Archives for September 2020

Orval Day : New Date is Saturday, October 3, 2020

September 23, 2020 by Dow Scoggins

The folks at Merchant du Vin are moving the official date for Orval Day to Saturday Oct. 3, 2020.

About Orval Day
On March 26th, 2016; March 25, ’17; March 24, ’18; and March 23, ’19, devotees of Orval Trappist Ale – and some folks who hadn’t tried it yet – convened upon their favorite bar to celebrate one of the world’s unique and highly-respected beers. Orval was the first Brett beer to land on US shores, and has become the favorite beer for many star American brewers. ( “Brett” – brettanomyces – is a yeast variety that adds appetizing, sharp acidity and dryness.) Orval sells one beer, brewed to exquisite perfection within the walls of Notre Dame d’Orval Monastery in Belgium. It’s delicious when it leaves the brewery, but also evolves in the bottle for five years or more.

Each year we make a donation to charity based on US sales of Orval on Orval Day, and participation and sales have grown each year. (Last Orval Day, 2019, we had over 600 accounts participating, across the USA.) If you drink, buy or sell an Orval Trappist Ale on Orval Day – thanks!

Our charity partner for 2020 is again Safe Water Network, helping to bring clean, sustainable water to communities in Ghana and India. After we tally up Orval Day 2020 sales, Merchant du Vin will donate 50 cents to Safe Water Network for every bottle of Orval sold.

Orval Trappist Ale
Orval beer is a high fermentation beer. The ageing process adds a fruity note, which strikes a subtle balance between the beer’s full-bodied yet complex flavour and bitterness.

The beer was first brewed in 1931 and owes its unparalleled taste to the quality of the water, the hops and the yeast used. The brewery has selected very aromatic and unique hop varieties, which hark back to the first brewmaster of Orval, who hailed from Bavaria. The beer’s aromas are very pronounced while maintaining the right level of bitterness thanks to the English method of dry hopping.

The various stages of fermentation – combined fermentation with the original yeast and with wild yeast, followed by fermentation in the bottle – mean the beer must age for some time and requires numerous quality controls.

The History of Orval
The Abbey of Orval is located near Florenville, Belgium in the provence of Luxembourg. The present brewery was completed in 1929, at which time the skittle (pin)-shaped bottle and Orval chalice were introduced. (Brewery, bottle, and chalice were all designed by architect Henry Vaes.) In the middle ages, Orval was famous for producing its iron decoration as well as beer. The abbey was gutted by fire in 1252 & repaired, then was destroyed during the French Revolution.

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Louis Pasteur Patents How to Brew Beer – January 28, 1873

September 16, 2020 by Andrew Innes

Louis Pasteur Patents How to Brew Beer – January 28, 1873
Beer was first made by the Sumerians, and the technology was absorbed into the Babylonian and ancient Egyptian cultures. The practice of the Sumarians was to bake grains into bread, and the bread was moistened to begin the process of making beer. The baked bread was a way to preserve the grain for later use in the beer making process. A Sumerian beer was recreated recently by the folks at Anchor Steam Beer, as an experiment.

In more recent times, Louis Pasteur studied beer and wine making and patented a process for making beer which resulted in a better beer. Previously the wort was boiled and exposed to the air for cooling. In Pasteur’s process, the wort is kept in closed vessels and cooled by spraying the outside of the vessel with water. A special yeast was introduced into the mash after it cooled, thus preventing contamination of the wort with stray wild yeasts floating through the air.

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The 2020 Canadian Brewing Awards

September 15, 2020 by Dow Scoggins

The Canadian Brewing Awards is Canada’s national competition for judging the quality of Canadian manufactured beer. The Canadian Brewing Awards invites Canadian majority-owned breweries of all sizes to compete in a Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) sanctioned blind tasting determining the best beers in 55 style categories. A Canadian Brewing Award medal is a widely recognized symbol of Canadian brewing excellence.

