Though Jethro Tull frontman Ian Anderson sings in a folksy early ‘70s classic song, “the Christmas spirit is not what you drink,” it is the season for much reveling and indeed merry-making.
To my mind, that translates as enjoying copious mugs of dark winter brews with friends and family in celebration of another year well-lived.
Put me in front of a roaring fireplace with a frothy stout and I’ll cause you no trouble at all. When I was in my early 20s, the booming craft beer industry we all enjoy today didn’t exist in America. There were a few independent craft brewers just getting their start like Pete’s Brewing Company (known for its Pete’s Wicked Ale), the Boston Beer Company (the maker of Samuel Adams), and Anchor Steam.
For me, I happened upon British and Irish brewed bottles of beer at the Williamsburg Pottery in their gourmet foods section. Patrons could literally explore the world through single take-home bottles capped and crowned with a color tin-paper (think Hershey’s Kisses wrap), and label proudly touting “Imported.”
My early favorites were the darker styles and included Samuel Smith’s Holy Trinity: Oatmeal Stout, Taddy Porter, and Nut Brown Ale. Also high on my list were Theakston’s Old Peculier, Fuller’s London Porter, Belhaven Scottish Oat Stout, and the well-known trio of Irish stouts from Beamish, Murphy’s, and Guinness.
On my first voyage to the UK, I made a pilgrimage not to York Minster Cathedral, but Samuel Smith’s old brewery in tiny Tadcaster, England to drink from the source of my favorite beers.
Today, and especially during this time of year, most of Virginia craft beer makers unveil their lineups of dark stouts and porters as well as Belgian-inspired, high-octane Christmas beers.
It truly is a gift from the Beer Gods and all other supreme beings to raise a glass, be it a fancy goblet or traditional pint glass, of the harvest season liquids we so desire.
May your holiday season be safe and happy, and the year ahead a prosperous and healthy one.
Happy 2023,
Jeff Maisey
Publisher/Editor
Precarious
Project
Delirious Precarious Wins Big in Denver
By Jeff Maisey
Did you know one of the best craft breweries in the country is located in the heart of Colonial Williamsburg?
Precarious Beer Project certainly turned heads this fall at the prestigious Great American Beer Festival in Denver when the beer maker, with locations operating as Precarious Beer Hall and Amber Ox Public House, was crowned Brewery Group Brewery & Brewer of the Year.
“We’ve got an incredible team producing some amazing beers,” said an exhilarated Andrew Voss, the brewery’s co-founder. “Pretty killer combo.”
Precarious won a gold medal with its Polar Bears Toenails in the Experimental IPA category and a silver medal in the American Style Lager category Mountain Marble.
New Realm Brewing Company, whose major manufacturing operation is located in Virginia Beach, won a pair of golds with Southern Tee (Experimental Beer category)
and Blackberry Smoke Lager (Contemporary American Style Lager category). Their locations in Atlanta and Savannah were credited as the brew source, but both are available in Virginia Beach.
Several other homegrown breweries earned awards in Denver. They are listed here by medal type:
GOLD
Skipping Rock Beer Co. (Staunton)
Belgian Dubbel, Belgian-style Abbey Ale category
SILVER
COVA Brewing Company (Norfolk)
POG Gose
Contemporary Gose category
Beale’s (Petersburg/Bedford)
Peach Tea Blonde
Herb & Spice Beer category
Fair Winds Brewing Company (Lorton)
Pohick Bay Pilsner, German-style Pilsener category
Great American Restaurants/ Sweetwater Tavern (Centreville)
Wit’s End Ale, Belgian-style Witbier category
Great American Restaurants/ Sweetwater Tavern (Sterling)
Bishop’s Pass Ale, Belgian-style
Strong Specialty Ale category
BRONZE
Tradition Brewing Company (Newport News)
Red Willie, Irish Style Red Ale category
Beer
proudly shows off its awards in Denver. Photo courtesy of the brewery.
brewNEWS
New Breweries
In case you may not have noticed, several new craft breweries have opened in recent weeks in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Trouvaille Brewing Company is now serving thirsty locals in Haymarket. It’s inviting tasting room features white subway tile behind the bar and wooden tables and chairs.
Trouvaille is co-owned by Cody Powell, who is in the role of General Manager), Stephen Boyajian (Head Brewer), Greg Ramirez (Operations Manager), Rickky Elliott (Procurement Manager), and Jake Osman (Quality Control Manager).
Thus far, the beer selection is highly rotated. Among the list of must-try beers are Hazemarket (hazy pale ale), The Annexation of Puerto Rico (hazy IPA), Señor Martinez Gose to Washington (fruited sour), Van Ale’N (Trappist syle single), and The House on the Cliff (oatmeal stout).
Frothy Moon Brewhouse is located on Jamestown Road just a short distance from the historic Settlement and Billsburg Brewing Co.
Frothy specializes in producing beer on a 7-barrel system as well as fresh brewed coffee. Its latest beer release is Lunar Lager.
The interior is contemporary, though the main draw is its attractive outdoor space with fire pits and a putt-putt pad.
In the Churchland section of Portsmouth, Harbor Trail Brewing Company has opened in a former bank branch building just yards from MoMac Brewing Company.
Newport News, the US military themed 1700 Brewing is now operating in the Oyster Point City Center corridor as a nano brewery where new recipes are served on a weekly basis.
A constantly rotating list of liquid at its “Refueling Station” is categorized as follows: Coast Guard Taps (Fruit/Sour), Space Force Taps (odd brews like seltzer and kombucha), Marine Corps Taps (Dark/Strong), Air Force Taps (Light/Lager), Navy Taps (IPAs/Hoppy), Army Taps (Malty/Traditional), and Spec Ops Tap (Classified). Check ‘em out.
Stable Craft Wins International Awards
Waynesboro-based Stable Craft Brewing recently won Best Beer of the Year and Best Fruit Cider of the Year awards at the 2022 Brewski International competition.
Six judges tasted 600 beer and cider brands.
Stable Craft’s Oktoberfest beer was one of 10 entrees to receive Beer of the Year honors for what the judges deemed the “most extraordinary tasting beers” in the competition.
A long list of Platinum Award recipients saw Stable Craft gaining accolades for its 304 Blonde Ale and Blueberry Blonde Ale.
Stable Craft took home additional Gold level awards for Robot Cowboy, Porch Sipping Old Fashioned Lemonade, and Blackberry Cider.
Silver Medal level awards for “excellent beer” earned extra hardware for Stable Craft’s Pumpkin Spice Latte Porter.
Stable Craft’s Peach Cider was the lone recipient of the Fruit Cider of the Year honors.
Farewell, Shenandoah
After 10 years, Shenandoah Valley Brewing Company founding owner/brewer Mike Chapple has decided to call it quits and close the Staunton brewery.
