A Stout and a Cigar

Kicking off the weekend, I grabbed a dusty bottle of Hardwood Bourbon Barrel GBS from a dark corner  of the basement. I didn't see a date on the caged and corked bottle, but it's at least five years old if not more. I wasn't sure what cigar to pair but I had an urge to smoke another El Centurion H-2K-CT by My Father Cigars, so that was the selection.

Immediately upon opening the bottle of stout, I could smell sweet aromas of chocolate and bourbon wafting through the kitchen. Bourbon Barrel GBS is Harywood's Gingerbread Milk Stout that has been aged in bourbon barrels for twelve weeks. The base Gingerbread Stout is spiced with vanilla beans, cinnamon, baby ginger, and honey. The barrel aging adds even more complexity to the finish. The finished 11.5% ABV stout has a complex flavor profile of chocolate and spices with a pleasing bourbon undertone. The beer is incredibly smooth with enough "warming" character to take the chill from a cool evening.

As mentioned, the My Father El Centurion H-2K-CT is a cigar I've enjoyed many times. The box-pressed 6 x 52 Toro has an oily, brown H-2K-CT Connecticut wrapper. This leaf is a Cuban-seed strain of tobacco grown in open sunlight and cultivated in the Connecticut River Valley. Nicaraguan binder and fillers complete the picture.

The El Centurion consistently has given me a 90 minute smoking time. The burn throughout was even and required no touchups. The smoke give flavors of creamy vanilla, nuts, caramel, roasted coffee, dark fruit note, with a very light pepper touch.

I've paired the My Father El Centurion H-2K-CT with both bourbon and wine previously. It also proved a delightful accompaniment for the Hardwood Bourbon Barrel GBS too.

Cheers!

Gingerbread Stout, A Veritas Cigar, and The Sun

While completing some morning chores on a cloudy day, I would occasionally see the sun breaking through the clouds. Those sightings would give me hope for a later smoke on the porch. When the time came for that anticipated break, the temperature was in the mid-60°, and what I'll optimistically call partly sunny. That'll do.

I've had a Veritas Torch San Andrés in my humidor for a couple of months and decided it might make a good pairing with the beer I was planning to enjoy.

Around this time each year, Hardywood Park Brewing releases its Gingerbread Stout, along with several variations of the beer with different additions. We recently picked up a variety pack contain four of the many variations on the theme the brewery produces at different times. For this outing I was sipping the classic Gingerbread Stout.

The Imperial Milk Stout comes in at winter-perfect ABV of 9.2%. The beer is rich with flavors of milk chocolate, vanilla, cinnamon and ginger. The initial sweetness and spice flavors give way to a roasted bitterness in the finish. The mouthfeel is creamy and the flavors lingers on the palate.

The Veritas Torch San Andrés smoked is a 6 x 50 Toro. The cap is finished with a tight pigtail twist. The cigar features a San Andrés (obviously) wrapper with Nicaraguan binder and fillers. The smoke is creamy and copious, with notes of chocolate and nuts. 

I've smoked several cigars in the Vertias portfolio and have always found them to be flavorful, well-made, enjoyable smokes. And each time I smoke one I think I really should seek out more. So many cigars, so little time.

The Gingerbread Stout and Veritas Torch was an exceptional pairing. The flavors complimented each other quite successfully. I'm looking forward to more winter cigar and stout pairings in the coming months.

Cheers!

Tailgate Cigars

It was a beautiful fall Saturday, perfect for tailgating before a college football game. While the games are generally exciting, I look forward to the tailgate beforehand, mostly because it means time spent enjoying a cigar. While at home, I generally prefer bourbon as the accompanying beverage, but beer is always suitable for the pre-football festivities. For this occasion I had the Fightin' Hokies Lager from Hardywood Park Craft Brewing in the cooler. For my smoke I selected the Tobacco Tactical Dead Conqueror Alexander the Great Corojo. This was a selection in the June My Cigar Pack shipment, and a cigar I was unfamiliar with. The 6 x 54 Toro features a very dark chocolate Corojo wrapper with Dominican binder and fillers. I reviewed the Maduro version previously.

Like many large ring gauge cigars, the draw was open and airy. It took a while to get the cigar really going  before I started getting a good smoke production going. After 15 or 20 minutes, I was still double and triple puffing to get a good amount of smoke on the draw. Despite the moderately increased smoke production, I was getting more disappointed with each passing minute. I found the cigar to be quite devoid of flavor. "Sucking on a wooden toothpick" was the descriptor that came to mind. Reviewing my comments regarding the Maduro version, I noted muted but present flavors with that version, and it was an enjoyable smoke. Dominican tobaccos are generally mild, though still flavorful but this one I found exceptionally uninteresting. I took a break and I decided to eat my sandwich and set the cigar down with about one half smoked.

