Privatization of Virginia ABC Stores - An Update

We've been following the story since early 2009. The drive to get the Virginia government out of the liquor business gained new life under Governor McDonnell. Proponents point to the immediate cash influx and lasting benefits of competition. The Washington Post Virginia Politics blog is reporting that the Governor's administration has been meeting with affected parties to build support for the idea.

Many of the opponents posting comments on the story seem more worried about the appearance of "seedy private liquor stores." As opposed to seedy government liquor stores I suppose?

See the Virginia Politics post here.

Virginia Craft Beer Fests Ahead!

June looks to be a great month for craft beer fans in Virginia. Here are two great events coming up next month. It's not to late to make your plans to attend.

World Beer Fest - Richmond
The folks at All About Beer magazine are bringing their World Beer Festival to Richmond for the first time. I've enjoyed this event in Durham and Raleigh, NC in past years and it's always a fun time. The one-day event offers two sessions on June 12. You can buy your tickets here.

Northern Virginia Summer BrewFest - Leesburg
The 3rd Annual Summer Brewfest will be held June 26-27 at Morven Park in Leesburg, VA. This event is always well-run and a lot of fun. Short lines and good craft beer, what else could you ask for? Get your tickets online here or at the gate.

Either, or both, of these events would be a great kickoff to Summer. Hope to see you in line!

Shooting Creek Brewing Video

Ray, over at Shooting Creek Brewery in Floyd, VA sent me a link to a great video featuring the brewery. Shooting Creek is making quite an impression in southwest Virginia. I've not had the opportunity to try out any of their beers yet, as they are only distributed in their local area. It would seem a road trip is in order. And soon.


The Shooting Creek Brewery from Dennis Frenier on Vimeo.

Please note that the brewery itself is not open for tours, but the beers are available in local markets.

Battlefield Brewing Khyber Pass IPA & The Pub

Fredericksburg's first brewpub, Battlefield Brewing opened in October of last year, and they've been slowing adding to their repertoire of beers. Last week, the brewery's first IPA made its debut and I stopped by Friday evening to try out Khyber Pass IPA. Brewer Lyle Brown tells me he used Munich Caramel 40 and Carastan malts, plus a touch of wheat in producing the beer. Khyber Pass IPA is hopped with Centennial, Cascade and Amarillo hops. The beer is finished by dry hopping with those same hops. This presents a beer light in aroma, but well-balanced in flavor and slightly bitter. The finish is dry with a lingering bitterness. This IPA checks in at 5.7% ABV, which is on the low side for an IPA but makes the beer quite quaffable. It went very well with my dinner of fish & chips.

Battlefield Brewing is located in The Pub. The Pub is located in a shopping center and consists of both a smoking pub and a non-smoking dining room. I've written in the past how the two sides, in practice, were not well-separated. Even on the non-smoking side, the smoke was very heavy at times. This was the first time I've visited since Virginia's restaurant smoking restriction went into affect. Since the two sides of the establishment are "technically" distinct, smoking is still allowed on the pub side. Management has added a swinging door between the two that is only used by staff, and this does help the situation. I was in the restaurant for about three hours and there was very little cigarette odor bleeding over.

When we placed our food orders, our waitress Laura remarked that she reads these Musings. "I've read the whole thing" she noted. Later, when one of our party ordered a (non-house) beer, she made a point of asking if his preference was for a room temperature or frosted mug. Good show Laura. (Although he chose incorrectly in my opinion.)

Reduced smokiness, and a growing selection of locally brewed beers makes The Pub and Battlefield Brewing a place you don't want to miss. BTW, Monday night is "Meet the Brewer Night." All house beers are $2.50/pint from 7:00 PM on, and one of the brewers is in attendance for an hour or two, depending on the crowd.

Wolf Hills Featured at East Coast Beer Cast

Chris Burcher of Wolf Hills Brewing in Abingdon, VA was the featured guest on the East Coast Beer Cast recently. It's a great interview with a guy who's living his passion. The Wolf Hills "Growler Hours" have been well-received in their local area. I'm looking forward to the opportunity to try some of their beers soon.

Listen to the interview here.
Previous Musings about Wolf Hills here.

Hat tip to Edmond over at VA Beer for bringing this interview to our attention.

Kybecca to Host Beer & Tapas Dinner

Fredericksburg's kybecca wine bar will host their first Beer and Tapas Dinner on Wednesday, April 21. The five-course dinner will feature various beers imported from Quebec by Jocelyn Cambier. The beers to be presented are new to the U.S., and kybecca is the only local source for them. One of these, Le Trou du Diable, is extremely limited. Only 10 cases made it to the United States!

