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.

Black Bear Bistro

I was first introduced to Black Bear Bistro when Chef Todd offered me an Oyster and Beer Shooter during a visit to Old Bust Head Brewing. The Warrenton, VA eatery was serving food at the brewery the day I visited and I promised myself that Colleen and I would visit the restaurant soon. I followed through on that promise with an early dinner after the Old Bust Head tap room grand opening this past weekend. Interestingly, we saw several people in the restaurant who we had also seen earlier at the brewery.

Naturally, the restaurant's beer selection was my first order of business. In an admirable showing of support, Black Bear Bistro has only Virginia beers, plus one Virginia cider on draft. That's right, all eight tap handles are "native"; Starr Hill, Old Bust Head, Lost Rhino, Legend and Bold Rock Cidery were offered. There are also bottled selections listed on the menu, though I frankly paid that list no mind. Since I had just come from Old Bust Head, and had been enjoying their beer two weekends in a row, I opted to drink another Virginia beer, Lost Rhino New River Pale Ale. That particular beer also has a special place in our hearts, and I raised a silent toast to an old friend.

We perused the dinner menu for a while, and decided to start with an appetizer plate of Fried Oysters. The breaded oysters were browned on the outside and just cooked enough to not be considered raw. The meat was juicy and tender. Three dipping sauce options were offered; Regular, Habanero Bacon, and Sweet Thai. Our server used the adjectives "spicy" and "hot" for both of the first two. Undecided, we asked for both the Regular and Habanero Bacon, for research purposes. I first tasted the "regular" sauce and found it to be deliciously "warm." Next I popped an oyster dipped in the Habanero version into my mouth, and for a moment didn't notice anything. And, then. Bam! There it is. Habanero heat, and a bit of smokiness. There's some serious heat going on there, all the while still quite flavorful. After the oysters were gone, I continued dipping my bread into both sauces.

Yea, that was a whole paragraph on the Fried Oysters. They were that good. Frankly, I might just make a meal out of them someday. But not this time. For my main course I selected the Bistro Crab Cake entrée. This was a fried "pancake" of crab meat set on a serving of Wild Rice, with Broccoli Rabe on the side. The crab cake was meaty and very tasty. I had no problem cleaning my plate thoroughly. Colleen opted for a Grilled Pork Flat Iron Steak set on Mashed Cauliflower and topped with Sautéed Spinach and Mushrooms. The thick pork steak was moist and set on a heaping serving of mashed cauliflower. Colleen must have enjoyed it very much, as there was no offer to share. ;-)

We lingered over our meal for a while, enjoying time together and the delicious food. There doesn't appear to be much happening on a Sunday afternoon in Warrenton, but as it got closer to the dinner hour, the curbside parking started to fill, and folks began coming in for dinner. As we headed out for our drive back to Fredericksburg, it was clear that Black Bear Bistro was a popular place with the locals. I know for sure that we'll be back.

Taxes, Then Beer

We spent Saturday morning dealing with the annual task of certifying our income to the Feds so that they could continue funding extravagant trips for the Emperor and Empress (and her mother.) That extortion ritual completed, we decided to relax over lunch at Capital Ale House.

"What's new and exciting?" we inquired after taking our seats at the beer. We learned there was a group of Stouts still available from the Dark Horse Brewing tap takeover earlier in the week. Colleen reviewed that list and ordered a Cream Stout labeled Too. I opted for Ice Breaker Double IPA, a seasonal release from Lost Rhino Brewing. Our bartender smiled when I placed my order, and related that he blamed the morning's grogginess on Ice Breaker.

Colleen remembered the photo

Lost Rhino Ice Breaker starts out with a citrus and pine aroma. The flavor follows with strong citrusy hops with that green "juicy" feel of a hop-rich Double IPA. A dry bitter finish hangs around between sips. Despite the strong flavors, it goes down easily. That, combined with the 9.2% ABV, might account for the bartender's pounding head.

I stole a couple sips of the Dark Horse Too Cream Stout. It's a very smooth, dark roasted stout with a mild sweetness for balance. Strong chocolate and espresso flavors linger in the finish.

The ice now broken, I was contemplating another of the Dark Horse Stout offerings as a fitting accompaniment for my Kielbasa Stuffed Pretzel sandwich, but I was really in the mood for more hops. I noticed a hand-written tap for Mo Pale Ale from Maine Beer Company, and went with that.

Mo is an impressive American Pale Ale. The aroma is quite pleasant and full of citrus and floral notes. The flavor profile wasn't quite as strong as my Lost Rhino beer, but this Pale Ale could hold it's own against an IPA. Fresh citrus and pine hops and a subtle malt base made for a very enjoyable drink. A moderately thick mouthfeel was followed by a clean, dry finish. I definitely need to try this one again.