BEER OF THE YEAR
Glutenberg Red | Glutenberg | Québec

BREWERY OF THE YEAR
Common Crown Brewing Co | Alberta

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History of Pumpkin Beers and Buffalo Bill’s Pumpkin Ale

September 13, 2020 by Dow Scoggins

Take a stroll through just about any grocery store in America between late August and early November and the pervasiveness of pumpkin-flavored everything becomes apparent. There’s pumpkin spice coffee and tea, bagels, muffins and chips, air fresheners and candles—and that’s only a slice of the pumpkin pie-flavored market. Do a 360-degree spin in a beer store and the shelves and displays of pumpkin pie-inspired beer, imperial pumpkin ales, pumpkin stouts and porters and even shandies and ciders, all point to one thing: America loves pumpkin.

Of course, the question of whether we the people love pumpkin has never really been a question at all.

“The pumpkin thing is as American as apple pie. Pumpkin pie? Come on, that’s as American as you can possibly get,” says Bill Owens, founder of Buffalo Bill’s Brewery in Hayward, CA, and brewer of the first commercial pumpkin beer in the country. “When you have something that’s so culturally deep, everybody loves it.” Buffalo Bill’s Pumpkin Ale was first brewed in 1985.

And in terms of beloved pumpkin spice-flavored foods, pumpkin beer is right up there with the Pumpkin Spice Latte. In the last 25 years or so, pumpkin beer has gone from an experimental specialty beer made by a handful of brewers to a seasonal phenomenon and a major force in the craft beer market. Its reign as seasonal beer king grows more extensive every year as pumpkin beer seeps into summer and arrives on shelves in the middle of July into August, to the ire of summer drinkers and the delight of eager pumpkin beer fans.

Pumpkin’s roots do run culturally deep, but the pumpkin itself was not always so glorified. Rather, it was respected as a utilitarian food source, explains Cindy Ott, author of the book Pumpkin: The Curious History of an American Icon.

“Pumpkin ale was not something that was treasured in any way, shape or form,” she says. “In the early Colonial era, pumpkin was cheap and prolific and grew like a weed. When there was no wheat for bread or sugar for cake or barley for beer, they could substitute the prolific pumpkin.”

Thus, pumpkins became known as a “last-resort” food and a crop that was associated with hard times—which is what helped fuel its climb to American icon. As Americans moved into cities in the early 19th century and the distance from their agrarian roots grew greater, their nostalgia for simpler times was projected onto the pumpkin, Ott argues. Other better-tasting squashes had greater market value and were incorporated into daily meals much like they are today, while the poorer-tasting pumpkin was left behind in the fields and often used as livestock fodder. The pumpkin became intertwined with ideas and associations greater than itself, of an old-fashioned way of life on the small family farm, nostalgia and tradition.

“Those ideas, about last resort and hard times and, ‘Throw the pumpkin in and take care of yourself and your family on your small plot of land,’ became symbols and stories of American survival,” says Ott. “It’s these kind of associations that people are buying, and the associations are really positive and affirming.”

We might not be consciously aching for our agrarian roots today, but the ideas surrounding the pumpkin are still overwhelmingly pleasing—images of rustic pumpkin patches with red barns and hay rides, toothy, glowing jack-o’-lanterns perched on stoops and a slice of pumpkin pie with a scoop of ice cream on top after a hearty Thanksgiving meal.

Seasonal Spice
While our associations with pumpkins may have changed, the pumpkin itself and its earthy, squashy, borderline bland flavor has not.

Enter the aromatic flavorings of pumpkin pie spices: cinnamon, ginger, cloves, allspice and nutmeg. This spice dream team has retained the positive associations of pumpkin, the harvest and changing seasons, while casting off the pumpkin itself. Take, for example, Starbucks’ enormously popular Pumpkin Spice Latte, which has become the poster child for the pumpkin craze of late and is not made with any real pumpkin.

It is the same conundrum that “Buffalo Bill” Owens ran into when he brewed the first pumpkin beer in 1985. Owens was inspired after reading about how George Washington brewed pumpkin beer, so he grew his own pumpkin, brought it down to the brewery, chopped it up, baked it in the pizza oven and added it to the mash tun, where the malt is mixed with hot water to convert complex starches into fermentable simple sugars.

