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Oktoberfest in Fredericksburg, Twice

David — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 10:32:00 +0000

Craft beer fans, and fun-loving folks in general, will have two opportunities to celebrate Oktoberfest in Fredericksburg this month. (Yes, the Munich Oktoberfest actually does start in September.)

On September 18, the Fredericksburg Capital Ale House will celebrate Oktoberfest in downtown Fredericksburg with a block party in front of their Caroline Street location. The event will kick off at noon and continue until 10:00PM. This will be the second annual event for Capital Ale House in Fredericksburg. Entertainment will be provided by the SGTEV Hirschjager German dancers and German music by Heidi und Heimat, The Continentals & Low’n’Brows. A large children’s area will include three inflatable attractions, face painter and balloon artists. Food and beverages will be available. Other Richmond are Capital Ale House locations will celebrate Oktoberfest on September 24th & 25th, and October 2.

After you've spent the work week recovering, the party starts again the following weekend. The Blue & Gray Brewing Company will hold their 8th Annual Fredericksburg Oktoberfest all weekend long, September 24, 25, & 26. Family-friendly fun activities include sing alongs, a stein holding contest, Oompah music, ginger bread walk, K-9 demonstration, face painting for the kids, and the Low’n’Brows. And of course, plenty of the ever-popular Oktoberfest Beer from Blue & Gray Brewing will be available along with other Blue & Gray beers. See the event page for the complete schedule of events.

The newly opened Lee's Retreat Brewpub at Blue & Gray will be serving delicious German foods and pastries. Beer will be available for sale in 12oz or 16oz mugs, or a 33.8oz (maas) commemorative stein. Festival hours are Friday 5:00PM-10:00PM, Saturday 11:00AM-7:00 PM, and Sunday 12:00PM-4:00PM.

It's a great month to be a craft beer fan in Fredericksburg!

Update, September 7: This just in from Jeff at Blue & Gray, "VA ABC regulations require us to reduce our weekend event to 2 days, Friday and Saturday." So plan your weekend accordingly.

Hop Picking at Blue Mountain

David — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 21:41:00 +0000

Do you enjoy the aroma of very fresh hops? The Annual Hop Picking Day at Blue Mountain Brewery is Monday, August 2.

From Nelson County Life Magazine:

Join us Mon, Aug 2nd from 10am-7pm for our annual Hop Picking. Volunteer 2 hours and receive a FREE sandwich and side. (ABC law says we can’t give free beer but you can grab a beer while you pick, after you pick or both.) We’ll be brewing 1,000 gallons of a Cascade Tribute Pale Ale with the hops our volunteers pick. The rest of the hops will be dried the following day and used in our beloved Full Nelson Pale Ale throughout the year.

Event Date: Monday 2nd of August 2010 10:00 AM
Location/Address: 9519 Critzers Shop Road, Afton, VA 22920
Contact Telephone: Please call 540-456-8020 for more information

Four Virginia Breweries Collaborate on Special Brew

David — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 11:18:00 +0000

Brewers from Starr Hill, Blue Mountain, Devils Backbone, and South Street breweries got together last week to create a special beer. Five brewers from these Virginia breweries met at Starr Hill on Friday to create a Black IPA style beer. Jacque Landry, (partner & brewer South Street Brewery) Matt Nucci, (brewer and co-owner Blue Mountain Brewery) Mark Thompson, (owner and brewmaster Starr Hill) Aaron Reilly, (brewer Devils Backbone) and Jason Oliver, (head brewmaster Devils Backbone) all contributed to the effort. The special brew will be released at the Brew Ridge Trail Music Festival on August 21.

Nelson County Life has photos from the brew day, along with more information. Brewer Jason Oliver was also featured in a video interview with Charlottesville station NBC29.

See this post for details on how you can win two free tickets to the Brew Ridge Festival.

Photo courtesy Nelson County Life.