After the main eating was done, though snacking was ongoing, I decided to abandon the Dead Conqueror and light up a cigar I knew to be very flavorful.

The Olmec is a newer release from Foundation Cigars that I've smoked previously. This is a 5 x 50 Robusto with a dark San Andrés maduro wrapper covering binder and aged fillers from Nicaragua. Now we were getting somewhere - espresso, charred meat, molasses, and dark chocolate notes are all detected. This one I enjoyed thoroughly and smoked it down until there was nothing left to hold on to. 

Despite the slow start, the afternoon of enjoying good food, drink, and smoke was a blast. The day only got better as our team went on to victory in the late night game.

Cheers!

It's Time for a Cigar and a Beer

Most of my cigar enjoyment on weekends is carried out with the accompaniment of a good bourbon. This Saturday I had the desire to enjoy a refreshing beer instead. Our dinner the evening before included delicious steamed, spiced shrimp. I had picked up some Hardywood Pils from Hardywood Park Brewery to go along with that treat. There were still a few bottles left so I broke them out with a Rocky Patel Aged Limited and Rare (ALR) Second Edition in the Bala vitola.

It's no secret that I am a Rocky Patel fan, further evidenced but the abundance of Rocky Patel branded accessories on my deck. The ALR 2nd Edition is one at the top of my list. The Bala vitola was a special edition created to fill a limited edition humidor of 100 cigars released by Rocky Patel. I was able to acquire a few of the smokes at a local Rocky Patel event, attended by Rocky and Nish Patel, last winter.

The Bala is a 5 3/4" x (approximately) 58 Perfecto with a soft box-press. The cigar has a mostly closed foot and narrows towards the cap end. As with all the ALR Second Edition smokes, the Bala features a Mexican San Andrés wrapper, a Honduran binder, and filler tobaccos from Honduras and Nicaragua. The cigar is packaged in a shiny embossed gold band. There's also a very large band for marketing covering almost the entire cigar, which was removed prior to any pictures.

The A.L.R. Second Edition kicks off with a pepper kick that mellows with time. Flavorful notes of espresso and cocoa follow, with a touch of sweetness in the finish. The cigar has excellent construction and the burn razor sharp.

With the cigar lit, I cracked open the Pilsner. The Hardywood Pils pours a bright golden yellow with a thick fluffy head. The German-Style Pilsner has a crisp, moderately bitter profile. Grassiness, caramel sweetness, and a hint of pepper all join in for an excellent, classic Pilsner profile. 

The cigar and beer pairing was very enjoyable, and I was compelled to open another bottle of the Hardwood brew. I've also made a note to pick up more to have on hand as a refreshing libation this summer.

Cheers!

A Cigar for a Feast Day

Saturday, December 12 was the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The day honors the appearance of Mary to St. Juan Diego in present day Mexico City on December 9, 1531. Also, referred to as The Virgin of Guadalupe, she is the Patron Saint of the Americas. Among the traditions of the Feast, is a focus on the image of the Lady left on Juan Diego's tilma during the appearance. In honor of that, I selected an appropriately decorated cigar to enjoy that day.

Guadalupe 25th Anniversary Limited Release Miami Edition Blend is a new release from Regina Cigars. The Miami cigar company donates a portion of its sales to support persecuted & displaced Christians, especially those in the Middle East. This blend celebrates the founder's 25th anniversary in the cigar industry and the significance of the December 12 date in his family. 

The 6 x 50 stick has a San Andres Maduro wrapper and an Esteli Criollo binder, hiding a Corojo/Criollo Jalapa filler. The large band features a beautiful image of the Virgin Mary. The smoke is medium to full bodied. It has dark chocolate espresso notes, along with a mild cooling citrus note. Unfortunately both samples I've smoked so far had some damage under the decorative ribbon foot band causing the wrapper to unravel. A touch up with PerfecRepair allowed me to smoke through the damaged section without too much disruption.

