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A Toast to Brews, Alexandria, VA (2025)

12/09/2025

Thanks to a nasty cold I'm running a bit behind, but very excited to start diving in to my Advent calendar beer box from . They had several locations to pick these up, so of course I chose Rustico (solid beer selection, great pizza).

The box itself looks really cool. The top is perforated so you can open it a section at a time and keep the rest of the beers a surprise. Although I haven't been able to drink them yet, I'm liking what I've pulled so far.

First 6:

1.) Roadie - hazy IPA by
2.) Chimbley Sweep - schwarzbier by
3.) Winters Ale - spiced ale by
4.) Fireworks - Citra dry hopped weissbier by
5.) Bake Club - coconut custard pie stout by
6.) Sugar Shack Diaries - maple mocha stout by

Some really good breweries and some interesting beers. I love these Advent boxes because they always include some creative beers and some styles I don't drink often. Can't wait to start drinking these, and to see what else is in store.

Anyone else doing Advent beer boxes? Where'd you get it and how's it going so far?

Cheers!

11/19/2025

I love a big beer festival, but the low-key events can be just as fun, and the other week Suds & Shells event was a perfect example.

Celebrating the release of their Revival Oyster Stout, they brought in to fresh shuck their oysters right there in front of you. I'm not a huge oysters connessiour, I tend to drown mine in hot sauce, but imho these were pretty excellent.

The stout was also really good. They used War Shore oysters to brew it. They steeped the shells in the brewing water to add some minerality, then added the oysters and liquor during the boil. I picked up a touch of salt, but not too much of the oyster character. It was roasty, with notes of coffee and cola, and very light-bodied.

Add to that some music by and you've got yourself an awesome afternoon. Chris can play guitar, sing, and even rocks the harmonica. Meanwhile I struggle to clap to a rhythm. At this event he was also donating tips to the people in Jamaica affected by the hurricane, because he is cool like that.

It was a good way to kick off oyster season, and I will definitely be keeping my eye out for more oyster stouts. If you find any good ones let me know!

Cheers!

11/12/2025

There are a few beers and breweries that have obtained a near mystical status among beer geeks. I've had the opportunity to try a few, but one that had eluded me until yesterday was Heady Topper by , the original hazy IPA.

If you're a beer fan in the D.C. area, odds are you saw these cans available yesterday and today in all the best bottle shops. We stopped by just as they opened to pick some up. Thankfully we did, as they sold out within a few hours.

For those not in the know, Heady Topper is listed as an American Double IPA. It currently has a 4.52 rating on Untappd with 287,000 reviews. It is a juicy hop bomb. With each drink you're picking out different fruit and hop flavors. Piney but not overly bitter with a light bread, slightly grainy malt backbone for balance. Its easy to see how this sparked the hazy revolution. Now that I've had it I can taste parts of this in all the best Hazies I've ever had. So, while on taste alone it may be a touch over-hyped, its still a damn good beer and a really cool experience. If you can find it, get it.

The other Alchemist drop was Focal Banger, an American IPA, also hazy, with a 4.4 rating from 175k reviews. The abv on this one is slightly less, 7% rather than 8%, and it feels a bit lighter. It is a little less complex and leans more in to the citrus, while still piney, bitter, and slightly floral. This one was my personal preference.

Really cool beers. I'll be taking a couple to my homebrew club meeting tonight to share, and enjoying the rest within the next week or so while still nice and fresh. These were just canned on 10/28 and 11/3.

And yes, I know, I'll be drinking the rest straight from the can, I just wanted one picture in a glass.

Cheers!

11/07/2025

Fall is in the air, so we took the weekend to do a little leaf peeping along with our beer. Our plan was to drive out to and enjoy the scenery on the way. The mission was accomplished, but not before we took an unexpected detour to . . .

: as you can see, the scenery was splendid, and the beer wasn't far behind. Their west coast IPA was solid, but their hazy was a delightfully citrus standout among the usual sea of tropicals. I am often disappointed by wineries that also make beer. This place was a pleasant surprise.

Then it was on to base camp at Devil's Backbone. Always a great time, would love to go back to enjoy the trails and camping. They have a lot more to offer than the Vienna lager they are famous for.

