Beerfest

Once upon a time, I learned of the existence of such a thing as the Brew Ridge Trail. From that point on, Josh, Neil, and I have been determined to do all of the beer tastings along the entirety of the trail. Yesterday, we accomplished that noble goal.

First stop: Devils Backbone Brewing Company. The atmosphere is great, the view is unbeatable, the food is out of this world, but unfortunately, their beer is terrible. Well, not terrible. I enjoyed their hefeweizen and their stout, but it was by far my least favorite brewery of the day.

Second stop: Wild Wolf Brewing Company. The highlight of my day, because I fell in love with almost all of the beers they had there. They were all very palatable, but my favorite was the Wee Heavy Ale. Also memorable was one of their seasonals, the Strawberry Schwarzcake. Bonus: the sun came out halfway through our tasting, heralding a beautiful spring afternoon in Virginia. Appropriately, we got an group photo with all 24 of us in front of the shops nearby.

Third stop: Starr Hill Brewery. We went a little out of order because Starr Hill does its last pour at 4:00, so we had to skip ahead. Totally worth it, though, because as always, the tastings there were free. It also happens to carry my favorite of all the beers we tasted, the Dark Starr Stout. I can't help it; I'm on a stout kick right now, and theirs happens to be the winningest stout in the country.

Fourth stop: Blue Mountain Brewery. We backtracked to this beautiful location, made slightly less beautiful by the fact that we were seated inside. I'm also a little less than pleased with their customer service right now, because when I called to push back our reservation, the lady on the phone gave me some attitude. Ah well, their beers were still good, and their menu has seen some positive changes since they opened their expansion.

Fifth stop: South Street Brewery. We made it all the way back home to Charlottesville, dropped off our cars, and headed over to South Street. Aside from the free tastings at Starr Hill, they had the best deal of the day, because their flights were 4oz instead of 2oz each. Indeed, it was a fantastic day, but it was a Survivor-style beer tasting, because we lost a lot of people along the way (no, they didn't die, they just went home). And here, my friends, are the eight that tasted all 44 different beers that the Brew Ridge Trail has to offer.

Personally, I can't think of a better way to say goodbye to March. I also can't think of a better way to celebrate the anniversary of Sunny's birth. This, my friends, is the life.