Saturday, September 05, 2009

Hops...it's what's for dinner

This post is about another highlight from this summer, my favorite local brewery: Blue Mountain Brewery. Since I haven't posted about beer in a while, I thought this would be a great excuse to ramble about my other favorite topic. First, I am happy to say that I *have* a local brewery. That alone is a beautiful thing. The fact that it's a *good* brewery is more than I deserve.

Blue Mountain Brewery grows most of their own hops and uses them to make some mighty fine beer. The owner worked as the brewer for Charlottesville's go-to spot for craft beer, South Street Brewery until he decided to open his own place.

The brewery has a spacious restaurant with ample indoor and outdoor seating, with a very relaxed and welcoming atmosphere. Every time I go there, I just want to call up my gaming friends and take advantage of one of the restaurant's big, solid-wood tables! It's just a great place to hang out.

The beer list has something for everyone too. Their basic Blue Mountain Lager is light and easy to drink, while the Full Nelson Pale Ale tastes like they picked it right off the hops vine...yum! My wife and I are most partial to their Evil 8° — a Belgian Dubbel that's made for sipping. It goes down smooth and syrupy, and is probably pretty good for a cold too.

Their prices are fair and they have regular specials to keep you coming back. For example, Wednesday is $1 off of every glass. The food seems a little pricey; most of the menu choices are around $9. But everything is fresh, locally or regionally grown (even the meat!), and amply portioned. I recommend the spinach salad and pulled pork barbecue sandwich.

By the time I went back for my third visit, I talked myself into buying one of their growlers. Now I can bring home fresh beer 68 ounces at a time! Of course, fresh beer in a big jug won't last long, so I'll need a little help with it. Any volunteers?