Wild Wolf Brewery

The Brew Ridge Trail is the series of breweries and cidery that runs from Nelson County to Crozet to Charlottesville.  I’ve been to three on the trail--Devil’s Backbone, Blue Mountain, and Starr Hill—but hadn’t been to Albemarle Cider Works and Wild Wolf.  Since I was completing my “bucket list” of wineries and breweries, Ellie and I went to Wild Wolf.  

For a long time, Wild Wolf Brewing Company was in a smaller location, but recently opened a permanent home in an old, refurbished school house.  Also on the property are five tobacco barns that have been refurbished and turned into boutiques.  The whole property is a great statement to found spaces and revitalizing the old. 

Wild Wolf has both a BrewPub and Sports Bar.   Originally, Ellie and I had planned to just have a snack and try the beers, but the trip to White Hall had been such an adventure that a full meal seemed in order. 

Because this was my one shot, I wanted to do a tasting to sample all the beers.  I tried the main five for $5 and then paid an extra $1.50 to try the seasonal beer, the Double Saison.  The five beers were four Wild Wolf creations—Autumn Ale, Pils, Howling Pumpkin, and a Porter—and a guest beer called the Hoppyum by Foothills Brewing Company.   Each had very different flavors. . . .

1. Hoppyum:  I’m not a big fan of IPA’s, and the Hoppyum was a little too bitter with strong grapefruit notes for my taste. 
2. Wild Wolf Pils: Clean, smooth, with a slight corn finish. 
3. Howling Pumpkin: Very interesting with a strong pumpkin flavor.  Good for sipping in the fall while enjoying the foliage.
4. Wild Wolf Porter: The favorite.  Coffee notes and full body, but not a porter that leaves you feeling full.
5. Autumn Ale: A good standard red and somewhat like Killian’s Irish.  Overall, a very nice sipping beer
6. Double Saison: Lots of honey and peaches, making for a sweet beer.  On first sip, Ellie and I were big fans and then it got a little too sweet for a before dinner or sipping beer.  Better with food to help cut the sweetness.

As well as interesting beers, I enjoyed the food.  Full of exciting appetizer options, like Root Beer BBQ wings or mussels and chorizo, and entree options, like butternut squash risotto or seared salmon with cheesy polenta, but I decided to try the “Veg Delight.”  The “Veg Delight” is a sandwich of puffy bread, basil marinated tofu, portabella mushroom, parmesan, spinach, and a slight dressing.  Although tofu sandwiches are very hit or miss, this was really satisfying.  Although the roll was a little too much bread, the tofu was flavorful, the mushroom rich, and the combination satiating.  Served with a side of seasonal vegetables consisting of Romanesco, cheddar, and purple cauliflower, it was a very appeasing and fabulous meal. 

Wild Wolf confirmed a hypothesis I’ve had.  Route 151, the road the runs through Nelson County, is turning into a must visit for the microbrewery crowd.  Within about 45 minutes, you can hit three fantastic breweries and enjoy both well-developed beers and menus.  Just make sure to pace yourself and enjoy the scenery.  

Day Off in Omaha

After spending a couple of days unpacking, I wanted a day off to explore.  Because I had to be back in Virginia to teach, I only got a couple weeks to visit. So, Dennis and I put boxes and arranging and setting up the apartment on hold and headed to Omaha for the day. 

The first adventure was to the Omaha Zoo.  Omaha Zoo is probably the best zoo I’ve ever been to.  I’ve never really seen a zoo that so embraced exhibits that allowed you to feel like you were getting up close to the animals.  In the Bio Dome, roadrunners darted around my feet.  Then,while in the Lied Jungle exhibit, Dennis noticed a bat flying around loose.  I squealed (yes, squealed) and rushed out of the cave.  Thinking one had gotten loose, we then noticed several flying around.  Come to find out, fruit bats are allowed to fly around unencumbered by a cage, but tend to congregate near a hanging basket of cut up melon and other fruits.  You can walk by the area and duck as the fly right over your head. 

Besides watching the fruit bats grazing, another moment of watching the animals enjoying their food was in the Big Cat exhibit.  As we got to the Leopard cage, I noticed it gnawing on something meaty.  It took half a beat to discover a jawline and about two more beats for the leopard to paw it over to reveal a set of eyes.   Yes, the Omaha Zoo gets you up close with the nitty-gritty of the animal kingdom.  

Since we had so much fun at the zoo and it was getting so close to dinner, Dennis and I decided to check out Downtown Omaha.  It was hard to choose a place to eat because there were several good candidates.  After getting the gist and trying to debate, I mentioned to Dennis how I had just done a whole series of posts about finding a place to eat and one of them was “go with the microbrewery.” Since there was one we had just walked by, Upstream Brewing Co., it seemed like I should put my assertion to the test and give it a shot.