As an accompaniment, I selected a seasonally appropriate Hardywood Park Gingerbread Stout. This Imperial Milk Stout is part of a selection of "Christmas beers" released each year by the Richmond, VA brewery. The 9.2% ABV ale is brewed with locally sourced baby ginger and wildflower honey. The dark beer has a thin beige head and gives off but a faint sweet aroma. The flavor is predominately roasted malt and milk chocolate. The underlying spice kick of ginger and honey sweetness is mild. Mouthfeel is creamy and smooth. The flavor combination with the dark espresso notes of the cigar was a flavorful match.

The beer and the cigar made for a satisfying afternoon of relaxation on the deck. The mid-sixties temperature and bright sun was a welcome break from the doldrums of the cool, gray weather of the previous week.

Alewerks Hop Marrow - For Both Of Us

Long time readers of these Musings will know that Colleen and I have different tastes in our "go to" beer preferences. She will most often gravitate to the dark, roasted, and chocolate flavors. The hoppy beers feature prominently on my lists. Colleen will also enjoy the strongly hopped beer on occasion, but when we're out for a meal it's the Stout section of the menu that gets her attention.

On occasion, after stealing a sip of her order, I will switch to the same beer for my next round. But the power of suggestion rarely moves in the opposite direction. While out for dinner recently, it did just that.

It so happened that on this occasion we had both gone the Stout route. Colleen was enjoying the excellent Hardywood Gingerbread Stout while I sipped a Chili Chocolate Stout from Old Bust Head Brewing. Finishing my beer I went with Hop Marrow IPA from Alewerks Brewing.

I was quite impressed with the Hop Marrow. The aroma was very strong pine. In fact I remarked, "It smells like Christmas tree." The citrus and piney hops in the flavor were delightful. After taking the requisite shared sip, Colleen noted that while she rarely has a second beer with dinner, she just might have a Hop Marrow.

Sure enough, a second glass of Hop Marrow soon was set at her place. That's high praise for the beer indeed.

A Hardywood Coffee Stout Afternoon

I occasionally get to work from home, which typically means I start early and finish early. And that means I might get to enjoy an early beer. This week those conditions aligned. We also happened to have a friend visiting so it was an excellent time to break out a special libation.

Rummaging through the cellar I found a bottle of Hardywood Sidamo Coffee Stout. I am not sure when we acquired the bottle, but it was likely at least two years old.

Perfect for sharing

This Russian Imperial Stout is brewed with locally roasted Ethiopia Sidamo coffee. As soon as I poured I was hit by the aroma of rich roasted coffee. It even looked amazing in the glass; the deep black beer is topped by a short-lived tan head. As I passed the glasses out to Colleen and "Checkered Flag" they both commented immediately on the aroma.

Roasted malt was the predominate flavor. It was backed by coffee and a hint of vanilla and bitter chocolate. The mouthfeel was creamy and smooth. This is definitely an easy sipping beer and I sipped up my share in short time.

This was a most excellent beer and a fitting treat for an afternoon of relaxation. The 9.3% ABV undoubtedly contributing to another rare, but enjoyable pleasure — the afternoon nap.

There's Always More Virginia Beer To Try

When I'm out for a beer, or two, I always look for beers from Virginia breweries, putting my focus on ones I've not tried previously. With well over 200 breweries in operation in Virginia, that search is generally successful. Yet, I am still amazed at the number of new beers consistently showing up on the menus at my favorite craft beer haunts.

This weekend Colleen and I stopped by Capital Ale House on Sunday afternoon. Perusing the draft list, I was faced with numerous options from Virginia breweries. I settled right away on VIPA Virgindia Pale Ale from Hardywood Park Craft Brewery. This is a very tasty, citrusy IPA brewed with local ingredients; "Virginia-grown hops from Piedmont Hops, LLC, Huguenot Hops and Misty Mill Hops at Rockmill Farm, as well as two-row barley grown by Bay's Best Feed in Heathsville, VA and malted at Copper Fox Distillery in Sperryville, VA." How good was it?  When Colleen took a sip from my glass, she asked. "Can we get this in the store?"  (Yes, we can.)

As tempted as I was to enjoy another pint of VIPA, there's alway another Virginia beer to try. In this case, it was Christmas In June from Fair Winds Brewing Company. This hoppy lager features a tropical citrus and pine flavors balanced by grassy bitterness in the finish. This is only the third beer I've had from the brewery, but I've yet to be disappointed. One of these days we need to make the trek up I-95 to Lorton and pay them a visit. 

There were still more Virginia beers listed on the menu, including a few more I've not tried. Those were left for another outing. Fortunately, there's will always be more interesting Virginia craft beers to try.

