If you weren’t really into American craft beer all that much but had been checking into some of the twitter conversations surrounding it this past week, at least in the mid Atlantic states, you might’ve thought you had somehow lost your way. As the twitter hashtag “#sexchoc” began popping up over and over, you might have started to think you had gotten more than a little off topic, or had somehow begun following a fan group for late eighties Eddie Murphy movies, but I assure you, you were still in the right place. All the buzz, of course, was about Foothills Brewing’s annual release of their chocolate stout Sexual Chocolate. If you were lucky enough to get a taste of this limited release beer, I’m sure you agreed it was well worth the wait. (Randy Watson approves as well.)
Along with the tweets, there were release parties and events, and stories of folks who travelled quite a ways to get a taste of the once a year brew. In areas the it didn’t make it to, I’m sure plenty of beer related conversations this week at least touched upon its reputed taste, aroma, or the fabulous looking head a freshly poured one exhibits. This type of commotion, of course, is not unheard of when it comes to these kinds of beers. Now, American craft beer is a jungle full of interesting, delicious, and excellent brews. But as any jungle explorer worth his fedora will tell you, there are a few handfuls that tend to gain the kind of king of the jungle respect that gets you your own release party. What separates them? Think big. No, bigger. Ok, bigger still. Sure, being released on an annual basis for limited runs may help a beer’s notoriety, but typically these kinds of brews have been imbued with much bigger than typical flavors, which often means more (or more costly) ingredients, which in turn, helps explain a once a year release and a higher than average price. So while you think “big”, think also…intense, and complex. With some of the most notable, let your mind wander to descriptive terms like mind blowing. Some of these beers, you’ll remember when you first had them, and where.
Now, not all are quite this epic, and of course opinions vary on which ones to include on the red carpet list. There are also many others that seem to come close to earning such excitement. These brews have their own, smaller packs of groupies, are available readily, but still feature some pretty intense, much bigger than average flavors. This weekend, here in Roanoke, we’re lucky to have representatives from both “categories” around town, on tap, and are all well worth checking out. Be wary though, a couple of these are definitely hop forward. So if you’re a self appointed hop head, you’ve skipped to the list below, have your coat on, and are headed for the door. But if you are still skeptical of hops and how much tongue and face twisting they’ll do to you, you might tend to stay away from these particular animal’s cages. Then again, perhaps today’s the day your curiosity gets the best of you, and you earn your very own fedora.
LOCATIONS, BEERS:
BLUE 5 RESTAURANT: Happy hour yesterday found the crew at Blue 5 tapping a small barrel of Foothills Sexual Chocolate. How long it’ll last is anybody’s guess. From the Foothills website: “A cocoa infused Imperial Stout…big chocolate aroma with notes of espresso, blackstrap molasses, dark sweet toffee and dark fruit…smooth dark chocolate backbone (taste) with notes of coffee, dark toffee, and dark fruit”.
Tonight however, Blue 5 will apparently be tapping some of Avery Brewing’s (CO) amazingly complex Imperial/Double IPA “Maharaja”. This is good example of a “big” time beer, and personally, I recall where I was and what I was doing the first time I tasted it. It features an intense collection of what Avery refers to as “vibrant” and “pungent” hop flavors, grapefruity over most others, but is balanced out with an “insane” amount of malt. There are tons of good beers out there, few that make you have one of those “wow…this…this is beer?” moments. For me, this is one of them.
LUCKY RESTAURANT: Right now, Lucky has one of my favorite all time beers, Oskar Blues’ G’Knight Imperial Red Ale. This one is also pretty well balanced out between a generous amount of caramel sweetness from the malt and a bunch of what hop heads love to call (and the brewery as well) “sticky”, or resin like hop flavors, making you want to smack your lips to it’s grapefruity, tropical fruit like flavor. The two sides battle it out in this beer which is big on both, a hop lovers delight, and for those not certain on hops, a good beer to test your resolve with.
LOCAL ROOTS RESTAURANT: Local Roots continues to have another of my personal favorites, Breckenridge Brewery’s “Small Batch” 471 Double India Pale Ale. Here’s still another hop heavy beer whose malt sweetness matches up well to the hop flavors and bitterness, but with the hop side of things taking the lead. Grapefruit and orange, pithy tastes and a definite warming effect from the alcohol are all here, along with a mid-heavy body.
There was no instantaneous moment of inspiration, scribbled hastily down on the nearest available napkin. No, there might not have been any moment of exclamatory revelation, followed by a night spent writing down page after page of plans or rough blueprints. Instead, a subtle but lasting impression was more likely made, somewhere softly in his memory, for future use. Among the warm environment of family and friends, Will Landry was helping celebrate his great aunt and uncle’s 50th wedding anniversary in the Roebuck Restaurant and Inn which the couple ran, located in the beautiful and picturesque English countryside. An appreciation of English session ales, such as the Boddington’s he celebrated the evening with, threaded its way through the joyful evening, and as it often happens with good times among family and friends, things seemed to simply fit hand in hand.
