Old Rag Shizzle: Part 1

Editor's Note: The following should be sung to the tune of "Ol' Man River" in the style of the Chairman of the Board, the late, great Frank Sinatra...

Old Rag shizzle, that Old Rag shizzle

There must be somethin'

We keep on drinkin' 

and keep on rollin' along...

You get the picture. Wait... do you? Actually, you probably don't. Let me backtrack a bit.

When Deuane and I were in the midst of planning my annual birthday weekend jaunt into the nether reaches of yet another unknown forest, I must have been drunk because I added the dates to my calendar with the subject line: "Old Rag Shizzle." Days later, Brewslut asked me, "What the hell is 'Old Rag Shizzle?'"

Fuck if I knew. 

Deuane set the record straight. We'd be traveling to northern Virginia to Old Rag Mountain near Sperryville (population 342, according to the 2010 census) in Madison County. Old Rag is part of the Blue Ridge Mountains, its peak is located within Shenandoah National Park. Deuane said it is the most popular hiking destination inside the boundaries of the park. I didn't doubt him after we'd been there for a few hours, as groups of hikers passed by our cabin about every few minutes. 

But before we get to the "Old Rag Shizzle" portion of the program, let's start at the beginning of the weekend: Friday afternoon. I decided to take a half day at work. Since Brewslut is always chained to her desk and never - that's right, folks... NEVER! - takes off work, Deuane and I left early and hit a few places on the way. Since Old Rag is approximately three-and-a-half hours from our home base, there were obviously a few breweries along our route: trophies for us as a result of our head start. 

First up was the familiar GearHouse in Chambersburg. I will say that I'd frequent this place way more often if it wasn't a solid 90-minute drive from my house. Each time I visit, I like it more and more. The beers continually improve, and David (owner and brewer) is still as fuckin' rad as the day I met him. This visit was enhanced by a short tour of his new private space, which is set up kind of like a speakeasy. But more on that in a few seconds.

Thirsty already, Deuane and I hit the bar at around 1:30-ish and ordered a pair of beers. Deuane was kind enough to get my first one (happy birthday to me!), which was nice. The beer was Shifting Gears #19, an IPA hopped with Amarillo, CTZ, and Warrior. Shifting Gears is the brewery's rotating experimental IPA series. This one boasted a flavor profile of sharp herbs and pithy grapefruit. It might have been my favorite IPA I've had there thus far. This set the mood for the rest of the visit. 

While we enjoyed our beers, David showed us around the recently gutted brewing space where he'd soon be installing a new brewhouse, fermenters and other equipment. If my memory serves me correctly, he's upgrading from a 7-bbl to a 15-bbl system. Gotta love when one of the small guys expand! To keep the GearHouse beer flowing and its customers libated during this downtime, our good friends at Pizza Boy have opened up some of their tank space and helped out by contract brewing a few beers.  

After a quick tour of the construction site, we headed over to the new special event space, which I mentioned earlier. Man, I want a place like this is my basement, but I have too many drums. In addition to space for private rentals, the "speakeasy" is also used for overflow traffic during peak hours. With a variety of well-curated PA wines and spirits, David also has a few taps pouring specialty beers, some of which we were able to sample during our visit. 

THE room at GearHouse.

The first of two beers I tried in the Speakeasy was GINary, a gin-barrel-aged version of Canary in the Coal Mine blonde ale. I'd had a gin-barrel-aged beer at GearHouse on a previous visit, and mentioned how I was glad that this trend was making its way eastward. (Avid Pour Travelers followers may remember my infatuation with gin-barrel-aged beers, which began on our trip to Portland, OR, a few years ago.) This was a beautifully complex beer boasting equal parts juniper berry, fresh botanicals, and a sweet, fruity finish. Previous versions of this beer were aged in gin barrels acquired from One-Eight Distillers in Washington D.C. However, I'm not sure if this is the case with this particular batch. 

GearHouse: "We have liquor too!"

