Tuesday evening Colleen and I attended a Brooklyn Brewery beer dinner with Garrett Oliver at Capital Ale House. The dinner was the last in a string of local appearances on that day by the Brooklyn Brewery brewmaster. We knew this would be an exciting evening, Garrett Oliver is both knowledgeable and engaging.

The dinner got off to a late start due to some overlapping events that were scheduled for Garrett during his visit to Fredericksburg. Once he arrived, Garrett provided a brief introduction to the brewery and beer/food pairing history. He also gave brief introductions prior to each course, including what to expect and why the selections were made.

The six-course dinner officially kicked off with Brooklyn Pilsner paired with Rappahannock Oysters topped with Cavier. A very tasty dish, the saltiness of the dish going quite well with the sharp pilsener. I'm a fan of oysters on the half shell, and caviar for that matter, so enjoyed this very much. I was pleased to assist those who didn't like oysters with clearing their plates. Next up, Brooklyner Weisse with Smoked Virginia Rainbow Trout and Tomato Bisque. This dish was the surprise pairing of the evening and was the subject of much conversation at our table. I tend to think of weisse beers as going well with fruit, or even with breakfast, so I was surprised how well this matched with the acidity of the tomato and the smokiness of the fish. This is a combination I will make a point of repeating.

The third course matched up Brooklyn Local 1 with Seared Chesapeake Scallops with Citrus Preserves served over Arugula with Red Pepper Vinaigrette. The scallops were tender and well-prepared. I personally thought the Local 1 overpowered the scallap flavors a bit, though others enjoyed it. After an entertaining and enlightening introduction by Garrett on the virtues of grilled meat and "crispy bits" we moved on to course four. This consisted of Lamb Chops over Latkes with Parisian Carrots and Thyme Beurre Blanc (white butter). The tiny chops were cooked to medium rare and very moist. The beer served was Brooklyn Brown Ale. Garrett told us the Brown Ale is the second most popular beer from the brewery. This slightly hoppy "Americanized" brown ale was the perfect accompaniment for the lamb chops.

If you weren't a blue cheese fan, the next course wasn't for you. However I am, so I eagerly awaited the cheese course. Three blue cheeses were paired with Brooklyn Local 2. The cheeses were Valdeon (with red pepper), Legendary Blue Roomkase, and Society Bee Roquefort. Garrett introduced the course by expressing some trepidation of how well the pairing would work. Opinions on the outcome were varied. I thought the first and last of the cheeses worked very well with the Local 2. This was the first time I was able to try Local 2, and found very tasty. Dark, sweet malt with dark sugar and fruit. I'll need to look for a bottle or two of this one.

Finally, the classic Brooklyn beer pairing, Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout with dessert. In this case, dessert was a Strawberry Biscuit Cake with a bit of chocolate drizzled over. The beer came out a bit too cold, so we warmed the glasses in our hands while Garrett gave some history of this beer. (It was essentially his "resume beer" for Brooklyn Brewery.) After dessert there was time for everyone to talk to Garrett, get books signed, and grab a photo or two. All attendees also got one of those nice Brooklyn snifters to take home.

We had a wonderful evening out. The dinner was very well run, and the Capital Ale House staff did an excellent job of getting the foods and beers served efficiently. Special kudos go to Chef Adam for preparing a delightful variety of dishes. All too soon it was time to head home, still savoring the memories of the wonderful flavors and aromas we experienced over the course of the past few hours.

I've uploaded a few photos from the evening here.

The Northern Virginia Summer BrewFest took place this weekend, June 27-29, in Leesburg, Virginia. I headed out to Leesburg Saturday morning to spend the afternoon at the festival. I arrived just as the gates were opening so I was able to make a tour around the grounds prior to the crowds arriving, to get a sense of what was available. My plan was to try out only beers that I had not had, or don't remember having, previously. The lone exception to that was Bill Madden's Wee Heavy that was the stealth beer being poured at the Vintage 50 tent. (It's just too good to pass up.) The Wee Heavy was my leadoff beer for the festival.

Next, I ran into "Dr. Joel" Armato from New Holland Brewing. Joel recommended that I try the New Holland Existential Ale. This big beer is a Barleywine or Double IPA, depending on who you ask. Plenty of citrus hops a big malt backbone. The alcohol level is noticeable, but really comes across as flavor, rather than a burn. Unfortunately Existential is not being bottled. I'll have to look for it on draft, or perhaps at the World Beer Festival - Richmond. The Existential might just qualify as my pick for my favorite beer of the festival.

