those pieces is missing. Everything we do, every day, starts and stops with our slogan, ‘It all revolves around the beer.’ ” In November 2012, Chris and Phillip Ray recruited brewer Mike Killelea from Richmond’s Legend Brewing Company and together established Center of the Universe Brewing Company (COTU) just north of RVA in Ashland. – JM -6-
APRIL 2015
VIRGINIACRAFTBEER.COM
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brewNEWS
Re-Imagined, Re-Branding of Starr Hill BY JEFF MAISEY
R
eady for a new Starr Hill? By July 1, the well-established Virginia craft brewery will have a completely revamped logo, package design and tap handles. These changes – and others – have been in the works long before the surprising announcement that founding brewmaster Mark Thompson was abruptly retiring from the beer business. In a bombshell statement posted February 16 on Starrhill.com, Thompson wrote, “I have enjoyed being in the craft beer business for 23 years ever since I first went out west to learn the trade as a brewer. In 1999, I founded Starr Hill and the brewery helped to pioneer the Virginia craft industry. Starting out in the Starr Hill Music Hall, the brand never strayed far from our love of craft beer and live music. After 16 years, I have now decided to retire from Starr Hill Brewery to pursue other opportunities in my life.” Recently, Thompson had been quietly managing fewer of the day-today operations of the brewery. Just over three years ago he hired Brian McNelis, a former AnheuserBusch management guy with 30 years experience. In 2011, McNelis began his Starr Hill career as Vice President of Brewing Operations while working side-byside with Thompson. He progressed to Managing Director and is now the President and CEO of the brewery. Prior to Starr Hill, McNelis worked all over the United States and Europe for Anheuser-Busch. He retired as the Senior Plant Manager of the Williamsburg facility after the merger with Inbev prompted layoffs throughout the company. While at A-B, McNelis also served on the Board of Directors of the Virginia Manufacturers Association. Brett Vassey, President and CEO of the Virginia Manufacturers Association, knew McNelis as “the beer guy.” “Brett had an interest in growing niches of the manufacturing business community,” recalled McNelis. “One of those was the craft beer community. He thought I could help them as a retired beer guy.” That was in 2010. McNelis knew craft
beer owners to be entrepreneurial and independent-minded multi-taskers. McNelis and Vassey wanted to approach the leading brand in Virginia – Starr Hill. “When I walked in the door, Mark was unloading a truck,” said McNelis. “He was doing a little of everything.” The Virginia Craft Brewers Guild was soon born after further discussions included Mad Fox’s Bill Madden, Steve Crandall at Devils Backbone and others. A camaraderie was established between Thompson and McNelis.
Brewmaster Robbie O’Cain is now the official Face of Starr Hill
“I was at home watching TV and I got a call from Mark Thompson,” said McNelis. “He said, ‘Hey, I know you’re out of the beer business, but would you like to get back in the game?’” McNelis agreed to join Thompson at Starr Hill and quickly focused on the supply side of the brewery, building capacity and highlighting quality. This included building an in-house lab with analytical equipment, a larger brew kettle and gigantic fermenting tanks. “I also started hiring some new talent,”
said McNelis. “I hired our new brewmaster Robbie O’Cain in late 2011. Robbie started winning medals and doing well with brand development. That’s when Mark realized, hey, this is in pretty good hands now.” McNelis views his time working for Big Beer as a distant memory. He identifies with the spirit of craft brewers. “It has been rejuvenating for me,” he said. “I love it. I like the creativity here.” According to McNelis, 90 percent of Starr Hill’s brewing staff is comprised of college graduates with science degrees. Their passion inspires McNelis. The quality shows in their work. “I think we’re producing liquid that’s on-par with anybody in the country right now,” he said. McNelis also realizes a brand can become stale at some point, especially a craft beer company that’s been on the market for 16 years. That’s about to change. “When you’ve been around all these many years and then all these very talented craft breweries are popping up all around you, the consumer is almost dizzy because they are looking for what’s new,” McNelis said. “That’s a very hard thing for a brand to sustain itself in all of that choice. We realized we have to revitalize our brand and get consumers’ – even though we’re not the new kid on the block – attention with new imagery. We’re doing a complete brand refresh. “There was some realization that perhaps our imagery and look was appealing to too narrow a market. If you weren’t attending a live jam band concert perhaps you weren’t getting some of the imagery. We will always have our DNA in music, but we need to change our image. We want this to be a lifestyle brand. Live music is part of that, but it’s not exclusively all of it.” Starr Hill’s new packaging will highlight specific beer styles. The imagery will be noticeably different. “When you’re now competing in grocery stores with 100 different craft brands your stuff’s gotta work. The consumer now wants to walk down that aisle and see IPA.” Get ready for the new Starr Hill.
Got brew news? Send it our way to jeffmaisey@yahoo.com. -8-
APRIL 2015
MAY 16-17, 2015 2:00-6:00 PM · Town Point Park Downtown Norfolk Waterfront
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Local, US and International Enjoy old favorites, discover new ones.
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brewNEWS
SUCCESS TASTES GREAT FOR MIDNIGHT BREWERY.
RVA Readies for Buskey Cider BY ROBEY MARTIN
A
For years, Trae Cairns worked day and night to perfect his craft beers. He called his business Midnight Brewery, and by 2013, he was ready to take it to a new level. But he needed the money to make it happen. Trae spoke with three banks, but only one had the vision to come up with a loan solution for him. That bank was Union. Today, Trae and his Union banker still work together to keep business flowing.
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APRIL 2015
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Will Correll and Matthew Meyer unveiled new logo at Loveland Distribution’s Vendor Brand Show.
pples are in. Another cidery in Richmond is gearing up to take advantage of their popularity. Buskey Cider, the second cidery to open in Richmond, announced informally (via Facebook last month) that they are going to allow Loveland to distribute their semi-sweet hard cider. Will Correll and Matthew Meyer are partners in the cider-making facility. Meyer is the head winemaker for Williamsburg Winery. Correll has been making cider since his college days at Hampden Sydney, a small men’s college in Farmville, Virginia. “We haven’t truly formalized the deal but we are storing our tanks on the property so I guess that is a good ol’ Hampden-Sydney handshake,” states Correll. Mark Stepanian, the president of Loveland Distributing, is also a Hampden-Sydney graduate. The name is an interesting one. The word “buskey” can be found in The Drinker’s Dictionary, written by Benjamin Franklin in 1737, a list of 228 phrases describing drunkenness as both vice and virtue. Franklin writes, “The phrases in this dictionary are not (like most of our Terms of Art) borrow’d from Foreign Languages, neither are they collected from the Writings of the Learned in our own, but gather’d wholly from the modern Tavern-Conversation of Tiplers.” The Buskey cidery that has been operating (for testing only – over 300 batches of cider testing) out of a barn in Church Hill also has found a location at 2910 West Leigh Street in an area of Richmond called Scott’s Addition. “The process has been very extensive – real estate has been tough. We have the building in Scott’s Addition. Virginia has some great incentives for start-ups that has really helped us. We are immediately right behind Fat Dragon [a popular Scott’s Addition restaurant], we share an alley with them,” Correll explains. The cidery will be the fourth of a similar business in the area that already boasts two breweries and a meadery. Buskey will be classified as winery, similar to Blue Bee, the other cidery in Richmond. And in order to have a tasting room, they must be a farm winery. The laws that allow breweries to sell pints and the like don’t apply to cideries. To be classified as a farm winery, you must have apple trees on property, 50 percent of your apples must be from leased orchards and 75 percent must be Virginia grown. Buskey will make dry and semi-sweet ciders, primarily draft cider. The apples will be a combination of cider apples and other apples creating a unique flavor profile. They have partnered with RVA Yeast Labs to use some proprietary yeast strains. “Anyone will tell you that your flavor comes from yeast. We will have some fairly unique flavors in our cider,” Correll says. The flagship cider will be a dry, English style cider, presenting with a nice pear nose. They are planning a seasonal cider for the future. Buskey will can and keg from the beginning using their initial line-up of equipment purchased from locally-based Legend Brewing, 15 barrel fermenters and four 30 barrel tanks. They will use Old Dominion Mobile Canning for their canned ciders. The product is slated to be ready in the early fall for consumption. For more information or to watch the progress from apple to cider, follow Buskey on Facebook. Will Correll
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brewNEWS
Zack Camp, Adam Shifflett, and Neal Erschens at Three Brothers
Social Media Buzz Kill BY ELIZABETH ERSCHENS
Ithe rating sites, without thinking of the words of cannot view much of social media, especially
Virginia-based author Criss Jami: “Man is not, by nature, deserving of all that he wants. When we think that we are automatically entitled to something, that is when we start walking all over others to get it.” Social media has changed the way we communicate, has given us power we never earned (and don’t deserve), and has fostered a false sense of entitlement and selfimportance. Being a small-business owner, I readily see the damage that can be done to a business by a reviewer’s flippant remarks or outbursts of anger on social media. Granted, social media can be used for constructive criticism, but more and more, I see it being used as a weapon for self-gain. All the facets of my professional life involve beer, so I usually find myself eating at the bar, rather than at a table, and bending the bartender’s ear about current beer trends. I could write endless novels on the conversations I have overheard—by accident, mind you—sitting at said bars, but one recent conversation had me flabbergasted! A young man and two women, all in their early twenties, chose seats next to mine, and the young man wasted no time trying to impress his party. As the bartender approached, the young man’s chest swelled like a blowfish as he informed his “servant” that he was an “Elite Yelper” and was there to write a heavily weighted review! What he should have reviewed was a mirror—he would - 12 -
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have noticed the dried food on both sides of his mouth. OK, that statement was to make a point: What credentials do people need to post reviews? None! Some people define their lives by the power they take on social media in such reviews, often reflecting their mood rather than the service. This has become all too evident with brewery releases. Hardywood, Three Brothers, and
Three Brothers tap handles
Lickinghole Creek are all Virginia breweries that produce great beers, but you would have thought they were lackadaisical, noncompete Commonwealth liquor stores with the social media firestorms they received when they sold all of their special releases. Wait a minute … they are a business … isn’t it a great thing to sell their product, or are they only a great business if the entitled get everything they want? I recently sat down with Adam Shifflett, founder of Three Brothers Brewing Company, to learn what it takes to
deliver a special release and the possible resulting losses. Shifflett, being the logical one, didn’t mention any of the emotional arguments I had for the media flamethrowers at the release party for Resolute, his bourbon barrel Russian imperial stout. Yes, a party thrown compliments of the brewery and featuring bands, food trucks, extra staff, and ALL the Resolute variants on tap. Not only did the “reviewers” not mention the outstanding efforts of the brewery, they even put out false information, saying that the brewery had run out of Resolute instead of just the variants. On the logical and necessary business side, Shifflett explained the dilemma he and other brewers face with special releases, saying, “It takes a year to produce Resolute. Last year, we only had about 20 people at the release, and the year before, no one came.” Making special releases is a major investment for a brewery.” If they don’t sell, it’s a space and a monetary albatross that hampers all brewery production. Shifflett continued, “We don’t know how the variants will turn out; they are a huge test batch. If they aren’t good, we are pouring out a year’s worth of work and barrels of beer.” I started this article with a quote, and I hope readers will heed renowned author Fulton J. Sheen’s advice before positioning themselves behind the power throttle that can be social media: “Patience is power. Patience is not an absence of action; rather it is the ‘timing’; it waits on the right time to act, for the right principles and in the right way.”