The other beer, Spiral Ham, is a Belgian Quad brewed in collaboration with Barley & Hops, Cushwa (more on them very soon) and Waredaca (a MD-based brewery and horse farm. Note to self: Need to get there pronto). Weighing in at 10.2% ABV, this monster Quad features PA honey, Belgian candi syrup, and turbinado (a dark, unrefined) sugar. Man, was this delicious! I love me some molasses cookies and Shoo Fly pie, and this beer elicited hints of both. 

Specialty beers in the private room at GearHouse.

Back up in the main tasting room area, we finished up our visit with a pour of Sticky Fingers Incident, a German chocolate cake, pastry stout brewed with 72% Peruvian chocolate from Nathan Miller Chocolate, tart cherries, flaked coconut and lactose. It was a bit more roasty than I was anticipating, but the chocolate was definitely at the forefront with the cherry and coconut taking a backseat. With a few slight tweaks, this could be a really great beer. And thus ended an amazing visit to GearHouse. I'm already looking forward to the next one!

We said goodbye to David, hopped in the car and set our sights for Williamsport. Not "Billtown, PA," but rather Williamsport, MD, home of recent favorite Cushwa. Brewslut and I first heard of Cushwa through Deuane, so we called an audible a while back when we were headed to Virginia for an Iron Maiden show. Turns out they almost made my Top 10 list for 2018. (They did, however, make the "Honorable Mentions" list.) 

I've already written a decent amount about Cushwa in the last two years, so we'll just get right down to the nitty gritty. It wasn't a lengthy visit by any means, but I was able to try a few new beers. First up was a traditional German Schwarzbier called Illusory Correlation. Featuring notes of light roast coffee, dark chocolate, and crusty bread, this was a textbook example of the style. It's also a rarely-seen style, especially at smaller breweries that crank out quick-selling IPAs and other similar hoppy offerings.

Speaking of IPAs, up next was a bangin' DIPA known as Tedium. Dank, zesty and boasting a barrage of tropical fruit (especially papaya) and rock candy, this beer was anything but tedious to drink. This one elicited more West Coast tendencies, while my third and final beer, Outsider's Perspective, was straight-up New England. Also a DIPA, this one features hints of hard candy, pineapple, and evergreen. Cushwa describes it as "peach smoothie meets strawberry oatmeal." I enjoyed Tedium a bit more overall, as I opted for its papaya-forward character over the slightly more minty Outsider's Perspective. Both beers were enjoyable, but I gotta give props to Tedium.

Outside Sperryville's Pen Druid Brewing.

Based on Deuane's enthusiasm, the brewery I was most looking forward to visit was our next stop, Pen Druid. I was first struck by the name of the brewery and soon learned that Pen Druid borrows its moniker from an old family farm situated on the Thornton River in Rappahannock County, just a few miles downstream from the brewery. Deuane also explained that the tiny brewery operates using a 10bbl wood-fired brewery, employs coolships, and is all about spontaneous fermentation, barrel aging, and bottle conditioning.

Wait a minute... let's backtrack a bit.

Wood-fired?! What is this, Amish brewers gone wild?! OK, so these guys aren't Amish, but they are all about old world, artisan technique. The three brothers who own the brewery also happen to be members of a pretty bitchin' psych-rock band called Pontiak. When they're not on the road bringing mayhem to the stage, they're back in little old Sperryville churning out some amazing beers.

We didn't have a ton of time, as they were closing up soon. The girls were still about half an hour away or so, and wouldn't be arriving until a few minutes after closing time. Turns out that "closing time" is kind of a "soft closing time," meaning they would stay open until folks cleared out. Gotta love a place that will stay open late to ensure the thirst of its customers is adequately quenched. People were still coming in when we were leaving, which was like 40 minutes after the posted closing time. Bonus points, yo!

Small selection but amazing diversity at Pen Druid.

Deuane was anxious to try a brand new beer; a rare DIPA from a brewery that typically churns out wild ales and sours almost exclusively. Floored Nelson, the DIPA in question, is a collaboration with The Veil based out of Richmond, VA. Hopped with Nelson Sauvin (one of both Deuane's and my favorite hop varieties), this soft, fruity IPA boasts a strong white grape character with a splash of citrus fruit and hint of spice. For a brewery that focuses on wild ales and barrel-aged beers, this DIPA was legit!

