Wednesday, February 24, 2016
Sunday, December 20, 2015
Coelacanth Brewing is Open for Business!
While visiting Norfolk earlier today, I grabbed a flight at the city's newest craft brewery, Coelacanth. Only open for about a week, I was happy to see the tasting room filled with patrons on a Sunday evening. Most customers were enjoying pints and flights, while watching Monty Python and the Holy Grail via a massive projector setup. The current four brew flight includes: Coelia Rosemary Lemon Wheat, CBGB English Best Bitter, Enefkay IPA, and my personal favorite Jazz Age Oatmeal Stout. Owners Kevin and Melissa Erskine were incredibly pleasant. I hope to make a proper trip soon to spend more time and learn about the operation.
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| Got excited and started drinking before taking a picture... |
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| Incase you were having trouble with pronunciation |
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| Great Logo! |
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| Tasting Room Artwork |
Wednesday, December 9, 2015
The (Almost) Polished Stone
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| A toast to the (almost) finished brewery |
This past Friday I joined journalists, local and state dignitaries, and Stone Execs in a toast to the almost finished Stone Brewery Richmond. Since our last update, much has been accomplished at the 213,000 square foot facility: walls have gone up, roofs have been finished, and fermenters have been installed. As far as I could tell, the only thing that stands in the way of a finished product is some insulation and drywall in the office/tasting room areas.
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| The future site of a Gargoyle window |
The above image shows what will be the visitors entrance to the brewery, leading directly into the tasting room/gift shop. The grand doorway will be topped with a massive circular glass window, emblazoned with the famous gargoyle logo.
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| The walk from parking to the new Visitor's Center |
When Stone Brewing announced it's search for an East Coast location, there were 20 states and hundreds of sites competing. The decision to come to Richmond was announced in October of 2014, and the Governor stated in his remarks that there were 85 breweries in the Commonwealth; Friday, the Secretary of Agriculture updated that statement with the current tally, 135.
The $74,000,000 investment in the Richmond area will add just shy of 300 permanent jobs. The complex will include lots of beautiful green space, the massive brewery, a restaurant, tasting room, gift shop, and more.
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| The first of three bridges connecting addition parking, Visitor's Center, and Restaurant |
Governor McAuliffe seemed to enjoy his statistics of the Commonwealth's exploding Craft Beer industry. He stated that there are currently over 4,000 craft breweries in the United States, only 15 states have 100+ craft breweries (Virginia being one of those). The most impressive statistic was that at full capacity, Stone Brewing Richmond will DOUBLE Virginia's annual output of Craft Beer.
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| Governor McAuliffe, Mayor Jones, and Greg Koch meet |
All signs are still pointing to Stone being on track to start brewing shortly after the first of the year. Once at full speed, the bottling line will be able to output 60 bottles of beer every minute. There are currently four massive 1,000 barrel fermenters installed and plans call for another eight for initial brewing. What's most impressive is the final number. As you may remember from my previous article from Stone's Breakfast Pour event, we watched the concrete foundation being created to hold the massive tanks. Hourigan Construction has created concrete housings for a total of FORTY 1,000 barrel fermenters. The additional unused spaces are currently capped with concrete. One by one, as needed, more giant fermenters from Europe will be sailed up the James River and delivered to the docks, just across the street from Stone.
At the beginning of this week, Greg Koch, current CEO and Co-founder of Stone Brewing attended the first pouring of their beer to be brewed in Berlin, marking a major milestone in the American Craft Beer Industry: The first American company to brew in Europe.
Stone's Brewing complex is a marvel to behold and should be a source of pride for the region. At the end of the event, Greg Koch told us that he looks forward to opening day when the sign above the door will read:
STONE BREWING
ESCONDIDO . BERLIN . RICHMOND
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| Mayor Jones tours the facility, learning about the brewing process |
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| Massive fermentation tanks, with additional space for expansion |
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| Train passing over brewery grounds |
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| Transportation for the Stone Crew's pub crawl |
Monday, November 2, 2015
Fredericksburg Fall Brewfest
Once again we were able to make it to a Fredericksburg Brew Fest event, this time being their fall season beer festival.
