A Saturday Afternoon the Brewery

I was looking through my photo journal recently and noticed it had been nearly month since I had been able to get out to 1781 Brewery to enjoy a beer or a cigar at the Olde Towne Tobacconist lounge onsite. This past Saturday presented a long-awaited "free" day so, after some chores around the house I headed out for a pleasant afternoon, to forget about the Chines virus and the government machinations to control the populations.

The first stop was to grab my drink. The brewery had several new beers on the menu since last time I was there. I eventually settled on Red Wolves IPA. I also picked up my new mug club member's mug.

There were plenty of new selections added to the shop's humidor since I last visited. Eventually I settled on a Crowned Heads Las Calaveras. This was a cigar I had actually smoked at my last outing, but since it's a limited annual release I figured I might as well grab another. I do have a few of these, in the smaller Robusto format, in my humidor so chose the larger 6" x 56 vitola.

I enjoy a good red ale, and the Red IPA was very satisfying. There's a moderate bite of hop goodness, backed by a strong malt backbone. It paired well with the sweet earthiness and mild spice of the cigar. Fortunately the larger cigar provided time for a couple pints of the ale. It was time well-spent in enjoyable conversation with folks in the lounge.

Devils Backbone O'Fest

I am an unabashed fan of American craft Oktoberfest beer. I looked forward each year to trying as many of these "local" interpretations as a I can. Sure, the official Oktoberfest doesn't start until September 17, but the beers start showing up on store shelves around here in July. The first Oktoberfest I grabbed to enjoy this season was Devils Backbone O'Fest. After a false start earlier this week, the beer was finally cracked open after the last teleconference on Friday to kick off the weekend.

This year's O'Fest is markedly different from previous releases. Instead of the traditional Märzen-style, this year's version is a modern "festbier" brewed with Munich malts and traditional Hallertau hops. The lager pours a golden-yellow with a short live white head. The aroma has notes of bread and a mild floral sweetness. The flavor follows with lightly toasted bread, with only a hint of bitterness. The finish is clean with a light mouthfeel. It's quite a refreshing drink. While I typically gravitate to the maltier Märzens, I enjoyed this style quite a bit.

Naturally I grabbed a cigar to enjoy with the beer. The evening's choice was a La Aurora 107 Belicoso. The cigar features a brown Ecuadorian wrapper, a Dominican binder, with Dominican and Nicaraguan fillers. The flavor profile included coffee, chocolate, and leather. I found this to be a mild to medium bodied cigar. For my tastes, it came across as somewhat bland. It was a pleasant smoke, but unremarkable.

The evening was one of few lately when we experienced no storms. The temperature was unseasonably moderate, hovering right around 80°, making for a very pleasant start to the weekend.

Weekend Smokes and Other Small Pleasures

After starting the weekend with the excitement of an IDPA match, it was time to slow down and relax during the evening. A couple of drinks on the deck with Colleen, along with a good cigar made a fine finish to the day. 

The Old Fashioned was made with Four Roses Small Batch bourbon and the smoke was the CAO Mx2. The Mx2 is a full-bodied smoke producing strong notes of coffee and earth with spicy and sweet notes coming through as well. The pairing made for a flavorful and refreshing repast as we enjoyed the cooling evening air.

On Sunday, after a hearty breakfast of omelets and homemade cinnamon raisin bread, we headed to a nearby Civil War battlefield for a short hike. We hit this same trail regularly, it's a pleasant shaded walk in the woods and is a nice change from our daily "exercise" walks in the neighborhood.

After freshening up it was time to head over to one of our favorite Sunday afternoon haunts, 1781 Brewing, for some good beer, music and a cigar. The afternoon performer was "Hokie Joe" who plays an entertaining mix of Blues, Rock, and Country. It was a fun mix of music that could be enjoyed while carrying on a conversation. My beer selection for this afternoon was Sea Monkey IPA. It doesn't seem to me that 1781 offers many IPA style beers, so I was looking forward to seeing what they did with this one.

The beer is easy drinking and quite flavorful. Rich, juicy citrus notes of pineapple and mango treated the nose and the palate. The finish is clean and refreshing with very little bitterness. I believe the ABV was listed around 6.5%

The chosen smoke was Fratello D.M.V. This limited production cigar was released last fall in four vitolas designated as Delaware, Virginia, District of Columbia, and Maryland. I picked up some of each during a release party at my local cigar shop in December. The cigar seems to have sold out at most places fairly quickly. I selected a "District of Columbia" Toro for this pairing. The cigars are medium plus bodied with flavors of coffee and spice. The finish is creamy and lingers for some time. The beer and the smoke meshed quite well. I quickly needed a refill on my beer as I enjoyed the 90 minute smoke.

This would have been the last of my supply of the D.M.V. in this vitola. Fortunately, I spotted a few more recently during a trip, and bought the last of the stock at the shop. I'm looking forward to enjoying them in the future. Maybe with an IPA again.

The Weekend: Beer, Cigars, & Friends

While there were sadly no shooting activities on my schedule last weekend, I was thankful for some fun times with friends and family, along with good beer and good cigars.

Our monthly "men's group" meeting was on Friday. Each month we meet at a local pub or brewery for beer, banter, and other conversation. This month we opted for an outdoor gathering at 1781 Brewing Company. A bunch of of the guys took advantage of the cigar-friendly location and enjoyed fine smokes with their beer. My selection for the evening was a Camacho Imperial Stout Barrel Aged which paired quite nicely with the 1781 Brewing L'automne Imperial Red Ale.

The fun of the evening left me thinking about the possibility of organizing another gathering, with the specific intent of including cigars. A future herf group perhaps.