VIRGINIACRAFTBEER.COM
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brewNEWS
TROUBLE COMES IN THREES BY JEFF EVANS AND CHUCK TRIPLETT
Troubles Just Past The folks at Old 690 Brewing in Purcellville, Virginia were understandably excited to be among the first breweries in Virginia to take advantage of the passage of SB 340, the Farm Brewery Bill, by the Virginia General Assembly in early 2014 – the bill granting breweries located on farms the rights similar to farm wineries and requiring breweries located on farms to grow and use products such as hops and barley onsite for use in beer brewed at the brewery. The hitch, as it turned out, was the wait for Loudoun County officials to establish zoning regulations. While other farm breweries in the works decided to wait for the zoning rules to be established, Old 690 Brewing, as co-owner Mark Powell told Leesburg Today online, just couldn’t wait any longer for the brewery to generate revenue and opened for business in August of last year. Eventually the brewery was issued a citation for being in violation of Loudoun zoning, which the brewery appealed. On December 18, the Loudoun Board of Zoning Appeals ruled against the brewery, which was forced to cease operation and wait until the Board of Supervisors (BOS) took up the issue of Farm Brewery zoning on January 21. The BOS ended up passing the Limited Brewery Zoning Ordinance relating to farm breweries, which finally came through on January 29, allowing the brewery to finally reopen on Friday, January 30 at 5pm. The happy ending to the troubles is now celebrated by T-shirts the brewery had printed proclaiming “Old 690 Times – Prohibition Finally Ends for Loudon Farm Breweries.” - 14 -
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Troubles Just Happening Wild Run Brewery in Stafford County has a unique status as being the sole campground brewery in Virginia thanks to a special exception permit the brewery received from the Stafford County Board of Zoning Appeals in October 2013 that allowed the brewery to operate at the Aquia Pines Camp Resort. However, a violation notice was issued to the brewery for failing to obtain a Certificate of Occupancy for the brewery building and to provide a required number of additional parking spaces. The issue as to the Certificate of Occupancy arose from the county’s position that the use of the building had changed, a position strongly disagreed with by the owner of the brewery and campground, Everett Lovell, who asserts that the fact the building was previously a brewing supply store and that brewing onsite does not constitute a change in use. At a hearing on February 24, the Board of Zoning Appeals voted 7-0 to revoke the Special Use Permit that had been granted to the brewery. As reported by Robyn Sidersky on the Fredericksburg.com website, Board
members expressed regret at having to take the action they did, but that in their minds brewing clearly constituted a new use of the building as Mr. Lovell had accepted the conditions placed on the special-use permit, they had no choice but to enforce the county’s rules. Contacted by phone at the brewery, Mr. Lovell expressed frustration that he would pay a $1,400 fee to apply for the special exception permit, only to then deal with different county officials telling him different, and sometimes contradictory things. As an example, Mr. Lovell cited county building official David Weaver had expressed to him that a new Certificate of Occupancy was not required. He mentioned that as of March 11 the brewery had not received the official notice of the Board of Zoning Appeals decision, and was not sure if the 30 day period within which he would have to appeal the decision or close the brewery started with the date of the meeting at which the Board made its decision, or the date of his receipt of the official notification, but that in any case there were limits to how much money he would spend on his disagreement
with the county and that having to close the brewery is a real possibility. As of March 11 the brewery was still open, brewing, and serving beer.
Screw You, Troubles Actually, “Screw you, Redbull!” has become a popular mantra in the Commonwealth of Virginia and elsewhere after the revelation that the Austrian energy drink conglomerate had filed a protest against Old Ox Brewery for their trademark application for the brewery’s name and logo. Lawyers representing Red Bull first contacted the Old Ox 11 months ago and filed an objection with the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office as recently as Jan 28 of this year. After some informal discussions seeking to resolve the dispute didn’t go far, Old Ox was not shy about going to the court of public opinion, placing a snarky letter on their blog, saying among other things: “Basically you are holding us hostage with a list of demands that, if agreed to, would severely limit our ability to use our brand. Demands like, never use the color red, silver or blue; never use red with any bovine term or image; and never produce soft drinks. Do you own the color red? What about
fuchsia, scarlet, crimson, or mauve? Are you planting your flag in the color wheel and claiming those shades for Red Bull? Do you claim exclusive rights to all things bovine? Do you plan to herd all heifers, cows, yaks, buffalo, bison, and steer into your intellectual property corral, too?
When we refused to succumb to your demands, you responded by filing a formal opposition to not just our trademark but to the very name Old Ox Brewery. Way to step on our American dream. You say you are protecting your intellectual property rights, but your claim, in our opinion, is Red B------t.” Old Ox did, in fact, redesign their logo to remove an ox from the logo, stopped using the slogan “no-bull beer” and vowed to never make energy drinks, but the energy drink maker seems pretty serious about claiming all things at the intersection of bovine and drinkable liquids. In response to local media inquiries, Red Bull has issued statements such as the one issued to Leesburg Today that reads ““Red Bull has not sued anyone,” spokeswoman Patrice Radden wrote. “Brands, big and small, seek to protect their trademarks every day. All we are asking for is to allow the administrative process at the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office to run its course, and we remain hopeful that a fair settlement can be reached by both parties.” Proceedings at the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office are expected to continue well into 2016 at least. The Stop Red Bull Harassment of Old Ox Brewery campaign has over 1,200 likes on Facebook.
VIRGINIACRAFTBEER.COM
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mugSHOTS mug Valentine’s Beer Dinner
Blue Mountain Brewery Afton
“Hop on the Bus” Brewery Tour
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APRIL 2015
2015 2-3
Spring Town Point Virginia Wine Festival
16-17
Virginia Beer Festival
21-25 ARM Cuauhtemoc Mexican Tall Ship Visit 5-7
Norfolk Harborfest
19-21 Bayou Boogaloo & Cajun Food Festival
Trivia Night and Cask Day
Devils Backbone Brewing Company
4
4th of July Great American Picnic and Fireworks
5
Tidewater Winds 30th Anniversary Concert
10
Summer BrewFest
11
Guy Lombardo Orchestra Big Band Concert and Dancing
17-18
Norfolk Waterfront Jazz Festival
Lexington
Do you want to be featured here? Send us your “people” pictures from recent festivals, events, beer releases, or just hanging out the brewery. Email photos to Jennifer.McDonald@Hotmail.com.
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Mid-Autumn Moon Festival
12
Opera In The Park
19
ETC- Indie Music & Arts Festival
26
Ribtoberfest & Southern Foodways
3
Virginia Children’s Festival
17-18
Town Point Virginia Wine Festival
WWW.FESTEVENTS.ORG @FESTEVENTS
@FESTEVENTS
NORFOLK FESTEVENTS produced by
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mugSHOTS SHOTS
Treaty of Ghent Release Party at
O’Connor Brewing Company Norfolk
- 18 -
APRIL 2015 2014
Despot Day
Lickinghole Creek Goochland
Shamrockin’ in Ghent Norfolk
VIRGINIACRAFTBEER.COM
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The perfect beer drinking companion,
this handcrafted beer caddy is made from repurposed cedar, and stained and finished for weatherproofing. Each caddy is constructed with screws and pegs for added strength. As a bonus, there’s a vintage style bottle opener attached to one side. $35 WindingRunCreations, Fredericksburg
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beer CRAFT These talented Virginians are getting their craft on in celebration of the beer lover in all of us!
carry A Bicycle Built for Two – You & Your Growler!
This Leather Growler Cover/Carrier is hand sewn from veg tanned leather and features solid brass or silver tone hardware. It fits most bike seats. Custom orders are available with initials, carvings, or stamping. Starting at $64.95. ToraLeather, Fredericksburg
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APRIL 2015
on!
Go hands free at your next drinking outing!
This crochet beer bottle lanyard is the perfect accessory for parties or festivals! $7 Maries Hobbies, West Point Etsy.com/shop/MariesHobbies
presents
MAY 16-17, 2015 WORKS FROM MORE THAN 135 ARTISTS • LIVE MUSIC DELICIOUS FOOD • FUN CHILDREN’S ACTIVITIES
For information, visit StockleyGardens.com. All proceeds benefit the Hope House Foundation. www.Hope-House.org
DISTINCTLY NORFOLK.
Good times are always on tap in Norfolk. From signature brews to seasonal offerings, O’Connor Brewing Company and Smartmouth Brewery are serving up something for every enthusiast to savor. Hop into one of Norfolk’s many bars and gastropubs and enjoy a cold pint paired with fresh local fare. Sample more than 125 beers on tap at the 14th Annual Virginia Beer Festival, May 16 – 17, 2015 in Town Point Park on the Norfolk waterfront. Book your beer festival hotel package at visitnorfolktoday.com.
1-800-368-3097
VIRGINIACRAFTBEER.COM
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Now this is a party bus.
Brewery Touring with BrewHaHa Comedy Tours BY DIANE CATANZARO AND CHRIS JONES
Ddrinking beer, and letting a sober person drive so you can imbibe o you think it would be fun to spend a day visiting breweries,
without later having to breathe into a tube, wear an orange jumpsuit, or pull a tree out of your face? If so, you are exactly the sort of person who would enjoy a brewery bus tour. You hop on a bus or van and spend the day touring breweries with a group of friends. Or, a group of strangers who become friends. This is the concept behind the success of brewery bus tour companies. Your typical brewery bus tour includes a tour guide who provides information about each brewery, how beer is brewed, its vital role in the rise of civilization from our hunter-gatherer roots, and how IPA got its name. But only one brewery bus tour company in Virginia fires up a deluxe party bus and combines brewery tripping with comedy, and that, my friend, is BrewHaHa Tours of Virginia Beach. Be warned, this ain’t yo mama’s beer bus tour, unless your mama has a ribald sense of humor, appreciates jokes about threesomes and possibly-illegal-in-Virginia sexual practices, and enjoys being in close proximity to drunk people bootyshakin to jammin old school pumping from the party bus sound system. In other words, it’s a blast. BrewHaHa tours operates in Hampton Roads. Their tours in Virginia Beach-Norfolk include Beach Brewing Company (now called Reaver Beach Brewing), Young Veterans, Back Bay, Home Republic Brewpub, and/or O’Connor. Their “Upper Peninsula” tours visit Alewerks and Brass Cannon in Williamsburg. Each tour visits two breweries; one tour visits three. The cost is $85 per person but this includes beer at each brewery, an awesome party bus, dinner, and a comedy show. Well worth the price, and much less than bail. We had the pleasure of a BrewHaHa tour one recent Saturday, which happened to be Valentine’s Day. We met at Tapped Gastropub in Virginia Beach at 12:30 in the afternoon. Tapped has great beers and was an excellent launch site. Our friendly tour guide greeted the group and had us sign waivers that probably said things like we can’t sue if we get intoxicated and fall off the bus. So much for our retirement plan. We left Tapped at 1:20, after a group photo. The comedy part of - 22 -
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the ride involved each person on the bus having to answer a question pulled out of a hat. Many of the questions were somewhat risque. Most people’s answers were not as witty as one might have hoped, but the day was young. Our first stop was O’Connor Brewing in Norfolk. The visit included a glass of any O’Connor beer on tap, or a flight. We were in time for their every-hour Saturday tour, led ably by Michael Wingfield, a local beer historian. After an hour at O’Connor we were back on the BrewHaHa party bus headed to Back Bay Brewing in Virginia Beach. On the half hour ride most people seemed much wittier than earlier, if by witty you mean dancing, laughing, and swigging liquor and red wine. A few young men on the tour, who no doubt have perfectly respectable day jobs, were kind enough to entertain themselves and us with uninhibited dance moves, revealing glimpses of Valentine-red undergarments and Chippendales-potential talent. Needless to say the crowd was enthralled and before you knew it almost everyone on the bus was shaking their groove things and swaying to the infectious tunes. The swaying may have been on account of the alcohol or perhaps potholes but in any case it was quite enjoyable unless you are the kind of person who does not like to have fun. The ride was so enjoyable we didn’t want it to end! Before we knew it we pulled up to Back Bay Brewing near the Virginia Beach oceanfront. Our visit to Back Bay was pleasant and included a full beer or a flight. It was very crowded and there was no tour so we simply blended in with the tasting room throng and sipped our beers. After an hour at Back Bay the party bus returned us to Tapped Gastropub at 5 pm for dinner and the comedy show. There were three or four pre-selected menu options to choose from included in the tour, along with tax and tip, so you only had to pay for beverages. Three comedians performed. The humor was on the adult side. One guy joked about eating his cat or something but it sounded like he enjoyed it so to each their own. We had a fun experience. If this sounds like something you would enjoy, sign up online for a regular tour, or book a private VIP tour at brewhahatours.com.
