A Craft Beverage Road Trip along Route 340 in the Shenandoah Valley

On a trip home from Waynesboro, I decided to ditch the tractor-trailer-laden Route 81 and ventured north on the more peaceful and bucolic Route 340.  This allowed me to follow portions of both the Shenandoah Beerwerks Trail and the Shenandoah Spirits Trail while passing through the towns of Elkton, Shenandoah, and Luray. In total, I stopped at eight establishments, most for the first time, and returned home with enough beverages to carry me through the rest of the month. 

Basic City Beer Company
The Shenandoah Beerwerks Trail runs from the Harrisonburg area south to Lexington and Rockbridge County. Waynesboro is basically halfway between the two borders and is home to a favorite brewery Basic City Beer Co. and #thecompasscbf stop number 45. The brewery is housed in the former Virginia Metalcrafters building and is a destination itself with pizza and various arcade games (shuffleboard, pinball, etc), plus a large selection of beer. I usually stock up on two staples the Our Daily Pils German Pilsner and whatever Grin's Casket is available. On this visit, it was the Cherry Quad aged in Heaven Hill bourbon barrels with almonds. Can't wait to open during a firepit night.

Elkton Brewing Company
Remaining on the Shenandoah Beerwerks Trail, we headed north on Rt 340 to Elkton -- a small town situated between Massanutten Mountain and Skyline Drive -- and settled by German and Scots-Irish immigrants similar to the founders of Elkton Brewing (#thecompasscbf stop number 46). The Napotnik family opened the brewery in a building originally built in 1890 to house the Elkton Milling Company. They brew a large array of beers and had 14 on tap on our arrival. Our flight consisted of the Nekid Crik Kolsch, Blonde Bear Blonde Ale, Uncommon Elk California Common, and the BoysenTuley Pie Boysenberry + Graham Cracker + Vanilla GOSE / Sour. I can't imagine the thought process of Colonel Gos Tuley, who was responsible for killing the last known indigenous Virginia Elk in 1855. The Uncommon Elk was the favorite and worked well with the Bayou Gumbo available at the food truck.

Chateau Virginia
After leaving Elkton Brewing I noticed a Winery sign a block away and stopped to discover Chateau Virginia - a new Virginia winery that officially just opened in April. The winery is producing wine from Shenandoah grapes that hopefully will be available in the near future. Winemaker and founder Andrew Starkey studied and worked for two years in Champagne specifically at Crezancy. Andrew's sister Amanda is the resident sommelier. She also studied in France and was the sommelier at Pippen Hill Winery and The Inn at Little Washington. The winery also offers a wide selection of wines from around the world starting close to home with Williamsburg Winery but also with a special emphasis on Bordeaux, Beaujolais, Piemonte Italy, and Mendoza.

Wisteria Farm and Vineyard
From Elkton, we continued North on Rt 340 towards Luray, diverging onto Business 340 and Wisteria Farm and Vineyard. The farm is situated in the Page Valley enclosed by the Massenutten range to the west and Skyline Drive to the east and still within the Shenandoah Valley proper. And is fully part of the Shenandoah Spirits Trail. Not only do they produce wine from their estate grapes, but have a small flock of natural-colored Romney sheep as well as free-roaming chickens. I indulged in a flight consisting of the dry Seyval ($21), Persephone dry rose ($24), Chambourcin ($24), and Ashtaroot Petnat ($23). The Seyval was rather satisfying and I purchased a bottle of the Persephone primarily because of its unique flavor profile where the blend includes some Norton.

River Hill Wine and Spirits
This was our second visit to River Hill Wine and Spirits, the first precipitated after purchasing a bottle of their Corn Whiskey and Bourbon at an ABC store. This is a very small operation, located just minutes outside of Luray. On this visit, I discovered they just released a Rye Whiskey -- aged 12 months in oak. It's quite different from the spicier versions coming out of Kentucky - grassy and earthy, with a little chalk, dark chocolate, and licorice. Loads of flavors.