Great Minds Think Alike

Yesterday afternoon I made an spur of the moment run out to the local beer store to check if my favorite late winter release, Tröegs Nugget Nectar was in stock. A successful beer run made, I returned to my desk and within a few minutes received a text message from Colleen, who happened to be out running errands at the same time.

That's Hardywood Sidamo Coffee Stout and Blue Mountain Dark Hollow Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout in her cart. Looks like we both had the same idea! We'll have plenty of good beer to enjoy this week.

Hardywood Gingerbread Stout Flight

Gingerbread Stout is a much sought after seasonal release from Hardywood Park Craft Brewery. The brewery also brews up a number of variations of the popular beer and Fredericksburg Capital Ale House recently held a flight night offering four Gingerbread Stout varieties. When our family visited for dinner this week, Colleen and I started off with a flight of the beers to go along with our appetizer course.

When the beers were served, there was no visual distinction among the glasses, and our server gave a somewhat hesitant recital of the order. However the aroma of each beer is unique and we were able to confirm the order from smell alone. First up was the "standard" Gingerbread Stout. The 9.2% ABV Imperial Milk Stout is rich with flavors of milk chocolate, vanilla, cinnamon and ginger. The initial sweetness and spice flavors give way to a roasted bitterness in the finish. Mouthfeel is creamy and smooth, a trait which carried across the beers.

The second beer in the flight was Christmas Morning. The base Gingerbread Stout is conditioned on fresh roasted coffee. The aroma of dark coffee is strong a precursor of the rich flavor to come. The spice of the Gingerbread Stout is complimented by the taste of strong, full-flavored coffee. The combination works extremely well.

Next we moved on to the barrel aged versions of the first two beers. Just lifting the glass of Bourbon Barrel Aged Gingerbread Stout to my nose gave an excellent hint of what was to come. Twelve weeks of aging in Virginia bourbon barrels adds strong, flavorful oak and bourbon notes.

The flight ended with Kentucky Christmas Morning. The original Gingerbread Stout is aged in Kentucky Bourbon barrels, and then filtered through roasted coffee beans. The whiskey aroma and flavor is more subtle than in the Bourbon Barrel Aged Gingerbread Stout, but still unmistakable. The creamy, sweet milk stout combined with the sublime bourbon notes was reminiscent of a fine Irish Coffee.

All four variation of the Gingerbread Stout were very enjoyable. It is apparent that the beers are "cousins" sharing a common root. My personal favorites were Christmas Morning and Kentucky Christmas Morning. In both, the coffee addition was especially well done. I was tempted to order a full serving of the very limited Kentucky Christmas Morning to enjoy with my dinner. However, the barrel aging bumps the ABV of the beers up to 10.6%. I wasn't prepared to linger that long over dinner so we selected more moderate beers from the menu to enjoy with our main course. I do hope I'm able to get back to Capital Ale House before the Hardywood Gingerbread Stout kegs are kicked.

Beer, Good. Frosted Glass, Bad.

As I walked by the hotel lobby bar during a visit to Blacksburg this week I spied three tap handles; Hardywood Park Singel, Devils Backbone Vienna Lager and Foothills Hoppyum IPA. That was the entire draft lineup. "This will be good," I thought. I knew how I'd relax at the end of the day.

Late in the evening, as Colleen and I sat down for a late beer and snack, I noticed a Budweiser tap had been added but still, three out of four isn't bad. I was impressed. Then as our beers were set in front of us, we just looked at each other and shook our heads. Frosted glassware! Not just cool, but I can't even hold the glass iciness.

Foothills Hoppyum awaits the thaw

With such a fine selection, it was surprising to see how the beers were served. Obviously somebody is placing good beer in the lineup, but missed the memo about serving them. Buyer, brewers, distributor, somebody should care.

Anyway, once the ice melted, the glasses dried, and the lake that had formed on the bar mopped up, the beers were quite enjoyable. 

A Sunday Respite with Good Beer

We capped off the weekend with a quiet dinner at Capital Ale House on Sunday evening. That meal was highlighted by a couple of excellent beers recently tapped at the restaurant. Colleen chose a Peach Berliner Weisse from Perennial Artisan Ales. My selection was Hardywood Park Hoplar IPA.

The Berliner Weisse was refreshing with a crisp tartness backed with a hint of wheat. There was a pleasant peach fragrance, but the peach flavor was mild and just moderated the sour aspect. Although the server warned Colleen it was very sour, it was not excessively so. The almost-sparkling carbonation made for quite a refreshing and light feeling beer. Perfect for summer evenings and warm weather!

