Style: Belgian Style Wit    
ABV: 4.7%    
IBU: 15    
Package: Draft & 500ml Bottles to-go!!

Our Belgian Wit is brewed with Murphy & Rude Soft White Wheat, made from a variety of wheat that Murphy & Rude brought back from the brink of extinction. The variety, Venus, was developed at Virginia Tech in the 2000s, but the rights to it were sold to the Michigan Crop Improvement Association in 2012. Despite hopes of broader uptake by the milling industry, MCIA moved on to other varieties but not before Murphy & Rude secured the last available certified seed stock in 2019. Working with Grapewood Farm (Montross) to sow initial trial acreage, licensing the variety with Virginia Tech in 2021, and sowing additional certified seed stock with Virginia Crop Improvement Association in 2022, Murphy & Rude had successfully brought Venus back to Virginia.

Venus’ bread-dough forward profile makes it incredibly well suited for a Belgian style, and was a natural addition to our Wit. The aroma is fruit-forward with specific notes of Meyer lemon, sweet orange, and rising bread dough. The flavor starts off sweet with a floral honey tone that fades into orange zest, before giving way to subtle clove in the finish. The beer is medium bodied and round on the palate, but it has a vigorous natural carbonation that helps to produce a refreshing dry finish with minimal bitterness.

Grains: Pilsner, Murphy & Rude Soft White Wheat, Flaked Wheat
Hops: American Noble Citra
Yeast: Belgian Wit
Other: Coriander, Orange Peel, Lemon Peel

Style: Helles Lager    
ABV: 4.5%    
IBU: 25    
Package: Draft & 32oz. Crowler Cans to-go!!

We revisited our Helles recipe to give it a cleaner finish, a breadier body, and touch more hop flavor and aroma. It still relies on a fairly simple and traditional recipe, producing a beer that presents as a classic example of the popular Southern German lager. It has a round body with a rich but mild malt character that leans toward fresh baked bread and raw dough, the hops deliver floral and subtlety spicy noble character and a restrained bitterness that aids the dry finish, making for an incredibly easy drinking beer.

 Grains: Pilsner, Chit Malt, Honey Malt, Acid Malt
Hops: Hallertauer Mittelfrüh
Yeast: House Lager

Style: Kölsch 
ABV: 4.8   
IBU: 25   
Package: Draft & 32oz. Crowler Cans to-go!!

To produce this Kölsch we pushed our house ale yeast to ferment at the lowest possible temperatures. This traditional process creates a balanced beer with lager-like elegance. Ours has a citrusy aroma that combines hints of lime zest with notes of orange blossoms and a pleasant grainy sweetness. The mouthfeel is soft and rounded with pleasant dry malt tones, and more citrusy hops in the finish. It has a fermentation profile akin to a lager and has a welcomed crisp finish with minimal bitterness. 

Grains: Pilsner, Chit Malt, Honey Malt, Acid Malt
Hops: Motueka
Yeast: House Ale

Style: Märzen     
ABV: 6.0%     
IBU: 25     
Package: Draft or 32oz. Crowler Can to-go!!

Our Oktoberfest is brewed as a traditional German Märzen. This orange hued lager has an aroma and flavor profile that is rich with bready, toasty malt notes and a pleasant light bread crust character. The Initial malt flavor suggests sweetness, but the finish is moderately dry and refreshing.

Grains: Munich, Vienna, Pilsen Malt, Honey Malt, Acid Malt, Roasted Barley
Hops: Nugget 
Yeast: House Lager

Style: Norwegian Farmhouse Ale  
ABV: 5.8% 
IBU: 30   
Package: Draft & 500ml Bottles to-go!!

The sassafras leaves we gathered for this project grow wildly on a forested mountain in Warm Springs Mountain Preserve. Composed of thousands of acres in the western part of Virginia, this preserve is part of the Allegheny Highlands Conservation program, managed by The Nature Conservancy. 

For the first year of this project, we were lucky enough to gather an abundance of chanterelle mushrooms, but this year the mushrooms were less bountiful and we decided to turn to sassafras leaves. These leaves are something we could sustainably collect in a large quantity, and we knew they would contribute a beautiful aroma and flavor to the finished beer. The team from the Nature Conservancy were kind enough to share this magnificent space with our team, teach us about the conservation work being done there, and gather almost 40 pounds of sassafras leaves.

