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Posts Tagged ‘Founders Brewing Company’

Cap City Oktoberfest 2012

Posted by BoaBeerBlog on October 23, 2012

It had been three years since I last attended the Capitol City Brewing Company‘s Mid-Atlantic Oktoberfest. Since 2009, unfortunate conflicts had kept me away from my favorite Oktoberfest celebration of the year. So it was great to be back in the cozy confines of Shirlington Village on October 6 for the 13th edition of the annual street festival.

We set up four chairs in the heart of the festival — at the main intersection and beside the stage — where we enjoyed the live authentic German Alpine music and dancing from Liab’ und Schneid. The spot also happened to be the perfect central launch-point for the 100+ beer and food tents!

With more than 100 different beers from 75 breweries, there was a lot of brew to choose from. And with thousands of people sampling beer at the festival (or still looking for parking), the sampling strategy called for finding the tent with the shortest line. Actually, the crowd wasn’t that bad, unless you were waiting in line for the porta-potty.

I was hunting for fall seasonals and IPAs, and was quite successful. I sampled:

  • Pumking, Southern Tier Brewing Company, Lakewood, NY
  • Tumbler Autumn Brown Ale, Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, Chico, CA
  • Little Sumpin’ Wild, Lagunitas Brewing Company, Petaluma, CA
  • Golden Cap Saison, New Holland Brewing Company, Holland, MI
  • Harvest Ale, Brewery Ommegang, Cooperstown, NY
  • Cherry Bourbon, Lost Rhino Brewing Company, Ashburn, VA
  • Lot No3 IPA, Evolution Craft Brewing Company, Salisbury, MD
  • 8 Point IPA, Devils Backbone Brewing Company, Roseland, VA
  • Centennial IPA, Founders Brewing Company, Grand Rapids, MI
  • Monumental IPA, Port City Brewing Company, Alexandria, VA
  • Hop Hog IPA, Lancaster Brewing Company, Lancaster, PA
  • Full Nelson Pale Ale, Blue Mountain Brewery, Afton, VA

Favorite fall seasonal: Pumking, an Imperial Pumpkin Ale.

Favorite IPA: To close to call – all five were excellent!

Best of the rest: Little Sumpin’ Wild, 8.7% ABV and full of flavor.

We spent a fun couple of hours at the festival, and with so many breweries and beers to try, we could have made it an all-day event. But the kids were ready to head home, not long after we met up with their cousins and Uncle Rich at the festival. So we all went back to my place to sample from my current stock of bottles and the six-pack of New Belgium’s Red Hoptober that Rick brought along.

Posted in Fall Beers, Festivals | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Bridge (2011 Trip to St. Louis, Part 3)

Posted by BoaBeerBlog on November 29, 2011

A panoramic view of some of the beer taps at Bridge (click for larger image)

I’m recounting my visit to St. Louis for the 2011 ASAE Annual Meeting & Exposition — part 3 of my trip report is about my visit to Bridge.

After a day of attending meeting sessions, I was ready for a beer. I enjoyed my earlier visits to Square One Brewery and Morgan Street Brewery, but I wanted expand my sampling beyond a single brewpub and try a variety of Midwest brew. I found the perfect spot to do that at Bridge.

My colleague Todd and I escaped America’s Center and the meeting crowd and walked a few blocks over to Bridge, “a unique tap house and wine bar.”

Not only does Bridge offer 55 regional beers on tap, but they also pour 4 oz, 12 oz, and 24 oz servings — the 4 oz pours are perfect for sampling a beer without committing to a full glass.  After grabbing seats at the bar and scanning the well-organized beer menu, Todd and I were quickly served a five-beer flight from the knowledgeable and attentive barkeep (and then another).