The Hoplar IPA is Double IPA aged on Virginia Tulip Poplar wood. The aroma is a mix of pine and citrus, with an earthy note. The aroma is rich but balanced. The first sip of the beer put a smile in my face. This is what a DIPA should be. It's a strongly flavored, 100 IBA beer that is complex and amazingly well balanced. The resinous pine and bitter citrus combine with earth and wood undertones create a rich and robustly flavored beer that doesn't coat or kill the palate. A moderately creamy body with a thick mouthfeel that finished clean leaving just a touch of bitterness left behind.

I enjoyed my Hoplar with an extremely spicy Mexicali Chicken Salad consisting of grilled chicken breast tossed in a spicy habenero pale ale wing sauce with roasted corn relish, avocado, pickled red onions, jalapeño peppers and bleu cheese. My rule on spicy food is if my head doesn't sweat, it wasn't done right. However I found myself leaving some of the jalapeños behind. But still, the rich Hoplar held its own.

We were enjoying the beers so much, that we decided to stay a bit longer and enjoy another round. It was an easy decision to stick with our same beers as we finished dinner. I enjoyed Hardywood Hoplar very much and I hope I can get back to CAH for more, or perhaps even find it locally in a bottle.

Holiday Cheer On A Sunday Afternoon

Colleen and I headed down to Capital Ale House for lunch Sunday afternoon. Just before we left the house I saw the pub's update to their Facebook page noting that they had the Redskins - Cowboys game on the TVs behind the bar. Crud, I thought, I hope there's not a crowd. I shouldn't have worried, few people were there watching the game. (And for good reason it seems.) We heard the list of "seasonal" beers from our bartender and settled in to enjoy some holiday cheer.

One of the beers was Hardywood Park Gingerbread Stout, served on nitro. I've had this beer previously, and despite the hype around it, found it good, but not exceptional. Colleen particularly enjoys the nitro serving, so opted for a glass of this seasonal. It was actually quite enjoyable; the nitro seemed to soften the astringency we noted in the past.

My beer of choice was Delirium Noël. I saw this one get tapped during a recent visit to Capital Ale House but didn't have the chance to order a glass. The ruby-red beer has a faint caramel and spice aroma. The flavor is surprisingly mild, with dark fruits and raison, some caramel and bready notes, with a touch of sweetness. The 10% ABV is extremely well-masked.

After what seemed an exceptionally long wait, our food arrived. By then I needed a refill. I decided to  keep with the holiday beer theme and try a glass of N'Ice Chouffe. Darker than Delirium Noël, this Winter Warmer also checks in at 10%ABV. The flavor profile is a bit bolder; with more robust dark fruit flavors, more malt and a tad sweeter. The alcohol was more prominent than the previous beer, but still unsettlingly hidden.

N'ice Chouffe and Gingerbread Stout

Coincidently, another couple sat down next to us, and I heard the gentleman tell the bartender he was "debating between the Noël and the Chouffe." As he was handed two samples, I offered my opinion that the Delirium Noël was the better of the two. That was the one he selected, and he must have enjoyed it as before too long he ordered a second.

Soon we had had enough of the football game (there's a reason I not a fan of professional sports) and Cialis ads, so we headed out into the rain to head home. Despite the wet weather, I remarked to Colleen that it was odd to be walking out into 60° weather at the end of December. Not that I'm complaining. The holiday beers provided good start to another week of vacation.

GABF Virginia Winners

Two hundred and thirty-four U.S. Breweries took part in the Great American Beer Festival held in Denver, CO over the past three days. Virginia breweries had a great showing, as usual. Congratulations go out to Devils Backbone Brewing Company for being named the Mid-Size Brewing Company and Mid-Size Brewing Company Brewer of the Year. That's a testament to the hard work by the folks at Devils Backbone, who were awarded Small Brewpub and Small Brewpub Brewer of the Year in 2012, and Small Brewing Company and Small Brewing Company Brewer of the Year in 2013.

Here are the Virginia breweries that went home with medals.