After being reminded that a large portion of my income is relinquished under threat of force, for reasons having little to do with the welfare of our Nation, having a couple of good beers and enjoying some relaxing time with Colleen was the perfect diversion on a rainy afternoon.

Virginia Winners at GABF

The winners at the Great American Beer Festival in Denver were announced this weekend. Fourteen medals were awarded to Virginia breweries. That's up from the count of thirteen last year. In addition to the beer awards, Devils Backbone and brewer Jason Oliver were recognized as the Small Brewing Company and Small Brewing Company Brewer of the Year.

2013 Great American Beer Festival Virginia Winners

Small Brewing Company and Small Brewing Company Brewer of the Year
Devils Backbone Brewing Co - Basecamp, Roseland, VA Jason Oliver

Category 21: Wood- and Barrel-Aged Beer, 49 Entries
Bronze: Rum Barrel Belgian Dubbel Style Ale, Three Brothers Brewing, Harrisonburg, VA

Category 25: Aged Beer, 31 Entries
Bronze: COLOSSAL ONE, Port City Brewing Co., Alexandria, VA

Category 27: Smoke Beer, 79 Entries
Bronze: COLOSSAL TWO, Port City Brewing Co., Alexandria, VA

Category 28: American-Style or International-Style Pilsener, 29 Entries
(No Gold Medal Awarded)
Silver: Gold Leaf Lager, Devils Backbone Brewing Co. – Basecamp, Roseland, VA

Category 35: Vienna-Style Lager, 30 Entries
Silver: Oktoberfest, Port City Brewing Co., Alexandria, VA

Category 36: German-Style Märzen, 51 Entries
Gold: Rhinofest, Lost Rhino Brewing Co., Ashburn, VA
Silver: Octoberfest, Great American Restaurants, Centreville, VA

Category 39: American-Style Dark Lager, 22 Entries
Gold: Old Virginia Dark, Devils Backbone Brewing Co. – Basecamp, Roseland, VA

Category 43: Baltic-Style Porter, 16 Entries
Bronze: Danzig, Devils Backbone Brewing Co. – Basecamp, Roseland, VA

Category 53: Imperial India Pale Ale, 149 Entries
Bronze: Notch 9 Double IPA, Smartmouth Brewing Co., Norfolk, VA

Category 56: English-Style Mild Ale, 35 Entries
Bronze: Ale of Fergus, Devils Backbone Brewing Co. – Basecamp, Roseland, VA

Category 65: German-Style Sour Ale, 46 Entries
Silver: Berliner Metro Weiss, Devils Backbone Brewing Co. – Basecamp, Roseland, VA

Category 68: Belgian-Style Witbier, 66 Entries
Gold: Optimal Wit, Port City Brewing Co., Alexandria, VA

Category 70: Belgian- and French-Style Ale, 71 Entries
Gold: Azreal, Devils Backbone Brewing Co. – Outpost, Lexington, VA

I want to also recognize the lone winner from Maryland. Our friends at Flying Dog Brewery in Frederick, Maryland completed the local sweep in the German-style Märzen category (36) with a Bronze for Dogtoberfest.

Also recognized during the Denver event was Mekong Restaurant. The Richmond Vietnamese restaurant was recently selected as the best beer bar in America in the "Great American Beer Bar" voting sponsored by the Brewers Association.

Congratulations to all the breweries and brewers. You can find a complete listing of all the GABF awards here. There's a few Virginia beers on the winner list I have not had, so it's time to get to work!

Hey, I Know That Door!

WTOP Radio in Washington, DC is doing their annual "Top 10 Best of Washington" survey of local beers. (Go vote.) I noticed the picture they used for Lost Rhino Brewery was the picture I took for my Face Plant IPA review. Investigating further, I was thrilled to discover they apparently got the photo from the Lost Rhino Facebook page, where it is (currently) the brewery's profile pic. Cool.

I used to worry about getting a proper picture for a beer post. But getting that perfect photo delayed getting to the drinking of the beer, which was the purpose in the first place. So I started setting the beer on the kitchen table for a quick snapshot. Over the years, I've taken hundreds of beer photos on that spot. A friend who's often present when I open a new beer calls it the "classic Musings beer shot."

It must be okay, as I've seen the easily recognizable pictures pop up in many places. Local stops such as Blue & Gray Brewery, Park Lane Tavern and Capital Ale House have used the pics in email or Facebook campaigns. Likes.com grabbed one for their 20 Best Beers of the World list. I've seen the photos used other places online, but I haven't kept track of them. 

Those might be the most photographed french doors in Fredericksburg!

Dinner and a Beer. Or Two.

