The Beer Road

Sure, I could write about some of the beer that’ll be at Microfestivus today.  But you’ve probably already taken a quick look at the beer list, and if not, they’ll likely have ones available for you at the gate, should you be attending.  On the morning of the nineteenth Microfestivus, my mind is wandering beyond the beer.  Consider, for a moment, that perhaps the where is almost as noteworthy as the what.  In case you haven’t seen the festival map yet, Roanoke’s annual beer festival will line up along some of the streets within the Star City’s downtown area, along First Street and Kirk and Church Avenues, instead of on its periphery, as in years past.  For what it’s worth, I’m guessing it’ll feel even more cathartic than the last move was, when the festival ventured out of the confines of Elmwood Park.  But to cap it all off, let’s think about just how fitting the festival route seems, considering that after wandering down First, Kirk, and Church, past one beer tent after another, that the natural path for the festival seems to end right in front of the Texas Tavern.  I mean, for Roanokers, how fitting can that be?

Among other things that are also fitting but perhaps a bit more serious, I would be remiss to not send a quick shout out for the location of the VIP section.  Never mind that I have a favorite seat at Blue 5’s bar.  The downtown restaurant is easily stop number one on anyone’s guide to craft beer in Roanoke, and I think the world of Chaz and crew down there.  So how fitting is it that the VIP section is right outside the doors of Blue 5?  If you find yourself within the area, and see Mr. Blevins, consider thanking him for being a vital standard bearer for the craft beer scene in the Star City.

What looks to be perfectly traditional for the festival is, of course, the weather forecast.  In case you haven’t looked it up, it’s your typical Microfestivus forecast, which is to say that it’s calling for the asphalt under your feet to begin melting sometime around 3pm.  Good thing, I suppose, for the relatively high number of fruited beers and sours that seem to be on the list for today – nope, I’m not mentioning individual ones, just that they’re high in number, and that they’re often adequate for the quenching of thirsts.  It’s a reflection of current trends no doubt, though I’m not sure how many individual examples I would be interested in, personally.  After all, the number of IPAs on the list is even higher – a statistic that’s particularly fitting, well, at least for myself.  (And I’m sure I’m not alone.)

Not to delve too deeply into the melodramatic and start crying in our beer, but maybe we should also touch on the fact that somehow, this year’s Microfestivus feels like some sort of official cap on the last several months of brewery news for the area as well.  After all, we’ve welcomed Deschutes and Ballast Point to the valley, and without a doubt the lines at both of these brewery’s tents will likely be among the longest.  Come to think of it, such a sight would perhaps be the most fitting to be witnessed at the festival – two nationally known craft breweries, which the area courted and landed, serving up beer from their booths, all the while in the shadow of such classic downtown Roanoke spots like Lucky Restaurant, the former Kirk Ave Music Hall (now The Spot On Kirk), and Martin’s.

Unless you can’t tell, I’m a sucker for all things downtown Roanoke.  So yes, I admit loving the fact that Roanoke’s craft beer festival will be bordered by the buildings that make up the center of the city.  Crazily, I’ll also admit that if it wasn’t 95 degrees on the day of Microfestivus, somehow, it just wouldn’t be the same.  And of course, I’ll gladly admit that I’m proud my hometown landed Deschutes and Ballast Point, even if I don’t quite shed any tears into my beer over it.  

No, the only thing that might make me that happy is the sight of a cheesy and a bowl with at the end of the afternoon.

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What this is not is a shameless plug for my own beer.  You can be assured of that since I don’t actually brew beer myself, instead letting others do all the hard work and then (shamelessly, I promise you) reaping all the benefits.  One person I’ve been lucky enough to do this with is my friend Trevor Doyle.  From a plastic cup filled with Pale Ale while “tailgating” in a parking lot to a Berliner Weisse on the back deck of one of our homes, I’ve learned to never pass up a chance to try one of Trevor’s beers, as good as they are.  So this is most definitely a plug for Trevors’ beers instead.  And it comes well deserved and absolutely shamelessly.  It also comes as a recommendation of sorts which most anyone in Roanoke can act upon, because soon, Trevor – with a little help from his friend Bryan at Big Lick Brewing – is bringing one of his recipes to the taps at Big Lick, possibly as soon as this weekend.

“Strangest Tribe” is a Pale Ale made with Simcoe, Centennial, and Amarillo hops which is then dry hopped with that same line up and comes in at around 5% abv.  The beer also benefits from an addition of oats, offsetting what would be a thinner body from such a lower abv beer.  Borrowing a name from a Pearl Jam song, as many of Trevor’s beers do, Strangest Tribe should come across with plenty juicy hop character from the  Amarillo and Simcoe, both of which are known for their citrusy qualities.  Amarillo often pushes up an orangey, somewhat grapefruity aroma, and while some like to pigeonhole Simcoe for largely pine like notes, for me, beers using the hop also blast forth a grapefruit like, citrusy aroma as well.

But when it comes to trying Trevors’ beers, especially in his company, it’s not all about the beer.  If you happen to know Trevor, you are well aware that he not only has the ability to make good beer, but he comes with more than a few stories to tell and even more (often sharply pointed) opinions on a wide range of topics, which include, of course, the different circumstances by which to enjoy good beer.  I remember he once mentioned how he appreciates a person who can simply enjoy having a beer without spending fifteen minutes dissecting it down to its individual molecules.  I believe the description was, “He’s just a guy you can grab a beer with”.  I appreciate the same thing.  I’m looking forward to trying Strangest Tribe, and hopefully I’ll run into Trevor down at Big Lick while doing so.  After all, Trevor has always been “one of those guys” you can definitely just grab a beer with.  Perhaps being that way somehow affects the care he takes in making his beer, and is why, like many of the others I’ve tasted, Strangest Tribe will be great as well.

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According to the Facebook page for today’s “Big Lick – For the Love of The Brew” beer festival, there will be beer available for tasting from Oregon’s Deschutes Brewing, who of course announced this week that it will be locating its East coast brewing facility in Roanoke.  Considering the beers that were being handed out at Tuesday’s press conference, most likely appearing will be the brewery’s Mirror Pond Pale Ale and their well known Black Butte Porter, both flagship type releases for Deschutes.  I’ve been fortunate enough to have had the brewery’s Black Butte on a few occasions, so here’s a quick run down in case you haven’t had it before, and were curious:

Deschutes’ Black Butte Porter:  Body, body, body.  Don’t get me wrong, it isn’t a ‘heavy’ beer by any means of course.  And yes, perhaps most porters are a little thinner than most might expect from their appearance, let’s say compared to your average stout.  But that’s not to say that they always have to be watery thin, as so many breweries’ flagship Porters are, and that’s where Black Butte, for me, wins major points.  With aroma and tasting notes of fresh brewed coffee, roasted grains, and a slight hop bitterness that whips around at the end, Black Butte’s body is what elevates it from an solid, well made beer to an exceptional one.  Silky smooth with just enough weight to appease as a sipping sort of beer, Deschutes’ porter stands out, similarly to Founders’ Porter, over most others you’re likely to find out there.

Apparently, the Governor himself particularly loves this beer, after having tasted it during the courtship Virginia had with Deschutes, I have to admit I wholeheartedly agree.

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