Later in the weekend, Colleen and I got out for our irregular Sunday afternoon "date." We too opted to head over to 1781 Brewery. The scheduled events at the brewery included live music and food served by a Jamaican-themed food truck. We arrived a little before the music started and settled at a table in the shade of trees.

Heading over to the food truck, we ordered both curried chicken and jerk chicken dishes. The meals included cooked cabbage, rice and fried plantains. The 1781 Extra Special Better (ESB) helped offset some of the heat from the jerk chicken, and offered a nice pairing

Finishing the food, it was time for a smoke. For this outing I brought along a Rocky Patel Sun Grown Maduro. This is one of my "goto" cigars, at least currently. I try to keep some of the Robusto vitola on hand, but this time enjoyed a longer smoke in Toro. Naturally, another pint was called for.

After a few hours of July afternoon heat, we called it a day. Sitting inside the cool house later that evening had me day dreaming about the next outing, and the possibilities of other craft beer and handmade cigar pairings to be enjoyed in the future. 

Eastern Divide Brewing

Activity on these Musings has been light of late, but that doesn't mean we haven't been busy around here. A lot has been going on, not the least of which was the celebration of our son's graduation from college. Over our four-day celebration, we made a visit to Eastern Divide Brewing in Blacksburg, VA.

We arrived at the brewery just before their noon opening time on a Saturday. In the next 10 or so minutes more and more cars arrived in the parking lot. The brewery has only been open a few weeks, but seemed to be attracting many visitors. The doors were opened a few minutes late and we streamed in. The visit started off with a laugh as the employee opening the doors locked himself, and us, outside. We all walked around to the side and entered through the large deck overlooking the surrounding fields and mountains.

Ten beers, two sodas, and a cold-brewed coffee were on tap. After a few minutes I settled on the  Black('sburg) Pale Lager. This is their take on a Black IPA. The beer has a roasted coffee flavor with an accent of pine and citrus hops. Quite tasty.

Other members of our group ordered Up-Nod Belgian Quad and Eastern Divide Pils. Stealing a few sips from their glasses, I found those beers to also be enjoyable.

Besides trying the beers, lunch was also on our agenda. Feast & Company is the onsite food service. We ordered a variety of meat pies, frites, and chicken wings to enjoy with our beers. While the food was tasty, getting it was somewhat of a trial. The catering service has apparently been established for a few years, but their service at the brewery is not yet settled in. A number of folks were lined up to order food by about 12:30, but no Feast & Company staff was yet taking orders. There were a large number of people working in the kitchen, however no one acknowledged the waiting patrons. I heard one person ask the bartender when the food service opened, and the reply was, "In theory, at noon." Finally about 40 minutes late, someone appeared to take orders.

When our beeper went off and we went to pick up our food, I was handed a cheese plate, even though we hadn't ordered one. I gave that back to the server who then went to find our proper orders. As we started walking away with our food, we realized we were missing an item, so we went back to the window and the server then found that item. Once back at our table, it was noticed that one of the wings orders was missing the sauce, I went back to the pickup window again to retrieve that. In the end, we enjoyed the fresh and flavorful food. Hopefully, the Feast & Company folks will get their system down soon.

With my meal, I opted for the River Valley Red Ale. This is a well-done Amber Ale with notes of caramel and nut. Another solid beer from this new brewery.

The tasting room at Eastern Divide is large and spacious. There is plenty of room between tables, so even as more visitors arrived it didn't feel crowded. In a nice touch, two self-serve cold water stations, with actual glasses, were also available. That is a very appreciated detail.

I suspect Eastern Divide will be a popular beer attraction in the New River Valley. The beers are well done and there is plenty of room, inside and out, for folks to enjoy the beers. I am confident we will return during future visits to the area.

Starr Hill Snow Blind

Another beer from the Starr Hill Winter Tour variety pack, Snow Blind Doppelbock is one my favorite winter seasonal beers.

The beer is a deep brown color with a thin beige head. Sunlight peaking through give the beverage a reddish tint. A rich caramel aroma with a hint of dark fruit greats the nose. The flavor is a bend of toasted malt, caramel and a touch of sweetness. A moderate 7.7% ABV makes the flavorful beer easily drinkable.

The Winter Tour variety pack also includes Little Red RooStarr Coffee Cream Stout, 2 Tone Vanilla Porter, and Northern Lights IPA. It's rare that I find a variety pack that doesn't include air least one "stepchild" beer. This Starr Hill sampler contains all winners in my book, and this 12-pack won't linger long in the fridge.

Starr Hill Little Red RooStarr Coffee Cream Stout

This is one of the beers in the Starr Hill Winter Tour variety pack that we picked up on a whim last week. Little Red RooStarr Coffee Cream Stout is a beer that I thought I had enjoyed previously, but checking my UnTappd list, it appears this is a new beer to me. I was not to be disappointed.

The beer pours a deep, dark brown color with a beige head. The aroma brings faint notes of coffee and sweet caramel malt. The flavor profile leans more towards chocolate, mild roasted malt, and a touch of sweetness. There's a hint of coffee detected but it is mild. The finish leaves a bit of sweet creaminess on the palate.

I decided to enjoy the beer with a CAO Brazilia Gol! cigar for an afternoon treat. The medium bodied cigar presents flavors of cocoa and espresso. The rich thick smoke had a creamy texture and smooth finish. Like the beer, this cigar was also one I had not tried previously. I paired them in a whim and was very pleased with the resulting flavor combination.

I enjoyed the Little Red RooStarr Coffee Cream Stout very much. Often I find mild stouts to be too cloyingly sweet. Starr Hill crafted a tasty balance in the flavor profile. This is one I'd have again. And fortunately there are a couple more in the fridge.