Harry's Alehouse held a Wing & Craft Beer Pairing event this week, featuring beers from Flying Dog Brewery. Having attended several previous beer dinners at Harry's, we were excited for the next adventure. We were not disappointed.

We capped off last weekend with an enjoyable event at Harry's Alehouse. The "Bourbon Barrel Beer Dinner" promised interesting beers and good food. As we were seated our server let us know that the first course would start in about 20 minutes, and he then tempted us with a couple additional barrel-aged beers that weren't to be featured in the pairings. Naturally, we couldn't resist ordering both the Founders Canadian Breakfast Stout and the Goose Island Bourbon County 2017 offerings.

Checking in at 11.7% ABV, Founders CBS has been brewed only three times since its introduction in 2011. Brewed with chocolate and coffee, the beer is aged in bourbon barrels that previously held maple syrup. An annual release, the Goose Island Stout is also aged in bourbon barrels, and boasts a big 14.1% ABV. Both beers are much hyped and sought after by craft beer aficionados. We enjoyed both, but picked the Founders CBS as the better, and worth seeking out again in the future.

Those palate primers finished, it was time to for the main event to begin. The first course featured Baked Brie en Croute with Tangerine Honey Marmalade. The beer pairing was Alltech Brewing Kentucky Rickhouse Series No. 6 Tangerine Cream. Alltech is a combination brewery and distillery located along Kentucky's Bourbon Trail. The beer was a bright golden color with a creamy citrus aroma, and a moderate 5.5% ABV. The flavor was that of a classic creamsicle, if it was made with a hint of bourbon. This was certainly an unusual, but tasty beer. The flavors of the brie and marmalade was similar and compatible.


Next up was a French Country Salad made with Heirloom Tomatoes, Herbed Goat Cheese, Toasted Walnuts and a Lemon Dijon Vinaigrette. The featured beer for this course was Allagash Curieux. Curieux is a Belgian Triple, 11% ABV,  that has been aged bourbon barrels for seven weeks. Besides the expected bourbon notes, there are hints of coconut and vanilla in both the aroma and flavor. The salad was especially flavorful, and made even more enjoyable by the paired beer.

The honey sweetness comes through in the flavor of the cider, though I didn't detect the affects of the barrel aging. The pairing didn't come off as well as the others, but that could be simply my preferences for less sweet beverages. That said, I had no trouble finishing any of it.

The dinner complete, Colleen and I decided to linger over coffee and continue our fun date night. Before we left home for the dinner, we had discussed how neither of us felt particularly motivated to go out for the evening. However, in the end, we were delighted to have struck with our plans. It was a most enjoyable finish to the weekend.

This was the third "beer dinner" we've attended at Harry's Alehouse, and I think the best and most extravagant. The service all evening was attentive and friendly. Harry's events are reasonably priced, a lot of fun, and there is no skimping on the servings of food or beer. We're definitely looking forward to the next event.

Earlier this week, Capital Ale House in Fredericksburg hosted a Strangeways Brewing "Steal the Glass" event. As reported recently, Strangeways recently entered into an agreement to begin local distribution of their beers. Tuesday's event marked the first Fredericksburg appearance of the beers outside of the brewery. Colleen and I decided to stop in and enjoy a few good beers and some tasty food.

Four Strangeways beers were being poured this evening; Überlin Berliner Weisse, Helles Frozen Over, Tirami’Zu Brew Rum Barrel Aged Porter and Home for the Holidays Spiced Cranberry Sour.

I've been enjoying some sour beer styles of late, so I chose the Home for the Holidays Spiced Cranberry Sour. The attractive red beer has a refreshing tart fruit flavor with a hint of spice. The low 4.2% ABV was welcome as I emptied my glass quite quickly.

Colleen started with Tirami’Zu Brew Barrel Aged Porter. I stole only a brief sip, not wanting to disturb my soured tastebuds, but I think I'll check that one out at the brewery soon. It was full of creamy dark chocolate aroma and flavor.


