More Beer, More Mad Fox

We spent another Saturday morning in NoVA while our son finished his Life Guard certification classes, so we killed the time doing "beer stuff." First stop, Norm's Beer & Wine in Vienna. I always feel like a kid in a candy store when I'm at this store. So many beers, so many decisions.

Two large boxes of goodies loaded into the car and we were off for lunch at Mad Fox. In a switch from the "big" beers I enjoyed during our visit last week, I opted for "lighter" fare this time. I started off with The Elixir Maibock. This lager pours a dark golden in color with a bready, toasted aroma. The flavor is a rich, sweet malt with toasted and caramel notes. The finish is pleasantly bitter with just a hint of sweetness. I enjoyed it very much, and finished it quickly so I needed to order another beer to accompany my lunch. For that round, I opted to follow our friend Checkered Flag's lead and ordered the Kölsch that he was enjoying. Crisp, citrusy mild hops, with a faint malt sweetness, made a good foil to the spicy meats of "The Mob" pizza I ate for lunch. 

Dining with family and close friends who also appreciate good beer is always an advantage as we get to try out more variety through shared sips. Colleen opted for another beer that I had wanted to try, Mason’s Dark Mild. This is a true "session beer" at just 3.3% ABV. Dark in color with a rich roasted coffee aroma, the taste does not disappoint either. It's a flavorful blend of roasted espresso and dark chocolate. Mason's Dark Mild packs a big flavor in an extremely low alcohol beer.

His Life Guard certification complete, I wonder if I can convince the boy to take more classes that require us spending time wandering Northern Virginia. The past two weekends provided a great excuse to visit some new, and old favorite, beer stops!

Mad Fox: Perfect For a "Non-Productive Afternoon"

While spending the weekend in NoVA, we headed out for an early lunch as Mad Fox Brewing in Falls Church. We arrived about 11:30 for an early lunch and got right to work on enjoying some of the house beers. (After all, it's noon somewhere.) I had received the Mad Fox email newsletter the day before so my choices planned already. My first selection was Oaked Leonidas Batch 300. The beer was a tribute to the brewery's 300th beer. Dry-hopped with Citra and Simcoe hops, this very dark beer was more Double IPA in taste than appearance. A nice piney aroma was followed by a citrus and malt flavor. The oak aging contributed some earthiness, but added minimal additional flavors. It was a tasty accompaniment to my menu perusal.

Colleen ordered a snifter of a lovely Saison. The beer had a spicy, bready aroma. The flavor with tart fruit, honey and cloves. A dry Belgian yeast finish rounded off the flavor. Our friend Checkered Flag ordered his usual, the Kölsch. Sharp, crisp hop and malt flavors, with a mildly bitter finish. After stealing a sip, I always consider a glass for myself, but there's always some other beer to try.

We all opted for house pizzas for our meals. Both the "Garlic Pig," with pepperoni, bacon, shaved garlic, and mozzarella, and five-meat "The Mob," made for flavorful meals.

It was now time for one of that "other beer." The email promotion mentioned an offering that was a barrel aged blend of Mad Fox's Wee Heavy and Crazy Ivan Russian Imperial Stout. That sounded just too good to pass up. When our server brought my drink he warned, "Be careful with that. It started out at 11.8%, and we don't know how much more was absorbed from the barrel." He then added, "You'll have a non-productive afternoon!" This was one of those beers that makes you say "Woo-hoo!" The aroma is deep, dark malt with some toffee and roasted coffee. And the aroma of the bourbon barrel was unmistakeable. The flavor followed suit with a very rich bourbon and oak flavors. The dark malts and roasted flavors came through as well.

While it didn't lead to a totally "non-productive" afternoon, we did linger at Mad Fox for a bit longer than we had originally planned — not that that's a bad thing! It was a very enjoyable lunch with some really tasty beers. But eventually all fun things must end, so we ventured out into the Saturday traffic to head to our next stop, a visit of the soon-to-be opened BadWolf Brewing Company. And that's a story for another post.

Mad Fox Irish Red

Last weekend we joined our friend, aka "Checkered Flag" for dinner at Mad Fox Brewing in Falls Church. This time I remembered to bring along an empty growler in order to take some beer home with me. After enjoying a couple of pints of Rock Star Irish Red Ale with dinner, I had my Blue & Gray growler relabeled and filled with the Irish Red Ale.

