Originally, I thought the chances were good they might have been members of some local company’s softball team. It was at a beer festival after all, Microfestivus in August of 2012, that I ran across the six or seven people all standing in a loose half circle, wearing the same beige t-shirts with the same logo, and softball teams, let’s face it, are known for heading out for a brew or two after a game, or practice, or perhaps in this case, generally just for the heck of it. But the fact that these folks seemed to be all be very into their beer, and of course – the logo, one of a very determined looking mouse wearing what looked like a pair of those old fashioned, Amelia Earhart style aviator goggles, begged the question – who are you guys, anyway? I mean, as softball team logos go, theirs was pretty cool, and if they often headed out for a beer for just about any reason, heck – I’d pitch for ya. As it turns out, their story was better than any slow pitch team could possibly offer. The logo stood for a new brewery, “Flying Mouse”, opening up in nearby Daleville in about a year, and the half dozen staff members and supporters wearing it proudly on their shirts were more than willing to talk both logos and beer. It was also obvious these folks already had a plan in mind – they were marketing the brewery before it even broke ground. Roughly a year later, the time has come for the folks at Flying Mouse to not just stand around and talk about beer, but to begin pouring it – and more importantly, it will be their own.
Yes, Flying Mouse has announced it will be opening this weekend. Following the fairly recent and successful opening of Salem’s Parkway Brewing, the introduction of Flying Mouse makes three breweries in the Roanoke area, and puts another substantially important notch on the timeline of the growth of craft beer here. Among the details the brewery communicated through their facebook page yesterday, a tasting room and beer garden will be ready this weekend to likely serve three different beers, which will not only kick off the brewery’s opening, but also will be the first to display the brewery’s branding philosophy. Each of the brewery’s beers will be known by a number instead of a name. As John Garrett, the brewery’s Marketing Director explains, the first three beers “will cover the light, medium and dark ranges, with numbers going up as the color, flavor and weight of the beers get darker and heavier”. For example, these first beers out of the gate for Flying Mouse will be their Flying Mouse “3” (a Kolsch style beer, and typically quite light in color), “5” (an anticipated English Bitter style beer, and often amber in color), and “8” (a Porter). All three of the introductory beers can be fairly approachable when done well, as collectively they straddle enough stylistic area to please a wide group of people. Other brews will follow. “We plan on having seasonal beers after we get started with the first three.”
At this year’s Microfestivus, Flying Mouse returned. From under their own tent, they again were spreading the word, knowing the beer was nearly ready. Again, staff were on hand, happy to talk about beer and the brewery. It seemed to be one of the busiest tents at the festival all day long, and to be sure, many who approached it were asking just when their own beer would be flowing. We now have the answer. Come out and taste the original beers from Flying Mouse this weekend, which I’m sure the brewery hopes will not only become favorites in the area, but help place Flying Mouse into the collective consciousness of beer fans in the area.
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Any list of common destinations for Roanoke natives would almost certainly include Greensboro, North Carolina. Given that city’s well known shopping possibilities, sports and concert related events, as well as it’s close geographical proximity to our own town, you’ve probably spent an afternoon there or several. At the very least, you’ve likely passed through it on the way to the beach. If you consider yourself beer curious at all, or needed to grab a cold one after being dragged around the mall for five hours, as I have, chances are good that on one of those trips you’ve also become well aware of Natty Greene’s Brewing. The brewpub which gave birth to a second location in Raleigh as well as a full production brewery has been a fixture on Greensboro’s scene since the 2004, serving up familiar beers such as their Southern Pale Ale and their Buckshot Amber Ale. For those of us in the Roanoke area who recognize names such as these, that familiarity is about to become a little bit more concrete in our minds as Natty Greene’s is finally introduced to the Star City at the end of the week.
The Beer Road 