The Beer Road

Eavesdrop on enough conversations occurring among a gathering of craft beer fans, and you’re likely to overhear at least a couple history lessons.  (Do this at a beer festival and interestingly, and often hilariously, the history may become a bit more mangled as the day moves along.)  Regardless, tales of times gone by always, of course, pair naturally with beer.  Even the newest craft brewed type of beer, or latest fad in brewing, likely has a root or two in the soil of some old world style and is an interpretation thereof­.  Many times, that story may explain why a particular ingredient is even in beer to begin with, or how a beer “style” got its start.  One often heard lesson revolves around hops, and usually begins with British colonialism and oversea voyages and ends with why every other beer on the shelves at the local beer store is an IPA.  It’s a common story, and understandably so, given the vital role hops play in not just IPAs, but in any beer. It’s still a good one to tell, but most craft curious folks have heard it before.  So much so that upon overhearing it being told – or retold – at any beer related gathering, you’d likely just move on.  A much less familiar story would be about Gruit (or Grut), a practically forgotten beer style using ingredients that were forerunners to hops, and though it might be a very difficult discussion to come across, should you happen to overhear such a tale, consider stopping and listening in.  Sure, the folks telling it likely will still be holding tasting cups full of IPA.  But as far as the story of Gruit goes, likely you haven’t heard it before, and possibly, the craft beer geeks telling it just might trump your own beer geekiness.

Gruit, practically synonymous with the more modern but slightly vague term “ancient ale”, generally refers to a type of beer commonplace during medieval times in which various herbs were used to spice, or perhaps bitter, the beer.  It is common to think of Gruit as a particular style hailing from England or Scotland, in which specific ingredients used were herbs or other flowering plants such as yarrow or heather (basically, a flowering shrub).  Other similar plants were used, with resulting flavors in the beer likely presenting the flavors from them.  True, it’s not likely that most beer drinkers are familiar with the taste of commonly found shrubs, and for some, this might be reason for a little skepticism.  But admit it, some are still getting used to aggressively hopped beers too.  It’s all about the fun in experimenting with different beer styles, a joy that craft brewers provide when recreating such old world beers – even with something such as Gruit.

True, finding craft breweries that attempt to recreate something as medieval as Gruit (pun intended) can be slightly difficult to do, just as it would to come across a conversation about the “style”.  But this weekend, Blue 5 Restaurant takes care of both of those difficulties, as they apparently have put on tap one of Sixpoint Brewing’s (NY) Mad Scientist series – yes, a Gruit beer (or Gruitbier).  The brewery’s website blog refers to original experimentation with the beer being a “mixture made of heather tips, yarrow root, juniper berries and myrtle, resulting in a complex herbal bouquet and a lingering, light bitterness.”  So in case you’re in the mood, as many of us are for something new to taste – and then to talk about – find your way down to Blue 5 this weekend, for a little beer with a side of ancient history.

Just in case the Gruitbier isn’t to your liking, here are some other recent developments in the Roanoke area for new beer on tap, which reads a bit like an invasion from Belgium:

Blue 5 also looks like they’ve put on Avery Brewing’s (CO) “The Reverend”, a Belgian Quadrupel.  Dark Belgian ales, Quads are often sweetish, deeply rich and complex brews.  Also, Abbaye des Rocs Triple Impériale, a Belgian Tripel, and The Breury’s “Mischief”, a Belgian style strong pale ale, have been added.  Local Roots has recently put on Brewery Ommegang’s Three Philosophers, also a standout Quad produced by the New York based brewery.

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Just in time for what looks like will be one beautiful weekend in Roanoke, a couple of IPAs have shown up on tap to assist you in enjoying the warm weather.  Gone from Local Roots Restaurant, unfortunately, is Stone Brewing’s absolutely delicious, drink fresh themed IPA “Enjoy By 05.17.13” but replacing it is another tasty beer from the California brewery.  Stone’s Sublimely Self Righteous went up on tap yesterday.  Whatever you choose to call it, an American Black Ale, Black IPA, Cascadian Ale, just make sure you take advantage of the chance to try it on draft.

