Style: Pilsner   

ABV: 5.0%    

IBU: 30  

Pilsners are a style that highlight a delicate balance between malt and hops. They let both sets of ingredients display all of their nuance and subtlety. This makes Pilsner a style that is ideal for showcasing the unique terroir of Virginia grown ingredients, in this case that means Greenmont Hopworks Crystal hops and Murphy & Rude Virginia Pils malt. Combined these ingredients produce an elegant, traditional tasting Pilsner with a few unique notes.

On the aroma floral and citrus hop tones are present, but they take backseat to the malt, which smells of fresh bread, straw, and dried grass. Meanwhile, the flavor leads with hoppy notes of elderflower, honeysuckle, and dried orange peel. Overall, the flavor and aroma are well balanced, and the bitterness of this beer is very mellow. There is a dry finish and enough bitterness to accent it, but it lacks the more pronounced bitterness of some of our other Pilsners.  

Grains: Murphy & Rude Virginia Pils
Hops: Greenmont Hopworks Crystal

Yeast: House Lager

Other: None

Style: Norwegian Farmhouse Ale  

ABV: 5.8% 

IBU: 30   

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: Hazy IPA    

ABV: 7.0    

IBU: 7    

This Hazy IPA was designed to showcase two newer hop varieties: Alora & Erebus. We only added hops in a chilled whirlpool and in a multi-stage dry hop, to minimize bitterness and maximize their aromatic potential. This was combined with a grain bill composed of Murphy & Rude’s malted red wheat, and tons of flaked oats, to produce a soft body. The result is a beer with predominant notes of candied orange, yuzu and pomelo, and more subtle tones of tropical fruit, dried blueberries and floral rose. It has a soft round mouthfeel, and a bittersweet, grapefruit pith like finish.

Grains: Pilsner, Murphy & Rude Soft Red Wheat, Flaked Oats, Acid Malt

Hops: Alora, Erebus

Yeast: Kveik

Style: American Amber Lager  

ABV: 5.5%    

IBU: 24  

Designed to showcase both malt and hops in a harmonious balance, American Amber Lagers combine toasty malt tones with enough hop character and bitterness to remain refreshing. Ours was brewed with a blend of Murphy & Rude malts, and traditional American hops, that together, produce an aroma of multigrain bread and biscuits, alongside fruity notes of red apple and fresh pine needles. The flavor is hoppy at first, leading with spice and resin, but this is quickly subdued by sweeter tones of burnt sugar and whole wheat bread. Up front there is a mild sweetness but it is followed by enough bitterness to produce and even balance, and a pleasantly dry finish.     

Grains: Pilsner, Red Malt, Murphy & Rude Biscuit, Honey Malt, Murphy & Rude Crystal, Murphy & Rude Cimmerian Wheat

Hops: Simcoe

Yeast: House Lager

Other: none

Style: American Amber Ale  

ABV: 6.0%    

IBU: 30  

We rebuilt our Amber recipe to showcase Greenmont Hopworks’ Virginia grown Chinook, alongside Murphy & Rude 6-Row Pale and specialty malts. We also chose to give this beer the extra time to naturally carbonate, producing a soft but lively carbonation that accents everything we love about the style.

The aroma is fruity up front with an inviting combination of toffee, fig jam, and earthy hops. The flavor has a pleasant contrast of pumpernickel and caramel malt tones, against resiny, fruity, hops. While this Amber is medium bodied and mildly sweet, there is a moderate amount of bitterness that accents a dry and refreshing finish. This is a style that represents a delicate balance between hops and malt, and we feel this batch really exemplifies this. 

Grains: Murphy & Rude 6-Row Pale, Vienna, Honey Malt, Murphy & Rude Crystal Malt, Murphy & Rude Belgian Amber, Roasted Barley

Hops: Greenmont Hopworks Chinook

Yeast: House Ale

Other: none

Style: American Stout    

ABV: 7.0    

IBU: 50    

Our American stout is built on a base of English Pale malt from Murphy & Rude Malting Co. out of Charlottesville VA. That malt produces a nutty and sweet backbone that we combined with a blend of their Crystal malts, as well as their Chocolate Wheat, to build up sweeter tones of whole grain bread, graham cracker, mocha, and roasty black coffee. The end result is a smooth, dark, ale with a medium, semi-sweet, body that is balanced by a subtle hop flavor and a drying bitterness.

Grains: Murphy & Rude English Pale, Murphy & Rude Crystal Malt, Murphy & Rude Chocolate Wheat, Roasted Barley

Hops: Nugget 

Yeast: House Ale

Other: None

Style: American Wheat Ale      

ABV: 4.8      

IBU: 20      

American Wheat Ales owe their heritage to the Weissbiers of Germany, but while both feature significant amounts of wheat, the American version allows clean fermenting yeast to provide a more neutral background note. Additionally American brewers adapted the style to have a more significant hop presence. The resulting beer is medium bodied with a slightly creamy mouthfeel and a dry and refreshing finish. Our interpretation of the style has flavors and aromas that are bready and doughy, with a grainy wheat character from Murphy & Rude Malted Wheat. These elements are elevated by the citrusy and floral characteristics of Greenmont Hopworks Cascade.

