Brewery Road Trip

After an exhausting day on the range, we spent Saturday evening and next morning rehydrating before heading off on a brewery road trip on Sunday. We employed our favorite college student to act as chauffer for the day

Our first stop was Devils Backbone on Route 151 in Nelson County. I almost didn’t recognize the place; there’s been a lot of expansion on the property since our last visit three years ago. We were quickly seated and got our beer orders in. Colleen and Checkered Flag chose their favorite style Hefeweizen, Trail Angel Weiss and Apricot Weiss respectively. I opted for one of my old favorite styles, Altbier, and chose Devil’s Secret. This German-style beer is a collaboration between Devils Backbone and Apocalypse Ale Works. I enjoyed the rich, dark, Dopplebock-like flavor very much.

While walking between the car and the restaurant entrance we were treated to the aroma of the meat being smoked. There was no doubt I was going to partake in the house-smoked barbecue. My pulled pork sandwich was rich in spice and smoke, and went perfectly with my beer.

Finishing my food and first beer, I decided to stick with the German theme, and enjoyed a pint of Meadow Bier, a delicious German-style Pilsner. Then it was time to move on to our next stop so we had the driver bring the car around. (Actually, we walked to the car, but we did enjoy more than a few chauffeur jokes at my son’s expense.)

Soon we found ourselves at Bold Rock Cidery. Unlike our last visit the weather was not conducive to sitting on the large outdoor deck area taking in the scenery. We opted to enjoy the comfortable indoor lounge area, while watching various Olympic activities on several TV screens. We ended up sitting and enjoying ourselves for longer than intended. I was sipping on an IPA, or India Pressed Apple, a cider dry hopped with five hops for a tasty blend of tart apple cider and sweet, citrus notes. I found it quite enjoyable. Checkered Flag drank a Vat #1 while Colleen sipped a Prime Lime, a refreshing drink made with their Premium Dry cider and lime juice and served over ice.

Continuing on our way, we made an unplanned stop at Blue Toad Cidery. Blue Toad is a New York-based cidery that opened in Virginia last year. The tasting room had only two other visitors when we arrived and took our seats at the bar. We looked over the one cider menu we were handed to decide what we wanted to try out, receiving no information or suggestions from the lady behind the bar. A few other folks come in while we sat the bar, and still it seemed the atmosphere was less than welcoming. I remarked that it was almost as if we were interrupting the bartender’s alone time; either she didn't want to be there, didn't want us there, or both.

We ended up ordering pints of three cider varieties; Back Cherry, APA Triple Hopped, and PommeGranny Batch 1. Since this was an spur-of-the-moment stop, we discussed skipping the next brewery on our agenda, Starr Hill in Charlottesville, and head straight to South Street Brewery for dinner. However, after a few minutes of sitting at the Blue Toad bar, we opted to leave our drinks and the unwelcoming atmosphere and try to make it to Starr Hill after all.

On the way to Starr Hill Brewery, we came upon an accident just as the emergency equipment was arriving, and were directed to turn around as the road was now closed. After a slight detour and GPS rerouting we arrived at the brewery shortly before last call. I had time to enjoy a pint of Reviver Red IPA. I’d seen this seasonal in my local grocery store, but had just never gotten around to trying it. I was not disappointed and I think I may see if it's still in the store. Pints of The Love Wheat and The Hook were also ordered by the rest of our party.

Starr Hill is one of my favorite Virginia breweries, but oddly enough, I had never visited previously. I would have liked to been able to stay a while longer, and try out a few more of the offerings. I will try to find time for another visit in the near future.

Finally, to my son’s delight, we made it to our last stop for the day, South Street Brewery. All of us were quite hungry as it had been a long day since lunch at Devils Backbone. South Street’s varied menu was just the ticket. But first things first, we had to decide on a beverage. I opted to try the Tongue Dropper, an odd but enticing sounding "Sour Double IPA".  Our server warned it was more Sour Ale than IPA, but upon sipping my impression was that of a citrusy Double IPA that had a mildly tart tang at the end. I found it a worthy sipper, and a good "I've had enough" beer at the end of the day. I paired my beer with a plate of hearty Mac n' Cheese with sausage. Colleen and Checkered Flag indulged their wheat beer passion with El Jefe's Hefeweizen.

