Virginia Beer Wednesdays at CAH

The email from Capital Ale House let me know that Blue Mountain Brewery's MacHayden's Wee Heavy was a "featured beer" in Fredericksburg this week. That's a Virginia beer that I've not yet tried. Since every Wednesday is "Virginia Beer Day" at all Capital Ale House locations, when drafts of Virginia beers are discounted, I decided to stop by for a pint after work yesterday. Many Virginia breweries are represented in the CAH lineup, including Blue Mountain, Starr Hill, St. George, Blue & Gray, and Olde Richmond.

Blue Mountain MacHayden's Wee Heavy pours cola-brown with a beige head. (Cell phone photo at right.) There's not a strong aroma, but I detected light smoke and caramel notes. The taste is very pleasing with bready, dark malts. There's a bit of bitter hops to go along. I found it to be a well-balanced and enjoyable drink.

I could have easily enjoyed a second MacHayden's, but I decided to order another Virginia beer that I've missed trying out, Olde Richmond Batch No. 11 India Pale Ale. I admit I don't know much about this Hampton Roads brewery. Batch No. 11 IPA pours a golden yellow with a very thin head. The aroma is light citrus. The flavor was bitter citrus rind with a sweet malt in the background. It was an enjoyable, though not extraordinary IPA.

I enjoyed my brief visit to "Virginia Beer Day" and I got to try out two, new-to-me beers. Since this is a weekly event, I look forward to returning again to support our local breweries.