Blue Shepherd Spirits
We reached a milestone last weekend, visiting our 50th craft beverage establishment in 2023. This was Blue Shepherd Spirits, a distillery that opened in August 2022, very close to the caverns. Their three main spirits are vodka, gin, and rum with the mash for the first two based on local corn and sugar. The New World Gin has a citrus profile that is complimented by the juniper. The Dog Days of Summer Rum (90 proof) is distilled using both molasses and cane juice and infused with various spices. Not overly spiced however and has a nice balance with the traditional rum flavor. We purchased a bottle to use with our iiCiNG Pina Colada flavoring. Unfortunately, we couldn't purchase a bottle of our favorite spirit, their 6-month-aged Whiskey because of limited production. This is a complex whiskey made from a 70% corn, 20% rye, and 10% malted barley mash. Plenty of vanilla, caramel, honey, and a little rye spice.

Hawksbill Brewing Co.
Our final stop in downtown Luray was Hawksbill Brewing Co., a six-year-old brewery that specifically targets using Page County grown ingredients. This was a bustling brewery with lots of beer drinkers with their dogs enjoying an interesting array of beer. My flight consisted of The Haymaker Cream Ale (a few cans came home with us), Bearfence Black Lager, Farmer's Brown Ale, and the Brown Cow Nitro Stout. Solid beers.

Castle Vineyards
It was appropriate that we started our trip in Waynesboro -- not far from Fishersville and Barren Ridge Vineyards -- and ended it at Castle Vineyards, a satellite tasting room for that winery. Actually, it's a joint venture between the descendants of Ralph Castle Davis (thus Castle Vineyards), a local businessman and farmer. R. Steven Davis (Uncle) and Jeremy A. McCoy (nephew) planted Viognier within their working cattle farm and partnered with Barren Ridge to host their wines surrounded by excellent views of the Shenandoah Valley and Blie Ridge Mountains. After a tasting of most of their portfolio, we returned home with our three favorites starting with the delicious 2020 Cabernet Franc. Two white blends also caught our fancy, first, the 2021 Harmony blends Petit Manseng, Viognier, Vidal Blanc, Chardonnay, and Sauvignon Blanc. Imagine the aroma in that bottle. Second was the 2021 Tinkling Spring, a blend of Riesling, Traminette, and Vidal -- more strong aromas and tropical fruit and saline.

Enjoy Beer, Wine, and Scenic Views from Hazy Mountain Vineyards & Brewery

 

We can all agree that every winery provides its own unique glorious view of the surrounding countryside and the views from Hazy Mountain Vineyards & Brewery are no exception. Except that it may provide the best mountain and valley views in Virginia, and arguably the entire East Coast.  The 35-acre estate vineyard off Afton Mountain is planted on south-facing slopes ranging in elevation from 800 feet to 1,140 feet within the Monticello AVA. And with amazing views of the Blue Ridge Mountains and Piedmont valleys.

In addition to the estate vineyard, Hazy Mountain farms 50 acres in the cooler Shenandoah AVA west of Staunton, on the southeast-facing slopes of the west side of the Shenandoah Valley. The Little North Mountain Vineyard also houses their production facility. Thus Hazy Mountain offers wines from two distinct Virginia AVAs - cool climate Riesling, Chenin Blanc, Grüner Veltliner, and Pinot Noir from the Shenandoah Valley and Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, and Petit Verdot from Nelson County and the Monticello AVA.

We stuck to the white wines and were very impressed with these cool climate varietal wines. We learned that the 2020 Chenin Blanc was fermented and aged in large French oak puncheons and aged on lees in a barrel for 11 months, providing rich fruit texture and a larger mouthfeel. Great acidity too. As did the 2019 Dry Riesling and 2020 Gruner Veltliner with the Riesling very light in the Kabinett style and the Gruner providing layers of white grapefruit. As for beer, go no further than the German Pilsner. Excellent. Can't wait to visit for a Nelson County Dark Skies night.