Grains: Pilsner, Murphy & Rude Soft Red Wheat

Hops: Greenmont Cascade

Yeast: House Ale

Style: Belgian Style Single    

ABV: 5.0    

IBU: 40   

Belgian Singles are an often misunderstood style. They aren’t as sweet as a Belgian Blonde nor as hoppy as a Belgian Pale, instead they are more akin to a German Pilsner but fermented with expressive Abbey ale yeast. They strike a balance between a present and supportive malt profile and a spicy and floral hop profile. 

Built on a base of Murphy & Rude Virginia Pils, Avec Frère 5 is our attempt to highlight this balance. It is bitter and highly attenuated with aromas that are spicy, floral, and fruity. The flavor begins with bready malt tones but quickly moves toward pome fruit, citrus and spicy, yeast-driven phenolics. The finish is dry and bitter with hop notes of dried flowers and earthy herbs.

Grains: Murphy & Rude Virginia Pils, Pilsner, Honey Malt, Acid Malt

Hops: Hallertauer Mittelfrüh

Yeast: Belgian Ale

Other: none

Style: Belgian Style Dubbel    

ABV: 7.0    

IBU: 20    

Belgian Dubbel is a style that is meant to be a harmonious blend of fruity esters and rich malt. The nose of our Dubbel is an ample display of yeast driven esters, such as dried cherry and ripe plum. The flavor is a more complex blend of dates and raisins with caramelized sugar, and a subtle spicy yeast character that becomes more evident as the beer warms. While starting with a rich sweetness and roundness of body, Avec Frère 7 mellows into a drier mouthfeel that is balanced by a faint hint of warming alcohol.    

Grains: Pilsner, Red X, Murphy & Rude Malted Wheat, Murphy & Rude Belgian Amber, Special B, Acid Malt
Hops: Barbe Rouge

Yeast: Belgian Ale

Other: Belgian Extra Dark Candi Syrup

Style: Belgian Style Tripel    

ABV: 9.0    

IBU: 30     

Brewed with Murphy & Rude Virginia Pils, Avec Frère 9 is a complex beer that begins sweet and finishes dry, with a pleasant warmth that hints to its significant ABV. Aromas of pear, apple, and citrus, mingle with subtle clove and spice that give way to straw like malt tones and a surprisingly refreshing body. 

Grains: Murphy & Rude Virginia Pils, Flaked Wheat, Acid Malt
Hops: El Dorado

Yeast: Belgian Ale

Other:  Belgian Clear Candi Syrup

Style: Belgian Style Quadrupel   

ABV: 11.0    

IBU: 20    

Modeled after a Belgian Quadrupel, Avec Frère 11 is the biggest beer in our Belgian Abbey Beer series, and pays homage to many of the Belgian Dark Strong Ales that helped inspire the series. The nose is rich and sweet with aromas of cherry, rose, and bready malt. The flavor is similar to the aroma, but with impressions of dried fruit, persimmon, spicy yeast, and a rich, sweet, malty character that leaves hints of vanilla. This beer’s mouthfeel is round and full bodied but mellows to a pleasantly dry and warming finish.

Grains: Vienna, Pilsner, Red X, Special B
Hops: Greenmont Mother 

Yeast: Belgian Ale

Other: Belgian Extra Dark Candi Syrup

Style: American Sour Ale  

ABV: 5.4%  

IBU: 10  

This beer is a blend of two different barrels of Norwegian Farmhouse Ale that were both brewed entirely with Murphy & Rude 6-Row Pale, and fermented with Kviek yeast, before being barrel aged for just over two years, with two unique cultures. Our “Slashes” wild culture, caught in Ashland VA, dominates the aroma, leading with a tart profile of peach skin, red currants, and fresh cranberries. The flavor, on the other hand, displays more of our “Resettle” culture with a sour profile of gooseberry, lemon juice, and green plum. This blend is light bodied, and its tart profile gives it a refreshing character that is accented by subtle tannins and a dry finish.

Grains: Murphy & Rude 6-Row Pale

Hops: Nugget

Yeast: Kviek, “Slashes” Wild Culture from Ashland, VA, Resettle Culture

Other: Foraged Virginia Pine Tips, Foraged Loblolly Pine Tips

Style: Fruited, American Sour Ale  

ABV: 5.8%  

IBU: 10  

This beer is a blend of four different barrel aged mixed culture beers that spent between four years and 6 months aging in barrels with different cultures. Once blended we then conditioned the beer on Merlot grape skins from our friends at Blenheim Vineyards for an additional five months. The prolonged contact time with the grape skins contributes a rich, fruit forward, wine-like profile as well as a welcomed addition of balancing tannins.  

The resulting beer has a mild acidity, round body, and dry, tannin accented, finish Expect aromas of jammy red wine, sour cherries, and fruit leather, as well as juicy flavors of red currants, blackberries, and raspberries.       

