The time had come.
Yes indeed, it was time to make a serious dent into our brewery bucket list. In recent years, our long-time beer friends Deuane and Carolyn had inspired us to visit at least one brewery in each of the fifty states. Several years ago, they stuck a fork in their list with a trip to Alaska for a premier barleywine festival. (Note to self: must add that to our list!) In looking at our own list of brewery visits (yes, I keep track of them all via an Excel spreadsheet), I realized that we were just over the halfway mark, with 26 states under our belt. Not too shabby, right? Of course, the number of breweries we'd visited since we began our beer travels a decade or so ago was well over 800. Nevertheless, we knew we still had a lot of ground to cover if we wanted to hit our goal before we get too old and senile to travel.
So, after a year-and-then-some of being cooped up in the house (thanks, 'Rona), we felt it was time for a road trip of epic proportions. We'd been wanting to get to Texas to visit Ingenious Brewing Company for the last three years, and we decided that this was the year to do it. Originally, we'd planned on flying down for a few days, staying with our friend and Ingenious mastermind, Justin, and hitting up some breweries in the greater Houston area. However, in light of all the issues with traveling and airlines in general (thanks again, 'Rona), we decided to bite the bullet and drive the 1500-odd miles (one way, mind you!) to Texas and bypass all those meddling airlines. I mean, we already had driven to Minnesota to visit the Twin Cities a few years back. What was another 4 hours? We could do it. Actually, I could do it, as Brewslut wasn't behind the wheel for even one mile of the trip. Although we did Uber around Houston with Justin for a day, it was all me, baby.
First, a little backstory on how we became friends with Justin, proprietor of Ingenious Brewing.
We met Justin over a decade ago at the good ol' Brass Rail Deli, where Brewslut used to work part-time. Back then, he was in the process of completing his residency at Hershey Medical Center and he eventually came to be known as "Dick Doc." After all, he was studying to become a urologist. Over time, he became part of our extended beer family, inviting each other to tastings and other events like Imminent Liquidation and Ffej of July. He'd also been homebrewing with a fellow medical colleague, Mike (ask Brewslut about him), and they would share their creations with us when Justin hosted a tasting night. I specifically remember one evening when they had six different beers on their makeshift tap system (essentially a converted chest freezer). I tried all of them, and they were fantastic. I said something to the effect of, "Man, you guys should open a brewery. These are all better than most of the beers the new breweries are making around here." I wasn't blowing smoke, either. They were legitimately fantastic. I remember one Imperial Stout they brewed that was inspired by Westbrook's Mexican Cake, with chocolate, cinnamon and peppers. It was off the hook! Justin's goal was to land his dream "dick doc" gig in his home state of Texas and open a brewery, where at the time there really wasn't much going on craft beer-wise.
Well, turns out that's what happened. Fast forward three years, and the brewery is crushing it in the Houston area and the surrounding region. As if getting to hang with Justin wasn't enough, our old pal Nate, who'd worked at Pizza Boy for a few years and was part of our extended beer family, had recently moved to Houston to take a job at Ingenious too. So we got to do a bit of double-dipping.
I started working on our itinerary months in advance, first sketching out a general travel route with a laundry list of brewery options along the way. After a few weeks of piecing the puzzle together, it was already starting to look like an ambitious undertaking to say the least. After several weeks of tweaking and seeking the advice of a few well-traveled beer friends (thanks Deuane, Uncle Jedi and Cornelia!), we landed on a firm itinerary that would have us traverse a grand total of eight states (nine if you count the northwestern tip of Georgia), six of which were uncharted Pour Travelers territory. (Technically, the grand total is ten, because I left out Pennsylvania, our home state.) That's a lot of miles to cover in eleven days. So, I assumed about seven to eight hours of driving for each of the first three days with several brewery stops along the way. Our goal was to leave on Friday morning and make it to Texas by Tuesday afternoon. (Hint: we achieved our goal.)
Day 1: Home > Roanoke, VA > Abingdon, VA > Bristol, TN/VA
So, let's begin at the top with Day 1, which began with a lengthy drive from Annville, PA, to Roanoke, VA, for our first afternoon of the trip.
