Tag: Virginia

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Richmond Brewery Tour # 3 – Bingo Beer Co.

Our last Richmond stop is a winner, if you have G33. It is Bingo Beer Co. and they even have a Chelsea FC looking beer…

….but let’s pick out a few other beers for a taster tray.

Fest Friends German-Style Fest Lager – “Brewed in the modern pale Festbier style, our collaboration with Richmond’s beloved Maymont Foundation is medium-light bodied & smooth with a lil crusty-bread and spicy Tettnang Noble hop character. A decoction mash regimine provides profound malt depth while still keeping this one highly drinkable, and our house lager yeast ties it all together for a rich yet still crispy drinking experience.”

Smoked Bock Bamberg-Style Rauchbier – “Ready to go for autumn, we brew our traditional Bock-style Lager with BEECHWOOD-SMOKED BARLEY. Munich & Vienna malts give it a classic toasty-toffeed profile while RAUCHMALZ lends smokey campfire-like depth. All of this is balanced by juuuust the right amount of Noble Hops. “

Patio Vibes Grissette – “Our multi-grain Grisette-style Ale pairs brilliantly with the haze of Summer. With its low ABV, medium-light body, zippy carbonation, and a dazzling yeast and hop interplay, this refresher is poised to become your go-to for hot afternoons that fade into long nights. Patio Vibes is so cool, it’ll leave you tempted to turn off the AC and open your windows to the warmth outside. Belgian style.”

McMansion Hazy DIPA – “We’re talking about the massive juicy, tropical hop flavor and aroma bursting forth from McMansion, our 100% Citra hopped hazy DIPA. Brewed with generous amounts of wheat, McMansion’s foundation is a soft, smooth body supporting multiple stories of passionfruit, ripe melon, citrus, and berry hop character.”

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Richmond Brewery Tour # 2 – Triple Crossing

The second Richmond brewery is Triple Crossing Brewery. They have three locations but I am going to focus on and pull from the Downtown location for this super sized taster tray…

Starting light with their German Tiny Pils and then an Oak Aged lager, Bohem and finishing the light trifecta with a sour ale, Off the Beaten Path with Pink Lemons.

Moving up in weight to IPA’s, I would pick the trio of Pocket Knife, Mosaic triangles and Tropical Falcon and then finish big with DIPA’s Interstellar Burst and Nectar & Knife before finishing the trilogy with a barleywine, Summer Jetlag.

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Richmond Brewery Tour # 1 – Benchtop Brewing

I read a really great emotional piece of beer writing by Em Sauter that was set in Richmond (read it HERE) and that led me to look at that beer scene for October. Starting at Benchtop Brewing, founded by Eric Tennant.

Let’s check out their tap list ….

Polotmavy 12° Czech Ruby Lager for starters then move onto Crimson Gaze a hoppy red ale because I always want to check out the less seen style then a sour Jam Pact with Cherry / Strawberry / Blueberry. Then I would finish with Walter’s Brunch a coffee porter with cacao nibs and maple syrup.

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Gubernatorial

The Governer of Virginia, Terry McAuliffe has put a full court press on the bringing craft breweries to his state. Going so far as to put a kegerator in the governor’s mansion? West Coast breweries have noticed and have chosen the state for their base of East Coast operations. One of which was Stone Brewing which went the extra step of having Governor McAuliffe brew a beer at their Richmond brewery.

If you believe politicians, then Stone’s political collaboration stout might be something you vote for, by ordering a pint.

It got me to thinking what brewery should the Governor of California brew with and what style (and what name) should that beer be?

Bullet Train Hazy IPA made with any brewery that would be near the prospective high speed rail line.

Supermajority Single IPA for the huge Democratic leaning congress with Rubicon Brewing (cause of the whole Roman thing)

Stout of Jefferson for those that want to break the State up. Maybe have Sierra Nevada do that one since they are ‘uge.
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Next question, does Governor Brown have a kegerator?

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DC Brewery # 3 – Port City

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Our final District of Columbia stop is at Port City which is based in nearby Alexandria, Virginia but was voted best local brewery by the City Paper of DC.

They also reached the 2nd year milestone earlier this month and these are the beers that I would like to put into my ‘fridge and then into a pint glass….

First would be the Tartan Scottish Ale
“Our Tartan Ale is crafted by Head Brewer Jonathan Reeves. It has a deep, copper-color and is produced in the 80-shilling style. It offers a slightly fruity flavor that complements the luscious malty roast caramel flavor and faint hop aroma.”

Followed by…
“Tidings Ale is a strong Belgian style blond ale is brewed with local Maryland wildflower honey and Virginia wheat. These special ingredients store away the flavor and essence of summer, and later warm us during the cold winter months. It is gently spiced with coriander, cardamom, fresh ginger and grains of paradise.”

and then I would finish with their flagship
“Essential Pale Ale is a deep golden color with hop aroma reminiscent of fresh fruit. The pleasing bitter taste from American hops is balanced with English and German malts, and offers a complex full flavored character that is smooth and refreshing.”

Or maybe I would go the other way around.

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50 Beers from 50 States – UPDATE

42!!
UPDATE: NOW I HAVE 43!

The inital goal of 40. Check. Now onto the next goal. 45!

Ambitious? Maybe, considering my only travel was to Oregon and Colorado this year.

I still have feelers out there that might garner me some local brews from Tennessee, Alabama and North Dakota. And thanks to the Beer Bloggers conference, I got Indiana and the incredibly hard South Dakota knocked off the list.

As usual, if you have access to these states:
Alabama
Arkansas
Kentucky – THANKS TO ALLTECH BREWING – OFF THE LIST
North Dakota
Oklahoma
Tennessee
Virginia
West Virginia
Send me an e-mail and I we can work out the details. Including a donation to a local food bank.

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In the Tap Lines for November 2010

It is Beer Bloggers Conference Month. OK, it is only an extended weekend. But this is the 1st ever Beer Bloggers conference, so it’s a big deal. And Boulder is a great beer town. Aside from that? Here is what I will be yawping about throughout the Turkey month.

– Wheat beers for the Session blog posting
–  three video reviews of a craft beer from Utah, Arizona & Kansas
– I will transport you to some new and little known Colorado breweries
– posts about upcoming and new beers on the shelves
– An update on the 50 Beers from 50 States quest
– three suggested beers to pair with your turkey
…and I will tap the firkin, my opinionated rant on the beer world.