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.  

Sunday in Charlottesville: Starr Hill Brewery

Seasonally, I work at the Blackfriar’s Playhouse, run by the American Shakespeare Center, in Staunton, VA.  When I first started working there, their bar featured Starr Hill's Amber Ale.  I fell in love with it the first time I tried it and have been a huge fan of Starr Hill since.  Luckily, with living in Staunton, several local bars rotate Starr Hill’s beers on tap and so I’ve gotten to try most of them.  But, until Sunday, even though the factory was only 30-some miles away, I’d never been and gone on the tour. 

Amazingly, the tour and tastings are free, which should give you a sense of the good character of Starr Hill whose motto is giving “The Gift of Great Beer.”  Also, to give you a sense of the company, they allow their employees to have a beer from the tasting room at any point in their shift.  David, who led the tour, challenged us to find any other company that does that. 

The background of the company is that Mark Thompson, a graduate from James Madison University’s Biology department, left Virginia for the Pacific Northwest.  There, he got into microbrewery culture and came back to Charlottesville to start Starr Hill. 

Even if you have been on other brewery tours, I’d recommend taking the Starr Hill tour.  David did a great job leading us around, explaining the operations, and answering questions about the beers.  Plus, he let us try and smell the barley and malt.  Then, for the braver, you could try the dried hops.  I did.  I wouldn’t do it again.  It is kind of like green tea leaves soaked in IPA and then dunked in overwhelming bitterness.  An hour later, when I thought back on it, I could still taste it. 

David was also nice enough to share a great tidbit with Ellie and I about The Love, their German Hefeweizen.  He had us pinch our noses, take a sip, swish it around our mouths, and then unplug our noses.  He then asked if we smelt bananas or cloves.  I got cloves and Ellie got bananas.  David explained that although neither or those two tastes are in the beer itself, the yeast causes those two aromas.  Try it.  It is really a cool moment. 

Of course, Ellie and I also did the tasting.  Unfortunately, they had just kicked Boxcar, their Pumpkin Beer, but we still go to try these  . . . 

The Amber is still my favorite, but the Feste has a great sipping quality.  Although I appreciated the use of an old colonial recipe, the Monticello reminded me a little too much of buttered popcorn.  I also recommend the Dark Stout and would like to try it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream floating in it.  


So, if you live within two hours of Crozet/Charlottesville, then make sure visiting Starr Hill  is on your list of things to do.  I would have been one sad foodie had I moved away from Virginia without evere having gone.  


**stay tuned next week for a recipe for Pumpkin Porter Scones featuring Starr Hill's Boxcar**

Road Trip 2011: St. Louis

Square One Brewery and Distillery 

Originally, there was a master plan for St. Louis: Gateway arch, dinner at Iron Barley, drinks at Square One Brewery and Distillery.  We had gotten into St. Louis around 3:30 pm and, after an hour rest up in the hotel, the plan seemed plausible.  The catch, I forgot to run the plan by St. Louis.  There was traffic from people going to the Cardinal’s game.  The arch area was crowded because of "Military Week." And, with lines and an IMAX film, we spent two and a half hours at the arch itself.  Given that it was 8:30 central time and all we had eaten since 2:00 EST was some Gateway Arch cheese curds, I had to choose between Iron Barley and Square One.  Since Square One was closer, that won out.   

Square One is on Park Avenue in a trendy part of St. Louis with lots of yuppie restaurants and hip bars.  Square One itself had a crowd of 20, 30, and 40 somethings and was even giving tours at 9:00.  There is lots of great beer kitsch all over the walls and is a fun place to soak in atmosphere. 

The beer list is a pretty impressive one--some fruity, some bright, some hoppy, some dark, and some mysterious.  Dennis and I each had a “plank,” which is a four beer tasting.  I got the Light Squared, Spicy Blonde, Honey Oatmeal, and the Single Malt Scotch Ale (the beer that also helped tip for Square One).   The Light was bright and crisp and a fresh sipping beer.  The Spicy Blonde is very similar to Hoegaarden, but a cleaner taste and not quite as cloudy as Hoegaarden.   The Honey Oatmeal was intriguing, but a little too sweet and was more suitable as a dessert beer.  And, the Scotch Ale . . . worth the visit and was the favorite.  It has caramel, toffee, subtle hops, and is so smooth.

From Left to Right: Honey Oatmeal, Single Malt Scotch Ale, Spicy Blonde, and Light Squared

For food, we started with Beer Pretzels which are served with jalapeno cheese sauce and Pale Ale grainy mustard.  The pretzels were buttery, soft, and fluffy light.  I preferred the jalapeno sauce which was creamy and captured the bright green quality of jalapeno’s while adding only a little heat.  The mustard, though, was also fantastic and was spicy and tangy.  

For dinner, I had the Smoked Salmon BLT.  It usually comes with a rosemary garlic mayo, but since I don’t always do so well with garlic I substituted with cherry sage mayo.  The sandwich was big, smoky, and with nice big hunks of salmon and chunky strips of bacon.  The salmon was also well-seasoned with light dill and the flavorful greens provided nice crunch and accent.  The roll was a little thick, but overall helped give the sandwich a nice texture that was almost like a crab cake.    

It was a shame that we didn’t get to try the “Ballistic Elvis Sammich” at Iron Barley, but that gives me a pretty good excuse to come back to St. Louis.  

Next Destination . . . Lincoln, Nebraska