My beer flights included:

  • Hisbiscus Wit, a witbier brewed with hibiscus flowers from Egypt, from 2nd Shift Brewing, New Haven, Missouri.
  • Unicorn Killer, a strong Saison brewed with pink peppercorn (7.8%), also from 2nd Shift Brewing.
  • St. Louis IPA, a delicious Double IPA (8.5%, 100 IBUs), from Urban Chestnut Brewing Company, St. Louis, Missouri.
  • Bären Weiss, a refreshing summer Wheat beer, also from Urban Chestnut.
  • Centennial Rye, an American Wheat beer brewed with rye malt and Centennial hops, from Six Row Brewing Company, St. Louis, Missouri.
  • Hoptimistic IPA, an excellent IPA (6.5%), from Charleville Vineyard & Microbrewery, Ste. Genevieve, Missouri.
  • Ale Mucho Hoppo, a Double IPA described by the brewery as “Hop headed and heavy handed with 100 IBU. This Luchador is not known for subtleness. In fact, it’s Ale Mucho. Aggressively hopped with Chinook, Columbus, Tomahawk and Zeus (9.0%).” Also from from Charleville Microbrewery.
  • Bailey’s Chocolate Bar, a Chocolate Ale specially brewed for Bridge’s sister restaurant, which is called Bailey’s Chocolate Bar. Brewed by O’Fallon Brewery, O’Fallon, Missouri.
  • Pecan Brown Ale, a nutty English Brown Ale brewed with pecans, from Ferguson Brewing Company, Ferguson, Missouri.
  • Blushing Monk, listed on the beer menu with an ABV of 12.3%, this Belgian Raspberry Ale was strong and memorable…a “you have to see it to believe it” brew from Founders Brewing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Of the 10 beers I sampled, 9 were from Missouri, and I loved everything I tried. There is so much more to the Missouri beer scene than Anheuser-Busch!

Bridge has an up-scale feel without any pretentiousness, which is not easy to pull off. It’s self-confident but totally approachable, with an easy-going charm. The beer selection alone is enough to plan a return visit, but the friendly vibe and service really make Bridge a standout beer bar – a must-visit while in St. Louis.

Posted in Beer Bar, Beer Travels | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments »

2010 Northern Virginia Summer Brewfest

Posted by BoaBeerBlog on July 19, 2010

Northern Virginia Summer Brewfest

I spent Saturday, June 26 volunteering at the Northern Virginia Summer Brewfest in Leesburg, Virginia.  Here’s a quick recap of the fest and my beer sampling list.

The brewfest was open from 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., and I was assigned to pour beer on the second shift from 3:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.  More than 50 breweries sent beer for the festival, but they can’t all send reps to serve their beer to the masses that attend. That’s where the volunteers come in – we serve the beers on behalf of the breweries and the distributors. For a craft beer enthusiast, the brewfest volunteer experience is unrivaled; it’s an entire day of talking about and sampling great beer!  I’ve worked about a dozen brewfests and each one has been an awesome experience.

After checking in my hotel and taking a cab to the fest, I had time to sample a few beers before my shift began.  A little before 3:00, I checked in at the volunteer tent, where our beer captain told us to select the tent we wanted to man.  I picked Allagash, which was offering their White and Black.  Like a good beer pourer, I took some time to get to know the beers I was serving before I started working. Of course I already knew about the White, the best-brewed Belgian Wit in the U.S. But I wasn’t too familiar with the Black, a Belgian-style Stout. I’m familiar with it now, and it is highly recommended, just like all of the Allagash beers!

At the request of one of the fest patrons, I also served a Black and White – a Belgian version of the Black and Tan. The Black layered nicely atop the White for a beautiful presentation and interesting flavor. Word got around, and I served several more Black and White blends for people who requested it. I’m not sure if Allagash founder and head brewer Rob Tod would appreciate me blending and serving his beers this way, but I certainly didn’t force it on anyone.

Allagash was a popular spot and we were pouring non-stop, but I also found time to sample many beers.  My fellow volunteers and I took turns pouring beer while the others meandered and sampled.