Grains: Murphy & Rude 6-Row Pale, Greater Richmond Grains Organic Raw Wheat, Murphy & Rude Bloody Butcher & Buena Vista Malted Corn, Malted Spelt, Epiphany Malted Wheat, Red Malt, Cara-Munich, Crystal Malt, Acid Malt
Hops: Greenmont Chinook, House Aged Hersbrucker

Yeast: “Slashes” Wild Culture from Ashland, VA, House Saison, House Farmhouse Blend, Resettle Culture

Other: Blenheim Vineyards Merlot Skins, Sea Salt, Coriander, Sweet Orange Peel

Style: Wild Saison    

ABV: 6.0    

IBU: 5     

Herbarium gets its name from a term for collections of preserved plant specimens. This name is fitting because we brewed this beer with a wide range of local plants, both farmed and foraged. The grist is a combination of Virginia Barley, from Murphy and Rude, and North Carolina Bloody Butcher Corn, from Riverbend. Instead of hops, for aromatics, we relied on foraged juniper boughs, local hardy oranges, and Fine Creek grown chamomile. This was then fermented in our stainless steel open fermentor with our house wild culture, caught just outside our Head Brewer’s home. We released a portion of this beer fresh, but also allowed a sizable portion to age for two years in barrels. 

The barrel aging helped to blend the different components of the beer together, producing a beer that is both more harmonious, and complex, than when it was fresh. The resulting beer has aromas of evergreen forests, fresh grapefruit juice, and tart raspberry. The flavor is more floral and herbal with highlights of sour orange, tart green grapes, and peach skin. It has a round juice like mouthfeel that fades into a growing tartness and dry finish accented by oaky tannins.  

Grains: Murphy & Rude Virginia Pils, Riverbend Bloody Butcher Corn, Weyermann Carafoam, Weyermann Acidulated Malt   
Hops: House Aged Hersbrucker

Yeast: “Slashes” Wild Culture from Ashland, VA

Other: Foraged Hardy Oranges, Foraged Virginian Juniper Boughs, Fine Creek Grown Chamomile

Style: Gose    

ABV: 7.4    

IBU: 7      

This beer is a blend of three different barrel aged beers, with two beers aged in stainless, to produce a Gose that highlights what we love about producing this style with mixed culture methods. It is a tart, and fruity wheat ale, with pronounced citrusy coriander and restrained salinity, but we find that producing it in a slower mixed culture process yields a rounder and more complex character. Choosing different vintages for this blend also allowed us to produce a balanced acidity and weave in some supporting barrel character.

The aroma is a fruity mix of overripe yellow peaches, and red apples, with layers of citrusy coriander and warm oak tones. The flavor is tart with notes of green pear and candied lemon balanced against sourdough bread and subtle oak driven vanilla. The blend of Murphy & Rude malted wheat and spelt provide a soft roundness to the palate but tannins and a mild salinity lend a very dry finish.      

Grains: Murphy & Rude 6-Row Pale, Murphy & Rude Virginia Pils, Murphy & Rude Malted Spelt, Murphy & Rude Soft Red Wheat, Murphy & Rude Malted Rye, Pilsner, Red Malt, Murphy & Rude Belgian Amber, Murphy & Rude 260, Murphy & Rude Chocolate Wheat

Hops: House Aged Hersbrucker, Nugget, American Nobel Simcoe,

Yeast: “Slashes” Wild Culture from Ashland, VA, Kveik, Belgian Ale, House Ale

Other: Fresh Ground Coriander, Mediterranean Sea Salt, Pine Needles, Dark Candi Sugar

Style: Fruited, American Sour Ale  

ABV: 5.5%  

IBU: 3  

This beer began as a blend of barrel aged Golden Sour and Grisette Acide which we conditioned on over 350 pounds of fresh peaches from Carter Mountain Orchard. Each beer was brewed with malt from Murphy & Rude Malting Co. and Epiphany Craft Malt, as well as raw wheat grown just down the road by Greater Richmond Grains. Before blending, the Golden Sour was barrel aged for almost 3 years with a house sour culture while the Grisette Acide was aged for just over a year with our house wild culture. 

The resulting beer has a pronounced tartness, round body, and dry finish that is accented by two fruit forward mixed cultures and pleasant peach notes throughout. Expect bright tart tones of lemon juice, kumquats, and peach skin alongside fruity notes of candied lemon, nectarine, and peach nectar.          

Grains: Murphy & Rude Virginia Pils, Greater Richmond Grains Organic Raw Wheat, Murphy & Rude 6-Row Pale, Epiphany Malted Wheat, Acid Malt
Hops: House Aged Hersbrucker

Yeast: “Slashes” Wild Culture from Ashland, VA, Resettle Culture

Other: Peaches from Carter Mountain Orchard

Style: Saison   

ABV: 6.5%   

IBU: 30   

On brewday we combined Murphy & Rude Virginia Pils, Greater Richmond Grains Organic Raw Wheat, and Greenmont Hopworks Crystal hops to produce a rustic Saison wort. That wort then underwent primary fermentation inside two wine barrels from our friends at Blenheim Vineyards. It was then conditioned for seven months, in those barrels, before being packaged with one of our favorite isolates of Brettanomyces bruxellensis. It was then given an additional 11 months in kegs and bottles for the Brett to develop and naturally carbonate.