Mad Fox's Irish Red Ale pours a very attractive mahogany red with a thin, short lived head. The aroma of bready malt backed is mixed with a hint of nuttiness. The taste is rich with sweet and caramel malt flavors. A mild hop bitterness comes through in the finish. The mouthfeel is lightly carbonated with a slightly oily finish. 

I don't bring growlers home too often. Once you crack it open, it's best to finish the beer off within a few days, if not sooner. Fortunately, with Mad Fox Rock Star Irish Red Ale, that won't be a problem.

Three From Mad Fox

After I finished shooting that exhausting pistol match, we made our way to Falls Church to join a friend for dinner at Mad Fox Brewing Company. I always look forward to a visit to Mad Fox, both for the tasty beers, and the good food. I actually debated quite a while before making my drink selection. All the beers sounded good, but I had a long, and late, drive home. One of these days, I'm going to get up there with enough time to enjoy more of the offerings, especially the wonderful sounding Barleywine Ales that Bill Madden is creating. Of course, we all would share tastes of our selections and that helped to ease the frustration of needing to limit my consumption.

I finally opted for Dingo IPA. This is described as an "American style" IPA, which means I could expect plenty of citrus hops in both the aroma and taste. And that's what I got! The aroma was citrusy with some fruit notes, and the flavor had a rich malt base with the citrus hops.

For her selection, Colleen ordered Diabolik Belgian Strong Ale. The flavor is ripe with yeast and citrus flavors. At 8.8% ABV, the small snifter glass full was plenty to get Colleen through her dinner.

Our friend picked Mad Fox's signature Kölsch. This is a crisp beer with a drying finish. There's a hint of grassiness and tartness in the flavor that results in an enjoyable, refreshing beer.

A Tasty Trio
Photo by C. Turley

Dinner started with the Frickles and a Soft Pretzel Twist. Both these appetizers were served with side "sauces" that were especially enjoyable. The fried pickles were accompanied by a spicy ranch dip. I found myself scraping the last bits off my plate after the Frickles were gone. The whole grain ale mustard served with the pretzel was especially zesty, and brought out several delightful exclamations as we ate.

Our group, as is typical, feasted on burgers and "Beer-BQ." The food was delicious and filling. I had finished my IPA just as the food was served, and was considering ordering a glass of Schwarzbier to accompany the "Bacon Jam" burger. Alas, the burger was so tasty, I had pretty much finished it before our waiter returned so I skipped trying the black lager on this visit. It probably made for an easier drive home at the end of a long tiring day. I'll have to go back.

Virginia GABF Winners

Virginia Craft Brewers brought home a Lucky 13 awards from the Great American Beer Festival held this week in Denver, CO. The big winner was Devils Backbone which walked away with the Small Brewpub and Brewer title and 8 category medals.

2012 GABF VIRGINIA WINNERS

Small Brewpub and Small Brewpub Brewer of the Year
Devils Backbone Brewing Company - Basecamp, Roseland, VA
Devils Backbone Brewery Team

Individual Awards:
Category: 17 Gluten-Free Beer, 20 Entries
Gold: Nikki’s Gluten Free Honey Pale Ale, Rock Bottom Arlington, Arlington, VA

Category: 21 Wood- and Barrel-Aged Beer, 51 Entries
Bronze: Local Species, Blue Mountain Barrel House, Arrington, VA

Category: 28 American-Style or International-Style Pilsener, 26 Entries
Bronze: Gold Leaf Lager, Devils Backbone Brewing Co. - Outpost, Lexington, VA

Category: 35 Vienna-Style Lager, 36 Entries
Gold: Vienna Lager, Devils Backbone Brewing Co. - Outpost, Lexington, VA

Category: 39 American-Style Dark Lager, 12 Entries
Silver: Old Virginia Dark, Devils Backbone Brewing Co. - Basecamp, Roseland, VA

Category: 41 Bock, 33 Entries
Silver: Elixer Maibock, Mad Fox Brewing Co., Falls Church, VA
Bronze: Turbo Cougar, Devils Backbone Brewing Co. - Outpost, Lexington, VA

Category: 43 Baltic-Style Porter, 31 Entries
Silver: Danzig, Devils Backbone Brewing Co. - Basecamp, Roseland, VA

