Musings Over a Pint

Bitter American

2013-06-19T07:59:00.000-04:00

IRS targeting critics of the administration, Benghazi abandonment, eavesdropping on reporters, ATF gun sales, Holder perjury, Solyndra, attacks on the Church ... Oh wait, this post isn't about why alert Americans are angry and bitter, today were talking about another Bitter American, the beer.

So, starting over...

Bitter American from 21st Amendment Brewery pours a cloudy, marmalade color with a frothy white head. The head is persistent and leaves behind a sticky lacing. The beer has a citrus and biscuity malt aroma. Starting out with a pleasing grapefruit citrus, the flavor also brings some fruitiness in the background. The moderately thick mouthfeel is mixed with a tingly carbonation.

21st Amendment Bitter American is very low in alcohol, checking in at just 4.4% ABV. However, that does not mean it's lacking in taste. I found it to be an exceptionally flavorful beer, and the sessionable nature of the beer is a bonus. I cracked one open after an afternoon at the range, while waiting for the grill to heat up for our Father's Day dinner. I took advantage of the low ABV and poured another to accompany the Jalapeño cheese topped burgers. It was a delicious pairing.

Father's Day On The Range

2013-06-18T07:05:00.001-04:00

Colleen and I decided to take a chance on the range crowd to do some Father's Day shooting. I packed up the new clay targets stands and the shotgun, in addition to the pistol gear. We set up the stands and spent about 30 minutes busting clays. Although the stands were an impulse purchase, they proved to be handy, and a lot of fun. They were easy to move around to different places. I think I'll pick up a few more in the future to expand the course of fire.

We went through several boxes of shells before moving over to a now open pistol range. Setting up a couple targets we spent the rest of the time putting holes in cardboard. I didn't really work on any specific drills, it was just fun to be outside and shooting with Colleen. (Okay, I did work a bit on my neglected strong-hand shooting, but that's it. Well, and weak-hand shooting. And a few heads shots. But that's all. The rest was just fun plinking, I swear.) After a few hundred rounds we packed up and headed home, just as it started to rain. Perfect timing.

The rain was short-lived and had stopped by time we got home. Father's Day concluded with opening a couple of good beers and grilling burgers for dinner. Surprised? It was a perfect ending to a fun weekend.

I See A Sticky Phone

2013-06-17T21:18:00.000-04:00

And a lot of spilled beer.

The Salve Jorge Bar in Sao Paolo has altered their beer glasses in an attempt to keep patrons' eyes off their cell phones, and on their friends.

See "Specially Designed Beer Glass Prevents Phone Use In Bars" for more on the "offline glass."

Last Pint Poured

2013-06-17T16:40:00.002-04:00

It was with great shock and sadness that I learned of our friend Greg's passing this weekend. Musings readers know of Greg due to his recent win in the preliminary round of the National Homebrew Competition. I chatted with Greg a couple weeks ago when I dropped off the growler of Lost Rhino New River Pale Ale. Greg was an avid home brewer, who was inspired to get into the craft after enjoying the original release of that beer. He was surprised and excited to have the chance to try it once again. Over the years, Greg became an unabashed hop head, but still appreciated his "roots."

Greg always wore a smile and was a genuinely kind human being. His love for his family and his faith was obvious to all. He was an active volunteer at our parish school and with the community swim team. He was an Army veteran who never lost his drive to serve others. Last weekend, Greg was doing what he loved most, spending time with his son. They were camping, along with another father and son, when he apparently succumbed to a massive heart attack.

Greg leaves behind his son, who just graduated from 8th grade last week, and a loving wife. Words cannot express the sorrow felt at this unexpected loss. Our prayers and condolences go out to his family. I hope all the readers of this blog who are so inclined, will also pray for Greg's eternal peace, and especially for his wife and son as they face this difficult time.

Greg named his home brewery "Hunting Run" after a local waterway, and his many friends were privileged to enjoy the quality beers he brewed and shared. I still have a bottle of a Munich Helles that he sent over just a few weeks ago. Soon I'll open that bottle and raise a special toast to the memory of this fine man. Rest in peace friend.

Father's Day Road Trip

2013-06-16T09:03:00.002-04:00

As an early Fathers' Day celebration, we spent Saturday on the road, taking in local gun shops and local breweries. What else would you expect?

