A birdie asks…

My parents are coming into town this weekend, and I’d like to take them to a local vineyard for a tour/tastings. Looking for somewhere interesting, reasonably close to campus, and affordable. Ideas?

When Blue Mountain Brewery Co-Owner Taylor Smack commented the other day he wasn’t kidding.  He said:

By the way, we’ve got a stellar uberPils (Imperial Pilsener) debuting July 3rd that’s undergoing a 2+ month ferment/cold aging. Also, we’re adding another 1,000-gallon tank to our cellar next week and our other partner, Matt Nucci, is joining me full time as a brewer as we expand capacity to meet demand. We’re finally in over 100 restaurants, stores and retail shops across Virginia! (Yea!) And for those of you who haven’t heard, Full Nelson is coming out in cans (12.oz. 6-packs) starting July 17th.

We didn’t exactly take note of what a 1,000 gallon tank meant, but according to Nelson County Life, that means Blue Mountain Brewery is doubling its capacity for delicious brews. Booya.

What better way to spend a hot day than in the mountains sipping on locally made beer? Yes, we have our own little weekend retreat 30 min out of town near the Wintergreen Ski Resort. Blue Mountain Brewery is a sweet little watering hole right off of 250 and 151. They have a ton of beers on tap that you can read about here, and a couple special seasonal brews as well.

Ambiance

Nothing is cooler to me than sitting in the place that brews your vice, be it beer, wine, or some kind of spirit. That said, you can enjoy the inside bar and have an exclusive view of the metal containers that hold the precious brew, or… »Read More

No they didn’t give us a private jet…yet, but out of nowhere for absolutely no reason other than sheer kindness, the Charlottesville Airport dropped off a plate of double layer frosting filled airplane shaped brownies and Charlottesville Airport swag (luggage tags, luggage grips and bumper stickers). This totally made our Friday, thank you!

This is definitely more than we can polish off so if anyone wants to grab one, feel free to come on down to Spicy Bear HQ at the Lewis and Clark building off the downtown mall.
[pic from spicy bear on flickr]

While choosing a Top 10 list represents a difficult task, we like to do it anyway. Importantly, it’s a test for us to find that happy medium amongst the gamut of Charlottesville opinion. Having recently listed Charlottesville’s Top 10 Best Restaurants, we realized that bars probably will be even more hotly contested topic du jour.

What makes a bar “Best in Charlottesville?” Well, it’s not a scientific method. Good bars have a unique experience, helpful bartenders, the drinks you want. They range from the hole-in-the wall, to the fancy.  For the dummies that think we don’t have an opinion about these bars, we do.  Our entire list is opinion, but it’s more right than your list.  Or is it?  They are in no particular order and you can read about them after the break…

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We are all familiar with the “best of” awards that happen every year.  Its nice to see what is best in town, but usually those results are extremely subjective and do not rely on any objective information.  For that, cVillain has created the “Ultimate” list for wining and dining in town, and The Upstairs is the first on our list to take the “Ultimate Spirit Selection In Town”.

We attended what we thought would be a whiskey/bourbon tasting that turned into an all out spirit tasting earlier this week, and all we can say is….nothing; we are still speechless.   That staff at The Upstairs is so knowledgeable about spirits, of every kind, we were in awe and at the same time intimidated….no one told us beforehand we were enrolling in Spirits 101.  We sampled extremely tiny pours of the best the old and modern world has to offer.  We wish we had read Highland Park Distillery’s “How to Nose and Taste” document beforehand.  Created by Highland Park’s Brand Ambassador Gerry Tosh, its a step by step on how to taste what you drink.  It would be great if The Upstairs had laminated copies of this available with the drink menu.