Next up, Mountaineer Brewing Pale Ale, followed by 21st Amendment Brew Free! or Die IPA. The Mountaineer Pale Ale was a lightly hopped, drinkable ale. The 21st Amendment IPA was not as highly hopped as I had expected. Unfortunately, I also sensed a bit of sour, off-flavor in the sample, so I do want to try this again. (I understand the cans are now available locally.) I paired the IPA with a bowl of Chili Mac from Hard Time Café

I then moved on to a couple of very nice dark beers, the first being Williamsburg AleWerks Coffeehouse Stout. This a smooth, moderately light, stout with hints of roasted coffee and dark chocolate. I followed the stout with Sweetwater Chipotle Porter. The porter has a very enjoyable kick of pepper with a hint of smoke in the flavor.

As noted in a previous post, there were to be a number of fresh casks available at the festival. Unfortunately for my schedule, these weren't being tapped until later in the afternoon. I had to leave mid-afternoon for another engagement so I missed most of them. The first cask I saw tapped was Bell's Amber Ale. This was a pleasant, slightly sweet, red ale and refreshing in the midday sun.

After a break for some water and a rest in the shade, I headed over the the Allagash tent to see if their cask offering was available. It was not, so I opted for a glass of Allagash Four, and I wasn't disappointed. This dark brown Quadrupel gave off aromas of dark fruit and sweet malt. The flavor was more of the same, with a bit of citrus tartness in the finish. Certainly another high point of the festival.

I spied Bob Tupper over at the St. George Brewing tent and went over to say hello and have a taste of the new-again Tuppers' Hop Pocket Ale. There was a good sized crowd around the St. George tent as folks are very excited about the prospect of drinking the Tuppers' beers again. The beer being poured at the festival is from the initial, and only, batch of Hop Pocket Ale made at St. George so far. Bob and Ellie Tupper were joyfully getting feedback from folks on the new beer and there was a lot of "buzz" around the tent. I thought the Hop Pocket Ale was quite tasty and enjoyed the citrus and floral hop flavors and aromas. I'm very much looking forward to seeing this beer back on the store shelves. You can read the latest news about Tuppers' here.

Just as I was about to head out, I spotted Tom Cizauskas at the Clipper City tent hooking up their cask of Loose Cannon. I stopped to watch him work and hopefully get a chance to say hello. As soon as he finished that task, Tom was informed that the Flying Dog cask was not pouring properly. He grabbed his bag of tools and supplies and moved to the next tent. Quite quickly, the issue was solved and the beer flowed. Next, he was off to tap a fresh cask of Brooklyn Blast. I decided to delay my departure a bit as this was one of the beers I was looking forward to trying. Tom was a whirlwind of activity, and didn't slow down even as it was realized that a needed fitting was not on hand. No matter, out came the duct tape and someone proclaimed Tom "the McGyver of beer." In short order The Blast was flowing and I was treated to the first pour of this hoppy Double IPA. It was certainly worth the wait.

The festival wasn't only about the beers that that were being poured. There was plenty of news about things to come. Clipper City had 22 ounce bottles of their new Big DIPA on display. The first beer in the brewery's Heavy Seas Bomber Series will be appearing on shelves later this month. A new brewery with a display was Holy Brew Liquid Confession. They had six-packs of their two beers on hand, Heavenly Light and Purgatory Pilsner. However licensing details were not completed in time to allow sampling at the festival.

Finally, and this is may be the most exciting news of the festival, former Old Dominion brewers Matt Hagerman and Favio Garcia are opening M.A. Hagerman Brewing Company later this year in Ashburn, Virginia. They've purchased some of the Old Dominion brewhouse equipment and are currently looking for a suitable location. The Company will house two distinct brands: Rhino Chasers™ Brewing Company and later, Catoctin Brewing Company. I'll post more details about the M.A. Hagerman Brewing Company tomorrow.

The weather on Saturday was perfect. It got very warm later in the afternoon, but still quite pleasant for enjoying friends and fine beer. The Northern Virginia Brewfest is well-organized with numerous regional breweries in attendance. The crowds are large but the festival is laid out with plenty of room for everyone. The next festival will be in the Fall. Make plans to attend the Northern Virginia Brewfest, October 24-25.

I've posted some pictures from the event here.

The "Garrett Oliver Tour" in Fredericksburg just keeps getting bigger and better. The Brooklyn Beer Dinner at Capital Ale House on June 30 sold out quickly. Capital Ale House then added a Beer and Cheese Tasting with Garrett, to take place right before the dinner. Tickets are still available for that event. I've just learned that, prior to the beer and cheese event, the Brooklyn Brewery brewmaster will be signing copies of his book, The Brewmaster's Table, at the new Fredericksburg Wegmans. The book signing will take place 4:30 - 6:30 PM on June 30.

