(Somewhat) Buried Treasure – A Good Beer Find In Town

What was that Springsteen song? “57 channels and Nothing On”? Of course, in this day and age, 57 sure seems like your most basic of all cable packages – but we got the point when the song was out. So many choices, but nothing really worth watching.

Ever feel that way when you walk into your local watering hole and take a look at the draft beer selection? Me too. It’s always strange, at least to me, to look up and down a line of twenty or so taps and see very few “chances” taken in terms of selection. Perhaps understandable, from a business standpoint, but still disappointing, from a flavor standpoint. Fortunately for those of us in Roanoke, there are a few places to go where selection occasionally veers towards interesting and choices that aren’t your usual ‘fill in the blank’ Light beers. It’s important to give kudos to some of these restaurants since they might not have an overall large number of taps will stick something in the lineup that isn’t expected, or perhaps a local or regional brew. Besides, when that “something new” shows up in a restaurant and you didn’t expect it, it’s like finding buried treasure – exciting, surprising, and, as soon as you spot it, you’re saying “YES PLEASE, ONE OF THOSE”!

One of those beers that’s shown up in a couple places in Roanoke is Baltimore based Clipper City/Heavy Seas’ IPA Loose Cannon. As of about a week ago, south Roanoke’s Fork In The Alley still had it on tap, and I believe they have had it for quite some time. For the past several months I had been trying and enjoying a few different offerings from Clipper City, what I could find, and I’ve really enjoyed everything I’ve tried so far. The brewery’s website refers to the “enormous” amounts of hops added to this India Pale Ale during production, calling it “Hop 3” or “Hop (Cubed)”. To me, it has a citrusy aroma that is seconded by the taste. The hops give it that pine like and also grapefruit flavor, but is not so bitter that you can’t tell some sweetness there from a little malty backbone. It’s very enjoyable. Those out there who enjoy Sierra Nevada’s commonly found and still legendary Pale Ale might take a shot at Loose Cannon, no pun intended.