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.

Weekend Beer Tastings

Here are this weekend's opportunities to try some new beers around Fredericksburg.

Friday, May 30 - 5:00 - 8:00pm
Total Wine
Friday 5 @ 5 Beer Tasting:
Bell’s Third Coast Ale
Pete’s Strawberry Blonde
Otter Creek Summer Ale
Asahi Super Dry
Bluegrass Brewing American Pale Ale

Friday, May 30 - 5:30 - 8:00pm
Virginia Wine Experience, Fredericksburg
Beer Tasting:
Anderson Valley Brother David's Double Abbey Ale
Anderson Valley Brother David's Triple Abbey Ale
Anderson Valley Poleeko Gold Pale Ale

Saturday, May 31 - 12:00 - 5:00 pm
Kybecca
Beer Tastings in 2 Locations:
William Street, Downtown
Beers TBD

Plank Road, Plank Road (Next to Ukrops)
Beer TBD

Every Saturday, 10:00 am to 1:00 pm
Blue & Gray Brewery
Beer samples and brewery tours

If you attend any of these events, tell us about it in the comments, and be sure to let the proprietor know you heard about it here.
Have something to add? Let me know, my contact information is here.

Fire at F.X. Matt Brewery

WKTV-Utica is reporting on a major fire at the historic F.X. Matt Brewery in Utica, N.Y. Matt Brewing is best known for their Saranac beers. They also contract brew for a number of other breweries, including Sam Adams and Brooklyn. The fire is ongoing as I write this post. The TV station is reporting that the fire began in the canning/bottling area on the third floor. Reports say there are major cracks visible in the walls of the burning building. All streets within a six-block radius have been closed. The Saranac Thursday community event was shutdown and the brewery evacuated around 5:30 PM EST.

Our prayers go out to the owners, employees, and area residents, as well as the emergency personnel who are battling the blaze. Let's hope that everyone is safe. I'll post updates as more news becomes available.

Updates
May 30: After 13 hours firefighters are still putting out hot spots. The roof, and 4th and 3rd floors of the building have collapsed. This building apparently housed the packaging line and is a total loss. Firefighters hope to pull the building down before it collapses further.
May 31: Brewery inferno's toll: $10M
June 6: F.X. Matt resumes production
June 13: F.X. Matt to resume bottling by June 30

"We will rebuild. We've been in business 120 years. We went through prohibition when we couldn't produce beer...and we will be a force to be reckoned with as we go forward."
-- Fred Matt, vice-president of the brewery

Virginia Brewing Company Receives Brewery License

I received word from Jim Justice at the Virginia Brewing Company that they have finally received their brewery license from Virginia ABC. This news means we're one step closer to seeing beers coming out of the Winchester brewery. "It has been a long time coming and made our day." says Jim.

Earlier this month, the company announced that John Hovermale, Jr., previously of Harpoon Brewery in Vermont, had returned to his native Winchester to brew at Virginia Brewing.

Virginia Assists Small Wineries, not Breweries, in Overcoming Three-Tier System

The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) has created the Virginia Winery Distribution Company (VWDC) to help small wineries overcome the hardships imposed by the three-tier distribution system. In an April 18, 2008 press release from VDACS we learn:

Using VWDC, winery workers will continue to market their wine to shops and restaurants. However, they will act as agents of VWDC when placing orders and making wholesale deliveries of their wine. The VWDC will provide electronic purchase orders and invoices, collect and remit all taxes, and submit necessary government reports. By contract, VWDC and the winery are sharing delivery workers, bonded warehouse space and delivery vehicles. The cost to Virginia wineries using the services of VWDC will be $5 per transaction initially.

According to Todd P. Haymore, Commissioner of the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, the Virginia wine industry credits self-distribution with being the single most important factor in the growth of the number of farm wineries from six in 1980 to more than 130 today. “Losing the capability to self distribute was a major blow to many of our farm wineries,” said Haymore, “and winemakers and wine wholesalers recognize VWDC as a creative alternative for small wineries.” He added that the wine industry is a fast-growing and important part of Virginia agriculture, not only because of the products produced but because of the added value of wineries as tourist destinations. “Our winemakers are good stewards of the land,” he said. “They produce a product that is renowned worldwide, and draw many tourists into Virginia. Last year, Travel + Leisure magazine named Virginia as one of the Top 5 Wine Destinations in the World.”

The VWDC is governed by a Board that consists of two winery owners, two wine wholesalers and the Commissioner of VDACS. David King, owner of King Family Vineyards in Crozet, Virginia, is Board Chairman. “We are excited to launch this new company to support the Virginia wine industry,” King stated. “This new wine wholesaler provides a distribution option for many Virginia wineries, especially smaller wineries that may not have other wholesale representation. It’s exciting for all sectors of the industry - wineries, wholesalers and retailers - to finally have this wine wholesaler in place. On behalf of the wine industry, I thank the Virginia General Assembly for creating an alternative to the Virginia wineries' loss of self-distribution.”

