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Brew Ridge Trail
Bear Nelson County and neighbors in mind when hunting for good craft beers
By Lee Graves
Interested in some of Virginia’s most scenic views?
Head for the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Interested in some of the state’s most exciting beers?
Head for the Brew Ridge Trail.
Five breweries form an alliance that has made Nelson County and its neighbors a destination for lovers of hearty ales and delicious lagers. From Devils Backbone and Wild Wolf in the shadow of Wintergreen to South Street in the heart of Charlottesville, these breweries have established an identity that is both prestigious and profitable.
EXPANSIONS AND STILL TURNING AWAY CUSTOMERS
“We can’t keep up [with demand],” says Mary Wolf, a former AOL executive who opened Wild Wolf with her son Danny, the head brewer, in October. The brewing operation has gone through several expansions, and a brewpub is expected to open this year. In the meantime, 64-ounce refillable growlers and “howlers” (half-growlers) of five beers (and root beers) are available in the store off state Route 151 in the Rockfish Valley.
Just up the road, Taylor Smack of Blue Mountain Brewery is clearing ground for expansion as well — a 5,000-square-foot addition that will include a beer garden, new bar and tanks for beer storage, new kitchen and bigger bathrooms, all geared to “the customer side of things.”
“We’ve been turning customers away for the past year or two. We just maxed out,” Smack says. The brewery, which opened in 2007, is already cranking out Full Nelson, Evil 8 and other beers at peak capacity.
A BROTHERHOOD AMONG BREWERS
The concept of the Brew Ridge Trail grew out of the camaraderie among Smack and other brewers — Mark Thompson at Starr Hill, Jason Oliver at Devils Backbone and Jacque Landry at South Street. All of their breweries have restaurants except Starr Hill, which has a tasting room open on weekends.
“There’s definitely a feeling of brotherhood among the brewers,” Smack says. He credits Maureen Kelley, director of economic development and tourism for Nelson County, for building on that relationship.
“We saw an opportunity to market them as a group,” Kelley says. “This is an industry of note.”
The beer world has already taken note of the excellence in these brewers’ craft. Amid the mounted trophies of moose, deer and other game on the lodge walls at Devils Backbone, framed certificates and medals from competitions attest to the beers’ quality. (The brewery and Oliver were named champions in the small brewpub category of the 2010 World Beer Cup competition.) The diversity of beers is striking as well, with styles ranging from the malty, amber Vienna Lager to a black-as-midnight and chewy-as-chocolate Dead Bear Imperial Stout.
The adventurous spirit among the brewers led to a joint project, Brew Ridge Trail Collaboration Ale – look for a new batch on tap. It’s a hybrid style, a black IPA, and blends the hoppy bitterness expected of an India Pale Ale with sweet, dark malts to balance the flavor.
The Brew Ridge Trail also includes Albemarle CiderWorks. The Virginia Distillery Co., which features malt whiskies and will be the first single malt whisky distillery in America, and Bold Rock, a hard cidery, are under construction in Nelson County and will eventually be part of the trail. At least one company, Wine Tours of Virginia, offers tours of the breweries.IB
Lee Graves, former beer writer and outdoors editor for the Richmond Times-Dispatch, is senior associate editor for The University of Virginia Magazine.
Brew Ridge Trail
BrewRidgeTrail.com
MEMBER BREWERIES:
1 Albemarle CiderWorks
2545 Rural Ridge Lane,
North Garden
434-297-2326
VintageVirginiaApples.com
2 Blue Mountain Brewery
9519 Critzers Shop Road,
Afton
540-456-8020
BlueMountainBrewery.com
3 Devils Backbone Brewing Co.
200 Mosbys Run,
Roseland
434-361-1001
DBBrewingCompany.com
4 South Street Brewery
106 South St.,
Charlottesville
434-293-6550
SouthStreetBrewery.com
5 Starr Hill Brewery
5391 Three Notched Road,
Crozet
434-823-5671
StarrHill.com
6 Wild Wolf Brewing Co.
2773A Rockfish Valley Highway,
Nellysford
434-361-0088
WildWolfBeer.com
Elsewhere in Virginia
- WINE, CHEESE AND LIVE MUSIC in a picnic setting by a burbling river in the shadow of the Blue Ridge — who could ask for anything more? That will be the attraction when Wintergreen Winery celebrates its 18th anniversary with food and family-oriented fun by the South Fork of the Rockfish River in Nellysford. Light picnic fare will include artisanal cheeses and, of course, an assortment of Wintergreen wines. The celebration is set for Saturday, April 30. For more information, see nelsoncounty.com/calendar/april-2010/.
- ARTS AND CRAFTS — SPECIFICALLY, THE CRAFT OF BREWING — will be showcased in Norfolk at the Virginia Beer Festival. As part of the Virginia Arts Festival, the beer event will feature great ales and lagers from Europe (Guinness, anyone?) and the U.S. (perhaps a frosty Sam Adams?) in a festive atmosphere with live music. The beer festival runs from 2 to 6 p.m. Saturday, May 14, at Town Point Park by the East Branch of the Elizabeth River off Waterside Drive. For more information, see virginiaartsfest.com/2011/festivalsoutdoorevents.php?tc=2
April is Alcohol Awareness Month
Why do older adults suddenly start feeling tipsy after one, two or three drinks when they easily handled even more in their 30s?
“Older adults have less body water and higher body fat than younger adults, so there is literally less fluid in the body to dilute the alcohol, making its effects more potent,” explains Kathleen Karl Shaw, spokeswoman with the Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control. “This, in combination with other physical changes, means older adults need to drink less before driving a car or taking medications that react with alcohol, especially blood pressure medications, painkillers and sedatives [they may] commonly have in their medicine cabinets.”
You can help protect yourself, your aging parents and others during Alcohol Awareness Month and throughout the year. Learn about Virginia’s Alcohol and Aging Awareness Group – 20 public and private organizations that promote education and training on alcohol and medication misuse in older adults.
For more, visit: abc.virginia.gov/Education/olderadults/aging.html or contact the Virginia ABC at
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
or 804-213-4688.
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