The beers of Weihenstephan Brewery in Germany were featured for this week's Steal the Glass event at Capital Ale House. Six different beers were on tap. Fans were able to order any of the six in a tall Weihenstephan glass, or try a flight of small tasters of all six, which also included a glass to "steal." I opted to do an exploration of all six beers.



The beers in the order I tasted, and pictured above from left to right, are Weihenstephaner Kristallweissbier, Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier, Weihenstephaner German Pilsner, Weihenstephaner Original Lager, Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier Dunkel, and Weihenstephaner Korbinian Doppelbock.

The beers are all moderately low alcohol beer. The Doppelbock checks in at 7.4%, while others range from 5.1% to 5.4%. This made enjoying the beers quite easy, and I ran through them fairly quickly as well. None of the beers were new to me. Weihenstephan's Hefeweissbier is considered by many to the original and authentic Hefeweizen. The Dunkelweizen and Dopplebock are both long-time favorites of mine. In fact, all of the beers are well made and great examples of classic German styles.

It was a great opportunity to try a range of beers from the world's oldest existing brewery. And apparently many others were looking forward to the event as well. When I first arrived at Capital Ale House for the event, there was not a single seat open at the long bar, and there were many groups waiting for tables. Fortunately a seat at the bar opened up without too long of a wait. I had a tasty dinner of a lamb gyro "burger" while tasting the beers. I enjoyed all the beers, but decided to cap off the evening with a hoppy American-style beer, which is a story for another post.

Fredericksburg's original Oktoberfest celebration is happening this Friday and Saturday at Blue & Gray Brewery. This is the twelfth year for this popular event.

September 15, 1984. That's the day, thirty short years ago, that Colleen and I made our promise before God that we would spend the rest of our lives together. And it's been a wonderful and amazing thirty years. We've had our share of both joy and sadness. We've gone through times of plenty, as well as the inevitable lean periods. But whether we are experiencing immense happiness, or unimaginable sorrow, we have had each other to lean on.

I cannot imagine my life without this beautiful lady. No matter what trials life may bring, I am thankful she is by my side. When life brings joy, I am thankful that she is there to share it. I thank God every night for her presence in my life. I give thanks again every morning that He put us together, and gave us the son we have raised.

In trying to write this post, through multiple drafts, I came to realize that there is little I can say that doesn't sound cliché. It also made me think about how true and lasting love, and (real) marriage itself, has become cliché and even passé in our culture. Thats too bad. To my shame I am often better at describing a beer than expressing my undying love for my wife. I am, nonetheless, forever blessed by the commitment we began those thirty years ago.


The photos may fade, but love grows stronger with time. Happy Anniversary Colleen. I love you and look forward to the next thirty years.

Who: If you are a business owner, business development professional, or just interested in what it takes to write and publish a book, this event is for you!

What: I have written two books which have generated substantial returns for my business. This session will detail the process that I used to get those books written and published. Check them out here:

When: Tuesday, April 29 at 4:00PM

Where: At my local law office: 10691 Spotsylvania Ave Fredericksburg, VA 22408 540.318.5824

For complete details and to RSVP for this event, please visit our meetup page here: http://www.meetup.com/Fredericksburg-Business-Forum/. We look forward to seeing you there!

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Originally published at AndrewFlusche.com. © 2014 Andrew Flusche. April Fredericksburg Business Forum Event: How to Write and Publish a Book!

The Fredericksburg Business Forum is a group of business owners in the Fredericksburg area who want to take their business from good to spectacular. Its purpose is to give business owners the opportunity to network with their peers in order to form relationships and gain knowledge that will allow them to grow their businesses. Each month, this forum will be offering events that allow these business owners to host roundtable discussions that focus on a variety of business topics from marketing to hiring to business management.

First Event: “Don’t Throw Your Money Away Any More: Advertising that Works”

Come join us for a round table discussion about how to create an effective ad. What works, and what doesn’t? We’ve got some ideas to share, and we’re curious what you think too. Consider bringing a couple ads for discussion, maybe one you think is really bad and one that’s great. Light refreshments and beverages will be provided.