After a fun USPSA match, Colleen and I headed out for a relaxing dinner and a few beers at Capital Ale House. Our decision and timing proved excellent, as not only did I capture the prime parking spot right out front, but the sidewalk billboard announced that our favorite CAH meal, the Schnitzel Sandwich on a Pretzel roll, was a featured entrée.

Meal choice already made, we were left to peruse the beer menu. The Capital Ale House menu is arranged, generally, by beer style. When I'm hoping to try something new, I prefer a brewery-based listing myself, but we muddled through and found a couple of beers that were both new to us. Colleen opted for Lost Rhino Final Glide Hefeweizen, and I selected Rye of the Tiger from Great Lakes Brewing. We also selected a plate of Deviled Eggs topped with crab meat as an appetizer.

The Deviled Eggs were delicious. The crab meat topping added an additional flavor treat. I stole a few sips of Colleen's Hefeweizen and it was very tasty. I believe it is a new release from the Ashland brewery. Colleen even texted a picture of her beer to our friend Checkered Flag, who's a big fan of the style. We had recently visited Lost Rhino with him, but this particular beer wasn't available at that time.

Rye of the Tiger is a moderately hoppy IPA. The aroma is semi-sweet with both citrus and floral hop notes. The bitter and citrus hops in the flavor are moderated by the sweet, caramel malt base. I was also struck right away by the creamy mouthfeel of the beer. I found it to be a tasty IPA, that did not overwhelm with any strong one-sided flavors.

When our Schnitzel Sandwich platters arrived, the sides of frites were accompanied by spiced mayonnaises; Colleen's plate had spicy, peppery blend, while my meal came with a dill version. Colleen preferred the more moderate condiment so we swapped, although sharing was still allowed. However, my now extra spicy meal called for another beer, and one that would hold up to that red pepper flavor. For this purposed I selected the Devils Backbone 8 Point IPA. Even though both my beers were technically American IPAs, the beers could not have been any more different. 8 Point IPA is brewed in the "west coast" style, with an intense citrus hops in both the aroma and taste. This robust flavor profile was surely exaggerated by my having just enjoyed a more moderately flavored IPA.

It was an pleasant and relaxing evening spent enjoying good food, beer and conversation. But soon the recent late nights, the early start to the day, not to mention driving and shooting, would catch up to bring an early retirement to our Saturday. But what an enjoyable day it was.

Face Plant Delight

As noted previously, we picked up a six pack of Lost Rhino Face Place IPA when we visited the brewery last weekend. I couldn't resist it long, so Colleen and I cracked a couple open the other evening.

The beer pours a hazy, dark amber color. It's a thick looking, but attractive beer. The off-white head is short-lived and leaves behind persistent lacing. The aroma is grainy with hints of apricot and caramel. The dominant flavor is that of citrus, like grapefruit rind, more bitter than citrus, with a caramel and bready malt base. Face Plant is not a hop bomb, and has a very palatable richness. It has a creamy, thick mouthfeel with lingering bitterness in the finish. To quote Colleen after her first sip, "I like this."

As I sipped my beer I enjoyed the rich, yet not overbearing flavor of this American IPA. As usual, I finished it much too quickly but resisted the urge to pour another. After all, it was a "school night."

Lost Rhino Brewery

Despite the GPS in my car seemingly working against us, we found the Ashburn, VA industrial park where Lost Rhino Brewing calls home. As we pulled around the corner, I could see a steady stream of folks going in and out, most all carrying growlers. Lost Rhino was doing a brisk growler-filling business. Once inside I learned that Sunday means discounted growler fills — something I would take advantage of before our visit was over.

The giant chalk board listed a large selection of beers to choose from. To make it easy to try a variety of beers, the brewpub offers three different serving sizes of most brews. I was looking forward to trying the "historic" Lost Rhino New River Pale Ale, so I opted skip the smaller tasters for a full 16 ounce serving. The beer pours a bright orange color and has mild citrus aroma with a sweet malt background. The flavor is a refreshing blend of the citrusy hops, as well as piney sweet notes. Nothing overly complex, but refreshing and flavorful.

Colleen opted to try small glasses of Pretty in Pink Saison and Holy Brew Honey Blonde Belgian-style ale. The Saison was very well-done and much enjoyed by Colleen. I think only our time constraints prevented her from ordering another. The yeasty notes of the Saison were nicely complimented by the tartness of the added pomegranate. Another beer tried during our visit was the Lost Rhino Altbier, which was Checkered Flag's selection. I stole a couple sips of this one and would have liked to order one myself if we weren't on a tight schedule. The flavor was that of sweet, toasted malts with just a hint of citrus with a creamy body.

