The Infamous Stringdusters - Laws Of Gravity & Devils Backbone Brewing Company

Grammy nominated The Infamous Stringdusters (Andy Hall - dobro, Andy Falco - guitar, Chris Pandolfi - banjo, Jeremy Garrett - fiddle, and Travis Book - upright bass) -- are synonymous to good music and good beer. Their music is a fusion of what I would call campfire dancing music and contemporary newgrass. As for beer, think the Charlottesville beer scene and Devils Backbone Brewing Company - the former host venue for The Festy Experience music festival. Here's a video of Travis discussing both beer and music at the inaugural Festy many years ago. And if you plan to attend the 2017 Festy (October 5-8 and now located at the Nelson County Preserve) expect to hear plenty of music from Laws Of Gravity, The Stringdusters latest release which dropped January 13th.

In this release the band returns to their.progressive bluegrass roots with a theme of the freedom as a result of life on the road. Something they should know rather well.  Rotating lead vocals, solos, and tight harmonies provide an expected and consistent bouquet. But there's also a touch of soulful blues with This Ol’ Building and Back Home, which in addition to Soul Searching and Sirens, lift the mid palette and are the strongest section of the album. The tail finishes with high energy effervescence with Let Me Know and I Run To You. Classic Stringdusters.

The one problem with this release, and for that matter all the Stringdusters' seven studio releases, is that it can never capture the spirit of their live performance. Case in point is Sirens. The instrumentals are tight - but I'm sure the band blows away audiences performing this song live. Fortunately there are plenty of upcoming tour dates to experience a fantastic live show. I'm targeting the January 27th show at the 9:30 Club.

My favorite pairing option for Laws of Gravity is this DBBC Adventure sampler twelve pack. It includesthe Flor De Luna Belgium Blonde Ale, Berliner Metro Weiss, Smokehouse Porter, and Single Hop IPA. I hit all cylinders when fueled with a Berliner Weiss or Smoked Porter - as do the Stringdusters often in Laws of Gravity. Cheers.

Nelson County Virginia Adds a Distillery to their Portfolio: Silverback Distillery

One of my favorite wine country destinations in Virginia is Nelson County, located just southwest of Charlottesville and encompassing the Blue Ridge Parkway. Initially it was the county's mountains and wine that attracted me to the area, then a few breweries like Blue Mountain Brewery and Devils Backbone opened, then Bold Rock Cidery. Now there's another excuse - Silverback Distillery, with a new spirits brand available throughout the Virginia ABC system.

The distillery is owned and operated by Christine and Denver Riggleman and they produce three spirits: Beringei Vodka, Strange Monkey Gin, and Blackback White Grain Spirit. In order to provide tastings at the distillery, state regulations require that consumers be limited to 4 ounces of spirits over a 24 hour period. Rather crazy considering a person could then travel to nearby Blue Mountain or Cardinal Point Vineyard & Winery and drink unlimited quantities of beer or wine. In order to make this restriction bearable to visitors, Silverback created a few cocktail flights which serve a dual purpose. Not only do they provide customers enjoyable libations during their visit, but they also provide future recipes after purchasing a bottle or two.

Samples also are provided neat which gave me a clear representation of their spirits. The Beringei Vodka ($30 750 ml, 80 proof) is made from predominately winter wheat and is very clean, slightly sweet, with absolutely zero burn. The Blackback White Grain Spirit ($17 750 ml, 90 proof) has a high percentage of corn in the mash bill augmented by winter wheat. Thus, on the one hand the corn provides sweetness and spice, on the other, the winter wheat mellows the profile. This moonshine styled spirit is sweet with a minor burn. Be prepared for an aged version of the white grain that is currently residing in American Oak barrels. The biggest surprise was the Strange Monkey Gin ($30 750 ml, 80 proof). Not particular fond of gin, this version was rather tasty as the distillery held back on the juniper. This was worth the price of admission alone. As for the cocktails, the Moscow Mule (vodka) and London Mule (gin) were my favorites with the spirit mixed with ginger beer and lime juice. And both grain cocktails were nice, the Fruity Baboon (blood orange soda and lime juice) and Mango Monkarita (house mango mix). Cheers and safe travels while using theCompass Winery, Brewery, Distillery Locator Mobile App.

