Devils Backbone STG at CAH

Enough abbreviations? It was a special "Steal the Glass Night" featuring Devils Backbone at all Capital Ale House locations Thursday evening, but the Fredericksburg venue was the place to be. Brewer Jason Oliver traveled from Nelson County to visit and talk to folks about his beers.

Four Devils Backbone beers were on tap for the evening; Turbo Cougar, Schartz Bier, Vienna Lager and 8 Point IPA. We started off our evening with the Turbo Cougar Blonde Bock, which was the only one of the beers I had not previously tried. Golden yellow with a thin, short-lived head, Turbo Cougar is a malty, medium bodied lager with a lingering bitterness in the finish. My impression is it's a classic lager (not the watery factory beer version) taken up a notch. I downed my first pint quickly. Another glass made a fitting accompaniment to the spinach, artichoke and crab meat dip, with pretzel chips appetizer we enjoyed. (Thinking back, between the beers, the extra helping of pretzel chips, and visiting with friends, we never did get around to dinner!)

After the Turbo Cougar pints, Colleen and I both decided to order the Schwartz Bier next. This is a beer I had for the first time just recently, but one that I've enjoyed greatly. I couldn't pass up the chance to try it on draft. The rich espresso, dark chocolate and smoky flavors blend to create a flavorful, but moderately light beer. We're planning on featuring this dark lager in an upcoming food tasting event we're hosting, and I felt I was honor-bound to do some additional "research."

We're getting a collection

Colleen and I sat at the bar for several hours enjoying the time talking to each other, and also visiting with friends. Of course, we were fortunate to spend time chatting with Jason too. Jason also reminded me of my neglect in paying him a visit on his home turf. It's true, every time I've seen him in the past is when he's been visiting in Fredericksburg. Colleen and I committed to visiting this Summer.

It was a fun evening enjoying good beer and conversation. And good beer is even more fun when you get to drink it with the brewer! Thanks for visiting Jason.