Devils Backbone repeats at VA Craft Brewers Fest

Saturday was the second annual running of the Virginia Craft Brewers Fest, held on the grounds of the Devils Backbone Brewpub, in Roseland (Nelson County), Virginia, presented by the Virginia Craft Brewers Guild.

Virginia 'craft' beer business is booming. According to the AP, production in Virginia grew nearly 37 percent in 2012, to more than 84,000 barrels (more than double the national growth rate of 15 percent). There are more than fifty breweries ¹ currently operating in the state; thirty-three breweries participated in the Fest. And more than 2,200 Virginia-beer fans attended.

As part of the day's festivities, twenty judges assessed 131 Virginia-brewery beers, in fourteen different categories, awarding gold (1st place), silver (2nd place), and bronze (3rd place) medals. Of those, they selected three overall Best of Show winners, awarding the 2013 Virginia Craft Brewers Cup. For the second year in row, Devils Backbone reigned victorious.

The Winners

• Gold: Devils Backbone Brewing Company (Roseland)
  Smokehaus Lager
• Silver: River Company Brewing (Fairlawn)
  Wood Dog Porter
• Bronze: Hardywood Park Craft Brewery (Richmond)
  Gingerbread Stout

In addition to its Virginia Craft Beer Cup win, host Devils Backbone took the most golds, four (and the most overall, eight). Blue Mountain took two golds (and six medals overall). Wolf Hills took two golds (and three medals overall). Fifteen more breweries were awarded two medals apiece.

The northern Virginia area ² is this blog's home territory. Of the seven northern Virginia breweries entered —22% of the thirty-three Virginia breweries participating— one accrued one gold medal (Port City, for its Optimal Wit) and all garnered a total of seven medals: 15% of the total awarded.

Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) 'master' judge Tom Cannon did a good job whittling down the unwieldy 75 categories of the Great American Beer Festival (which are further divided into sub-categories) into a more reasonable and meaningful set of 14 categories ³ for the Virginia Craft Beer Fest.

Congratulations to Devils Backbone (and to River Company and Hardywood), the best of Virginia ...at least until next year! And, congratulations to all the winning breweries and brewers: thank you for brewing us good Virginia beer.

• Light & Amber Hybrid
  • Gold: Blue Mountain Brewery (Afton)
    Kolsch 151
  • Silver: Center of the Universe Brewing (Ashland)
    Main Street
  • Bronze: Mad Fox Brewing Company (Falls Church)
    Mad Fox Kolsch
  
  
• European Malty Lagers
  • Gold: Devils Backbone Brewing Company (Roseland)
    Schwarz Bier
  • Silver: Starr Hill Brewery (Crozet)
    Jomo Lager
  • Bronze: Mad Fox Brewing Company (Falls Church)
    Elixer Maibock
  
  
• Pilsner & Light Lager
  • Gold: Blue Mountain Brewery (Afton)
    Classic Lager
  • Silver: Lost Rhino Brewing Company (Ashburn)
    Rhino Chaser Pilsner
  • Bronze: Legend Brewing Company (Richmond)
    Pilsner
  
  
• British Session Ale
  • Gold: Devils Backbone Brewing Company (Roseland)
    Ale of Fergus
  • Silver: River Company Brewing (Fairlawn)
    Timber Brown Ale
  • Bronze: Blue & Gray Brewing Company (Fredericksburg)
    Fred Red
  
  
• American Ale
  • Gold: Wolf Hills Brewing (Abingdon)
    Creeper Trail Amber Ale
  • Silver: Extra Billy’s Smokehouse and Brewing (Midlothian)
    Midlo
  • Bronze: Wolf Hills Brewing (Abingdon)
    Fightin’ Parsons Pale Ale
  
  
• Porter & Stout
  • Gold: Apocalypse Ale Works (Forest)
    6th Seal
  • Silver: Port City Brewing (Alexandria)
    Porter
  • Bronze: Wild Wolf Brewing Company (Nellysford)
    Dry Stout
  