Last but not least, we ended the trip at . This is one of the best breweries you've probably never heard of. I have never seen them outside of the taphouse, which is a shame, because they hit dingers. If you are ever close to Lexington, VA do yourself the favor of stopping in, and thank me later. Also some of the best hummus I've had, and excellent pizza too.

Overall a lovely weekend near the mountains with some excellent Virginia brews. Hope everyone else is embracing the fall weather and enjoying those last weekends outdoors while you can!

🍻 Cheers🍻!

10/24/2025

winnings!!!

We spun the giant prize wheel while at (several times) and ended up winning 3 rare beer packs! Last weekend we picked up our prizes at . The staff were even nice enough to make sure we got all different bottles.

So here is the haul. Although I usually go for IPAs and dark lagers I can't wait to try some of these funkier offerings from some truly awesome breweries.

doesjel: intended to be an older gueze that didn't fermentation as expected, described as dry, funky, vinous, citrussy, and barrel aged. Coming in at 4.16/5 on untappd.

prium miracle 22/23: a blended lambik with plums, described as fruity, sour, dry, and sweet. Untappd 4.21 of 5.

biere blanche (10 yr): a witbier, described as tart, light-bodied, crisp, with the typical orange and coriander but an added Brett fermentation twist. Untappd 4.1.

meerts a la syrah 21/22: a fruit lambik on syrah grapes. Descriptors of dry, fruit, funky, black currant, amd sweet. 4.03 on untappd.

oude arielle sauvage a l'Ancienne: a spontaneously fermented lambik with lingonberries: described as sour, berries, tart, funky, lingonberries. 4.14 of 5 on untappd.

no more sleep: a mixed culture dark farmhouse ale described as sour, dark, oak, coffee, cocoa, cherry, acidic. Untappd of 3.86.

Highly rated beers from some renowned breweries that you can't find just anywhere. I'll be spreading these out, but will definitely post updates as we get through the bottles. If you're in to funky European beers is the place to go. It is hidden at the end of an alley, but well worth a visit!

10/13/2025

The beer festival is named after a mythical monster, and with over 450 different beers available, it is one hell of a beast.

It is put on by the same people behind , , and (among others). It is a festival by beer lovers for beer lovers. It is also the largest annual fundraiser for , who use sustainable farming to provide food to those in need. Good beer for a good cause!

Alright, enough exposition. Now for the beers. I had two priority breweries to visit, and , both of which I have never had. Their hazies were on point. Complex, well balanced, and just plain delicious. My other top tier hazy was from , "call sign Citra sunshine".

There were no shortage of sours, with the apple spice from and the blackberry cheesecake smoothie from topping the list for me.

A huge thank you to for dishing out previews on Friday night. There were several heavy hitters with higher abv's I was able to knock out early so I actually survived the festival.

We tried so many great beers, enjoyed some good food, perfect weather, and even won a couple prizes on the wheel before we called it a day. Overall 10/10, I cannot recommend this enough for anyone who loves beer, just make sure you get the VIP pass, because some of those beers run out fast!

Cheers!

10/01/2025

We had a blast at the 10th Anniversary Party this past weekend. The weather could have been better, but everything else was on point.

They had all their regular beers available, but there was also an "alternate reality" tent where each beer had a twist. Some were pretty normal, like an IPA with oranges, while some were wierd, like a lager with pizza.

My favorite was probably "Master of Oregon", and Imperial Double IPA with Vic Secret and Citra hops. Nothing crazy, but really good. All the varieties of "Johann the Mango Thief" were also great.

For the wierd, "Sweet Baby WTF" was a lager with BBQ added. Tasted like BBQ potato chips in a surprisingly good way. The festbier with ranch, hard pass.

The beer everyone was talking about was the "Hot Sauce", their "Volcano Sauce" sour with habaneros and ghost peppers. Its not the spiciest beer I've ever had, but it was close!

They also had a ton of barrel aged stout bottle pours, along with samples of "Wax", their THC non-alc beer. There was something for everyone.

As if the beer weren't enough, they had food trucks, several bands, and some comedians. was hilarious!
va knows how to throw a party, and make some pretty good beers. Cheers to 10 years, here's to 10 more! 🍻🍻

09/26/2025

Last weekend hosted their annual ale trail, and it was awesome. The event is out at Lake Needwood in Rock Creek Park.

They set up in this valley by the lake with tree-covered hills all around. There is a concert stage, a bunch of food trucks, several beer tents, and some activities for kids.