Date & Time: March 18th, 2014 at 4PM

RSVP by: March 13th, 2014

Located at our Main Office
10691 Spotsylvania Ave
Fredericksburg, VA 22408
540.318.5824

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Originally published at AndrewFlusche.com. © 2014 Andrew Flusche. Fredericksburg Business Forum

"Finally." That was the common refrain heard at Tuesday's Hardywood Park Brewery release party and Steal the Glass event at Capital Ale House. The Richmond brewery's beers have been available around the Richmond area, and I even saw them a couple weeks ago in DC, but alas, they've not been available in Fredericksburg. Now, the long wait is over. It was a large and enthusiastic crowd that celebrated at Capital Ale House.

Six Hardywood Park beers were being poured, either as a flight of samplers or in individual full servings. Colleen and I both ordered flights, the purchase of which included a Hardywood etched logo glass. The featured beers were Singel, Extra Special Burly Bearded Bitter, Hoperation Pink IPA, Gingerbread Stout, Raspberry Russian Imperial Stout and Sidamo Coffee Stout.


So often, there is at least one underwhelming beer in any sampler flight. That's just the nature of individual preferences. But not so this evening. I drained each glass dry. After the event, Colleen and I were discussing the Hardywood beers, and we both agreed that we enjoyed each and every one of them. The Hardywood Gingerbread Stout is a very popular and sought after beer. We enjoyed it last week at Mekong in Richmond. However, for me a couple other beers stood out even more than the Gingerbread Stout.

Of the three Stouts being served, the Sidamo Coffee Stout was my favorite. It was rich with the flavors of dark chocolate, dark roasted coffee and molasses. Slightly astringent, it left behind a lingering coffee bitterness. I look forward to finding Sidamo on my local store shelves.

My top pick for the evening though was the Hoperation Pink IPA. I was not alone in my selection of this "winner" and many folks I spoke with expressed the same sentiment. The beer is brewed with pink grapefruit zest, and dry hopped with Citra hops. The result is a juicy, fresh, citrus aroma and flavor. At just 6% ABV it was a flavorful but not "big" beer. Hoperation Pink was brewed once as a collaborative effort of several local female brewers in order to raise funds for women's health issues. It's a very well-done beer that I hope will be brewed again.

I had the opportunity to talk a bit with Hardywood co-founder Patrick Murtaugh and Brewer Rachael Cardwell. Rachael used to be a manager at Capital Ale House and I could tell she was excited to bring the kick-off event to Fredericksburg. She and Patrick shared some plans for future beers, and let us know that most of the beers could be purchased locally starting the next day, Wednesday, January 8. I'm pretty sure I'll be doing some more in-depth reviews of Harydwood Park's beers very soon.

The first Fredericksburg Brew Fest took place this past Saturday at the Fredericksburg Fairgrounds. I picked up a couple friends early and we arrived to claim our place near the start of the line before the gates opened. Once in, we picked up our shaker pint festival glass and list of breweries. Even though the pours were officially set at two ounces, it was nice to be drinking from a proper size glass. For those who wanted more than a sample of a particular brew, tickets were available for purchasing full pours too.

Sixteen breweries were offering some 40 different beers. The admission price included 24 beer samples. In addition to the breweries, a distillery and a local winery were in attendance, as well as assorted food vendors. The first tent we stopped at was that of The Traveler Beer Company from Vermont. They were pouring their seasonal Jacko Traveler Shandy. I don't drink too many pumpkin beers, typically l I find them to be either too sweet, or too rich in pumpkin pie spices and lacking in actual pumpkin. This was not the case with the Jacko. The beer is brewed with real pumpkin and it shows in the flavor. The accompanying spices are present but subtle. Despite my pre-tasting doubts, I enjoyed the Jacko Traveler beer quite a bit. In fact, it was the only beer at the festival that I went back for seconds on. Apparently others enjoyed it as well, when I passed by the booth later in the afternoon, I noticed they were out of the beer.

