Short Pump Weekend: Midnight Head First, American Pale Ale, Rockville, Virginia

Date:  May 24, 2019

The Story—  Midnight is quite close to the Short Pump area.  Midnight is yet another small spot at the end of an industrial/office park.  The taproom is small and chilly and basic; the brewhouse, through a doorway, is good-sized,. Live music is worth buying an extra beer and staying, though it does tend to be loud here. They like fruit, but offer a good range of beers and at least a few should serve you well, whatever your tastes.

The Beer—  Nice if strong American pale ale with a blend of fruity hops and clean sweet pale-ish caramel malt. Orange gold with a hint of haze. Fruity and crisp hop aroma over a clean malt.  Herbs, soft stone, tobacco and breath of beat broadens it.  Just a touch grainy as it drinks, but there’s a lot going on — they sell this by the pitcher! The soft tobacco is very moreish.
Value — Good +, the six buck “pint” comes to about $15 a liter, and that’s pretty good for a good craft beer.

Values:  “fair” is a good beer at an above market price, “good” is worth the money, “very good” is a bargain, and “excellent” is a steal.

May and early June are some of the best times to take a weekend and go brewery hunting.  Most rates haven’t reached their out-of-school peak, and the chances for good weather are … pretty good.  So for a few weeks, we’ll give you some Mid Atlantic suggestions for weekend excursions.

We’re including beers and breweries we’ve found in researching our guide to breweries and inns of the Mid Atlantic.  We won’t adhere to the “must be walkable” rule here, though.  Once again we present our standard caveat: only a few of the beers we describe will be at the brewery if you go there, but they’ll probably have a beer that’s close to the style and if they do one stout well, they’ll probably do others about as well.  We hope the “story” will be at least as valuable as the actual beer review.

We’re often asked to share our tasting notes on over 33,000 beers; this blog is in answer to those requests.   Not all our notes, though.  The great beer writer Michael Jackson admirably followed the Thumper Rule, and we’ll try to do the same.  (“If you can’t say something nice, don’t say nuthin’ at all.”)   All the beers we post are from the top half of our ratings and most are from the top quarter.   Of greater value, we think, are the stories behind the beers, and we try to give you enough about the brewery, the style and the places to find great beer to help you on your own beer journeys.   At CulturAle Press we try to write books and publish posts that will help you “Drink Well and Travel Safely.”

Short Pump Weekend: Kindred Spirit Paid In Full IPA

Date:  May 21, 2019

The Story—  We reviewed Kindred Spirit yesterday, but a few other notes about the place. It’s a big place in the very newly developed fringes of an ambitious soft-industry area expanding into the woods in the middle of nowhere, and around back – very hard to spot, though a GPS helps get you quite near.    The taproom is divided from the open brewhouse by a long bar with seats on both sides.  There’s cornhole in the back of the brewhouse and it’s an atmospheric place to drink..  A big 2-cornered bar and assorted dining tables in the rest of the space accommodates the big crowds pretty well.  Our experience with food trucks there have been quite good..  Live music with bands that make the brew pub rounds in the Richmond area. It’s on the fringe of Richmond, but worth a visit.

The Beer—  At 8.9% abv and 79 IBUs, this is a “big hammer” beer that would be hard to mess up dramatically.   Still its full bodied and creamy breadth builds a fine platform for a broad range of hops of fruit earth and pine  Citrus with just a hint of berry fruit graces the chalky and creamy finish.

Value —  Good.   We had three dollar samplers which is more or less going rate.

Values:  “fair” is a good beer at an above market price, “good” is worth the money, “very good” is a bargain, and “excellent” is a steal.

May and early June are some of the best times to take a weekend and go brewery hunting.  Most rates haven’t reached their out-of-school peak, and the chances for good weather are … pretty good.  So for a few weeks, we’ll give you some Mid Atlantic suggestions for weekend excursions.

We’re including beers and breweries we’ve found in researching our guide to breweries and inns of the Mid Atlantic.  We won’t adhere to the “must be walkable” rule here, though.  Once again we present our standard caveat: only a few of the beers we describe will be at the brewery if you go there, but they’ll probably have a beer that’s close to the style and if they do one stout well, they’ll probably do others about as well.  We hope the “story” will be at least as valuable as the actual beer review.

