Crooked Run Fermentation’s Oktoberfest

Daylight is starting to dwindle down a little earlier nowadays. There are slightly cooler temperatures in the air of the evenings and long into the night. It’s turning downright cold in some areas and we are starting to see pumpkin spice everything all the time everywhere! Those are some tell-tale signs that fall is right around the corner. With the coming of fall brings one of the most celebrated times in the beer community, Oktoberfest! Breweries across the land will be holding their versions of Oktoberfest starting in September and running through October. Crooked Run Fermentation in Sterling, VA invites you out to their Oktoberfest festival on Saturday, September 25.

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Sinistral Brewing | Draft Favorites

Virginia’s beer market is booming, with big names and new, sprawling establishments. Among those, Sinistral Brewing Company, located in Manassas, VA, really embraces simplicity, though it certainly isn’t dull. Sinistral takes family and community to heart: its location is right near a commuter rail station; they provide a venue to featuring local musicians and they name beers after colleagues’ children, just to give a few examples.

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Starr Hill Brewery | Front Row Golden Ale

Not every beer needs to be a whale or unicorn. The humble fridge beer holds a very important place in the beer drinker’s daily routine. This is a beverage that you can enjoy with a simple home-cooked meal, while mowing the lawn or during a pre-concert tailgate party — to mitigate the need to purchase $12 light beers inside the venue. Starr Hill‘s Front Row is an easy-drinking golden ale that fulfills all of these needs beautifully.
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Mustang Sally Brewing Company | So Little Time IPA

So Little Time IPA is great for lager lovers — It’s a great beer to drink during the transition from summer to fall when many aren’t yet ready for the bold flavors of autumn but do desire more depth.

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Starr Hill Brewery | Resinate Imperial Red IPA

If you have ever had Reviver from Starr Hill Brewery, then you already know that they know their way around a Red IPA. The latest addition to Starr Hill’s limited-run All Access Series is like Reviver dialed up to 11. This beer was brewed to be a sort of big brother to Reviver—a role model, if you will. I got my hands on a few bottles of Starr Hill’s Resinate, and I have to say that I enjoyed it.
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Brothers Craft Brewing | Lil’ Hellion Helles Lager

ABV: 4.6%

The term “little hellion” can only be used endearingly for this brew, from the Harrisonburg-based Virginia brewery. It’s relaxing to drink, harbors a thoughtful approach to the style and is a flagship selection from Brothers Craft Brewing. Read More

Devils Backbone + Mad Fox | Craic Stout

ABV: 4.6% | IBU: 39

Hop-heavy beers, sours, barrel-aged… sometimes, they have nothing compared to a classic Irish dry stout. In the Devils Backbone Virginia Brewers Collaboration Pack, the Craig Stout created with Mad Fox Brewing Company is true to form: relaxing, easy, slightly sweet and a bit fizzy.

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Brewery Showcase | Portner Brewhouse

Featured imaged photo credit: Portner Brewhouse’s facebook page.

Portner Brewhouse is trying to do many, many things: resurrect pre-Prohibition family recipes, encourage local experimentation among homebrewers, serve delicious German food and of course, brew and serve beer.

And prost! They are actually doing it all — and doing it well.

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Starr Hill Brewing Expands, Yet Keeps Focus on Home in Virginia

The largest independent craft brewery in Virginia is expanding swiftly, but doing so with intent. Starr Hill Brewery has doubled its Virginia sales team within the past year, and from July 2015 to now, has increased Virginia sales by 16 percent — and packaging in particular by 20 percent.

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Starr Hill Brewery | Vernal Equinox English IPA

ABV: 6.1 | IBU: 40

For any serious homebrewer, the ultimate dream is for one of their recipes to ultimately reach out to audiences beyond their immediate reach. Starr Hill Brewing, located in Crozet, Virginia, has made that dream a reality when recreating the Vernal Equinox English IPA.

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Starr Hill Brewery | Warm Up Winter Ale

ABV: 6.1% | IBU: 15

If a brewery says its beer pairs well with gouda and snickerdoodle cookies, you know you’re drinking the right thing.

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Holiday Beer Cocktails

It’s about that time everyone. You know what I’m talking about. It’s about that time where you’re going to be snuggled up close and personal with your family for an extended amount of time. And whether you love em’ or could live without em’, a tall, stiff drink does a body (and peace of mind) good! When a cold glass of beer won’t scratch that ugly sweater party itch, enter the beer cocktail as a very important part of your Holiday survival guide!

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Ultimate 6er | Surviving the Snow Days

The snow is falling in parts of the country. While some states have yet to see its first flurries, others got over 20 inches of snow over night this month. Before the snow piles so high we give up and resign ourselves to the couch, filling our days with binge watching Netflix, we’d like to offer a few choices for provisions to stock up on. Better prepared than sober, I say.

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Devils Backbone Brewing Company | Ginger Brau

ABV: 4.8% | IBU: 16

You know when you eat too much turkey at Thanksgiving and you regret it? Or you pour yourself a spicy pumpkin porter and realized it’s exhausting? This doesn’t happen with this beer. ?

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Virginia’s Heritage Brewing to Launch Brewpub & Coffee Roastery

Heritage Brewing Company was started in 2013 via a Kickstarter campaign, so it’s fitting they looked to the same tool to help launch their next big move: An Arlington-based brewpub and coffee roastery, about 30 miles from their home location in Manassas, Virginia.

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BadWolf Brewing Company | Session Brown

ABV: 4.7% | IBU: 29

It’s cliché but sometimes you want a beer that you can drink in the fall while wearing a flannel. Maybe you’re wearing brown boots, maybe you’re sitting on a haystack or maybe you’re just sitting on your back porch on a sunny, somewhat warm afternoon.

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Festival Recap | Old Bust Head Brewing Company Bleu & Brew Festival

September is a tricky month for outdoor beer drinking in Virginia. You pray for a break in the heat, for those fall-like temperatures to appear and bring with them the perfect weather for enjoying a brew or two at your favorite festival. “No more warm beer!” you cry. “Bring me fall!” Sadly, more often than not, you have to get real, accept that for some reason it’s still 90 freaking degrees outside, slap on your sunscreen and roll with it. The second annual Old Bust Head Brewing Company Bleu and Brew Beer and Cheese Festival was held this month on, you guessed it, a steamy, sunny September day! Lucky for us we’ve been blessed with some of the best beer coming out of Virginia, making that late summer heat much more bearable when you have a variety of beer styles at your fingertips. And when you pair local cheeses with local beers? The only heat you end up feeling is from that Smoked Gouda Jalapeño cheese bite sizzling in your mouth!

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Old Bust Head Brewing Co. | English Style Pale Ale

ABV: 5.6% | IBU: 21

Old Bust Head Brewing Co. has appeared on taps throughout bars in my new hometown and because it’s made in Warrenton, which isn’t far from me, I knew I had to give it a shot. At my glorious Harris Teeter, I bought a 6-pack of their English-style pale ale, interested in both the beer but also the beer category itself — I’ve circled around English pale ales, but never dove into the style. Read More

#GoldStarToast Embodies Honor Brewing’s Mission

Nearly every brewery will say that their beer carries a story and that their mission is to do something more for their community. But Honor Brewing Company takes that rhetoric a … Read More

Brewery Showcase | Jack’s Run Brewing

“Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name. And they’re always glad you came.”

Sound familiar? I know, some of you young whippernsappers are probably going uh … … Read More