The Event
The day started much the same VBB’s first visit did with our names not being on the list. Fortunately it was resolved quickly and we were in. We arrived hungry so we started the beer festival with lunch. There were a few yummy-smelling food vendors slinging standard festival fare (fries, cheese fries, loaded fries, hot dogs, and BBQ) but many did not take cards. An ATM was on site but we just decided to support the vendor who conducts business in the 21st century, Legends Grille. There was ample seating for eating and a band was playing live music that was actually quite enjoyable despite the speaker system being a bit too loud.
The event itself seemed well organized inside the gates with most of the beer and vendor tents running along one side of the field that made it difficult to miss something. The event also has ciders, wines, and cigars but beer was our focus. The lines were always short and quick, never longer than 10 deep. We were shocked that so many breweries were tapped early, including Ballast Point and Terrapin, though it might have been a stocking or equipment issue (and fortunately those were beers readily available in the Richmond market).
The only thing I found disappointing was that few of the tents had actual brewery reps or workers, most were staffed by volunteers who were all friendly and poured generously but were often unable to answer specific questions (including one who did not know where the beer they were pouring was located).
In the spring bathrooms seemed to be an issue but, as promised by event planners, this season there were plenty of bathrooms with short or no lines.
The Beer
So, I know you’re all wondering if we tried all the beer there, which our answer is a resounding “of course not!” Over 80 brews were sampled, including flagship beers and limited quantity VIP beers, and that’s a lot of beer. In the end we tried 21 beers, many of which were new to us.
Without a doubt the two biggest standouts to us were Legend’s Bleeding Nun Spiced Oatmeal Stout and Blue & Gray’s Raddler. Not surprising, these were two of the few breweries that either a) brewed a beer specifically for the event or b)had actual brewery staff work the tent.
Bleeding Nun is Legend Brewing’s newest addition to the Urban Legend Series brewed with habanero, super smooth with all the roasty-toasty goodness of a stout and a kick of nice (not mouth-watering) heat. Fortunately for everyone it IS being bottled and should be released soon. The Urban Legend Series also brought the Z Dam into distribution, one of my favorite beers I’ve tried this year. Keep it up Legend!
Raddler from Blue & Gray was the first beer we actually tried, brewed specifically for this event so future availability seems uncertain. It was wonderful, light wheaty body with plenty of citrus which was shocking as most of my favorite brews from Blue & Gray have been heavy stouts and porters. Radlers or raddlers need to be more prevalent, especially in the brunch scene as I think of these in the same realm as mimosas.
Two other standouts were both from a brewery we had not had before, Maltese Brewing Co. from Spotsylvania/Fredericksburg. One was their Pineapple IPA which was very tasty with great pineapple flavor, though one of us thought it could have been a bit more prominent. The other was their Vanilla Brown which, despite being sweeter than many beers, was very well rounded with the characteristic brown flavors you’d expect with non-fake-tasting vanilla.
Best Tap Handle
The winner of the day's un-official coolest tap handle award, judged solely by me, goes to: Adventure Brewing created by East Coast Taps. Just the rock climbing wall on its own makes for a great handle, but the addition of the little hanging climber is just awesome. If I saw this tap next to 50+ others, including the heavy hitters in craft beer, I'd totally choose this. Luckily the beer flowing through the tap was great.
Overall
The event was very enjoyable, we were able to drink plenty of tasty beer without the long lines and smothering crowds that are synonymous with beer festivals. Oddly, we left feeling like there were some breweries who were advertised as going that we did not see there but that was not enough to negatively impact our experience. We stayed for a few hours and, with the festival still chugging along, we left happy.
Moving forward our only hopes are on the breweries’ parts - bring more exclusive beers, maybe one flagship and one seasonal/special, and staff the tents with knowledgeable brewery reps/staff. VBB looks forward to Fredericksburg Brewfest’s future festivals, hope to see you all there!
The Event
The day started much the same VBB’s first visit did with our names not being on the list. Fortunately it was resolved quickly and we were in. We arrived hungry so we started the beer festival with lunch. There were a few yummy-smelling food vendors slinging standard festival fare (fries, cheese fries, loaded fries, hot dogs, and BBQ) but many did not take cards. An ATM was on site but we just decided to support the vendor who conducts business in the 21st century, Legends Grille. There was ample seating for eating and a band was playing live music that was actually quite enjoyable despite the speaker system being a bit too loud.