It was a long, but enjoyable day. Our previous trips along the "Brew Ridge Trail" have been in the fall, and the roads and breweries were always very crowded. This mid-summer trip was less so. We never had to wait for service, nor search for parking places. While the scenery isn't as colorful as it is in the fall, the area is still beautiful, and the food and beer well worth the drive.

Purcellville Road Trip

After that super fun IDPA match on Saturday, we drove out to Purcellville to visit a friend and a brewery or two. Our first stop was Belly Love Brewing.

When we walked in, I was surprised at the lack of a crowd, for late Saturday afternoon. We placed our beer orders at the bar, carrying the drinks to a nearby table. None of us had much too eat all day, so we were quite hungry, and ordered a soft pretzel with cheese and spicy mustard dipping sauces to hold us while we perused the food menu further. The appetizer was delivered promptly to our table, and was quickly devoured.

I ordered a Double IPA with an interesting sounding name, Flying Unicorn Crotch Kick. The beer had a strong, bready malt base. The bitter grapefruit and mango flavors were enjoyable and not overwhelming. The beer was flavorful but well-balanced. I expected a more extreme flavor profile, especially given the name. My glass was emptied in short order.

Colleen enjoyed a 6 ounce pour of Brooke's Currant Obsession. Just the fact that a short pour was offered made Colleen happy, though an actual half pint "short pour" would have been preferable. Despite the size, she enjoyed the mild citrus and tart hint to the Porter. Our friend opted for Eye of Jupiter Milk Stout. I stole a sip of this one and found it quite pleasant as well.

The beers we had were very good, and I would have tried more, but the need for food took precedence. The food options at Belly Love all sounded good, and the items we saw being delivered look appetizing as well. However, given that we were all extremely famished and looking for more substantial fare, we opted to look elsewhere for food. We ended up eating at a nearby old-style diner.

Having satiated our hunger, we were now in the mood for another beer stop. Adroit Theory Brewing is another well-known brewery in Purcellville. Checking online we saw that they had closed at 8:00 PM, on a Saturday. We discussed going back to Belly Love for more "research" but decided to head over to Lost Rhino, a brewery we've visited previously. I'm pretty sure a joke was made about needing a Lost Rhino Face Plant to go with my Belly Love Crotch Kick!

Instead of a big IPA at Lost Rhino, I opted for a pint of Dawn Patrol, the brewery's session IPA. As an added treat, the beer was being served from cask, and dry hopped with Simcoe hops. It was the perfect wind down for the evening. BTW, Colleen had a glass of the Lost Rhino Root Beer and it was delicious.

There are still a number of Loudoun County breweries we need to check out. We will have to plan a future excursion, one that starts much earlier in the day. I did pick up a bottle of Belly Love My Bitter X that I look forward to trying that in the near future.

Bold Rock Cidery

After our great lunch at Wild Wolf Brewery last Saturday, we headed over to Bold Rock Cidery. Just last year we drove past Bold Rock but did not have time to stop in. At the time, it was just a small barn by the side of the road. Well, things change in a year and it's apparently been a very good year for cider. We walked our way up the hillside along a winding boardwalk, arriving at the 12,000 sq. ft. building that houses the cider making and bottling operations, a cider museum, and a large rustic seating area in which to enjoy the cider. Numerous tasting stations are set up where visitors are treated to free samples of the four ciders being produced. There is also a multi-level deck where one can sit outside and take in the view.

After standing there, and probably looking lost for a few moments we were directed to a tasting station where we tried out the four ciders. Bold Rock Virginia Apple is light, crisp and slightly sweet. Next we tried Virginia Draft. This cider is darker than the first, and drier with a bit less sweetness. Crimson Ridge Vintage Dry is a sparkling cider with a mild flavor and dry finish. Crimson Ridge Vat No. 1 is a sparkling cider with hints of tart green apples.