The day’s end came too quickly – it always does at a brewfest.  All told, I sampled 25 beers from 19 breweries. Below I’ve noted my favorites followed by the complete list of beers sampled.

2010 NoVa BrewfestBest Beers

In addition to the awesome Allagash beers, a few beers stood out:

  • Berliner Weisse beers – Several of the brewers offered this sour German-style beer, which was a perfect thirst-quencher on a 90-degree summer day. Tip of the hat to Dogfish Head, Bell’s, and Vintage 50.
  • Stone Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale – One of my favorites of the day. An incredibly complex and delicious beer that’s not to be taken lightly at 8.7% ABV and 90 IBUs. You have to taste it to believe it. Sort of like the Black and White.
  • Yeti Imperial Stout from Great Divide Brewing Company – This strong stout (9.5%) was just steps away from the Allagash taps, so I had my fill. Yeti is a beer to be savored, but that didn’t stop a few beer drinkers from chugging tasting glasses of Yeti towards the end of the night, in order to use up their beer tickets before the taps were cut off.

I’d also give a nod to the beers from Stoudts, 21st Amendment Brewery, and Founders Brewing Company.

Final Tally: 25 beers samples from 19 breweries

Complete List of Beers Sampled

21st Amendment Brewery (CA)

  • Hell or High Watermelon Wheat Beer

28 North Custom Beer Works (VA)

  • Pacific Pils

Allagash Brewing Company (ME)

  • White
  • Black (Belgian Stout)

Avery Brewing Company (CO)

  • White Rascal (Belgian White)

Bell’s Brewery (MI)

  • Oarsman Ale (Berliner Weisse)

Bluegrass Brewing Company (KY)

  • Jefferson’s Reserve Bourbon Barrel Stout
  • American Pale Ale

Clipper City Brewing Company (MD)

  • Red Sky at Night (Saison, 8%)

Dogfish Head Craft Brewery (DE)

  • Festina Peche (Berliner Weisse fermented peaches)

Firestone Walker Brewing Company (CA)

  • Nectar IPA (6.7%)
  • Red Nectar (American Amber)

Founders Brewing Company (MI)

  • Red’s Rye PA (a red IPA brewed with rye malt, 6.6%, 70 IBUs)

Great Divide Brewing Company (CO)

  • Yeti Imperial Stout (9.5%, 75 IBUs)

Green Flash Brewing Company (CA)

  • West Coast IPA (7%, 95 IBUs)

Lagunitas Brewing Company (CA)

  • IPA
  • Lucky 13 (a large Red Ale, 8.3%)

New Holland Brewing Company (MI)

  • Golden Cap (Saison)

North Coast Brewing Company (CA)

  • Red Seal Ale

Shmaltz Brewing Company (NY)

  • Coney Island Mermaid Pilsner

Stone Brewing Company (CA)

  • Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale (8.7%, 90 IBUs)

Stoudts Brewing Company (PA)

  • Pils
  • Fat Dog Stout (Oatmeal Stout, 9%)

Vintage 50 (VA)

  • Check Point Charlie Sour Wheat (Berliner Weisse)
  • Point of Rocks Pale Ale

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Posted in Festivals, Summer Beers | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Why is There Beer? Tasting at the Brickskeller

Posted by BoaBeerBlog on November 9, 2009

I attended the first ever “Why is There Beer?” Tasting at the Brickskeller on October 27 with my brother-in-law Rich.  It was another outstanding beer tasting!  The event featured a panel of five local beer experts:

  • Bob Tupper – host, brewer of Tupper’s Hop Pocket Ale, and beer historian
  • Greg Kitsock – Washington Post beer writer and Editor of Mid Atlantic Brewing News
  • Larry Robinson – of Chevy Chase Liquors, one of the best beer stores in the region
  • Bill Catron – Distributor and Knight of the Belgian Brewers
  • Dave Alexander – owner-operator of the Brickskeller, the best beer bar in the region