Details on the Garrett Oliver Book signing at Wegmans here.

The move is on! The Blue & Gray Brewing Company will close its manufacturing and retail operations in their current location at 3321 Dill Smith Drive in Fredericksburg on Saturday, June 27th at 5pm. They will re-open at the new location, 3300 Dill Smith Drive, on Friday July 3rd for their "Value & Values Weekend". On Friday evening, July 3rd, the celebration, from 4-10pm, will include live entertainment, and an outdoor kitchen with a preview of the brewery's future pub food. They'll also have a pie-eating contest and a corn-shucking contest. The winner of each gets to eat and drink for free all day the next day during the 4th of July celebration.

More information on the celebratory events will be coming soon. You can also see some pictures and news of the brewery moving process at Blue & Gray's Facebook page.

Here's a way to make your day at the Summer Brewfest safer, and add to the fun at the same time. This information was posted this week at the Summer Brewfest web site.

Spanky’s Shenanigans has agreed to provide a shuttle service for the 2009 Northern Virginia Summer Brewfest between two Leesburg restaurants and Morven Park, site of the Summer Brewfest. Continuous shuttle service will operate between Spanky’s Shenanigans, 538 East Market St in Leesburg and Vintage 50 Restaurant and Brew Lounge, 50 Catoctin Circle NE in Leesburg to the Summer Brewfest at Morven Park. Plenty of parking is available at both Spanky’s and Vintage50.

Why not park at one of these restaurants and perhaps enjoy dinner after the festival?

Yes, you read that correctly, the World Beer Festival is coming to Virginia! The newest addition to the WBF lineup will be held on Saturday, August 29, on Brown's Island in Richmond. Tickets go on sale in July. Watch the World Beer Fest Richmond page for details as they become available. I'll also post updates on the Musings.

I've attended the World Beer Festivals in both Durham and Raleigh and look forward to the Richmond venue very much.

New event added! Because of the limited number of seats available, and the speed in which the upcoming Brooklyn Brewery Beer Dinner sold out, Capital Ale House has added a beer and cheese tasting with Garrett Oliver, to be held in the beer cellar at the Fredericksburg location. This newly added event will be held at 6:00PM, prior to the dinner, on June 30. The doors will open at 5:30. The cost is $25 per person and includes four beers and four cheeses.

Seating is very limited. You can purchase tickets for this event here.

The participating brewery list for the 2009 Summer Brewfest is posted online. The festival will take place June 27-29 in Leesburg, VA. The organizers have plenty of treats lined up for us, including more than a dozen breweries new to the Summer Brewfest:

Virginia breweries participating for the first time include Legend Brewery (Richmond), The River Company Restaurant & Brewery (Radford) and Sweetwater Tavern (No VA).

Breweries from nearby states making their first appearance at the Summer Brewfest are Raven (Baltimore), River Horse (NJ), Duck-Rabbit Craft Brewery (NC) and Bluegrass Brewing (KY).

From farther away, Michigan breweries Atwater, Celis and Founders will join Great Divide, Left Hand and Steamworks breweries from Colorado and Gordon Biersch, 21st Amendment and Anderson Valley will represent California.

Also new to the Summer Brewfest will be several cask offerings including Allagash, Brooklyn, Clipper City and Flying Dog breweries.

Over 60 breweries are scheduled to participate this year. Especially exciting is the possibility of at least four different cask offerings. I recall just a single cask offering last Summer, from Clipper City, so the expansion this year is noteworthy.

A complete list of participating breweries can be found here. Start planning now. See you there!

Just received this email that I thought was particularly interesting.

The Mine Run Chapter of Daughters of the American Revolution is having a "Find A Patriot" meeting, open to the public on June 12th, Friday evening from 5:30 to 7 pm at the Chancellor Ruritan Building 5994 Plank Rd, Fredericksburg, VA.

Please bring the names of your grandparents, dates and places and we will look for a Patriot ancestor. We also sponsor a Children's chapter. For more information or alternate dates; call 540-854-6700, Debbie DeHart

It's particularly interesting to me, having found that I am related to Charles Lee, brother to the more famous local Robert E. Lee. My father took up some geneology searches in retirement resulting in some interesting adventures. One was to find my great-grandfather's name on the National Law Enforcement's memorial in DC.