Throughout the afternoon we wondered the festival enjoying the beer and conversation. Sofie and Matilda Lambicus from Goose Island, Sierra Nevada Flipside Red IPA, Widmer Marionberry Hibiscus Gose, and Highland Thunderstruck Coffee Porter were among some of the new-to-me beers I enjoyed. Of course, I would partake in many old favorites as well.

Crowds, but no waiting.

The Bowman Distillery was also pouring samples of two of their small batch whiskeys, though these samples would cost you two of your beer tickets. Master Distiller, Brian Prewitt was on hand to talk about the samples being poured. I tried both beverages of the offerings. One of these was a 7 year old bourbon that spent some time in oak barrels in which Richmond's Hardywood Brewery had aged one of their beers. The brewery - distillery collaboration produced a remarkably smooth and flavorful whiskey. Something tells me I'm going to have to finally make the time to take that distillery tour.

The festival drew a large crowd, and by late afternoon there were constant crowds at the booths, but the lines moved quickly and very little time was spent waiting for your next sample. A brief rain shower did nothing to dampen spirits or keep folks away. This first-time event for Fredericksburg was well-organized and made for a very enjoyable afternoon. I am looking forward to it becoming an annual event.

Colleen was out of town this weekend catching up with friends from college, and our son was spending Saturday with friends doing airsoft. So what's a guy to do when left to his own devices? The 11th Annual Fredericksburg Oktoberfest at Blue & Gray Brewing of course!

Prost!

This week's Tap Takeover & Steal the Glass event at Capital Ale House featured the beer of Stone Brewing Company. A total of nine Stone beers were offered; Levitation Amber Ale, Pale Ale, Cali Belgique Belgian IPA, India Pale Ale, Sublimely Self Righteous Black Ale, Double Bastard Strong Ale, R&R Coconut IPA, W00tstout Imperial Stout, and 17th Anniversary IPA. The first six were also available as a flight of four ounce pours. While I've had both the Pale and IPA frequently, all the other beers intrigued me, so I opted to start off with the flight.


The first one I tried was the Levitation Amber Ale. This surprisingly hoppy beer was a very good red ale, the extra bit of pine and citrus hoppiness making for a very tasty brew. I commented several time wondering how I've missed this one in the past. Sessionable, at just 4.4% ABV, I think this one will be showing up in our beer fridge with some regularity. I skipped quickly through the Pale Ale and the IPA, since they were familiar. The remaining beers in the flight didn't disappoint, and I especially enjoyed the Sublimely Self Righteous and Double Bastard. However, I was quite ready for a full sized glass of *something*by this time. After tasting my samples, Colleen opted for the Cali Belgique, and our friend Checkered Flag chose a glass of Levitation.

Capital Ale House is serving some special Oktoberfest menu items this month. For my dinner I ordered a sausage platter of bratwurst with curry sauce, red cabbage, German potato salad and fried apples. German sausage and curry isn't something that I would have thought of putting together, but the spicy red sauce was an extremely tasty garnish to the sausages, and I sopped up every bit of it I could get off the plate.

Oh, and I did decide on a beer to go with my dinner, the W00tstout Imperial Stout. This 13% ABV beer is brewed with pecans, wheat, and rye, with one quarter aged in bourbon barrels. After taking a sip of this pitch black brew, the only thing I could say was, "Oh my!" It was all it was hyped up to be. Notes of brown sugar, molasses, dark fruit, and some nuttiness made for a complex beer. It was a fine sipper to wrap up the meal.

We had a very enjoyable evening of good beer, good food and fun conversation. And the Stone logo glasses we took home were pretty nice too!

One of my favorite events is just a week away! The Fredericksburg Area Oktoberfest will take place Friday, September 20 (4:00 PM-10:00 PM) and Saturday, September 21, 2013 (12:00 PM-7:00 PM).