Round 1:  Kentucky Bourbon- The Legend of Pappy Van Winkle

What sat before us was described as the “Rolls Royce” of bourbon.  We were looking at the Pappy Van Winkle 23, 20 and 15 year aged Bourbon.  This is the most rare and desired of all Kentucky Bourbons.  How is it that The Upstairs finagled its stash?  Owner Mark Brown went to high school with one of the Van Winkle boys and well, lets just say its a friendship that keeps on giving.  We began with the 20 year old bourbon ($25/2 oz pour, $133/bottle retail).  This batch is also the #1 rated bourbon in the world according to the Beverage Tasting Institute.  Sitting in a tiny low-ball glass in front of us, maybe 2 feet away, its sweet aroma tickled our noses.  The next thing you notice is its color.  What distinguishes one bourbon’s color from another?  Its all in the aging process.  Pappy makes his bourbon in charred mountain oak barrels.  In the summertime the wood expands due to heat and humidity and absorbs the bourbon in process.  In the winter it expels the bourbon.  This process continues on for a long time.  In this case, 20 years.  The more controlled the temperature fluctuation throughout the fermentation process the better.

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What little promise we had of winter has faded, and cherry blossoms are bursting through the dull branches that line the streets of our humble ‘ville; yet it’s still not warm enough to leave the safety of indoors completely, so why not take shelter in a familiar pub with a familiar drink? And while you’re there, why not take in what is arguably a standby Charlottesville tradition?

Barhoppers, produced by Offstage Theatre, has been taking over local watering holes for roughly over twenty years. The format is simple: all plays take place in a bar and are written, directed, and acted out by locals, and best of all, performed in a bar (Miller’s and Rapture this year).

The plays are short (5-10 minutes each) and easily digestible, so you don’t need to be a theatre buff to be entertained. This year’s lineup is no exception: Barhoppers 2009 features revelry from foul-mouthed sots, fetishist phlebotomists, and as always, beleaguered bartenders. Between each play, desperate singles offer bizarre monologues based on real classified ads from local alternative weeklies.

There are a few exceptionally well-written and acted plays this year that demand special attention. »Read More

Maybe you recall InBev’s $52 billion acquisition of Anheuser-Busch.  There was a lot of talk about a Belgium beer company now owning an American beer company.  That’s kinda silly because the shareholders own a company, not the country, but I digress.

According to a beer blog, InBev has decided to stop using a hop variety called “Hallertauer Mittelfrüh” in its Budweiser recipes.  Usage was minimal, but this hop variety has a specific “spicy aromatic lemon taste.” While I’m sure they can figure out a way to not change the flavor, it goes against what they told people after the acquisition:

Budweiser the beer will continue to be brewed in the same breweries by the same people according to the same recipe. We understand that is so key to the business, the brands and the consumer, and therefore to us. [ref]

Apparently the hop growers are pretty pissed, but I imagine this might be a bad PR move for all those who think of Bud as a “Great American Beer.”

[via Tandleman Beer Blog]

[anyone have a picture to donate?]

Back when we first found out the former Michael’s Bistro team had decided to launch a new restaurant, we knew something good was in the works. Enter 12th Street Taphouse, located on Main and, you guessed it, 12th Street.

With some cash from the Coran, the team has renovated the former Northern Exposure space, adding wood floors, new tables, new paint and some better lighting.  It feels cleaner and more delightful than before.  Parking shouldn’t turn you away either, because you can usuually find something on the street, in front of Kane’s or around the corner in that art store parking lot.  You might be hard pressed to find a sign for 12th Street, but you are probably an idiot if you can’t find the building.

The 12th Street interior is large and daunting, especially when you need to figure out how to ask for a table.  This building has always had this problem. The long, narrow entry-way doesn’t end up at an obvious host station, so just make sure you wander aimlessly to the bar and look effectively confused.  Someone will address you eventually.

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We just got word that the 12th Street Ale House, which replaced Northern Exposure and the short-lived Spry’s, has finally opened.  The former team from Michael’s Bistro recreates what we loved about the Bistro, 14 beers on tap, 30 to 40 bottles and a similar menu.  Anyone know if they are going to carry all the Belgiums again?  The decor looks promising.  We’ll be headed there this weekend. Let us know how it is if you’ve been.

[pic from Paul Lowry of the 12th Street Ale House in NYC] [via C-VILLE]