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All Star Women brewers of Virginia
Virginia
Women ation
Collabor Heidi Crandall
Brew
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BY ELIZABETH ERSCHENS
APRIL 2015
I
nternational Women’s Day is a celebration of unity among women, whether it be Gwyneth Paltrow hanging out with female celebrities or a small group of female brewers getting together to participate in the International Women’s Collaboration Brew Day — an annual event organized by the Pink Boots Society (an international group for the education and advancement of female beer professionals) and hosted by over 100 breweries around the globe. Since I can never remember a face nor a name and would fail horribly in the name-dropping world of celebrity insanity, I opted to accept a oncein-a-life-time invitation from Heidi Crandall and April Anderson (owner and senior brewer, respectively) of Devils Backbone Brewing, to join a handful of incredible Virginia female beer professionals brewing one of the international batches of United Red Ale to promote awareness of women in the brewing industry and raise funds for charity and the Pink Boots Society. Also attending were Melissa Allen, founder at Seven Arrows Brewing, Kristi Griner, Director of Brewing Operations and head brewer at Capitol City Brewing Company, Dr. Allison “Lola” Lange, brewer/beer scientist at Port City Brewing Company, Elizabeth Shifflett, founder at Three Brothers Brewing, and Heidi Crandall, founder/Marketing and Media Manager at Devils Backbone Brewing Company. Anderson graciously greeted us with coffee, bagels, and a genuine childlike excitement that immediately put us all at ease and quickly became contagious. Once in the brewery, we were joined by Crandall, and it quickly became apparent we were going to have a rare, hands-on collaboration with some of Virginia’s most beer-centric, fun-loving industry professionals. Right away, Anderson shared the parameters for the United Red Ale and invited us to help tweak the recipe, starting with the hops selection and drop schedule. When the mash-in temperature was reached, everyone got to work. Chemistry, check; sacks of grains, check; mash paddle, check. From mash in to fermenter, Anderson encouraged our group to share our knowledge and experiences. If you are picturing a group of women reciting their technical experiences brewing with men, I have not done a good job with this article. We covered the gamut from discussing mash-in temps to laughing about cleaning the “dirty hoe” while raking the lauter tun. Allen later chuckled about the brew day saying, “It wasn’t as ‘strict’ as I had imagined. Everyone was really laid back, and I loved how everyone got to help. There was no pressure; just brewing, learning, and fun!” In the same vein, Griner recalled how she was excited “getting to poke around the famed DB Base Camp Brewery … and trying to interpret the Japanese-inscribed control panel of the brew house.” If you are thinking it would be your dream to experience a day such as this, you have to dream higher, as the day got even better. In addition to a wonderful lunch, beers, and Bloody Marys with MEAT STRAWS in the DB Brew Pub, Heidi and Steve Crandall, founders of Devil’s Backbone, gave us free rein of the brewery’s lodge. Six ladies made it up that snow meltedmuddy hill, in three cars, to build fires; slice, dice, and chop our own foodie dinner; drink beer from DB and the respective breweries of the group; (did I mention drink beer?); and have a slumber party! Lange said her “favorite part of the experience was that evening at the lodge, sitting by the bonfire in the Virginia Mountains, swapping stories with ladies from Virginia Breweries.” I can’t tell you what we discussed at the lodge, but I can give you a hint about how little we talked about men on our day of unity, be it work or family responsibilities. I will just quote Anderson saying very late in the evening, “I just realized I am the only one here not married.” Shifflett best summed up the day saying, “Best day I’ve had in a long time. I’m looking forward to maybe meeting up for the release event?” I am definitely with her on that suggestion! NOTE: A huge shout-out to Aaron Reilly and Jason Oliver for coming in on your days off so April Anderson could brew with us!
Northern Virginia’s Favorite Brewpub award-winning handcrafted beer with a menu to match, appealing to craft beer aficionados and foodies alike. Upscale, but informal, always family-friendly.
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saturday, May 2, 2015 Come kick off the outdoor beer festival season as we showcase a wide variety of unique spring bocks and seasonal beers, along with great grilled items, live music and more. Free admission.
444 West Broad street, Falls ChurCh, h, V Va 22046 703.942.6840 | madfoxbrewing.com | follow us on free parking garage | Metro accessible
Elizabeth Erschens is the owner of Homebrew USA with locations in Norfolk at JANAF and in Hampton
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Back in the “Big Ugly” Brewing Boots at Big Ugly Brewery BY ALLEN YOUNG
(L-R) Evan Lantry, Allen Young, Jim Lantry
BBSG (Brewers Supply Group). Last year, I was contacted by the
ig Ugly Brewery is a great example of the dynamic job I have at
two founding partners, Shawn Childers and Jim Lantry, to discuss, in confidence, the business plan they had developed to bring about the very first brewery to the city with Virginias largest population – Chesapeake. We discussed the brewery sizing, based on a 1,000 kegs a year output, and the beer styles, décor, as well as, the limited budget they had to work with. They set out to find a location at 1296 Battlefield Blvd South and I scanned the breweries that were
Wooden tap handles designed as wrenches
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APRIL 2015
available on the used market. They signed the lease and I came up with a classic seven-barrel, mid-1990s brewery for sale in Salem, Oregon. Good fortune smiled on Shawn and Jim as the price fit the budget, but buying sight unseen was a concern. BSG has a great sales manager, Nick Funnel, in Portland that most Virginians may recall from Sweetwater Tavern breweries in Northern Virginia. Nick was the brewmaster at Sweetwater Tavern for 17 ½ years before taking the job at BSG. He offered to stop by the brewery in Salem and “kick the tires” on the old brewery. Nick deemed it a great little brewery with plenty of great brewing left to go. Once the purchase was completed, Shawn Childers asked a friend that ran long haul trucks in the area to bring it back next trip to Virginia and he spent two days loading it and brought it to its new home. Big Ugly was opened to capacity crowds the first week of February with only social media announcements on Twitter and Facebook. They are still only open Friday and Saturdays to crowds limited by the fire Marshall first and the beer supply second. A new fermentation tank has been ordered and should be in place this month to keep up with demand. To-go growlers are planned for the added capacity and they plan to open additional days. At the one month anniversary, I was invited by the brewing team at Big Ugly Brewery, Jim Lantry and Evan Lantry, to join them in brewing a batch of their Rockers IPA. I jumped into my old brewing boots and was happy to accept! In my newest career role after nearly three decades in brewers’ boots, I supply the regions’ brewmasters with the highest quality raw materials for making great
beers. As a sales manager with BSG, I am always asked by colleagues if I “miss the brewing.” Every time, I must admit that I am still very much involved with brewing at all levels. The company takes great strides to place experienced brewers as technical sales advisors and to help brewers start up, manage growth, trouble shoot issues, and keep on top of developing trends. The brewing day for me was like stepping back into a time machine set for 1995. This brewery is entirely a manual system which is the very definition of hand crafted beer. The brew was a classic American IPS with a solid barleymalt foundation of domestic Rahr 2-row and two different British crystal malts from Crisp Maltings to support the triple hop blend that dominates this hoppy ale style. Fermentaion is underway now with the work horse American ale yeast nicknamed Chico for the California town home to the well-known brewery famous for great hoppy ales. Stop in soon as the ales are served fresh and only available at the Big Ugly Brewery taproom. Tell them Allen sent you!
Big Ugly Brewing Company 1296 Battlefield Blvd. South Chesapeake 757.609.2739 biguglybrewing.com
Big Ugly’s Funhouse Tasting Room Visiting Big Ugly’s Brewery tasting room tasting room is a fun makes use of vintage experience where motorcycles and garage parts vintage motorcycles, a 1979 VW bus and garage working chairs serve as furniture and fixtures. There’s even a 1940s barbershop seat to kick-back in and savor a pint of IPA. A large photograph of the barn at Chesapeake’s Miller Farm, established in 1898, adorns a wall. Big Ugly takes its name from the old truck in the photo. Tin siding from the barn was incorporated into the brewery’s bar design. The vibe of the brewery reflects the passions of co-owners Shawn Childers and Jim Lantry. Childers is a motorcycle collector. Above the bar are several bikes including a red British motorcycle that paratroopers landed to quickly motor to the frontline of battle during World War II. Big Ugly uses a 7-barrel brewing system that friend Allen Young found for them in Salem, Oregon. The best-selling beer at Big Ugly is their Blonde ale, followed by the Saison, IPA and Stout. They also produce a tasty, low-ABV Berliner Weisse.
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Stan Johnson, Bryan Link, John Viarella, and Tim Bornholtz
Adventure Brewery
Stafford County Community Embraces Their First Brewery in 247 Years PHOTOS AND STORY BY STEVE DEASON
M
arlborough Brewery opened in Stafford County in 1766 according to “The Cultural History of Marlborough Virginia” by C. Malcolm Watkins. The owners of Adventure Brewery which will celebrate their one year anniversary in May believe they are the first commercial brewery in the county since. Co-owners Tim Bornholtz, Stan Johnson, and John Viarella were negotiating on a potential brewery location when Viarella suggested they check on the zoning. All three were surprised to learn that not only did the zoning for this location not allow a brewery, there were no locations in Stafford County that did. It seems that no one had asked. The Adventure team learned they had two options to overcome this obstacle. They could apply for a Conditional Use Permit which would take about six months and cost ten thousand dollars or work to change the law. Since their budget wouldn’t support the first option they chose the second which took about five months and cost nothing. There was a third option which was to locate elsewhere but all the owners were adamant about being located in their community. “We’re in Stafford County because it’s where we live. We love it here” says Johnson. Bornholtz, Johnson, - 28 -
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and Viarella credit Zoning Administrator Susan Blackburn for guiding them through this process. Johnson adds “we cannot say enough good things about Stafford County as a whole; they really wanted us to be here, so from the Fire Marshall, to the Building Inspector, to the Board of Supervisors, the Planning Commission, they all went above and beyond to make sure we could get opened.” The ownership team’s ties to the community run deep. Johnson and Viarella met through their work with the Boy Scouts and started brewing together. Bornholtz met them at a poker game and joined them in a brew session the next day. Bornholtz has been involved in the Boy Scouts his entire life and like Johnson and Viarella had brewed in the past but had taken a break due to other responsibilities. According to Johnson “Soon the three of us and a growing group of friends and enthusiasts were brewing beer every weekend on my back patio. That’s when we started the Stafford Brewers Club … Today the club is going strong and has, I believe, over 100 members.” Bornholtz, Johnson, and Viarella had each considered opening a brewery. After Virginia law changed in March of 2012 to permit
breweries to sell their beer on premises they decided to do so together. About becoming partners Johnson says “it was an easy leap to move to a partnership with somebody I’d been brewing beer with nearly every weekend ….we all knew that we were more likely to make it to the starting line if we joined forces.” Viarella said they had two key requirements. First it had to be fun. At this point the three had been brewing together for more than a year and were still enjoying it. Second consideration was would they have enough money to create a brewery that would produce sufficient revenue to be sustainable. Viarella points out that before the law changed they would have had to invest a half million or more to open a viable brewery or brewpub. After weekly meetings to develop a business plan Johnsons said “by February of 2013 we all agreed that the business could work and committed ourselves and our resources to it.” The co-owners spent the next eighteen months finding out just how much work there was to opening a brewery in your “spare time.” After
Historic Sycamore Tree Bar at Adventure Brewery