Our first stop was the recently opened Airsoft GI Tactical store in Richmond. Our son frequently participates in air soft games so this stop was ostensibly for him, but I wanted to look around too. No sooner did we walk in the door did I spy an air soft replica of the SIG P226 I use in USPSA competition. Knowing ~~little~~ nothing about these guns, I spent just about the entire visit chatting with the store employee about it. I was sorely tempted when he offered me the chance to try it out in the store's range, but I declined. Next time perhaps.

Next we moved on to the iconic Green Top. I was simply interested in browsing, and also picking up another NEVCO target stand to add to my assemblage. (Like ammo, one can never have too much target paraphernalia.) While looking at the stands, I spied some clay stands, designed to hold clay pigeons for shotgun practice. We typically prop the clays up on tree stumps and other assorted pieces of wood, but these metal holders would add some height and variety. So my family decided a few of those would go along with the other stand for a Father's Day gift. Ties are cliché, shooting accessories make the preferred gifts around here!

That done we headed up the road to Bass Pro Shops. Again, just for more window shopping, but first, food. We decided to eat at the in-store restaurant and I jokingly pointed out the fried alligator appetizer featured there. Except I wasn't joking, I fully intended to order it. (BTW, it doesn't taste like chicken.) The appetizer, along with a tasty oyster po-boy made for a filling lunch.

Browsing through the shooting sports section followed the meal, and then it was time to move on to the beer-focused part of the day. The first stop on this leg was Center of the Universe Brewing in Ashland. There I enjoyed a pint of Ray Ray's Pale Ale. This ale has a fresh, almost green, bitter and citrus hop profile, and was very tasty. Colleen went the malt route with a Main St. Altbier. I took a couple sips from her cup, and could detect the rich malt flavors, but my palate was too tainted from the lingering bitterness of the pale ale to get a proper impression. I enjoyed my beer very much, though I was a bit taken back by the disposable plastic cups being used. Perhaps that's a choice made in deference to the outdoor patio service. We arrived at the brewery just a few minutes after the 3:00PM opening time, and watched the place fill with people quickly. It seems to be a popular Saturday afternoon stop and there was soon a long line for beer. I did pick up a bottle of Homefront IPA to bring home, which will be the subject of a future review.

The final stop on our day trip was Rusty Beaver Brewery in Ladysmith. This micro-brewery opened just this Friday. Located in a strip shopping center, we actually drove right by it twice before realizing where the combination home brew supply shop and brewery was. (GPS guidance is not always that helpful.)

I typically prefer to pick just one or two beers at a new place and enjoy a full-size serving, however I was undecided on what beer to try, so I broke from my usual routine and opted for a flight of all five beers. Of the five, Colleen and I both enjoyed Roy's Big Bad Brown Ale and The Quake Stout the most. The Brown Ale had a subtle chocolate and brown sugar flavor with a mild bitterness. The Stout had a mild espresso flavor. There was nothing extreme about the Rusty Beaver beers, and they were all drinkable. Since we only had small tastes of each, I brought home a growler of the Brown Ale for a more in-depth review in the near future. I spoke to brewer Austin and his plan for the future is to brew larger batches at the nearby family farm, and use the small system at the store front for small batches of special beers. I wish him the best of luck and I look forward to stopping in again.

It was a very enjoyable trip. We at some good food, looked at some firearms, and enjoyed a few new beers. The fun will continue soon at the range with the new target stands, to be followed by even more beer to enjoy. Thanks to my wonderful family for a fun day!

Caffeine Withdrawal Is A Mental Disorder

2013-06-13T08:36:00.001-04:00

Here's another reason why I refuse to give up my other favorite brewed beverage. The American Psychiatric Association has listed caffeine withdrawal as a recognized mental disorder in their Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). A member of the working group that put together that manual says,

We feel that there is enough data to support a caffeine-withdrawal syndrome. There are enough people who go into withdrawal — that if they don’t get caffeine, it becomes a real syndrome and can affect work, sleep, or whatever they need to do. So we’re suggesting that it ‘make the big leagues’ and become part of the DSM to make sure everyone is aware of it.

If you enjoy your morning, and afternoon, and evening, coffee. Keep it up. There are enough crazy people in the world already.

See "Caffeine Withdrawal Is Now a Mental Disorder" for more on the report.

