Hey Bartender

RECENTLY, THE RICHMOND area was introduced to Devils Backbone Brewing Company. Several events were scheduled throughout the city so that beer lovers from the four corners of the city would have no trouble attending at least one. I wanted to attend them all, but my schedule only allowed me to enjoy one of them. Fortunately, the most convenient choice was a pub crawl. What better way to sample good food and good beer than to move from one place to another for a couple of hours with like-minded beer lovers?

Before we talk about the crawl, let's start with a little history. Devils Backbone Brewing Company was established in 2008 by Steve Crandall. In its short existence, the beers from Devils Backbone have garnered several awards, including the World Beer Cup Champion Brewery and Brewmaster Small Brewpub in 2010. According to myth, Mr. Crandall's passion for craft beer and brewing comes from spending an inordinate amount of time backpacking and skiing in the western part of the country. The success of the breweries he encountered left an indelible mark on him and were the reason that he chose a location at the base of the Wintergreen resort as the home for his brewpub. Apparently, he recognized that quite a few of those successful breweries were located in and around mountainous areas. These days, Devils Backbone is putting the finishing touches on an additional facility in Lexington that will dramatically increase its production giving us even more good beer in the months to come.

Pub Crawls are fun, especially when the venues that participate in the crawl are small, intimate spaces that allow the crawlers to mingle while enjoying good food and good beer. I was excited about the crawl because it gave me a chance to visit a couple of places that I had heard about, but never got the chance to visit. The first stop was Commercial Taphouse, located on Robinson Street in The Fan. Their claim to fame is that it was Richmond's first ever taphouse. When I arrived, the crawl was well underway. A crowd of beer lovers was already enjoying Devils Backbone beers, so I joined the party. The taphouse featured the Ale of Fergus and Vienna Lager.

I started with the Ale of Fergus, a Scotch ale that has a deep amber color with a light tan head when drawn into a pint glass. I really enjoyed this fine adult beverage. The nose had notes of toffee and caramel malt, with hints of hops as well. It tastes as good as it smells. It's well-balanced with sweet caramel, malt, and hops. The finish has a slight hoppy bitterness. If I weren't crawling, I'd have had another Fergus for sure. I also sampled the Vienna Lager, a dark amber colored beer with a fluffy white head. I could smell caramel up front with a hint of malt. I definitely tasted malt, but there was also a hint of something sweet. It may have been grapes and toffee. I'm not a big lager drinker, but I really enjoyed this one.

After about an hour of mingling at Commercial Taphouse, we made our way to Secco Wine Bar. Secco is located on Cary Street in Carytown. They are known for their wines, but they also have an excellent selection of beers in bottles and on tap. For the crawl, they dedicated one of their taps to Schwartz Bier. For those unfamiliar with this style, the name is German for black beer. Unlike porters and stouts, schwarzbier isn't overly bitter. Instead, they are refreshing, soul lifting beers. They are a great alternative when you're looking for a lighter beer with a depth of color and taste. Schwarz Bier is dark brown with very little if any head at all. It has an earthy smell with grass and hops in the background. The taste is mild with roasted malt and hints of chocolate and caramel. The body is thin, but crisp. It's definitely an alternative for those who want a light beer with flavor and color. I really enjoyed it. Secco is also known for its great food. For the crawl, their chefs prepared a kielbasa dish with bread and spicy mustard to pair with the Schwarz Bier. It was a perfect compliment.

The last stop on our epic Devils Backbone crawl was Caliente. Located on Park Avenue, Caliente is known for its spicy foods. I'd always wanted to check it out, so I was excited to find that it was the final destination on the crawl. Caliente had the Eight Point IPA and Kilt Flasher on tap. Kilt Flasher is a Scotch Ale aged in wood casks. The dark brown color was very appealing to the eye and the amazing caramel, vanilla, oak, burnt sugar, and apple aromas caught me off guard. I wasn't surprised to taste caramel, brown sugar, wood, bourbon, vanilla and spices. It was very smooth and very delicious. I ended the evening with the Eight Point IPA. I love the India Pale Ale style and this one did not disappoint me at all. The nose was full of hops -- just the way I like it. My first taste was more of the same -- lots of bitter hops with a solid presence of malt as well. Overall, it was what I like about an IPA. I'd definitely drink it again, especially since it only weighs in at 5.90% ABV. I paired it with an order of french fries that came with a choice of two of the many spicy sauces that Caliente specializes in. The IPA helped simmer down the heat from the sauces. If the sauces are any indication of what Caliente can do, then I can't wait to go back to try more of their spicy delights.

