A "Soulful" Evening of Beer

I went out for a quick dinner last night, heading over to Park Lane Tavern. When I arrived I learned they were having a "Steal the Glass" night featuring Green Flash Soul Style IPA. The glass with the premium price point was a simple logo shaker pint, so I wasn't really interested in the glass, but opted to try the beer nonetheless.

Green Flash Soul Style pours a clear and bright copper color with a thin, short-lived head. The aroma is sweet fruit and somewhat resinous. The initial flavor is bitter citrus and pine, with a touch of sweetness showing up as well. The finish is slightly bitter with some lingering resin coating in the mouth. Green Flash beers are typically bold and brusk on the palate. Soul Style while tasty, might be a let down for Green Flash fans used to beers like Road Warrior and Green Bullet.

My glass emptied, but still some food on my plate, I recalled the tasty Starr Hill Soul Shine I enjoyed recently at Park Lane. I opted to continue the evening's "soul" theme with a glass of that cask conditioned beer. At first the flavor seemed somewhat muted, after the more intense Soul Style. Of course, my tastebuds soon adapted and I enjoyed the smooth cask beer while finishing my meal.

Another West Coast Brewer Setting Up in Virginia

Last week we heard the news about Stone Brewing Company's expansion to Virginia. This week, San Diego based Green Flash Brewing Company broke ground on their new facility in Virginia Beach.  From the Virginian-Pilot:

The shovels that kicked off construction of a $20 million brewery in the Corporate Landing business park on Monday symbolized more than an economic development achievement for Virginia Beach.

When San Diego-based Green Flash Brewing Co. is finished building its second facility in early 2016, Virginia's craft beer output stands to increase nearly 40 percent over what specialty brewers produced last year in the commonwealth.

Couple that with Stone Brewing Co.'s announcement last week that it will build a brewery in Richmond, and the state's craft production capacity could quadruple.

We first reported on Green Flash's Virginia plans early last year. But it was still surprising news when I saw the report of the ground breaking ceremony yesterday. I guess I'd forgotten about them. Green Flash plans to build  a 7,400-square-foot tasting room and an outdoor beer garden on the site.

See "Craft brewing locally, statewide shows heady growth" for more on the Green Flash expansion and it's affect on the Virginia craft beer industry.

Photo courtesy the Green Flash Facebook page. 

Bartender's Choice

After my extensive practice session at the range last weekend, I headed down to Capital Ale House for dinner and drinks. When the bartender queried, "Something hoppy?" I nodded and replied, "What do you suggest?" It's good when the staff knows your preferences. He suggested Road Warrior, a Rye IPA from Green Flash Brewing, a new beer to me, and to which I had no objections.

I was somewhat surprised to see the snifter of dark beer set before me. Road Warrior pours a dark garnet color with a thick, persistent beige head. The aroma is that of dark fruit and caramel, with citrus and pine as well. It was an aroma that was very enticing and a foretelling of the flavors to come. The taste is only slightly sweet, with rich citrus and pine flavors taking dominance over the rye and caramel malt base. The 9.0% ABV gives a bit of warmth, but for the most part is well-hidden. Though a big hoppy beer, it was surprisingly balanced for a Green Flash creation. I was sorely tempted to order a second glass to accompany my Chicken Tostadas.

However, my enjoyment of variety led me to place my trust in the bartender to pick yet another round for me. This time he arrived with a glass of Stone Brewing Enjoy By 07.04.14 IPA. This is one I enjoyed when the keg was first tapped last week. In contrast to the evening's first beer, this one is a bright, translucent golden color. Also in contrast to the malt richness of Road Warrior, this one features pure citrus hops. Enjoy By is a brash, highly citrus hopped beer — balance isn't a word I'd use here. It's for the hop head pure and simple. And I enjoyed it, again, immensely.

I was having such a good run at not selecting my own beer, I opted to try for one more. There was a new bartender on duty, and I requested she continue the work started by her co-worker and pick another IPA for me. She came back with Shipwrecked Double IPA from Mission Brewery. Another excellent selection, Shipwrecked returned to the malt-rich side of the IPA spectrum. Though not as dark as the Road Warrior, the aroma and flavors are full of pine and citrus hops with a sweet caramel base. This one could almost be taken for a Barleywine.

I had a fun, and tasty, evening under the direction of the Capital Ale House experts. By this time in the evening my tastebuds had been through a workout, but an enjoyable one at that. As it got later, the crowd at the bar started trending to the 20 and 30-something crowd. Though entertaining, the arrival of a large after-wedding party made me decide it was time to call it a night.