Bar Tabs For Dummies

2013-06-11T07:58:00.000-04:00

Tip #101: When running a bar tab, it's probably not a good idea to use a stolen credit card.

Crime Report: Two Men Run Up Bar Charge With Stolen Credit Card

So these geniuses started a tab, using a pilfered credit card, and sat at the bar while the system tracked them down. No word on their beverage of choice.

Quantico USPSA Match - Gunfire and Cicadas

2013-06-10T08:18:00.000-04:00

It was a tough weekend for practical shooters in the area. I know of two matches that had to be cancelled due to poor range conditions from the heavy rains last week. Fortunately, I had signed up for the Quantico Shooting Club match, which came off as planned. This Sunday's match was a classifier match with 6 USPSA Classification stages, and just one field course.

Two of the stages, "Night Moves" and "El Strong and Weak Pres" required single handed shooting. The latter was especially challenging as the three targets all fanned out from behind a single no-shoot target. Not sure if it's indication of the challenge involved, but by time our squad shot this one, our last stage of the match, the supply box had been emptied of white pasters! And, if there's a lesson to be taken away from the match, it's that I really need to work on my strong hand and weak hand only shooting.

I didn't hit this no-shoot.

The lone field course was a 32 round stage with paper targets and steel plates hidden, quite well in places, among copious walls and vision barriers. Several targets were visible only through narrow openings. Shooting the stage involved a lot of bobbing and leaning back and forth to see all the targets. The final two targets were placed beyond a building and could only be engaged by lining up the shots through openings in opposite walls. Imagine standing on your front porch and shooting through the front window and out the back door. It was a very fun stage to shoot, and I was very happy to keep my plan in mind so as to not miss shooting any targets.

There are targets are back there. Somewhere.

It was a noisy day on the range too. There were busloads of Marines shooting on the next range over, and letting off large barrages of gunfire which drowned out conversations at times. The 17 year Cicada "swarmageddon" was still going quite strong on the base, and their amorous song was a constant presence. They were also frequently found hanging on targets, and people. I even pulled one out of my range bag.

Alas, I never got into a good groove with my shooting and I did not put in a good performance. I think just one of the classifiers will help my percentage. Nonetheless, it was a fun time and I enjoyed the time shooting and chatting with friends. There's always the next match...

More Beer, More Mad Fox

2013-06-08T21:06:00.001-04:00

We spent another Saturday morning in NoVA while our son finished his Life Guard certification classes, so we killed the time doing "beer stuff." First stop, Norm's Beer & Wine in Vienna. I always feel like a kid in a candy store when I'm at this store. So many beers, so many decisions.

Two large boxes of goodies loaded into the car and we were off for lunch at Mad Fox. In a switch from the "big" beers I enjoyed during our visit last week, I opted for "lighter" fare this time. I started off with The Elixir Maibock. This lager pours a dark golden in color with a bready, toasted aroma. The flavor is a rich, sweet malt with toasted and caramel notes. The finish is pleasantly bitter with just a hint of sweetness. I enjoyed it very much, and finished it quickly so I needed to order another beer to accompany my lunch. For that round, I opted to follow our friend Checkered Flag's lead and ordered the Kölsch that he was enjoying. Crisp, citrusy mild hops, with a faint malt sweetness, made a good foil to the spicy meats of "The Mob" pizza I ate for lunch.

Dining with family and close friends who also appreciate good beer is always an advantage as we get to try out more variety through shared sips. Colleen opted for another beer that I had wanted to try, Mason’s Dark Mild. This is a true "session beer" at just 3.3% ABV. Dark in color with a rich roasted coffee aroma, the taste does not disappoint either. It's a flavorful blend of roasted espresso and dark chocolate. Mason's Dark Mild packs a big flavor in an extremely low alcohol beer.

His Life Guard certification complete, I wonder if I can convince the boy to take more classes that require us spending time wandering Northern Virginia. The past two weekends provided a great excuse to visit some new, and old favorite, beer stops!

Now That's Fast Shooting

2013-06-08T06:50:00.001-04:00

A Grand Master duel.

And I was thrilled just to get the gun out of the holster in .7 seconds.

Heritage Brewing

2013-06-07T08:13:00.000-04:00

Who knew that Manassas was becoming such a hot bed of brewing? In addition to BadWolf Brewing, which we recently visited, there's another craft brewery setting up a Manassas, VA base.