The resulting beer has lively aromatics of starfruit, dried grass, and guinep. The flavor is a blend of earthy barnyard notes with spicy clove like phenolics and fruity pear esters. The body has a wheat forward creamy texture that is cut by vigorous natural carbonation and a dry finish, with subtle bitterness and oaky tannins. 

Grains: Murphy & Rude Virginia Pils, Greater Richmond Grains Organic Raw Wheat
Hops: Greenmont Crystal

Yeast: House Saison, Brettanomyces bruxellensis

Other: none

Style: Porter    

ABV: 6.8    

IBU: 30    

We worked with Batteaux Coffee Co, a family owned and operated coffee roaster located just down the road from our brewery, to select a Medium Roast coffee that would complement and elevate this traditional Porter. 

Conditioning the beer on their coffee resulted in a surprisingly easy drinking porter. It has a big aroma of freshly ground coffee beans and cold brew, with more subtle notes of cocoa nibs and pecans. The flavor has a pronounced black coffee note, but also highlights of baking chocolate and toasted biscuits. While medium bodied, this Porter has a mild bitterness that creates a dry finish.  

Grains: Vienna, Munich, Murphy & Rude Brown Malt, Honey Malt, Chocolate Malt, Crystal Malt, Black Malt

Hops: Falconer's Flight

Yeast: House Ale

Other: Batteaux Coffee Medium Roast

Style: Belgian Sour Brown    

ABV: 6.0%   

IBU: 20  

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

Other: none

Style: Belgian Style Wit    

ABV: 4.7%    

IBU: 15    

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: Best Bitter    

ABV: 4.2%    

IBU: 30    

 Bitters emerged in England in the 19th century but didn’t really take off until the post WWII era. Since then they have remained an important staple of English Pub culture. Despite the name, Best Bitters are a style that is focused on drinkability, and a delicate balance between, malt, hops and yeast. To brew ours we relied on traditional English hops, combined Murphy & Rude English Pale and specialty malts. The result is flavorful, yet refreshing, session beer.

The aroma is reminiscent of crushed Fuji apples, fresh thyme, and toasted multigrain bread. The flavor has a pleasant malt tone of honey drizzled biscuits, fruity pear like esters, and an earthy hop character, with just a hint of spice. This beer’s medium body is balanced by a low natural carbonation and a noticeable, but balanced bitterness, that checks some of its sweeter notes and keeps it grounded and refreshing.

Grains: Murphy & Rude English Pale, Murphy & Rude Crystal, Murphy & Rude Cimmerian Wheat

Hops: UK Golding, American Noble Citra

Yeast: House Ale

Style: Bière de Coupage  

ABV: 6.2%   

IBU: 10     

Bière de Coupage is a phrase that has been used in different ways over the years, but in general refers to a blend of young and old beer. Inspired by this tradition of blending, we took younger, hop-forward Virginia Wet Hop Saison and blended it with two beers that both spent time aging in barrels, each conditioning with a different culture. This blend allows us to display mature mixed culture beer, with a complex profile and acidity, alongside fresher beer with a mellower profile and balancing bitterness, that would normally stunt the development of our other mixed cultures. 

The aroma is dominated by tart notes of red currant, ripe raspberry, and fruit forward red wine. Meanwhile the flavor displays a softer acidity than the aroma would suggest, and has a balanced profile of cranberry, fresh lemonade, black cherry, and hints of oak driven vanilla that is cut by an ever present but balanced tartness. The body has a round juice like quality but quickly fades to a dry finish thanks to a mild bitterness and subtle oaky tannins.

Below are the beers blended in this year’s Bière de Coupage:

Golden Sour Ale, aged four years in barrels with our “Resettle” Culture

Sour Red Ale, aged for 15 months in barrels with our “Slashes” Wild Culture

Virginia Wet Hop Saison, fermented in stainless steel with Ghost Ale yeast from RVA Yeast Labs

Grains: Murphy & Rude VA Pils, Murphy & Rude 6-Row Pale, Murphy & Rude Malted Spelt, Epiphany Malted Wheat, Greater Richmond Grains Organic Raw Wheat, Red Malt, Vienna, Crystal Malt 

Hops: L&M Farms Fresh Comet, Cascade, Nugget, House Aged Hersbrucker,

Yeast: RVA Yeast Labs, Ghost Ale, “Resettle” Culture, “Slashes” Wild Culture, House Saison

Other: Belgian Candi Syrup

Style: Bière de Coupage  

ABV: 6.7%   

IBU: 20     

Bière de Coupage is a phrase that has been used in different ways over the years, but in general refers to a blend of young and old beer. Inspired by this tradition of blending, we took fresh Avec Frère 7, Belgian Style Dubbel, and blended it with two beers that both spent over two years in barrels, each conditioning with a different culture. This blend allows us to display mature mixed culture beer, with a complex profile and acidity, alongside fresher beer with a mellower profile and balancing bitterness, that would normally stunt the development of our other mixed cultures. 

