Smartmouth Brewing Company (Norfolk Va.)

    Norfolk now has to make room for two local breweries. Smartmouth brewing got off the ground in November of 2012. The principal owner, porter, left his career in law to get more serious with his hobby of home brewing. He is extremely modest about his experience making beer but has a good sense in what a brewery and tasting room should look like. The tasting room is contemporary simple and industrial. Smartmouth already has a line of merchandise including t-shirts, hats, magnets, and growlers. They even offer an aluminum insulated growler with flip top. The core beer line up includes a IPA, an amber, and a saison. These beers have found several on premise homes in Norfolk, as the big chalk board at the tasting room shows over 40 taps in the market. 

  

      The location of this new brewery is convenient to those leaving work in the city or heading out from the ODU campus. The parking was very limited and the seating situation the weekend before Christmas was sparse. There didn't appear to be room for music, outdoor seating or a food truck. It has been these things that have grown Hardywood into the place to be, on a mild winter or cool summer evening. I also would like to see more variety in what they brew. All of the beers they currently produce are known for the hop flavor. I just saw today where they are producing a porter for January. I'll get back down there sometime I'm sure.

Brrr Seasonal Ale (Widmer Bros. Brewing)

     Craft beer has become the most interesting part of the adult beverage business, and this snowball began in the late 70's and early 80's. Jimmy Carter passed a law allowing home brewing and the innovation that began in basements led to small breweries across the U.S. Breweries like Anchor Steam, Widmer Brothers, Redhook, and Sierra Nevada got into the game as pioneers. Each brewery was known for one type of beer that they really knocked out of the park. Sierra Nevada essentially invented the American style pale ale, Redhook killed it with the E.S.B., and Widmer began the American wheat beer. These breweries have carried on with what they do well for forty years but to stay relevant today they have brought new beers to market.

    All I have ever known from Widmer is the hefewiezen and the drifter pale ale. This year they have had a seasonal in the market, the brrr. Brrr is a 7.2% ABV warmer that starts with hop nose and spicy first impression but this beer finishes sweet and mellow. I appreciate they took a chance on a red ale. I would definitely say it is a step in the right direction but it's not what is going to get this brewery back on the map.
   Maybe the rotating series of IPA's will do it. IPA's have remained to top selling craft beer category, and with over 40 varieties of hops in existence the possibilities are endless. Widmer has also released a reserve series of big bottles that include some darker porters and stouts. It is important that they get a knock out drinkable beer that the masses can enjoy to draw people back to the widmer name. They have been beaten down on price, so you can pick up widmer for less than what most premium craft beers cost.
    So please check out the beers and changing landscape at Widmer Brothers, they have come all the way from Washington state. Check them out online or follow them on facebook at widmerbrothers.com

Quad (Legend Brewing Company)

     Since senate bill 604 has past it has become massively easier for brewers to get out of the basement and onto the shelves at your local store or on tap at your corner bar. We have gotten a new brewery at a rate of about one a month in the state of Virginia. There are now over ten breweries with in two hours of Richmond. Legend brewing began in the basement of a building in south side in 1994. Before there was a full scale restaurant and deck there was a small sampling bar. Legend has waived fair well to Richbrau and enjoyed being the only beer of Richmond for a short while. Legend has built a reputation around providing a huge portfolio of beers, 6 year round beers and around 20 rotating small release beers that are highly anticipated. They have remained very relevant in today's craft beer market.

     The Quad is a Belgian style very strong ale that is nearly 11% ABV. It has a very floral note which hides the boozy flavor you would normally get with a beer this high in alcohol. I would really suggest that you enjoy this beer out of a glass with a round shape like the one in the picture. This shape will help get the bouquet of the beer in your nose and the extra surface of the glass against your hand will slowly warm the beer to optimum temperature for tasting. This is a beer that is probably drank and a colder temperature than intended by the brewer desired for optimum flavor, much like brandy in a snifter.
     Also this time of year Legend is offering their chocolate porter which is the most anticipated seasonal offering crafted this time of year. I have had good success unloading cases of the rich porter but usually only get one opportunity to order it before it is all gone. If you live here in Richmond and will be traveling for the holiday, pick up some of these limited creations to share with family. I would even suggest buying a couple of Quads and putting them away to compare against next years batch.
    Legend has done a great job ingraining itself in the fiber of Richmond as a unique local for great experience and taste. They are working on spreading distribution to adjacent states which should sustain their growth for years to come. I always encourage that everyone get out to the brewery, surround yourself in this process that makes the beer so much more real. Check out what events and things upcoming at www.legendbrewing.com