the five month wait for zoning law changes they were again ready to sign a lease on the original location. Then the Federal Government shut down. Not knowing when the government would re-open, they lost the location. After leasing a new location they waited five months more for required architectural plans to be made and approved. The building permit was issued only seven weeks before their planned grand opening. The taphouse and brewery construction including the bar, walls, electrical and plumbing, was all done by the owners, their friends and supporters. Not only were they surprised they made the planned opening but pleasantly shocked at the many volunteers, some were strangers, who showed up to help with construction. Pressed by vendors on the brewery’s name, the owners called a meeting where no one could leave until a unanimous decision was made. Viarella made the first suggestion which was Adventure Brewery. Bornholtz and Johnson instantly agreed to the name before Viarella had a chance to explain that his suggestion was based on their scout and otherwise active lives plus the brewery itself was a new adventure. The coowners went on to discuss how cool it would be if the logo showed a mountain climber who so loved his beer that even hanging on the edge of a cliff, he wouldn’t let his beer go. When the brewery opened the co-owners quickly learned that they needed to divide the work for efficiency and in order to balance the brewery work with their full time jobs. Bornholtz manages the brewery operations team, Viarella manages the tasting room team and Johnson manages the finances. The co-owners believe it’s important to interact continued VIRGINIACRAFTBEER.COM
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continued
with customers at the brewery. Dean Fetterolf a regular at Adventure reveals “From the very first visit they were welcoming. They clearly showed a passion for their craft.” Longtime craft beer fan Lloyd Dolan, another regular at the brewery, opines Adventure is popular because “At least one of the owners is there every day. Nothing pretentious with the place. Everyone is treated like an old friend.” However as one of the owners put it, there is enough work for each of them to be at the brewery twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week and still not get it done. To deal with burnout, there is a mandatory “stay away day” for each owner. The four year round beers at Adventure Brewery are Backpack Wheat, Super Power Pale Ale, Expedition IPA, and Stiletto Stout. Bornholtz says these “beers are very drinkable and are designed with normal people in mind.” Expedition IPA is the most popular followed by Backpack Wheat, a traditional Hefeweizen. Viarella revealed “we spent eighteen months (prior to opening) brewing these same four beers over and over” to ensure consistency and to be sure they knew how they should taste. Adventure brewed a seasonal wheat beer with peanut butter and banana tastes as a tribute to Elvis on his birthday called Go East Young Man. Two of their other seasonal beers were collaborations with the community. Christie Hoerneman, Head of Research at England Run Library, contacted the co-owners for a series on people that were turning their hobbies into a profession. At their invitation, Hoerneman helped brew a nut brown ale with molasses for the event and she named it Bookworm Brown. Mary Washington’s Gingerbread brown ale was first brewed for a breast cancer awareness charity event at Mary Washington House and was based on Washington’s famous recipe. Mary Washington, mother of George, died of breast cancer. When asked to talk about their beers, Johnson chose Bobsled Winter Ale. Johnson, who is not a big spice fan, likes this popular seasonal because “the recipe is fairly simple. Orange peel, ginger root, and (light amounts) of cinnamon and all spice, make it taste like the holiday season.” Viarella chose Stiletto Stout noting it was the first recipe “we worked on all together. (This) very complex stout has the roasting you expect but has hints of chocolate nuttiness to it.” Bornholtz confesses “I am kind of the extreme person (of the team), there is no such thing as too much hops, too much alcohol, too much malts, too much sours…. if its way out there then I love it.” Therefore Bornholtz chose to talk about the seasonal Second Ascent Double IPA. Adventure’s web site
says this Imperial IPA takes the familiar hop profile of Expedition IPA and doubles the intensity. Bornholtz explains that even with 90 IBUs and 9.2 ABV, Second Ascent still has citrusy notes like Expedition IPA. Second Ascent uses Galaxy hops from Australia which Bornholtz describes as much more potent than the Cascade hops used in Expedition. Johnson says Wicked Nymph, an Imperial Stout adapted from the Stiletto Stout recipe, is his favorite. On March 28 Adventure Brewery released their first bottled beer which was Wicked Nymph aged in Bowman Bourbon barrels. They plan to sell the non-aged Wicked Nymph by bottle in late April. At Adventure even the unique thirty foot bar has ties to the community. Arborist Tim Boyd, a friend from scouts, connected Johnson to Steve Brown a woodworker who had salvaged slabs of wood from a historic Sycamore tree. The tree was located at Eagle’s Nest Trading Post directly across from the Stafford County Courthouse. Johnson recalled that “Brown had mentioned to us that he’d stopped counting rings at 200 but we never had an opportunity to count ourselves. We cling to the possibility that the tree spans the time between Stafford County’s previous brewery (Marlborough) and Adventure Brewing Company.” Marlborough was never successful and closed in 1767 less than two years after opening. In contrast Adventure Brewery’s success in the first year has exceeded the owner’s expectations. They have been brewing three days a week on their labor intensive three barrel system and barely keeping up with taproom demand. The brewery has been operating “in the black” and the owners expect to recover their initial capital investment shortly after their one year anniversary. In January they added a new ten barrel fermenter. The co-owners, who are yet to take a salary, plan to invest in additional equipment to increase output and possibly brew lagers. Many of Adventure’s ale recipes were originally lagers. In February the owners hired Bryan Link as their first full time brewer. Link had spent the previous eighteen months as head brewer at Milly’s Tavern in New Hampshire. With Link on the team, Adventure is now brewing five to six days a week and hopes to expand their tap business. Currently Adventure Beer is on tap at six restaurants near the brewery. Plans for the one year anniversary celebration on May 16 are still in development but it looks like the anniversary ale will be a Quad. Quad (or four) seems appropriate to represent the hard working owners and their new brewer.
liv
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APRIL 2015
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New Historic Beers Brewing at Alewerks BY JEFF MAISEY
W
hat’s old is new again. That seemingly is the guiding principle of the craft beer revolution exploding across America – and especially Colonial Williamsburg. The Founding Fathers – everyone from George Washington and Ben Franklin to Samuel Adams and Paul Revere – were famously in need of daily quantities of ale served at the local tavern. Today, visitors – locals and tourists alike – to Williamsburg’s historic corridor can pop into King’s Arms Tavern and Shield’s Tavern and order a pint of Old Stitch, an authentic 18th century brown ale. The recipe was researched and developed by Frank Clark of Colonial Williamsburg’s Historic Foodways program. Clark specializes in historic beer and brewing. He is the author of the paper “A Most Wholesome Liquor,” detailing brewing in 18th-century England and her colonies. Old Stitch has been brewed, kegged and bottled at Alewerks, the craft brewery on the outskirts of town. According to brewmaster Geoff Logan, the recipe is tweaked just slightly for the modern equipment, but remaining authentic in its characteristics. In addition to Old Stitch, Alewerks is working with Clark to brew Colonial Porter, using burnt sugar, as well as a Bristol-style beer. Details are still being worked out, including label designs, but both will be available on draft in the old town’s taverns and in bottles at the various specialty retailers. Indirectly related to Colonial Williamsburg, DoG Street Pub general manager Michael Claar approached Alewerks’ Geoff Logan about collaborating on a beer exclusively for the Merchants Square gastropub location and its newly opened Hair of the Dog bottles shop. “Michael wanted to do an ESB,” explained Logan. “He came in, gave me some parameters of what he wanted. I put together a recipe. He came in. We brewed the beer. We’re pretty proud of it.” The Extra Special Bitter is named Maizie’s ESB for DoG Street Pub owner’s Chef Everett’s dog. The beer is an exceptional example of a traditional English-style ESB. True to its style, the beer has body and character with a subtle bitterness that is both refreshing and highly sessionable. It is currently on draft but will find its way to cask and bottles. Alewerks experiments with test batches on its 10-barrel tank system. Popular specialty brands such as Bitter Valentine, Café Royale, and Bourbon Barrel Porter are award-winning results of this process. Last year, Logan produced his first sour beer – Lover’s Greed. It won a gold medal at the Virginia Craft Brewers Festival in August. He plans to expand production of the bourbon barrel and sour beer program. - 32 -
APRIL 2015
Alewerks brewmaster Geoff Logan
“Those beers are fun and a challenge,” Logan said. “A year and a half in the barrel, you hope for the best, and taste along the way. It requires a lot of patience.” Alewerks is also developing plans to produce Lambic and geueze style beers. “We’ll do a lot of that,” said Logan. “I’m pretty excited about it. I’ve been in contact with Matthew Meyer at Williamsburg Winery to bring him in and do some blending with us.” Meyer is a great choice for the project. He has garnered awards for his red blend Adagio. Logan said he has a long list of requests for collaborations but hasn’t had time to participate. The brewery is hopping, especially now that the tasting room has expanded. “We’ve had a tremendous turn out during tourist time, but one of the most gratifying things is that locals have decided it’s a good thing to come down here in the afternoon and have a good beer,” said Chuck Haines, who established the brewery in 2006 on the site of the former Williamsburg Brewing Company. “It has exceeded our expectations.” They now offer a limited menu in the tasting room. The most popular item is the half-pound soft pretzel. Popular flagship beers include Red Marker Ale, Washington Porter, Chesapeake Pale Ale and Drake’s Tail IPA. Their seasonal beers are sensational: White Ale (spring), Pumpkin Ale (fall), and Coffeehouse Stout (winter). Alewerks best-selling beer is currently Shorty Time, a low-gravity (4.8%) session IPA.
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Try Black Heath BY LEE GRAVES
L
ike any good businessman, Bill Cavender takes note of who is buying his product. What he’s seeing so far is that all sorts of people are drawn to his mead like bees to honey. Young and old, men and women, veterans and newbies — they have swarmed to Black Heath Meadery since its opening on March 4. “I’ve had kids come in here who looked like they couldn’t be any older than 15. When you ID them, they’re 21 or 22. I’ve had people bring in their mothers and grandmothers,” Cavender said as Jimi Hendrix’s “Band of Gypsys” played in the meadery’s 2,000-square-foot space in Richmond’s Scott’s Addition. What’s particularly interesting, Cavender said, is that “it’s the female partner bringing a boyfriend or husband, and then the guys wind up liking it, too.” Speaking of female partners, the business is a joint venture with his wife, Jayne Heffner. It took scant days for Black Heath to sell out of its initial seasonal, Hiver, fermented with saison yeast and aged in a gin barrel. There’s still plenty of his flagship, The Muse, which is a traditional mead made with wildflower honey, water and yeast and weighing in at 12 percent ABV. The color is golden, and the flavor is light, slightly sweet but not cloying or thick. The Muse will be used as the base for further seasonals — Cavender hopes to offer one or two a month. He plans to make 200 gallons of mead a month. The commercial venture comes after long preparation and longer interest. Growing up - 34 -
APRIL 2015
Lee Graves
In Need of Mead? in suburban Alexandria, Cavender lived next to a man who kept beehives. Cavender’s curiosity led to a Scouting merit badge in beekeeping at age 12. Later, during a semester in London while a student at the University of Richmond, he developed a love of flavorful beers. Homebrewing was the next step, but when Cavender moved to Austin, Texas, to pursue graduate studies, he found that the heat there made it easier to brew mead rather than beer. He eventually landed in Chesterfield County and established RVA Mead Lab, allowing him and others to explore recipes and processes. A Kickstarter campaign provided $7,500 to build on, and Black Heath moved from vision to fruition. The appeal of mead goes beyond bees and honey. Cavender loves history, and mead has plenty — myths, tales, records and ritual uses, all dating back thousands of years. The Muse pays homage to a mythical beverage that made the drinker a poet or scholar “able to recite information and solve any question.” Cavender gets lots of questions from curious customers. Terms like cyser (mead with apples), pyment (with grape juice), melomel (with other fruits) and metheglin (with spices) are not part of the parlance of your average imbiber. But inquisitive, adventurous drinkers are good for business. “I think there is a desire among craft beer drinkers to continue to find what’s different and what’s new,” Cavender said. State law classifies a meadery as a winery, and Black Heath is licensed as a commercial
Bill Cavender opens a bottle of The Muse at Black Heath Meadory on Altamont Avenue in Richmond’s Scott’s Addition.