Category: 48 English-Style India Pale Ale, 54 Entries
Bronze: Monumental IPA, Port City Brewing Co., Alexandria, VA

Category: 65 German-Style Sour Ale, 29 Entries
Gold: Berliner Metro Weiss, Devils Backbone Brewing Co. - Basecamp, Roseland, VA

Category: 76 Classic Irish-Style Dry Stout, 16 Entries
Bronze: Ramsey’s Draft Stout, Devils Backbone Brewing Co. - Basecamp, Roseland, VA

Category: 77 Foreign-Style Stout, 25 Entries
Bronze: Ramsey’s Export Stout, Devils Backbone Brewing Co. - Basecamp, Roseland, VA

Congratulations to all the Virginia winners. It looks like there are a few more Virginia beers I need to search out. You can see the entire awards list here.

Pub Food At Home

Check out these easy, and very tasty sounding recipes, perfect for Super Bowl feasting. They come courtesy of Mad Fox Brewing Executive Chef Russel Cunningham.

View more videos at: http://nbcwashington.com.

The recipes are available here. 

That Buffalo Chicken Pizza sure looks good. The Frickles too. And the Baked Brie. And...

Local GABF Winners

I had such a busy weekend that I've been remiss in sharing the news about Virginia winners at the Great American Beer Festival. Once again, some of our favorite Virginia craft breweries brought home medals.

Starr Hill Brewery, Crozet Virginia

Gold in Category #34: Vienna-Style Lager for Jomo Lager

Silver in Category #15: Indigenous Beer for Monticello Reserve Ale

Silver in Category #26: Smoke Beer for Smoke Out

Blue Mountain Brewery, Afton, Virginia

Gold in Category #15: Indigenous Beer for Monticello Reserve Ale

Silver in Category #17: American-Belgo-Style Ale for Blue Reserve

Mad Fox Brewing Company, Falls Church, Virginia

Gold in Category #25: Kellerbier or Zwickelbier for Kolsch Kellerbier

Bronze in Category #45: English-style Summer Ale for English Summer Ale

Devils Backbone Brewing Company, Roseland, Virginia

Silver in Category #31: Dortmunder or German-Style Oktoberfest for Tommy Two Fists

I should also give a shout out to another favorite brewery here at the Musings. Maryland-based Flying Dog Brewery brought home a Gold medal in Category #83: Barley Wine-Style Ale for Horn Dog Barleywine.

Congratulations to all the winners. You can see the complete award list at the GABF site here.

Manly Beers? Chick Beers?

Mad Fox Orange Whip IPA, recently reviewed here, is getting many compliments and favorable reviews from fans, especially on the Mad Fox Facebook page, and a local beer enthusiasts group, also on Facebook. One recent comment jumped out at me:

I had it for the first time on Saturday, thought it was kind of a chick version of an IPA. Very drinkable. 

I'm quite found of extremely hoppy and bitter IPA's. If I can describe a beer as a fitting replacement for grapefruit juice at breakfast, I'm happy. I like a long-lingering bitterness in a beer. As noted previously, Orange Whip may be one of the best IPA's I've tasted, and it wasn't mild or meek by any stretch. Yet it was not taste bud wreaking either, which made the "chick beer" comment very interesting.

I'm betting that the comment was made tongue-in-cheek, but it's thought-provoking nonetheless. We've all heard the beer snob jokes about wimpy beers. Maybe times are changing when a hoppy, bitter IPA can be described as a "chick version."

No Tattoo, Just A Whip

Mad Fox Orange Whip IPA that is.

Yesterday we headed up to Northern Virginia to pick up a friend, with plans to attend the Twilight Tattoo at Ft. McNair in D.C.  No sooner did we get up to NoVa did we learn that the event had been cancelled due to weather. Oh well, there's only one thing left to do; head to Mad Fox Brewing Company for food and drink!

It was actually good timing as I had read on Mad Fox's Facebook page that they had just tapped the Orange Whip IPA the day before. I really wanted to try this one. I ordered my drink right away. My dining partners were undecided so they decided after a few sips from my glass. Colleen also opted for the Orange Whip. My cider-loving friend saw Original Sin Cider on the menu and decided to finally get to try that one.