Jewbelation 16 (Schmaltz Brewing Company)

    I am dead set on trying everything that catches my eye this winter. I saw this beer on a shelf at the wine shop and felt compelled to get it due to all the press I feel I have been exposed to over the past two years. The price was in line with all of the other 22oz beers in the specialty section so whatever. I went to check in with this beer on untapped and was shocked by the reported 16% ABV. I was sure this wasn't right and upon further investigation my eyes were opened to how crazy this beer is. It is the 16th anniversary ale crafted by Schmaltz Brewing Company, made with 16 hops and 16 malts. So if you do the math Schmaltz brewing has been around since 1996 brewing the Hebrew brands of beers, and in 2007 the began the Coney Island line of freaky ales.

   This beer was very strong in flavor. When I get a beer that is this complex I like spread out my tastings, and I needed the help finishing this bomb. The flavor was sweet, fruity, and semi boozy. I would recommend picking up two of these if it is in the budget and lagering one until next year. So how far can this idea of the big beer go? In my travels, people are always concerned with the body of beer, and the ability to have more than one. Beers of this weight should be poured in smaller servings, maybe 6 or 8 ounce pours in a glass that allows it to breath. Slow do and enjoy the big ones, they are hard to get and probably better served closer to room temperature. I get a kick out of the journey of nursing a big beer over an hour sometimes.

   The brewers at Schmaltz have a great sense of adventure and provide beers for like minded people. Their website isn't flashy and they have very little merchandise. In the market their beers jump out at you with their sense of whimsy and humor. I have to warn you that the actual beer may punch you in the stomach. So pick one up, and head on over to www.shmaltzbrewing.com.

After nearly a year, it still taste like burning!

Beer abroad (Las Vegas)

    I would have thought a place with such a reputation for hospitality would have about whatever you're hearts desire. I left Vegas hoping to do my own drinking made easy episode. I was looking for the beer centric bars and breweries. I found two great beer bars, and one fun "brewery".
    First I landed at Aces & Ales, a beer bar featured on drinking made easy. It is a dark beer bar off the strip, a vision of some old rocker. They had affordable flights. You got six 4oz servings of beer with a pretty awesome jalepeno Mac and cheese for 19$. I tried to reach out to an employee who seemed to be the bar manager who insisted this was as good as it got. Hmmmm moving on.
    Then I discovered Sin City Brewing, which has 3 bars on the strip. It was like a beer bar at the mall. Some people just get a pint then keep moving. The bartender was bubbly and knew a little about beer. It turns out this brewery uses the Gordon Biersh brewery to make it's beer. Turns out the owner worked for Gordon Biersh for 20 years. Sin City make session beers that are pretty easy drinking.
    Finally, I cried enough to gimp our way to Todd English P.U.B. This upscale pub would put capital ale house out of business. They had 4 draft tables and 24 taps of local and regional favorites. The bartenders were cool and the beer was pricy. They had a before and after dinner happy hou, half price drafts. I loved this place and yes most of the beers I had came in the goblet.

Friendship Brew (Green Flash/ St-Feuillien)

    It is late October and free time will soon be taken by the leaves. I have a lot of trees and every fall it becomes a battle. A battle between the trees and my ability to think about how to best get them up without spending every waking moment beside a rake.
   We recently had a very in depth meeting about Belgian beers and the goose island rendition of these beers. As I was raking/blowing leaves this past Saturday I was fantasizing about being a Belgian farmer working hard to support the house hold. I was getting really thirsty, thirsty for some liquid nutrition.
    Belgian beers are the gutter punk of beers. Their real attitude is fucken ferment, whatever, it's boiled, it's sterile, it's better than this piss water. There has recently been some new personalities who have published articles about the benefits of drinking beer to regain mineral, vitamin, and water loss due to physical activity. This is old news to the Belgian farmer, keep running and drinking yuppie (old news).
    I don't really know much about the two breweries who got friendly on this brew. I have had friends who have suggested that I try the hop bombs that put green flash on the map. St-Feuillien is a Belgian brewery that has been around for almost 1000 years. The subtle adjustment of yeast over the years that this brewery has been around is responsible for the incredible flavor. San Diego based Green Flash brewery is best known for their "west coast" IPA's and hop bombs. This brewery is not afraid to produce beers that will assault your palate and have been know to put their own spin on Belgian classics.
     I shared this beer with a true friend in the company of good family. I really appreciate how awesome that they are and they allow my family to meld into theirs and use their kitchen as a backdrop for my low rotation blog. Luck is coming our way folks and we know just what to drink when we can celebrate.