winery rather than a farm winery. The former basically means ingredients come from outside sources (Cavender gets much of his honey from Bearer Farms in Goochland County and Golden Angels Apiary near Harrisonburg). It also means he can provide only small samples on-site. The law does permit leasing land for hives that will qualify him as a farm winery, a goal he hopes to achieve in coming months. “What that would allow me to do is to have a true tasting room here, where I could put products on draft or even in a bottle,” Cavender said. “People could sit down and have a little bit more of an experience.” That would enhance the destinations in Scott’s Addition, which already counts Isley Brewing Co. and Ardent Craft Ales as attractions. And Cavender relishes the cooperative spirit among his neighbors and others in the community, including RVA Yeast Labs. Look for collaborations with Mekong Restaurant, the Virginia Historical Society and local restaurants. Black Heath Meadery also exemplifies the devotion to craft that girds the local beer and food movement. “People who drink craft beer are drinking it not only for the product but because of all the other stuff that comes with that,” he said. “That’s really the whole concept, that there is a craft to what is being produced.” Lee Graves in the author of Richmond Beer and writes a column as The Beer Guy for Richmond Times-Dispatch
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Brew Loco
– Where Tea, Coffee, Beer and Homebrewing Play Nice Together BY JEFFERSON EVANS AND CHUCK TRIPLETT
S
isters Cathy Frye and Mary Battaglia – as far back as college – always had the itch to have a business together. While their paths to that long held goal involved years in separate careers – Mary spent decades as an educator and Cathy in the publishing business – last year they realized their goal and opened their business, Brew Loco in Lansdowne, VA. They soon began applying the lessons learned in those separate careers to their now shared livelihood. But it wasn’t easy, and the challenge was not made simpler by the fact that the evolving plan for Brew Loco did not fit neatly into a box. It would be a coffee and tea shop…but wait, it will be a beer store, that also sells homebrew supplies…and has brewing on site. Did I mention the classes and workshops? How about hosting a Community Supported Agriculture program site where Great Country Farms drops off fresh produce in boxes for program subscribers to take home and return empty for the farmer to pick up and be refilled? Getting’ dizzy yet? Brew Loco reflects the passions that its people bring to the table. Mary is the tea maven and a woman with a long history of educating others. Cathy is the beer maven, with experience running her own business. “My writing and editing company is called ‘The Fresh Eye’ and that name reflects an approach we try to bring to the new business,” said Cathy. Barista Dan helps run the coffee bar. And a major contributor to the new business is Cathy’s husband, Rob. The two have become active homebrewers since 2007 after the younger of their two daughters left the nest, and Rob bringing an engineer’s skills to the table, both in the brewing of beer and in helping to build out the new space. - 36 -
APRIL 2015
Then there is Sten Sellier of Beltway Brewing, who pointed Cathy and Mary to the Loudoun Small Business Development Center (SBDC) and their 2013 Business Plan Competition. A crazy rush was required to get an entry prepared in time but led to a top 8 finish and a win in the video portion of the contest and a small cash prize. The cash didn’t do much beyond helping buy some countertops but it did serve to focus their plans for Brew Loco. When I ask Cathy how many possible locations they looked at for their shop, she shakes her head and sighs. She can’t say for sure but knows the number is over a 100, both in Loudoun and Fairfax Counties, with a desire to be near the boundary between the two. “We had to rule out a lot of spaces because of the presence of a Starbucks or Caribou Coffee having no competition clauses in their lease agreements that ruled out another coffee shop nearby,” she explained. When they first looked at the Lansdowne Town Center development they thought it was the same old problem due to the presence of a Starbucks, but when they dug deeper, it turned out the section where they ended Owners Mary Battaglia up had a different owner and and Cathy Frye no such restriction existed. And as it was in Loudon County they could enjoy the LoCo part of their name having a double meaning. They had their space. The doors opened October 4, 2014. The last part of the puzzle was the Brew on Premise portion. Their interactions with Virginia ABC have been quite positive, but not without some bumps – like learning that their license does not allow them to sell the beer they brew on premise in the store, but only to then have Virginia ABC staff point out that it does allow them to fill growlers from their two taps, which to date have featured beers such as Blue Mountain Dark Hollow Imperial Stout, Port
City Colossus IV Belgian Quad, and Three Notch’d Biggie S’mores Imperial Stout. With taps, cans and bottles on the shelves, there is a definite focus on Virginia breweries, but they do try to honor requests for out of region beers and will use resources such as Beer Advocate for guidance. As a new, smaller shop they are constantly battling with distributors for access to in demand beers. The onsite classes include Brew U 101 the 2nd Saturday of the month to introduce participants to the art of homebrewing. They, over the course of 2 hours, simulate a homebrewing process and perform a bottling exercise. Their roaster, Hopscotch coffee, has led coffee cuppings, which usually involve three different coffees as whole beans to being ground and then tasted. A fun, great circle of beer moment was hosting the 2014 SBDC contestants for the first viewing of their video entries, to begin voting on the winners, and allow contestants to see a recent finalist who had gone from business plan to brick and mortar. Brew Loco also takes pride in a level of service and interaction that can result in an informal workshop breaking out at any time, whether in person or by e-mail. Cathy adds how much she loves the stores customers – the way they make sure the staff can get home during a snowstorm, spontaneously help fix something that has broken, and help spread the word about Brew Loco on social media. Not to mention that her fellow Lansdowne Center businesses have been very supportive and welcoming. Finally, Cathy and Mary are dedicated to the proposition that the beer world is a world where women should feel comfortable and be able to develop their brewing chops. “In the past a woman might walk into a homebrew shop and feel invisible. That isn’t the case here.” And while Cathy notes that she has dealt with a male customer or two who has been taken aback that it would be a woman showing
Cathy Frye
him how to brew, generally it is a short lived issue as they quickly realize that when it comes to brewing, Cathy and the Brew Loco staff got game. So order an espresso or cup of tea, maybe a scone or some artisanal bread, get a growler filled, grab a seat, ‘cause that bit of dizziness you first experienced is long gone and it’s time to learn how to brew. LoCo that is. brewloco.com/ and on Facebook.
Town Point Park, Downtown Norfolk Waterfront, Virginia
PLAIN WHITE T’S
DELTA RAE
Robert Randolph & The Family Band
MINGO FISHTRAP
produced by
www.festevents.org Or call 757-441-2345 VIRGINIACRAFTBEER.COM
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brewREVIEWS ENGLISH PALE ALE
Old Bust Head Vint Hills You could say this is a proper pint of classic, traditional English Pale Ale. Kudos to Old Bust Head for creating a true-to-the-style ale that is a pleasure to drink. Mild hop aroma, highly sessionable. Just brilliant all around. 5.6% ABV.
PRIMAL INSTINCT INDIA PALE ALE
Wild Wolf Brewing Company Nellysford Wild Wolf Brewing Company’s Primal Instinct is a well-balanced IPA, pale golden in color with a nice head. It is brewed with a blend of five different malts and five hop varieties including hand-harvested Cascade hops grown in their own hop yard. The result is a strong malty backbone with notes of tropical citrus and pine. Give into your primal instinct of drinking great tasting beer! ABV 7.4%
GOLDEN CENSER HONEY WHEAT ALE Apocalypse Ale Works Forest
Praise to the beer gods, Apocalypse Brewing Company’s Golden Censer is divine. This honey wheat ale is clear, golden in color with a rich head. It features aromas of orange, citrus and honey and is well-balanced with sweet honey malts and not too hoppy. This is an easy drinking beer coming in at a low 5% ABV.
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FOR LOVERS ONLY IMPERIAL STOUT
Parkway Brewing Company Salem First, let’s talk about the hip 22-ounce bottle design: This is one eye-catching homage to cult favorite indie twang band Southern Culture on the Skids. The campy, circus-like depiction of musicians Rick, Mary and Dave is as fun as their album cover artwork. Given SCOTS love of fried chicken and white trash culture, you might think the beer would be complimentary of the style. You’d be wrong. This is a high gravity (9.5%) stout with a noticeable alcohol nose to it. Like the band, it’s certainly bold – pours black as the oil bubbling up on Jed Clampett’s farm during the intro to the ol’ Beverly Hillbillies sitcom.
DEVILS TALE BLACK IPA
Devils Backbone/Coronado Brewing Lexington Taken from the Adventure Pack, a 12-bottle package of collaboration beers pairing Virginia’s Devils Backbone with some of its out-of-state pals, the big surprise after pouring this black ale and observing an exceptional head form was the big hop nose on this bad boy. Brewer Ryan Brooks, from the Coronado, California craft brewery, worked with the DB crew on a recipe that features Northern Brewer, Mosaic and Centennial hops. The added variety of malts provides a nice balance to what is a top notch black IPA. 7.5% ABV. Lovin’ it!
GRID LOCK INDIA PALE LAGER
Mad Fox Brewing Co. & DuClaw Brewing Co. Collaboration DuClaw and Mad Fox have teamed up to create Grid Lock, a traffic stopping India Pale Lager. Its clean and clear appearance and small carbonation bubbles are reminiscent of Bill Madden’s (Mad Fox) legendary Kolsch. This easy-drinking lager also reminds us of a session IPA, but at 5% ABV, it is packed with the flavors and aromas of Northwest American Hops. After battling the grid lock on I-95 or anywhere else, you will be ready to hop out of your car and pop the top on this refreshing brew!
VIRGINIACRAFTBEER.COM
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Following is our spring and summer listing of statewide festivals featuring craft beers made in Virginia and beyond. From small town tasting fests and cultural displays to large scale beer festivals and outdoor music events it’s time to get out of the house and enjoy.
BLUE RIDGE HIGHLANDS NEW RIVER BREWFEST Sat., April 11, Noon-6pm Enjoy Virginia beer, food & live music Tickets: $25 in advance; $30 at gate Nesselrod Bed & Breakfast 7535 Lee Highway, Radford 540.731.4970 newriverbrewfest.com
HOPS & HOWLERS CRAFT BREW FEST Sat., June 20, 4-9pm Over 24 regional micro-breweries Tickets: $35 in advance; $40 at door; $55 VIP Remsburg Drive Downtown Abingdon 276.676.2282 hopsandhowlers.com
SUMMER SOLSTICE FEST Sat., June 20, 1-11pm A community celebration featuring beer garden, live music, dancing, & fun activities for all ages. 118 S. Main Street Blacksburg downtownblacksburg.com
BUSHELS AND BARRELS LOCAL FOOD, WINE & BEER FESTIVAL Sat., June 20, 11am-7pm Live music, beer, wine, food, & artisans Reynolds Homestead 463 Homestead Lane Critz 276.694.7181 reynoldshomestead.vt.edu
BEER FESTIVAL AT VIRGINIA TECH
Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance presents Rocktown Beer & Music Festival Saturday, April 25 from 2:30-8:00pm. The event takes place in Turner Pavilion & Park and is a celebration of good beer, good living, good music and a great community.
ROCKIN’ BREWS & BBQS AT SMITH MOUNTAIN LAKE Sat., April 25, 1-7pm Tasty BBQ, beer, & music Admission: $5, Kids 6 and under free Downtown Moneta Route 122 & Route 608, Moneta 540.721.1203 visitsmithmountainlake.com - 40 -
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Sat., June 27, Noon-5pm Over 40 different beers, live entertainment, & local food Holtzman Alumni Center 901 Prices Fork Road Blacksburg 540.231.6285 alumni.vt.edu/beerfestival
LAKEFEST SMITH MOUNTAIN LAKE CRAFT BEER FESTIVAL Sat., June 27, Noon-5pm Enjoy craft beer & cider, food, and music. Proceeds benefit Free Clinic of Franklin County Tasting Ticket: $35 Non-Taster Ticket: $15 Smith Mountain Lake 775 Ashmeade Rd. Moneta lakefestsml.com
Executive Chef TV Flynn and General Manager Gordon Slatford at Tides Inn in Irvington, Virginia will debut the Taste of Spring Festival on April 11 from 11 AM to 5 PM. The outdoor event will feature craft beers and cider from Virginia as well as wine and food from the Northern Neck/Chesapeake Bay.
FLOYD FEST
SMOKIN’ BARBEQUE FESTIVAL
July 22-26 A celebration of music, art, & life! 894 Rock Castle Gorge Floyd floydfest.com
Sat., April 18, 12-5pm Tasty barbeque, beer & cider, entertainment, and artisans & crafters. $10 in advance; $15 at the gate Old Town Petersburg 9 East Old Street Petersburg smokinbarbequefestival.com
CENTRAL VIRGINIA THOMAS JEFFERSON CRAFT BEER FESTIVAL AT POPLAR FOREST
BLUE RIDGE OYSTER FESTIVAL
Sat., April 11 11am-5pm 11 craft breweries, regional fare, beer education classes, local crafters Tickets: $30 in advance; $35 at the door Thomas Jefferson’s Poplar Forest 1542 Bateman Bridge Road Forest poplarforest.org
Sat., April 25, 12-5pm Enjoy oysters & craft beer! Devils Backbone Brewing Company 200 Mosbys Run Roseland 434.361.1001 dbbrewingcompany.com
DOWNTOWN CHILI SHOWDOWN BREW HA HA
Sat., May 9, 1-6pm Food trucks, live music, local artists, homebrewer’s row, and 50-75 craft beers. Tickets: $40
Sat., April 18, 11:30am-4pm Main Street Arena Charlottesville downtownchilishowdown.com
KNOW GOOD BEER FESTIVAL
RVA BREW-B-Q FESTIVAL Sun., Aug., 16, Noon-5pm Featuring the best barbecue and craft beer in Richmond, live music and crafts. 17th Street Farmers Market 100 North 17th Street Richmond 804.646.0954
VIRGINIA CRAFT BREWERS FESTIVAL
The Roanoke Jaycees are celebrating craft beer with the return of Big Lick Beertopia taking place Saturday, June 20 from 12-6pm at Lewis Gale Field in Salem.
