So I went and got my Virginia drivers license today, which was nice and simple. After getting that my wife surprised me by taking me to a brewery in our new town, which was a great surprise because I thought we were going to see some Civil War battlefield.
First off, let me just say that this guy’s beers are freaking awesome. He brews a lager, red, pale ale, stout, imperial stout, and about four different seasonal beers. The lager is the best lager that I ever had, and made me believe that a lager could be good. It was good, because there was a maltiness to it that brought out many different flavors. The red is excellent, but then I have not met many reds that I have not liked. The pale ale was my wife’s favorite, and it was extremely good. It balanced the malt to hops to the point that they were complimenting each other very well. The stout was good, as well as the imperial, but I haven’t had enough imperial stouts to be able to give too much of an assessment.
The one thing that I will remember most about the brewery "tour" was that it was in an old warehouse. There were no walls, or should I say, real walls, because they did have timber slats to separate the entry from the actual brewery/warehouse. In the middle of the brewery/warehouse was a large refrigerator that had four taps coming out of it, which also served as the sampling bar. Along the southern wall were the tanks that the brewer crafted his beer with, and they seemed to be in very good order. Luckily, or unluckily as my wife thought, today was a brewing day and we were able to see everything in action. (One of the workers said that she loved brewing days, because it warmed up the building. The place had not heater.) The steam was thick as well as the aroma of the brewing process. The day was cool, so there was a thick fog bank that kept thickening throughout the building. The brewer also allowed us to get a sample from the cooling tank, which was an American Pale Ale and was the freshest beer that I will ever drink.
They said that they are planning on opening up a restaurant in an adjoining building, which would make the experience much more civilized. I, however, loved the rustic feel, because it showed the spirit and the love that went into the beer. So, if you ever make it to Fredericksburg, VA, stop on by this small brewery. It is well worth the price of admission, even if they charged.