Heritage Brewing Company is planning a Fall 2013 opening for their 20 barrel brewery. In order to raise additional startup funds, the brewery has launched a Kickstarter project.

In the interest of full disclosure, I did make a small contribution to the project. The world can always use another brewery. Besides, they have a great logo! I'm looking forward to trying the beers too.

Face Plant Delight

2013-06-06T07:02:00.001-04:00

As noted previously, we picked up a six pack of Lost Rhino Face Place IPA when we visited the brewery last weekend. I couldn't resist it long, so Colleen and I cracked a couple open the other evening.

The beer pours a hazy, dark amber color. It's a thick looking, but attractive beer. The off-white head is short-lived and leaves behind persistent lacing. The aroma is grainy with hints of apricot and caramel. The dominant flavor is that of citrus, like grapefruit rind, more bitter than citrus, with a caramel and bready malt base. Face Plant is not a hop bomb, and has a very palatable richness. It has a creamy, thick mouthfeel with lingering bitterness in the finish. To quote Colleen after her first sip, "I like this."

As I sipped my beer I enjoyed the rich, yet not overbearing flavor of this American IPA. As usual, I finished it much too quickly but resisted the urge to pour another. After all, it was a "school night."

No-Shoot Practice

2013-06-05T20:12:00.002-04:00

Just for grins, this week's range session was devoted to "no-shoots." We often joke that the no-shoot targets are bullet magnets. And I seem to hit my fair share of them, so I decided to practice not hitting them. Stated more accurately, I decided to practice hitting the smaller scoring area, as opposed to missing the white no-shoots. As my friend Alex says, "What no-shoots? All I see are alphas ..."

The "before" picture.

Covering two targets as commonly seen in USPSA, I was able to work on a wide variety of scenarios to simulate situations I might encounter in matches. Even with this simple setup, there was practically an unlimited ways to shoot the targets, and I tried to change it up after each magazine. Draw and put 2 hits on each, alternating which target was shot first. Sometimes I would put just one shot on a target, and transition repeatedly back and forth. Changing whether I stood lined up on the left of right target, or stood in the middle added even more variety. And, of course, the drills were done from different distances as well. This gave me a good feel for sight alignment and speed of the shots required for the different scenarios. I learned my preferences, and my weaknesses.

All in all it was a good practice session. Hopefully it was 200 rounds well-spent. This weekend's match will be a classifier match, so I expect I'll see similar situations to what I just practiced. What would be great is for these lessons to stick with me until then! :-)

Lost Rhino Brewery

2013-06-05T07:03:00.000-04:00

Despite the GPS in my car seemingly working against us, we found the Ashburn, VA industrial park where Lost Rhino Brewing calls home. As we pulled around the corner, I could see a steady stream of folks going in and out, most all carrying growlers. Lost Rhino was doing a brisk growler-filling business. Once inside I learned that Sunday means discounted growler fills — something I would take advantage of before our visit was over.

The giant chalk board listed a large selection of beers to choose from. To make it easy to try a variety of beers, the brewpub offers three different serving sizes of most brews. I was looking forward to trying the "historic" Lost Rhino New River Pale Ale, so I opted skip the smaller tasters for a full 16 ounce serving. The beer pours a bright orange color and has mild citrus aroma with a sweet malt background. The flavor is a refreshing blend of the citrusy hops, as well as piney sweet notes. Nothing overly complex, but refreshing and flavorful.

Colleen opted to try small glasses of Pretty in Pink Saison and Holy Brew Honey Blonde Belgian-style ale. The Saison was very well-done and much enjoyed by Colleen. I think only our time constraints prevented her from ordering another. The yeasty notes of the Saison were nicely complimented by the tartness of the added pomegranate. Another beer tried during our visit was the Lost Rhino Altbier, which was Checkered Flag's selection. I stole a couple sips of this one and would have liked to order one myself if we weren't on a tight schedule. The flavor was that of sweet, toasted malts with just a hint of citrus with a creamy body.

Lost Rhino has a limited, but interesting, food menu to go along with the wide range of beer available. For our food selection consisted of a Bavarian Pretzel basket, served with some very spicy mustard; a Charcuterie platter with a local sausage assortment; and BBQ chicken nachos made with Woody Stout BBQ sauce and Face Plant IPA cheese topping. We nibbled in delight as we enjoyed our beers.

