You know who they are. Those people who show up at a wine festival and head straight for a glass of…wait…IPA? But it’s cool. We’ve got you covered. Beer and cider lovers are welcome at the 2020 Coastal Virginia Magazine WineFest, Jan. 25–26 at the Virginia Beach Convention Center. Three great local craft breweries and a local cidery will be on tap at the event, serving up a seasonal selection of suds in the Virginia Craft Beer Garden.
Back Bay’s Farmhouse Brewing
The folks at Back Bay, with dual locations in Virginia Beach, will have two beers on hand including their Leishman Lager (4.7% alc. by vol.), billed as “an approachable sparkling lager born on the fairway.” Tasting notes reference “elements of classic Australian bittering hops and German noble varietals to balance out the bready and toasted malt backbone with subtle spicy and floral notes.” Meanwhile their Orange Crush IPA (6.1% alc. by vol.) is an ode to that ubiquitous local cocktail favorite and brewed with sweet orange peel, vanilla beans and late addition hops designed to bring out its tropical flavors.
FarmhouseBrewingVA.com
MoMac Brewing Company
Portsmouth-based MoMac Brewing Company, “by the community, for the community,” will keep things fruity with their Berkley Blueberry Wheat (5% alc. by vol.), “a deliciously smooth pale ale brewed with over 50% malted wheat. A generous amount of blueberries are added during the secondary fermentation creating a beautiful light purple color. A subtle berry aroma and flavor blends nicely with softness of the malted wheat making this an exceptionally drinkable beer.”
MoMacBrewing.com
New Realm Brewing
Our friends from New Realm Brewing in Virginia Beach will be offering their Hoptropolis (6.5% alc. by vol.), an American IPA with tropical fruit, floral, citrus and stone fruit hop aromatics that pours a golden color with a light haze. New Realm’s tasting notes describe “a thriving hop mecca built upon a foundation of Citra, Mosaic, Loral and Azacca hops.” Also from New Realm, the Hazy Like a Fox IPA (6.5% alc. by vol.), featuring a blend of pale malt, oats, wheat, flaked barley and milk sugar, a "pillowy soft mouthfeel" and "waves of pineapple and tangerine aromatics that complement soft, juicy orange and tangerine notes."
NewRealmBrewing.com
Sly Clyde Ciderworks
Sly Clyde Ciderworks in Hampton, which crafts ciders crushed from 100% Virginia apples, will sweeten things up with their Submersive cider (6.7% alc. by vol.), described as “deeply delightful with low carbonation” and “just sweet enough…with a light earthiness of stone fruit followed by a quick clean finish.” And, they’ll take you to the Dark Side with their Inkjet cider (6.7% alc. by vol.), a “blackberry mojito masquerading as a cider and combining sweet, savory and tart with hints of berries and mint.”
SlyClyde.com
Visit CoastalVirginiaWineFest.com for tickets and more information.
Leona Baker
Leona Baker is the Editor-in-Chief of Coastal Virginia Magazine, a writer, creative, communications professional, food freak, news junkie, nature and travel lover and mom. She holds a degree in English from James Madison University and a degree in Dance & Choreography from Virginia Commonwealth University. She previously served as Senior Copywriter for Spark 451, Director of Marketing & Communications at Virginia Wesleyan University, and Senior Editor of Port Folio Weekly.