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| Inside Roanoke's Golden Cactus Brewing. |
I firmly believe that the first brewery we visit sets the tone of the whole trip. If we have a great experience, it tends to be a good omen for what's to come. I absolutely loved Golden Cactus. The atmosphere of this place transported me directly to San Diego. Once we discovered there was a legit taco restaurant a block away, it really felt like Ocean Beach.
The spacious brewery occupies the old Nehi soft drink factory, a company that produced fruit-flavored sodas in the first half of the 20th century and changed its name to Royal Crown (RC Cola, anyone?) in 1955. After clearing out the factory's interior, the folks at Golden Cactus brought in some talented Interior Design students from Virginia Tech, who transformed the utilitarian warehouse into a magnificent brewery and tasting room.
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| Another interior shot of Golden Cactus Brewing. |
As I meandered around the spacious tasting room to snap a few photos, I discovered a small koelschip (or coolship for all you yanks) behind the bar area. Although it was empty, I was surprised to find one at such a small brewery. If you're not in the know, a koelschip is a broad, flat, open-top vessel used to cool wort. Oftentimes, it is used to inoculate wort naturally. As it cools, a variety of airborne particles, bacteria, microflora and other "funk" in the air float in, allowing the beer to ferment spontaneously and capturing the terroir of a specific region. It's quite rare to stumble across this piece of brewing equipment at a brewery. Two that immediately come to mind are Allagash and Pen Druid. Sadly, the current tap list didn't feature any beers utilizing this process.
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| Koelschip at Golden Cactus. |
We ordered our inaugural beers of the trip and I placed an on-line order with Tuco's Taqueria Garaje, which was just a block away. We hadn't eaten yet, and it's never a good idea to drink on an empty stomach. About fifteen minutes later, I returned with a variety of delicious tacos that paired fantastically well with our beers. First up was a farmhouse-style Saison called Thistle brewed with agave and Saaz hops. Sweet, citrusy and slightly spicy, this beer really hit the spot and worked well with my shrimp tacos.
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| Pleeps loving life! |
I followed it up with another enjoyable beer, Pils R Güd, a dry-hopped Italian Pilsner. So, what exactly qualifies a pilsner as "Italian"? Well, it obviously has its origins in Italy, but the style was popularized by one of my favorite American breweries, Firestone Walker. But before it gained some momentum in the states, the style began its life back in 1996 as a failed attempt by a brewer at Birrificio Italiano to brew a traditional German pilsner. It's an intriguing story, and if you'd like to go down that rabbit hole, check out this great article from Hop Culture.
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| Cool painted bar at Golden Cactus. |
All in all, this was an amazing first stop on the trip. The beers were definitely up to snuff, the ambiance was right up our alley, and the woman tending bar was friendly and talkative. Golden Cactus even has a "brewery dog," although I can't remember her name. She was a sweetie, though, and we gave her some tortilla chips for being so well-behaved. So needless to say this place is very dog-friendly, for those of you who travel with your puppers. What a great start to our trip!
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| Careful not to get pricked, Pleeps! |
Diagonally across the street from Golden Cactus is Big Lick. We didn't even have to find a new parking spot. How convenient! Touting itself as Roanoke's first microbrewery, Big Lick opened its doors in September 2014. The spacious location houses a 15-bbl brewhouse, tasting room, and - at more than 6,000 sq. ft. - the largest permanent beer garden in the area. We're more indoor types, so we opted to sit inside and scope the place out.
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| Outside Big Lick Brewing |
Inside, the Tasting Room sits atop the brewhouse, so you can peek down and check out what the brewers are doing while you sip your beer. (HINT: They're either brewing or cleaning.) Accented with lots of natural wood and black railing, it's a clean, modern space that's casual and unpretentious.