After our sampling, we made our way the serving bar where we all opted for glasses of Bold Rock Virginia Draft. Carrying our glasses outside to the deck, which is built over the hillside behind the cidery. It provides a gorgeous view of a mountain stream and of the mountains covered in their fall colors.

We lingered quite some time while sipping our cider and taking in the views. The weather was extremely pleasant and perfect for sitting outside. After finishing our drinks, we went inside to see the displays about cider making, as well as the watch the bottling machinery visible through glass walls. Watching the constant stream of bottles going down the lines, to be filled with cider and then packaged, combined with the rhythmic sounds accompanying the process was very mesmerizing.

The new Bold Rock cidery is quite impressive, and shows just how popular cider, particularly Bold Rock Cider, has become. Next time we visit, perhaps we'll pack a picnic lunch to enjoy while overlooking the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains.

Wild Wolf Brewery

Colleen, Checkered Flag and I head down to Nelson County on Saturday to take in the scenery, and breweries on Route 151. I had heard that the fall leaf viewing season was underway, so we expected crowds, and indeed they were there. When we drove past Blue Mountain Brewery, the first brewery on the "trail," we were shocked by the number of cars, but since we had other plans, we continued on. In addition to the expected fall foliage sight seers, it seemed every stop we made had wedding party celebrants in house.

We made this same trip last year, so this time were focused on the places we did not stop last time. Our first stop was Wild Wolf Brewery for lunch. Despite the lunch time crowd, it took no time at all to get a table in the outdoor seating area.

Naturally, the first decisions were regarding beer. I've only had a couple Wild Wolf beers, and they had at least 12 on tap this day, so I was a bit fraught with indecision, and I didn't want to try a bunch of tiny samplers. Eventually I settled on the Wee Heavy, and out of curiosity added a taster of Folktoberfest, the brewery's seasonal Oktoberfest beer. Colleen went for the Blonde Hunny, while Checkered Flag selected the Dry Stout.

For food, we all ended up going the BBQ route; a BBQ platter for Colleen, the House Smoked BBQ Ribs for Checkered Flag, while I strayed off the traditional path a bit with Pulled Pork Tacos.

The Folktoberfest beer was created as the official beer of the annual Richmond Folk Festival. It's a classic German Oktoberfest beer with the addition of Columbus hops, giving a crisp finish to the beer. The Wee Heavy was especially delicious and flavorful. At only 5.7% ABV, it's a mild Wee Heavy but quite enjoyable. The aroma brought forth caramel malt and dark fruit. The flavor was slightly sweet,  a little earthy and nutty, and finished with a pleasant smokiness. It was a fitting accompaniment to the BBQ Pork and spicy jalapeños in the tacos.

My dining companions shared sips of their beers as well. The Blonde Hunny is a Belgian style Blonde Ale. The refreshing unfiltered ale has some honey sweetness, along with a mild citrus and pepper spice kick to it. The Dry Stout is also quite good. It's got roasted coffee and dark chocolate, with a pleasant bitter and dry roasted finish.

All of the beers we enjoyed at Wild Wolf were very well-done. Also, the food was great. The house-smoked BBQ, in all forms, was quite tasty. We enjoyed ourselves very much sitting outside, enjoying the good food, great beer, and beautiful Autumn air. We had other stops planned, and a lot of driving to do, or I probably could have lingered at Wild Wolf for quite some time. We do look forward to going back.

Anniversary Road Trip

To celebrate our 29th wedding anniversary, we took a drive down to Nelson County to visit a couple of brew pubs last Sunday. Our main destination was Devils Backbone Brewing Company. We arrived with the Sunday lunch crowd in full swing, and even though we couldn't get a table outside, we were seated right away indoors. Naturally, the first order of business was to peruse the beer menu. No less than twelve house beers were on tap. This was going to be a tough decision, especially since the majority were ones I've not had the opportunity to try. Devils Backbone also offers their beers in sampler flights consisting of four predetermined selections. We opted to start out with two flights, in order to try eight of the beers. The samples are small, just 2 ounces, so at the end, there's no issue ordering a full serving of your favorite.