Mid-Size Brewing Company and Mid-Size Brewing Company Brewer of the Year

Devils Backbone Brewing Co. - Outpost, Lexington, VA DB Brewery Team

Category: 3 American-Style Fruit Beer - 56 Entries

Gold: Raspberry Stout, Hardywood Park Craft Brewery, Richmond, VA

Category: 41 American-Style Dark Lager - 19 Entries

Silver: Old Virginia Dark, Devils Backbone Brewing Co. - Outpost, Lexington, VA

Category: 42 German-Style Schwarzbier - 37 Entries

Gold: Schwartz Bier, Devils Backbone Brewing Co. - Outpost, Lexington, VA 

Category: 43 Bock - 27 Entries

Silver: Turbo Cougar, Devils Backbone Brewing Co. - Outpost, Lexington, VA

Category: 56 American-Style Amber/Red Ale - 140 Entries

Silver: Amber Waves Ale, Capitol City Brewing Co., Arlington, VA

Category: 62 Irish-Style Red Ale - 60 Entries

Bronze: “Hydraulion” Red, Three Notch’d Brewing Co., Charlottesville, VA

Category: 67 German-Style Altbier - 33 Entries

Bronze: Alt Bier, Devils Backbone Brewing Co. - Basecamp, Roseland, VA

A complete list of GABF winners can be found here.

Hardywood Raspberry Stout

It's dessert. In a beer bottle. That's what comes to mind when drinking Hardywood Park Raspberry Stout. I'm not a fan of "fruit beer" so I'm always hesitant when trying out a new beer that has fruit as a featured ingredient. However, when a brewery with a track record of good beers puts out a "Raspberry Stout," I'm going to try it despite any apprehension.

Hardywood Raspberry Stout is a February 2014 limited release from the Richmond, VA brewery. The beer is brewed with locally grown raspberries. The nearly black liquid is topped with a thick and frothy dark beige head. As soon as the cork came out of the bottle, I picked up the sweet berry aroma. Sticking my nose closer to the glass, the scent of dark cocoa was added. Already, my mind is forming an image of a German chocolate cake topped with raspberry drizzle.

Taking a sip of the beer, the raspberry flavor is at the forefront. It's not a sticky sweet, or artificial, fruit flavor either, this is the flavor of fresh raspberries. Raspberries spooned over a dark chocolate cake to be exact. There is a hint of espresso-like bitterness coming through as well. A mild sweetness lingers in the finish. We decided to break out a box of chocolates to enjoy with the beer, completing the dessert-like experience.

I enjoyed the Raspberry Stout very much. However, like that big piece of chocolate cake after a meal, one slice, er, glass, is enough. At 9.2% ABV, Hardywood Raspberry Stout is a treat to be sipped and savored.

It Was a Dark and "Stouty" Night

Making my regular review of local pubs' Facebook pages last Friday, I noticed that Capital Ale House had two selections from their "Ales From the Crypt" cellared beer series, Stone Russian Imperial Stout and Stone Russian Imperial Stout with Espresso, both from 2013. They also were tapping a pin of Hardywood Park Russian Imperial Stout aged on cocoa nibs. Now this was a trio of Stouts not to be missed.

Colleen started out with a glass of the Hardywood Stout, while I opted for the Stone Espresso Russian Imperial Stout. I also begged a sample of the standard Stone RIS, "in the interest of science." Despite all being similar in appearance, all the Stouts were quite distinct in flavor.

The first thing I noticed was that all the beers were served at a good temperature. That was expected from the Hardywood pin, as it was sitting on the bar, but a pleasant surprise for the two Stone beers. I'm assuming they had just come out of the cellar and hadn't been in the cold refrigerator all that long. 

There was no mistaking the espresso in the Stone Espresso RIS. The rich espresso flavor stood above the other flavor notes. Alternating with a few sips of Stone's standard Imperial Stout only served to illustrate the strong influence of the espresso. Bold tastes of dark chocolate, molasses and roasted nuts were present in both. The year in the cellar seems to have mellowed any burnt notes often found in a Russian Imperial Stout. 

As I was enjoying my Stout, Colleen was also enjoying her Hardywood Park Stout. In fact, we both realized that our glasses were about empty at the same time and we'd have to order again. I typically finish my beer well before Colleen does, but she found the Hardywood very enjoyable it went down quickly.

We were seated right in front of the Hardywood pin, and had been noticing the servers were tilting the 5.4 gallon keg further and further in order to pour another glass. I decided I needed to order a pint for myself, and quickly. The Hardywood Stout had a very "creamy" mouthfeel with less bitterness than the Stone beers, with a hint of dark chocolate. It was a popular drink that evening and folks were disappointed to see the pin finally run dry. We've been enjoying a run of Hardywood Park beers lately and will continue to seek them out, as they've yet to disappoint. 

