The Beer Road

Outside Chaos Mountain Brewing Company

Following up last week’s “Friday Night Hops” event at Cork & Crust, and on the heels of having shipped the first bottles of its beer to local bottle shops, Chaos Mountain Brewing Company is ready to officially introduce the public to their beers with the brewery’s Grand Opening, happening this Saturday, May 3^rd, from noon to 8pm.  The brewery had so far only invited a few local restaurant and bar staff members to come by and taste their selection, but feedback from this as well as the Cork & Crust event has been very favorable.  Toss in the fact that the shipped bottles sold out in just a couple days, with places such as Wine Gourmet continuing to receive calls about availability, and all the build-up has given Brew Master Will Landry a reason to believe the brewery is on to something good.  “I would say we’ve had a very positive response so far. We are finding the Squatch Scotch Ale and the Agents of Chaos (a Belgian dark strong) are getting the most applause which is surprising in this age of ‘more hops’.”

Likely available at the brewery this weekend will be those two beers as well as “Cheeky Monkey”, a golden Belgian style ale, “Cocoborealis”, a “triple chocolate stout” served on a nitrogen tap, and “Mad Hopper”, the brewery’s IPA.  Landry will also have available a small batch of a pale lager brewed with lime zest.  “We let a little slip out last weekend at Cork & Crust with good reviews. It was brewed for [Cinco de Mayo weekend] but was ready a bit early”.

Whichever beer seems to be calling your name, and hopefully you’ll give them all a try, make your way out to check out Chaos Mountain’s Grand Opening this weekend and support the Roanoke area’s newest brewery.  A special deal the brewery is offering will include four 5oz tastings, a logo pint glass (while supplies last), and a bar-b-que sandwich for $5.  Check out the brewery’s event page on Facebook here.

Posted in Uncategorized

Craft curious folks in Roanoke are well aware that the weekend often brings the chance to try new beer, as restaurants known for their craft beer selection kick off the end of the week with new draft offerings.  This weekend takes it a step further, as we are officially introduced to one of the area’s new breweries at Cork & Crust’s Friday Night Hops event tonight, Chaos Mountain Brewing Company.  Initial tastes of the brewery’s beers have been very positive, and as a friend of mine pointed out recently, their Belgian Dark Strong Ale “Agents of Chaos” just might be one of the best Belgian style craft beers brewed in the state, and should be available at the event, as well as several of the brewery’s other beers.  Six beers should be available in all, including, for those of you who can appreciate something tasty and fun, Chaos Mountain’s ode to upcoming Cinco de Mayo:  perhaps the first lime tinged craft lager I’ve personally ever tasted. (Yes, you heard me right.  And it’s good.)  Others will include the dark, chocolate stout Cocoborealis, the Belgian Blonde Cheeky Monkey, Squatch Scottish Ale, and Mad Hopper IPA.  The event starts at 6pm, so come out and support one of the Roanoke area’s own!

Other weekend events are on tap, literally and figuratively as well:

Soaring Ridge Craft Brewers is getting up and running as well, and according to their Facebook page, will be also open from 4 to 9 tonight.  This gives the adventurous Roanoke craft beer fan the chance to take in the beers from two new entries to the Roanoke craft beer market, as the Soaring Ridge location is blocks away from the Cork & Crust event tonight.  As many may know, Sean Osborne of Soaring Ridge was formerly the brewmaster for Big Daddy Brewing Company here in Roanoke.

Downtown Roanoke’s Blue 5 restaurant added New Belgium’s well loved La Folie on draft in the last day or so.  If you’re still unsure of sour type beers, but are curious, this is not one to miss as you continue to dip your toes into those waters.  This highly rated (high 90’s on beeradvocate and ratebeer websites) oak aged sour brown is a marriage of a delicious, slightly woodsy, slightly sweet, vinous taste with an easy to drink characteristic that is not easy to find.  Far from a “beginner’s sour”, but easy to appreciate, this might just advance one’s fondness of sours to the next level.  Other beers are likely to show up at Blue 5 as we approach the weekend as well.

On Saturday, the Earth Day celebration in the Grandin Village area means that Local Roots is debuting their beer garden directly in front of the restaurant.  Beer specials will be available throughout the 10am to 4pm event time.

Their are plenty of chances to take in great beer this weekend in and around Roanoke, so come out and support the scene, as well as new Roanoke breweries as well!  Cheers!

