Good Beer in Western Virginia

On a recent business trip to the western part of Virginia I was looking forward to enjoying an old favorite, Yuengling's Traditional Lager, with its amber color and medium-bodied flavor. It is brewed with roasted caramel malt for a subtle sweetness and a combination of cluster and cascade hops. I was able to enjoy them, since they are widely available there (but nowhere west of Pennsylvania) but with dinner one night it was suggested I try their local beer, called Starr Hill.

Starr Hill opened its brewery in Charlottesville, home of the University of Virginia and only 25 miles from Staunton. The master brewer and founder trained in Oregon and moved back here to open this location. It grew so large that he had to move again to Crozet, a small town nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

I was able to samples three of its best: the Amber Ale, Jomo, and Northern Lights, a traditional IPA. I found all three of them refreshing and crisp, and I could not decide if this is what they would taste like back here in Chicagoland or if they were so fresh that they all taste this good.

My first drink of the night was the Amber Ale, and it is a traditional Red Irish Amber Ale, which is one of the beers I am most fond of. I can usually be seen drinking a Leinekugel's Red Lager or Sam Adams Irish Red Ale, but I have to say that this one is better than those two. The caramel sweetness dominates the flavor and there is very little bitterness, so therefore very little hop presence. I had time to savor this beer, but since dinner was about to be served, I wanted to try something lighter and less dominating to have with my meal, so I tried a Jomo.

Jomo is brewed with a Southern German Lager Yeast, giving it a crisp clean taste. Jomo is considered a light Amber Lager, but it is not as light and those that have made themselves famous. It was a perfect accompaniment to the barbecue brisket I had for dinner. It was a good selection, and I was happy with the choices.

There was a small bar in the hotel we were staying at, and although it was small I was surprised by its wide selection of Chinese beers, Starr Hill Northern Lights, plus a surprising number of Rogue Beer choices (brewed in Oregon). I was pleasantly surprised at the choices at the hotel since it wasn't even a bar, per se, but rather just an area at the end of the lobby in the stately Southern hotel.

The Northern Lights was an IPA, to be sure, but probably the least bitter of any of the IPAs I have tasted. I think this would appeal to some but probably not the most traditional of IPA drinkers. It also seems to agree with the opinion of many other East Coast hop fans (according to a recent article in Beer Advocate magazine) who always seem to look for subtleties in their IPAs, when the West Coasters want a knockout hop presence. I think this was the least favorite of the three Starr Hills I tried over there.

In the future I know I will again have a tough decision, to stay with the Yuenglings or go with the Starr Hill, but I think that since the Yuenglings Lager is the best one I have found around Virginia I will stick with it but go with the Starr Hills for a little variety. Also, a brewery tour and tasting will be a must on my next travels there.