“This is not due to any reason other than my retirement from as an owner in the craft brewing industry,” said Chapple.
“Shenandoah Valley Brewing Company has enjoyed a great run and the owner is now moving on to a more relaxed future. At SVBC, we are pleased to have run the course and survived, knowing that customer service and quality product have carried us to this end.”
Some of Shenandoah’s core fan favorites included Shenandoah Pale Ale, ShenVal Lager, The St. Mary’s Porter, and Hoppy MacBeth.
Trouvaille Brewing Company’s Skyrockets in Flight IPA made use of vanilla beans and over 30 pounds of strawberries for a unique tasting brew. Photo courtesy of the brewery.
Brewing Education
Old Dominion University, in Norfolk, is the latest higher education institution to offer a Beer Brewers Certificate course.
In collaboration with the University of Richmond and the Coastal Virginia Brewery Alliance, ODU’s program will begin March 13. The course states it will take “students through the entire craft brewing business, from procuring high quality ingredients and raw materials through the proper handling, processing, packaging and distribution of the final product.”
The cost of the yearlong course is $2,499. Applications are accepted through February 28.
“The School of Continuing Education is thrilled to bring this world-class educational opportunity to ODU,” said Robert Doherty, director of the school. “Our collaboration with the University of Richmond and Coastal Virginia Brewery Alliance allows us to tap into an established program while tailoring it to meet the needs of Hampton Roads brewers.”
Expansion Time
Harrisonburg’s Pale Fire Brewing Company will open its first satellite location in early 2023 in Basye, Virginia not far from Bryce Resort.
Environmentally-Minded
The Virginia Chapter of The Nature Conservancy recently collaborated with four craft breweries for its Oktober Forest campaign with the slogan “Beer is 95% water. 50% of our water is filtered through forests. Love beer? Love forests!”
The quartet of brews are as follows:
Allegheny Farmhouse Ale, brewed and canned by Fine Creek Brewing Co. in Powhatan, using chanterelle mushrooms collected from The Nature Conservancy’s Warm Springs Mountain Preserve.
Barrier Islands Gose, brewed and canned by Väsen Brewing Company in Richmond, using eelgrass collected from the coastal bays of the Volgenau Virginia Coast Reserve.
Clinch Valley Saison, brewed and canned by Crooked Run Fermentation in Sterling, using red spruce tips collected from restoration sites in the Clinch Valley.
Piney Grove IPA, brewed and canned by Black Narrows Brewing Co. in Chincoteague, using longleaf pinecones, branches and needles collected from The Nature Conservancy’s Piney Grove Preserve.
Nice branding to communicate the The Nature Conservancy messaging.
MUG SHOTS
Oktoberfest, Bier Garden, Portsmouth
One Year Anniversary Party, BrewHaHa Brewing, elkton
Resolute Day - Brothers Brewing,
804 Softball League Social, Triple Crossing, Richmond
Blacksburg Brew Do Craft Beer Festival, Blacksburg
The Clifton Forge Craft Beer Fest, Jack Mason's Tavern, Clifton Forge
2023 Blue Gray Breweriana Event Announced
By Jefferson Evans
Well, such an ambitious goal is firmly in the category of be careful what you ask for.
Attending a beer themed collectors event is truly a great time if you enjoy good beer, cool stuff, or just love talking to people who have loads of funny stories to tell. Running such an event, now that’s a different story.
I realized this fact my first year of trying to help out with the annual Blue Gray Breweriana Show when I loaded two sixtel kegs of beer into my Fiat 500L, did a quick count, and realized I had nine kegs of beer in my car — Nine.
A Fiat is not designed to transport nine kegs of beer at once, and yet there I was.
Brewers and brewery owners are invariably great people to work with, but they are also very busy people with a lot on their plates. So, in helping to arrange beer for the show, there is the balancing act of making the needed arrangements for payment, transport, and keg return involving multiple breweries, helping out while still having a full time job, and trying not to be too much of a pain in the brewery folks rear ends.
not so young any more. I’ve had some back trouble the last few years, and hope some younger guys can carry the torch (and kegs) in the future. Pre-eBay, these shows were spectacular as it was the primary marketplace for breweriana. Post-eBay saw a drop in attendance and merchandise, as did all hobby shows, but it’s still the best breweriana show on the East Coast. I’m happy to be a part of the crew and carry on the tradition that was started by Ray Johnson all those years ago. When the work tails off late at night, I enjoy a nightcap and great conversation in John Bain’s Backbar Room.”
Mike Michalik, a major contributor to the Blue Gray in terms of time and effort, tells me “the show is always a highlight of the year for me. At first, it was all about the finds, but later it became all about the friendships. I still enjoy finding a new piece for the collection, but as your collection advances, it’s tough to find pieces that you need. The friends are always there, though. Some collectors I only see once a year. Working the show is fun. It’s a different kind of fun than being there just as a participant. Lifting half kegs is a young man’s game, and I’m
No conversation about the Blue Gray would be complete without input from Larry Handy, a man who accepted a titanic challenge when he agreed to take on the role of being the primary organizer of the Blue Gray after beer and breweriana legend Ray Johnson passed away unexpectedly in November 2017. Handy became the man who has to deal with contracts, process payments, organize many of the room assignments, and so much
“I took over the show with some encouragement by other collectors after the Founder, Ray Johnson passed away,” said Hardy. “Two common occurrences can hurt an established shows attendance: a change in venue (which occurred with the 2016 move from Fredericksburg to Fairfax, and again in 2017 with the move to Herndon), and skipping a year, thereby breaking the anticipated annual nature of the event.
“The shock of losing Ray at the critical promotional period in advance of the 2018 Blue-Gray caused many local attendees to call for a postponement, while more distant regular attendees called for the show to proceed. The latter won-out and the
2018 Blue-Gray was a well-attended success, which has continued each year since.
“In 2020, just as word of a highly contagious new Covid virus was becoming news, the show was successfully held on its traditional pre-President’s Day dates. Within a week, similar events were being shut down all across the country. All major breweriana shows were cancelled for the rest of the year. As 2021 began, Blue-Gray was announced for the usual February dates, but covid restrictions, and covid anxiety prevented a sufficient registration to make the show a success.
“The solution was to combine the Blue-Gray Show with another large regional breweriana show, the “Spring Thaw” in April of 2021. Held at the Hilton WashingtonDulles, the date change proved successful and BlueGray 2021 became the first large post-covid event in the hobby. Since a successful formula has been established and the Hilton hotel management and staff are particularly helpful and receptive, the show will remain at the Hilton Washington-Dulles. The biggest hurdles each year are pre-show promotion, including website updates and the inevitable search for sufficient quantity and varied styles of local craft beers to please the many beer enthusiasts that attend. While the search for brewery advertising treasures is the primary purpose of Blue-Gray, like anything else - it goes better with beer.”