#SipShenandoah Beer and Wine at Great Valley Farm Brewery & Winery

During our return from the  2021 Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion, and not hiking to Natural Bridge,  we stopped off at the Great Valley Farm Brewery & Winery to sample some beer and check sports scores.  As a consequence, we discovered a venue with outstanding views of the countryside, a solid portfolio of craft beer, as well as a couple delicious wines we had brought home. 

Owners Nathan and Irma Bailey purchased the land in 2008 with the intention to open a farm brewery which finally occurred in October of 2016.  At the same time, they planted a vineyard that now consists of six acres of various grape varieties including Gruner Veltliner, Vidal Blanc, Cabernet Franc, and Lemberger. Wine production started in 2019 and these wines are now available to the public. 

During our stopover, I chose a flight that consisted of a Grisette, Hibiscus Wit, NZ Pale Ale, and Milk Stout. A completely diverse range of beers.  The farmhouse Grisette was funky and was made using New Zealand Motueka hops leftover from the Pale Ale. The Wit was deliciously satisfying for that warm day. The Pale Ale had a solid structure and was made using NZ Nelson Sauvin and Motueka hops. And finally, the Milk Stout was as expected - velvety cream merging with chocolate and coffee.

Still a long way from home, we purchased a couple bottles of their 2019 Gruner Veltliner ($24) and 2019 Shenandoah Red ($30) to open at a later date. For the Gruner that was the next day and didn't last long. It's a very pleasant wine, creamy citrus, some saline, and abundant acids. The Shenandoah Road is a blend of Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Lemberger that is aged for one year in a mixture of French, American, and Hungarian oak.  This blend is ridiculously good with plenty of fruit, some spice, texture, acidity, and creeping tannins. Well done on this initial effort. 

October is Virginia Wine Month so try to visit as many wineries (and breweries) as possible during these 31 days. The Virginia Wine Marketing Board lists several events and theCompass Craft Beverage Finder will guide you to these establishments. Cheers.

Virginia Wine Chat — A Taste of the Shenandoah Valley

In 1982, the Shenandoah Valley AVA became the first  American Viticultural Area established in Virginia - and for that matter in West Virginia too as the boundaries include both Berkeley and Jefferson Counties in the Eastern Panhandle.  The fruitful valley is bounded by the Blue Ridge Mountains to the east and the Appalachian and Allegheny Mountains to the west.  It is one of the largest AVAs in the country ranging about 150 miles northwest-southeast and 25 miles wide. This leads to several micro-climates allowing for a diverse planting of grapes, but in general, this cool climate region shares a predominate limestone soil and large diurnal temperatures - leading to more acidic grapes. (TTB - AVAs)

On Sunday, February 20th, Frank Morgan (drinkwhatyoulike.com) presented his Virginia Wine Chat on A Taste of the Shenandoah Valley featuring three wines from prominent wineries in that AVA.  This tasting was organized as an afterthought of the 2020 Shenandoah Cup wine competition, which Morgan oversaw, and where Cave Ridge Vineyard was awarded the cup for their 2017 Shenandoah Valley Petit Verdot.  This wine was aged 100% Hungarian Oak and during the chat Cave Ridge owner Randy Phillips discussed his decision to use this treatment -- particularly lower costs without substituting quality.  

As a recap on Hungarian oak, the barrels are made using Quercus petraea, sessile oak, from the Zemplén Hills in western Hungarian. This forest is close to Tokaj and contains the same rocky and volcanic soil that gives the Furmint grape its minerality. Sessile oaks make up over 95% of the acreage because that tree prefers tough conditions where the soils are stony and dry, and where the climate is colder. The tree then grows slower, creating a tight grain which leads to lower tannins and a richer aroma in barrels. This tightness also results in lower evaporation and smaller oxygen penetration.

Here are the descriptors of the wines and readers are highly encouraged to visit the Shenandoah Valley Wine Trail. 

2018 Brix & Columns Virginia Chardonnay ($26)
Allow to warm in glass; creamy lemons aroma, golden delicious apples dominate its profile with a little lychee, creme brulee. Barrel fermented and nine months in new and neutral French oak provides weight and doesn't diminish the lifting acids. 

