“YOU GOTTA CHASE THE TASTE.”
On average, beer has a 4 percent alcohol by volume, however craft beer alcohol content is higher.
I had the honor to be invited to the 2017 Virginia Craft Beer Festival in CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA. This venue located at the IX Park, in downtown CHARLOTTESVILLE which attracted craft beer breweries around the region along with food vendors.
With paid admission, a patron would get a 5 oz tasting glass along with a map of the grounds and free range of food, music, and of course, beer.
Some of the food vendors were sprinkled in with the beer tasting tents, I happened to stumble upon “THE MARKET, which is a local gas station that services gourmet sandwiches. Another great find was “Craft Beer Peanuts,” which was tucked away in the corner. This company hails from North Carolina, and offered up Bourbon Flavored Pretzels that was “sweet and salty” with just that hint of bourbon flavor. In the lane of food trucks, each offering had a local craft beer pairing featured at the festival. I focused on the lighter, fruit-flavored beers.
One of my favorites came from Watermelon-Lime Fruit Kolsch by Midnight Brewery. Midnight features handcrafted ales and lagers with seasonal brews, afternoon tastings, and a weekend line-up of various eats.
Midnight Brewery is located at 2410 Granite Ridge Rd, Rockville, VA 23146.
Midnight’s Tasting Room hours:
Tuesday – Thursday 4-8 pm, Fridays 4-9 pm, Saturday 1-8 pm, Sunday 1-6 pm
Tours available during tasting room hours and upon request Tuesday-Friday 2pm-closing. Call 804-719-9150 to request tour.
However, while I was in the car, navigating the trip, I decided to Google: “What are the different types of beer?”
Varieties of ale include:
India Pale Ale: A very hoppy (read: bitter) brew.
Hefeweizen: An unfiltered wheat beer.
Irish red ale: The roasted barley content creates a signature red color and tea-like flavor.
Porter: A London-style dark ale made with roasted malts.
When I entered the venue, a Virginia Brew Hub Magazine was available entitled “Beer Tasting Guide.” I used this as my guide while tasting brews and kept an eye on:
1. ABV – Alcohol by Volume
2. Color
3. Head
4. Aroma/Smell
5. Flavor/Taste
6. Hop Flavor
7. Malt Flavor
8. Sweetness
I sampled beer from all over Northern Virginia including Port City ((Alexandria, VA), which I was first be introduced to at the “Taste of Shirlington.” I enjoyed their beer. It is nice that they have a female chemist on their team. Their 2 week aged Porter was extremely tasty. Usually the barreling process takes several weeks but with twerks in production time, one unit of craft beer can be produced in a shorter time which makes for fresh beer.
Port City’s industrial brewery offers a tasting room with house made draft beers and public tours, and is located at 3950 Wheeler Ave, Alexandria, VA 22304.
Hours: 3–10PM
Another standout was the Geneva Convention, “A white winter ale” by the Young Veteran Brewery Company. This small, military veteran-owned brewery has an on-site pub selling draft beers and growler fills. YVBC is located at 2505 Horse Pasture Rd #104, Virginia Beach, VA 23453
Hours: 3–11PM
A random favorite:
Boyzen Da Hood, Boyszenberry Gose (4.2% ABD) by Kindred Spirits Brewery. My opinion: Very good … Nice and sour.
Kindred Spirits is located at 12830 W Creek Pkwy J, Richmond, VA 23238
Another favorite is new on the scene, and trying to get the millennials involved is Heroic Aleworks. This comic book lovin’ beer making group of misfits liked to be center of attention. Their tagline is “You’ve tasted the beers, now get to know the stories behind the characters in the brand new, original ‘Heroic Aleworks Presents’ comics created by the owners of Heroic Aleworks, featuring artwork by talented artists from around the world.” Heroic is located at 14910 Persistence Dr, Woodbridge, VA 22191
Hours: 12PM–12AM
Anchor beers that have a heavy presence on social media and had a immediate name recognition with me:
Starr Hill
Adroit Theory
I had the distinct honor to speak to some native CHARLOTTESVILLE beer festival patrons and some police that were present at the event. Now on everyone’s mind was the event of last Saturday, August 11, 2017. However, the ladies stated that, “This event is the complete representation of Charlottesville, not last weekend and the actions of some people. She was and is proud to be from such a wonderful community and was happy that this event went off without any incident and saw so many people enjoying themselves.” The police officers i spoke to echo her sentiments about last weekend. That isolated incident is not what C-Ville is about – this event is.”
-CLF (Crystal)
The tasting featured appetizers from Jaleo, Taberna del Alabardero, Mola, Pamplona, and more. It also featured Spanish cheese and wine, anchovies (boquerones), and Iberian ham, all of which were fantastic. The Iberian ham was rich and delicious, and one of my favorite offerings of the evening. Jaleo’s quince and manchego cone was not only fun to eat, but the sweet, salty combination made it crave-able. I also really liked the ceviche from Mola, which was light and refreshing. It was a bit disappointing to see that two places offered ceviche, while yet another offered octopus (pulpo). While representative of the cuisine, more variety would’ve been appreciated.