Yup. They like their barrels.

Up next, I opted for one of its flagship beers: Golden Swan. Weighing in at 7% ABV, this wild blonde ale is "coolshipped" and fermented with raw organic wheat from the Farm at Sunnyside. I understand that this beer is brewed with Pen Druid's “flower” strain of wild cultures, giving it a honey and pollen-like character. Approachable and refreshing with a zesty lemon zing, the funk is pretty minimal, so it's a good place to start if you're visiting Pen Druid for the first time.

Interior of Pen Druid's modest tasting room.

I closed out with a pour of  Venus, a sour blonde ale aged for 10 months in French oak barrels with house cultures and "critters" (aka the stuff that floats through the air and lands in the beer). In perusing some of its beers online, I noticed they have a beer for each planet in our solar system. As a matter of fact, most of Pen Druid's beers have a celestial or mythological flair. This one had a bit more Brett character than Golden Swan, which I'd anticipated. Still, it was pretty subtle compared to some Belgian heavy-hitting wild ales I've had in my travels. Aging in French oak imparts a Chardonnay grape-like quality to the beer with soft tannic undertones. Another winner in my book! I can't wait to get back here and spend more time snooping around and possibly meeting one of the owners and talking shop... and music!

Me & D.

From Pen Druid, it was off to Old Rag Cabin, our home for the next two nights. After we got settled in and Carolyn got the wood stove ablaze, it was time to crack open a few bottles. First up was La Saison du Tracteur, an old one I picked up during our Drinksgiving trip to Quebec many moons ago. This one didn't age gracefully. I definitely picked up on some nice cardboard flavors (i.e. oxidation folks). Oh well, shame on me for cellaring it so long.

The second beer, Pen Druid's Mure De Fantaisie, was purchased a mere minutes prior to our arrival at Old Rag Cabin. This barrel-fermented sour ale was aged in oak for 13 months with local blackberries. This beer was glorious! No hints of cardboard here; just juicy, earthy blackberry goodness with plenty of oaky notes and a hint of toasted coconut and vanilla.

We woke up on Saturday morning in typical fashion: first Deuane, then me, then Carolyn, and - last but not least - good ol' Brewslut. She loves her slumber time. Deuane was already making breakfast and brewing a fresh pot of coffee. After breakfast, we all got cleaned up and ready to partake in some drinking activities around the area. We'd be meeting up with Mike Hiller and his wife, Kira, both of whom would be joining us at our first few breweries on the agenda. It was a beautiful day to be outside, and I'm glad most of the breweries we hit on this particular day had outside seating areas. But before we leave, here's a quick glimpse of our accommodations and surroundings for the weekend.

Old Rag Shizzle... I mean Cabin.

First up on the brewery list was Fär Göhn, situated in the tiny town of Culpeper, VA, not too far from Old Rag. 'Twould be a day of new-to-us breweries, which was exciting. Don't get me wrong; I love returning to old favorites, but part of the experience is meeting unique people in different places and trying new beers for the first time. Turns out this place was my favorite stop of the day... umlauts and all!

Fresh local beer and umlauts about at Culpeper's Fär Göhn!

After greetings and salutations with the Hillers, we set up shop at one of the bigger tables in the corner of the establishment, and right off the bat I was digging this place. I was even able to tune out the sporting event (some March Madness nonsense) on the TV while we were there... except when Deuane was commenting on it. He likes college guys who chuck balls through hoops. Nuts to that... let's dig into the beer!

Looks like they've got quite the mug club!

The beer menu was rife with variety, which I always appreciate. I decided on a pour of Sleeping Elefant, a malt-forward IPA featuring heavy doses of Citra, Simcoe, Amarillo, and Magnum hops. This hop combo produces a wash of sticky grapefruit and juicy peach flavors. Dry-hopped with one pound per barrel, this one boasted a fairly fragrant nose as well. And we're off to a good start!

On deck at Fär Göhn.