There was just one issue with the beer, Owens says: “The only problem I had was at the very end was there was no pumpkin flavor whatsoever because you’re taking a starch, the gourd, converting it to sugar, fermenting the sugar, adding hops and then fermenting, so any flavor from the pumpkin is stripped away.”

To solve the problem, Owens walked over to his local market, bought a can of pumpkin pie spices, percolated it so he had a quart of pumpkin-flavored water, which he added that to the beer and then carbonated and bottled it.

“I was very proud of my secret ingredient, which came out of a can from the supermarket,” says Owens.

And voilà—the Buffalo Bill’s Pumpkin Ale was born.

Taken from an article written by By Heather Vandenengel for All About Beer Magazine – Complete Article

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2020 NC Brewers Cup Competition – Medal Winners

September 4, 2020 by Dow Scoggins

The 2020 North Carolina Brewers Cup is the largest craft beer competition of North Carolina. ALL North Carolina commercial brewers are invited to participate in this BJCP sanctioned beer competition, sponsored by Pro Refrigeration, Inc. and ABS Commercial, and administered by the North Carolina Craft Brewers Guild.

Best in Show
Gold – Copperline Amber Ale – Carolina Brewery
Silver – Ponder Lager – Thirsty Monk Brewery
Bronze – Foothills Brewing – Dead & Berried Blackberry Imperial Stout
Fourth – No.10 American Light Lager – Brown Truck Brewery

Session IPA
Gold – Driveway Sesh – Cabarrus Brewing Company
Silver – HopJob Session IPA – Foothills Brewing
Bronze – Casual Sesh – Little Brother Brewing

American Lager
Gold – No.10 American Light Lager – Brown Truck Brewery
Silver – Pre Game – The Unknown Brewing Company
Bronze – Baller Beer – Cabarrus Brewing Company

Light American Hybrid
Gold – Euchre Golden Ale – Lost Worlds Brewing
Silver – Over The Moon – Vecino Brewing Company
Bronze – Emmer American Wheat – Lost Worlds Brewing

Alternative Fermentation
Gold – Sky Blue Kolsch – Carolina Brewery
Silver – Kolsch Ale – Oaklyn Springs Brewery
Bronze – Kommunity – Devil’s Logic Brewing
Fourth – Fly Kid Kolsch – Middle James Brewing

International Lager
Gold – Ponder Lager – Thirsty Monk Brewery
Silver – Penguin Pils – Legion Brewing

International Pilsner
Gold – Oaklyn Springs Brewery Pils – Oaklyn Springs Brewery
Silver – Ledermolesen – Mad Mole Brewing
Bronze – Czech Pilsner – Carolina Brewery

Malty European Lager
Gold – Stinnes Helles Lager – Lost Worlds Brewing
Silver – Bock to the Future – Clouds Brewing
Bronze – Slow Chill Munich Helles – Oskar Blues Brewery
Fourth – Depot Maypole Maibock – Craftboro Brewing

European Amber Lager
Gold – Holographic Dreamscape – Town Brewing Company
Silver – Bobby Beer – Oklawaha Brewing Company
Bronze – #DADGAMESTRONG – Cabarrus Brewing Company

Dark European Lager
Gold – Cold Weather Gear – Cavendish Brewing Company
Silver – ‘Goat’ Bullock Bock – Bull City Burger and Brewery
Bronze – Merganser – Bill’s Brewing Co.
Fourth – Doppelbock – Oaklyn Springs Brewery

European Wheat Beer
Gold – Civil Rest – Little Brother Brewing
Silver – Hedrick’s – Four Saints Brewing Company
Bronze – Weizenbahn – Sidetracked Brewery
Fourth – Bock To Work – Bombshell Beer Company

Pale British Beer & Bitter
Gold – Copperline Amber Ale – Carolina Brewery
Silver – English IPA – Makai Brewing Company
Bronze – Emotional Support Badger – Town Brewing Company