Burbon DIPA (Hardywood Park Craft Brewery)

          This remote post was experienced at the Lakeside Rockers MC clubhouse. I did not realize all the dodo splatters on the refrigerator in the picture but lets proceed. I bought a three pack of these Bourbon DIPA's over a month ago and have been itching to crack one open ever since. Sure I could have drank one by myself in my cave of solitude, but I really enjoy sharing the experience of big beers like this one. We have drank waaaay to much Busch, bud, and loose cannon in this garage recently. Bring out the glassware.

        Hardywood has released two of their barrel series this year, the Bourbon Cru and now this Bourbon DIPA. I believed I have heard they will be doing a Bourbon Gingerbread stout. I really liked the fresh Bourbon Cru but I had a sneaky suspicion that it would age well. I have two 750's left from that series and after drinking a two month old Bourbon DIPA, I am sure they are aging well. The fresh versions of this series taste very similar and Bourbon heavy, the flavor was very subdued even after two months. I suggest storing corked and caged big bottles on their side for aging so that the cork doesn't dry out.

       I get a bit ridiculous about my big bottle beers. I buy something that I have been sold as special and I hold onto it. I have a Brooklyn Black Ops from this time last year that I have been saving. Originally there were two. My friend Robert bought the other one then held it hostage. We drank it when we got his scooter running. Why hold onto these beers so long? special occasion, or a holiday, maybe it is that I want to share it with someone who will appreciate the complexity? I am thinking I will take this to Thanksgiving this year, or maybe wait until the dutch year 10 trip in January, but those guys don't really appreciate big beers.    

     There is a group in Richmond that does a beer dig in March every year. I wish I had enough friends who would get into it. You go buy good beers, live yeasty bold beers and bury them in the ground for a year. The following year you mostly dig them up and let people discover them one by one and enjoy the fruits of your patience. I met the guy who does Richmond beer dig, maybe I should just get in with his peeps.

Harvest Ale (Goose Island Brewing Company)

       I have been waiting for the opportunity to sell this beer for almost two months. I was excited to get a new line of seasonal beers and the summer Kolsh was a let down. I bought this six pack knowing nothing about what type of beer it was. I was caught by the orange and yellow fall marketing cues, and couldn't resist. I was expecting a amber or brown, but as it turns out this is an amber extra special beer. It was so hop bite to it, but it is forgiving. A friend of mine nailed it right on the head, it is a good transition beer just like fall.
        I am not looking forward to the leaves in my yard. I am looking forward to all the Oktoberfest celebrations, not to mention we are trying to have a party at my house. There are plans to take the children to the pumpkin patch, and there is a lot of twiggy and snoop a loops I have to burn in my fire pit. I feel like I need to take my hoodies to the dry cleaners to get them ready for the season. I will admit that I am hugely sad that it appears I won't get to look forward to opening day of hockey season.
       Fall beers are a tough act to follow, but I promise when the winter seasonal begin I will do my best to try to find some winners. Goose island has Mild Winter coming out in November, which is a brown ale with hints of toffee and raisins. I definitely will follow this brand for the year and you should too at their website www.gooseisland.com
     

Headwaters (VIctory Brewing Company)

               Evelyn has been to more breweries than most people that I know. In a single weekend she went to two, one of which being the grand opening. She has a real critical opinion for the feel of these breweries and their events. Seen here at Hardywood Park, clearly this was a spot that made her feel at ease.
            Victory brewing company was a beer we inherited from the purchase of Legendary distributing. I remember being excited about how many beers they carried and how deep their merchandising went for as new as I though they were. Working on their second brewery in PA., Victory has stayed true to their portfolio and the last new beer they have release is this Headwaters. Why did they bring out another IPA? Well, aside from the fall seasonals, IPAs are the top grossing trend in the beer business. It has become almost a frustrating thing for beer snobs alike. Victory already has hop devil, and hop wallop. They do these beers right why not? So where does Headwaters measure up amongst the other IPAs? It is the smoother more balance choice, more session able. Hop devil and Hop Wallop are IPAs of the hop bomb variety, very spicy. This style of beer is one of the flavor of the month problems with selling beer. This isn't a beer you can sample and turn people onto, it isn't great with pairing. Some people have an "all IPAs taste the same attitude" and I have had my share. You will hear people talk about mouth feel when sampling beer, and IPAs are definitely measurable by mouth feel. Sometimes a hoppy beer can feel fuzzy or over carbonated in your mouth. They are often described as being piny or citrusy. I prefer the piny with a clean mouth feel.