Travis Book's #Bluegrass, #Beer, and #Bikes Tour

Readers should know I'm a fan of biking to breweries and also a fan of Travis Book and The Infamous Stringdusters. MyJoogTV Episode 8 features the two of us, along with his wife Sarah Siskind, discussing beer and music with master brewer Jason Oliver at Devils Backbone Brewing Company.  This weekend Book combines all three in the Bluegrass, Beer, and Bikes Tour, presented by Blue Ridge Outdoors Magazine.

Each show will take place at a different craft brewery in the Appalachians, where Book will host a group mountain bike ride in each town. Proceeds from every show will benefit local bike clubs.

The four day event "kicks off on Thursday, March 26th, at Oskar Blues Brewery’s Tasty Weasel Taproom in Brevard, N.C. Friday, March 27th, includes a stop in Boone at the Appalachian Mountain Brewery, while Saturday, March 28th finds Travis back on his home trails at Devils Backbone Brewing Company in Roseland, Va. The weekend winds up on Sunday, March 29th, at Soaring Ridge Craft Brewery in Roanoke." Below are theCompass Winery Brewery Distillery Locator profiles for each brewery. Cheers and safe travels.

Time for Some Irish Red Ale on St. Patrick's Day

Remember the day when Killian's was the only "Irish" Red Ale option if Smithwick's Ale wasn't available or you tire of Guiness? Well these days there are plenty of Irish red's around. This style normally is a bit sweet with toasted malt on the front leading to a medium hoppy dying finish. And don't expect a strong hop aroma. Some breweries attempt to pass off caramel colored lagers as Red Ales (i.e. Killian's); so read the label.

The History Behind George Killian's Irish Red According to Wikipedia

George Killian's Irish Red is a beer with an Irish heritage, based on a recipe created at Lett's Brewery in Enniscorthy, Ireland, in 1864. The beer is named after George Killian Lett, the great-grandson of George Henry Lett, who founded the brewery in Enniscorthy. George Killian Lett died at the age of 84 in Enniscorthy, Ireland in December of 2010. It was originally an Irish red ale called "Enniscorthy Ruby Ale," and brewed from 1864 to 1956, when the brewery closed and it was discontinued. It is no longer sold in Ireland. The brand name "George Killian's" was purchased by the Pelforth Brewery in France. In the mid 1980s Coors bought the rights to use the brand name "George Killian's Irish Red" in America.

This weekend I tasted a few American versions that were available in the DC market and have some recommendations:

• Tongue Buckler - Ballast Point Brewing Company; San Diego, California (imperial red ale; plenty of hops (aromatics too) balance big malty flavor)
• Reilly's Red Ale - Devils Backbone Brewing Company; Virginia (subtle sweetness, tea flavors, more hops than normal)
• Conway's Irish Ale - Great Lakes Brewing Company; Cleveland, Ohio (slightly toasted, decent hop finish)
• Lucky Slob Irish Red Ale - Flying Dog Brewery; Frederick, Maryland (caramel, bready, lower hop profile)
• Irish Ale - Boulevard Brewing Company; Kansas City, Missouri (big roasted caramel flavor)
• Samuel Adams Irish Red Ale – Boston Beer Company; Boston, Massachusetts (sweeter, dying hop finish)
• Red Banshee - Fort Collins Brewery; Fort Collins, Colorado (interesting interplay between malt and hops with malt outpacing the hops to the finish)

Ballparks & Brews: Potomac Nationals

Minor League baseball is always a fun environment to take the family and the Potomac Nationals don't disappoint with moon bounces, contests, fireworks and Virginia craft beer. The main food stand does have on tap, but for local beer head to the first base line to the Virginia Craft Beer House which pours Starr Hill Brewing, Devils Backbone Brewing Company, and Port City Brewing Company. In fact, Port City Brewing Company is the Official Hometown Beer of the Potomac Nationals. Plus there's baseball - good baseball - and with all the National's injuries there's a chance someone is down on reassignment. Cheers.

Great American Beer Festival - The Medal Winners

Another year, another missed opportunity to attend the greatest beer fetival on the planet: the Great American Beer Festival. Held each year in Denver, the festival sports continuous beer sampling as well as the GABF competition. The winners are listed in this pdf; but here are some of the highlights and results for the #dcbrew. Congrats to PBR - and to the several MyJoogTV participants that are bringing home medals: Mad Fox Brewing Company, Flying Dog Brewery, and Devils Backbone Brewing Company.