IX Art Park Charlottesville 434.249.5736 knowgoodbeer.com
VIRGINIA HOPS & BARLEY FESTIVAL May 9, 3-10pm Enjoy food, fun, beer, wine and bands! Tickets: $15 in advance Historic Malvern, 608 Huguenot Trail Midlothian VABeerFest.com
LAKE ANNA BREWFEST
MADE IN THE SHADE CRAFT BEER FESTIVAL Sat., June 13, Noon-6pm Beer tastings from VA craft breweries, live music, craft vendors, and food. Tasting Tickets: $15 in advance, $20 at the gate. Non-tasting: $10, free for children age 12 and younger. Avoca Museum 1514 Main Street Altavista 434.369.1076 avocamuseum.org
Sat., May 16, Noon-6pm Enjoy Virginia craft beers, food, music, and local Lake Anna vendors. Tickets: $20 in advance, $25 at gate; VIP $40 in advance, $50 at gate Cutalong at Lake Anna Kentucky Springs Road Mineral lakeannabrewfest.com
BBQ, BANDS & BREWS
BEER, BOURBON & BBQ FESTIVAL
July 14-19 Craft beer from the U.S. and the world, tastings, dinners, lunches, brunches, seminars, and more. Richmond Convention Center and nearby venues nationalbeerexpo.com
Sat., May 30 12-6pm 60 Beers, 40 Bourbons, and lots of BBQ. Join us for a great day of beer sippin’, bourbon tastin’, music listenin’, cigar smokin’, and barbeque eatin’. Richmond Raceway Complex Richmond beerandbourbon.com/virginia/show-info
Sat., Aug., 22, 2-7pm Featuring the Third Annual Virginia Craft Brewers Cup Competition, VA craft breweries, live music, food trucks and more! Devils Backbone Brewing Company 200 Mosbys Run Roseland 434.220.4000 vacraftbrewersfest.com
LOCKN’ MUSIC FESTIVAL Thurs.-Sun., Sept. 10-13 4-day music festival with an emphasis on world class music locally sourced food & sustainability Oak Ridge Farm 2300 Oak Ridge Rd. Arrington locknfestival.com
garden show. Tides Inn 480 King Carter Drive Irvington 804.438.5000 tidesinn.com
HAMPTON ROADS HAMPTON ROADS BEER FEST Sat., April 4, 1-8:30pm Great brews, food, and fun with the wild animals! Virginia Zoo 3500 Granby Street Norfolk drinkthedistrict.com/hamptonroads/ beerfest/#
BLUES, BREWS, & BBQ Sat., May 2, Noon-6pm Enjoy downhome blues, microbrews, and BBQ. $25 in advance; $30 at the door Yorktown Riverwalk 331 Water Street Yorktown visityorktown.org
Sat., June 27, 11am-7pm BBQ competitions, beer, entertainment, and local vendors. Pleasant Grove Park 1730 Thomas Jefferson Parkway Palmyra
CAPITAL ALE HOUSE NATIONAL BEER EXPO
Are you ready to have fun? Tickets are on sale now for the Know Good Beer Festival presented by South Street Brewery and WNRN Saturday, May 9 in Charlottesville.
LYNCHBURG BEER & WINE FESTIVAL
Named one of the best beer festivals by USA Today (2013), the two-day Virginia Beer Festival returns to Town Point Park on the beautiful downtown Norfolk waterfront on May 16 & 17. The event features 65 breweries from around the world with more than 125 beers to sample.
Sat., Sept. 19, 11am-7pm Over 16 wineries & breweries from the state and beyond with 96 different varieties to sample and buy. Plus, artisans, food vendors, and live music. Lynchburg City Stadium 3176 Fort Avenue Lynchburg 434.473.7319 lynchburgbeerandwinefestival.com
CHESAPEAKE BAY TASTE OF SPRING – BREWS, BUDS, & BITES Wed.-Sun., April 8-12 Special events themed around VA craft beers - cooking sessions, food & beer pairings, and an outdoor festival featuring beer, cider, wine and regional fare plus live music and a boat and
TOWN CENTER CRAFT BEER FESTIVAL Sat., May 2, 1-6pm Over 50 craft beers & ciders from over 25 national and regional breweries. $25 in advance, $30 at the gate Town Center Virginia Beach, VA 23454 757.491.7866 beachstreetusa.com
THE MARINER’S CRAFT BEER FESTIVAL Sun., May 3, noon-5pm 100 Museum Drive Newport News, VA 23606 757.596.2222 marinersmuseum.org
VIRGINIACRAFTBEER.COM
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Chatham County Line is one of several bands scheduled to play the Bushels and Barrels Local Food, Wine, and Beer Festival taking place Saturday, June 20 in Critz.
food, & local artisans Tickets: $25 in advance Downtown Culpeper East Spencer Street Parking Lot Culpeper 540.825.4416 culpeperdowntown.com/beerfest.html gnarlyhops.com
novabrewfest.com
SPRING BOCK FESTIVAL
BEER & BACON FEST
Sat., May 2 First outdoor beer event of the season showcasing bock beers and seasonal selections. Mad Fox Brewing Company 444 West Broad Street Falls Church madfoxbrewing.com
VIRGINIA BEER FESTIVAL
AT&T SUMMER BREWFEST
Sat. & Sun., May 16 & 17, 2-6pm Over 100 beers from local, regional, and international breweries, food, live music, and educational seminars. Town Point Park 1 Waterside Drive Norfolk 757.282.2822 vafest.org
Fri., July 10, 5-9pm Sample a wide variety of summer beers from a selection of local, regional, national, and international breweries. Town Point Park 1 Waterside Drive Norfolk 757.441.2345 festevents.org
39TH ANNUAL NORFOLK HARBORFEST Fri., June 5 – Sun., June 7 Parade of Sail, the largest fireworks show on the East Coast, local, regional and national entertainment, family activities, and more! Town Point Park Waterside Drive Norfolk 757-441-2345 festevents.org
DOG STREET PUB CRAFT BEER FESTIVAL
BAYOU BOOGALOO & CAJUN FOOD FESTIVAL
FREDRICKSBURG BREW FEST
Fri., June 19, Noon-10pm, Sat, June 20, Noon-10pm, Sun., June 21, Noon-6pm Experience the heart and soul of Louisiana with Cajun food, beer, live music, and Arts Market of New Orleans. Town Point Park Waterside Drive Norfolk 757.441.2345 festevents.org
Sun., Aug. 2, 12-5pm Virginia beer & food tastings, live music, and raffle prizes. Merchants Square Williamsburg 757.293.6478 dogstreetpub.com
NORTHERN VIRGINIA Sat., April 18, 11am-6pm 70+ craft brews, music, food, demonstrations, and whiskey & wine samplings. 2400 Airport Avenue Fredericksburg fredbrewfest.com
GNARLY HOPS & BARLEY FEST’ CRAFT BEER FESTIVAL Sat., April 25, Noon-6pm Live music, over 70 beer selections,
SILVERLINE MUSIC AND FOOD TRUCK FEST Sat., Aug. 8, 5-10pm Lerner Town Square 8025 Galleria Drive Tysons tysonsmusicfest.com Sat., Aug. 29, Noon-5pm Stonebridge at Potomac Town Center Woodbridge beerandbacon.com/woodbridge
BEER, BOURBON & BBQ FESTIVAL Sat., Sept. 19, Noon-6pm 60 Beers, 40 Bourbons, and lots of BBQ. Join us for a great day of beer sippin’, bourbon tastin’, music listenin’, cigar smokin’, and barbeque eatin’. Lerner Town Square 8025 Galleria Drive Tysons Beerandbourbon.com/tysons
SHENANDOAH VALLEY ROCKTOWN BEER & MUSIC FESTIVAL Sat., April 25, 2:30-8:00pm Music, food, & over 60 craft beers Turner Pavilion Harrisonburg 540.432.8922 rocktownfestival.com The Beer, Bourbon, & BBQ Festival serves up all three and more with 60 Beers, 40 Bourbons, BBQ, and live music Saturday, May 30 from noon to 6pm at the Richmond Raceway Complex.
SILVERLINE MUSIC AND FOOD TRUCK FEST Sat., May 30, 5-10pm Lerner Town Square 8025 Galleria Drive Tysons tysonsmusicfest.com
NORTHERN VA SUMMER BREW FEST Sat.-Sun., June 20-21, 11am-7pm 60 of the America’s best breweries, food, music, crafters and more. Morven Park 41793 Tutt Lane Leesburg 703.923.0800
The Capital Ale House National Beer Expo returns to Richmond July 15-18 and will feature a full line-up of events including tastings, dinners, seminars and more!
OF ALE AND HISTORY MICROBREW AND IMPORTED BEER FESTIVAL Sat., May 9, 11am-6pm Food, beer, & live bands Belle Grove Plantation 336 Belle Grove Rd. Middletown 22645 540.869.2028 bellegrove.org
VALLEYFEST BEER & WINE FESTIVAL Sat., May 23, 11am-7pm Live music, food, wines, microbrews, crafters & artisans Tickets: $25 in advance, $30 at gate Massanutten Resort 4620 Massanutten Drive Massanutten 540.434.3862 valleyfestbeerandwine.com
BIG LICK BEERTOPIA Sat., June 20, Noon-6pm Craft beer from local & national breweries. Lewis-Gale Field 1004 Texas St. Salem 540.580.2481 biglickbeertopia.com
HOP BLOSSOM CRAFT BEER FESTIVAL Sat., June 13, Noon-6pm Featuring 40 breweries, live entertainment, homebrew competition and more. Old Town Winchester West Boscawen Street Winchester hopblossom.com - 42 -
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On Saturday, June 13, Old Town Winchester hosts the third annual Hop Blossom Craft Beer Festival featuring 40+ breweries, live entertainment, and a homebrew competition.
BEERS N’ CHEERS
ROCKBRIDGE BEER & WINE FESTIVAL
Sat., July 4, 4-9:30pm A celebration of craft brews, local wines, and great music in the parking lot next to the Turner Pavilion. 212 South Main Street Harrisonburg 540.432.8922 downtownharrisonburg.org/ valleyfourth
Sat., Sept. 5, Noon-5pm Wine and craft beer tasting, food and great music! Virginia Horse Center 487 Maury River Road Lexington 540.464.2950 horsecenter.org
Sat., Aug. 8, Noon-6pm Over 100 beers from 40 micro and craft breweries from the Mid-Atlantic region. Tickets: $25-75 Elmwood Park 706 S. Jefferson St. Roanoke 540.224.1217 microfestivus.squaresociety.org
MOUNTAIN JAMBOREE AT MASSANUTTEN
BALLPARK BEER FESTIVAL Sat. April 18, 6-10pm Over 50 beers and live music! Hooker Field 450 Commonwealth Blvd. Martinsville 276.403.5250 martinsvillemustangs.com
SOUTH HILL RHYTHM AND BREW BASH Sat., May 30, 2-7pm Live music, craft beer, & food. Tickets: $25 in advance, $30 at gate Centennial Park Upper Field 225 East Danville Street South Hill 434.447.4547 southhillbrewbash.com
S & BARL P O E H EST YF
Sat., Aug. 29, 5-10pm Food vendors, beer garden, wine hoop dance, kids’ activities, and fireworks Massanutten Ski Area 4614 Massanutten Dr McGaheysville 540.437.3368
SOUTHERN VIRGINIA
GNAR LY
MICROFESTIVUS
*
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The Fredericksburg Brewfest celebrates beer culture in Virginia with over 70 craft brews on Saturday, April 18 from 11am to 6pm.