The fruit forward aroma leads with notes of black plums, dried cherries, and red grapes but also has layers of sweet vanilla, toffee, and toasted malt. Meanwhile the flavor displays a much brighter acidity than the aroma would suggest, with tart notes of red currant and unripe raspberry, that slowly mellow into notes of red wine and burnt sugar. The body has mild round juice like quality but quickly fades to a dry finish with pleasant toasty oak notes and mild tannins. This is a beer that will continue to develop in bottles and can be enjoyed fresh or after some aging.  

Below are the beers blended in this year’s Bière de Coupage:

Sour Red Ale, aged over two years in barrels with our “Slashes” Wild Culture

Spelt Saison, aged two years in Blenheim Vineyards Petit Verdot Barrels with a single strain of Brettanomyces bruxellensis 

Avec Frère 7, Belgian Style Dubbel, fermented in stainless steel with Belgian Ale yeast 

Grains: Murphy & Rude 6-Row Pale, Murphy & Rude Malted Spelt, Epiphany Malted Wheat, Greater Richmond Grains Organic Raw Wheat, Murphy & Rude Soft Red Wheat, Murphy & Rude Belgian Amber, Red Malt, Vienna, Crystal Malt, 

Hops: American Nobel Citra, American Nobel Simcoe, Nugget, House Aged Hersbrucker, 

Yeast: “Resettle” Culture, “Slashes” Wild Culture, Brettanomyces bruxellensis, House Saison, Belgian Ale, Lactobacillus Blend

Other: Belgian Candi Syrup

Style: Bière de Coupage  

ABV: 7.0%    

IBU: 5    

Bière de Coupage is a phrase that has been used in different ways over the years, but in general refers to a blend of young and old beer. Inspired by this tradition of blending, we took a freshly fermented Sour Red Ale and blended it with two beers that both spent over twenty months in barrels, each conditioning with a different culture. This blend allows us to display mature mixed culture beer, with a complex profile and acidity, alongside fresher beer with a mellower profile and balancing bitterness, that would normally stunt the development of our other mixed cultures.

The fruit forward aroma leads with notes of blackberry, tamarind, and white cranberry, with subtle hints of clove and oak in the background. The flavor displays a much brighter acidity than the aroma would suggest, with tart notes of fresh lemon, sour cherry, and crabapple, that slowly mellow into notes of red wine and dried fruit. The body has a round juice like quality but quickly fades to a dry finish thanks to a mild bitterness and subtle oaky tannins.

Below are the beers blended in this year’s Bière de Coupage:

Sour Red Ale, aged over two years in barrels with our “Slashes” Wild Culture

Dark Sour, aged over one and a half years in barrels with our “Resettle” Culture

Sour Red Ale, fermented and aged in stainless steel with Belgian Ale yeast and a Lactobacillus blend

Grains: Murphy & Rude 6-Row Pale, Murphy & Rude Malted Spelt, Epiphany Malted Wheat, Greater Richmond Grains Organic Raw Wheat, Murphy & Rude Soft Red Wheat, Murphy & Rude Pungo Creek Bloody Butcher Corn, Murphy & Rude Belgian Amber, Red Malt, Vienna, Crystal Malt

Hops: House Aged Hersbrucker

Yeast: “Slashes” Wild Culture, “Resettle” Culture, Belgian Ale, Kveik, Lactobacillus Blend, Brettanomyces bruxellensis

Other: Belgian Candi Syrup

Style: Bière de Noël  

ABV: 9.6%    

IBU: 20    

Bière de Noël is a style traditionally brewed as a celebration of winter. They are rich, strong, dark, Belgian and French Ales that are often brewed with a modest amount of spices. Ours follows in this tradition and is brewed with clove, ceylon cinnamon, sweet orange peel, and a moderate amount of vanilla. 

This produces a deceptively sweet and fruity bouquet of dried fig, Glühwein, and spiced cookies. The flavor is less sweet, and features notes of dried cherries, dates, and a blend of spices from both the yeast, and the addition of cinnamon and clove. At first sip, this beer has a creamy texture and medium body, but natural carbonation and a subtle warmth, that hints to its strength, help to dry out the palate.

Grains: Weyermann Barke Pilsner, BEST Vienna, Dingemans Special B, BEST Chit, Murphy & Rude Cimmerian Wheat
Hops: Nugget 

Yeast: Belgian Ale

Other: Belgian Extra Dark Candi Syrup, Sweet Orange Peel, Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Extract, Ceylon Cinnamon, Clove

Style: Bière de Noël  

ABV: 9.0%    

IBU: 20    

Bière de Noël is a style traditionally brewed as a celebration of winter. They are rich, strong, dark, Belgian and French Ales that are often brewed with a modest amount of spices. Ours follows in this tradition and is brewed with clove, ceylon cinnamon, sweet orange peel, and a moderate amount of vanilla. 