Lost Rhino has a limited, but interesting, food menu to go along with the wide range of beer available. For our food selection consisted of a Bavarian Pretzel basket, served with some very spicy mustard; a Charcuterie platter with a local sausage assortment; and BBQ chicken nachos made with Woody Stout BBQ sauce and Face Plant IPA cheese topping. We nibbled in delight as we enjoyed our beers.

I couldn't resist picking up a six-pack of Face Plant IPA, in cans, to take home. Seriously, could there there a better name for an IPA? Look for more on that beer in a future post. I also grabbed a growler of New River Pale Ale for my friend Greg. I knew the original New River beer was the beer that inspired him to get into home brewing. Of course, I had to deliver that to him right away, lest I'd be tempted to keep it for myself!

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.

Vintage 51 & A Lost Rhino Beer

We visited friends in Northern Virginia over the Easter weekend, so broke from our traditional meal at home, and enjoyed a meal out to celebrate. We opted to try out Vintage 51 in South Riding. Sister restaurant to Vintage 50 in Leesburg, Vintage 51 offers family dining in a casual atmosphere. This was a place I've been wanting to try for some time, so was looking forward to our dinner.

Vintage 50 has a brewery onsite. Not so 51, but their online beer menu did list the Vintage 50 Cat IPA. Unfortunately, the house beer was not available. While disappointing, another selection was easy to make. The beer menu at Vintage 51 is well-done, with a wide variety of bottle and draft craft beer choices. I opted for Face Plant IPA, from another Virginia brewery, Lost Rhino in Ashburn. My dining partners also found selections they enjoyed as well. Colleen opted for a draft Allagash White, our friend selected Original Sin Cider.

Lost Rhino Face Plant IPA (Gotta love the name!) pours a hazy copper color with a thin white head. The aroma is stronger on the sweet malt, but with some citrus notes thrown in. It's not heavy in the aroma profile, but pleasing nonetheless. The citrus and bitter hop notes come out more in the flavor. It's still a malt-forward IPA, but with enough bitterness to keep my interest. The bitterness of grapefruit rind lingers in the mouth for a long while. While not extreme in any sense, I found Face Plant to be quite enjoyable. In fact, I finished my glass before we finished our appetizers, and ordered second to enjoy with my meal.

The food menu offers much variety; steaks, sandwiches, salads, pasta, seafood, not to mention plenty of appetizers. We decided to start with a couple of starters, it was a Feast day after all! We selected the Vintage Wings (Buffalo style) and the Onion Rings. The wings were large, meaty and spicy with a nice crispy outside. The Rings were tasty as well; lightly breaded and served with a spicy remoulade. Two winners here.

For my entrée I opted for the Black & Bleu Strip. The streak was coated in Cajun spices and topped with Blue Cheese. I enjoyed the steak very much and the Face Plant IPA went quite well. Colleen ordered the Grilled New York Strip, our son the Pulled Pork BBQ sandwich, while our friend opted for the BBQ Pork Shanks. Every one of the entrées was well-prepared, and no one had any complaints about the food. My son filled up on appetizers so left most of his BBQ sandwich. When he enjoyed it for lunch the next day he remarked that he wanted to back to Vintage 51 soon.

When it came time to think about dessert, we did think about it, but all were too stuffed to make that move. However, we did opt for coffee while we lingered and continued our fun conversations. I am often wary of restaurant coffee. It's very hit or miss I find. Even after a restaurant serves a fine, delicious meal, there's no guarantee the coffee with be any good. I am happy to report that the coffee was hot and very dark French Roast. In fact, it I hadn't had my fill of food and beverage, I would have accepted our server's offer of a refill.

I think the only thing I have not covered is the service. That too was excellent. Justin was attentive and cheerful. We kept him hopping as we lingered between ordering each course. We discussed our experience at Vintage 51 quite a bit after we left. We were unanimous in our opinions. We will definitely be returning when the opportunity presents itself. We've tried a number of local "pubs" while visiting Northern Virginia, and with it's offerings of good craft beer and a well-rounded menu, Vintage 51 might be one of my new favorites.

Holy Brew Joins Lost Rhino

Another beer "merger." But this time it's not a factory brewer absorbing the little guy. Two local craft brewers have joined forces. From Digital Journal:

Holy Brew Brewing Company has formalized a working relationship and part ownership into the Lost Rhino Brewing Company, a new production brewery in Ashburn, VA to develop and brew new high end craft Belgian brands released under the Holy Brew label. The high caliber recipes will be developed in partnership with Matt Hagerman and Favio Garcia, the majority partners at Lost Rhino.

The new Holy Brew beers are expected to be available in early 2012.

Read more at Holy Brew Joins Forces With Lost Rhino Brewing Company.

H/T to Edmond at VACraftBeer.com.