Orange Whip is a dark copper color with a thin off-white head. Citrus aroma with bit of fruits give a hint of the taste to come. I found the flavor to be a nice blend of citrus and bitter hopping. A mildly sweet, bready malt holds everything together. Orange, pineapple, grapefruit; it's all in there in a delightfully enjoyable beer. This probably ranks as one of the best IPA's I've had. It went quite well with the Frickles, and the Buffalo wings, and the Mad Fox Burger.

Of course, I wanted another, and another. But I also wanted to try the Defender American Pale Ale, available on cask only. The Pale Ale was served cellar temp, and had a nice creamy head. A good balance of malt and bitter hops made for another tasty beer. I enjoyed this one too, but after the Orange Whip my flavor receptors were spoiled!

While we were still disappointed in not getting to enjoy the concert, the unexpected trip to Mad Fox was ample compensation.

Mad Fox Barleywine Festival

I don't think I can make it to Mad Fox Brewing this weekend, but I suspect this will rank as one of the top beer events in Virginia this year. I'd be remiss if I didn't give it a mention here. With Rick Garvin's permission, I've reprinted his post to the DC-Beer mailing list that gives all the details. That is an incredible lineup! If any readers are able to attend, feel free to post your impressions in the comments. And, be careful out there!

Bill Madden and team are putting the finishing touches on this weekend's Barleywine Fest. Bill's pulled together 24 rare and delicious barleywines on tap and cask for our sampling pleasure. No admission fee, no tickets, 4 oz sample servings and pay as you go. The taps will be changed at 4PM on Saturday, so before and after is the sweet spot for trying all 24. Fair warning, some of the very rare beers may run out before 4PM Saturday - we have the only sixtels in the country of two of these barleywines.

The full menu will be on along with a whole smoked pig and more tasty specials from Chefs Russel Cunningham, Sean Swasey and Rodrigo Lozada.

It's not all barleywines, Bill & Charlie tapped Saison yesterday and draught Irish Dry Stout will be on at 3PM today, with more of Bill's standards pouring from the serving tanks. Happy Hour prices for pints will be in effect 3PM-7PM seven-days.

Details at madfoxbrewing.com/barleywinefest/ . Plenty of public transportation options.

Here's the beer list as of yesterday:

• Mad Fox Slobberknocker American-style Barleywine draught and cask
• Mad Fox Headknocker English-style Barleywine draught and cask
• Mad Fox Wheat Whacker Wheatwine draught - 8% ABV
• Heavy Seas Below Decks English-style Barleywine cask - 10% ABV
• A L'abri De La Tempête Brewery Corps Mort Barleywine - 9% ABV
• Avery Hog Heaven Barleywine - 9.2% ABV
• Bluegrass Brewing Bearded Pat's Barleywine - 11% ABV
• Brooklyn Brewing Monster Ale Barleywine 2007 - 10.3% ABV
• Brooklyn Brewing Monster Ale Barleywine 2010 - 10.3% ABV
• Climax Brewing Company Barleywine - 10% ABV*
• Dogfish Head Olde School Barleywine - 15% ABV
• DuClaw Devil's Milk American-style Barleywine - 11% ABV
• DuClaw Devil's Milk American-style Barleywine aged in Jack Daniels Barrels - 11% ABV
• Duck Rabbit Barleywine - 11% ABV
• Lagunitas Gnarleywine - 10-12% ABV
• Microbrasserie Le Trou Du Diable Brandy Nose Barleywine - 12% ABV
• Oliver Breweries Hot Monkey Love Barleywine - 9.8% ABV*
• Sierra Nevada 30th Anniversary Jack & Ken's Black Barleywine - 10.2% ABV
• Sierra Nevada Grand Cru, blend of Oak-Aged Bigfoot, Celebration and Pale Ale - 9.2% ABV
• Stone Brewing Company Old Guardian Barleywine - 11.3% ABV
• Victory Old Horizontal Barleywine - 10.5% ABV
• Weyerbacher Blithering Idiot Barleywine - 11.1% ABV
• Weyerbacher Insanity - Bourbon Barrel Aged Blithering Idiot - 11.1% ABV
• Willisamsburg Alewerks Grand Illumination Barleywine - 11% ABV

Cheers, Rick

Wow. Just wow.