L P E P E R, V A
540.825.4416 | facebook.com/gnarlyhops
VIRGINIACRAFTBEER.COM
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Virginia Craft Beer has an eye on the upcoming beer related events throughout the state BLUE RIDGE HIGHLANDS CENTRAL VIRGINIA Bloom Fest and Cidermaker Orchard Walk Sat., April 25, 11am-5pm Enjoy the mountain orchard in full bloom. Visit for a cider tasting or picnic under apple blossoms with snacks from our food truck. Reserve a spot for an Orchard Walk with owner, Diane Flynt, at 1:00 or 3:00. $10 tasting fee includes six ciders, logo glass plus Orchard Walk. Foggy Ridge Cider 1328 Pineview Rd. Dugspur foggyridgecider.com Second Saturday Music with Hard Cider Sat., May 9, 11am-5pm. Hard Cider brings their eclectic version of Blue Grass and Cast Iron Catering offers locally sourced food. $12 tasting fee includes six ciders, logo glass plus music. Foggy Ridge Cider 1328 Pineview Rd. Dugspur foggyridgecider.com One Year Anniversary Party at Chaos Mountain Sat., May 16, Noon-9pm Chaos Mountain Brewing Company 3135 Dillons Mill Rd. Calloway 540.334.1600 chaosmountainbrewing.com Where The Buffalo Roam: Hard Cider Hike on Buffalo Mountain Sat., May 30, 11am-5pm Take a shuttle from Foggy Ridge Cider to Buffalo Mountain for a short guided hike with Naturalist Eric Harrold. Return for local buffalo burgers and chili from Brushy Creek Bison Farm and cider tasting. $12 tasting fee includes six ciders, logo glass and shuttle. Foggy Ridge Cider 1328 Pineview Rd. Dugspur foggyridgecider.com
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APRIL 2015
$2 Tuesdays at South Street Brewery Every Tuesday until 9pm 106 South Street Charlottesville 434.293.6550 southstreetbrewery.com Brewer Tap Spotlight at 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 St., Suite #140 Charlottesville 434.760.0771 wobusa.com/charlottesville Arts & Ales at Wild Wolf Brewing Company Last Sunday of the month, April-September, Noon-6pm Featuring different artists from Nelson County each month. 2461 Rockfish Valley Highway Nellysford 434.361.0088 wildwolfbeer.com Easter Brunch at Blue Mountain Brewery Sun., April 5, 11am-2pm 9519 Critzer Shop Rd. Afton 540.456.8020 bluemountainbrewery.com Growler Girls Beer Dinner Thurs., April 9, 7pm Three-course dinner paired with three Basecamp brewed beers. $50 per person. RSVP required taproom@dbbrewingcompany.com Devils Backbone Basecamp 200 Mosbys Run Roseland 434.361.1001 dbbrewingcompany.com
Legend Brewing Company’s 21st Anniversary Party Saturday, April 11, 2-9pm Live music, brews, & all-you-can-eat food. Tickets: $20; Ages 12-20 $10; 12 & under free 321 West 7th Street Richmond, VA legendbrewing.com Step Into Mystery at Three Notch’d Tues., April 14, May 12, & June 9, 7-9pm A mystery game where guests are the characters and discover clues to solve the crime. Admission Fee: $35 Three Notch’d Brewery 946 Grady Ave. Charlottesville stepintomystery.com
Legend Brewing Company 321 W. 7th Street Richmond legendbrewing.com Mother’s Day Brunch at Blue Mountain Brewery Sun., May 10, 11am-2pm. 9519 Critzer Shop Rd. Afton 540.456.8020 bluemountainbrewery.com Mother’s Day Brunch at Wild Wolf Brewing Company Sun., May 10, 11am-3pm Enjoy brunch and live music. 2461 Rockfish Valley Highway Nellysford 434.361.0088 wildwolfbeer.com
HAMPTON ROADS
Metal Showcase at Champion Sat., April 18, 7-11pm Tom Tom’s first heavy metal showcase featuring IRON REAGAN, Ramming Speed, The Glorious Gone and the debut of the Black IPA collaboration with Ramming Speed! Champion Brewing Company 324 6th St. SE Charlottesville championbrewingcompany.com
Pint Nights at Whiskey Kitchen Every Tuesday Tap takeover by a local brewery. Enjoy a beer with the featured brewery’s Brewmaster or representative. Whiskey Kitchen 2149 General Booth Blvd. Virginia Beach 757.689.8860 thewhiskeykitchen.com
Wintergreen Adaptive Sports 5k Sat., April 18, 10 am Register at http:// wintergreenadaptivesports.org/ Devils Backbone Basecamp 200 Mosbys Run Roseland 434.361.1001 dbbrewingcompany.com
Trivia Night at Home Republic Every Tuesday, 7pm Featuring Smartmouth Live Trivia Home Republic 328 Laskin Rd. Virginia Beach 757.226.9593 homerepublicvabeach.com
AleWerks Beer Tasting Fri., April 24, 4-7pm Once Upon A Vine South 2817 Hathaway Rd. Richmond Z Dam Ale Release Party at Legend Sun., May 3 5k race to benefit James River Outdoor Coalition and featuring beer flights and cook-out fare.
Pint Night & Tap Take Over at Home Republic Every Thursday April 2 - Back Bay; April 9 Smartmouth, April 16; Center of the Universe; April 23 - Stone; April 30 Blye Mountain Home Republic 328 Laskin Rd. Virginia Beach 757.226.9593 homerepublicvabeach.com
Virginia Craft Beer Thursday Every Thursday, all night Enjoy local Virginia brewed beers for $3 a pint. Tapped Gastropub 1550 Laskin Road Virginia Beach 757.965.5585 tappedgastropub.com Firkin & Food Truck Friday at O’Connor Every Friday Featuring two special casked beers and food from a local food truck. O’Connor Brewing Company 211 W. 24th Street Norfolk 757.623.2337 oconnorbrewing.com Trivia Night at Alewerks Wed., April 8 & 22, May 6 & 20, 7-9pm Alewerks Taproom 189-B Ewell Rd. Williamsburg alewerks.com Commonwealth Common Release Fri., April 10, 4-9pm O’Connor Brewing Company 211 W. 24th Street Norfolk 757.623.2337 oconnorbrewing.com Brew HaHa Tours Sat., April 11 & 25, 1-5pm Upper Peninsula Tour featuring Alewerks Brewery and Brass Cannon Brewery, Comedy Show, and Dinner. brewhahatours.com Devils Backbone Pint Night Mon., April 13, 6pm 507 Hilltop Plaza Hilltop East Virginia Beach S-Turns Summer Honey Saison Re-Release Fri., April 17, 4-9pm O’Connor Brewing Company 211 W. 24th Street Norfolk 757.623.2337 oconnorbrewing.com Devils Backbone Collaboration Beers Pint Night Wed., April 22, 5pm Metro Oyster Bar 972 Laskin Rd. Virginia Beach 757-222-2202 Major & the Monbacks Sat., April 25 O’Connor Brewing Company 211 W. 24th Street Norfolk 757.623.2337 oconnorbrewing.com Cinco de Maibock Release Tues., May 5 O’Connor Brewing Company
211 W. 24th Street Norfolk 757.623.2337 oconnorbrewing.com Smartmouth Street Party Sat., May 9, noon-7pm Smartmouth Brewing Company 1309 Raleigh Ave. Norfolk smartmouthbrewing.com
r, Great Bee g tt in Unique Se sic! & Live Mu
Red Shoe BBQ at Big Ugly Mon., May 18, 6-10pm Includes food, beer, wine, auction, & music. Proceeds benefit Ronald McDonald House Charities of Norfolk. Tickets: $30 Big Ugly Brewing Company 1296 S. Battlefield Blvd. Chesapeake rmhcnorfolk.com O’Connoroo & Spyhop Summer IPA Re-Release May 30 & 31 O’Connor Brewing Company 211 W. 24th Street Norfolk 757.623.2337 oconnorbrewing.com
NORTHERN VIRGINIA Live Music at Adventure Brewing Every Friday 33 Perchwood Dr., Suite 101 Fredericksburg adventurebrewing.com
First Saturday Brewery Open House at Mad Fox Sat., April 4, May 2, June 6, July 4, August 1 Take a free brewery tour with your friends scheduled for noon, 2:00pm and 4:00pm. Onsite registration required. 444 West Broad Street Falls Church madfoxbrewing.com Strong Beer Tasting Wed., April 8 Featuring 10+ strong beers from regional breweries. Mad Fox Brewing Company 444 West Broad Street Falls Church madfoxbrewing.com Baseball Dinner at Mad Fox Mon., April 13 Featuring five-course menu of favorite ballpark foods paired with craft beers. 444 West Broad Street Falls Church madfoxbrewing.com
SUNDAY, MAY 3
The Mariners’ Museum Noon - 5 p.m. Participating breweries:
TICKETS NOW ON SALE!
• New Belgium • St George • AleWerks • Devils Backbone • Bold Rock • Goose Island • O'Connor • Starr Hill • Smartmouth • Heavy Seas • Legend • SweetWater • LoneRider • Shocktop • Evolution • Center of The Universe
MarinersMuseum.org/BeerFest Tickets include 20 craft beer tastings, souvenir tasting glass, entertainment and admission to tour The Mariners’ Museum.
Detox/Retox Yoga in the Taproom Sun, April 19 & May 10, 10-11:15am “Flow Yoga” style classes to get you moving and enjoy a beer after class. Old Bust Head Brewing Company VIRGINIACRAFTBEER.COM
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7134 Lineweaver Rd. Warrenton 540-347-4777 oldbusthead.com Laughmeisters Comedy Series May 8, 8-9:30pm Stand-up comedy professionals with a performance crafted to be enjoyed while you revel in your favorite beer. Adventure Brewing Company 33 Perchwood Drive Stafford 540-242-8876 adventurebrewing.com Adventure Brewing Co’s One Year Anniversary Party Sat., May 16 Featuring special release Belgian Quad and a food truck rodeo. 33 Perchwood Dr., Suite 101 Fredericksburg adventurebrewing.com
SHENANDOAH VALLEY Live Music at Devils Backbone Outpost Fridays April 10, 5:30pm - Blake and Chris (bluegrass); April 24, 6pm - Loose Gravel (upbeat jazz/blues); May 15, 6pm - Sarajane & Sweet Fire (country) 50 Northwind Lane Lexington
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APRIL 2015
540.462.6200 dbbrewingcompany.com
$15 includes snacks and handcrafted glass
Mug Club Night at Devils Backbone Outpost Tues., April 14, 6-8pm Tours of the facility with special tasting. 50 Northwind Lane Lexington 540.462.6200 dbbrewingcompany.com
Shenandoah National Park Mile 41.7 or 42.5 on Skyline Dr. Luray 22835 goshenandoah.com
Cask Day at Devils Backbone Outpost Thurs., April 16 Enjoy wood-aged Eight Point IPA 50 Northwind Lane Lexington 540.462.6200 dbbrewingcompany.com Trivia Night at Devils Backbone Outpost Thurs., April 23, 6pm Enter as individual or team up for a great night of beers and friendly competition! 50 Northwind Lane Lexington 540.462.6200 dbbrewingcompany.com Craft Beer Tastings at Skyland Resort Tues., May 5 &19, July 7, & Aug. 4, 3-4pm Featuring Devlis Backbone Brewery and Wild Wolf Brewery..