We’re often asked to share our tasting notes on over 33,000 beers; this blog is in answer to those requests.   Not all our notes, though.  The great beer writer Michael Jackson admirably followed the Thumper Rule, and we’ll try to do the same.  (“If you can’t say something nice, don’t say nuthin’ at all.”)   All the beers we post are from the top half of our ratings and most are from the top quarter.   Of greater value, we think, are the stories behind the beers,   and we try to give you enough about the brewery, the style and the places to find great beer to help you on your own beer journeys.   At CulturAle Press we try to write books and publish posts that will help you “Drink Well and Travel Safely.”

Short Pump Weekend: Kindred Spirit Ain’t No Half Steppin” Triple PA

Date:  May 20, 2019

The Story—  Kindred Spirit Brewery in Goochland County is less than a 15 minute drive south from your hotel in Short Porch/Insbruck.   Well over a dozen beers are enough to make you happy if you have a designated driver.  Don’t miss the striking and unusual mash filter system in the brew house.  It’s a feature that we’ve seen occasionally in Europe and the United States in fairly large 19th century breweries.  The idea is to use less water to squeeze more malt sugars out of the grain saving on both the ingredients and the process, but it certainly looks far more complex than the more usual mash tun.  A handful of US craft breweries are bringing back the device as a money-saving, quality ensuring, upfront capital investment that should pay off in the long time.   A gutsy call, but we respect them

Kindred Spirits has a wide range of beers, most of them good — and far more than enough to meet the needs of anyone who is not counting on a ride share back.   We found they did their best work on pale ales.  We’ll look at their dy-no-mite Triple PA today and step back a bit tomorrow.

The Beer—   Their Kindred Spirit Ain’t No Half Steppin” Triple PA was a knee bending 10% big take on a pale ale theme.  It had exceptionally soft flavors for a 10% triple IPA.   Creamy and chalk and big pale malt starts with pine and tropical golden punch finishing.   Ellie thought it was unctuous and dangerous, but although I didn’t disagree, I would have wanted more oomph and pizzazz if I’m going to drink a 10% beer.  Still, a very professional beer with no evident flaws.

Value — Good.   We tasted this as part of a tasting rack – same price as the others and worth the money.

Values:  “fair” is a good beer at an above market price, “good” is worth the money, “very good” is a bargain, and “excellent” is a steal.

May and early June are some of the best times to take a weekend and go brewery hunting.  Most rates haven’t reached their out-of-school peak, and the chances for good weather are … pretty good.  So for a few weeks, we’ll give you some Mid Atlantic suggestions for weekend excursions.

We’re including beers and breweries we’ve found in researching our guide to breweries and inns of the Mid Atlantic.  We won’t adhere to the “must be walkable” rule here, though.  Once again we present our standard caveat: only a few of the beers we describe will be at the brewery if you go there, but they’ll probably have a beer that’s close to the style and if they do one stout well, they’ll probably do others about as well.  We hope the “story” will be at least as valuable as the actual beer review.

We’re often asked to share our tasting notes on over 33,000 beers; this blog is in answer to those requests.   Not all our notes, though.  The great beer writer Michael Jackson admirably followed the Thumper Rule, and we’ll try to do the same.  (“If you can’t say something nice, don’t say nuthin’ at all.”)   All the beers we post are from the top half of our ratings and most are from the top quarter.   Of greater value, we think, are the stories behind the beers,   and we try to give you enough about the brewery, the style and the places to find great beer to help you on your own beer journeys.   At CulturAle Press we try to write books and publish posts that will help you “Drink Well and Travel Safely.”

Short Pump Weekend: Rock Bottom Short Pump Give Into the Dark Stout

Date:  May 19, 2019

The Story—   Rock Bottom is a chain, but has long had the sense to hire good brewers and give them a long leash to put their individual stamp on each of their locations.  They appeal to a broad audience and are never going to be as daring as cult faves like Aslin or the Veil, however you’ll find plenty of interesting beers and fairly reliable, if somewhat chain-y, food.

We’ve been to the Short Pump location several times and have never been disappointed.  The lighter beers are crowd pleasers they have to brew, but their more substantial beers are engaging.  We don’t think any brewer does a beer a favor by dumping in mango in any form, but with that exception the bigger and more complex ales were well worth the visit.

The Beer—  The Give Into the Dark Stout was creamier and stronger than Guinness but just as dark.  Guinness is so clean that we sometimes look at our empty glass and wonder “where did that go?”  Rock Bottom’s version is substantial enough to remind you of what you’re drinking along the way.   Bottom line: more substance, almost the same darkness and with the same sort of moreish edge that makes stouts so easy to savor all night long.