This produces a sweet and fruity bouquet of dried fig, Glühwein, and spiced cookies. The flavor features notes of dried cherries, dates, and a blend of spices from both the yeast, and the addition of cinnamon and clove. At first sip, this beer has a creamy texture and full body, but a delicate natural carbonation and a subtle warmth, that hints to its strength, help to dry out the palate.

Grains: Pilsner, Red Malt, Special B, Murphy & Rude Chit Malt, Murphy & Rude Cimmerian Wheat
Hops: Nugget 

Yeast: Belgian Ale

Other: Belgian Extra Dark Candi Syrup, Sweet Orange Peel, Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Extract, Ceylon Cinnamon, Clove

Style: Bière de Noël  

ABV: 9.0%    

IBU: 20    

Bière de Noël is a style traditionally brewed as a celebration of winter. They are rich, strong, dark, Belgian and French Ales that are often brewed with a modest amount of spices. Ours follows in this tradition and is brewed with clove, ceylon cinnamon, sweet orange peel, and a moderate amount of vanilla. 

This produces a sweet and fruity bouquet of dried fig, Glühwein, and spiced cookies. The flavor features notes of dried cherries, dates, and a blend of spices from both the yeast, and the addition of cinnamon and clove. At first sip, this beer has a creamy texture and full body, but a delicate natural carbonation and a subtle warmth, that hints to its strength, help to dry out the palate.

Grains: Pilsner, Red Malt, Special B, Murphy & Rude Chit Malt, Murphy & Rude Cimmerian Wheat

Hops: Nugget 

Yeast: Belgian Ale

Other: Belgian Extra Dark Candi Syrup, Sweet Orange Peel, Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Extract, Ceylon Cinnamon, Clove

Style: Bière de Printemps  

ABV: 5.5%   

IBU: 30     

Literally meaning “Spring Beer,” our Bière de Printemps is brewed as a celebration of the return of warmer weather. While every year’s version is different, they are always beers that are designed to be refreshing, highly drinkable, and brett forward. This year's version is an open fermented Farmhouse Ale, brewed with a base of Murphy & Rude Virginia Pils, as well as European malted spelt. It was fermented with a co-pitch of Saison yeast and Brett Brux before being packaged and allowed to naturally carbonate and condition.   

The culture that fermented this beer dominates its aroma, which is fruit forward, displaying notes of tart calamansi, alongside funky muscadine, and citrusy chamomile. The flavor allows notes from the malt to come through, creating a blend of dried grass and hay, with funkier notes of over-ripe papaya and pineapple. The body has some roundness but is quickly cut by vigorous natural carbonation and a dry finish that highlights a subdued refreshing bitterness.

Grains: Murphy & Rude Virginia Pils, Malted Spelt
Hops: Hallertau Blanc 

Yeast: House Farmhouse Blend 

Other: Clear Belgian Candi Sugar

Style: Bière de Printemps  

ABV: 7.5%   

IBU: 42     

Literally meaning “Spring Beer,” our Bière de Printemps is brewed as a celebration of the return of warmer weather. While every year’s version is different, they are always beers that are designed to be refreshing, highly drinkable, and brett forward. This year's version is a Farmhouse Ale, brewed with a base of Murphy & Rude Virginia Pils and Malted Spelt. It was fermented with our preferred Saison yeast strain before being packaged and allowed to naturally condition with Brettanomyces bruxellensis. 

The aroma is very floral and fruity, displaying notes of lychee and honeysuckle alongside dried pineapple and chamomile. The flavor retains a traditional Saison profile but combines it with funkier, fruity, Brett undertones, with specific notes of Tellicherry Peppercorn, citron, dried flowers, and lemon rind. This year’s version is very light bodied with a vigorous, and softly textured, natural carbonation and a dry finish that highlights a noticeable and refreshing bitterness.

Grains: Murphy & Rude Virginia Pils, Murphy & Rude Malted Spelt, Murphy & Rude Belgian Amber
Hops: Southern Tropic, Southern Sublime, American Nobel Citra

Yeast: House Saion, Brettanomyces bruxellensis

Other: Clear Belgian Candi Sugar

Style: Bière de Printemps  

ABV: 6.5%   

IBU: 35     

Literally meaning “Spring Beer,” our Bière de Printemps is brewed as a celebration of the return of warmer weather. While every year’s version is different, they are always beers that are designed to be refreshing, highly drinkable, and Brett forward. This year's vintage is a Farmhouse Ale, brewed with Fine Creek grown coriander, Greenmont Mother hops, and a base of Murphy & Rude 6-Row Pale and Buena Vista Corn. It was fermented with RVA Yeast Labs, Ghost Ale yeast before being packaged and allowed to naturally condition with a strain of Brettanomyces, also from RVA Yeast Lab.

The result is a fruity, citrusy, display of Brett alongside, a soft round texture and minimal bitterness. Natural carbonation balances the body, keeping it dry and refreshing. Making this year one of the most approachable and easy drinking Brett beers we have made. The aroma displays meyer lemon alongside dried pineapple and fragrant ripe pawpaw. The flavor has some funkier Brett undertones, but they are balanced by more prominent notes of lemon zest, dried orange blossom, and freshly cut straw.