So many people contribute in a major way to the show but a special shout out is made to Jim Zillian in doing yeoman’s work each year in making the show a success.
The 2023 Blue Gray show will take place February 16-19 at the Hilton Washington Dulles. Come for the amazing room-after-room of beer related items, stay for the great beer and great people.
More info at bluegrayshow.com
Private Dining IGLOOS
The annual Blue Gray Breweriana Show features rare and vintage beer collectable signs, posters, glassware, and more.
These (Pink) Boots Are Made for Brewing (and more) –The Pink Boots Society
By Diane Catanzaro and Chris Jones
Women have been involved with the craft beer movement from the beginning, although their contributions were frequently overlooked. In 1977, Suzy Stern co-founded and brewed at New Albion, America’s first craft brewery since Prohibition, although her male partner Jack McAuliffe got the press accolades and Smithsonian honors. Carol Stoudt founded Stoudt’s Brewing Company in 1987, was the first female sole proprietor and one of the first female brewmasters in the United States, however one of her initial beers was mislabeled as her husband “Ed Stoudt’s Lager” on a menu. Women are also a presence in large global breweries. Anheuser-Busch has had a number of female brewmasters, including Jill Vaughn who was hired in 1992 and Rebecca Reid Bennett, hired in 2005. They were instrumental in the development of Bud Light, Michelob Ultra, Shocktop, Straw-Ber-Rita, and other sales leaders. While women are still a minority of brewers, the number is increasing,
customer relations, purchasing, accounting, packaging, cellar management, event management, community relations, and human resources. While fewer than 3% of craft breweries are owned by women, 41.4% of breweries have at least one female co-owner according to 2021 Brewer’s Association data. On the flip side, 58.6% of craft breweries have no female ownership.
In 2007, experienced brewmaster Teri Fahrendorf founded the Pink Boots Society, an international nonprofit that supports women in the brewing industry. The term “pink boots” refers to the safety boots worn by brewery workers, where scalding hot water, caustic chemicals, trip hazards, and slippery surfaces are all in a day’s work. Today, Pink Boots Society has grown to 78 chapters in the United States and boasts over 1000 members. Richmond, Blue Ridge, and Hampton Roads are the three chapters in Virginia. Pink Boots’ mission is to “assist, inspire, and encourage women and/or non-binary individuals in the fermented and alcoholic beverage industry to advance their careers through education.” Membership is open not just to brewers, but to women employed in the brewing industry in any occupational role, aspiring to work in the industry, or retired from the industry.
Diane attended the September meeting of the Hampton Roads chapter to learn more about the Pink Boots Society. The meeting was held at St George Brewing Company and was attended by chapter President Sarah Gregor, Head Brewer at Three Notch’d Virginia Beach, Maker’s Head Brewer Michele Lowney, Brew & Bottle/1700 Brewing co-owner Brandy Bui and Beertender Lauren Balkus, Tradition Beertender Jessi Neeley, Elation’s Marketing Director Grace Mallamo, and Madeline Fleehart of Madeline Fleehart Consulting and Float Fermentations. St. George attendees were Head Brewer Maria Miller, Business Manager Heather Gauthier, Brand Ambassador Michelle Venzke, and Cellar Person Jacque Kettler Laura Scott, a beekeeper and meadmaker from Colonial Beekeepers Association provided honey samples and education. It was an enjoyable and lively meeting with women who work in so many areas of the industry contributing ideas and initiatives to benefit the group and as well as their respective organizations.
Why join Pink Boots Society? Grace asserted “It’s the best networking,” and noted that the group was about “community, not competition.” Local chapters have guest speakers, share ideas and knowledge about industry-related topics, and aim to create an inclusive and supportive “beer community” that empowers women. Another reason women join the Pink Boots Society is the educational benefits. Madeline and Michele
Shedding Light on a Black Culinary Icon: Edna Lewis Menu Trail
By Annie Tobey
ntil lions have their own historians, the tales of the hunt will be told from the perspective of the hunter.” Brooklyn Brewing’s Oliver Garrett quoted this African proverb in a presentation with Fawn Weaver. Weaver is founder and CEO of Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey, honoring the first-known African American master distiller, Nearest Green. Like many Blacks, including influential figures in food and drink, Green’s story had been hidden. In Orange County, Virginia, the Edna Lewis Menu Trail is bringing attention to another African American “lion,” the “Grande Dame of Southern cooking.”
Hidden contributors
Africans arrived in early America carrying the traditions of their ancestors. Culinary skills included the production of alcohol, like sorghum and corn beer. They applied their knowledge, added new insights, and provided needed labor. Throughout the slave-holding states, enslaved people’s abilities as distillers and brewers were touted in ads for sales and for capture of runaways.
At the Mount Vernon whiskey distillery in Arlington, slaves worked in distilling George Washington’s rye whiskey.
At Monticello in Charlottesville, Thomas Jefferson’s wife, Martha Wayles Skelton Jefferson, brewed the household’s beer, likely supervising enslaved people. She purchased hops from African Americans, enslaved and free. Later, Thomas Jefferson enlisted a Britishtrained brewer to train one of his slaves, Peter Hemings, to brew larger batches of beer. In Virginia Beer, Lee Graves says, “Jefferson invited others, such as James Madison, to send slaves to learn from Hemings. ‘Our malter and brewer is uncommonly intelligent.’”
In the mid-1800s in Lynchburg, Tennessee, Nearest Green (aka, “Uncle Nearest”) began distilling for a white preacher. Green introduced sugar maple charcoal filtering to improve the whiskey, drawing upon a traditional West African filtering process. A white boy, Jasper Newton “Jack” Daniel, learned the distilling trade from Green. Daniel later purchased the distillery
Edna Lewis published four cookbooks including this one from 1988.
and asked Green to be the first master distiller.
Edna Lewis was born in 1916 in Orange County at Freetown, a community founded by her grandfather and other emancipated slaves. Aside from a few purchases from a nearby store, the community raised its own produce and meats, foraged ingredients, and prepared dishes from scratch, guided by the seasons.
“African Americans have been the backbone of Southern cooking from the beginning,” said Chef Joe Randall, friend to Edna Lewis. Other cultures contributed, “but the African Americans were the ones that were in the kitchen.”
Lewis left Freetown to earn money for her family. She held jobs in DC and New York City, landing as chef and partner at the stylish Café Nicholson. She opened a restaurant in Harlem, then spent most of her career in the South. As a Black woman chef, she was a rarity, but her expertise and attention to fresh seasonal ingredients set her apart.