I couldn't resist picking up a six-pack of Face Plant IPA, in cans, to take home. Seriously, could there there a better name for an IPA? Look for more on that beer in a future post. I also grabbed a growler of New River Pale Ale for my friend Greg. I knew the original New River beer was the beer that inspired him to get into home brewing. Of course, I had to deliver that to him right away, lest I'd be tempted to keep it for myself!

Beer Fridge Knocks Out Network

2013-06-04T17:14:00.000-04:00

From the Melbourne Heritage Sun:

WANGARATTA'S backyard beer swillers are marvelling at the magic of their chillers after one man's fridge played havoc with Telstra's mobile network.

The faulty unit shooting out freak electric signals was believed to have caused interference in the mobile data network across several neighbourhoods of the town.

A team of the telco's crack black-spot cops tracked the rogue beer fridge to a garage in Wangaratta.

It seems that one beer lover's cooler was putting out electrical impulses that interfered the mobile phone system. Says the fridge's owner, "I'm amazed something like that could knock out part of the network."

Never underestimate the power of a well-stocked beer fridge.

See "Fridge fault causes Telstra mobile network blackouts" for the complete story.

Spring Opening For BadWolf Brewing

2013-06-03T19:57:00.003-04:00

After our extended visit at Mad Fox in Falls Church, we headed west to Manassas to meet up with Jeremy Myers at BadWolf Brewing. (No, I didn't plan the canine theme.) BadWolf is Manassas' first brewery. Between the necessary lingering at Mad Fox, and the Northern VA traffic, we arrived at the brewery about 2 hours past our scheduled time. Fortunately Jeremy and Brian were still there working on the brewery.

BadWolf's ABC and business licenses were both granted last week and first "official" batch of BadWolf beer was being brewed. There was no beer yet available for tasting during our visit, but a Saison with Sorachi Ace hops was in the pot, so we were able to enjoy some deep breaths of the aromatic hops awaiting addition.

BadWolf Brewing is a classic nanobrewery, with a one-barrel brewhouse, but they expect to have a variety of beers served through six tap lines. Colleen and I visited for just a short time, and I can tell you, Jeremy is passionate and excited about what he's doing. He's planning to have at least four beers ready for opening day.

The grand opening is scheduled for June 19 at 4:00PM. Jeremy said he has been telling folks the brewery would be open "this Spring," and he is determined to keep that promise. (June 19 being the last day of Spring.) They will be putting in a popcorn machine for snacking while drinking, and there is a pizza shop nearby for those fans looking for more filling fare. The brewery will offer beer for onsite consumption and growler fills to go.

BadWolf Brewing is uniquely located. It sits in a small strip mall that also houses a homebrewing supply store, and to my delight, Virginia Arms. So when I visit, I'll be able to combine my two favorite subjects. First, some window shopping at the gun store, and then it'll be over to BadWolf to enjoy a pint or two of craft beer. It's the best of both worlds!

Mad Fox: Perfect For a "Non-Productive Afternoon"

2013-06-02T12:38:00.001-04:00

While spending the weekend in NoVA, we headed out for an early lunch as Mad Fox Brewing in Falls Church. We arrived about 11:30 for an early lunch and got right to work on enjoying some of the house beers. (After all, it's noon somewhere.) I had received the Mad Fox email newsletter the day before so my choices planned already. My first selection was Oaked Leonidas Batch 300. The beer was a tribute to the brewery's 300th beer. Dry-hopped with Citra and Simcoe hops, this very dark beer was more Double IPA in taste than appearance. A nice piney aroma was followed by a citrus and malt flavor. The oak aging contributed some earthiness, but added minimal additional flavors. It was a tasty accompaniment to my menu perusal.

Colleen ordered a snifter of a lovely Saison. The beer had a spicy, bready aroma. The flavor with tart fruit, honey and cloves. A dry Belgian yeast finish rounded off the flavor. Our friend Checkered Flag ordered his usual, the Kölsch. Sharp, crisp hop and malt flavors, with a mildly bitter finish. After stealing a sip, I always consider a glass for myself, but there's always some other beer to try.

We all opted for house pizzas for our meals. Both the "Garlic Pig," with pepperoni, bacon, shaved garlic, and mozzarella, and five-meat "The Mob," made for flavorful meals.