There Are Still Virginia Beers to Discover

When I sat down at the bar at Capital Ale House Wednesday evening, I asked David the bartender for beer suggestions. I knew he could give a better rundown on what's new and good than I could get looking through the extensive, and quickly outdated, beer menu. He listed off a few new beers, but I decided to order a glass of the Green Flash Green Bullet I had enjoyed last week.

Colleen started out with a big glass of Sixth Seal Stout, from a Virginia brewery I'd never heard of, Apocalypse Ale Works in Forest, Virginia. The dark beer had a light mocha colored head and aromas of dark chocolate and coffee. The flavor was slightly sweet, with dark chocolate, espresso and a hint of citrus bitterness. I stole a sip two three many sips from her glass. It was a nice find and a flavorful beer.

After finishing my Green Bullet IPA, I was torn between two beers for my next selection. Although pumpkin beers aren't my favorites, I was tempted to have Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin Ale. CAH was also pouring Get Bent Mountain IPA by Parkway Brewing Company of Salem, Virginia. Parkway is another Virginia brewery I've not experienced. Colleen helped me out by offering to order the Pumpkin Ale for herself. She's a team player! 

Weyerbacher Pumpkin Ale has a decent balance between the actual pumpkin flavor and pumpkin pie spice flavor. The flavor is a little bit on the boozy side as well. I enjoyed the few sips I had from Colleen's glass. It's beer worth seeking out, but not one of which I could enjoy multiples. 

The Get Bent Mountain IPA is an excellent, citrus-rich IPA. The aroma was strong in juicy and pithy citrus. The flavor was more of the same. The citrus notes are a combination of juicy citrus fruit and bitter zest. The slightly sweet malt backbone helps to keep some balance, but this is a classic citrusy IPA lover's beer. The moderate 7.2% ABV is very well hidden.

Of course, it wasn't all about the beer, we had to eat too! Since I was enjoying big, bold beers, I decided to go big and bold with my food selection, with "The German," off the burger menu. This burger is topped with sauerkraut, melted Havarti cheese, and a grilled bratwurst! The sandwich is served on a pretzel bun, with a side order of warm German potato salad and red cabbage. I've noticed a preponderance of pretzel rolls or buns on many menus lately. It seems to be a new fad, but one that I am very happy to see. I like the flavor and texture of the pretzel breads quite a bit. Oh, did I mention, there was a burger and a bratwurst?

Great food and great beer, and a great time spent with my wife. I must say we're both enjoying taking some breaks from our busy lives to enjoy a bit of time together trying out new beers.

A Couple of "Big" Beers

So, it was only Tuesday. Why save all the fun for the weekend? If your life is like ours, weekends are usually too busy for relaxing over good beer anyway. Since we had a free evening, Colleen and I invited Checkered Flag to join us for dinner and beer at Capital Ale House. There was no Steal the Glass night or other promotion going on, but I had my eye (and tastebuds) set on trying a couple of special tappings I'd seen announced on CAH's Facebook page.

First up was a Stone Brewing collaboration, 10 Barrel/Bluejacket/Stone Suede Imperial Porter. Colleen and I both let out a quiet "Ooh" as the beers were set in front of us. I picked up the molasses and dark coffee aromas right away, even before I lifted the glass. It was a test of patience while Colleen grabbed the requisite photo. Yes, the beer tasted as good as it smelled and looked. It presented a complex blend of flavors, and I was hard pressed pick out a dominant trait. Roasted malt, milk chocolate, dark fruits combined with a touch of honey sweetness made for a rich porter. The mouthfeel was smooth and creamy, with a slightly sticky, but otherwise clean finish. At 9.6% ABV, Suede Imperial Porter is a sipper, one to slowly enjoy.

To accompany the Seude Porter, we ordered a Capital Ale House appetizer that we'd never tried, Fried Pierogies. The fried potato and onion pierogies were topped with applewood smoked bacon bits, melted Havarti cheese and herb sour cream. This combo went quite well together.

By the time we ordered dinner, my glass of Suede was empty. The second beer I planned to try was Green Flash Green Bullet Triple IPA. I'd heard mixed reviews of this one, but being a hop fan I knew I wanted to try it. I hesitated though as it was quite a different beer than the Imperial Porter I had just enjoyed. After consulting with the helpful gents behind the bar, I decide to stick to my plan.

