By Greg Kitsock A generation ago, “urban cidery” would have been almost a contradiction in terms; now, cideries are popping up all over metropolitan areas. Alexandria, Va., on the doorstep of our nation’s capital, will welcome its first such business this spring when Virginia Ciderworks Co. – doing business as Lost Boy Cider – opening…
Core Brand Awareness in February
By Jeff Maisey Forbes recently posted an article by contributing writer Tara Nurin headlined “A New #FlagshipFebruary Campaign Aims to Save Core Beer Brands Before They Disappear.” In the article, Stephen Beaumont, the journalist who is credited with creating the #FlagshipFebruary awareness campaign, is quoted as saying, “A lot of beer drinkers have developed a…
Why Just One Lone Brewery in Arlington?
By Greg Kitsock Arlingtonians tend to be highly educated, well-to-do (median family income over $110,000) and, judging from the burgeoning bar scene, perennially thirsty. So why is Arlington County such a desert for breweries? Nearby Loudoun County has over 30 breweries serving a population of 398,000. If breweries were parceled out according to population, Arlington…
Lee Graves: Virginia’s Beer Historian
By Jeff Maisey The history of brewing beer in the Commonwealth — the land of Washington, Jefferson and other notable Founding Fathers — comes to life in a well-researched book from writer Lee Graves titled Virginia Beer: A Guide from Colonial Days to Craft’s Golden Age. For Graves, the former RVA Beer Guy columnist…
9 VA Breweries Win Medals at 2018 Great American Beer Festival
(Fans of craft beer enjoy the 2018 Great American Beer Festival in Denver. Photo courtesy of Brewers Association) By Jeff Maisey Nine breweries from Virginia won medals at the 2018 Great American Beer Festival in Denver, Colorado. Here are Virginia’s 2018 award winners. GOLD MEDAL Lost Rhino Brewing Co., Shooter McMunn’s, Classic Irish-style Dry Stout…
Brewing Tree Takes Root in Nelson County
By Jeff Maisey After announcing his return in an exclusive interview with Virginia Craft Beer Magazine on New Year’s Day, pioneering Virginia craft brewer Mark Thompson now has his Brewing Tree Beer Company is up and running. The charismatic Thompson is brewing again after three-year contractual hiatus. Before his “retirement,” Thompson spent 23 years in…
Best Virginia Brewery of 2018?
STAFF REPORT Each year the Virginia Craft Brewers Guild holds its Virginia Craft Beer Cup competition. The top award — a cut-and-welded keg resembling the NHL Stanley Cup — is given to the Best in Show winning beer. Each of the past three years we at Virginia Craft Beer Magazine have sought to determine which…
Game Changer for Smartmouth
By Jeff Maisey It’s summertime. Most of Team Smartmouth’s starting lineup is batting like champs. There’s Alter Ego Saison, the team’s home run leader. Murphy’s Law Amber is good for an on-base hit every time at bat. Notch 9 Double IPA always scores with RBIs (and IPUs). Then there’s last season’s Rookie of the Year…
Virginia is for LockN’ Lovers
By Diane Catanzaro and Chris Jones Beer and music festivals go together like yin and yang. However, it’s a bona fide buzzkill when your festival beer choices are limited to domestic lagers, and a search for the “craft beer tent” leads you to Blue Moon or Shocktop but no beers brewed nearby when there are…
Senator Mark Warner Talks Tariffs
By Jeff Maisey As summer was about to begin, U.S. Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) hosted Virginia craft brewers and canners for a roundtable discussion on the economic impact tariffs imposed by President Trump would have on imported aluminum and steel. The sit-down conversation was held at Hardywood Park Craft Brewery in Richmond. So what…