Pint Night at Devils Backbone Outpost Tues., May 12 Buy a pint, keep the glass in honor of American Craft Beer Week! 50 Northwind Lane Lexington 540.462.6200 dbbrewingcompany.com Growler Girls at Devils Backbone Outpost Thurs., May 14, 6pm 50 Northwind Lane Lexington 540.462.6200 dbbrewingcompany.com Cask Tapping Demonstration at Devils Backbone Outpost Sat., May 16, 2:30pm 50 Northwind Lane Lexington 540.462.6200 dbbrewingcompany.com
Cask Day at Devils Backbone Outpost Thurs., May 21, 6pm Featuring cask conditioned Old Virginia Dark 50 Northwind Lane Lexington 540.462.6200 dbbrewingcompany.com Trivia Night at Devils Backbone Outpost Thurs., May 28, 6pm Enter as individual or team up for a great night of beers and friendly competition! 50 Northwind Lane Lexington 540.462.6200 dbbrewingcompany.com
SOUTHERN VIRGINIA Grapes & Grains Sat., April 11, 6:30-9:30pm Featuring delicious food and samples of regional wine, beer, and spirits. Proceeds benefit VMNH Foundation Discovery Fund Virginia Museum of Natural History Tickets: $50 21 Starling Ave. Martinsville vmnh.virginia.gov
brewery GUIDE BLUE RIDGE HIGHLANDS Bull & Bones Brewhaus 1470 S Main St., #120 Blacksburg 540.953.2855 bullandbones.com Callaway Brewing Company 21 Woodwinds Road Callaway 540.267.6733 callawaybrewingco.com Chaos Mountain Brewing Company 3135 Dillons Mill Rd. Calloway 540.334.1600 chaosmountainbrewing.com
Creek Bottom Brews 307 Meadow Street Galax 276.236.BEER (2337) cbbrew.com The Damascus Brewery 32173 Government Road Damascus 540.314.2782 thedamascusbrewery.com Old Glade Brewery 217 Town Square St. Glade Spring, VA 24340 Oldgladebrewery.com River Company Brewery 6633 Viscoe Rd. Radford (Fairlawn) 540.633.3940 therivercompanybrewery.com
Sunken City Brewery 40 Brewery Dr. Hardy 540.420.0476 sunkencitybeer.com Wolf Hills Brewing Company 350 Park St. Abingdon 303.5508762 wolfhillsbrewing.com
CENTRAL VIRGINIA Apocalypse Ale Works 1257 Burnbridge Rd Forest 434.258.8761 endofbadbeer.com
Ardent Craft Ales 3200 W. Leigh Street Richmond 804.359.1605 ardentcraftales.com Beer Hound Brewery 201 Waters Place Culpeper 22701 540-317-5327 beerhoundbrewery.com Blue Mountain Brewery 9519 Critzer Shop Rd. Afton 540.456.8020 bluemountainbrewery.com Blue Mountain Barrel House 495 Cooperative Way Arrington 434.263.4002 bluemountainbarrel.com VIRGINIACRAFTBEER.COM
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C’ville-ian Brewing Company 705 W. Main Street Charlottesville 434.328.2252 cvillebrewco.com
James River Brewing Company 561 Valley St. Scottsville 434.286.7837 jamesriverbrewing.com
Three Notch’d Brewing Company 946 Grady Ave Charlottesville 434.293.0610 threenotchdbrewing.com
O’Connor Brewing Company 211 W. 24th Street Norfolk 757.623.2337 oconnorbrewing.com
Center of the Universe Brewing Company 11293 Air Park Rd. Ashland 804.368.0299 cotubrewing.com
Jefferson Street Brewery 1309 Jefferson St Lynchburg 434.455.1514 jeffersonstreetbrewery.com
Triple Crossing Brewing Company 113 S. Foushee St. Richmond triplecrossingbeer.com
Pleasure House Brewing 3025 Shore Dr. Virginia Beach, VA 23451 757.647.8597 pleasurehousebrewing.com
Legend Brewing Company 321 W. Seventh St. Richmond 804.232.3446 legendbrewing.com
Wild Wolf Brewing Company 2461 Rockfish Valley Highway Nellysford 434.361.0088 wildwolfbeer.com
Smartmouth Brewing Company 1309 Raleigh Ave., #300 Norfolk 757.624.3939 smartmouthbrewing.com
Licking Hole Creek Farm Brewery 4100 Knolls Point Dr. Goochland 804.314.4380 lickingholecreek.com
HAMPTON ROADS
St. George Brewing Company 204 Challenger Way Hampton 757.865.7781 stgeorgebrewingco.com
Champion Brewing Company 324 6th St SE Charlottesville 434.295.2739 championbrewingcompany.com Devils Backbone Brewing Company Basecamp 200 Mosbys Run Roseland 434.361.1001 dbbrewingcompany.com Double Dizzy Brewery Amelia Court House 804.505.0109 doubledizzy.net Extra Billy’s 1110 Alverser Dr. Midlothian 804.379.8727 extrabillys.com/ ExtraBillysBarBQ2.htm Garden Grove Brewing 3445 West Cary Street Richmond 804-918-6158 gardengrovebrewing.com Hardywood Park Craft Brewery 2408 Ownby Ln. Richmond 804.420.2420 hardywood.com Isley Brewing Company 1715 Summit Avenue Richmond 804.499.0721 isleybrewingcompany.com
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APRIL 2015 2014 DECEMBER
Midnight Brewery 2410 Granite Ridge Rd. Rockville 804.356.9379 midnight-brewery.com Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery 11800 W. Broad Street Richmond 23233 804-237-1684 rockbottom.com South Street Brewery 106 South Street Charlottesville 434.293.6550 southstreetbrewery.com Starr Hill Brewery 5391 Three Notch’d Rd. Crozet 434.823.5671 starrhill.com Strangeways Brewing 2277 Dabney Rd. Richmond 804.303.4336 strangewaysbrewing.com The Answer Brewpub 6008 West Broad St. Richmond facebook.com theanswerbrewpub.com
Alewerks 189-B Ewell Rd. Williamsburg 757.220.3670 williamsburgalewerks.com Back Bay Brewing Company 614 Norfolk Ave. Virginia Beach 757.531.7750 backbaybrewco.com
Young Veterans Brewing Company 2505 Horse Pasture Road, Ste. 104 Virginia Beach 757.689.4021 yvbc.com
Beach Brewing Company 2585 Horse Pasture Rd., #204 Virginia Beach Adroit Theory 757.563.2337 Brewing Company beachbrewingcompany.com 404 Browing Ct., Unit C Big Ugly Brewing Purcellville Company 703.722.3144 1296 Battlefield Blvd. South adroit-theory.com Chesapeake Adventure Brewing Co. 757-609-2739 33 Perchwood Dr. biguglybrewing.com Fredericksburg
NORTHERN VIRGINIA
Brass Cannon Brewing Company 8105 Richmond Rd., #105 Toano 757.566.0001 brasscannonbrewing.com Gordon Biersch 4561 Virginia Beach Blvd. Virginia Beach 757.490.2739 Home Republic Brew Pub 328 Laskin Road Virginia Beach 757.226.9593
540.242.8876 adventurebrewing.com BadWolf Brewing Company 9776 Center St. Manassas 571.208.1064 badwolfbrewingcompany.com Barnhouse Brewery 13840 Barnhouse Pl. Leesburg 703.675.8480 barnhousebrewery.com
Battlefield Brewing Company 4187 Plank Rd Fredericksburg 540.785.2164 chancellorpub@msn.com The Beer Joint 50 Catoctin Circle NE, Ste. 100 Leesburg 703-777-2169 go2thebeerjoint.com Beltway Brewing Company 22620 Davis Dr. #110 Sterling 571.989.2739 beltwaybrewco.com Blue & Gray Brewing Company 3300 Dill Smith Dr. Fredericksburg 540.371.7799 blueandgraybrewingco.com Caboose Brewing Company 520 Mill Street NE Vienna 703-865-8580 caboosebrewing.com Capitol City Brewing Company 4001 Campbell Ave. Arlington 703.578.3888 capcitybrew.com Corcoran Brewing Company 205 E. Hirst Road, Suite 105 Purcellville 540.441.3102 corcoranbrewing.com Crooked Run Brewing 205 Harrison St. Leesburg 571.978.4446 crookedrunbrewing.com
Forge Brew Works 8532 Terminal Rd., Ste. L Lorton 703.372.2979 forgebrewworks.com
ciderGUIDE
Gordon Biersch Tyson’s Corner Mall McLean 703.388.5454 gordonbiersch.com
BLUE RIDGE HIGHLANDS Foggy Ridge Cider 1328 Pineview Rd. Dugspur 276.398.2337 foggyridgecider.com
Heritage Brewing Co. 9436 Center Point Lane Manassas 800.432.1792 heritagebrewing.com
CENTRAL VIRGINIA
Hops Grill Brewery 3625 Jefferson Davis Hwy. Alexandria 703.837.9107 hopsonline.com
Albemarle CiderWorks 2545 Rural Ridge Ln. North Garden 434.297.2326 albemarleciderworks.com
Lost Rhino Brewing Company 21730 Red Rum Dr., Ste. 142 Ashburn 571.291.2083 lostrhino.com Mad Fox Brewing Company 444 West Broad St., Ste. I Falls Church 703.942.6840 madfoxbrewing.com
Bold Rock Hard Cider 1020 Rockfish Valley Hwy. Nellysford 434.361.1030 boldrock.com
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Appalachia
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Blue Ridge Highlands
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Shenandoah Valley
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Northern Virginia
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Chesapeake Bay
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Eastern Shore
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Central Virgnia
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Southern Virginia
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Hampton Roads
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Potter’s Craft Cider Charlottesville potterscraftcider.com
Old Hill Cider 17768 Honeyville Rd. Timberville 540.896.7582 oldhillcider.com
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Castle Hill Cider 6065 Turkey Sag Rd. Keswick 434.296.0047 castlehillcider.com
SHENANDOAH VALLEY
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Blue Bee Cider 212 W. 6th St. Richmond 804.231.0280 bluebeecider.com
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Winchester Ciderworks 2502 N. Frederick Pike Winchester 540.550.3800 WinchesterCiderworks.com
9 VIRGINIACRAFTBEER.COM
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Sweetwater Tavern 3066 Gate House Plaza Falls Church 703.645.8100 greatamericanrestaurants.com
Old Bust Head Brewing Company 7134 Lineweaver Rd. Warrenton 540.347.4777 oldbusthead.com
Wild Run Brewing Company 3071 Jefferson Davis Hwy Stafford 540.659.3447 wildrunbrewing.com
Parkway Brewing 739 Kessler Mill Rd. Salem parkwaybrewing.com Queen City Brewing 834 Springhill Road Staunton 540.213.8014 qcbrewing.com
Annual Lake Anna Brewfest
APRIL 2015 2014 DECEMBER
visit us online for up-to-date news, info and more
May 16th, 2015 Old Ox Brewery 44652 Guilford Dr Unit 114 Ashburn 703.729.8375 oldoxbrewery.com
SHENANDOAH VALLEY
Old 690 Brewing Company 15670 Ashbury Church Road Purcellville old690.com Port City Brewing Company 3950 Wheeler Ave. Alexandria 703.797.2739 portcitybrewing.com Rock Bottom Brewery 4238 Wilson Blvd., Ste. 1256 Arlington 703.516.7688 rockbottom.com/arlington Rusty Beaver Brewery 18043 Jefferson Davis Hwy Ruther Glen (Ladysmith Exit off I-95) 855.478.7892 rustybeaverbrewery.com Sweetwater Tavern 14250 Sweetwater Ln. Centreville 703.449.1100 greatamericanrestaurants.com Sweetwater Tavern 45980 Waterview Plaza Sterling 571.434.6500 greatamericanrestaurants.com
Backroom Brewery 150 Ridgemont Rd. Middletown 540.869.8482 facebook.com/ BackroomBrewery Big Lick Brewing Company 135 Salem Ave. Roanoke, VA 24011 540-562-8383 biglickbrewingco.com Blue Lab Brewing Company 123 S. Randolph St. Lexington 540.458.0146 bluelabbrewing.com Devils Backbone Brewing Company - Outpost 50 Northwind Lane Lexington 540.462.6200 dbbrewingcompany.com
Redbeard Brewing 120 South Lewis St. Staunton 804.641.9340 redbeardbrews.com Roanoke Railhouse Brewery 3106 Franklin Road Roanoke 540-293-2423 roanokerailhouse.com Shenandoah Valley Brewing Company 17 Middlebrook Ave. Staunton 540.887.2337 shenvalbrew.com/ Soaring Ridge Craft Brewers 523 Shenandoah Avenue Roanoke 540.529.2140 soaringridge.com Three Brothers Brewing 800 N Main Street Harrisonburg 540.432.8940 threebrosbrew.com
Flying Mouse Brewery 221 Precast Way Troutville 540.992.1288 flyingmousebrewery.com
Three Notch’d Brewing Co. Harrisonburg Taproom 241 E. Market Street Harrisonburg 540.217.5939
Piccadilly’s Brew Pub 125 E Piccadilly St. Winchester 540.535.1899 piccadillysbrewpub.net
SOUTHERN VIRGINIA 2 Witches Winery & Brewing Company 209 Trade St. Danville 434-549-BREW (2739)
Is there someone we’re missing? Email Jennifer.McDonald@hotmail.com with any additions or corrections
Over 40 different Breweries With Over 85 Different Beers to Sample
virginiacraftbeer.com
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Mad Horse Brew Pub 34 E Broad Way Lovettsville 540.436.0669 madhorsebrewpub.com
2nd Annual Lake Anna Brewfest
Great Local Food Vendors To Fill Up On and Over 40 Craft Vendors
Over 40 different Breweries With Over 85 Different Beers to Sample
May 16th, 2015
12 p.m. - 6 p.m. At The Cutalong
Now Offering
VIP Tickets Early Entrance at 11a.m. Unlimited Samples Admittance to VIP Tent
Early Bird Tickets
Now On Sale
Family Friendly Event With Moon Bounces, Shaved Ice, Petting Zoo, Face Painting and Family Friendly Games Proceeds Benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
www.LakeAnnaBrewfest.com
VIRGINIACRAFTBEER.COM
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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.
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APRIL 2015
2461 RoCkFiSh hWy • nElLySfOrD, vA • wIlDwOlFbEeR.cOm