To showcase this ingredient, we chose a Norwegian inspired Farmhouse Ale. We knew that its light refreshing body and mild estery yeast would enhance the fruity characteristics of the leaves, while not masking or competing with their fragrant profile. We worked entirely with Virginia grown, and malted grains, combining Murphy & Rude 6-Row Pale with Greater Richmond Grains Organic Wheat, to produce a malt profile of sun-dried straw and fresh dough. This grist also contributes to a round soft mouthfeel that doesn’t linger, allowing for a dry but mellow finish.

The profile of this beer is an expressive display of fruity sassafras leaves. The aroma is a combination of fresh ginger, lemongrass, and citrus peel. The flavor is earthy and fruity, with a profile reminiscent of candied ginger, mountain mint, and lemon candy. Throughout the profile there is a unique spice-like quality and a robust fruitiness that the sassafras leaves deliver. They bring a brightness to the beer as well as a welcomed rustic earthiness that balances the intensity of their aroma. 

Grains: Murphy & Rude 6-Row Pale, Greater Richmond Grains Organic Raw Wheat, Murphy & Rude Cimmerian Wheat
Hops: Elixir, El Dorado
Yeast: Kveik 
Other: Sassafras Leaves Gathered From Warm Springs Mountain Preserve 

Style: Graf    
ABV: 4.4%    
IBU: 12    
Package: Draft Only

Anytime we get to collaborate on a beer we try to do our best to incorporate elements from all the partners involved. So when we started talking with Blue Bee Cider about a collaboration, we knew we wanted to produce something that had elements of both beer and cider. Which is why we chose to make a Graf, a hybrid of both fermented beverages. This particular Graf is modeled off an English Mild Ale, but in addition to a blend of some of our favorite Murphy & Rude Malts we also added, almost equal parts, apple pomace to the mash. 

Pomace is what remains from apples after they have been pressed for cider. The pomace we used for this project was from Hewe's Crab and Cox's Orange Pippin Apples, grown by Stony Creek Orchard, and pressed by Blue Bee Cider. Mashing the pomace with the grains this way allowed us to extract some of the remaining sugar from the apples as well as much of their flavor and aroma. The resulting beer is lighter bodied and drier than a typical English Mild, but still has plenty of toasty malt tones, accompanied by fruity apple and cider notes throughout.     

Grains: Murphy & Rude English Pale, Murphy & Rude Honey Light, Murphy & Rude Brown, Murphy & Rude Crystal 260
Hops: American Noble Simcoe
Yeast: House Ale
Other: Hewe's Crab & Cox's Orange Pippin Apple Pomace from Blue Bee Cider

Style: White IPA    
ABV: 6.5%    
IBU: 32     
Package: Draft & 32oz. Crowler Cans to-go!!

Daffodil Daydream combines an expressive yeast strain alongside New Zealand, German, and American hops to produce a White IPA with a round mouthfeel built on Murphy & Rude Soft Red Wheat. The aroma is full of hop notes of lime, white grape, and tropical fruit. The flavor carries many of those notes with the addition of fresh baked bread and a subtle grassy note that fades to a refreshing bitter and dry finish.  

Grains: Pilsner, Murphy & Rude Soft Red Wheat, Flaked Oats, Acid Malt
Hops: Nelson Sauvin, Hallertau Blanc, Citra
Yeast: Kveik

Style: West Coast IPA    
ABV: 7.0%   
IBU: 45    
Package: Draft or 32oz. Crowler Cans to-go!!

Like most of our West Coast IPAs, Wisdom of Wombats was brewed to have a bold and expressive hop character, alongside a noticeable bitterness, and dry refreshing finish. To balance the bitterness of this IPA, we relied on the mildly sweet, and flour-like, profile of Murphy & Rude Soft Red Wheat. While the aroma is reminiscent of freshly zested citrus, orange blossoms, and Douglas Fir, the flavor leans toward a more earthy profile, with notes of pine resin, grapefruit, and soft floral undertones.

Grains: Pilsner, Murphy & Rude Soft Red Wheat, Chit Malt, Acid Malt
Hops: Citra, Mosaic, Simcoe 
Yeast: House Ale

Style: Danish Old Ale    
ABV: 9.2%   
IBU: 40    
Package: Draft & 500ml Bottles

Our Danish Old Ale is modeled on a historic Danish tradition of brewing strong beers in March or April, conditioning them over the summer, and then serving them in fall and winter. This history is similar to the German tradition of Märzen, meaning March, and the English tradition of "March Beer," sometimes known as "October Beer," both of which were stronger beers brewed in spring conditioned over the summer and served in autumn.   