Blue 5 has added a limited release IPA from Victory Brewing (PA) called NATO IPA.  Apparently, different parts of the recipe hail from America, Germany, and England – at least that’s what a couple reviews listed on the internet.  The beer is a once a year release at that, and difficult to find much information on.  Good luck finding its listing even on the Victory website!  Regardless, it seems to have been well thought of in previous releases.

Another Victory beer, also a limited release, has snuck onto the beer engine at Billy’s in downtown Roanoke.  Uncle Teddy’s Bitter.  This is a beer not to be missed on cask – more or less, it is the traditional way a beer of this style was meant to be!

Yet another great craft beer weekend in Roanoke is upon us with plenty of new chances to taste some stellar beer!  Cheers!

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**Updated.. as usual, the ticket giveaway didn’t take long.  Thanks to the folks who responded.  I’ll be emailing the winner shortly!**

A couple of years ago, I attended one of All About Beer Magazine’s World Beer Festivals, a series of craft beer festivals held in various cities annually throughout the country.  This one was being held in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina.  The night before the event, over a beer of course, I sat down with the fairly extensive list of participating breweries, and began ticking off which ones I wanted to make sure I didn’t want to miss the next day.  Maybe I hadn’t noticed before, but suddenly I realized that quite a few, nearly half, of the participating breweries were from that particular festival’s home state.   I quickly realized that such a circumstance was very possible when the state in which such a festival was occurring had seen, as North Carolina has, quite a bit of craft brewery growth over the previous several years.  At the time, the state boasted close to 50 craft breweries and brewpubs, and has continued to grow since.  The next day, I happily settled in for an afternoon of beer tasting that deservedly featured some serious home field advantage.

Which brings us to present time and place.  Just over two weeks are left before the 2013 Big Lick Beertopia beer festival, held in nearby Salem, Virginia.  (June 8th, 12-6) While the scope of Beertopia is a bit smaller than one of the World Beer Festivals, I couldn’t help notice that roughly fifteen (counting Green Flash) out of the thirty nine participating breweries are from the state of Virginia.  It’s hardly a majority, and not quite half.  But it’s close to forty percent of the total, which isn’t anything to snub a nose at.  True, there are a wide range of reasons breweries attend festivals.  Some are available at the time of the festival, others are not; some see a benefit to attending, while others may not; for some, it comes down to a simple matter of the cost of attending.  Regardless, I’d like to think that in terms of Virginia’s growth in craft beer interest, and breweries, that roughly forty percent isn’t bad, and is maybe, hopefully, a sign of such growth within our state.

Of course, good beer comes from all corners of our nation, and any craft beer fan will tell you their curiosity isn’t limited to just their home state’s product.  But when the chance to rejoice in a little home based pride comes around, it seems only natural to do so.

Having said that, thebeerroad is giving one lucky reader a chance to do just that.  The first person to respond to a simple question about Salem’s Parkway Brewing, which will be at this year’s festival, will receive one (1) 10 tasting ticket to this year’s Big Lick Beertopia, courtesy of the Roanoke Jaycees who put on this event each year.  Here are the instructions – answer to the question by leaving a comment to this post on the blog (click at the top of this post on “Leave A Comment”).  I’ll notify the winner via email, and it may take until this evening or tomorrow morning for me to get back to you.  Here’s the question – what is the name of Parkway Brewing’s (Salem, VA) Brew Master?  How simple, right?

Thank you again to the Roanoke Jaycees, who put on the festival, for letting me do the ticket giveaway this year.  A great event, and a worthy cause!  Ticket is good for 10 tastings at this year’s festival, as described above.  Admission is still subject to ID Check at the entrance to the event, and for all that attend, please drink responsibly and stay safe!