SAVOR 2011 Breweries Announced

I've never attended the SAVOR event. Frankly I'm not inclined to do so for a number of reasons. However, I know many readers do, and it's reported to be a fun event overall. The Brewer's Association has announced the lineup of breweries for this year's event, to be held June 3 and June 4 at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C.

The only Virginia brewery included in this year's event is Mad Fox Brewing Company*. (Really.)

See the entire SAVOR brewery lineup here. Visit the SAVOR site for details on ordering tickets. Ticket pre-sale begins March 1, 2011. Pre-sale tickets are available exclusively to members of the American Homebrewers Association and the Brewers Association, and past SAVOR ticket buyers. Tickets go on sale to the general public March 3.

Hat tip to DC Beer.

*Update, January 26: Devils Backbone Brewing Company was selected by lottery to participate in SAVOR.

The Session #47 - Cooking With Beer

Wow, has it really been that long since I last participated in The Session?

The January Session is hosted by the folks at Beer 47. For this month's topic they chose "Cooking With Beer."

We all know beer is great for drinking but what about using it as an ingredient in cooking? Wine is used as an ingredient for numerous dishes and recipes yet beer seems to be under utilized in cooking. However, with the rise in popularity of craft beer and advocacy from the likes of The Homebrew Chef, I think this trend is slowly changing. For the month of January, Beer 47 will be hosting The Session #47 and encouraging beer bloggers from all over the internet to discuss Cooking with Beer.

For my long-overdue entry, I decided to create a virtual Session meal based on recipes featured in the past on Musings Over a Pint.

We'll start off our meal with an appetizer, Red Pepper Crostini and Olivada, served with Heavy Seas Red Sky at Night. Technically the beer is not an ingredient in the food, however the trio of crostini, olivada, and the Saison Ale go together to make a single dish. In fact, when the seasonal Red Sky at Night is available we quite often serve this exact combination. When something works, why change it?

For the main course we're serving Slow Cooked Pale Ale Spicy Beef. This simple recipe has become a staple in our household. It's a crock pot recipe, so it is easy to prepare and it especially fitting for those days when we know we'll be needing a quick dinner that evening. The ingredients are things we typically have on hand. Certainly there's always a Pale Ale in the fridge! We've served the spicy beef to guests on numerous occasions and it does not disappoint. I've even taken the leftovers on a sandwich to work the next day. Serve with a nice Pale Ale.

What's a meal without a dessert? For dessert I've selected Beeramisu, which Colleen first made for our Christmas dinner. The recipe is an amalgamation of Tiramisu recipes, and inspired by a dessert tried at Mad Fox recently.  I expect we'll be serving this version of Beeramisu often. The dessert is made a little in advance to allow the flavors to blend, but should be enjoyed within a day. Leaving it to sit in fridge for more than a day causes the beer flavor to fade, and the Kahlúa and rum flavors to strengthen which changes the flavor, not for the best. I recommend a good dark roasted coffee to go along with dessert.

So that's our meal for this edition of The Session. I hope you enjoyed your stay.

Update, January 16: The Session roundup has been posted at Beer 47.

Mad Fox, Finally

Falls Church's first brewery, Mad Fox Brewing Company, opened this past July. Although I was eagerly awaiting the opening, it was only this week that I was finally able to visit. Bill Madden and crew have created an inviting and comfortable brewpub and restaurant.

Arriving late Sunday afternoon, we got there before the dinner crowd and were seated promptly. My attention went first to the current beer list, while my dining partners perused the food menu. I opted to start with St. Swithin’s E.S.B.; others in the party selected Festivus Ale, and a Blackthorn Draught cider. Right off the bat I was impressed with our server Nick's knowledge of the beer. One member of our party is a cider fan, and Nick was able to provide advice on those as well as the house beers. We selected Buffalo style wings and the Frickles as appetizers. Both appetizers were very tasty, but the wings were especially a hit with my son. He later told me when we go back he thinks he'll just order the wings as his meal!

My ESB was very well done. There was just the right balance between the caramel malt and bitter, earthy hops. Although I tend to lean towards citrusy, hop-heavy beers, I am also very fond of well-made ESB's and this one from Mad Fox did not disappoint. Colleen ordered the Festivus Ale which she enjoyed as well. This Winter Warmer is spiced with cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. I tasted a few sips and found it well-balanced, but I'm not a big "spiced" beer fan. (I swore off pumpkin beers this year too.) There was only one universal complaint voiced at our table, that is that the beers were served much too cold. After a short period of time to allow the beers to warm a bit we were all very pleased with our selections.

