It is a good thing to be so close to Floyd, Va. I’ve been writing that for months now. The beautiful rural county whose downtown turns into a mecca of good tunes every Friday night, hosts one of the best music festivals in the country each summer, and boasts a couple of truly amazing restaurants has these and several other reasons for area residents to be thankful for. But nearby beer lovers will quickly point out another reason, that there is a darn good brewery there too. For us, it remains a sturdy reason to be proud we live so close by, and has been since Shooting Creek opened in 2004. But within the last few days there have been a couple of big, brand-spanking new reasons to get excited. There is a recently overhauled website – but I’m talking bigger. How so? Ok, we’re talking about a brewery here, so I’ve got three words for you – New – Beer – Release.
I had begun to get a little excited when the website went live sometime between Thursday night and Friday. Along with the new design and updated graphics was a curious little block of information on the home page that promoted a Shooting Creek “Blue Ridge Better Bitter”. Saying not much more than that, I was reluctant to mention anything on the blog officially. Maybe a release date was weeks or months off, who knew. That was, of course, until I walked into a store a few hours ago here in Roanoke and actually saw it sitting on the shelf. (A six pack of it now sits in my fridge, awaiting an evening tasting session.) I sent an email to the guys at Shooting Creek this morning, looking for a bit more information, but in lieu of that, I’ll take a shot at a style description and hope I’m somewhere in the vicinity of the Shooting Creek interpretation. In its most traditional definition, “Bitters” are similar to pale ales. The accompanying history lesson goes something like this. When beer begun to turn towards a clearer look in late 18th century Britain, the resulting “Pale Ales” were not only clearer, but also were much more noticeably hopped than the darker porters of the time. Due to the more highly detectable hops, the beers were sometimes described as “Bitters” by the general public. So “Pale Ale” and “Bitter”, at least in those days, became practically synonymous – one being more of an actual style description, the other an adjective that took hold among the consumer. Today, a Bitter is a distinct style, or sub style of English Pale Ales, and generally refers to a paler, decently to well hopped ale. Shooting Creek’s Better Bitter may also actually lean more towards the ESB (Extra Special Bitter) style as well – which, simply put, is a Bitter whose overall flavors may a bit more assertive, although are still expected to be well balanced. ESBs are typically a bit higher in alcohol content than the typical English Bitter.
Yes, Floyd gives us Friday night Jamboree’s at The Floyd Country Store, the outdoor markets, Sun Music Hall, and Oddfella’s Cantina (which features Shooting Creek beers by the way). But yet another bright spot for Floyd County, especially for the beer lover, is Shooting Creek Brewery. Their beers have already garnered a feeling of appreciation among the beer lovers in the area. With the revamped website, one new beer already showing up in stock in the area that I’m sure won’t disappoint, and appearances at Roanoke’s Microfestivus this August, this promises to be an interesting summer for the brewery – and a time to feel darn good that they’re so nearby.
What would you say to the term “Beer Carnival”? Sounds curious and impressive, and at the least, a good time, doesn’t it. Bring together nearly eighty breweries, each with as many as six beers to sample from, hold it underneath two enormous circus like tents on an island squeezed between the natural beauty of the James River on one side and downtown Richmond towering as a backdrop on the other, and the word “carnival”, with its implied large scale proportions and unembarrassed spectacle of over the top, sheer fun, seemed to fit the World Beer Festival, held in Richmond this past Saturday. I admit, the thought “how could a few hours of beer tastings held in downtown Richmond possibly not be a success” crossed my mind prior to the festival, but I had no idea to what extent it would be. It was part social event, part beer lover’s paradise, a bit of a party, but all a blast. For the All About Beer Magazine staff who put together these World Beer Festivals (two have already occurred earlier in the year, with one still to go in the fall) that the turnout at the first Richmond version was reason enough to assure that – as Publisher Daniel Bradford put in a post Monday on the magazine’s website – “next year’s return engagement is a guarantee”.
at were my taste buds’ big wins from the event? There are simply far too many to list here, but names that jump right to memory include Firestone Walker’s Union Jack IPA, Full Sail’s IPA, Terrapin’s Rye Pale Ale, Blue Point’s Hoptical Illusion IPA, Boulder Brewing’s Cold Hop, and basically all the Legend brews. Heavy Seas’ Smoke On The Water Imperial Smoked Porter was a delicious and delicate yet rich malt experience with just a hint of smoke, and the appearance of Sierra Nevada’s Southern Hemisphere ale, with its fresh hop flavor and super balance between malt and hop, was more than a pleasant surprise at their booth. Two Belgian Strong Dark Ales, Unibroue’s Maudite, and Dupont’s Moinette Brune, I reluctantly admit I had also not had before the festival – both are outstanding and complex, and for me, feature some of the dark fruit, dark bread, and spice like flavors that first started getting me interested in good beer to begin with.
Needless to say, I’m planning on attending next year’s event in Richmond already. For those of you beer curious types who didn’t make it, I’d do the same. There are certain events that you come away from and perhaps feel just a bit spent from, but oh so pleasantly so. As in, “wow, that was completely worth it”, all the while grinning from the memory of the experience. From the fun of the event to the fulfillment of having satisfied one’s taste for good beer, from meeting some truly interesting people doing what they enjoy to gaining a bit more understanding of what one is seeking in good beer as well, festivals such as these are well worth making it a stop along anyone’s beer road. Besides, how could anyone turn down anything being described as a beer carnival?
If you’ve read any posts on this blog at all, you know I always try my best to keep up with the local and regional breweries and their “goings on”. So, under that department, Floyd County’s Shooting Creek Brewery will be at Sinkland Farms in Riner, Va today, pouring tastings of their Red Tractor altbier, Rebel Ale, and Wildflower Wheat. In looking at the Sinkland Farms’ 
So you say you’re beer curious – or even if you just think it – and looking for a way to try a bunch of good beer this weekend and you live in Virginia? Ok, time to listen up. This Saturday, All About Beer Magazine will host its third of four World Beer Festivals for 2010 in Richmond, Va. The event will be held on Brown’s Island, located in the James River near downtown, and a couple weeks ago, the beer line up was finally announced. Nearly eighty breweries are on the list – (do I have your curiosity yet?) – and you can take a look at them 
The Beer Road 