Each panelist selected two beers for the tasting menu, which consisted of:

  • Grozet Gooseberry and Wheat Ale, Williams Brothers Brewing Company, Scotland
  • Rodenbach Ale, Brouwerij Rodenbach, Belgium – a Flanders Red Ale (sour ale), with notes of dark cherry
  • St. Louis Gueuze Fond Tradition, Brouwerij Van Honsebrouck, Belgium – a Lambic, another sour beer even better that the Rodenbach
  • Harvest Wet Hop Ale, Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, Chico, California (6.7%) – smooth hop flavor, one of my favorites of the tasting
  • Wild Devil, Victory Brewing Company, Downington, Pennsylvania (6.8%) – Hop Devil Ale subjected to ‘wild’ Brett yeast fermentation
  • Old Foghorn Ale, Anchor Brewing Company, San Francisco, California (8.8%) – an American style Barleywine circa 1997.
  • Thomas Hardy’s Ale, OHanlons, England (11.7%) – another Barleywine, this one vintage 2005
  • Burton Baton, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, Milton, Delaware (10%) – a blend of oak-aged English Strong Ale and 90 Minute IPA
  • Stone Sublimely Self Righteous Ale, Stone Brewing Company, San Diego, California (8.7%) – an unusually dark hoppy IPA
  • Breakfast Stout, Founders Brewing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan (8.3%) – a delicious Imperial Stout with a strong coffee profile.

I enjoyed learning about sour beers, drinking the aged Barleywines, and the offerings from two of my favorite breweries, Dogfish Head and Stone.  I also got a chance to talk to Greg Kitsock and I let him know how much I enjoyed his beer column in Wednesday’s Washington Post.

What a line-up of beers! And I also enjoyed Flying Dog Double Dog before the tasting started (an Imperial IPA from Frederick, Maryland).

Posted in Beer Bar, Beer Tasting | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments »

Cap City Oktoberfest

Posted by BoaBeerBlog on October 12, 2009

Cap City 2

Enjoying the sights and sounds of the 2009 Cap City Oktoberfest

Our favorite Oktoberfest of the year is the Capitol City Brewing Company Mid-Atlantic Oktoberfest.  The tenth annual Oktoberfest was held this year on October 3, 2009.  Beth, the kids and I met Rich and my niece Elizabeth in Shirlington for the German beer festival that we look forward to every year.

I did a little research and according to my beer database, 2009 is the sixth consecutive year I’ve attended the festival, and seventh time overall.  As I describe on the About the Boa Beer Blog web page, my database has an 18-month hole right after the twins were born, so I figure I’ve actually been eight or nine times in the ten-year history of the festival.

Why do we like this festival so much?  We like the German music and dancers, German food, street-party atmosphere, and the…beer!  There are always a lot of great beers to try from a lot of different brewers, and this year may have offered the best line-up yet.  My kids like this festival because there is a toy store in Shirlington.  We stop in between beer samples with the kids and find something to keep them entertained – this year it was Playmobil.

Back to the beer…I sampled:

  • Maierfest Lager, Rogue Brewery, Newport, OR
  • Harvest Ale, Southern Tier Brewing Company, Lakewood, NY
  • 10th Anniversary Saison, Rock Bottom, Bethesda, MD
  • Organic Trippel, Capital City Brewing Company, Arlington, VA (8.5%)
  • 8 Point IPA, Devil’s Backbone Brewing Company, Roseland, VA
  • Ichabod, New Holland Brewing Company, Holland, MI (Pumpkin Ale)
  • Red’s Rye PA, Founders Brewing Company, Grand Rapids, MI
  • Interlude, Allagash Brewing Company, Portland, ME (Belgian style ale, 9.5%)
  • Weizenbock, District Chophouse, Washington, DC
  • Back in Black IPA, 21st Amendment Brewery, San Francisco, CA
  • The Kaiser Imperial Oktoberfest, Avery Brewing, Boulder, CO
  • Eye of the Hawk, Mendocino Brewing Company, Hopland, CA (American Strong Ale, 8%)

The best beer of the festival was Interlude, from one of my favorite breweries, Allagash.  Read the description on the Allagash web site to learn about this incredible beer.  What an amazing beer to have at a beer festival.