I hadn’t planned at all to do a post about eating out in Omaha.  I was so behind in my blogging and wasn’t in much need of another post.  But, the meal was so fantastic and so perfect for the evening, that I had to mention it. 

For beers, I had the Raspberry Lager and the Dundee Export Scotch Ale.  I was leery of the Raspberry, but my reserve was unwarranted because it was bright and refreshing and just what I wanted after a day of walking around in the sun.  The Scotch Ale (have I mentioned lately how much I love scotch ales) was also a fantastic beer to sip; it has all the body of a dark beer and none of the heaviness. They also have seasonal beers that I hope I can catch at some point: "Tree of Life: Toasted Coconut Porter," a Chocolate Stout with guajillo chilies, and a "Lemon Blueberry Haze Wit."  

Both main dishes came with an options of sides, so I had the "Tomato Basil Parmesan" soup and Dennis has the soup of the day, a spicy sausage and pepper combination.  The tomato soup was so rich and creamy and deeply satisfying.  It tasted more like a delicious cheesy marinara and was so much fun to heap on bread: kind of like deconstructed pizza. 

For the main, Dennis had a blackened "Half-Pound Brewer's Burger" with guacamole and pepper jack and I had the "Omaha Steak Cold Roast Beef Sandwich."  Both the meat on mine and his hamburger was flavorful and moist and mouthwatering.  The avocado and cheese gave the hamburger creaminess and the tangy horseradish cream for the roast beef sandwich gave bite and pizzazz. 

Sitting in the outdoor seating area, enjoying the great food and beer, and taking in the casual and communal feeling of Omaha, made for a much needed night out.  

Blue Mountain Brewery

Picture yourself sitting at a table, relaxing in the cool evening air, looking at the Blue Ridge Mountains, and sipping a great beer.   No, you aren’t in a hops scented dream; you are having an evening at Blue Mountain Brewery.

Blue Mountain Brewery is one of several microbreweries in the Shenandoah Valley, and the strands of cascade hops they grow on premises are a testament to how seriously they take their product.  With both indoor and outdoor seating, it is a place where twenty and thirty-somethings converse over pints, where families with young children can feel welcome, and all relax with good food and great beer.  

To start, you should orient yourself with the beer sampler (only $5 to try all six beers) and the meat and cheese plate ($13).  The beer sampler is a great way of taking a flavor journey through the fruitier wheat beers to the fuller, hoppier IPAs, and then end with the bold, rich stout.   While the beers stimulate your thirst, the meat and cheese plate acquaints your belly with the finest meats, cheeses, and fruits from Goodwin Creek, a local farm.  Our cheese plate featured smoky pepperoni and salami, coupled with jalapeno cheddar, mustard seed cheese, and gruyere, brightened with fresh oranges, pears, apples, blueberries, and blackberries.  You won’t be sorry for having ordered it. 

For the main course, I got the Nitro Chili Dog ($9) and Dennis got the Beer-Boiled Local Bratwurst ($9.50).  The beer bratwurst is from Double H Farm, a Nelson County Farm, and is boiled in Blue Mountain’s Lager.  It was plump, juicy, and heaping with sauerkraut that gave it a pungent and vinegary balance.  It also had a drizzle of their homemade beer mustard that has a great grainy texture without being too spicy.  The Nitro Chili dog combines a juicy all-beef hot dog with a bold and zesty chili that is spiked with their Nitro Ale.  I loved the chili dog and got a big kick out of revisiting a grandstand favorite, but I do have to admit that the beer bratwurst stole the show.  But, I don’t think you can go wrong either way. 

Although the sausage and hot dog were satisfying, the star dish of Blue Mountain is their Bratwurst Pizza.  A homemade thin crust dough cooked crisp pairs with toppings that are an unexpected combination for a pizza.  It has the standard pizza components of marinara and mozzarella, but the addition of brauts, apples, caramelized onions, and finished with a balsamic reduction, make this a one of kind flavor experience.   It is complex, smoky, sweet, and savory.

As well as the unforgettable food, there was also the beer.  For the beer, I’m not going to say more, I’m just going to let your curiosity make you try for yourself.  The only thing I’ll say is IPA lovers, get the Full Nelson.  If you want to experiment, try their Dark IPA which was a beer that four local breweries, Wild Wolf, Devil’s Backbone, Star Hill, and Blue Mountain, came together to create.  It is not a traditional IPA, but almost brown ale meets IPA--a combination I whole-heartedly support.   

If you live in the Staunton, Waynesboro, Charlottesville, and Nelson County area and have not been to Blue Mountain, drop what you are doing and put it on the schedule.  But, for everyone who  loves beer, good food, and a restaurant committed to local farms, all combined with a great mountain escape, than get to Blue Mountain Brewery.