It was now time for one of that "other beer." The email promotion mentioned an offering that was a barrel aged blend of Mad Fox's Wee Heavy and Crazy Ivan Russian Imperial Stout. That sounded just too good to pass up. When our server brought my drink he warned, "Be careful with that. It started out at 11.8%, and we don't know how much more was absorbed from the barrel." He then added, "You'll have a non-productive afternoon!" This was one of those beers that makes you say "Woo-hoo!" The aroma is deep, dark malt with some toffee and roasted coffee. And the aroma of the bourbon barrel was unmistakeable. The flavor followed suit with a very rich bourbon and oak flavors. The dark malts and roasted flavors came through as well.

While it didn't lead to a totally "non-productive" afternoon, we did linger at Mad Fox for a bit longer than we had originally planned — not that that's a bad thing! It was a very enjoyable lunch with some really tasty beers. But eventually all fun things must end, so we ventured out into the Saturday traffic to head to our next stop, a visit of the soon-to-be opened BadWolf Brewing Company. And that's a story for another post.

GiGi's Farmhouse Ale

2013-05-30T07:30:00.000-04:00

I enjoyed a recent evening in the company of another of the Old Dominion "pinup girls" this week. (The beer series. What did you think?)

Gigi's Farmhouse Ale pours a copper-orange color with a frothy white head. The aroma is a yeasty, slightly funky malt, with cloves and a hint of citrus. Tasting the beer I was at first struck by the Belgian-ish funk and bitterness. Then the complexity of the Saison-style follows. I get hints of cloves, bitter citrus fruit, cinnamon, pepper, and tart apple, to name a few. The finish has a drying bitterness, with strong pepper and yeasty flavors lingering behind. The 7.2% ABV is well-masked allowing the spicy flavors to come through unhindered.

Whenever I drink a Saison or Farmhouse Ale, it takes me a few sips to "get into" the beer. There's typically some spice or funky yeast flavor that takes my tastebuds by surprise. It's different, rather then unpleasant. But after a few sips, I've adapted and find the style quite enjoyable. I can still recall my very first bottle of Saison Dupont, right down to the place and the friends who were there. I wasn't so sure about that beer at the time! But now I enjoy these beers frequently, despite the initial sip adjustment. Likewise, I enjoyed my glass of GiGi's, despite the added distraction of trying to make notes on the flavors. (All for you, dear reader. All for you.)

GiGi's Farmhouse Ale is the summer entry in the Dominion "Pinup Pack" assortment, along with the previously reviewed Double D IPA and Morning Glory Espresso Stout. While the other two girls are available in stand-along six packs, GiGi's is available only in the variety pack or on draft. Candi, a Belgian Tripel, will replace GiGi in September. I'll be looking for a "date" with Candi this fall.

The beer reviewed here was a promotional sample from the brewery. My impressions are provided of my own free will and mind. The only outside influence being the beer itself.

Schwartz Bier

2013-05-29T07:06:00.000-04:00

Driving back from last weekend's USPSA match, I stopped at a roadside market to pick up a large cup of carbonated, sugar-laden beverage. (Take that Bloomberg.) I glanced over at the beer display and was surprised to see Devils Backbone Schwartz Bier on the shelf. I didn't pick any up at the time, even though it was one I'd never tried, and I do enjoy a good beer after a day of shooting. (Take that Becky Bond.) However the next day I did make a run to the local beer aisle and included a six pack of this dark lager among my purchases.

Schwartz Bier pours a very dark cola brown with a moderate beige head. The aroma of bready malt, roasted coffee and a touch of chocolate reminded me of a mild porter. The flavor has roasted coffee, mild chocolate, toasted grains with just a hint of sweetness. There is a subtle smokiness than comes in the end. A moderately thick mouthfeel and dry finish caps off the beer.

It was fortuitous that I spied this beer on my way home from the match. I was looking for something a little different from my usual favorites, and it filled the bill nicely. Not too heavy, and fairly low ABV (4.9%), it made a good mid-afternoon refresher while relaxing over the Memorial Day holiday.

Virginia Breweries Update

2013-05-28T17:23:00.000-04:00

Tab clearing on some Virginia brewery news...

Rusty Beaver Brewery in Ladysmith will open soon

Rusty Beaver Brewery, mentioned previously, expects to be open and serving beer by June 7.

