The 12 Days of Christmas is a holiday tradition that I have always liked - hey, I was 5 Golden Rings - and I think it is a tradition that we should keep going into the future. But can you just have one day on a can? Well, The Bruery is suggesting just that and if the can I tried a night ago is any indication, they may be onto something.
Four Birds Calling is the new flavor from the The Bruery and it is a dark porter that has really comes alive. A nice rich and roasty flavor, it lives up to the usual Bruery taste.
Often times when you discover a really unique blend of coffee and cascara (dried coffee cherries), you stand up and say "Why has it been such a long time for this flavoring to make it here?" Then you stand back and casually read the label of the beer you have been drinking and it hits you - if you were going to have a guess, it would be Ocelot Brewing Company and the blend would be Purple Black Eye.
Purple Black Eye - Ocelot Brewing Company
Ocelot Brewing Company (23600 Overland Drive, Sterling, VA Voice: 703-665-2146; www.ocelotbrewing.com) is nothing new to the National Capital area. Nestled to the west of the Dulles International Airport (www.iad.com) on the Loudon County Parkway, I have made note a couple of times of these breweries experiments with deep brewed stouts. This time is no exception with this classic tasting and unique brew.
Purple Black Eye takes two approaches to its coffee laden stout flavor. First, it takes the traditional fashion of using hops to arrive at the the flavor. The Purple Black Eye does this pretty early and begins to bring in the drinker. But then, it socks it to you with in the surprise, a dried coffee cherry, known as a cascara. It is a sweet cherry but it is tempered by its bitter coffee taste. The two flavors taken together with their strong stout base make this a truly flavorful beverage that leaves the drinker wanting more. It is a truly fantastic experience.
I gave this is 4.5 out of five star on Untapped. This is a really outstanding drink - and I think the cascara and coffee combination is headed for bigger things if it is to be realized.
The World of Beer is undergoing a reinvention in Northern Virginia
this week. The three franchises - Reston, Arlington, and Fairfax - have
transitioned from World of Beer and will be known as CraftHouse.
The
locations, owned by Eban Metz, have been laboring under the World of
Beer logo since they opened, paying for the menus and supporting the
computer systems. Metz believes that he could do so much more with an
expanded beer selection and an updated menu without the World of Beer
fees. The Fairfax location has already made the transition, and it is
safe to say that the Reston and Arlington locations have likewise done
the same.
The Fairfax location, because of it abundant outdoor
area, is one of the top 10 locations for World of Beer, headquartered in
Florida. The Reston location was within the top 10 until Fairfax
opened, so two of its top flight locations will be leaving the fold, a
fact not to be missed by World of Beer.