Porter & British Brown
Gold – Bryant’s Brown Ale – Tarboro Brewing Company
Silver – Boar Brown – Pig Pounder Brewery
Bronze – Roundhouse Robust Porter – New Sarum Brewing Company
Fourth – Ninja Porter – Asheville Brewing

Scottish & Irish Beer
Gold – Scottish Ale – Ponysaurus Brewing
Silver – Lady In Red – Bombshell Beer Company
Bronze – Nac Mac Feegle – Triskelion Brewing Company

Stout
Gold – Absolute Block – Sidetracked Brewery
Silver – Mongo – Ecusta Brewing Company
Bronze – Barrel Aged Sexual Chocolate Imperial Stout – Foothills Brewing

Strong Ale
Gold – The Voyager – Archetype Brewing
Silver – Baby Leif – The Glass Jug Beer Lab
Bronze – Belgian Dubbel – Pilot Brewing Company

American Amber & Brown Ale
Gold – Potter’s Clay – Four Saints Brewing
Silver – Lazy Bird Brown Ale – Birdsong Brewing Company
Bronze – Mole Dancer – Mad Mole Brewing Mole
Fourth – Oaklyn Springs Brewery Amber Ale – Oaklyn Springs Brewery

American Pale Ale
Gold – Humidity – Fullsteam Brewery
Silver – Palm Tree Island – Wilmington Brewing Company
Bronze – Spaceman Pale Ale – Innovation Brewing

American IPA
Gold – Reflection IPA – Radar Brewing Company
Silver – Funny Like I’m A Clown – Southern Range Brewing
Bronze – Wave Break – Bill’s Brewing Co.
Fourth – Modern Transparency – The Glass Jug Beer Lab

Speciality IPA
Gold – Black IPA – French Broad River Brewery
Silver – Soulvation IPA – Innovation Brewing
Bronze – THE VAPORS – New Anthem Beer Project

New England / Hazy IPA
Gold – Party In The Back – Bill’s Brewing Co.
Silver – Label Fiasco – Wilmington Brewing Company
Bronze – Reptar Juice – Twenty-Six Acres Brewing Co.

Double IPA
Gold – CLAPBACK – New Anthem Beer Project
Silver – Concern Hubris – Lynnwood Brewing
Bronze – Haziversary – Oklawaha Brewing Company

Belgian & French Ale
Gold – Abby Blonde – Thirsty Monk Brewery
Silver – Marilyn MonMole – Mad Mole Brewing
Bronze – Walk The Earth, No. 5 – Archetype Brewing

European Sour Ale
Gold – Trier Berliner Weisse – Lost Worlds Brewing
Silver – Elara – Legion Brewing Co

Historical Beer
Gold – Divine Barrel Brewing – The Big Lubelski
Silver – Key Lime Gose – Makai Brewing Company

Brett, Mixed, & Wild Ale
Gold – The Era is Now – DSSOLVR
Silver – SHE JUST DANCED AWAY – New Anthem Beer Project
Bronze – Whistleblower – Sidetracked Brewery
Fourth – Woodshed Blend #2 – Thirsty Monk Brewery

Fruit Beer
Gold – Ocean Potion – Pitt Street Brewing
Silver – Tainted Valkyrie – Triskelion Brewing Company
Bronze – The Limest Thing We Have – Divine Barrel Brewing
Fourth – Javaberry Cream Stout – Haw River Farmhouse Ales

Specialty Fruit and Fruit & Spice
Gold – Company Tart Pop – Trophy Brewing
Silver – Peach – Divine Barrel Brewing
Bronze – Habanero Lime Wheat Pig – Pig Pounder Brewery

Spice, Herb or Vegetable Beer
Gold – Southern Basil – Fullsteam Brewery
Silver – Dulce Muerte w/Coconut – Incendiary Brewing Company
Bronze – Jalapeno Pale Ale – Birdsong Brewing Company

Wood-Aged Beer
Gold – Dead & Berried Blackberry Imperial Stout – Foothills Brewing
Silver – Maple Bourbon – Twenty-Six Acres Brewing
Bronze – Torn Paper Leaves: Brazilian Oak – Haw River Farmhouse Ales

