Weekend Tap Update: Stone Brewing, A New Beer From Three Brothers, and An Upcoming Festival at the Lake

A Stone Brewing tap takeover event kicks off the weekend at Cork & Crust in downtown Roanoke, with four confirmed beers and “maybe” some special tasting opportunities also, according to the restaurant’s Facebook page. Stone’s Saison, Arrogant Bastard strong ale, and IPA are listed as beers to be available. A “very special limited release IPA” will also make an appearance, which I can only assume would be the newest Enjoy By release, with the possibility of Collective Distortion (a recent collaborative IPA release with elderberries and coriander added) as a second possibility.

While you’re out and about downtown, think about stopping by Jack Brown’s to taste a newer release from Harrisonburg’s Three Brothers Brewing, their Virginia Dark Black IPA. Personally, “Black IPAs” (or ‘hoppy browns’, or most hop forward beers using darker than usual malts) are often a muddled mix between the hop and malt profiles with no clear harmony between the two. That’s not to say that there aren’t a few surprises out there, and a quick check of comments and reviews on line show most folks rate Virginia Dark quite highly, so it looks like we have one of those rare standouts right here in our backyard. This would be a definite beer to seek out for the weekend.

There are also a few Roanoke area upcoming events beyond the weekend as well to note, not the least of which is (Smith Mountain Lake) Lakefest 2014, a “craft beer, food truck and music festival”, coming up on June 28th, at Bernards Landing Resort and Conference Center. A listing of breweries scheduled to be represented is on the event’s website, as well as ticket information.

Upcoming tap takeover events at Jack Brown’s will feature Michigan’s New Holland on the 18^th and Virginia’s Port City on the 25^th.

Cheers to the weekend!