Stone Brewing RVA has a Website!

Great news for Stone fans! The Escondido, California based brewer has launched a website devoted to the ongoing construction of it's new East Coast Brewery in Richmond, VA. 

The new website can be found here, and it has the details for the project and much more. From Richmond job postings, Stone's history and mission statement, community outreach, ongoing and available partnerships with local businesses, and even a time-lapsed construction feed from the Greater Fulton Neighborhood Brewery that they have vowed to update every Friday. 

It seems Stone Brewing Richmond is still on track for late 2015/early 2016 to start brewing, with a public opening to follow. Recently the brewer announced it will increase the brewing capacity of the new facility from the original plans, also adding it's commitment to solar energy and having the aesthetics of the new facility match the century old tobacco warehouses found in nearby Shockoe Bottom. The Richmond location of their restaurant, Stone World Bistro and Gardens, is tentatively schedule to open within 2 years of the brewery.  

American Craft Beer Week @ Bailey's Sports Grille

Sadly, American Craft Beer Week 2015 is now behind us. With every new year, we experience a growing problem.....there are too many awesome things going on in one week! I decided to close this years American Craft Beer Week with a trip to Bailey's Sports Grille on Robious Road in Richmond.  

More TVs than you can imagine

During my tour, I was made aware that four of their taps are used for monthly brewery take overs. I was happy to find that these breweries were often Craft Beer from Virginia. The other thirty six taps.....yes, I said THIRTY SIX... are a mixture of primarily local and national crafts. If you like good beer and sports of any kind, you'll be in heaven. Of course, you still have the option to drink macro swill, if you wish. I wont tell you which ones....but one rhymes with Wudbeiser. The Manager reminded me that this is necessary for the occasional NASCAR/Football game.
Speaking of which..... TVs EVERYWHERE! The size and multitude of televisions was just as impressive as the variety of sports featured. If you're like me and you love  a good scrum, you should be aware that Bailey's was showing Rugby. Sadly, this is a rarity at normal sports bars but is becoming more widely appreciated in American culture. If watching isn't your thing, you can take a few steps to the next room where you will find 3 pool tables to entertain you.  

The outdoor bar and patio regularly feature live music 

If your lucky enough to stop by on a proper Spring night as I did, you'll be able to enjoy the bar and patio. I was delighted to find two more beers in their selection here, most notably Center of the Universe's Scotchtown Bourbon Barrel Aged. As far as my palate is concerned, the sweeter, darker, and heavier the beer gets, the better.....but add bourbon barrels to the mix and I'm on cloud nine. 

Obviously Bailey's Sports Grille is a great place to go for a craft beer but don't forget about the food! I grabbed myself a Pastrami Burger (Reuben meets burger) and some Parmesan Fries for dinner and was thoroughly impressed. When you go, I recommend signing up for the Bailey's All Star Club Card. At first glance, it seems comparable to many other customer rewards programs but Bailey's knows how to stand out. After our first dinner and signing up for the program, I received a free burger for my next visit (which I plan on using this weekend).
I also want to give a shout out to the staff at Bailey's who made the experience great, most notably my server, Alexis and the Restaurant's Manager, Tim. Both were very knowledgeable of the Bailey's Brand and the Craft Beer served. Over all, I had a great time at Bailey's Sports Grille and I was impressed that an establishment of their size took the time to get to know the local breweries and appreciate their craft.

Behold, the Pastrami Burger and Parmesan Fries!

Chincoteague: Wild Horses and Wild Weather

My wife Lauren and I recently made a trip to the picturesque town of Chincoteague, VA, to enjoy the first annual Saltwater Brew N Que. The event was hosted at the Chincoteage Fair Grounds and drew crowds and brews from all over Virginia and Maryland. 

 Now for all of us mainland Virginians, I'll start by giving you a heads up: If you're like me and you pronounce Chincoteage as it's spelled (Chin-co-teague).....you're wrong. Natives of the island will be quick to politely correct your pronunciation to "Shink-a-tig", which is actually easier to say than it's phonetic pronunciation, once you've had a few beers.  

 We left our home in the hills of RVA and journeyed through the forests of the Virginia Peninsula, the urban hub of Norfolk, and on to the Modern Marvel that is the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel. The beautiful (almost four hour) drive from my native Richmond reminded me just how lucky we are to call the Commonwealth home. 

We arrived shortly after Noon, checked into our hotel, and took our time sight seeing along Main Street. The short walk to the Fair Grounds was a welcome relief to anyone stuck in a car on a road trip.

As you can see from the pictures, the weather was not kind to us Saturday but thankfully, that did not stop the crowds. The event was quite lengthy for typical Beer Fest Standards, going from 11am to 8pm (not to mention the Wing Tasting event held the night before). We arrived at the Fair Ground around 1pm to enjoy the Brews and Barbecue. Attendance was so high, that the front desk had already run out of souvenir tasting glasses. In lieu of this, we were provided plastic cups. As much as I had hoped to add the Saltwater Brew N Que tasting glass to my collection, I'm also very glad to see the turn out far exceeded their expectations. The young man at the counter was very apologetic and explained that they had ordered 800 glasses, all of which where gone in the first hour and a half.    

The beer selection was great but the brewers and brewery representatives seemed to be few and far between. I understand that schedule conflicts and the general remoteness of Chincoteage may have affected this but from my count, only four or five breweries were represented by someone at their tasting booth, besides a volunteer pourer with no more knowledge of the craft beverages than that which was written on the tasting notes on the table. Of course, the variety and quality of the beverages helped to make up for this.

I was fortunate enough to speak with brewers and representatives from Assawomen Bay Brewing Company, Tall Tales Brewing Company, and Dogfish Head Craft Brewed Ales. All incredibly easy to speak to and great ambassadors for their brand. You can find the full list of all Brewers represented at the Saltwater Brew N Que here. As you can see from the list, it was an impressive line up, especially for an event in it's first year. 