Once the flights arrived, Colleen and I had fun sipping and comparing. The beers up for our discussion were Spider Bite Wheat Black IPA, Ale of Fergus Scottish Ale, Pear Lager, Ramsey's Draft Stout, Smokehaus Rauchbier, Blue Ridge Hop Revival Pale Ale, 1949 Lager and Ichabod Crandall Pumpkin Ale. The decision wasn't made much easier by the tasting; they were all very good beers. Interestingly, and thankfully, the beers were all moderately low in ABV too, ranging from 4.4% to 6.8% ABV. Among our favorites were Spider Bite IPA, Smokehaus Rauchbier, Ale of Fergus, Ramsey's Stout, and Hop Revival. I vacillated between the Rauchbier and Hop Revival, and only making my decision at the last moment as I ordered.

At the end of the tasting exercise, I selected the Blue Ridge Hop Revival to enjoy with my lunch. This beer is brewed with 100% Virginia grown Cascade hops, added to the brewing process while still fresh. The beer is slightly cloudy, orange-marmalade in color, with a frothy white head. The aroma is grapefruit and floral. In the flavor, the malt base and citrus and resinous hops are in good balance. The finish has some pleasant lingering bitterness. I enjoyed this one quite a bit.

For her selection, Colleen went with the Ale of Fergus. The beer was a deep, dark red color which appeared nearly black. The taste was mildly sweet with a tasty, roasted coffee and smoke flavor profile. Ale of Fergus makes a very nice session beer at just 4.0% ABV.

Oh yeah, there was food too! The food at Devils Backbone is worth the drive alone. The menu is heavy on smoked meat, all of which is smoked onsite. We started out with an appetizer plate of fried pickles. The spears were lightly coated in a spicy batter and very delicious. So good in fact, that we ordered as second helping while waiting for our main dishes. For the main course, Colleen and I both opted for "Rob's Bonedipper," a sandwich made on Toasted Ciabatta bread, with shaved house-smoked Prime Rib, bacon, Muenster cheese, and Smokehouse mayo. A cup of "jus" was set on the side for additional dipping flavor. Highly recommended! Our son chose the DB Pulled Pork Samich. This sandwich was piled very high with smoky pulled pork. After a leisurely lunch, we got back on the road to start in the direction of home.

But first, there was one more stop to make. We could have easily made three along the way stops. Route 151 in Nelson County is home not only to Devils Backbone, but also Bold Rock Cider, Wild Wolf Brewing, and Blue Mountain Brewing. Not wanting to overdo it, we passed by the first two and pulled into Blue Mountain Brewery for a quick dessert. We'll hit the others on a future outing.

Not that we were in any way still hungry after the Devil Backbone meal, but Colleen and I both had a hankerin' for something sweet. And a chance for another good beer is always welcome. We took a table outside on the patio. I saw the brew pub had their Oktoberfest on the menu, and decided it was time for my first Oktoberfest beer of the season. Alas, when I ordered I was informed they were out of the Oktoberfest. Not sure how that happened so early. (So I'll have my first Oktoberfest of 2013 at this weekend's Blue & Gray Oktoberfest celebration instead.) I was a bit let down, but not wanting to go with any of the higher ABV beers offered, I opted for the Kölsch 151 that I've been enjoying in bottles recently. To me it seemed the draft version had a slightly more citrus profile. Colleen opted to get a glass of Rockfish Wheat. The beer is a refreshing summer wheat beer with nice bit of spiciness; once she remove the lemon slice that was incongruously perched on the rim of the glass.

We shared a couple of desserts with our beers. Colleen picked the Creme Brulee, which was a cup of tasty vanilla bean custard, with a thick, hard candy-like caramelized crust. It's hard for me to resist bread pudding, so I ordered the Evil 8° Bread Pudding. The Blue Mountain twist on this classic is interesting. The thick slices of a cake-like bread were layered with caramel sauce, chocolate, pecans and whipped cream, and served with fresh strawberries. While none of us *needed* anything more to eat, we certainly enjoyed the extravagant treats.