Lewis’s second cookbook, “The Taste of Country Cooking,” offers recipes for plum and blackberry wines and instructions for making dandelion blossom wine and persimmon beer. Like Slavic kvass beer, this beer was made from bread. Its roots possibly sprouted from Egyptian bouza. While sorghum and millet were common in African beers, African Americans would use ingredients at hand, like persimmons. Lewis states:
We would gather the persimmons only after a heavy frost because that was said to sweeten them. We would … stir them into a medium-soft batter made from the bran of white cornmeal mixed with spring water. After it was all well mixed, we would spoon the batter into a large bread pan … After it had baked and cooled, the cake was placed in a stone crock or a wooden keg with twice as much spring water, then covered and left to ferment until Grandfather decided it was ready for drinking –usually in late winter.
A tasty trail
Between Thanksgiving 2022 and Memorial Day 2023, seven restaurants will feature recipes from The Edna Lewis Cookbook as part of Orange County’s Edna Lewis Menu Trail.
Beer lovers will want to highlight these stops: Market at Grelen will offer Lewis’s Southern biscuits. The lunchtime café serves casual farm-to-table fare and Virginiaonly beer, wine, and cider.
Champion Ice House will highlight Apple Brown Betty and Hoppin’ John, complemented by beers from Charlottesville’s Champion Brewing.
The Vintage Restaurant & Pub at the Inn at Willow Grove will serve smothered braised rabbit and slow-roasted ribs. These can be paired with Virginia-brewed craft beers, cocktails, and wines.
Sweet Vines Farm Winery offers another Black heritage stop. “My great grandmother and great-great grandmother both sold wine,” says winemaker and owner Seidah Armstrong. “To know and understand the history of the area, from the legendary Edna Lewis to the Carter family [Africulture farms], is truly aweinspiring!”
For a list of restaurants participating in the Trail, go to VisitOrangeVirginia.com.
4-8pm Fri 4-9pm Sat 12-9pm, Sun 12-6pm
Rise of the “Brewery”
Virginia’s small-scale, community-minded breweries serve more than cold pints
By Chris Cook
With nearly 300 craft breweries, Virginia is one of the country’s most beer-rich states. Names like Blue Mountain, New Realm, Hardywood and Starr Hill are the most recognizable due to their presence on store shelves and taps around the Commonwealth, but a trip down any of the state’s winding rural highways will eventually lead to smaller-scale breweries whose collective community approach is a key differentiator that makes Virginia’s craft beer industry special.
These are not the aforementioned all-stars of Virginia craft beer whose fermenters span rows and reach from floor to ceiling, whose canning and bottling lines are always prepped for the next round of packaging, and whose success has put Virginia on the craft beer map. Instead, these are the local nano and microbreweries whose hometown populations range from hundreds to a
few thousand and whose brews – while lovingly quaffed by their small but devoted customer bases – may never amount to more than several hundred barrels per year.
While many are well-kept secrets beyond their county lines, these breweries play a vital role in bringing Virginia’s booming craft beer scene to the more remote pockets of the state. Moreover, they provide a unique gathering place where residents and tourists of small-town Virginia can convene at a place more affectionately known by the locals as “The Brewery.”
Michael Elliott and Rich Castle operate one such brewery, Buggs Island Brewing in Clarksville (population 1,298). Both were homebrewers who during one of their Saturday brew sessions began discussing plans to take their hobby public and give their lakeside community its first brewery.
“At the time, Raleigh (N.C.) or Richmond were the closest breweries,” Elliott said. “We said, we’ve got a lake, we should try one here.”
The amateur brewers-turned-pros started with a one-barrel system they built themselves, but within one year after opening, Buggs Island had already outgrown its original location. Like many of their nano and microbrewery contemporaries around the state, Elliott and Castle had tapped into a demand for quality drafts in a location whose participation in Virginia’s booming beer scene was limited by the local grocery store’s shelves.
“We had outstanding positive response from the town,” Castle said. “People told us they were excited for something to do in the area. We went from, ‘Ok this might work,’ to within a year we couldn’t make beer fast enough and needed to expand.”
Buggs Island Brewing in Clarksville
Buggs Island Brewing now sits shoreside of the Roanoke River, providing patrons a quintessential Clarksville backdrop while they sip their choice of Elliot and Castle’s nine flagship offerings or the occasional rotating tap. The same local crowd that christened Buggs Island at its 2016 opening remains the core customer base six years later, showcasing the community-fueled viability of “singlebrewery towns” around the state.
“They were starving for it,” Elliot said of Clarksville’s response. “Everybody was thirsty.”
Curtis Shupe experienced a similar response when he opened the doors to 36° Fifty Brewing in Marion (population 5,762). A travel nurse who started as a homebrewer and later “bugged his way” into a position as an assistant brewer at another local brewery, Shupe opened 36° Fifty as a progression of his steadilyexpanding brewing hobby. He, his wife Alex Veatch, and several friends spent three years renovating the building and hand-building a brew setup before 36° Fifty opened its doors in 2020.
“There very much was a demand [in Marion], I found out,” Shupe said. “When we opened, there were people outside waiting for us. I didn’t expect that because we hadn’t done a lot of marketing other than a very basic website and a Facebook post. I thought most people around this area were into the light macro beers, but it was really surprising to see so many people come out. Now, there are a lot of people that come because they like our beers, they love the social aspect of it, and they don’t want to be in the sort-of club, sports-bar scene.”
36° Fifty is only open on Saturdays –due to Shupe’s full-time job in the health care field – but he pushes his three-barrel brewing setup to the limit churning out a varied list of brews from a light lager to a nitro Irish stout, as well as seltzers and non-alcoholic sodas. His customer base has become a mix of locals and tourists, and while the majority of his business is from the tap, he also distributes his brews in-house.
In regards to expanding 36° Fifty’s brew-print beyond the Smyth County lines, he joked, “I’m not sure. When I get that undisclosed sum from ABInBev, I guess that’s when I’ll know I’ve made it.” Until then, he says, he takes pride in providing quality beer and a friendly gathering place for the area where he grew up.
Similar to 36° Fifty, when Three Roads Brewing opened in Farmville, the community response was immediate.
Farmville, with a population of 7,202 and two colleges, was ripe for its own brewery when Three Roads opened in 2016, and the business has enjoyed escalating success since. However, despite opening a second location in nearby Lynchburg and distributing to local grocery stores and gas stations, the Farmville taproom retains Farmville’s moniker of “The Brewery.”
Three Roads boasts brewery staples like live music and food trucks, but they have also partnered with Longwood University student organizations to run weekly events like trivia and bingo. The result is
an all-encompassing customer base that includes longtime locals, college students and tourists – a telling cross-section of the population that makes up a town known as the “Heart of Virginia.”
While 36° Fifty, Buggs Island, Three Roads and other community-minded breweries across Virginia vary in name, location and draft offerings, patrons can always expect any iteration of “The Brewery” to offer free-pouring pints and a strong sense of community. And those are two ingredients that have become as essential to Virginia’s craft beer scene as hops and grain.