Our homage to this tradition is a big, 9.2% ABV, Farmhouse ale brewed with a blend of Murphy & Rude malts and fermented with a fruit forward yeast, before being conditioned on second use oak spirals for a subtle addition of oak. The aroma is fruity with notes of black currants and blackberries, that mingle with earthy notes of black walnuts, dried leaves, and fall mushrooms. The flavor is sweet up front, with notes of crushed red apples and toasted malt that gives way to a drier finish, accented by tones of almond skin, subtle oaky vanilla, and a hint of alcohol warmth.  

Grains: Murphy & Rude Pale, Murphy & Rude Belgian Amber, Murphy & Rude Crystal Malt
Hops: Hallertauer Tradition
Yeast: Kveik
Other: Belgian Extra Dark Candi Syrup, Oak Spirals

Style: Belgian Sour Brown    
ABV: 6.0%   
IBU: 20    
Package: Draft & 500ml Bottles to-go!!

We brewed this beer to pay tribute to the Brown Ales of Belgium, which we adore for their complexity and wide range of profiles. To achieve its beautiful brown hue, and desired malt profile, we relied on a blend of some of our favorite Murphy & Rude speciality malts. We then fermented this beer with our preferred Belgian Ale yeast, before letting it condition for almost six months with a mixed culture that blends our house wild culture with Lactobacillus and Bretanomyces.

The resulting beer has an aroma that combines cocoa nibs and toffee with fruity notes of dried cherries and damson plums. The flavor leads with a notable sourness and specific notes of tamarind, caramel, tart cherries, and bready malt. It has a medium body that is cut by a drying acidity and pleasantly clean finish.   

Grains: Vienna, Flaked Oats, Murphy & Rude Biscuit Malt, Murphy & Rude Brown Malt, Murphy & Rude Chocolate Wheat
Hops: American Nobel Simcoe
Yeast: Belgian Ale, “Slashes” Wild Culture, Brettanomyces bruxellensis, Lactobacillus Blend

Style: Bière de Vin  
ABV: 6.8%    
IBU: 7      
Package: Draft & 750ml Bottles

This Bière de Vin is a blend of two Farmhouse Ale that we conditioned on Merlot and Pinot Noir grape skins from our friends at Blenheim Vineyards. One was fermented with a co-pitch of Saison yeast and our house wild culture, while the other was aged in wine barrels for two years. After blending they were both conditioned on the grape skins for six months before being packaged and naturally carbonated.

Conditioning on the Merlot and Pinot Noir pomace transformed the beer significantly, lending it a beautiful plum hue and a fruit-forward aroma of blackberry, sweet cherry, and red grape. The flavor has a pleasant subtle tartness and specific notes of cranberry, pomegranate, and dry red wine. At first sip, there is a smooth round body, but this is cut by natural carbonation, and an incredibly dry finish with noticeable wine-like tannins.  

Grains: Murphy & Rude 6-Row Pale, Murphy & Rude Virginia Pils, Epiphany Malted Triticale, Murphy & Rude Biscuit  
Hops: Nugget, House Aged Hersbrucker
Yeast: “Slashes” Wild Culture, House Saison, Kveik
Other: Blenheim Vineyards Merlot & Pinot Noir Pomace

This Gose is light bodied and crisp with a strong salty minerality and light fruit notes. The flavor of eelgrass comes through as a herbal starchiness and a mild seaweed umami.

The beer was brewed in collaboration with Black Narrows Brewing (The first craft brewery on the Eastern Shore) and the Nature Conservancy's Volgenau Virginia Coast Reserve Chapter. Eelgrass, a keystone plant in eelgrass meadow habitats which once covered the coast and bay in Virginia, was largely eradicated in Virginia by hurricanes and disease in the 1930's. These meadows once provided shelter for spawning seahorses, bay scallops, and horseshoe crabs, as well as providing a physical barrier to erosion from the barrier islands, oyster reefs and the eastern shore beaches. Eelgrass provides both a substrate for new barrier island formation as its leaves pile on sandbars, and a form of sequestered "blue carbon" trapping large amounts of atmospheric CO2.

In 1999, a patch of eelgrass was found in a seaside bay off the coast of Virginia, likely the result of seeds or plants drifting down the coast from Chincoteague Bay. Since then, in no small part due to the efforts of volunteers and staff at the TNC, eelgrass meadows now cover an area larger than 9,000 acres. This collaboration is a celebration of the restoration that can occur when people passionately pursue conservation, like the over 500 volunteers who have aided in collecting and distributing eelgrass seeds in the past decade.