Keeping things hoppy, I moved on to a "Vermont style" IPA called Hopfensaft for my second beer. This beer is brewed with wheat and oats as well as three doses of dry hops including Mandarina Bavaria and Citra for a citrus-forward IPA with a silky mouthfeel. Fermented with RVA yeast labs "Hoptopper" ale yeast (that's code for Heady Topper), Hopfensaft finishes with a fruity, estery note to complement the orange and grapefruit character of the hops.

Once I found out about the impetus of the name Heva Hava, a nitro milk stout, I had to order a pour! The name refers to a farmer who must lube up a male cow and guide its penis into the female cow's naughty bits. Sometimes a little fondling is needed in order to arouse the male cow, apparently. Whoever named this beer needs to win some kind of award. Best name for a milk stout ever! The beer was quite good, too, which made for a solid win-win and three out of three for me.

Pleeps with Heva Hava... it's a stroke of genius!

Even the bathroom here was awesome! Check out this wall of shame and its accompanying letter to the men of Culpeper who ravage the bathroom with ignorant graffiti in a feeble attempt to come across as clever.

The wall of shame in the men's room at Fär Göhn.

By the way... why is Jo Polniaczek on there? Check out the photo in the lower right corner. Remember The Facts of Life? Jo ruled! I mean, I'd throw one into her rather than Natalie Green. Sadly, I know far too much about that show than any grown man should. I can even sing the entire theme song... bridge and all! Seriously though, this "wall of shame" really brought a smile to my face. I'm glad to see the folks at Fär Göhn have a sense of humor. Bonus points for the shot of Ron Jeremy lampooning the video for "Wrecking Ball." Gold, Jerry. Gold! I hope to be back here sooner than later.

Bathroom poets beware!

We spent a solid amount of time at our next stop, Bald Top. Touted as "Virginia's first historic farm brewery," Bald Top is nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains (almost heaven, indeed!) in the shadow of Bald Top Mountain. The brewery is situated on 53 acres of farmland, which is listed in the Virginia Landmarks Register as well as the National Register of Historic Places. The also grow five varieties of hops in their on-site hop yard that's just over half an acre and boasts over 450 hop plants. One of the bartenders told me that they try to use as many ingredients grown on-premises as possible. If you have a farm, you might as well reap its benefits, right?

Entrance to Bald Top Brewing.

Speaking of local ingredients, I started with a pour of Virginia Ale, a collaboration with Murphy & Rude Malt Roasters of Charlottesville, ZD Rock River Hops and Holler Hops from Madison County, VA. The beer itself is brewed exclusively with Virginia-grown hops and malt grains. The flavor was pretty textbook American Pale Ale with a strong Cascade hop flavor but with a taste of Virginia courtesy of the malt. Hints of honey and flowering herbs mingled with baked bread, adding a nice depth of character to the beer.

Our next few beers were kind of all over the map. The bourbon barrel-aged Russian Imperial Stout was mediocre at best. Aged for 6-months in bourbon barrels of an unknown origin, the flavor was a bit unfocused and therefore fell a bit flat. Lazy Daze, an IPA with citrus and tropical fruit overtones, didn't earn any bonus points either. Things improved with Dueling Diplomats, a DIPA brewed with six different hop varieties. Which ones? Not sure. But there are six of them. Deuane recommended this one, and it was a solid beer with which to end our session. The beer has a sticky, resinous hop character with a sweet malt backbone. Although there was a hint of alcohol warmth in the finish, it drank pretty effortlessly for a beer with an 8.3% ABV tag.

Bald Top offerings.

Nothing here was great, but the atmosphere was fantastic and I did enjoy the Virginia Ale quite a bit. They also had a brick-oven (or maybe it was wood-fired) pizza food vendor on site during our visit, which provided some necessary sustenance during our drinking session. It's also fun to be in the company of couples who don't have (or want) any kids. It makes for great people-watching, especially when children act like assholes or - even better - fall on the ground and cry. That's what you get for gettin' drunk with your kids in tow, parents.

Let's leave it here for now, folks. Stay tuned for Part 2 of "Old Rag Shizzle" as we continue on with one more stop on Saturday and a solid half day on Sunday. Until next time...