After a food and beer filled day, it was time to finally make the drive home. A quick stop for overpriced chain coffee gave us fuel for the pleasant drive through the countryside. It was a great day and a wonderful way to celebrate our 29 years together.

Father's Day Road Trip

As an early Fathers' Day celebration, we spent Saturday on the road, taking in local gun shops and local breweries. What else would you expect?

Our first stop was the recently opened Airsoft GI Tactical store in Richmond. Our son frequently participates in air soft games so this stop was ostensibly for him, but I wanted to look around too. No sooner did we walk in the door did I spy an air soft replica of the SIG P226 I use in USPSA competition. Knowing little nothing about these guns, I spent just about the entire visit chatting with the store employee about it. I was sorely tempted when he offered me the chance to try it out in the store's range, but I declined. Next time perhaps.

Next we moved on to the iconic Green Top. I was simply interested in browsing, and also picking up another NEVCO target stand to add to my assemblage. (Like ammo, one can never have too much target paraphernalia.) While looking at the stands, I spied some clay stands, designed to hold clay pigeons for shotgun practice. We typically prop the clays up on tree stumps and other assorted pieces of wood, but these metal holders would add some height and variety. So my family decided a few of those would go along with the other stand for a Father's Day gift. Ties are cliché, shooting accessories make the preferred gifts around here!

That done we headed up the road to Bass Pro Shops. Again, just for more window shopping, but first, food. We decided to eat at the in-store restaurant and I jokingly pointed out the fried alligator appetizer featured there. Except I wasn't joking, I fully intended to order it. (BTW, it doesn't taste like chicken.) The appetizer, along with a tasty oyster po-boy made for a filling lunch.

Browsing through the shooting sports section followed the meal, and then it was time to move on to the beer-focused part of the day. The first stop on this leg was Center of the Universe Brewing in Ashland. There I enjoyed a pint of Ray Ray's Pale Ale. This ale has a fresh, almost green, bitter and citrus hop profile, and was very tasty. Colleen went the malt route with a Main St. Altbier. I took a couple sips from her cup, and could detect the rich malt flavors, but my palate was too tainted from the lingering bitterness of the pale ale to get a proper impression. I enjoyed my beer very much, though I was a bit taken back by the disposable plastic cups being used. Perhaps that's a choice made in deference to the outdoor patio service. We arrived at the brewery just a few minutes after the 3:00PM opening time, and watched the place fill with people quickly. It seems to be a popular Saturday afternoon stop and there was soon a long line for beer. I did pick up a bottle of Homefront IPA to bring home, which will be the subject of a future review.

The final stop on our day trip was Rusty Beaver Brewery in Ladysmith. This micro-brewery opened just this Friday. Located in a strip shopping center, we actually drove right by it twice before realizing where the combination home brew supply shop and brewery was. (GPS guidance is not always that helpful.)

I typically prefer to pick just one or two beers at a new place and enjoy a full-size serving, however I was undecided on what beer to try, so I broke from my usual routine and opted for a flight of all five beers. Of the five, Colleen and I both enjoyed Roy's Big Bad Brown Ale and The Quake Stout the most. The Brown Ale had a subtle chocolate and brown sugar flavor with a mild bitterness. The Stout had a mild espresso flavor. There was nothing extreme about the Rusty Beaver beers, and they were all drinkable. Since we only had small tastes of each, I brought home a growler of the Brown Ale for a more in-depth review in the near future. I spoke to brewer Austin and his plan for the future is to brew larger batches at the nearby family farm, and use the small system at the store front for small batches of special beers. I wish him the best of luck and I look forward to stopping in again.

It was a very enjoyable trip. We at some good food, looked at some firearms, and enjoyed a few new beers. The fun will continue soon at the range with the new target stands, to be followed by even more beer to enjoy. Thanks to my wonderful family for a fun day!