Nicely packaged beer to-go at 36° Fifty Brewing
Vienna Munich
Cara Mel Biscuit
Belgian Amber
Blonde Rye
Brown Crystals
Chocolate Wheat
Milk Chocolate
Bakers Cocoa
Roasted Barley
'Tis the Season Make it Count
The flavors and aromas of higher color malts diminish over time. Specialty malts from Murphy & Rude Malting are produced in smaller batches closer to home, helping you deliver maximum flavor, color and aroma in your finished products.
Cimmerian Wheat
Cimmerian Black
Choose Murphy & Rude as your source for high-kilned, crystal, and roasted specialty malts and make the season count.
Experience the Flavor Difference when you
Winter Wonderland of Beer
After an extended warm spell that lasted until mid-November, winter-like weather is finally here along with long, dark nights.
Whether you’re camping in the mountains of Virginia while gathered around an open fire, relaxing at the resort lodge after hitting the ski slopes of Massanutten and Wintergreen, or chillin’ at home all snug on the couch next to that gaslit flame, a seasonal beverage created by your favorite Virginia brewery is in high order.
Tis the season, of course, for the more dark beer styles such as stouts, porters, and strong ales. Winter is also celebrated with Belgian-inspired white ales as crisp as the windchill breeze.
To give our readers a flavorful taste of what’s available this holiday season and into the New Year, we’ve done a wee bit of research and compiled some of what we think you might enjoy.
Remember, beer cans make great stocking stuffers, whether you’re naughty or nice. Cheers.
Old-Fashioned Family Christmas Ale
Alewerks Brewing Company
Williamsburg
Fun, Old-Fashioned Family Christmas Ale is all the goodness of the Christmas season blended together for a uniquely nostalgic and satisfying brew. Savor the influence of cinnamon, clove, ginger, vanilla beans, sweet orange peel, allspice and nutmeg in this spiced beer that will have you dreaming of Christmases long, long ago with every sip. And, at 8% ABV, it’s sure to make you jolly and keep you warm on the cold winter nights ahead.
Santa’s Cookies
Champion Brewing Company
Charlottesville
A festive Imperial Stout made with real ginger and cardamom, for a relaxing holiday treat. 45 IBU, 8% ABV.
Kegnog Imperial Spiced Ale
Old Ox Brewery
Ashburn
Nutmeg, vanilla, and cinnamon add just the right amount of spice…oats and lactose contribute to a silky mouthfeel. Tastes like eggnog, but it’s beer. 8% ABV. Drink four and you’ll start talking like Charles Dickens.
Lotta Sap/Holiday Helper/Turkey Dance
Smartmouth Brewing Company
Norfolk/Virginia Beach
There may be 12 days of Christmas, but Smartmouth’s 2022 holiday cheer is contained in three non-dark expressions conjured up by those brewing elves in the backroom. Where Lotta Sap is an aromatic spruce tip IPA, Holiday Helper takes a tip from Santa’s colorful coat for a Red IPA. Leftovers from Thanksgiving comes in the form of Turkey Dance, a cranberry orange gose with pie crust and vanilla
Evil Santa
The Virginia Beer Company
Williamsburg
This holiday season, The Virginia Beer Company has four variations of its Imperial Milk Stout for good big kids. Try Evil Santa’s Holiday Milk Stout (7% ABV), Peppermint Hot Chocolate (7% ABV), Double Evil Santa (11% ABV), and Apple Brandy Double Evil Santa (11% ABV).
Legend Chocolate Porter
Legend Brewing Company
Richmond
To get a strong chocolate aroma and a wintery dessert finish, Legend adds generous amounts of chocolate malts. As a final touch, natural cocoa extract enhances the intense dark chocolate flavor. Legend Chocolate Porter pours dark black with a rich, sweet aromatic presence. The most prominent flavors are of dark chocolate, coffee, caramel, and of course, more dark chocolate. 5.8% ABV.
Historical Porter collaboration with Colonial Williamsburg’s Master of Historic Foodways, Frank Clark. In honor of this year’s Ales Through The Ages conference, Precarious joined forces to brew this porter utilizing burnt molasses and brown sugar, which was a commonly used
Rum Barrel Aged Extra Stout
Old Bust Head Brewing Company
Warrenton
Dry, chocolatey, a touch of bitterness that balances well with the copious amounts of roasted malts and barley. Smooth coffee and rum aromas pair well with the toasty, dark molasses finish. 7.6% ABV.
Sensible Mole
Blue Mountain Brewery
Afton/Arrington
A special Anniversary Barley Wine was brewed a year before the 15-year anniversary of Blue Mountain Brewery and the 10-year anniversary of the Barrel House, and aged for most of that year in port barrels from local Green Hill Vineyards and also from Thatch Winery. The strong ale itself is brewed from a single-malt mash of Maris Otter barley malt and hopped exclusively with Styrian Golding hops. Rich, full, and decadent, this same batch of delicious ale will now be released annually on Blue Mountain’s anniversary, drawn from the barrels with each progressive year of aging in the port barrels in their special barrel room. 13.1% ABV.
Dark Journey
Big Ugly Brewing Company
Chesapeake
Dark Journey is a barrel-aged robust porter that Big Ugly releases every year on Black Friday since 2015. The beer is always the same: a robust American porter with vanilla, but sometimes it is aged in bourbon barrels, sometimes rum barrels from Outer Banks Distilling. This year’s release comes in three variants: bourbon, red wine, and a super limited amount of rum barrel-aged. In a first for Big Ugly, this year the bourbon and red wine versions are sold in two packs of 16oz cans, with the rum variant in the familiar 22oz bottle format.
Dia de los Muertos
Adroit Theory Brewing Company
Purcellville
Adroit Theory doesn’t wait until winter to unload its dark and ramped-up alcohol beers; it’s a year-round passion. To mix things up a bit, we suggest giving their new batch of Russian Imperial Stout made thick and creamy with Thai Coffee flavors. Drink chilled as an ice coffee, but, yeah, it’s beer — a big-ass 13% ABV beer. Sold at the taproom exclusively.
Bilgewater
Rip Rap Brewing Company
Norfolk
A rich, imperial dark stout brewed with coffee from our friends at Norfolk Coffee & Tea Co. and a touch of sweetness on the finish.
Chapo
Stable Craft Brewing
Waynesboro
Brewed in collaboration with Wichita Brewing Co., this Mexican hot chocolate stout brings the silky, flavorful quality of a chocolate stout together with the zing of Mexican hot peppers for a unique offering. 5.4% ABV.
Eye of Jupiter
Belly Love Brewing Company
Purcellville
A thick but creamy English-style oatmeal stout that’s every bit as delicious as it
Tidings Ale
Port City Brewing Co.