           Resist prohibition, and drinking yellow fuzzy beer. Support your local breweries and try everything you can get your hands on. Some breweries get complacent with their line of beers and don't provide anything to talk about. Lets start planning a weekend trip to go to PA and visit this brewery, like them on facebook and keep your ear open to possible collaborations. Check them out online at www.victorybeer.com.

Tasting room opening (James River Brewing Company)

James River Brewing Co. opened there doors to the public Sept. 1st 2012. It was a lot further away than I first thought. We took route 6 (Patterson Ave.) out of Richmond until it quit in downtown Scottsville. After out return trip we discovered there really is no quick way to get to Scottsville, so take route 6. If you ride a motorcycle or have a convertible take route 6, and make sure you pee before you leave the house because it takes about an hour and a half to get there from Richmond. Route 6 did have a couple small winery's on the way out, which leads me to believe this ride could become home to many more like 151 in Charlottesville. Scottsville is two blocks of old buildings. Take a left off route 6 and you run over the river's bend, turn right and the brewery is at the end of the street on the right. Aside from the beautiful river bend in the back drop it is like every sleepy small southern town you see when you are doing some back country route driving.


Sandbar, and the Pilot 1

               The brewery provided several beers for as new as they are to having an open sampling room. We did a flight of the core four beers that they produce which was six dollars, very reasonable. We tried the river walker, rock island red, sandbar and the pilot one. I enjoyed the rock island red, an Irish red that had a rich mouth feel and a hearty finish. My guest stunt drinker, eat your heart out McKenna, enjoyed the Pilot 1 brown ale. Compared to Legend's brown ale, the pilot one was lighter in flavor. The other two beers in the flight were American wheat and an ESB. So, the Green Eyed Lady, yes we tried it. I'm not sure that I could try a full glass. For those of you who don't know, JRB had a little fun with the IPA but infusing it with the salty pistachio flavor. The oil from the nut almost completely killed the carbonation in the ale. The beer even appears to have a light green hue. I think this would be a good real ale, or cask conditioned beer.

          The tasting room was definitely awe inspiring, and local breweries need to take note. The local craftsman in this small town really came together and created a turn of the century tavern feel. They had rough cut timbres, bar tops, and counter tops of raw wood with the bark still in tact. While sampling our flights every beer had the same essence which I though may have been from the freshly finished smell of the bar and all it's wood working embellishments. It was cute watching the bar trying to keep the glasses for the flights clean and helping every customer. I am not sure how much beer serving the staff had done but I can wait. It was very nice seeing the community come together in support of this new business. It wasn't your typical beer nerd turn out for this opening.

                Around back of this 100 year old building it smells like horses. There is hay on the ground and some fresh cut cedar planks on hay bales for seating. A small trickling creek, with snakes and fish, is drowned out with the mountain sounds of banjo, guitar, and mandolin. Live blue grass music always makes beer taste better. It was a small venue, probably only capable of entertaining around a hundred guest. I'm sure they can figure out the logistics of having bigger and better events. I believe the total package is marketable and should do well if the community stays supportive. With patience and some more financial backing this could definitely be a great destination for a weekend trip. The setting is romantic and the backdrop of the river is beautiful. The small town on the train tracks captures the history and heritage of Virginia. It really is right up my alley, and if you like simple living, you will agree. There is something special about Scottsville and James River Brewing is and will be a part of it. Check them out online at  http://www.jamesriverbrewing.com/

Now if you don't mind, we have to get back to our family weekend, have a great labor day!

Boxcar Pumpkin Porter (Starrhill Brewing Company)

                 Hello from Virginia craft beer month and what a whirl wind it has been. I have scheduled 6 samplings this month that have proven to be more than I can handle. I am getting it done, barely. I have worked 18 days straight with no day off and I have worked two samplings with another one tomorrow. I am excited about the one tomorrow, there should be a good mix of college kids and yuppies. I worked this sampling with a good friend of mine and we killed it. It is the most beer I have sold since I have begun this sampling experiment. Boxcar Pumpkin porter was a big winner tonight, and so was I. I escaped with four of them babies back to the mansion. 