So, there you have it, Devils Backbone Brewing Company -- uncorked! I'd like to thank Commercial Taphouse, Secco Wine Bar, and Caliente for their hospitality. I'd also like to thank Brown Distributing and Devils Backbone for making this event possible. As a beer drinker, I'm always excited to hear about new breweries and new beers. Devils Backbone is a welcomed addition to my catalog of favorites as well as the Richmond beer community. I'm sure that they'll do well here. As always, whether drinking Devils Backbone beers alone or with friends, please do so responsibly. Until next time...prosit!!!

WINE DRINKERS EVERYWHERE have, at one time or another, either heard of Muscat or have had a conversation about it. Wine purist have scoffed at those who enjoy some of the wines made from it. Novice wine drinkers have raved about those same wines, giving rise to the debate over whether those wines should even be referred to in the same sentence as some of the more traditional wines that purists enjoy. Today, we'll shed some light on Muscat. You'll be surprised at what the light reveals.

Muscat is grown everywhere and is used to make everything from wine to raisins. It is a variety of grape that belongs to the species Vitis vinifera. Known as the common grape wine, Vitis vinifera is native to the Mediterranean region, central Europe, and southwestern Asia. This includes places like Germany, Iran, Portugal and Morocco. It first appeared about 200 million years ago and has been part of the human equation since the Neolithic period, around 10,200 Before the Common Era.

There are many, many varieties of Muscat: Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains, Muscat Rose à Petits Grains, Muscat Rouge à Petits Grains, Moscatel de Favaio, Muscat of Alexandria, Muskat-Ottonel, Black Muscat, Orange Muscat, Muscat Crocant, and Moravian Muscat, just to name a few. The actual number of varieties is well over two-hundred. The colors of these grapes are as varied as the names, ranging from white to black.

What makes Muscat so popular with novice wine drinkers is that it has a very pronounced sweet floral aroma. The wines produced using this grape tend to be very sweet, a characteristic that appeals to quite a few of those just beginning to experience wine.

In Italy, it is used to make Moscato d'Asti, a light sparkling wine made from a variety of Muscat called Muscato Canelli grown in the Piedmont region. Moscato d'Asti is very sweet and low in alcohol, often enjoyed with dessert. Recently, it's become a very popular wine in the United States.

In Spain, specific varieties of Muscat are used to make sherry. Sherry is a fortified wine made in Jerez, Spain according to strict Spanish laws. For those unfamiliar with the phrase fortified wine, it is wine which has a distilled beverage added to it. In most cases, the distilled beverage of choice is brandy. The difference between a fortified wine and a spirit is that a spirit is produced using distillation techniques, while fortified wines are simply wines that have had a spirit (distilled beverage) added to them.

Muscat wines are also used as the base for other adult elixirs such as Pisco and Metaxa. You may remember, from a previous post, that Pisco is a brandy produced by the distillation of fermented Muscat grapes. It is a colorless distillate made in Peru that is used to make the Pisco Sour, an extremely popular drink in that region. Greece is known for Metaxa, a blend of brandy and wine made from Muscat grapes. Metaxa's claim to fame is that it's the first alcoholic beverage known to be consumed in outer-space. I've enjoyed Metaxa on many an occasion. Consuming enough of it will give you the impression that you are actually in outer-space.

It should be quite obvious that Muscat is a very flexible grape used to make a wide range of adult beverages. As I stated earlier, it's been around for more than 200 years and it's been a part of the human experience for over 13 millennia. It is known to be the oldest domesticated grape in the world. What is not commonly known about it is how much our entire wine culture owes to the existence of Muscat. Theorists have suggested that the entire family of Vitis vinifera grapes are decedents of the Muscat grape. Let that sink in for a moment. Muscat is the parent grape of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Shiraz, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Pinot Grigio, Sangiovese, Malbec, Gamay, Primitivo, Zinfandel, Tempranillo, Petit Verdot -- almost every grape you've ever heard of or consumed. So, wine purist may taunt those who enjoy those sweet Muscat-based wines, but they owe a debt of thanks to the Muscat grape no matter how they feel about the Muscat family of wines, especially since that family of wines includes everything they've ever heard of. Who doesn't love irony?

So, there you have it, the Muscat mystery -- unraveled! There is always an untold story, no matter what the topic may be. In the case of Muscat, the story is of an ancient grape, much older than our civilization, that probably, through its flexibility, helped mold our way of life in ways that we will never know or be able to imagine. It is well documented that the discovery of distilled beverages helped build cultures and helped distinctly different cultures find ways to flourish together. If all those theorists are correct, then Muscat paved the road that got us to this point. When the Hall of Fame for this sort of thing is constructed, Muscat should be the first inductee. As always, whether enjoying Moscato d'Asti, Sherry, Metaxa, or Pisco alone or with friends, please do so responsibly. Until next time...prosit!!!