Another standout was Back in Black IPA from 21st Amendment Brewery, which was a unique black IPA.  I also enjoyed The Kaiser, a strong imperial Oktoberfest from Avery.

I’m intrigued by Devil’s Backbone, one of the newer Virginia breweries.  And I really need to get to the District Chophouse – while I’ve tried many of their beers at festivals, I’ve never been to the brewery restaurant.

All told, there was not one disappointment out of the 12 beers I sampled – quite a beer festival!

Posted in Festivals, Oktoberfest | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

2009 Northern Virginia Summer Brewfest

Posted by BoaBeerBlog on July 3, 2009

Northern Virginia Summer Brewfest

Northern Virginia Summer Brewfest

What a festival!  I spent Saturday, June 27 at the Northern Virginia Summer Brewfest at at Morven Park in Leesburg, Virginia.  I was there for a total of nine hours, from 10:30 a.m. until 8:00 p.m., and enjoyed every minute of it.  The recap:

On Saturday morning, I drove straight to the Comfort Suites, where I had a room for the night.  I got a ride on the hotel shuttle bus over to Morven Park and arrived around 10:30, after a painful round-about trip that I don’t care to revisit.   I worked as a volunteer from 10:30-3:30 and was initially assigned to the Sierra Nevada booth.  The tent was already staffed by two reps from the local distributor and the local brewery rep, Chris.  Chris was friendly and knew a lot about beer, and I enjoyed talking to him about Sierra Nevada brews.  I told Chris how much I liked Celebration Ale (one of my top ten favorite beers), and he told me that Sierra Nevada had just released Kellerweiss, a hefeweizen.

Sierra Nevada Beer Tent

Sierra Nevada Beer Tent

I was thrilled with the volunteer assignment.  We had four taps:  Pale Ale, Summerfest, Big Foot barleywine, and Yuengling Bock.  That’s right, I said Yuengling – the distributor reps commandeered one of the taps to push one of their beers.  The good news was that when one of the Sierra kegs kicked, it would be replaced by Southern Hemisphere Harvest Ale!

Like a good beer pourer, I was amply educated about the beers I was serving before the first customers arrived when the gates opened at 11:00.  I knew I had to pace myself, but I really liked the Big Foot even though I’ve never been a big fan of barleywines.  I will buy a six pack of Big Foot in the future.  Chris said it’s a great beer to cellar.

The Sierra tent was right beside Hook and Ladder Brewing Company, and I got a chance to chat with the President and CEO of the brewery, Matt Fleischer and his wife Sarah, who happen to be my Kensington neighbors.  Hook and Ladder is based in Silver Spring, Maryland, and they have plans to transform an old Silver Spring firehouse into a brewpub.  It didn’t sound like the brewpub would be opening anytime soon, unfortunately.

Kona Beer Tent

Boa at the Kona Beer Tent

Before long, I had been reassigned to another beer tent that only had one volunteer – the Kona Brewing Company.  My fellow volunteer and I took turns pouring samples while the other got food, drank beer, and hit the porta-potty.  Kona was offering its Longboard Island Lager and Wailua Wheat Ale, which was brewed with passion fruit.  I enjoyed plenty of both beers while working the Kona tent.

The day was flying by, and I was surprised when the second shift came on duty at 3:30 to relieve me.  I really like working the taps at festivals and talking to people about the beer I’m serving, but it was time to switch roles and become a beer sampler (as if I hadn’t sampled enough already!).