Alexandria
Double Ax Handle Imperial Stout
Dirt Farm Brewing Bluemont
Tidings Ale is a strong, spicy Belgian-style blonde ale brewed with local wildflower honey and 100% Virginia grown wheat. These local ingredients store away the essence of summer to warm you during the cold winter months. This festive ale is gently spiced with coriander, cardamom, fresh ginger, and Grains of Paradise,
Bundle up for a stunning view of the mountains, enjoy a fire pit’s warmth, and weekend music while amazing yourself with this heady stout.
Snow Blind
Starr Hill Brewery
Crozet
In The Hollar: Landbier Dark
Vibrissa Beer
Front Royal/Winchester
Proof that not all dark beers need by heavy. This sessionable brew is the winter version of Vibrissa’s Country Lager, “In the Cut.” The addition of chocolate wheat and carafa malts lend subtle impressions of gas station hot cocoa and hints of burnt brownie edges. 4.4% ABV.
Slumber Dragon Scotch Ale
The St. George Brewing Company
Hampton
Malty, full bodied ale with a delicate hop effect allowing wisps of peat smoked malt interwoven with a slight roastiness to come through. Dark copper in color finished with a lingering peat smoke effect. 6% ABV.
Fan Favorites of 2022
Independent Virginia craft breweries earned many awards in 2022.
Certified judges from international, national, and statewide competitions found much to rave about from the liquids created in the Commonwealth.
All praise-worthy accolades aside, we decided to ask a few fans of Virginia craft beers what their favorites were this year.
Here’s a sample of what they shared.
By Jeremy Bender
The Virginia Beer Company Rob Your Head
I look forward to this batch every summer!! Robert Willey subtlety sends out the bat signal teasing its release and I’m there to grab it!!! It’s nice because my brother’s name is Rob and I get to visit with him at the release!! It’s a hoppy red ale, nice an malty but with a hoppy profile that bites just a little. Nice and balanced.
— David Hunter, Richmond
Fighting Gravity Brewing Company The Doppler Effect
It’s just a perfect combination of juicy hop goodness. One of my go to IPAs that never disappoints.
— Floyd Newman, Richmond
Barley Naked Brewing Company Drop Your Schwarz
It was a fun collaboration between myself and Barley Naked. We ended up with a bronze medal in dark European lagers at the Virginia Craft Beer Cup. Not bad for our first swing at it.
— Gary Layton, Stafford
Decipher Brewing Maximal Smoke Inhalation
It’s a smoked bock, which is a style you don’t see all too often. I had the honor of collaborating for this beer for a ProAm GABF entry (made it to the medal round, but sadly fell a little short of a medal).
— Joel Miller, Glen Allen
The Virginia Beer Company Oktoberfest 2022
Great flavor and true to style. Perfect fall beer to transition from light summer beers to full dark winter beers.
— Suzanne Barnes Gilley, Christiansburg
Commonwealth Brewing Company Peanut Butter and Jealous Gose
I love different styles and this one is a treat in a can. All hints of peanut butter, jelly and bread taste are on point. Love this beer!
— Jeremy Bragg, Franklin
1700 Brewing Plain Old Lager
It is a crushable, crisp, smooth lager that is perfect for all drinking occasions. Love this beer!
— Gabriel Temples, Hampton
Pro Re Nata Hazy Skyline
I just have to give a shoutout to my local brewery, and the fact that I just love this New England IPA. It’s my fav, hands down.
Ocelot Brewing Company Big Cat
No explanation needed.
— Jessica Collins, Charlottesville.
— Joe Pfeiffer, Northern Virginia
Kindred Spirit Brewing Merry & Bright
Talk about smooth, I am so impressed by this NIPA and surprised more people don’t know about it. On my way to Hardywood for a Gingerbread purchase, and popped in to see what was going on. Kudos to Kindred Spirit brewers.
— Bob Sheets, Farmville
David Hunter shared this photo of his favorite Virginia-made beer from 2022..
Small Stone
Ciders From Mars, Staunton
This cider is made with Ashmead’s Kernel Apples, a fruit originating from Gloucester, England and developed in the 1700s, and traditionally known for its sweet sharp flavor. Its peak consumption period is between December and February. Enjoy a pint and cue-up David Bowie’s “Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars.”
To Explore Cider Edition
Compiled by Staff
Hewe’s Crab Apple Cider Buskey, Richmond
The folks at Buskey describe this seasonal as being made with 100% Virginia-grown Hewe’s crab apples. “This cider boasts floral notes, evoking grapefruit peel, pear, and strawberry. Fermented to completely dry and aged on its lees for six months. Available on draft and in 500ml bottles. 8.4% ABV.”
While Cider Week was celebrated in mid-November, we are delighted to share thanks to a bountiful harvest there are many outstanding hard ciders to enjoy through the holiday season and deep into the coldest nights of winter. Here are four to explore.
Cin-Ter Wonderland
Winchester Ciderworks, Winchester
Pictured here with Malice, the folks at Winchester Ciderworks add the seasonal flavor of spicy cinnamon for a unique experience worthy of your attention. We love the fun, retro artwork tying in with the holidays. Let it snow….
Vitamin Sea
Sly Clyde Ciderworks, Hampton
This cleverly titled winter seasonal adds a dash of fresh orange juice to its core apple cider for a delicious mimosa-style cocktail. It’s cloudy in appearance with natural orange pulp and tangy flavor.
A Weekend of London Pubs
By Jeff Maisey
“Congratulations,” said John. “You’ve found the London pub where locals hang out.”
I had bellied up to the bar at The Ship & Shovell, pardoned myself for the intrusion of three older, longhair gents, one of who was missing a tooth or two, and ordered a pint of Badger Best Bitter from the hand-drawn real ale cask.
I spied a less crowded nook in the pub to stand and await my fiancée Lynn, who had popped into the ladies room upon arrival.
John, a stylish 80-year-old with snow white hair and matching goatee, promptly introduced himself as a conversationalist. He asked where we were from.
“Norfolk, Virginia…in the New World,” I replied with a wink and smile.
Dapper John paused for a second, his right eyebrow lifted, and asked, “Norfolk, that’s near Jamestown, is it not?
“Why, yes, John,” I said, somewhat amazed.
“I visited Virginia once many years ago,” he said, “but in the northern region outside of Washington.”
Impromptu conversations come as easy as spontaneous combustion in an English pub.
To celebrate my late October birthday, I decided to skip over to the other side of the pond for a four-day weekend in London. It had been nearly seven years since my last visit to the UK.
Pubs have been on a steady decline over the past decade or so, many going out of business due to changing cultural preferences such as drinking at home while watching television. I was curious to see how London pub culture fared after the added burden of surviving the global pandemic.
To my delight, I’m happy to report, pubs are alive and well in London.