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| Conversely, inside Big Lick Brewing |
Up first was a half pour of RND Coffee Stout. At first, I thought this was a small batch "R&D" (i.e. research and development) beer, but it turns out RND is the name of a local Roanoke coffee roaster. This tasty stout features a blend of Ethiopian and Tanzanian beans to impart hints of French roast, chocolate, and a spritz of citrus. It was a tad thin for my personal preference, but it was enjoyable nonetheless. I rarely find a coffee stout that I don't like.
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| Chillin' with Pleeps at Big Lick. |
As I was perusing the beer menu for my next pour, I noticed another Italian Pilsner, which prompted my mind to announce quietly, "Look at that! Another Italian Pilsner on tap. Let's get that!" Peste Italian Pils is a crispy (that's becoming a buzz word descriptor for lagers these days) beer with a clean malt character and Euro hop flair. According to the beer description, "peste" translates to "naughty girl" in Italian.
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| Pleeps + beer = happy! |
Of the three breweries we visited in Roanoke, the only one I knew about was A Few Old Goats. I'd actually never tried any of its beers, but I found out about this brewery after my friend Eric from Covered Bridge Brewhaus - knowing my affinity for goats - brought back a T-shirt for me from this brewery after one of his beer trips. I mean, I probably would have planned to visit anyway based solely on the name of the place. You know... GOATS!!!
Located on the west end of downtown Roanoke, A Few Old Goats Brewing (AFOG) opened in 2018 on a small 2-barrel nano brewhouse. The 2,000-square-foot brewery is situated at the West Station Flats, a building that previously housed Roanoke's health department until 2016. Inside, the small brewery and adjoining tasting room featured - obviously - lots of sweet goat artwork, toys, wallpaper, and other decorations adorning the greatest of all animals. Clearly, the owners have a collective penchant for all things goat. Can you blame them?
With just a handful of beers on tap, I decided to pull up my big boy pants and try a pair of higher gravity beers. First up was an Imperial Milk Stout called Collusive Resistance. Clocking in at a humble 8.5%, this beer boasts plenty of milk chocolate character with splashes of coffee and cream. I enjoyed this one quite a bit, I must say.
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| Goats really are the G.O.A.T. |
BBA Big Red/Stuck On Stoopid Blend with Cinnamon - This sucker is a blend of AFOG's Big Red Riding Wood, an Imperial Red Ale, and Stuck on Stoopid, a 13% ABV American Barleywine. The addition of cinnamon tempers the boozy heat with a hint of sweet spice, but make no mistake: this is a mammoth beer! There's a lot going on here: sticky, resinous hops; dried stone fruit; a smack of bourbon with some cooling vanilla; and a touch of cinnamon. This one was quite tasty, and I enjoyed chatting with owner/brewer Ken (I think) about beer, music... you know, the usual. Turns out he and his wife got hooked on craft beer while living out in Cleveland (a pretty good beer city by my account), and migrated to Roanoke to open the brewery. All in all, this was a mighty fine visit. Between the beers, the conversation and - of course - the goat references and paraphernalia, this was a no-brainer stop for this goat lover. Turns out the beer was very good too, so that was an added bonus.
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| Pleeps is always making new friends! |
On the way to Bristol, where we'd be spending the night, we stopped at Wolf Hills, which was recommended by Uncle Jedi. This was kind of one of those "out in the middle of nowhere" places with a roadhouse (that's right, all you Swayze fans) vibe. I feel like we kind of got the hairy eyeball from at least a few its patrons, but the staff were friendly. It seems like one of those places that is always filled with locals, and passers-by are few and far between. So, we set up shop at a small table near one of the windowsills.
Situated in Abingdon, VA, the brewery's namesake is derived from a reference Daniel Boone made about the land while hunting in this uncharted area. Local folklore suggests that Boone and one of his hunting companions spent a sleepless night along a hill after their dogs encountered a pack of wolves, which had a den in a nearby cave. There's wolves in them thar hills, indeed!
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| Outside Abingdon's Wolf Hills Brewing Co. |
I kicked off with Flatpicker Pilsner, a clean, crisp, simple beer featuring pilsner malt, German Tradition hops, and lager yeast. I was already starting to see the writing on the wall; this was going to be the Summer of Pilsner. (Note to self: I need to do a final count of all the lagers consumed on this trip!)