We've enjoyed several visits to the nearby Strangeways Fredericksburg location, where they keep around 40 unique beers on tap, so having just four options from which to choose made for an easier than usual decision process. For our next round, to accompany our meal, we simply ordered "the other two."

This time I sipped the Helles Frozen Lager and Colleen claimed the Überlin Berliner Weisse. The Helles had a nice crisp, grassy bitterness. A lighter bodied beer than I typically drink, it went well with my French Dip Steak and Havarti sandwich.

While we were enjoying our dinner I noticed that Capital Ale House owner Chris Holder and Neil Burton, the Strangeways Brewery owner, were also in attendance to help celebrate the new distribution status. I hadn't seen either of them for some time so took the chance say hello and enjoy a quick chat about beer in Fredericksburg.

Besides two more glasses to add to our glassware collection, we obtained a bunch of Strangeways swag as well. We enjoyed a pleasant event talking, eating, and drinking. I'm can now look forward to seeing even more Strangeways beer variety at my favorite local establishments.

Last Wednesday evening Harry's Alehouse held a Wing & Beer Pairing. This was the first beer dinner event we've been able to get to at Harry's and it sounded like one we'd very much enjoy; four chicken wing selections paired with four beers.

We arrived late for the start of the dinner, and the diners were close to finishing the second course. (We misunderstood the starting time.) Both the manager and the owner stopped what they were doing and got use seated and made sure the kitchen prepared the missed pairings for us, and we were caught up in no time. We very much appreciated the extra effort and attention.

The first course featured Thai Sticky Wings paired with Allagash White. The three wings were moderately spicy but the Witbier cut right through that and refreshed the pallet. True to the description, the wings were oozing with a very messy and sticky sauce. Fortunately Harry's provided plenty of napkins and wet wipes too!



Next up was Memphis Hot Wings and Triple Crossing Paranoid Aledroid. This time the wings featured a classic dry rub. I'm a fan of the dry rub barbecue and Triple Crossing Pale Wheat Ale is a beer I've enjoyed several times at Harry's as well. I liked this combo very much.

The heat was turned up for the third course of Korean Hot Wings served with Perennial Artisan Keith's Korner. The Wings were smothered in a thick, deep red, and hot, sauce that created a bit of perspiration on the top of my head. Pickled radishes were served on the side. The IPA could not quite overcome the intense flavor of the wings, and its flavor was somewhat lost. Although the pairing didn't work as well as the others, the wing flavoring was very well done.



The final beer of the evening, Founders Nitro Rubaeus, was paired with Peanut Butter and Jelly Wings. Admittedly, I had my doubts about this one. The wings had a strawberry glaze and were accompanied with a peanut butter dipping sauce. The wings were flavorful, but my least favorite of the evening. The beer, to my surprise and delight was very good. I haven't been a big fan of fruit beers but the raspberry flavored beer made for a refreshingly fruity dessert finish.

Harry's Wing and Beer event made for an enjoyable evening. I found it to be a nice twist from the usual "beer dinner." The pairings were well done, and both the wing and beer selections were tasty.

Although the twelve Wings and all the beer was more than satisfying, we were enjoying ourselves so much that we decided to linger for another beer and more food. Since I missed getting the full flavor the Perennial Artisan Keith's Korner IPA, I opted for a glass of that one with my "second" dinner.

We're looking forward to enjoying more events such as this at Harry's Alehouse.

The annual St. Patrick's Day parade and festival at Adventure Brewing South (formerly Blue & Gray Brewing) has been renamed to honor the late Jeff Fitzpatrick. The Free Lance-Star reports...

Since Adventure Brewing purchased Blue & Gray Brewing, the most frequent questions I've heard from folks revolve around the future of the popular St. Patrick's Day and Oktoberfest celebrations held each year at Blue & Gray. I've been told that these events will continue at the new Adventure Brewing South location, but it's still been a matter of "wait and see."

We know now that the fourteen year Oktoberfest tradition will continue. Adventure has announced plans for their first annual Oktoberfest on September 17th from 12:00 PM -8:00 PM. The event lives on, though with some changes.