Part of the survival of classic pubs can be attributed to large corporate asset conglomerates. Many pubs in London are under the Greene King name, one of Britain’s leading pub retailers and brewers, with some 3,000 pubs under its control.
As a brewery, Greene King was founded in 1799. The business evolved through mergers and acquisitions, and today is an investment holding of a Hong Kong-based company.
To its credit, Greene King produces traditional English beer brands of long-ago defunct products such as Abbot Ale, Old Speckled Hen, and Ridley’s Old Bob, a popular ale in Essex.
In 2021, Greene King was named the best pub operator in the Britain’s Most Admired Businesses Awards. Other pub operators include Young’s, JD Wetherspoon, and Fuller, Smith & Turner.
These corporate pub operators have managed to preserve the iconic, historic pubs. Wetherspoons, for example, has made a point of showcasing UK’s up-and-coming, American-inspired craft beer makers such as Redemption Brewing Co., Brixton Brewery, Siren Craft Brew, Brewster’s Brewery, Oakham ales, and The Wild Beer Company. British craft beers mimic their American colleagues with brightly colored labels.
Most pubs in London, as I observed, offered a variety of traditional, low ABV English real ales, a draft selection of gas fueled beers with Peroni lager and Guinness Extra Stout being the most prominent sellers, and then a small set of taps for UK craft brews.
For my London weekender, I stayed at the delightful Great Scotland Yard Hotel, the recently re-imagined police
headquarters turned into a luxury hotel. It was in close proximity to one of my favorite London watering holes — The Red Lion.
Since The Red Lion was situated between Parliament and Winston Churchill’s War Office, it is said to be the former British prime minister’s favorite pub.
Today, it appears little has changed at The Red Lion as members of the House of Commons and other government workers flock to the pub by mid-afternoon and into the evening. It certainly makes for interesting political and issues conversations, and I enjoyed a few.
Should you visit London, dear readers, do experience The Red Lion and make sure to find the two-sided, Victorian-era The Ship & Shovell Pub just through the alleyway beyond the touristy Sherlock Holmes-themed pub.
VCB publisher Jeff Maisey enjoys a pint of Fuller’s London Pride outside The Red Lion.
BLUE RIDGE HIGHLANDS
New Year’s Eve Party at 7 Dogs
Sat., Oct. 29, 6pm
Join us for a honky tonkin’ good time featuring Aces & 8’s.
7 Dogs Brewpub
360 West Spring Street, Wytheville
CENTRAL VIRGINIA
Concealed Darkness
Release Party & Pig Roast at Blue Mountain Barrel House
Sat., Dec. 3, 11am-8pm
Celebrate the newest release of Dark Hollow Reserve, Concealed Darkness. Bottles and variants available for purchase while supplies last. Whole-hog pig roast and other food options available for purchase. Live music all day.
Blue Mountain Barrel House
3224 East Branch Loop, Roseland Caboose x Virginia Beer Co.
Tap Takeover
Thurs., Dec. 8, 4:30-8pm
Join us for a night of beer and tasty nibbles. The Virginia Beer Co. will be taking over the taps.
The Caboose Market & Cafe
108 S. Railroad Avenue, Ashland
Heirloom Apple Tasting at Albemarle CiderWorks
Sat., Dec. 10
Join CEO Charlotte Shelton on a journey through culinary history and the apples that made the cut. Taste a variety of heritage apples and learn about their origin, development, and how each shines best on the table and in the bottle. Albemarle CiderWorks
2545 Rural Ridge Road, North Garden
Celebrate the holidays with seasonal Pints & Ponies
in the stables area of Stable Craft Brewing in Waynesboro on Sunday, December 18 from 1:00 to 4:00pm. Santa Claus will be on-site to visit with the children. Plus, you can enjoy a decadent hot chocolate, mulled cider, and festive lunch.
GBS Fest at Hardywood Sat., Dec. 17, 12-9pm
A full day of festive fun – visit with Santa 12:30-4:30pm, S’mores Pop Up & Cake Pops, train rides, music all day, local vendors, all GBS variants available, and more!
Hardywood Park Craft Brewery – West Creek
820 Sanctuary Trail Drive, Richmond
ReinBEER Games at Cooling Pond
Sat., Dec. 17, 1-4pm
Individual and team games. Skills required: Holiday spirit and the ability to laugh at yourself and others!
Cooling Pond Brewery
4411 Zachary Taylor Highway, Mineral Winter Solstice at Brewing Tree
Sat., Dec. 17
Annual winter solstice party featuring Mark Thompson’s legendary bonfire in the meadow plus Brunswick stew and local vendors.
Brewing Tree Beer Company
9278 Rockfish Valley Highway, Afton
New Year’s Eve at Blue Mountain
Sat., Dec. 31, 3-6pm
Ticket price includes seven tastings of beer from around the world and small bite pairing at each station and a souvenir tasting glass.
Blue Mountain Brewery
9519 Critzer Shop Road, Afton
COASTAL VIRGINIA
Evil Santa at Virginia Beer Co. Sat., Dec. 3
Release of Bourbon Barrel-Aged Double
Aged Evil Santa and Apple Brandy BarrelAged Double Evil Santa.
The Virginia Beer Co.
401 2nd Street, Williamsburg
Krampus at Maker’s
Sun., Dec. 4, 12pm
Featuring beer specials, Krampus Market, food trucks, and more!
Maker’s Craft Brewery
735 E. 23rd Street, Norfolk
Veer Magazine’s 2022
Golden Tap Awards at Elation
Tues., Dec. 6, 5:30pm
Celebrate the local beer scene in Hampton Roads as Veer Magazine recognizes local breweries and beers and awards bronze, silver, and gold medals in 38 categories and crown’s this year’s Golden Tap Winner.
Elation Brewing
5104 Colley Avenue, Norfolk
A Very Merry Market at Reaver NFK
Sat., Dec. 10, 12-6pm
Sip and shop from over 40 local vendors for all of your holiday gifts!
Reaver Beach NFK
3800 Colley Avenue, Norfolk
Flannel Formal at Coastal Fermentory
Sat., Dec. 10, 12pm
Join us for our first annual Flannel Formal and Toy Drive with the Newport News Fire Department. Wear your favorite flannel and bring an unwrapped toy. Live music and food trucks.
Coastal Fermentory
206 23rd Street, Newport News
Krampusnacht
Sat., Dec. 10, 2-10pm
We bring Krampus and his Bavarian folklore crew to life with our neighbors Otzi Tattoo Agency.
Smartmouth
1309 Raleigh Avenue, Norfolk
313 32nd Street, Virginia Beach
Winter Market at COVA Brewing
Sat., Dec. 10
Local craft vendors, pictures with Santa & goats, food trucks, and live music!
COVA Brewing Co.
9529 Shore Drive, Norfolk
Pictures with Santa at Callao
Sat., Dec. 17, 1-4pm
Santa is visiting for pictures . Bring the kids and pets.