As the main course, three of our party selected the St. Louis-Cut Ribs, while I opted for the Shrimp & Grits. As with the beer, the food was well done and quite enjoyable. Although I could have easily enjoyed another St. Swithin’s E.S.B., I wanted to try another offering, so I selected the Snapped IPA to go along with my Cajun-style entrée.  Snapped IPA is a bold, citrusy hopped beer that did not disappoint this hop head.

And what's a night out without dessert? Our group selected chocolate ice cream, the bread pudding, and the "Beeramisu" made with Mad Fox Wee Heavy. All were excellent endings to the meal, though the diners longed for a wee bit more of the Wee Heavy soaked into the Beeramisu cakes.

Was it worth the wait to finally get to Mad Fox? You bet! Will we be back soon? Yes again! Meanwhile I have the growler of St. Swithin’s E.S.B. I brought home to enjoy.

Northern Virginia Summer BrewFest

The Northern Virginia Summer BrewFest was held this past weekend in Leesburg, VA. Colleen and I made a late afternoon visit to the festival on Sunday. The temperature was near 100° when we arrived, and there was a very brief afternoon thunderstorm, but neither dampened the spirit of those in attendance. It is after all, the Summer brewfest.

Due to schedule conflicts, this was the first beer fest of 2010 that I've been able to attend, so I was looking forward to the day. I always run into old friends here, and without fail make a few new ones. That is a greater reward than the good beer at hand. But, the beer is not to be ignored! Our first stop was the tent of Mad Fox Brewing Company, soon to open in Fall Church. The local chatter this past week was that Bill Madden would be bringing firkins of the first beer brewed at the new site. Sure enough, his American Pale Ale was being served "Zwickelbier style." The firkins were filled directly from the fermenter, and the fresh beer was experienced the same way the brewer first experiences it. Bill told me that the beer was brewed just two weeks ago. The beer was unfiltered and still had suspended yeast. The American Pale Ale was robust with Centennial hops and full of flavor. I found myself going back for seconds.

There were a number of interesting beers being served Sunday. Another standout was the Victory Scarlet Fire Rauchbier. This smoked beer is typically available only at the brewery in Pennsylvania. Smoke beers can be hit or miss for me, and this one was a hit. The smoke flavor was strong, but not overwhelming. I could detect bitter citrus hops and a caramel malt base. New Holland is another brewery I typically look for as Dr. Joel usually brings along a treat or two. When I checked in with Joel he told me about a beer that soon lost me in it's description; pears, raspberries, chardonnay barrels, and on he went. I'll admit that he almost lost me with the fruit, but we had a go at it anyway. Envious was darker than I expected, with a complex mix of chocolate, molasses, fruit... I'm still not a fruit beer guy, but enjoyed it nonetheless.

Colleen and I also sampled beers from Allagash (both the Black and the White), Clipper City, Lagunitas, and Founders among others. We were also pleased to spend a fair amount of time chatting with long-time friend and fellow C.R.A.B.B. menber, Tom Cizuaskas. In a flash from the past, I found Tom under the Heavy Seas (formerly Clipper City) tent pulling from a fresh cask of Loose Cannon. Loose Cannon on cask remains one of my all-time favorites, so I of course did not pass up the opportunity to enjoy it once again.

Beer is not the only culinary delight to be found at beer festivals. This weekend Colleen and I discovered a wonderful bakery from North Carolina, Elaine's Slices of Heaven. Elaine had a wide assortment of fresh baked breads, and she treated us to numerous samples. It was tough to decide which we wanted to take with us, but we eventually left with a loaf of a bread labeled Morning Glory, described on Elaine's website as a "delectable blend of carrots, raisins, apples, coconut, & pecans." Despite my premonitions, we managed to get the bread home without consuming it in the car.

The crowds were light Sunday afternoon and we never waited in line for a beer. That's certainly a mixed blessing. This festival, along with the sister event, the Northern Virginia Fall Brewfest, provides an excellent, well-organized venue for enjoying a variety of craft beers, including ones you won't find elsewhere. The events deserve to be well-attended. Perhaps I'll see you this fall in Centreville?