  
• English & American IPA
  • Gold: Extra Billy’s Smokehouse & Brewery (Midlothian)
    Citra Ass Down
  • Silver: Center of the Universe Brewing (Ashland)
    Pocahoptaus
  • Bronze: Legend Brewing Company (Richmond)
    Hopfest
  
  
• German Wheat and Rye Beer
  • Gold: Strangeways Brewing (Richmond)
    Mixolydian Rag Rye Bock
  • Silver: Devils Backbone Brewing Company (Roseland)
    Metroweiss
  • Bronze: Lost Rhino Brewing Company (Ashburn)
    Final Glyde Hefe
  
  
• Belgian Sour Strong Ales
  • Gold: Wolf Hills Brewing (Abingdon)
    Tripel
  • Silver: Apocalypse Ale Works (Forest)
    The Lustful Maiden
  • Bronze: Wild Wolf Brewing Company (Abingdon)
    Blonde Honey
  
  
  
  
  
• Belgian & French Ale
  • Gold: Port City Brewing (Alexandria)
    Optimal Wit
  • Silver: Blue Mountain Barrel House (Arrington)
    American Hopped Blonde Ale
  • Bronze: Smartmouth Brewing Company (Norfolk)
    Alter Ego
  
  
• Strong Ales
  • Gold: Three Brothers Brewing (Harrisonburg)
    The Admiral
  • Silver: Smartmouth Brewing Company (Norfolk)
    Notch 9
  • Bronze: Devils Backbone Brewing Outpost (Roseland)
    Kilt Flasher
  
  
• Smoked Flavored & Wood Aged
  • Gold: Devils Backbone Brewing Company (Roseland)
    Smokehaus Lager
  • Silver: Blue Mountain Barrel House (Arrington)
    Barrel Aged Big Blue
  • Bronze: Three Brothers Brewing (Harrisonburg)
    Bourbon Barrel Russian Imperial
  
  
• Fruit/Spice/Herb/Vegetable
  • Gold: Hardywood Park Craft Brewery (Richmond)
    Gingerbread Stout
  • Silver: Devils Backbone Brewing Company (Roseland)
    Rear Lager
  • Bronze: Blue Mountain Barrel House (Arrington)
    Spooky
  
  
• Specialty
  • Gold: River Company Brewing (Fairlawn)
    Wood Dog Porter
  • Silver: Blue Mountain Brewery (Afton)
    Rye Barchetta
  • Bronze: Strangeways Brewing (Richmond)
    Wallonian Dawn Honey Saison

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• ¹ As to how many breweries are operating in Virginia in 2013, the Virginia Craft Brewers Guild lists 24, but those are dues-paying members only; the Mid-Atlantic Brewing News lists 43; YFGF's list of Virginia breweries 'on' Twitter shows 46 (34 active, and 12 in planning or under construction); the Virginia Tourism Corporation also counts 46; Virginia Living lists 51.
• In its first year, in 2012, the festival had 67 entries from 24 breweries. There were only five categories, and only one overall Best of Show, which Devils Backbone won for its Schwartz Bier. Port City Brewing snagged the most medals that year: three — one gold, and two bronze.
• ² "The most common definition of Northern Virginia includes those counties and independent cities on the Virginia side of the Washington-Baltimore-Northern Virginia Combined Statistical Area. In 2010, this included the counties of Arlington, Clarke, Culpeper, Fairfax, Fauquier, King George, Loudoun, Prince William, Spotsylvania, Stafford, and Warren, and the independent cities of Alexandria, Falls Church, Fairfax, Fredericksburg, Manassas, and Manassas Park." From Wikipedia.
• ³ The Virginia Craft Brewers Guild did not publicly reveal the criteria used to award prizes, but one might confidently assume that Mr. Cannon extrapolated from the BJCP guidelines, with the 50-point scale used by that organization. "The purpose of the Beer Judge Certification Program is to promote beer literacy and the appreciation of real beer, and to recognize beer tasting and evaluation skills. We certify and rank beer judges through an examination and monitoring process."
• Kudos to the organizers this year for quickly posting the list of winners to its website.