                 Starrhill released boxcar last year and it was an interesting player in the pumpkin beer category. It isn't an extreme nutmeg and cinnamon disaster like some of the southern tier, dogfish head, or loose cannon liquid pumpkin pies. This unique porter based seasonal beer, is a subtle pumpkin flavor with some smokey notes. Thank you Mark Thompson for this gift of great beer. If you are scared of dark beers this maybe your training wheels. If you are wondering what makes a porter so dark, it is the dark roasted malt. If you imagine roasting a grain to the point it is almost black, it's going to taste like burning. OK, well maybe like coffee or dark nuts.

                  Speaking of dark nuts, Mark S. Thompson started his brewery in the walking mall in Charlottesville before the walking mall was even cool. The brewery could even be said to be a big part of the development of that area. A couple of years ago he moved the brewery into an old delmonte canning plan by the train tracks in Crozet Virginia. They make some wild beers that I suggest you pick up if you see them like smoke out or cryptical. So if you are out this fall pick up some boxcar or head up to Crozet to check out what Starhill has goings on. Check them out online at www.starrhill.com 

Dark Hollow (Blue Mountain Brewery)

            I'd rather be in some dark hollow where the sun don't ever shine. Then to be at home alone and knowin' that you're gone. Would cause me to lose my mind. Well blow your whistle freight train carry me far on down the track. Well I'm going away, I'm leaving today. . I'm goin', but I ain't comin' back. I'd rather be in some dark hollow where the sun don't ever shine.
Then to be in some big city, in a small room, with you upon my mind. Well I'm going away, I'm leaving today.
I'm goin' but I ain't comin' back.
           I was in Total Beverage here in the fine city of Richmond and the name smacked me in the face. Dark Hollow is one of my favorite grateful dead songs. It is part of my camping play list. They had a display of these singles right in the front of the store, and it worked. You see folks, that is my job to place things in parts of my accounts that get the mind working, until you realize you neeed it.
            This dark delicious is a Bourbon barrel aged imperial stout from Blue Mountain brewery, weighing in at 10% ABV. I like the way the brewery stamps the year on the cork in the bottle in case you are one of those self control drinkers that can have beer sitting around for years. I am not, bought today drank tonight with a hot dog dinner. I will form my opinion of this beer and if I think It maybe better later, I'll go buy another. I don't believe that I will be though. I'm not sure if it was my poor pairing or if this is just a nasty beer but for the money I wouldn't suggest this beer. It isn't alcohol heavy in taste, and it doesn't have a roasted or coffee taste. The after taste is almost fishy. I'm drinking it slowly hoping that my palette will come around. The brewery says they age the beer in barrels that are practically dripping with Bourbon, and I think that maybe the case. The Bourbon flavor clashes too much with the stout giving an off flavor. Most beers for lagering or storing, taste sugar heavy, so this one wouldn't really be a candidate.

Pepe Nero (Goose Island Brewing Company)

           So I had one of those weekends where I usually wind up and wendy's too many times or at a friends house eating his wife's cooking. That is right, I was left to fend for myself and I did so well not spending money, then I went searching for a reward.

          I found this four pack of Pepe Nero at Once Upon a Vine north. I went with the intention of getting something fall seasonal then I settled on this. There was a lot of hype surrouding this brewery and I haven't have the one that knocked my socks off yet. To be fair, I have had two of Goose Islands wheat selections, which I am not a fan of wheat beers anyways.

         Goose Island advertises as being Chicago's craft beer. They produce a thurough line of beers and have a very unique barrel aging program. Like clipper city they have three degrees or levels of beer and this Pepe Nero is one of the their most serious. Nero is a farmhouse beer, and it has a velvety mouth feel with some subtle spice, that comes from the peppercorns. 

           I know very little about this brewery and their website is but so informative. What I have experienced so far is an attention to detail and commitment to providing unique beer. So go check for yourself, see what kind info you can turn up at www.gooseisland.com   

Land Ho! Black Pilsner style Lager (A Collaboration)

I have to admit it collaborations are always exciting ventures to feed the flavor of the week craft beer crowd. Stone, Dogfish head and Victory brewing have done a series of collaborations they are still making to this day. I was hoping for something a little risky or maybe something that was more flavor intense, but that's not what I got. What I got out of Heavy Seas in Baltimore and Devil's Backbone from right here in VA, was what could be described as an apparent blended beer? It has some of the subtle complexities of the DB Vienna Lager but it has that mouth feel like a Heavy Seas Peg Leg.