The Green Bullet had a pleasant citrus and pine aroma. That's what I was hoping for — I was in the mood for a citrus-rich DIPA, not a sweet one. The flavor didn't disappoint either. Rich grapefuit and orange citrus was capped by a bit of resinous hop bitterness at the end. I was quite surprised at how smooth the beer was. Despite the bold hop flavors, the beer didn't overwhelm the taste buds. I'm a big fan of "in your face" beers, but was still pleased that this one wasn't in that realm. The finish was amazingly clean, with very little aftertaste left behind. That the beer checks in at 10.10% ABV is quite hidden and the alcohol is very well masked. But don't be fooled, sip this one with respect.

I paired my Green Bullet with a favorite dish from Capital Ale House, the Stuffed Pretzel sandwich. A split and grilled kielbasa is served with melted Havarti cheese, sauerkraut and sweet mustard on a soft pretzel roll. The accompanying fries were served with a spicy mayonnaise. The rich food flavors all holding their own against the citrusy beer.

My "big beer" evening was quite enjoyable. It was fun spending time chatting with Colleen, a friend, and the folks at Capital Ale House. But like all good things, the evening finally came to an end. I will admit that I slept very well that night.

Virginia Gains A New Brewery

Green Flash Brewing Company announced today that they will be building a new brewery in Virginia Beach, VA. From PilotOnline.com:

The co-founders of San Diego-based Green Flash Brewing Co. had settled on a seaside city in North Carolina for the site of their second brewery, but a last-minute trip to Virginia Beach changed their minds. (emphasis mine)

"Frankly, I was so close on another city that I was really going there with the mindset just to cross it off my list to make sure I had done my due diligence," said Mike Hinkley, who co-founded Green Flash with his wife, Lisa, in 2002.

< ... >

The Hinkleys wanted to build a brewery in the mid-Atlantic so they could deliver fresh beer to about two-thirds of the U.S. population. About a third of Green Flash's beer is sold on the East Coast. 

The Virginia Beach site will include a tasting room, an event center, a store, a pavilion and a nearly 1-acre beer garden. Food trucks and caterers will be invited to sell to customers, but the brewery will not operate a restaurant.

After seeing New Belgium, Oskar Blues, and Sierra Nevada all make plans to build their East Coast breweries in our neighboring state to the south, it's good to see Virginia put one in the win column. I think I'll need to pick up a six-pack of Green Flash Hop Head Red Ale this weekend to celebrate.

See "California beermaker to open brewery in Va. Beach" for more details.

Green Flash Hop Head Red Ale - More fun with hops

I headed over to Kybecca this afternoon for their Saturday tasting to try the Schneider-Brooklyner Hopfen-Weisse. While I was there I picked up a six pack of Hop Head Red Ale from Green Flash Brewing Company of San Diego. I had read about this beer earlier in the week on the Kybecca blog. The beer was described as "a cross between a red ale and an India Pale Ale." Matt's description intrigued me as an unabashed hop head, and since we don't see Green Flash beers stocked locally very often, this was a chance to try another beer from this brewery.

This is a fairly new beer and is not listed in the brewery's web site. Green Flash Hop Head Red Ale pours a red-brown color with a thick head that leaves lots of sticky lacing as it fades. It certainly looks like a typical red ale, but that is where the similarity ends. The brewer dry hops with Amarillo hops giving the beer a strong citrus aroma and flavor. A bit of pine hits those senses as well. The hop profile is significant but the beer is still balanced with enough malt sweetness to keep things in check. There is some lingering bitterness, and a slightly oily mouthfeel. At 6% ABV it's a little high for a session beer, but still quite drinkable. I was somewhat reminded of Tröegs Nugget Nectar, another highly hopped American Red Ale. However, Nugget Nectar has a stronger malt backbone, whereas the Green Flash has a much stronger citrus profile. That stereotypical East Coast - West Coast difference perhaps?

Despite the well-publicized hop shortage, American brewers are still managing to create intriguing beers for hop fans. We enjoyed another interesting hop-tweaked beer a couple of months ago in the Amarillo Black Ale from The Church Brew Works in Pittsburgh. For this one the brewer tweaked an American Stout recipe, also with Amarillo hops, to create a cross between a Stout and an IPA. The terms dry hop and fresh hop are both used to describe addition of hop blossoms near the end of the fermentation. This can add significant hop flavor and aromas to the finished beer. Some brewers add the hops to the beer immediately after they are harvested and brewing schedules are planned to coincide with delivery of the new harvest. The technique seems to be gaining popularity. Sierra Nevada recently announced an expansion of their fresh hop Harvest line, adding two new variations to the original Harvest Ale. Whatever the reasons for the growth in the use of the process, I'm confident we'll continue to see new and interesting beers from American brewers despite the ongoing hop shortage.