Virginia breweries are also prohibited from self-distribution. Granted, self-distribution was once allowed for Virginia wineries, a benefit the courts ended in September 2005. However, that seems insufficient reason for Virginia to fund a "creative alternative" for just one part of the alcoholic beverages industry. In contrast, Virginia breweries have not had this privilege since the repeal of Prohibition. For all intents and purposes this legislation allows the wineries to continue to self-distribute. And there's an additional benefit for the wineries. Under the new arrangement, the VWDC assists with the labor involved in distribution as well. The savings in warehouse and delivery expenses would certainly be welcomed by brewery startups. One retailer I contacted said he felt the "addition of products to the legislation already in place" would benefit small brewers. Beer distribution laws are more complicated (ie, restrictive) than those applied to wine so it's probably a complicated matter to adapt the laws, but certainly not impossible.

The industry credits the ability to self-distribute as "the single most important factor" in the growth of Virginia wineries. I would suggest that the craft beer industry in Virginia could benefit from this as well. Extending this state-funded cooperative to breweries might encourage more startups. One certainly cannot fault the wine industry for pushing for this privilege and the wine lobby is well-established. I'd like to see the same sort of organization by craft beer folks; brewers, retailers, and consumers. This is not just a brewer's interest. There was at one time a regional effort by underway by the brewers. However the Mid-Atlantic Association of Craft Brewers is no longer active. (The Maryland contingent split off into the The Brewers Association of Maryland.)

It's not just the brewing industry that stands to benefit, but tourism related industries as well. One Virginia brewer I spoke with told me that his local tourism bureau is very interested in working with his brewery to promote the region to visitors. Beer tourism is an important industry to many areas of the United States and indeed the world. The Virginia Tourism Corporation has a page devoted to Virginia breweries. Last updated in May 2007 the information currently posted is limited and outdated.

Is the time right for the Virginia brewing industry to demand equal representation?

The complete VDACS press release is here.

Dinner and a Beer at the Greek Festival

We made a stop for an early dinner Monday at the Greek Festival being held by the Nativity of the Theotokos Greek Orthodox Church. The church holds this three-day event over the Memorial Day holiday weekend each year and it's always a good time. Often we go back for a couple of meals over the weekend, but this year we made it just once. Colleen and I both opted to order Gyros.

I also ordered an Alfa Hellenic Lager from Athenian Brewery in Athens to accompany my meal. I admit I didn't have high expectations for this pale lager but after spending the afternoon in the sun, the cold beer was refreshing. When poured into a plastic cup the beer was pale yellow with a thin head. The aroma was grassy with a faint citrus note. The flavor was weak, though there was some hop bitterness in the finish. I wouldn't make extra effort to seek out the beer but it was not unpleasant. It was certainly better than so many pale American macro-lagers. Alfa checks in at 5% ABV. The accompanying Gryos, along with the Athenian Dancers providing entertainment, made for a pleasant finish to the afternoon.

It's fun being the 'beer guy'

After a Sunday afternoon at the pool with friends, it was decided that an evening get-together was in order. Since we're in the middle of a three-day weekend no one had to work Monday morning. The idea got rolling when someone said "We should drink some beer" and we all thought that was an excellent idea. :-) So after a bit of discussion we had decided on whose house to use. Another friend said he'd bring burgers, dogs and buns. Colleen and I had prepared a 7-layer "Mexican" dip for our enjoyment later in the evening so I offered to bring that. I also offered to bring along a selection of beers. This was all planned by the guys and we told our wives all they had to do was show up.

Going through the beer fridge and loading a cooler was a fun exercise in remembering friends' beer preferences. One likes brown ales, so I threw in some Avery Elle's Brown Ale. Another friend is a fan of hard cider so I added in Hornsby's Amber Hard Cider. (I've never tried the stuff but do keep a bit of hard cider on hand for this friend.) Colleen said she was in the mood for a Hefeweizen so Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier went into the cooler. For myself and another friend I knew hops were in order so I grabbed a growler of Blue & Gray Falmouth Pale Ale along with Sierra Nevada Southern Hemisphere Harvest Ale. I had just picked the latter up on Saturday and hadn't tried it yet so that was to be my treat for the evening.

It was fun to be able to provide everyone's favorite styles. I keep a wide selection of beer on hand for a number of reasons. One, I never know what I might be in the mood for. Secondly, I'm very aware that not all my friends are as adventurous with regard to beer, and all have different likes and dislikes. I think it's important to beer evangelization that folks are given the opportunity to try something new, but also are able to play it safe and enjoy their favorites if they desire. (I do draw the line at serving the Bud-Miller-Coor lineup, instead keeping some milder craft ales and lagers on hand.) We had a very enjoyable evening sitting outside, eating, drinking and talking. Everyone got to enjoy a beer of their liking. Good friends, good beer, good times.

Memorial Day Thoughts

Today we celebrate Memorial Day in the United States. While many mark this day as the unofficial start of Summer, its true meaning is so much more. Memorial Day is the day we pause to honor the Americans who have given their lives during military service to our great Country. No matter what your personal feelings are towards any of our military actions, current or past, the sacrifice of these men and women is undiminished. You can honor the warrior without honoring the war. Take a few minutes out of your holiday activities today and remember these fallen heroes. We should also keep in mind those that were left behind when previous wars were declared ended.




"It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather, we should thank God that such men lived."
-- George Patton