2017 Bluestone Vineyard Estate Cabernet Franc ($25.50)
The grapes were grown in the highest elevation block of their estate and only free-run juice was fermented and then 40% aged in new French and 60% Hungarian oak. Bright cherry aroma, layers of dark fruit, finishing with firm and chewy tannins. Best feature - lack of vegetable or green peppers characters. 

2017 Cave Ridge Vineyard Shenandoah Valley Petit Verdot ($35)
The fermented wine was aged 100% in Hungarian oak barrels. Very amaro-ish; herbal olive leaf, chocolate coffee, & cherry aroma, chalky velvety character,  dense fruit,  rising acidity, approachable tannins.

Follow the Old Valley Pike to Box Office Brewery

Looking for a Hallmark Christmas destination that has the one important feature that these movies lack? I'm referring to a craft beverage establishment like Strasburg Virginia's Box Office Brewery.

Craft beverage establishments have been repurposing abandoned buildings in small towns throughout the U.S... In the Shenandoah Valley, the owners of Box Office Brewing renovated the defunct Strasburg Theatre which was originally built in 1918 as the Strand Theatre. They reused both internal and local materials including a 1930s Lucky Strike bowling lane for the main bar.

As for beer, the Old Valley Pike American Pale Ale is solid and is named after US Route 11 that runs in front of the building. The road was previously the Old Valley Pike, a dirt road originally used by the local Indians then predominantly by troops during the Civil War. The German styled Prohibition Pilsner is also exactly what one would expect.

But if you are really lucky the Curtain Call Coconut Porter is still on tap. The name speaks for itself. Cheers.

A Day Trip Along the Shenandoah Spirits Trail

The Shenandoah Spirits Trail consists of 49 breweries, cider houses, distilleries, and wineries within the Shenandoah Valley and located between Harrisonburg and Winchester. These destinations are an easy day trip from the DC Metro area and are worth leveraging when visiting the Valley's Civil War sites, scenic roads, and outdoor activities. And try to stay for the sunsets. Here are a few we visited recently.

Old Hill Cider - Timberville
The is an outgrowth of Showalters Orchard where the Showalter family has been growing apples for over 50 years on a century-old orchard. Cidermaker Shannon Showalter established the first cider house in the Shenandoah Valley by fermenting various heirloom apples such as Pippen, Winesap, and Stayman. These are the blend for the refreshing Yesteryear dry cider. Full a fuller cider, try the Cidermaker's Barrel where the juice is fermented using wild yeast then racked into barrels -- developing texture and depth. And walk out back to sip and enjoy the scenic valley.

Swover Creek Farms and Kitchen - Edinburg
Swover Creek Farms was established just over a decade ago by Lynn and Dave St.Clair, diversifying their 100+-year-old family farm into berries and about 6 years ago 14 hop varieties. In 2014 they opened a small brewery operation using a 3.5 barrel brew system with 2 fermenters and 4 bright tanks. These are located in a renovated barn with a former cow loafing shed used for outdoor covered seating. Inside enjoy house-made pizza, Swover Creek smoked sausages and several styles of beer. Our favorites were the Saison and Lager.

Wolf Gap Vineyard - Edinburg
Willard and Diane Elledge founded Wolf Gap Vineyard and Winery 15 years ago on a 48-acre estate. The views of Wolf Gap and the Great North Mountains from their deck is worth a visit in itself, but an added bonus is the well-crafted wines offered. The 50-50 2017 Viognier-Traminette blend is refreshingly unique while the 2016 Chardonnay is textured and crisp. Nut the dry reds are their strong suit starting with the 2015 Chambourcin Reserve. Smokey and spicy but not jammy. The 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve proves that this grape can excel in pockets in the Commonwealth and the 2013 Mariage Reserve (Chambourcin and Cabernet Franc) is delicious.

Reminder: theCompass Craft Beverage Finder will guide you to these destinations.