The event itself seemed well organized inside the gates with most of the beer and vendor tents running along one side of the field that made it difficult to miss something. The event also has ciders, wines, and cigars but beer was our focus. The lines were always short and quick, never longer than 10 deep. We were shocked that so many breweries were tapped early, including Ballast Point and Terrapin, though it might have been a stocking or equipment issue (and fortunately those were beers readily available in the Richmond market).
The only thing I found disappointing was that few of the tents had actual brewery reps or workers, most were staffed by volunteers who were all friendly and poured generously but were often unable to answer specific questions (including one who did not know where the beer they were pouring was located).
In the spring bathrooms seemed to be an issue but, as promised by event planners, this season there were plenty of bathrooms with short or no lines.
The Beer
So, I know you’re all wondering if we tried all the beer there, which our answer is a resounding “of course not!” Over 80 brews were sampled, including flagship beers and limited quantity VIP beers, and that’s a lot of beer. In the end we tried 21 beers, many of which were new to us.
Bleeding Nun is Legend Brewing’s newest addition to the Urban Legend Series brewed with habanero, super smooth with all the roasty-toasty goodness of a stout and a kick of nice (not mouth-watering) heat. Fortunately for everyone it IS being bottled and should be released soon. The Urban Legend Series also brought the Z Dam into distribution, one of my favorite beers I’ve tried this year. Keep it up Legend!
Raddler from Blue & Gray was the first beer we actually tried, brewed specifically for this event so future availability seems uncertain. It was wonderful, light wheaty body with plenty of citrus which was shocking as most of my favorite brews from Blue & Gray have been heavy stouts and porters. Radlers or raddlers need to be more prevalent, especially in the brunch scene as I think of these in the same realm as mimosas.
Two other standouts were both from a brewery we had not had before, Maltese Brewing Co. from Spotsylvania/Fredericksburg. One was their Pineapple IPA which was very tasty with great pineapple flavor, though one of us thought it could have been a bit more prominent. The other was their Vanilla Brown which, despite being sweeter than many beers, was very well rounded with the characteristic brown flavors you’d expect with non-fake-tasting vanilla.
Best Tap Handle
The winner of the day's un-official coolest tap handle award, judged solely by me, goes to: Adventure Brewing created by East Coast Taps. Just the rock climbing wall on its own makes for a great handle, but the addition of the little hanging climber is just awesome. If I saw this tap next to 50+ others, including the heavy hitters in craft beer, I'd totally choose this. Luckily the beer flowing through the tap was great.
Overall
The event was very enjoyable, we were able to drink plenty of tasty beer without the long lines and smothering crowds that are synonymous with beer festivals. Oddly, we left feeling like there were some breweries who were advertised as going that we did not see there but that was not enough to negatively impact our experience. We stayed for a few hours and, with the festival still chugging along, we left happy.
Moving forward our only hopes are on the breweries’ parts - bring more exclusive beers, maybe one flagship and one seasonal/special, and staff the tents with knowledgeable brewery reps/staff. VBB looks forward to Fredericksburg Brewfest’s future festivals, hope to see you all there!
Tuesday, September 22, 2015
UCI Road World Championships Opening Ceremony
World championship cycling is in full swing in RVA! Friday night, James and I attended the Opening Ceremony of the UCI Road World Championships on Brown's Island. The event introduced the team representing the United States, included performances from the Richmond Symphony, and was emceed by NBC12's Andrew Freiden.
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| Meh... |
I thought that with over 100 breweries in the Commonwealth to choose from, this event would be the perfect way to showcase the best craft brews Virginia has to offer......I thought wrong. We were incredibly disappointed to find that only the above four Budweiser owned beers were available for purchase. I understand that InBev may be a sponsor but it's still a hard pill (and beer) to swallow. I have learned my lesson to not buy drink tickets prior to looking at the selection (I've been spoiled).
Overall, the weather was perfect, the people were kind, and the event was entertaining. I'm excited about the Commonwealth being in the spotlight and what great things could manifest from it.
Here's to hoping the next big event has better beer!
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