More Hardywood Park

I routinely check the Facebook pages of my favorite local pubs to see if there are any particularly interesting beers being tapped, or foods being served. Last Friday I saw that Capital Ale House was tapping a pin of Hardywood Park The Great Return IPA, dry hopped with Apollo hops. Coincidently, when I got home from work, Colleen asked "Do you want to go somewhere for dinner?" "As a matter of fact, I do" was my reply. What's that they say about great minds and long-married couples?

First, I did some research on this unfamiliar hop variety. Apollo hops are used for bittering and are apparently somewhat rare. A pin is a small, approximately 5 gallon mini-keg, so I knew this was a limited opportunity. We arrived too late to witness the actual tapping by the Hardywood rep, but did score a nice Hardywood keychain later in the evening.

Bourbon Sidamo Stout & Great Return IPA

The Great Return pours a hazy marmalade color with a thin beige head. The aroma is mostly grapefruit with some grassiness. The flavor is full of fresh grapefruit citrus. There's a bit of the expected green grass of fresh hops, but the beer was not as bitter as I had envisioned. There was a refreshing, "juicy" mouthfeel to the beer. This glass of beer was served at a proper, not-too-cold temperature so I was able to get started on enjoying it right away. 

Colleen spied another Hardywood Park beer on the menu, Sidamo Coffee Stout. We had tried the Sidamo a few weeks ago, and knew it was an excellent Stout. I took a couple sips from Colleen's glass, but sadly the citrus-rich flavor of my IPA made it hard to get a proper taste of the Stout's flavor, though Colleen reported it was quite tasty. However, it just so happens that Capital Ale House is tapping a pin of Bourbon Sidamo Coffee Stout next Friday. Perhaps we'll make a return trip then in order to provide a more complete report. 

I was ready for another beer when our dinner entrées arrived. Since I knew there are always a few beers available that are not on the printed menu, I made a information gathering walk down the tap handle line. I didn't get very far before I spied two taps with the distinctive handles of a new Manassas, Virginia brewery, Heritage Brewing Company. But that's a story for another post...

Hardywood Park Arrives in Fredericksburg

"Finally." That was the common refrain heard at Tuesday's Hardywood Park Brewery release party and Steal the Glass event at Capital Ale House. The Richmond brewery's beers have been available around the Richmond area, and I even saw them a couple weeks ago in DC, but alas, they've not been available in Fredericksburg. Now, the long wait is over. It was a large and enthusiastic crowd that celebrated at Capital Ale House.

Six Hardywood Park beers were being poured, either as a flight of samplers or in individual full servings. Colleen and I both ordered flights, the purchase of which included a Hardywood etched logo glass. The featured beers were Singel, Extra Special Burly Bearded Bitter, Hoperation Pink IPA, Gingerbread Stout, Raspberry Russian Imperial Stout and Sidamo Coffee Stout.

So often, there is at least one underwhelming beer in any sampler flight. That's just the nature of individual preferences. But not so this evening. I drained each glass dry. After the event, Colleen and I were discussing the Hardywood beers, and we both agreed that we enjoyed each and every one of them. The Hardywood Gingerbread Stout is a very popular and sought after beer. We enjoyed it last week at Mekong in Richmond. However, for me a couple other beers stood out even more than the Gingerbread Stout.

Of the three Stouts being served, the Sidamo Coffee Stout was my favorite. It was rich with the flavors of dark chocolate, dark roasted coffee and molasses. Slightly astringent, it left behind a lingering coffee bitterness. I look forward to finding Sidamo on my local store shelves.

My top pick for the evening though was the Hoperation Pink IPA. I was not alone in my selection of this "winner" and many folks I spoke with expressed the same sentiment. The beer is brewed with pink grapefruit zest, and dry hopped with Citra hops. The result is a juicy, fresh, citrus aroma and flavor. At just 6% ABV it was a flavorful but not "big" beer. Hoperation Pink was brewed once as a collaborative effort of several local female brewers in order to raise funds for women's health issues. It's a very well-done beer that I hope will be brewed again.

I had the opportunity to talk a bit with Hardywood co-founder Patrick Murtaugh and Brewer Rachael Cardwell. Rachael used to be a manager at Capital Ale House and I could tell she was excited to bring the kick-off event to Fredericksburg. She and Patrick shared some plans for future beers, and let us know that most of the beers could be purchased locally starting the next day, Wednesday, January 8. I'm pretty sure I'll be doing some more in-depth reviews of Harydwood Park's beers very soon.

Mekong is for Beer Lovers

We drove down to Mekong Restaurant in Richmond this week. The Vietnamese restaurant has been voted the Best Beer Bar in America for two years running. Proprietor An "Mekong" Bui's passion is craft beer and it shows in his restaurant, with the "Mekong is for beer lovers" and "Beer is the answer" slogans prominently displayed throughout.