I was lazy and didn't even bring along a camera. However, Tom Cizauskas has posted numerous photos from the BrewFest here.

Mad Fox Brewing Update

Bill Madden posted some exciting news on his Madd Brewer's Blog today. He's settled on a brewing system for the soon-to-open Mad Fox Brewing in Falls Church, VA. The brewpub is scheduled to open in the first quarter of 2010 so this is an important milestone. Bill reports the system will have a 15 BBL brewhouse, and six 30 BBL fermenters. The new brewery will have an estimated minimum production of 6,240 kegs per year. That's a lot of good beer!

See Bill's post here for a complete description of the brewing system.

Update on Mad Fox Brewing

This week's Mad Fox Brewing Newsletter brings word that a location has been selected for Bill Madden's Mad Fox brewpub.

Mad Fox and Waterford Development executed a Letter of Intent on February 25, 2009 for 8,618 square feet of space for our first brewpub location at the Shops at Spectrum development at 444 West Broad Street, Falls Church, VA. Our anticipated opening is November, 2009. More to come very soon.

That's a coup for you folks in Falls Church!

Previous coverage of Mad Fox here.

Northern Virginia Summer BrewFest

The Northern Virginia Summer BrewFest was held June 21-22 in Leesburg, Virginia. Colleen and I attended the festival on Sunday. Arriving a couple hours after the event opened for the day, the crowds were still small, but gradually grew as the day went on. We enjoyed quite a few new beers during the course of the day.

We arrived at lunch time and headed directly for the Hard Times Cafe chili stand, stopping only to fill our glasses at Williamsburg AleWerks. I opted for a Drake Tail Ale IPA, while Colleen selected their Red Marker Ale. The IPA was a nice match for my spicy chili. Now refreshed after the drive, we were ready to explore the festival grounds.

Our first stop was Hook & Ladder Brewing Company of Silver Spring. I've never had the chance to try their beers. Backdraft Brown is a smooth brown ale with an easy caramel malt and hop balance. This beer was the 2008 Washington Post Beer Madness winner. I inquired about the brewery's distribution and was told that Hook & Ladder beers are expected to be available in Fredericksburg in the coming months.

Next we moved on to the Vintage 50 booth for some of Bill Madden's creations. I had hoped to chat with Bill about his plans for The Mad Fox Brewing Company but every time I saw him he was in motion. As the driving force behind the beer festival he was obviously quite busy. I enjoyed a red ale they had on tap, though I didn't catch the official name. There was a hint of cinnamon in the aroma. The flavor was slightly bitter with some caramel malt. It was very tasty and went down easily.

Another notable stop was the Clipper City Brewing Company tent were they had a cask of Oxford Class Organic Amber Ale hooked to a hand pump. This was the only cask beer being served at the festival. Brewery representative Tom Cizauskas rigged the cask in an upright position rather than on its side as is usual, and covered it with ice to keep the beer fresh in the heat. The beer was easily enjoyed at "proper" temperature after just a brief moment in the glass. The beer has a smooth creamy mouth feel, and caramel malt taste with a bit of hop bitterness in the finish.

I also enjoyed a Brooklynator Dopplebock from Brooklyn Brewery. I arrived in time to get some of last beer being poured from a pitcher that had been filled before the keg kicked. I heard that folks were coming back multiple times for samples. This beer is not bottled, but is only available on draft. Enjoying hard to find beers is one of the benefits of attending these festivals. My pour was a bit flat, but had a creamy texture and a clean malt and dark fruit flavor.

The oddly named Hairy Eyeball Ale from Lagunitas Brewing Company was another memorable beer. This strong ale had notes of sweet caramel and dark fruits, a faint smokiness, and also a noticeable alcohol warmth. One might consider it to be an English style barleywine.

We also paid a couple of visits to the Cabot Cheese booth. We've often enjoyed the cheeses from this Vermont creamery. They have a new cheese now coming on the market. Their "Three Year Cheddar" has a rich, sharp flavor and literally melts in your mouth. We were told it's available in our area in Giant Food stores and at Costco. My prediction is that we'll be bringing some home very soon.