The coolest part is that there is a mile long trail that leads to a smaller area that had a couple more food trucks and beer tents. So, you grab your beer, hike a mile for another beer. Then rinse and repeat to your heart's content.

The weather was perfect and the scenery was beautiful. The beers were also on point. First up I had an IPA from . Lovely bitterness, plenty of grapefruit, but a tad heavy for hiking. Thankfully had a nice light German Pilsner at the other end of the trail to balance things out. I wrapped up with the Oktoberfest from , because it is the season. They also had the coolest beer trailer.

It was a pretty great day, I'll definitely be adding this to the calendar for next year as well. What's your favorite fall beer festival/event?

09/10/2025

We're back in Iowa for a week, and on our drive back we always overnight in Ohio, usually Columbus, to break up the 13 hour trip and to discover some new breweries. This time our airbnb was within walking distance of two new destinations I would definitely visit again.

We stopped at first. It is not a huge taproom, but there is a lot of outside seating and a pretty extensive draft list, along with wine and cocktails. Their flagship, "Combustion IPA" was my favorite of the day. It had a light malt profile with loads of hops, great bitterness, grapefruit, a bit of resin, and a slightly tropical finish. I really enjoyed the pilsner and the Czech amber lager as well.

A couple blocks away was , where we went to get some pizza . . . and more beer. I channeled my inner gen alpha as I ordered the "skibidi Ohio rizz", a really nice Czech dark lager with flavors of cola and molasses, a light body, and good bitterness. The rice lager was also great, light and crisp with plenty of lemon, it went great with the crispy pepperoni.

Per the usual, I was pretty impressed with what Ohio had to offer. The only downside was all the Ohio State fans. Joking!! The fans were all great and it was nice to be in a college town on a football Saturday, especially after a win. Hopefully the Hawks can pull one off this next weekend.

09/04/2025

We celebrated Labor Day by going about as opposite as you can, attending an adult gaming playground. is located in Tyson's Corner Center Mall in Virginia, though they have a couple locations in other states as well. It has 40-50 different rooms, each with a new puzzle, game, or some type of physical obstacle to beat. The rooms take a couple minutes each, and you'll have to retry most several times to beat them. Rope swings, ball tosses, puzzles, memory games, you name it. There's even a plank where you dodge swinging axes. Very Indiana Jones. It was a blast, we'll definitely be going back.

Also, it is connected to , which had a ton of drafts, some local options in cans, wine, and cocktails. I got to try several IPAs I hadn't had before. My favorite of the day was the "Road to Victory IPA", pine, citrus, crisp, pretty solid.

Good food, good beer, and a good time. This place would be fun for a date night or a group of friends, and the beer really seals the deal. Check it out if you get a chance.

08/22/2025

Last weekend we hit the port to port beer fest at . It wasn't huge, but it was great. Solid beers, not too overcrowded, good music, 9/10. Not perfect, but damn close.

As far as beers go, my standouts were the cream ale from . Slightly sweet, a light creamy, but not overly corny, this was a great warm weather beer you could enjoy all day. Also extraordinary was the West Coast Pilsner from . Everyone I told this about tried it and loved it. Perfect hoppy beer for a hot day and definitely a crowd favorite.

This was a well organized festival with some really solid breweries. If you have the chance to go next year, do it! Just make sure to secure a spot in the shade early 😎.

What are your favorite beer fests and what makes them great? We're always on the lookout and not afraid to travel, so please drop them in the comments. Convince us, cause we will go!

ale

08/12/2025

Last Thursday I got to celebrate at one of my favorite breweries, .

It is a bit of a drive for us to get up to , but luckily for me my wife Danielle is a big fan of . It just so happened that was hosting a workout class at a gym there. So, we got to meet up with some friends, get a workout in, and then have some delicious food and beers. Pretty solid Thursday.

The beer of the day was "seas mcqueen" a solid American IPA that drinks pretty light and leans heavy in to the pine, with supporting floral and grapefruit citrus flavors, over a nice bready, slightly toasty malt. Checks all the boxes.

On a side note, the workout class was a lot of fun, and a much better workout than I thought it would be. Both Sarper and Shekinah were super nice. If you're a 90 day fan is probably worth a go, especially if there is good beer nearby.

A Toast to Brews

12/09/2025

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