-------------------------------------- Brewer of the Year
Small Brewing Company and Small Brewing Company Brewer of the Year
Chuckanut Brewery, Bellingham, WA: Will Kemper

Mid-Size Brewing Company and Mid-Size Brewing Company
Firestone Walker Brewing Co, Paso Robles, CA: Matthew Brynildson

Large Brewing Company and Large Brewing Company
Pabst Brewing Company, Woodridge, IL: Bob Newman

Small Brewpub and Small Brewpub
Pizza Port Ocean Beach, San Diego, CA: Yiga Miyashiro

Large Brewpub and Large Brewpub
Pizza Port Carlsbad, Carlsbad, CA: Pizza Port Brew Guys

Brewpub Group and Brewpub Group
TAPS Fish House & Brewery, Brea, CA: Victor Novak

--------------------------------------

Category: 15 Indigenous Beer - 31 Entries
Silver: Monticello Reserve Ale, Starr Hill Brewery, Crozet, VA

Category: 17 American-Belgo-Style Ale - 43 Entries
Silver: Blue Reserve, Blue Mountain Brewery, Afton, VA

Category: 25 Kellerbier or Zwickelbier - 48 Entries
Gold: Kolsch Kellerbier, Mad Fox Brewing Co., Falls Church, VA

Category: 26 Smoke Beer - 43 Entries
Silver: Smoke Out, Starr Hill Brewery, Crozet, VA

Category: 31 Dortmunder or German-Style Oktoberfest - 20 Entries
Silver: Tommy Two Fists, Devils Backbone Brewing Co., Roseland, VA

Category: 34 Vienna-Style Lager - 32 Entries
Gold: Jomo Lager, Starr Hill Brewery, Crozet, VA

Category: 45 English-Style Summer Ale - 33 Entries
Gold: Summer Lovin’, Blue Mountain Brewery, Afton, VA
Bronze: Mad Fox Brewing Company English Summer Ale, Mad Fox Brewing Co.,
Falls Church, VA

Category: 64 German-Style Sour Ale - 13 Entries
Bronze: Gordon Biersch Goze, Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant (Rockville, MD)

Category: 83 Barley Wine-Style Ale - 42 Entries
Gold: Horn Dog Barleywine, Flying Dog Brewery, Frederick, MD

SAVOR Profile: Mad Fox Brewing Company & Devils Backbone Brewing Company

I know we've been covering the beer world for the past week for or so for American Craft Beer Week and that trend will continue as the extraordinary beer festival, SAVOR, comes to Washington, D.C. June 3rd-4th. This really is an amazing event - over 70 craft breweries pouring over two nights at the National Building Museum. Now, Bill, over at DCBeer, has been regularly publishing profiles of some of these breweries. In that spirit, we have two we'd like to share from the MyJoogTV catalog. These episodes feature two Virginia breweries participating in SAVOR: Mad Fox Brewing Company & Devils Backbone Brewing Company. And as usual, watch to the end to view musical performances from Tom Principato and Sarah Siskind and Travis Book, bassist for The Infamous Stringdusters.


MyJoogTV Episode 7: Tom Principato at the Mad Fox Brewing Company

MyJoogTV Episode 8: Sarah Siskind & Travis Book @ Devils Backbone Brewing Company

MyJoogTV Episode 8: Sarah Siskind & Travis Book @ Devils Backbone Brewing Company

This episode of MyJoogTV features Sarah Siskind and Travis Book, bassist for The Infamous Stringdusters, in a discussion of beer, music, and The Festy with Devils Backbone Brewing Company master brewer Jason Oliver. The episode was filmed during The Festy, The Infamous Stringdusters' signature weekend music festival held on the festival grounds at Devils Backbone. Specifically we discussed Siskind's affection for beer as well as her beer blog; The Festy; and the award winning beers crafted by Oliver. The episode concludes with Sarah Siskind and Travis Book, accompanied by guitarist Andy Falco, performing "Wild Fire" on the Southern Stage; and The Infamous Stringdusters on the Main Stage at The Festy. The video is available to download for iTunes and Windows Media Player. To view more videos filmed at The Festy, visit the MyJoogTV Festy Channel. And a special thanks to Nelson County for sponsoring our trip to the region.

Say It Louder - Sarah Siskind
All Come Together Now - EP - Sarah Siskind

Things That Fly - The Infamous Stringdusters