Besides enjoying the beer, these events provide an opportunity to meet people and talk about a mutual love of beer. Colleen and I had a nice visit with Tom Cizauskas, who also blogs at Yours For Good Fermentables. I also talked to Jim Justice of Virginia Brewing Company and met head brewer John Hovermale. Jim tells me that the brewery will be going online soon, and they hope to have beer to pour in August. I ran into Ray Johnson who organizes the long-running Blue Gray Breweriana show held in Fredericksburg each February. Ray was relaxing under the Dogfish Head tent. Ray sure knows how to pick a seat. :-) Ray's been battling some serious health issues lately, but he's in his usual good spirits. Our prayers are with him for a speedy and full recovery.

I heard that there were around 5000 people in attendance on Saturday. Sunday, even though the crowd was slightly smaller, looked to be a success as well. I'm confident the festival will continue to grow and become even more successful. One suggestion would be to provide more shaded areas where folks can enjoy their beer and visit with friends. Given the number of attendees, the heat, the beer, and the many food vendors, having ample shaded sitting areas is essential. The BrewFest is a family event and there were plenty of activities for kids as well. The crowd was well-behaved, it was easy to get your beer and to chat with the vendors.

There were some ominous looking clouds moving in as we decided to head home. We stopped for some fresh-popped kettle corn to enjoy on the way home and headed out after a very enjoyable afternoon at the BrewFest. There were plenty of good beers to be enjoyed, along with a variety of foods. I'm looking forward to the next Northern Virginia BrewFest to be held this October in Centreville.

I've put some pictures from the BrewFest here.
Update: Tom has posted his pictures from the weekend.

Jason Oliver to Open Brewpub, Leave Gordon Biersch

A new brewpub will soon open in central Virginia. Mid-Atantic Brewing News has the exciting news in their June/July issue that Jason Oliver, brewer at Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant in DC and regional brewery supervisor for the chain, will leave the company to become part owner of a new brewpub to open in Nelson County. The new brewpub will be called The Devils Backbone, referring to the local nickname for the neighboring Blue Ridge Mountains. Oliver's partner in the endeavor, Steve Crandall, estimates an October-November opening. MABN quotes Jason on his plans to offer a variety of beverages:

"I've got plenty of ideas and I think we'll be doing some interesting stuff."

"I'm going to have four year-round beers and three or four seasonal beers" he continues, planning a helles lager, a Vienna lager, a hefeweizen and a American-style IPA as his core offerings.

"And then there's going to be two categories which I'm going to have on year-round, but they're going to change within those categories," he continues, "so I'll always have a dark beer on tap and then-always have a Belgian style on tap as well."

Besides his own beers, Oliver says he wants to have two or three rotating guest taps devoted to beers from other Virginia breweries, and "also try to have as many Virginia wines on the wine menu as possible, and every spirit that's made in Virginia I want to have at the bar."

This is the second time in a little over a month that a respected local brewer has announced his plan to leave his current position to open a new brewpub. In April we learned that Bill Madden of Vintage 50 in Leesburg intends to open The Mad Fox Brewing Company somewhere in the Northern Virginia area in the second half of 2009.

Already home to many excellent breweries, "The Old Dominion" continues to become even more attractive as a destination for craft beer enthusiasts.

Update, July 17: Early construction photos.
Update, August 27: More photos.

Update, November 22: It's open.

Another Brewpub Coming to Northern VA

As posted on DC-Beer by Gregg Wiggins:

Bill Madden will be opening a brewpub of his own in northern Virginia next year. It's in the early stages of planning and raising investors and there's no location yet, but expect The Mad Fox, an English-style gastro-pub, to open in the late second quarter or third quarter of 2009. Rick Garvin's helping set up the company and Rick will be one of the Mad Fox Brewing Company's board of directors; Bill will be in day to day control as CEO and Chairman.

And head brewer, too, he promises.

Gregg goes on to tease us by stating he's withholding further details until we read it in Mid-Atlantic Brewing News. Subsequent posts to DC-Beer from others make guesses as to possible locations. Northern Virginia is open to interpretation, but it's probably a safe bet that Fredericksburg isn't on the list. No matter, I like the sound of "English-style gastro-pub". I'm looking forward to getting the next issue of MABN. I have a paid subscription but still see the free copies first so I'll be watching for them to show up in the stores.

Update, April 27: You can follow the progress of Bill and company at the Mad Fox Brewing Company blog.