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(12-14-2020 10:38 AM)ODUDrunkard13 Wrote:  Looks like Three Notch’d is moving into the old Gordon Biersch space at VB Town Center. Seems like a great addition for them, as they make great beer and offer decent food at the IX Art Park location in CVille.

They were originally marketed as one of the lease holders at The Railyard at Lamberts Point, but I guess they got tired waiting for the development to become a reality.

There's a Three Notch'd brew pub in Roanoke. Good beer & food and at least prior to Covid would have live music on the weekends.

(12-17-2020 11:38 AM)mturn017 Wrote:  

(12-14-2020 10:38 AM)ODUDrunkard13 Wrote:  Looks like Three Notch’d is moving into the old Gordon Biersch space at VB Town Center. Seems like a great addition for them, as they make great beer and offer decent food at the IX Art Park location in CVille.

They were originally marketed as one of the lease holders at The Railyard at Lamberts Point, but I guess they got tired waiting for the development to become a reality.

There's a Three Notch'd brew pub in Roanoke. Good beer & food and at least prior to Covid would have live music on the weekends.

I've been to their pub in Harrisonburg, right near Friendly Fermenter and Urgie's. Good quality and consistency, but aside from the occasional experimental pepper beer they never wowed me. I'm assuming that they bought the VB location turnkey with the used brewing equipment.

I've been on a bit of a dark beer run in the last few weeks, and most of it has focused on revisiting my old favorites to see if they still hold up all these years later.

Flying Fish Abbey Dubbel still has that intriguing yeast character with an overarching raisin note, and a slightly nutty malt quality is coming through this time. Kinda gives it a spiced rum vibe, which I like.

Heavy Seas Peg Leg Imperial Stout got another revisit and it is much better than last time. Seems like they doubled down on the English-style thing they have going, because this is definitely sweeter than the "roasty almost to the point of smokiness" Peg Leg that I consumed back in 2017. I like this iteration.

Founders Porter is still the class of the category IMO. Malt-forward but not too sweet, with a healthy hop profile undercurrent to keep things grounded. Pleasant chocolate notes to be had in the nose and taste, amplified if lightly aged. Great to drink fresh, an interesting Friday night beer if it gets pushed to the back of the fridge and forgotten for a few months.

Reaver Beach NFK opened this weekend at the former Milan Station Post Office at the intersection of Colley and 38th. It’s a pretty cool spot and very convenient to campus. My only suggestions to them would be to add more outdoor space and a couple TVs. While I appreciate a lot of breweries don’t put TVs in, it would be nice to watch a game here.

But if you’re in the area, check it out. They did a really good job with the space and their sours are pretty solid.

I caught up with some chums from Western Illinois and swapped for some of their Bent River Brewing stuff.

Was hoping for a bit of the Mississippi Blonde, but had to settle for their Uncommon Stout and Undercurrent IPA.



Undercurrent was a pleasant surprise, as I had been tasting some fairly aggressive IPAs in the session prior to this one. The hop profile on Undercurrent is bright and fresh citrus, maybe a little melon-y, and the sturdy malt backbone gives this beer a very drinkable quality. It drinks very easy for 6.8% and 66 IBU, and the bitterness doesn't build to crescendo until the finish. Warrior, Columbus, and Citra is a good hop combination, apparently. This is a very balanced IPA and probably the highlight of that particular night.



Uncommon Stout is a great beer if you like coffee...it is an Oatmeal Stout brewed with coffee. Over the years, I've learned to differentiate malt-derived coffee flavors from adjunct coffee flavors, and I have to say that this stout leans heavily on the adjunct coffee flavor. Not much subtlety to be had here, this is robust coffee first and stout second. With a little bit of patience and room temperature oxidation, the beer settles into a bit more of a mellow state, but overall still a coffee stout. Some pleasant sweet malt notes to be had with an undercurrent of roast, but you will finish the last sip with coffee on the mind. Maybe my perception of Oatmeal Stout is forever stained by Lost Coast 8 Ball and Ninkasi Vanilla Oatis, but in my brief tasting of Bent River Uncommon Stout I was pining for something more traditional.