Smoked Beer
Gold – Temporal Justice – Vecino Brewing Company
Silver – Paloma Pig – Pig Pounder Brewery
Bronze – The Big Slow – Little Brother Brewing

Specialty Beer
Gold – Dark Side of the Tart: Raspberry – Dry Falls Brewing
Silver – Ready To Rye’d Lager – Gypsy Road Brewing
Bronze – Whitewall Wheat – Crank Arm Brewing
Fourth – Ocracoke Jam Box – 1718 Brewing

NC Home-Grown Beer
Gold – Brown Paper Bag – Legion Brewing Co
Silver – OK Lunch – Southern Strain Brewing
Bronze – Quest for the Mole Grail – Little Brother Brewing

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2020 Virginia Craft Beer Cup Winners Announced

September 1, 2020 by Dow Scoggins

Richmond, VA – The Virginia Craft Brewers Guild announced the 2020 Virginia Craft Beer Cup winners on Monday, August 31, 2020, at Bon Secours Training Center in Richmond, Virginia. The event looked different this year, with face masks, social distancing, and hand sanitizer placed all over the venue, but the excitement in the air was unchanged.

This year’s Virginia Craft Beer Cup was managed by Head Judge Charlie Harr. 267 beers in almost 20 categories competed for awards. The judging took place Saturday, July 25, at Old Ox Brewery in Ashburn, Virginia.

“This was a challenging year due to the pandemic. However, we made several adjustments to operate in a safe environment and follow established guidelines. In the end we had a lot of fun, made new friends and tasted some great Virginia beers,” said Charlie Harr, Head Judge.

The Virginia Craft Beer Cup continues to be the largest state competition of its kind in the United States. The Virginia Craft Beer Cup is committed to giving its members the opportunity to compete, obtain critical feedback from certified judges, and get statewide recognition that will help build their brands. That is why the Guild’s priority this year was to notfalter in its efforts to celebrate craft beer in Virginia, despite the COVID-19 pandemic. “The Virginia Craft Beer Cup is all about sharing what we have learned as craft brewers and small businesses, making memories, and best of all, celebrating the best of what Virginia Brewers have to offer! Besides, you never know who might win,” said Sten Sellier, Beltway Brewing Company. “Having brought a few medals back to our brewery in the past, I can say that bragging rights are always a big plus!”

“The annual VA Craft Beer Cup is such a fun event that brings our breweries together for some healthy competition and camaraderie,” said Janell Zurschmeide, Dirt Farm Brewing. “It allows us to celebrate each other, especially the winners, and further promote our independent breweries.”

The 2020 Virginia Craft Beer Cup Winners
BEST IN SHOW
First Place Black Hoof Brewing Company, Muzzle Loader Munich Dunkel
Second Place Cedar Run Brewery, Goats in the House Pilsner
Third Place Port City Brewing Company, Optimal Wit

AMBER ALE
First Place The Board Room VA, Ticket to Ride Red Ale
Second Place Random Row Brewing Co., Scouser Red Ale
Third Place 7 Dogs Brew Pub, Scottish 80

AMBER LAGER
First Place Fairwinds Brewing Company, High Barbary
Second Place Tasting Room at Mount Ida Reserve, First Edition
Third Place Mustang Sally Brewing Company, Half Moon Rising

BROWN ALE
First Place Old Ox Brewery, Black Ox Rye Porter
Second Place Ballad Brewing, Fast Mail Mild Ale
Third Place Rocket Frog Brewing Company, Wallops Island

BOCK
First Place Black Hoof Brewing Company, Broadside Maibock
Second Place Barking Rose Brewing Company + Farm, Dopplebock
Third Place Big Ugly Brewing, Accelerator

DARK LAGER
First Place Black Hoof Brewing Company, Muzzleloader Munich Dunkel
Second Place Gloucester Brewing Company, Mobjack Black
Third Place Maker’s Craft Brewery, Thurinigan