The Menu

1st Course: German potato salad with pancetta paired with Simple Malt Altbier
2nd Course: Spicy lentil soup paired with Simple Malt IPA
3rd Course: Smoked oysters on the half shell paired with Simple Malt Double Porter
4th Course: Garlic chicken and cannellini beans paired with Le Trou du Diable La Buteuse Strong Ale aged in Calvados Barrels
5th Course: Cheese course with Colston Bassett Stilton paired with Enigma Barleywine aged in Port Barrels

The cost for the dinner is $45 per person. Tickets are limited and available by calling kybecca at (540) 373-3338.

World Beer Cup Judges Recognize Devils Backbone Brewing and Other Local Breweries

Jason Oliver and Devils Backbone Brewing Company showed beer fans around the world how it's done! The World Beer Cup was held April 7-10 in Chicago, IL and the awards were announced yesterday. Devils Backbone Brewing Company in Roseland, Virginia was named the Brewers Association World Beer Cup 2010 Champion Brewery and Brewmaster Small Brewpub. In total the brewpub took home five awards.

Brewers Association World Beer Cup 2010 Champion Brewery and Brewmaster
Small Brewpub
Devils Backbone Brewing Company, Roseland, VA
Jason Oliver

Category 7: Coffee Flavored Beer (47 Entries)
Bronze Medal: Morning Bear
Devils Backbone Brewing Co.
Roseland, VA

Category 30: German-Style Schwarzbier (38 Entries)
Bronze Medal: Schwartz Bier
Devils Backbone Brewing Co.
Roseland, VA

Category 31: Traditional German-Style Bock (25 Entries)
Bronze Medal: Kollaborator
Devils Backbone Brewing Co.
Roseland, VA

Category 40: Baltic-Style Porter (28 Entries)
Gold Medal: Danzig
Devils Backbone Brewing Co.
Roseland, VA

In addition, another favorite Virginia brewery, Blue Mountain Brewery and brewer Taylor Smack also brought home a medal.

Category 2: American-Style Wheat Beer (16 Entries)
Silver Medal: Rockfish Wheat
Blue Mountain Brewery
Afton, VA

The Charlottesville Beer Trail continues to attract attention, and that's good news for all Virginia beer lovers. Of course, other regional breweries in Virginia and Maryland did well also. Other favorite breweries here at the Musings, including Heavy Seas (formerly Clipper City) and Flying Dog, both in Maryland were also awarded. Fellow C.R.A.B.B. blogger, Tom Cizauskas has more on these and other regional winners at Yours For Good Fermentables.

The complete World Beer Cup 2010 winners list is here.

Tickets on Sale WBF - Richmond

I received the following press release from All About Magazine today:

Tickets on Sale Today for the World Beer Festival
Presented by local charity, FETCH a Cure, the World Beer Festival is one of the premier beer events in the country

March 30, 2010 (Richmond, Va.) – Tickets go on sale today, March 30, for the World Beer Festival, premiering in Richmond on Saturday, June 12, 2010. Produced by All About Beer Magazine, the World Beer Festival is one of the top beer events in the country. The event celebrates the world beer culture, offering attendees a sampling of hundreds of beers from more than 200 domestic and international breweries. Festival goers can also enjoy educational sessions by industry experts, food from a variety of local restaurants, plus live entertainment by local musicians. The festival is presented by local Richmond charity FETCH a Cure, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping pet owners make better, fully informed decisions about caring for their aging pets.

“Tickets for the festival in both Durham and Raleigh sell out fast,” said Ola Nilbrink, events and operations manager for the World Beer Festival. “Although this is our first festival in Richmond, we are noticing a lot of excitement building in the community. Ticket sales during our pre-sale period out-paced advance sales for our first year festival in Columbia, SC, a sure sign of interest here in Richmond. As awareness grows, we expect tickets to continue selling, and sell quickly.”

The festival offers two four-hour sessions, from noon to 4 p.m., and from 6 to 10 p.m. General admission to a single session is $40 in advance, $50 day of the event, which includes beer samples, music by local bands, educational sessions by industry experts, and a festival tasting glass. VIP tickets are also available for an additional $35. Added VIP benefits include admission to the VIP lounge, which offers samples of special limited-availability beers available, music and free catered food, as well as a commemorative festival glass. VIP tickets are only sold online.

“We are pleased to bring our World Beer Festival to Richmond, and join its burgeoning beer culture,” said Daniel Bradford, publisher of All About Beer Magazine. “We hope that the World Beer Festival-Richmond becomes a gathering place for all interested in the exciting world of beer—consumers, retailers, wholesalers and suppliers.”

Tickets and information about the World Beer Festival–Richmond are available at www.allaboutbeer.com.

The World Beer Fest Richmond will be held on Browns Island. It should be a great time!