As this is the first of what I hope will be many Saltwater Brew N Ques, I would like to offer a few points that I believe could make next years event even more enjoyable. 

• Tasting Glasses: Order a few extra, just in case (the design and logo were great!)
• Water Stations: The lady at the concession stand looked at me like I was crazy when I asked to have my tasting glass filled with tap water. Readily available water coolers help cleanse the palate and re-hydrate.
• Prepare for Rain: I saw what appeared to be a Bingo hall in the middle of the fairgrounds, filled with tables that was not open for shelter.  

Nasty weather aside, we had a great time visiting both Chincoteague and the first ever Saltwater Brew N Que. I would like to extend a special shout out to the wonderful staff at the Waterside Inn, for making our stay especially comfortable. I'm looking forward to my next visit to Chincoteage, as well as the Second Annual Saltwater Brew N Que. Here's hoping for sunshine in 2016! 

Fredericksburg Brewfest

Clay and I decided to go up to Fredericksburg and check out their beer fest. I didn't have any expectations just vague notions of the fizzy sort. Upon arriving in or around the city, we picked up Clay's brother-in-law. He's an affable beer lover who was happy to be picked up and delivered to the beer. After an oddly efficient carding/wrist band process there was a small mix up over tickets with the admission staff. Some small bit of consternation later we were in the beer fest.

This fest was all outside and the weather was perfect. The sun was shining, breeze was gentle, and the temperature was moderate. There are few things about outdoor events that are noticeable straight away: accommodating or fest-wrecking weather, attraction layout, and adequate restroom facilities. The first two were good. The last one was an issue. There weren't enough port-a-johns. I recall the line being about 20 deep most of the day. Not a big deal to me, but important to note in general.

 The beer representation was impressive. There were native and national breweries mostly offering their year-round staples. Beers that I actually recall without the aid of my camera: Lickinghole Creek's Goochland Quad and Blue Mountain's A Hopwork Orange. Both of these beers were delicious and worked well in the atmosphere of the festival. The full list you can check out the Fredericksburg Beerfest website.

During our meandering, boozy jaunt around the fairgrounds we met a few characters. We met a guy and gal  who both loved beer and seemed to be having a good time. We ran into them a few times and their condition had progressed each time. The last time we crossed paths the young lady was ready to leave and seemed to be experiencing an individualized earthquake. They were nice, and I forgot to take a picture of them. I really enjoyed talking to them, and I was especially impressed at the gal's appreciation of fine craft beer. Not to say women don't appreciate beer, it's just beer advertising, marketing, and attitudes are as such that women don't always feel welcome in the scene. I'm glad to frequently see this is changing.

The booths whirred by as we consumed tiny cup after tiny cup of mostly delicious, golden suds. I ate cheese fries and fried pickles from Legend Grille, and Clay sustained himself on tornado chips and an Italian sausage sandwich that took a lifetime to be ready.

Other beer stand-outs were Isley's Choosy Mother Peanut Butter Porter (worn in well for me, as it's local), Adventure Brewing Co.'s Backpack Wheat, and Rusty Beaver's Roy's Big Bad Brown Ale. Rusty Beaver is a new one for me. I've definitely had their beer before, I've just not liked it until now. The brown ale was chocolately and malty. There were no apologies to crisp or hop flavors here. I really enjoyed this brew.

After hours of strolling and drinking we noticed people were starting to close up their tents and patrons were leaving. We started drinking water and rousing ourselves from our beercation. We ended up going to Wawa to get some grub for the drive back home. We both got the Buffalo Chicken sub. After drinking all day, that sub tastes like ambrosia made real. The festival left me satisfied and happier, and made my weekend something to talk about at work. I think that's what you want from a beer festival.

Chincoteague Saltwater Brew 'N' Que

If you are anything like me you enjoy some great BBQ to go with your beer. Maybe you made it in a crockpot, smoked it on your own, or just went out and bought it but there is something special about the combination of beer and BBQ. Well to kick off the beginning of warmer days there is a new festival happening out in Chincoteague for all you beer and BBQ lovers that the Virginia Beer Blog heard about. I'm pretty excited about this for a few reasons...I love beer, I love BBQ, and being that close to the water sounds like an outstanding way to spend a weekend.

According to their site there will be 17 different breweries that encompass the varying flavors of Virginia as well as some close breweries (Heavy Seas, Dogfish Head, Flying Dog) that offer some great options as well! Additionally there will be music, a kids zone, unlimited beer tasting (!), a wing competition...oh, and an official Kansas City BBQ Society competition! Between the two days there will be more to do than I think I've seen at most festivals around the state, and as this is the inaugural Brew 'N' Que it can only get better from here!

The Brew 'N' Que begins on Friday, April 24th and goes through Saturday, the 25th and looks like a great excuse to drive out to Chincoteague to enjoy some of the state's best breweries (unlimited pours!) as well as some of the best barbeque in the country! Tickets are $15 presale, $25 the day of...both of which are some amazing prices for the number of breweries showing up, entertainment, etc. There is also a suggested donation of $5 at the door with a portion of the proceeds going to benefit the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Department.

I attended a festival in Chincoteague a few years ago and have to say it is one of the best venues for an event like this. With the warmer weather, great setting, and lineup of food and beer you can't go wrong checking this out. If the trip is a long one for you the website also offers some hotel deals. This looks like an amazing chance to go visit Chincoteague, drink some great beers, and eat some BBQ! If any of that sounds appealing, which why wouldn't it?!, then check out their site and buy some tickets!

http://www.saltwaterbrewnque.com/