FRUIT/VEGETABLE
First Place Benchtop Brewing Company, Mermaid’s Lure
Second Place Elation Brewing Company, Rosé Gosé
Third Place Mustang Sally Brewing Company, Getaway Plan
Honorable Mention Stable Craft Brewing, Blueberry Blonde

IPA
First Place Stone Brewing Co., Stone IPA
Second Place Fairwinds Brewing Company, Howling Gale
Third Place Heliotrope Brewing, Oxfordcommadisiac
Honorable Mention Random Row Brewing Co., Windswell DIPA

SAISON
First Place Old Ox Brewery, Sightseer Saison
Second Place Bingo Beer Co, Patio Vibes
Third Place Ardent Craft Ales, Ardent Saison

PALE ALE
First Place Beltway Brewing Company, Approachable Guise
Second Place Twin Creeks Brewing Company, Keep Ya Distance Cream Ale
Third Place Barking Rose Brewing Company + Farm, Conviction
Honorable Mention Random Row Brewing Co., Mosaic Pale Ale

KOLSCH
First Place The Vanguard Brewpub & Distillery, House Beer
Second Place Sweetwater Taven, Barking Frog Kolsch

PALE LAGER
First Place Cave Hill Farms Brewery, Loafing Shed Lager
Second Place Port City Brewing Company, Helles Lager
Third Place Dynasty Brewing, Dynasty Lager

PILSNER
First Place Cedar Run Brewery, Goats in the House Pilsner
Second Place Tradition Brewing Company, Tradice
Third Place Bingo Beer Co, Bingo Lager

SPECIALTY – OTHER
First Place Blue Mountain Barrel House, Raspberries on Acid
Second Place Benchtop Brewing Company, Friar Storm
Third Place Extra Billy’s Smokehouse & Brewery, Capital Kolsch

SOUR
First Place Reason Beer, Gryffon’s Red
Second Place Audacious Aleworks, Anniversary Flanders Red Ale

SPECIALTY MIXED
First Place 2 Witches Winery & Brewing Company, Franc-n-Stein
Second Place Fine Creek Brewing Company, Wine Barrel Aged Golden Sour
Third Place Fine Creek Brewing Company, Herbarium Wild Saison

SPECIALTY – ALTERNATIVE
First Place That Damn Mary Brewing Company, Holden in the Rye
Second Place St. George Brewing Company, Honey Mead Lager
Third Place Dirt Farm Brewing, Honey Helles

SPECIALTY WOOD
First Place Caboose Brewing Company, Fireside Ale
Second Place 2 Silos Brewing Company, Barrel Reserve: Imperial Stout
Third Place Blue Mountain Barrel House, Dark Hollow

STOUT
First Place Dynasty Brewing, 838 Stout
Second Place Great Valley Farm Brewery, Stout

STRONG ALE
First Place Garden Grove Brewing Co., Fergus Wee Heavy
Second Place Lake Anne Brew House, 2020
Third Place Lake Anne Brew House, Quadiversary
Honorable Mention Tasting Room at Mount Ida Reserve, Murcielago Madison Stout

WHEAT BEER
First Place Port City Brewing Company, Optimal Wit
Second Place Trapezium Brewing Co., Chasing Ponies
Third Place Spencer Devon Brewing, Pontoon Bridges

Award winners will be featuring their beers in their tasting rooms and through their wholesale and retail partners. The VCBG encourages craft beer enthusiasts to visit these breweries and try these great brews. To learn more about these breweries and plan your taproom trip, visit our Virginia Brewery Map or go to the Virginia Tourism Corporation’s craft beer site to plan your next weekend or vacation.

The Virginia Craft Brewers Guild (Guild) is an association of independent, small and traditional breweries dedicated to growing the craft
beer industry in the Commonwealth. The Guild is the state affiliate of the Brewers Association. For information of the Beer Judge
Certification Program, go to http://www.bjcp.org/. For more information on the Guild, go to www.vacraftbeer.com and
www.vacraftbrewersguild.com.

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