Posted in Uncategorized

Somewhere down the road, we just might be able to say that Stone Brewing almost single-handedly brought the importance of the fresh-as-possible IPA to the consciousness of the mainstream craft beer drinker.  Their IPA with the date stamp for a name has consistently grabbed headlines since its introduction nearly a couple years ago, and has reinforced the issue of freshness with hop forward beers even among the most experienced craft curious folks.  The latest incarnation (for the moment) of the Enjoy By IPA has been consistently touted as one of the best yet, and the celebration surrounding its release is far from over, thanks to its not so hidden, read between the lines deadline for imbibing, April 20 (4.20).  As bottles of this beer will plainly tell you by the neck description of “Devastatingly Dank”, April’s Enjoy By is imbued with plenty of deeply rich citrusy, and yes, dank-ish type aromas and flavors, which, of course, are far more evident before the said date on the bottle.

This Wednesday, downtown Roanoke’s Blue 5 will celebrate Stone’s latest Enjoy By release by featuring it on draft, along with several other Stone beers.  There will also be giveaways of Stone Brewing merchandise, and the regional Stone Brewing sales representative is expected to drop by.  Not to be lost in the shuffle is Roanoke’s current interest in trying to persuade Stone Brewing to open up their east coast brewery right here within city limits.  So should you head out to Blue 5’s event for the party, consider taking some snapshots and sharing them on the Facebook page that was recently created to show Stone plenty of Roanoke area love.

The event starts at 6pm, so come out and enjoy plenty of Stone brews, and continue to make some noise for Roanoke’s chances for Stone to make the city its second home!

Posted in Uncategorized

It’s been a long time coming for brewer Will Landry.  There was the possibility of brewing his recipes contract-style, on another brewery’s equipment, at least as a way to get started in the brewing industry.  Along the way, there was also the possibility of opening a brewpub on Grandin Road.  There were even thoughts of possibly moving away from the Roanoke area, at least to get his foot in the door at an already established brewery.  Yes, there were a few fits and starts, but what was obvious to anyone following Landry throughout those hopeful plans and slight setbacks was a persistence that seemed so tangible that you could’ve measured it in a warehouse full of beer kegs, which not so coincidentally, is exactly what the kind of thing one will see firsthand when they come out for the opening of Callaway’s Chaos Mountain Brewing Company, at which Will Landry has finally come full circle, as Head Brewmaster.

Throughout his trip to become the Head Brewer, there must have been many a day dream about what kinds of beers Landry would eventually brew and offer to potential fans.  A couple of weeks ago, his Chaos Mountain Chocolate Stout may have quietly shown up on a couple of draft lists at bars around Roanoke, but when the brewery opens, there will be nothing that feels “under the radar” about the brewery’s offerings.  Shooting for an opening around the end of April, Landry plans on having as many as ten beers available at the brewery, and eventually as many as five or six to offer restaurants and bars, and to retail outlets.  A few of these beers will be available at the April 25 edition of Cork and Crust’s “Friday Night Hops” events, held at the restaurant’s location in downtown Roanoke.

But until the opening, here’s a run-down below of some of the likely beers which will be available at the brewery’s opening.  Without a doubt, Landry will be there ready to pour you one, likely looking quite proud to finally serve pint glasses full of what he’s been dreaming about for some time.

Check out the Chaos Mountain Facebook page here.

Cheeky Monkey – A Belgian style blond ale brewed with an English Maris Otter malt as opposed to the traditional pilsner malt to give it an added malt character to go with the fruity notes of the Belgian yeast.

Mad Hopper IPA – A slightly different take on the IPA. With over a half dozen different hops, this IPA, while coming in at a pleasant 54 IBUs, has a modest bitterness with a big hop flavor and big nose you can drink all day.

Squatch Scotch Ale – A malty Scottish Ale that’s quickly sweet up front, then topped off with a slightly citrusy, earthy dose of hops.  In the Wee Heavy range of 7.5% ABV.

Cocoborealis – A chocolate stout, made with two different chocolate roast malts, cocoa powder, and finished with cacao nibs.

4 Mad Chefs – It will start out as available in 750ml corked and caged bottles and on draft at the brewery. This big 8.5% Belgian style quad has a big malty backbone to compliment the Belgian yeast.

Agents of Chaos – A Belgian Dark Strong weighting in around 10%. This deeply black beer, rimmed with a touch of ruby, is loaded with both the aromas and flavors of all the dark fruits you would expect from the style.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Posted in Uncategorized