I followed up the pilsner with a pour of Blackstrap Pecan Porter. If I had a gun to my head and was asked to name my favorite type of cookie, I'd most likely blurt out molasses. I know it's not a favored flavor to most, but growing up in PA Dutch country with shoo fly pie helped solidity my love for molasses. In addition to using pecan extract, this porter features a hefty malt bill of honey malt, caramel 40, chocolate malt, and black patent, resulting in a rich, dark body. Northern Brewer hops add a tinge of earthy spiciness to balance the sweetness, while an addition of blackstrap molasses adds its signature blend of baked gingerbread cookies, brown sugar and a hint of smoke. As much as I love molasses, this one didn't really hit the "pastry" mark but the flavor was enjoyable. I was hoping for a beefier texture and fuller mouthfeel, but it came across as pretty thin overall.
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| There's a wolf in them thar hills, Cletus! |
My last beer at Wolf Hills was For Science! IPA, an experimental IPA focusing on low bitterness and sweeter flavors. The brewers often tinker with new and different hop varieties for research... you know, for science! They've featured such hops as Amarillo, Azeca, Citra, El Dorado, and Mosaic but this beer is constantly in a state of evolution. This one came across as pretty light on the palate and drank like a session IPA.
Nothing here knocked my socks off, but it seems like a great place that caters to locals, and I could see myself visiting once or twice a week if this was my watering hole option. The beers were all pretty solid overall.
After our stop at Wolf Hills, it was time to head a little further south to our first destination of the trip. Bristol, Virginia. Or is it Tennessee? Actually, it's both, because Bristol, Virginia, and Bristol, Tennessee, are twin cities. The boundary between the two cities is also the state line, which runs along State Street in their common downtown district. While I wouldn't call it a "destination," I chose it because the hotel prices are reasonable and there are three breweries in town... none of which were amazing by any stretch of the imagination... but more on that shortly.
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| Elderbrew... our first brewery in Tennessee. |
We checked into our hotel and headed to Elderbrew, situated on the Tennessee side of town. We managed to score a parking spot about two blocks down the street. Touting itself as "Bristol, TN's first small-batch brewery," Elderbrew crafts its beers on a 1-bbl system. I mean, how much more nano can you get? The answer is none... none more nano.
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| Tap handles at Elderbrew. |
Inside, the vibe of this place is awesome... kind of like 60's psychedelia meets Victorian. Sadly, we encountered just one lone Enderbrew beer on tap to be had. Even worse was the fact that said beer was an Irish Red, one of my least favorite styles. Worse than that was the fact that I just didn't enjoy it at all. To be fair, this was Brewslut's choice; I opted for a guest tap, which I rarely do, always preferring to try a house beer. So I suppose that's a testament to how much I dislike Irish Red ales. This one (named Dalcassian) came across as a malt bomb with a harsh, almost astringent finish. I just wasn't digging it. Brewslut didn't seem to mind, though. The other beer we tried was the oddly named Manuscripts Don't Burn from Print Shop (more on them at the tail end of the trip). The beer is a margarita-inspired gose with hints of key lime, salt and orange peel. Slightly tart, light and refreshing, it was much more enjoyable than the Irish Red.
I'd hoped to spend a little more time at Elderbrew, but with no other house beers available, we decided to move on. (Editor's note: Elderbrew will turn up again later on in the story... but you're going to have to wait.)
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| Pleeps kicking one back at Elderbrew. |
Next on the agenda was a stop at State Street, which is on the Virginia side of the tracks. It seems as though State Street is the "main drag" of Bristol, as there were lots of restaurants, shops and whatnot.