The large draft selection is replete with hard-to-find beers. The crowded menu board behind the bar lists too many interesting beers to try in one short visit. We took a table in the dining room area and enjoyed a tasty Vietnamese dinner with our beer. The food menu is as extensive as the beer menu, though not being well-versed in the cuisine, I simply scanned for familiar ingredients, seasoned with enticing sauces. My shrimp and scallop dish with onions and a spicy oil was quite delicious. But, it was the beer that motivated the drive south.

Both Colleen and I opted for Gingerbread Stout from Hardywood Park Brewery. The pitch black Milk Stout has a mild, sweet vanilla and spice aroma. I found the aroma to be unexpectedly muted. The "gingerbread" did show itself in the flavor. The dark chocolate and roasted coffee flavored stout is enhanced with the tastes of gingerbread cookies; ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, molasses. The spiced aspect is not overwhelming, but grows as you drink the beer. The finish is somewhat bitter and astringent.

Gingerbread Stout and Oak Aged Yeti.
Social media photo by Colleen.

Another Virginia brewery, Center of the Universe, was represented on the beer menu by a beer with the intriguing name of El Duderino White Russian Milk Stout. As I was contemplating ordering another beer, I went back to the bar area to see if I could find An. I wanted to say hello since we'd never met in person. As soon as I introduced myself, the affable An remarked that there was a beer I had to try. He poured me a glass of what I suspected was El Duderino, which he confirmed. I took the glass back to our table and shared it with our party.

El Duderino White Russian Milk Stout is an interesting beer, and we had a hard time describing it. It was as dark as you'd expect from a milk stout, but the flavor diverged from the expected. There was some sweetness, and there was a burnt coffee flavor that predominated. A little vanilla and a hint of booze came through in the finish. This jury is still out on El Duderino, perhaps a side-by-side comparison to a proper White Russian is in order.

It was fortuitous that Great Divide Oak Aged Yeti was also on the menu at Mekong. Last week I enjoyed a glass of Yeti at Capital Ale House and remarked at the time I'd like to enjoyed the barrel-aged versions again. While at Mekong, our friend Checkered Flag selected the Oak Aged Yeti, and I got to steal a few sips of that as well.

In a coincidence that will be appreciated by the shooters reading this, as I was releasing my inner teenager and "checking in" on Facebook, I learned that we were "600 feet" distant from Colonial Shooting Academy. I am not very familiar with Richmond, and while I'd heard about this gun store and range, I did not know exactly where it was located. We all had a laugh realizing how close we were. Had we known, and planned accordingly, we could have visited the range before dinner! I now know there's a shooting and beer-related field trip in our future.

Dinner finished, we headed out for our drive home (first driving past the aforementioned shooting range.) When we had arrived for our early dinner, there were just a few tables occupied in the restaurant. As we left, at the normal dinner hour, there was a line of people going out the door waiting to get in to Mekong. Even on a Monday evening, folks seem to be ready to find out that beer is the answer.

VA Craft Brewers Cup Winners

The 1st Annual VA Craft Brewers’ Festival and VA Craft Brewers Cup was held at Devils Backbone Brewery in Nelson County, VA this past Saturday. I had a previous engagement so was unable to attend, but the event was by all counts a success.

The first VA Craft Brewer's Cup winners are listed below. Sadly, there are a few beers on this list I've not tried yet. That must be corrected soon!

2012 Virginia Craft Brewers Cup Winner (Best Overall Beer)
Devils Backbone Brewing Company: Schwarzbier

Pale Ale:
Gold: Port City Monumental IPA
Silver: Starr Hill Double Platinum
Bronze: Mad Fox English Summer Ale

Dark:
Gold: Capital City Oatmeal Stout
Silver: Hardywood Park Gingerbread Stout
Bronze: Port City Porter

Lager:
Gold: Devil’s Backbone Schwarzbier
Silver: Lost Rhino Rhinofest
Bronze: Starr Hill Festie

Belgian:
Gold: Wild Wolf Blonde Hunny
Silver: Devil’s Backbone Azrael
Bronze: Port City Optimal Wit

Specialty:
Gold: The River Brewing Co Farmhouse Heffeweizen
Silver: Lost Rhino Rye Wit
Bronze: Wild Wolf Ginger Lager

Congratulations to all the winners!

See the Virginia Craft Brewers Fest website for more information.