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I’m just not that interested in the shirt.  This is surprising, even to me, as it would seem right up my alley.  Anyone who sees me on a regular basis will likely tell you that my closet seems to have plenty of beer and beer establishment related propaganda, screen printed on various colors of 50/50 cotton blend.  But the embroidered, bowling style shirt that Jack Brown’s Beer & Burger Joint, Roanoke’s newest spot to check out craft beer, awards its regulars who, over time, drink 100 beers, just hasn’t enticed me to start recording the brews I’ve had there.  At least not yet.  At first, oddly enough, I wasn’t even interested in visiting Jack Brown’s for the beer.

Maybe it was because I was simply missing Ernie’s, the longtime downtown restaurant whose spot Jack Brown’s now occupies.  Not that Jack Brown’s had anything to do with the closing of Ernie’s, of course, although I’d like to point out that I’m still on the hunt for a good potato cake for breakfast.  My skepticism was likely based upon hearing that Jack Brown’s beer list, as lengthy as I heard it would be – over 100 in all – was almost entirely bottle based.  Now, there’s nothing necessarily wrong with a good bottle beer selection, as long as what’s under the cap is fresh.  What I immediately envisioned from the Harrisonburg based company’s new location was an extremely static list.  Every visit would mean staring at the same assortment of beers, and let’s face it, after you’ve been a craft beer lover for a time, it becomes an unfortunate ritual when looking at many a beer list – had it, had it, had it, had it.  And while you might have favorites among those listed, and although those beers are surely worth revisiting from time to time, most craft fans are constantly on the search for something that they haven’t had.  It’s one of the most mind blowing and interesting facets of the American craft beer scene.  New beers fly out of bright tanks faster than you can keep up with these days, at such a rate to make one wonder if “flagship” will someday become an outdated term.

But when it comes to Jack Brown’s and their beer selection, luckily, I now know better.  I stopped in for the first time on a busy Saturday night, and yes, I think I made some crack about them seeing if they can make me a potato cake.  But after entering, Jack Brown’s had stolen my attention away from any thought of potato cakes, and more importantly, any possible disappointment of a static beer list.  Sure, there’s a printed beer list which likely will stay very much the same.  To its credit however, it boasts a widely varied selection.  There are something along the lines of 120 beers on it, from crafts to imports, from Tripels to Double IPAs, Porters to Imperial Reds, and most everything in between.  Still, it’s entirely possible to have covered many of these if you’ve been a craft beer fan for a while.  So it was the other list that really captured my attention.  On one wall hangs a chalkboard, on which were written the names of as many as ten or more beers, from seasonals to one-off releases, including several 22oz bottles perfect for sharing.  Not long after the first visit, Bear Republic’s Black IPA Black Racer was written in.  Recently, four different Belgian ales from Het Anker Brewery showed up, and on another visit, a Mikkeller IPA.  As it turns out, the chalkboard not only fits the extremely casual, low key, ‘bar hidden inside of a country shed feel’, but it’s practical as well, as the beers listed on it change quite often.  Occasionally, it seems that new bottle offerings make it into the coolers before they make it onto the board too – I’ve learned to take a look.  There are also the taps to consider – just four in all, which is hardly record setting.  But Jack Brown’s, like so many craft beer spots that clearly know that adaptability to changing tastes and the constant desire for craft beer fans to try something different from one beer to the next is of the highest importance, employ only small kegs, to give the beers a chance to change over quickly.  In any given week, you’re likely to find a completely different assortment of brews from Monday to Friday, and possibly another in between.  One example came just a couple weeks after opening, when the downtown spot held two different brewery tap takeovers just a couple days apart from each other.

The result of this unexpected commitment to varying their selection has been, well, several unexpected opportunities to try new beer.  Any anxious thoughts about an unchanging, static beer list have given way to evenings such as my fiancé and I had recently when we split that bottle of Black Racer, an excellent IPA of any kind, black or otherwise, or the night we shared the high abv Mikkeller IPA.  What more could most any craft beer fan want, after all, than the chance to try something new, especially when those chances come fairly often, as they do at Jack Brown’s.  For certain, the new downtown restaurant is a welcome addition to Roanoke’s growing list of places to check out craft beer.  As for the shirt, I’m contemplating recording my beers on my next visit – I wonder if I can play catch up.

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