TWIB – Talking, Studying, Mailing and Drinking

This Week in Beer (TWIB) is a feature where I’ll highlight some craft beers I had during this past week mixed with some related (and unrelated) thoughts. Yes, it’s a play on the name of the show This Week in Baseball which I grew up on and loved.

It’s been a few weeks since I’ve posted a TWIB but that doesn’t mean craft beer has been quiet. Here are some recent happenings to me, my blog and the beer world.

I’m a Glass Half Full Kinda Guy

I finally got to sit down for a few pints at Glass Half Full Taproom in Ashburn, Virginia. It is a small bar inside the new Alamo Drafthouse movie theater. No movie ticket is required to enter and the bar is well worth going to even if you aren’t planning on seeing a movie. It has about 15-20 barstools and ten or so tables surrounded by a rugged wood decor.  The staff is highly knowledgeable about their beer. They have 32 taps of which most rotate regularly.

TWIB – Hello Raleigh, It’s Wedding Season!

This Week in Beer (TWIB) is a feature where I’ll highlight some craft beers I had during this past week mixed with some related (and unrelated) thoughts. Yes, it’s a play on the name of the show This Week in Baseball which I grew up on and loved.

This Week in Beer was all about trying new beer in new places.

It’s wedding season!

Leesburg Brewing Company

I checked out Leesburg Brewing Company on Friday for lunch. It’s in a great location in downtown Leesburg, Virginia which is quickly becoming a craft beer Mecca with MacDowell Brew Kitchen, Fireworks Pizza, Doner Bistro, the future Crooked Run Brewing, and more all within close walking distance.

Leesburg Brewing Company has been open for two weeks. Unfortunately they aren’t serving their own beer yet. They are still getting the proper state licenses. The owner said they hope to be serving in the next three or so months. They will be specializing in ales with something like 40 different ale recipes they brew offsite. However in the meantime they still carry five craft beers on tap. I had DC Brau’s Penn Quarter Porter for the first time with my WOW! Burger made with chorizo. The beer was just as good as the burger — I highly recommend them both.

Hey give Leesburg Brewing Company a follow if you’re on Twitter!

North Carolina Brewery Trifecta

Big Boss Brewing

I was lucky enough to go to my cousin’s wedding in Raleigh, North Carolina this weekend. It was a beautiful ceremony for a beautiful couple. What made the night even better was that they served two Big Boss Brewing beers. I’ve never even heard of them, a brewery in Raleigh.

Angry Angel KÖLSCH-STYLE ALE

This beer was a perfect beer for a summer day. It’s almost a session beer at 4.75% ABV and is very light tasting. I’d buy this if I came across it where I am in Virginia.

High Roller American-Style IPA

This one wasn’t as good as the Angry Angel. But I’m also not a hophead. The couple hopheads I talked to at the wedding seemed to like this one a lot. It’s not for me however.

Meet Jake Endres of Crooked Run Brewing

Crooked Run Brewing – A Nanobrewery coming soon to Leesburg, VA

I mentioned in How to find friendly people that people in the craft beer industry have been nothing but supportive of this endeavor of mine. Jake Endres of Crooked Run Brewing is no exception.

I came across Crooked Run Brewing a couple weeks ago in the comments section of The State of NoVA Beer, Breweries and Brewpubs, an article in Northern Virginia Magazine. I did a little research and found information that lead me to Jake Endres, Crooked Run’s President. It turned out we both graduated from James Madison University around the same time and are relatively local to one another. I sent him and email begging asking him if I could pick his brain about how he got to where he is today, which is at the cusp of opening his own nanobrewery in Leesburg, VA.