Weekend Tap Update – Seasons Aside, There Is Plenty of Great New Beer On Draft (and in bottle) To Try

Personally, I’m not ready to give up summer. And as much it always rubs me the wrong way (just a little) to match up beer styles and seasons, I know how many still think fall and winter equals darker beer, and warmer temperatures mean more pales, IPAs, and the like. So just for the record, if last week’s two day cooling off was truly a glimpse into what’s to come, let me just state for the record, the IPAs will continue at current rate, it’s just that I might add in more stouts, porters, and the like. (Oh, and isn’t Oktoberfest time around the corner?)

Having said that, this weekend just might mean a chance to stick to those seasonal stereotypes, however wrong they might be, and transition from summer to fall with new beer that covers both. For those still hanging on to summer, on tap at Local Roots is Wolf Hill’s Fightin’ Parsons’ Pale Ale and Lost Rhino’s Meridian Kolsch, and the latest release in Stone Brewing’s Enjoy By series (09.13.13) has made it to the taps at Blue 5, as well as the IPA loving brewery’s 17^th anniversary beer, Gotterdammerung, which information on the brewery’s website describes as a high abv% pilsner crossed with an IPA. For those who can’t wait for the cooling off, around the corner at Martin’s in downtown Roanoke, apparently there are a limited number of bottles (yes, bottles) of DuClaw’s Sweet Baby Jesus Chocolate Peanut Butter Porter. Over the last few years, there have been a few beers from well known breweries which attempt to recreate the luscious, delicious nature of a peanut butter cup in a glass (Terrapin’s Liquid Bliss also comes to mind), but at a 93 rating on ratebeer.com, this one may just nail it better than most. For those who cannot wait for the turning of the leaves to begin, the Pumpkin ales, already well into their season in bottle form at local grocery stores, have begun reaching taps as well. Blue 5 has at least one, Foothills’ Cottonwood Pumpkin Ale.

In other draft related news, 501 Speakeasy on Campbell Avenue finally got the go ahead for beer, and has added local brews Sunken City Brown Porter, Dam Lager, Three Brothers’ Admiral IPA, and Bold Rock’s Virginia Apple cider – congrats!!

Last but not least, it is important to note that Blue 5 also apparently has added Parkway Brewing’s “Magella”, a strong dark Belgian ale previously available in fairly limited quantities.

Whatever kind of a beer you tend to link your seasons to, and however the weather turns out for the weekend, (personally, I can feel it warming up now) Roanoke has a beer for you – get out and try new amazing beer, find a new favorite, and expand horizons, craft curious….cheers!