IT'S THE BEGINNING of a brand new year. Most everyone usually starts each year with big plans and resolutions that may or may not be completed or resolved. 2012 is no different unless you factor in the Mayan calendar ending in a few months leaving everyone wondering if that means the end of the world or that the Mayans just got tired of adding days to their calendar because they knew that they wouldn't be around when the last day came and went. I'm sure that this time next year we'll all be here, but just in case I'm going to start emptying my inbox. Let's see what kind of questions we have this month.

What was your favorite holiday cocktail?

After careful consideration, the overwhelming winner in this category was the Mistletoe Mojito. It was developed by one of my co-workers and it embodied everything you would want in a holiday drink. It was aesthetically pleasing, easy to make, and delicious. To give you an idea of what it looked like, imagine a tall drink with a medium cranberry tint that appeared to have holly leaves in it. To make it, place fresh mint leaves and fresh cranberries at the bottom of a Collins glass. Fill the glass with ice, then add three quarters of an ounce each of Bacardi Limon and Bacardi O, an ounce of cranberry simple syrup and a half ounce of cranberry juice to the mix. Shake vigorously before topping with two ounces of Sprite. You don't have to take my word for it, the crowd at our bar enjoyed this cocktail more than any other that we came up with for our holiday list. I'm sure that it will make the cut next year as well.

Why didn't you do a post on Stone Vertical Epic 11-11-11 last year?

I didn't think that anyone noticed. I should have known better. The reason that I skipped it was because 11-11-11 came and went without me getting the beer. Due to some shipping mishap, I didn't receive my case until almost December. It was delicious and I did enjoy drinking one or two of them, but I didn't think that doing a post a month after the fact made sense because the hype had died down by then, or so I thought.

The 11-11-11 release is awesome! It's a deep amber ale with a lot of fruit and Belgian yeast on the nose. You'll also get a hint of cinnamon and Anaheim chilies, which are the surprise ingredients in the 11-11-11 brew. The taste reminds me of the strong Belgian style ales I know and love so dearly. At 9.4% ABV, the balance of alcohol, Belgian yeast, chili, and cinnamon is remarkable. The delicate carbonation and texture gave me the mouth-feel of any of the fine Belgian ales. Overall, I found it to be an interesting interpretation of this classic ale style. The quality is unmatched and the sensations on the palate cause a pleasant sensory overload.

To sum up 11-11-11, it is just as good as all of its predecessors. The most significant thing to note about the latest release is that it's the penultimate release of this epic limited edition series. On December 12, 2012, the last epic edition will be released giving us eleven beers to vertically sample just before the end of the world. I have one from each year, so I can't wait. It will never be brewed again, so if you see it, try it. It's definitely worth it.

What is a vale?

You may recall from geography class that a vale is a wide river valley, usually with a particularly wide flood plain or flat valley bottom. They commonly occur between the escarpment slopes of pairs of chalk domes where the domes have been eroded, exposing less resistant underlying rock, usually clay. For the escarpment impaired, they are steep slopes or long cliffs that are formed by erosion or from faults separating two relatively level areas of differing elevations.

I'm guessing that you were enjoying a bottle of wine from McLaren Vale. McLaren Vale is located in southern Australia and with a population well under 3000, it is internationally renowned for its wine. It's named after either David McLaren or John MacLaren. No one knows which and neither is related to the other. Both men we very prominent figures during the early days of McLaren Vale, so they both get full credit. The Mediterranean style climate, with a clear delineation of the four seasons allows McLaren Vale to be an ideal area to grow grapes. It is best known for its Shiraz, which is by far the most important grape in this region, accounting for about 50% of all grapes grown. Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Tempranillo, Petit Verdot, Sangiovese, Viognier and Zinfandel are also grown there. Those of you familiar with the Layer Cake brand no doubt know that this wine is made in McLaren Vale. The Layer Cake Shiraz is amazing. If you're a fan of shiraz or red wine in general, this wine will blow you away.

So, there you have it, secrets revealed!!! I love the excitement that the New Year brings. New goals, new challenges, and new beginnings. I hope that this year brings you all the joy and happiness that you dream about and work so hard for. As always, whether enjoying a holiday cocktail, a Belgian ale, or an Australian shiraz, please do so responsibly. Until next time...prosit!!!