Inside, the place is pretty huge and could actually double as a small music venue. There were maybe two or three other patrons occupying the tasting room when we arrived, which never bodes well for a brewery on a Friday evening. The atmosphere reminded me of an old-school brewpub that's been around for 15-20 years and stopped caring about 2-3 years in. You know those places; the ones who have been brewing same halfhearted red ale, brown ale, pale ale and fruited wheat beer since the dawn of time. There are plenty of those places around, and I can typically sniff them out. I didn't really have super high hopes for State Street - or any of the breweries in Bristol - in the first place, but I figured we might as well stop in for one while we were in town. To be fair, they have a really nice web site and have incorporated some fine photography and "beer porn." Turns out State Street just opened its doors in March 2019, so they'd only been around a little over two years by the time we'd visited. I wouldn't have guessed it. Hey, even I'm wrong from time to time.
After securing a seat at the mostly vacant bar, I scoped out the draft list and settled on Barrel Aged Smoke Show, a bourbon barrel-aged smoked amber ale. This beer should have been called Barrel Aged Shit Show, because it was a hot mess. Actually, Brewslut loathed her beer. Mine was just... well, it was pretty undrinkable but I sucked it up because it was the first day of the trip.
By this time, we were in dire need of sustenance, and after a few failed attempts of trying to procure some much-needed nourishment, we were left with little options. So off to the nearby Quaker Steak & Lube for dinner! We generally dislike eating at chain restaurants; not that the food is bad, but most of them employ this phony schtick (Chachi's from Office Space, anyone?) that rubs me the wrong way. The food was OK but I felt dirty. Sometimes you just have to suck it up when there are no other options available.
After dinner, we made our way up the street to Cascade Draft House and in the process got caught in a heavy thunderstorm. I hadn't heard of this place, but while we were trying to find a place to eat, we wandered into this place because it seemed like they served food. No dice. The food truck out back was closed. On the way out, we noticed the tap selection boasted a wide variety of regional breweries with which we weren't familiar, many from Tennessee and Virginia. We decided to swing by for a quick one after dinner. It proved to be a great idea, because the bartender recommended Xül, which turned out to be a revelation... but more on that in Episode II. While we were at Cascade Draft House, I enjoyed an IPA from a brewery based out of Johnson City, TN, called Watauga Brewing Company. The beer, named Divine Rights, is a hazy NE-style IPA with plenty of citrusy and tropical notes. I couldn't find any details about this particular beer on Untappd or even the brewery's official website, but I recall enjoying it, which I more than I can say about the previous place we visited.
We ended the night at Bristol Station, also on the Virginia side of the tracks. Situated inside the old Historical Bus Station in downtown Bristol, this brewery has allowed the history of the building to shine through. Before I knew the brewery used to be a bus station, I actually said to Brewslut, "Man, it feels like I'm waiting for a bus or a train." The brewery employs a 10-bbl system and brews primarily classic styles like pilsners, pale ales, porters, and even a rauchbier. Sadly, I didn't snap any pictures here because we were fully engaged with the customers.
Our visit here started off with a drunk guy... scratch that, a fucking obliterated guy... singing the Celine Dion classic from Titanic (a movie I've never seen... it's true, and it's going on my tombstone as my epitaph... if I don't get cremated, that is), "My Heart Will Go On." It was epic, and I managed to grab a few seconds of it on video, which I shall cherish forever. After reveling in that unforgettable snapshot for about a minute (sadly, we only caught the tail end of this Grammy-worthy performance), it was time to focus on beer.
Since it was our last stop of the night, I kept things light and ordered a glass of Bristol Helle Raiser, a Helles lager. The folks we encountered at Bristol Station likely did not follow suit, because everyone we encountered - save for the brewery staff - were well lubricated to the point that it was time for them all to go home. How they'd get home is another story. I spent the better part of half an hour chatting with a young Asian guy (probably in his early to mid-twenties) about life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness... and also some woman (with whom I became Facebook friends but can't recall her name) that he wanted to take home, presumably for a good old-fashioned shag. I had just enough alcohol in my system to speak in a completely liberating fashion, and I'll admit that it was probably the highlight of our first day of the trip to me. It was one of those nights where you just had to be there. All in all, it was the perfect way to end the inaugural day of our trip. And with that, it was off to the hotel for some much-needed rest before another full day of travel, which would take us through Knoxville, TN, and onto Birmingham, AL. See you in the deep south. Until next time...