It wasn’t Landry’s only fond recollection involving the comfort of a pub and good beer. Another part of the family lived nearby, in a village just large enough for one pub, the Four Alls. In places such as these, low alcohol “session” beers, a term which originated in England, were the norm. These were not ales that run you over in an hour or less. These are true pub ales – ones that allow for meeting up with friends or family, sitting down, and sharing stories over an entire evening, and then, as Landry remembers quite specifically, making your way home safely. Experiences such as this were, and always are, as much about the time spent around those who know you best and the comfort such a presence and time brings, as the beer.
Still in the final planning stages, there is no doubt “Barley and Chops”, keeps Landry’s thoughts busy these days. But it was the love of good beer, and moreover, freshly produced beer and plenty of different styles of it, that was at the forefront of Landry’s thoughts on a recent evening. “First and foremost you can’t beat fresh beer and there is really no better way than to drink a fresh beer at a brewpub.” While some of his first beers may have indeed included those two BrewDo winners, Landry promises plenty of variety at Barley and Chops. Both his training with the American Brewer’s Guild – Landry is well on his way to finishing his Craft Brewer Apprenticeship – and his own wide ranging interest in different beer styles may factor into this, but he knows variety is what ultimately drives craft beer interest among fans. It’s also what he considers his brewpub may add to the area – the ability for a regular visitor to the to ask that classic question “What’s new on tap?” and hear that indeed, something has changed since last visit.
While the exact location of the brewpub is yet to be finalized – a couple of Roanoke area locations are in the running – the intent is clear. It resonates within Landry’s words. “I think the bottom line is we want everyone to leave feeling like they had an experience. A wow moment, if you will, with the beer, or the food or the pairing of both.” As he speaks, I think back to the memories of his great aunt and uncles’ Inn, the Dungeon Ghyll, or the Four Alls. They are locations of warm recollections, for many reasons in Landry’s life, yet are universal as well. We all remember places and times such as the ones Landry recalls – places where fine beer, good food, and a comfortable environment for you and those who know you well instantly create stories of times spent together. After years of remembering these locations and recalling their own stories, Landry is now creating Barley and Chops, a place to showcase his own beer recipes and to pair them with great food. But stopping at that description simply feels a bit too academic, and leaves perhaps the most important feature out. Because as you listen to Landry share those stories, it’s clear that Barley and Chops won’t just be his own brewpub. Without a doubt, it will become his very own setting for new, lifelong memories for him and his patrons, created over a good cold beer and among those who know you best.
Last weekend, the Star City’s beer curious were introduced to Blue 5’s new tap system, allowing the downtown restaurant to begin serving no fewer than 46 draft beers, the great majority of them craft, microbrewed beers. At the same time, another downtown restaurant, Lucky, added a certain seasonally released beer that creates about the same anticipation when it’s released each year as if some legendary rock band has just announced a reunion tour and the tickets are going on sale tomorrow morning.
tap line up as well, so pick your gps destination, downtown or Grandin Village. Either way, do not miss a chance to have this beer if you’re curious about the many different styles of beer out there, and the vast flavors which come from beer’s basic ingredients or the ones brewers sometimes add to a beer to even further the tasting experience, which is exactly what this particular beer is – it is not simply a fine example of American craft brewing, and certainly not just another good coffee infused stout. It is the type of beer that you probably will remember the first time you had it – take it from me, I do.
Updated February 1st (Last paragraph)
This weekend, Blue 5 downtown debuted their new tap system which is allowing them to put no fewer than 46, yes, forty six beers on draft. The list is pretty impressive. A few of the inaugural beers are personal India Pale Ale favorites Union Jack from Firestone Walker Brewing and Big Eye IPA from Ballast Point, and Founders Brewing’s Centennial IPA. Leaning towards something less hoppy? If you’re on the fence between something with both good malt character and hops, something a bit more balanced, North Coast’s Red Seal Ale has made a long overdue reappearance in the Star City, and Speakeasy’s Prohibition Ale is alongside as well. Looking for something crisp to remind you of warmer days? Try Germany’s Reissdorf Kolsch, or the American craft brewed Lagunitas Pilsner. Curious of the endless mystery that is Belgian style ales? There’s Allagash’s Black, a strong Belgian Dark Ale – and if I remember correctly, the first beer to sell out at Roanoke’s annual beer festival a couple years ago – and Ommegang’s Gnomegang, a Strong Pale Ale, to sip on and enjoy.
That’s because craft beer fans across the country practically build their calendars around the annual releases of a few highly acclaimed but only annually produced brews. It’s a short list that’s good to be on, but one that causes both quite a bit of stir and occasionally some disappointment. Many of these annually produced and touted beers are created in smaller batches, and available on a limited release scale. Live too many states away from a brewery that produces one of these beers, and it’s either road trip time or you’re living vicariously through others. One that is produced and available fairly widely is Founder’s Breakfast Stout. Sure, you were able to pick it up in stores a couple months ago. But have you ever had it on tap? Because right now, and I mean right now, as in rush to go taste it, it probably won’t last long, it’s on draft at Lucky.
The Beer Road 