The biggest change, and most exciting I think, is the addition of other local breweries to the lineup. Currently Maltese Brewing Company, Rusty Beaver Brewery, and Wild Run Brewing Company are all on the list. Ticket fees will include either a shaker pint or an Oktoberfest mug, and a token for a beer fill. There will traditional Oktoberfest foods for sale, as well as games and vendors.

More details and advance ticket sales can be found at the event website.

On Tuesday evening we enjoyed a beer and food pairing with Blue Mountain Brewery at Capital Ale House. The beers were not ones that are usually available at the restaurant, and the food dishes were specially created for the event as well.

Tuesday evening the Flying Dog RV was spotted outside Capital Ale House. The occasion was a Flying Dog "Steal the Glass" night, featuring four Flying Dog beers served in an attractive etched glass. How could we resist going in?

The four beers featured were Bloodline IPA, Hoppy American Wheat, Kujo Coffee Stout and Gonzo Imperial Porter on Nitro. All excellent beers that we've had before. I opted for the Bloodline Blood Orange IPA and Colleen selected Hoppy American Wheat.



Bloodline IPA seemed to be the most popular selection, based on comments I heard at the bar. It's a bright, citrusy IPA that's quite refreshing. I posted a full review of the beer previously. Equally enjoyable was the Hoppy American Wheat. A blend of a bitter IPA and a wheat beer, this member of the Brewhouse Rarities series is a unique take on the traditional wheat beer. More info can be found in this previous review.

Flying Dog beer peddlers Adam and Pete were there to talk about the beers. I got a chance to chat with them a bit about Flying Dog's plans for the upcoming year. Let's just say I'm looking forward to enjoying some interesting beers from the brewery in 2015.

And those cool etched logo glasses? We decided we really needed a set of four, so we enjoyed another round of our selected beers with Capital Ale's tasty, and huge, Lamb Gyro Burger. It was a fitting finish to a fun day that included a fun visit to the range.

Thursday evening Capital Ale House set out a Cheese & Beer pairing featuring Isley Brewing Company. Three Isley Beers were paired up with three cheeses; Tall, Dark and Hopsome Black IPA with Lusk Gouda, Off the Boulevard Irish Red Ale with McClure Swiss, and Choosy Mother Peanut Butter Oatmeal Porter with President Brie.

Also included with the cheeses was a couple slices of a very delicious bread with a salt and herb crust. We enjoyed the side of bread as much as the cheese and beer. The bread and cheese platter would stand on its own as an appetizer.



This event was originally advertised to feature four beer and cheese pairings, with an Isley rep in attendance to talk about their beers. We think there was a logo glass included as well that we missed getting. That said, we're quite capable left on our own and enjoyed the beers and making our own commentary.

The first pairing, the Tall, Dark and Hopsome IPA and Gouda, was quite good. I took a few sips of the beer before the cheese plate arrived and really liked the beer. The pine and citrus hops with roasted malts was a tasty combination. It's a beer I'd have again. Interestingly, adding in the Gouda, the flavor of the beer took on a slightly sweeter tone. The flavors were noticeably influenced by the cheese.

Next up was Off the Boulevard Irish Red Ale and Swiss. The Red Ale had a distinctly fruity aspect along with the biscuity malt. After sipping, Colleen and I at the same time remarked, "I taste pears." The ale had a decidedly malty cider slant, in appearance, aroma and flavor.

Finally, we came to the Choosy Mother Peanut Butter Oatmeal Porter and Brie pair. In all frankness, we didn't care for the aroma of this one. In the taste, there was some oatmeal and a hint of sweet chocolate. It was however, the peanut butter than dominated. Mixing our sips with the brie and bread, the peanut flavor was muted somewhat. Choosy Mother is a popular and highly rated beer from Isley. But this unique flavor is like smoked beers I think, you either like them or you don't. The beer grew on me as I sipped, but a full pint probably isn't in my future.

Our beer and cheese tasting completed, Colleen and I settled into a few more good beers and the Thursday special of "Endless Mussels." We took good advantage of the all you can eat aspect of the menu. It was a tasty and enjoyable, if somewhat decadent, evening.