Value — Six bucks for a UK 20 ounce pint.   You’d pay about the same in England for a stout that’s about one third less strong.  You’d pay about half again as much for a stout that’s about this strength — if you could find one on tap at your local.

Values:  “fair” is a good beer at an above market price, “good” is worth the money, “very good” is a bargain, and “excellent” is a steal.

May and early June are some of the best times to take a weekend and go brewery hunting.  Most rates haven’t reached their out-of-school peak, and the chances for good weather are … pretty good.  So for a few weeks, we’ll give you some Mid Atlantic suggestions for weekend excursions.

We’re including beers and breweries we’ve found in researching our guide to breweries and inns of the Mid Atlantic.  We won’t adhere to the “must be walkable” rule here, though.  Once again we present our standard caveat: only a few of the beers we describe will be at the brewery if you go there, but they’ll probably have a beer that’s close to the style and if they do one stout well, they’ll probably do others about as well.  We hope the “story” will be at least as valuable as the actual beer review.

We’re often asked to share our tasting notes on over 33,000 beers; this blog is in answer to those requests.   Not all our notes, though.  The great beer writer Michael Jackson admirably followed the Thumper Rule, and we’ll try to do the same.  (“If you can’t say something nice, don’t say nuthin’ at all.”)   All the beers we post are from the top half of our ratings and most are from the top quarter.   Of greater value, we think, are the stories behind the beers,   and we try to give you enough about the brewery, the style and the places to find great beer to help you on your own beer journeys.   At CulturAle Press we try to write books and publish posts that will help you “Drink Well and Travel Safely.”

Short Pump Weekend: Rock Bottom Short Pump Fire Chief Ale ESB

Date:  May 18, 2019

The Story—  In 1815 Robert Hyde Saunders built a small tavern on the Three Notched Road between Richmond and Charlottesville.   The location of the well apparently required a short handle on the pump; the name stuck.  The tavern was very popular through the 19^th century, but the automobile seems to have ensured its demise.  Thereafter “Short Pump” referred to a large plantation Saunders had established alongside the tavern.

In 2003 a shopping mall began to transform the area and now it’s a sea of stores, shops, hotels, and eateries.   The Rock Bottom Brewery is tucked into the middle of this expansive shopping empire across the “street” from a Brazilian Steak House and walking distance to the Hyatt and Hilton hotels.

We’ll have more to say about this Rock Bottom tomorrow, but for now, we’ll just offer a reminder that although it’s a chain, it’s a corporation that has celebrated the individual  talents of their skilled brewers for long before the big wave of craft hit the country.

The Beer—  Our problem with many red ales is that the Crystal malt used tends to give flavors of burned sugar and wet leather if it’s not handled very very carefully.   Here, there are no off flavors to detract.   Sweet toasted malt with lots of chocolate rolls into the finish.  Herbal and floral shows UK hops and it drinks very well.

Value — At under four bucks a glass this is almost a steal, but certainly a bargain.  Our records don’t show if we were there for happy hour, but Rock Bottoms usually have ones with very good value.

Values:  “fair” is a good beer at an above market price, “good” is worth the money, “very good” is a bargain, and “excellent” is a steal.

May and early June are some of the best times to take a weekend and go brewery hunting.  Most rates haven’t reached their out-of-school peak, and the chances for good weather are … pretty good.  So for a few weeks, we’ll give you some Mid Atlantic suggestions for weekend excursions.

We’re including beers and breweries we’ve found in researching our guide to breweries and inns of the Mid Atlantic.  We won’t adhere to the “must be walkable” rule here, though.  Once again we present our standard caveat: only a few of the beers we describe will be at the brewery if you go there, but they’ll probably have a beer that’s close to the style and if they do one stout well, they’ll probably do others about as well.  We hope the “story” will be at least as valuable as the actual beer review.

We’re often asked to share our tasting notes on over 33,000 beers; this blog is in answer to those requests.   Not all our notes, though.  The great beer writer Michael Jackson admirably followed the Thumper Rule, and we’ll try to do the same.  (“If you can’t say something nice, don’t say nuthin’ at all.”)   All the beers we post are from the top half of our ratings and most are from the top quarter.   Of greater value, we think, are the stories behind the beers,   and we try to give you enough about the brewery, the style and the places to find great beer to help you on your own beer journeys.   At CulturAle Press we try to write books and publish posts that will help you “Drink Well and Travel Safely.”