My previous post had my rant about the Heavy Seas brewery and what it means to me and so on. Now Devil's Backbone is a "taste the local" brand distributed my yours truly, and it has been an exciting partnership. I have been to the brewery twice and my 64oz growler came from there. When Haley and I got married we used a gift certificate to the Homestead that I had won at work, which was a real bore. While heading to the next stop, a bed and breakfast outside of Charolettesville, we made a slight detour to this brewery for lunch. As a huge fan of the area the drive captured my imagination and once we got to the brewery, pictured on this bottle, I fell in love. It was the first part of our honeymoon where we could actually relax, we tried all their beers. One of the best things this brewery has going for it is the venue itself.

Devil's Backbone has won several awards for their different brews. You can find their Vienna Lager, one of their most decorated beers, their 8 point IPA and their rotating seasonal in bars and specialty shops all over town.

And of course check out and support both breweries at:

http://dbbrewingcompany.com/

http://www.hsbeer.com/

Deviant Dale's IPA (Oskar Blue Brewing)

IPA's have been two major flavor profiles, they can either be piney and clean or citrusy and in your face. My personal preference is to have that piney oily smell without all the bite and nasty after taste, although I do enjoy the after burps of an IPA. Now this beer has been highly anticipated by . . . . Me. When I first saw a four pack on store shelves the 15$ price tag threw me a little. So earlier today I went to Once Upon a Vine north and picked up a bottle for my buddy Dan and I later on this weekend and I spotted it, a single can. $3.49 for a single 16oz can of Deviant Dale's. The packaging is sexy, it has two of my favorite colors, but is it really a worthy new product for a an incredibly established brewer? I'm not so sure. As previously blogged about Oskar Blues Gubna is still to this day one of the finest IPA's I have ever tasted. I bring the glass to my lips and the first sniff is as to be expected, piney and exciting. The beer hits my lips and that familiar acidic burn becomes relevant. I swallow, and the burn remains, there is nothing there that I haven't experienced before. The lingering flavor of burning remains. Damn Ralph Wiggum, It sure does "feels like burning". It is definitely a different hop flavor.

Oskar Blue Brewing is from Lyons Colorado. If you have never been to the area but in the community they say there is nothing to do but snowboard or drink beer while waiting for it to snow. It is a rich beer community which is why oskar blues was one of the first craft brewers to can, the superior package for preservation. They have also run with the environmentally conscious marketing, at their website you can find biking jersey's and merch for your pup. It is all this that helps me identify with this brewery, unfortunately lots of other breweries are cashing in on this marketing angle, IE. fuck fat tire. Oops, so surf of over and check them out soon at www.oskarblues.com.

Plank II, Dopplebock style lager (Heavy Seas)

Baltimore holds a space in my heart. About a month or so before I got married some friends and I went there for a gentleman's weekend. The only thing on my agenda was to visit the Heavy Seas brewery and to check out some local watering holes. I have since been back to the brewery with work and have fallen in love with the scene that Heavy Seas has created in Baltimore. What man doesn't like pirate themes and hometown beers. The brewery isn't as much of a destination as say a Devil's Backbone or even a Hardywood park. It is in an industrial park and there is no where within a few miles to grab a bite to eat. They have in the past year opened a brew pub but I have yet to go there.

Heavy Seas releases there beers in three series, the clipper fleet, the pyrate fleet and the mutiny fleet. The clipper fleet is your standard portfolio of styles, a golden, a pale, a lager, a marzen and a summer ale. The next step up is the pyrate fleet which are beers of higher alcohol content or a little extra process in production. This series has IPA, black IPA, pilsner, stout, saison, double IPA. Richmonders are in love with the IPA's from this line. Loose cannon tap markers can be found all over town, and black cannon the black IPA is a highly anticipated beer every year. Then the mutiny fleet are 22's of flavor, that are released with every season and holiday change but what I am drinking this evening is the second installment of their plank series.

Although barrel aging has become all the craze with craft breweries, heavy seas has chosen to circumvent the pain of securing and storing the barrels. Instead they carefully select planks of different woods to age in whatever style of beer they chose. The Plank I was an old english ale and now the Plank II is a dopplebock style lager, and a dark one at that. I have chosen to smoke a cigar with this beer so I cannot give you idea of the nose, but it has velvety mouth feel that goes well with a cigar. I appreciate that this run doesn't have the heavy residual sugars like the first one. At 10 dollars for a 22oz bottle I probably will not be purchasing another, and I am not sure lagering this beer would enhance the flavor. I like this periodic series and look forward to new offerings.

http://hsbeer.com/beer/plank2/

Be on the look out for Land Ho! a collaboration between heavy seas and virginia's very own Devil's Backbone.