Grains: Murphy & Rude 6-Row Pale, Murphy & Rude Malted Corn: Buena Vista
Hops: Greenmont Mother 

Yeast: RVA Yeast Labs, Ghost Ale, RVA Yeast Labs Brettanomyces “Beersel”

Other: Fine Creek Grown Coriander, Grains of Paradise

Style: Bière de Printemps  

ABV: 7.2%    

IBU: 35      

Literally meaning “Spring Beer,” our Bière de Printemps is brewed as a celebration of the return of warmer weather. While every year’s version is different, they are always beers that are designed to be refreshing, highly drinkable, and Brett forward. This year's vintage is a Saison, brewed with Greenmont Crystal hops, coriander, and a base of Murphy & Rude Virginia Pils and Abruzzi Rye. It was fermented with RVA Yeast Labs, Ghost Ale yeast before being packaged and allowed to naturally condition with one of our favorite strains of Brettanomyces.

The result is a floral and citrusy display of Brett, alongside a soft round texture and minimal bitterness. Natural carbonation balances the body, keeping it dry and refreshing. The aroma displays floral mimosa blossoms alongside lima orange and fragrant jasmine flowers. The flavor has some funkier Brett undertones, but they are balanced by more prominent notes of honeysuckle, dried lemon blossom, and freshly cut hay.

Grains: Murphy & Rude Virginia Pils, Murphy & Rude Abruzzi Rye

Hops: Greenmont Crystal

Yeast: RVA Yeast Labs, Ghost Ale, Brettanomyces bruxellensis

Other: Coriander

Style: Bière de Vin  

ABV: 5.5%   

IBU: 35     

This Bière de Vin is a blend of two Brett Saisons, one aged in wine barrels for 20 months and the other for 9 months, that were blended and then conditioned on Cabernet Sauvignon grape skins from our friends at Blenheim Vineyards. 

Prior to conditioning, this blend was a fruity and funky Saison with floral notes and a crisp minerality. It had some mild yeast derived spice, alongside light malt tones of hay and wheat flour from a grist of Murphy & Rude 6-Row and Epiphany malted Triticale 

Conditioning on the Cabernet Sauvignon for three months transformed the beer significantly, lending it a beautiful garnet hue and a fruit forward aroma of cranberry and tart cherry. The brett in this beer still makes itself known, blending a pleasant leathery funk with aromatics of dry red wine. Natural carbonation adds a liveliness to the mouthfeel, and brings flavors of strawberry and raspberry to the foreground, while allowing darker notes of pomegranate and oak to still shine through. The finish is incredibly dry with noticeable tannins and a very gentle acidity.

Grains: Murphy & Rude 6-Row Pale, Epiphany Modern Pilsner, Epiphany Malted Triticale, Murphy & Rude Soft Red Wheat
Hops: Nugget, Elixir, Barbe Rouge

Yeast: House Saion, Brettanomyces bruxellensis

Other: Blenheim Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Pomace, Mountain House Wildflower Honey

Style: Bière de Vin  

ABV: 6.8%   

IBU: 30     

This Bière de Vin is the culmination of conditioning our open fermented brett Saison on Albariño grape skins from Blenheim Vineyards. Prior to conditioning, this beer was a fruity and funky Saison with floral notes, and a crisp minerality. It had some mild yeast derived spice, alongside earthy malt tones of straw and dried grass from a grist of Murphy & Rude Virginia Pils, and Malted Corn, as well as Deep Roots Milling Buckwheat Flour.

Conditioning on the Albariño grape skins transformed the beer, developing a gentle acidity, and a floral aroma of white grape, persevered lemon, and barnyard funk. The flavor is much fruitier with notes of dried grapefruit, white strawberry, and fresh grape skins. Natural carbonation adds a liveliness to the tart mouthfeel, and brings the floral and fruity elements to the forefront. Meanwhile, the finish highlights another addition from the grape skins: pleasant drying tannins that cut through the otherwise round body.

Grains: Murphy & Rude Virginia Pils, Murphy & Rude Malted Corn (blend of Bloody Butcher & Buena Vista), Deep Roots Milling Buckwheat Flour, Acid Malt
Hops: Greemont Mother, Greenmont Hopworks Chinook

Yeast: House Farmhouse Blend 

Other: Blenheim Vineyards Albariño Pomace

Style: Bière de Vin  

ABV: 6.8%   

IBU: 7     

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

Style: Norwegian Farmhouse Ale    

ABV: 7.0%    

IBU: 15    

We have been experimenting with using black walnuts in beer for years and have tried using every part of the nut at almost every stage of maturity. Despite this we have never been satisfied with the amount of black walnut character that was present in these projects. But when we learned about the Asheville Nuttery, we saw an opportunity to further explore black walnuts in beer. 

