Swill and Swine VA

     My latest Pumpkin Challenge contender is from C'ville-ian Brewing Company located in downtown Charlottesville. I had heard that they had a pumpkin sour beer and I was intrigued by the notion. When I arrived early Friday afternoon, the owner Stephen Gibbs was walking back and forth from the bar to the brewery. He stopped and talk to me about the brewery and the beer. Stephen is a military veteran that started brewing in his garage in 2013 and opened the brewery in spring of 2014. He is very passionate about his beer and his military background. That's why his bar is red, walls are white and his ceilings are blue. 

    On the menu was a Farmer's Ale, which he said he decided to call his pumpkin sour, because people get turned off by the sour connotation. He poured me a glass of this mystery sour. I was extremely surprised by the taste. The flavors of fresh pumpkin, coriander,  nutmeg, allspice, cinnamon and ginger hit my palate and with a very subtle sour taste. Everything blended perfectly with the sourness.

 
     I finished this rather quickly and decided to have another. I couldn't get over the taste. Out of all the pumpkin beers I have had so far, this has to be one of the most interesting. It was very refreshing and with a little warmth from the 5.6% ABV, it was perfect for the day we were having. I would suggest stopping by, even if it's just out of mere curiosity to try this beer before he runs out.

    I still have a few pumpkin beers in my fridge to try out and a couple on draft at some local breweries that I would like to get to before I'm done. So keep an eye out for those.

   This weekend I will be taking a break from the beer and going to Centerville to check out the Food Truck Rally. It looks like great event with a lot of great food.


Until next time, drink up and eat well.
    

    My next selection comes from the ever popular Devil's Backbone. The Pumpkin Hunter Ale is their gift to the pumpkin lover's selection.


    This wonderfully light brown ale is described by their brew master to be a "layered liquid pumpkin pie".  That description is not far from the truth. The Pumpkin Hunter consists of Pilsner, Honey, Special Aromatic, Crystal Wheat, Naked Oats; SPICES: Cinnamon, Ginger, Allspice, Nutmeg.

    Initially I get a really good balanced ale taste, and then I am left with a nice Allspice and Nutmeg flavor.  This is not overly in your face spiced by any means. With only a 5.1% ABV this is one of the few that I think I could have multiple of and not be pumpkined out(I did by the way). If you are a Devil's Backbone fan, I think you could really enjoy this even if you don't like pumpkin beers. It's more of a celebration of fall than an in your face pumpkin beer. It was great for drinking on a Sunday while watching football and eating cheese dip. You don't have to take my word for it though, go out and grab yourself some before it's all gone.

Be sure to drink up and eat well!

  My next choice is not from a Virginia Brewery but was suggested to me by a vendor where I pick up some of beer, and it's collaboration between Epic Brewing from Utah and DC Brau from Washington DC, which is close enough to Virginia.
   This Imperial Pumpkin Porter is called Fermentation without Representation. It is part of Epic Brewing's Exponential Series. It is made with Melding Crystal, Chocolate, Munich and Black malts a rich chocolate note plays off hints of burnt raisins and plums. It's also brewed with 600 lbs of pure pumpkin puree, .2 lbs of allspice, nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon, and whole cloves according to the DC Brau website.
     This has a very robust porter flavor. I definitely got the chocolate notes with the flavor of pumpkin. I only tasted real subtle hints of the other spice flavors. I am a huge porter fan, so I thoroughly enjoyed the flavor and the smoothness of this beer. I'm pretty sure this is very limited release since I have not seen this anywhere else and where I got it from he only had one. If you like porters that i suggest you try and get your hands on some of this.

    My next post will be about Devil's Backbone Pumpkin Hunter. This will most likely be my last pumpkin post as the season starts to wind down. I will recap my overall thoughts on the one's that I tried. If you have any suggestions please let me know and I will try and get a hold of some.

Until then, drink up and eat well.