Beth and the kids showed up about that time, and I pointed Beth to the beers she liked the most.  I had made plenty of friends in the morning – fellow volunteers who were more than willing to quench the thirst of a fellow volunteer – so I had quite my fill in the afternoon.  The whole family enjoyed the fair food and live music, and there were enough kids activities to keep Emily and Benjamin happy.  The best part was a ride to the hotel was just a phone call away!

I finally called for the hotel shuttle bus after 33 beer samples from 21 breweries.  As I said, what a festival!  My list of beers sampled, along with some special notes, are included below.


Complete List of Beers Sampled

21st Amendment Brewery (CA)

Brewfest Kids Activities

Brewfest Kids Activities

  • Hell or High Watermelon Wheat Beer

Allagash Brewing Company (ME)

  • Curieux (Barrel Aged Tripel, 10.5%)
  • White

Blue and Gray Brewing Company (VA)

  • Fred Red Ale

Boulder Beer Company (CO)

  • Hazed & Infused (IPA)
  • Flashback Anniversary Ale (India Brown Ale, 6.9%)

Clipper City Brewing Company (MD)

  • Red Sky at Night (Saison, 8%)
  • Oxford Organic Raspberry Wheat

Founders Brewing Company (MI)

  • Centennial IPA (7.2 abv)

Hook & Ladder Brewing Company (MD)

  • Backdraft Brown
  • Golden Ale

Kona Brewing Company (HI)

  • Wailua Wheat Ale (brewed with passion fruit)
  • Longboard Island Lager

Legend Brewing Company (VA)

  • IPA
  • Wheat

Mountaineer Brewing Company (WV)

  • Pale Ale
  • Nut Brown

New Holland Brewing Company (MI)

  • Existential Ale (Barleywine, 10.5%)

Old Dominion Brewing Company (DE)

  • Beach House Golden Pilsner

Oskar Blues Brewing Company (CO)

  • Mama’s Little Yella Pils

Redhook Brewery (NH)

  • Sunrye Summer Ale

Sierra Nevada Brewing Company (CA)

  • Bigfoot Ale (Barleywine, 9.6%)
  • Pale Ale
  • Summerfest
  • Southern Hemisphere Harvest Ale (Fresh Hop IPA, 6.7%)

St. George Brewing Company (VA)

  • Olde Richmond Batch No. 11 (IPA)
  • Tuppers Hop Pocket Ale

Starr Hill Brewing Company (VA)

  • The Love (Wheat)
  • Northern Lights (IPA)

Sweetwater Tavern (VA)

  • Silverado Cream Ale

Troegs Brewing Company (PA)

  • Hopback Amber Ale

Widmer Brothers Brewing (OR)

  • Drifter Pale Ale

Yuengling (PA)

  • Bock Beer

Best Beers
Aside from the Sierra Nevada and Kona beers, which I really enjoyed because I was pouring them, a few beers stood out:

  • Curieux (10.5%)
    From the Allagash Brewery Web Site: To make the Curieux (French for “curious”), we age our Tripel Ale in Jim Beam barrels for 8 weeks in our cellar. During the aging process in bourbon barrels, the beer is totally transformed, and many new flavors and aromas develop. Most notably, the beer picks up soft coconut and vanilla characteristics…and also a hint of bourbon flavor!
  • Existential Ale (10.5%)
    From the New Holland Brewing Company Web Site:  Consider it an extremely hoppy barleywine, or a really big IPA. Either way, ten hop additions contribute to its lush and intriguing body. Aggressive dry-hopping brings a strong citrus character to the aroma. The flavor and smell of orange-blossoms pervade throughout the experience.
  • Tuppers Hop Pocket Ale
    This beer is back!  I had heard that Tupper contracted with St. George Brewing Company to make his beer, and I was thrilled to find Hop Pocket Ale at the St. George tent.

I’d also give a nod to the beers from Hook and Ladder, Boulder Beer Company, and Starr Hill Brewing Company.

Posted in Festivals | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

 
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