Callao Brewing Company
129 Northumberland Highway, Callao
Winter Wooferland at St. George
Sat., Dec. 17, 1-4pm
Join us for a Winter Wooferland Celebration filled with fun activities for you and your furry friends! Photos with Santa, Pupcasso Paintings, and Doggie Treat Decorating. Proceeds benefit Animal Aid Society.
The Virginia Beer Co. 401 2nd Street, Williamsburg
Back to the 80’s
New Year’s Eve Party
Sat., Dec. 31, 8pm
Ring in the New Year with the ultimate 80’s cover band, The Deloreans! Tickets: $25
Precarious Beer Project
110 S. Henry Street, Williamsburg
New Year’s Eve at Elation Sat., Dec. 31
A special New Year’s Eve Celebration featuring Mosquito Cabaret.
Elation Brewing
5104 Colley Avenue, Norfolk
Fresh Powder Release
Sat., Jan. 10
Fresh Powder 100% Citra DIPA Release. The Virginia Beer Co. 401 2nd Street, Williamsburg
NORTHERN VIRGINIA
2nd Anniversary Weekend at Lost Barrel
Thurs., Dec. 8 – Sun., Dec. 11
A weekend long celebration with live music. Pictures with Santa on Sunday, 11am-12:30pm and Holiday Market 11am-4pm.
Lost Barrel Brewing
36138 John Mosby Highway, Middleburg
Holiday Celebration & Street Market at Lost Rhino Sat., Dec. 10, 11am-5pm
Featuring Holiday Street Market with local artists and craftsmen, free photos with Santa, live music by Summer & Eric Duo, seasonal food and drinks, and plenty of beer.
Lost Rhino Brewing Co.
21730 Red Rum Drive, Ashburn
Brunch with Santa at Ornery Sun., Dec. 18, 10am-3pm
Brunch and free photos with Santa. 2 seatings – 10am 7 12pm. Ornery Beer Company www.ornerybeer.com
Christmas Tea with Santa at Wheatland Spring Farm Sun., Dec. 18, 12-3pm
Santa visits each family as children enjoy hot cocoa, cookies, the sounds of the season, and pony rides! Plus, we’ll have story time with Santa. Wheatland Spring Farm Brewery 38506 John Wolford Road, Waterford
Featuring horse-drawn wagon rides, a visit from Santa, National Lampoon Costume Contest, live music, fire pits, barrel-aged beer and mulled cider.
Stable Craft Brewing 375 Madrid Rd., Waynesboro www.stablecraftbrewing.com
4th Annual XMAS Fest at Skipping Rock Sat., Dec. 10, 12-9pm
A full day of artisan vendors, crafts, live music, axe throwing, amazing beer, good cheer, and more!
Skipping Rock Beer Co. 414 Parkersburg Turnpike, Staunton
Starr Hill Pilot Brewery & Side Stage will honor what would have been Betty White's 101st Birthday on January 17.
Join them in raising a pint to her and supporting the animals, a cause that was so important to her!
Holiday Market at Lost Barrel
Sun., Dec. 11 & 18, 11am
Stock up on local gifts for the holiday season while you enjoy great beer!
Lost Barrel Brewing
36138 John Mosby Highway, Middleburg
Art Show Pop Up at Red Dragon
Thurs. & Fri., Dec. 15 & 16
Hosted by Canal Quarter Arts and Darbytown Studios.
Red Dragon Brewing
1419 Princess Anne Street, Fredericksburg
Ugly Christmas Sweater Party at 6 Bears & A Goat
Sat., Dec. 17, 7-10pm
Prizes for ugliest sweaters! Live music by Kara and Matty D.
6 Bears & A Goat Brewing Company
1140 International Parkway, Fredericksburg
Christmas Eve at Dirt Farm Sat., Dec. 24, 11am-4pm
Join us for lunch and beer, and shop for last minute gifts.
Dirt Farm Brewing
18701 Foggy Bottom, Bluemont
5th Annual Resolution Buster Sat., Jan. 7, 12-6pm
Lets blow that resolution and have some fun! Beer and food specials and a Resolute Buster Glass!
Settle Down Easy Brewing
2822 Fallfax Drive, Falls Church
Ashburn Chili Cook Off at Lost Rhino Sat., Jan. 28, 2-5pm
Featuring delicious craft brew, live music, and a chance to vote for your favorite locally made chili!
Lost Rhino Brewing Co.
21730 Red Rum Drive, Ashburn
Ugly Sweater Party at Hawksbill Sat., Dec. 10, 6-9pm
Wear your tackiest sweater for a chance to be crowned winner at the end of the night!
Hawksbill Brewing Co. 22 Zerkel Street, Luray
Pints & Ponies with Santa in the Stables Sun., Dec. 18, 1-4pm Santa Claus will be on-site to visit with the children. Enjoy decadent hot chocolate, mulled cider, and a festive lunch.
Stable Craft Brewing 375 Madrid Road, Waynesboro
NYE ’22 Snow Ball at Winchester Brew Works Sat., Dec. 31, 7pm-12:30am
Featuring food from Roaming Bistro, music from DJ Good Trouble, free champagne at midnight, and more! Tickets: $55.
Winchester Brew Works
320 N. Cameraon Street, Winchester NYE Dance Party at Stable Craft Sat., Dec. 31, 8pm-12:30am
Dine in the taproom or private igloo and then, join us on the dance floor in the ballroom with DJ Rick Rowe. Tickets include nacho bar, champagne toast, and party favors. $20 in advance; $25 at door.
Stable Craft Brewing 375 Madrid Road, Waynesboro
SOUTHERN VIRGINIA
Ugly Sweater Party Fri., Dec. 23, 7pm
Join us for our 9th Annual Sweater Party with live music by The Andy Burnette Trio.
Wear your tacky sweater and join this interactive murder mystery event where you will play a character, solve clues, and interrogate all of the suspects.
Raise a pint to celebrate Betty White’s Birthday and support animals, a cause that was so important to her! We’ll donate $1 for every pint sold to the RVSPCA. Starr Hill Pilot Brewery & Side Stage 6 Old Whitmore Avenue, Roanoke
APPALACHIA
Busted Still Brewing Company
185 Homeplace Drive, Gate City
276.210.6038
Lonesome Pine Brewing Company
15 East Main Street, Lebanon
276.880.0278
Sugar Hill Brewing Company 16622 Broad Street, St. Paul 276.738.1088 • sugarhillbrewing.com
BLUE RIDGE HIGHLANDS
36 Fifty Brewing
120 N. Chestnut Street, Marion 276.706.8550 • 36fiftybrewing.com
7 Dogs Brewpub
360 W. Spring Street, Wytheville 276.228.0994 • 7dogsbrewpubva.com