Devils Backbone embarks on $3.25 million expansion

Devils Backbone Brewing Company is expanding production at both the Basecamp Brewpub in Nelson County, VA and the Outpost Brewery in Lexington, VA.

8 Breweries Opening in NoVA within a Year

Northern Virginia Magazine follows up on eight new breweries planned for (Northern) Virginia this year. Smart blog readers know to add Rusty Beaver and Adventure Brewing to the Virginia list.

Walnut Ridge USPSA Match

2013-05-27T12:30:00.001-04:00

Saturday morning I got an early start to the day and drove over to West Virginia for the Walnut Ridge Practical Shooters match. The monthly event is held at the Summit Point Motorsports Park near Charles Town. The half-day match consisted of six stages, five field courses and one classifier stage, set up at the ends of three, one hundred yard ranges at the facility.

If there was a common theme to the field courses, it was options. The targets were set up among strategically placed walls and free-fire zones. I think I saw as many approaches to tackling the stages as there were shooters. Just about every stage required careful planning to find the best way to shoot, taking into account the shooters' own strengths and any division ammo capacity limitations. Many times I thought I had my plan worked out, only to think "Oh, but if I did it this way..." I enjoyed the planning challenge of the stages as much as I enjoyed shooting them.

Another common aspect of several stages at this match was that you couldn't simply proceed through the stage in one direction. In a number of spots, the stage designers forced you to go into a corner or corridor, and then you had to back out or change directions towards your next shooting position. There were also many target arrays where the targets where stacked vertically, something I haven't encountered often. The courses were generally contained to small areas, despite the number of targets, and were shot quickly with only short distances of movement.

The weather cooperated making for a pleasant, if cool, morning of shooting. The wind was kicking up at times, enough to blow over the steel poppers occasionally, which created a bit of chill. But the sun was shining to help counteract the strong breeze. The motor sports park was hosting a drifting event that day; the squealing of tires adding an exciting background to the sound of gunfire.

It's a two-hour drive from my home to Summit Point. A good part of drive is on country and secondary roads, which is not unpleasant. The enjoyable match and fun people made the drive worthwhile. I was happy with my shooting too, and that always adds to the fun! Coincidently, Saturday was our family's turn to help at our son's school bingo night. That meant I had barely enough time to arrive home from the match, take a fast shower, and head over to do my volunteer duties. It certainly made for a long and tiring day. But it's a three-day weekend, so there's plenty of time to ~~recover~~ play.

Memorial Day Prayer

2013-05-27T08:25:00.001-04:00

As we enjoy the day with family and friends, let us not forgot those who have sacrificed to preserve our freedoms.

What Does Annoying Sound Like?

2013-05-26T15:47:00.000-04:00

Cicadas!

Trying to have a beer after mowing the lawn means suffering with the droning song of love-sick insects.

Hefeweizen and Spiced Shrimp

2013-05-26T08:52:00.000-04:00

Collleen and I stopped by Blue & Gray Brewing on Friday evening while our son was at swim practice. We'd been wanting to get a taste of this year's Virginia Hefeweizen, but hadn't found the time to get over to the brewery. For those wondering, yes, I also had planned to try the Cicada Tacos or Cicada Chile special's planned in the brewpub. Alas, the nanny-state stepped in and put the kibosh on that menu, objecting that the cicadas weren't "from a registered source."

Virginia Hefeweizen is truly "local", using two row grain grown in the Northern Neck of Virginia and malted at Copper Fox Distillery in Sperryville. The beer pours a hazy orange color, with a very thin and short-lived head. The aroma had some of the typical spice notes, a hint of citrus. There was some faint bready malt notes as well. The flavor did not have the strong banana or clove flavors of a typical Hefeweizen, trending more towards bready and sweet malts. The finish was dry with a mild bitterness at the end. Overall, this year's Virginia Hefeweizen is a mild drink, perhaps slightly off-style, but one I enjoyed nonetheless.

In fact, I enjoyed it well-enough to order a second round. The smell of spiced "peel & eat" shrimp hung in the air inside Lee's Retreat, so we succumbed and ordered a plateful to share. The shrimp were large sized, plump and tasty. The shellfish and hefeweizen went together quite well. Our brief visit to Blue & Gray was an enjoyable way to wind down the work week, and kick off the long Memorial Day weekend.

The Path of the Warrior

2013-05-25T15:44:00.000-04:00

Worth six minutes out of your weekend festivities...