RoundRequests
E
Every round of
golf yields a good
tale or two.
A birdie putt that rattles the hole. A
drive that ricochets off a tree and into
the fairway. A wedge shot that stops on
a dime and gives nine cents change.
Rehashing a round is a time-honored
tradition, and nothing suits the occasion
better than a cold, delicious beer. Just as
Virginia’s golf courses set a high bar for
beauty and diversity, the commonwealth’s
craft brewers have created a wealth of
flavorful options for relaxing and sharing
stories, and beers, with friends.
RICHMOND TIMES-DISPATCH PHOTO ARCHIVES
POCAHOPTAS
India pale ales (IPAs) are the most popular
style of craft beer in the country. They
originated as strong beers loaded with hops,
a preservative, designed to mature while
being shipped from England to India in the
1800s. Now IPAs are a playground for
brewers who combine numerous varieties
of hops to produce aromatic ales with
mouth-tingling zing.
Center of the Universe Brewing Co. in
Ashland won a silver medal for Pocahoptas
IPA at the 2013 Virginia Craft Brewers
Fest. The name is catchy enough (Pocahontas
is on the label), but the beer’s drinkability is
the real draw. Four different hops from the
Pacific Northwest define the flavor profile
as a West Coast style. The aroma blossoms
from dry-hopping, where hops are added
late in the process. Expect some bitterness,
enough to give your tongue a buzz, but the
sweetness of two varieties of malts gives
balance. Unlike some double IPAs—big
beers with high alcohol content and
by LEE GRAVES
THESE
FINE BREWS
ARE WORTH
SAVORING AND
REMINISCING
OVER ON THE
19TH HOLE
LEGEND BROWN ALE
assertive complexity—Pocahoptas stays in
the IPA mainstream with 6.8 percent
alcohol by volume and 72 IBUs. (Bitterness
is measured in International Bitterness
Units, and American IPAs generally range
from 40 to 70 IBUs).
EIGHT POINT IPA
Devils Backbone Brewing Co. has helped put
Virginia on the map with numerous awards,
Rehashing a round is a
time-honored tradition, and
nothing suits the occasion better
than a cold, delicious beer.
w w w. v s g a . o r g
Master_VSGA_MayJune14.indd 37
including earning Small Brewing
Company of the Year and Small
Brewing Company Brewer of the Year
accolades for Jason Oliver at the 2013
Great American Beer Festival.
The Nelson County “base camp”
(they have an “outpost” in Lexington as
well) rubs shoulders with Wintergreen
Resort’s golf courses, and you can drink this
IPA while looking at hunting trophies
mounted on the brewpub walls. Oliver
came up with the name after seeing two eightpoint bucks while drinking coffee at his home
one morning.
Expect a characteristic citrus-piney aroma
and crisp bitterness, thanks to classic
American hops such as Cascade, Chinook,
Centennial, Columbus and Simcoe. This
medium-body brew checks in at just under
6 percent alcohol by volume, 60 IBUs, and is
a very accessible IPA.
If hops don’t fit your mood or your palate,
consider a beer with plenty of its own
backbone. Legend Brewing Co. in Richmond,
which celebrates its 20th anniversary this
year, released its Brown Ale as one of four
original recipes. Over the years, this chewy
brew has gained popularity and become
Legend’s star, accounting for 60 to 65 percent
of the brewery’s overall beer sales, says Dave
Gott, the brewery’s vice president of
operations.
The ale follows an English tradition but
has a unique