The Asheville Nuttery is a cooperatively run nut processing facility that processes gathered hickories, acorns, hazelnuts, and black walnuts. One of their products is an oil pressed from wild-crafted black walnuts gathered throughout the Appalachian Mountains. After the nuts have been pressed, and all the oil extracted, the remaining solids are referred to as a press cake. The Asheville Nuttery was kind enough to share some samples of their press cake with us, and once we tested it out, we were blown away by the pronounced fruity flavor that it still held, and we knew immediately that we wanted to use it in a beer. 

To ensure that the black walnut character was able to come through we chose a Norwegian Farmhouse Ale as the base style. We knew its low bitterness, fruit forward yeast, and ability to showcase malt, and other ingredients, would be a great place to highlight this unique ingredient. For base malt we chose, our favorite local malt, Murphy & Rude 6-Row Pale, to produce a round body and supporting malt notes of cracker and hay. To this we added a small selection of crystal malts, to layer in some sweetness which we knew would help to carry the profile of the black walnuts.

The result is unlike any beer we have ever made before. The aroma is a hearty expression of Norwegian yeast and the fruitier side of black walnuts, it displays specific notes of black currants, mixed berries, and dried leaves. While many of these aromas carry to the flavor, there are also tones of blackberry, almond skin, and pome fruit. The body is round with a pleasant creaminess that is balanced by a lively natural carbonation and dry lingering finish. 

Grains: Murphy & Rude 6-Row Pale, Pale Crystal Malt, Dark Crystal Malt II, Acid Malt
Hops: Nugget

Yeast: Kveik

Other: Black Walnut Press Cake from The Asheville Nuttery

Style: Belgian Style Tripel    

ABV: 9.4    

IBU: 35     

Brettanomyces is known for drying beers out and adding layers of fruit and funk, so it is a fitting addition to one of our favorite dry and complex Belgian Styles: Tripel. We brewed this Tripel with a base of Murphy & Rude Virginia Pilsner and fermented it with Belgian ale yeast, before letting it naturally condition and carbonate, for five months, with one of our favorite isolates of Brettanomyces bruxellensis. 

The nose leans toward the fruity, tropical, side of Brett with hints of fresh pineapple combining with Belgian spice and pear. The flavor showcases Brett’s funkier side with pleasant barnyard notes that mingle with tones of dried grass, Tellicherry peppercorns, and ripe fruit. There is a hint of sweetness upfront but it quickly fades to a pleasant mild bitterness and very dry finish.

Grains: Murphy & Rude Virginia Pils, Flaked Wheat, Acid Malt 
Hops: El Dorado, American Noble Citra

Yeast: Belgian Ale, Brettanomyces bruxellensis

Other: Clear Belgian Candi Syrup

Style: Brett Saison    

ABV: 6.0%    

IBU: 30    

Chamomile, the whole plant, roots to flowers, has been used in brewing for thousands of years, and predates the use of hops. Today most brewers only use the flower heads, and miss out on much of the plant's potential. By growing it ourselves and working with the whole plant we are able to showcase the depth of flavor and aroma that this plant is capable of.

To showcase our chamomile, we combined it with a Saison that we open fermented in barrels from Blenheim Vineyards and brewed with Greater Richmond Grains organic raw wheat, as well as Murphy & Rude 6-Row Pale. On its own it's an incredibly dry Saison with some oaky tannins and robust fruity esters, but the chamomile transforms the beer substantially. The chamomile delivers a fruit-forward character that is herbal and woody, with delicate floral notes of tea and more subtle tropical tones. The Brett accents these characteristics and adds notes of white wine. These flavors and aromas come together in a dry, crisp, body that is accented by mild bitterness and a generous, but soft, natural carbonation.

Grains: Murphy & Rude 6-Row Pale, Greater Richmond Grains Organic Raw Wheat
Hops: Barbe Rouge

Yeast: House Saison, Brettanomyces bruxellensis

Other: Fine Creek Grown and Dried Chamomile

Style: Smoked Stout    

ABV: 7.0    

IBU: 50    

We typically try to approach smoked beers with a delicate hand, hoping to produce beers that are approachable first and smokey second, this is not the case for this stout. We relied on the rich profile of our American Stout to stand up to the largest quantity of smoked malt we have ever used. The base of Murphy & Rude’s English Pale malt sweetens and tempers the robust character of Cherrywood Smoked Malt, producing a balanced, but very smoke forward, stout. 

The aroma is a blend of charred and roasty aromas with specific notes of bonfire, espresso, and treacle. The flavor showcases classic stout flavors of roasted cocoa nibs and dark roast coffee alongside a sweet, fruity, bacon-like smoke character. The end result is a smooth, dark, ale with a medium, semi-sweet, body that is balanced by a robust smoky profile and mellow dry finish. 

Grains: Murphy & Rude English Pale, Cherrywood Smoked Malt, Murphy & Rude Crystal Malt, Murphy & Rude Chocolate Wheat, Roasted Barley

Hops: Nugget 

Yeast: House Ale

Other: None

Style: Hazy IPA    

ABV: 6.8    

IBU: 9    

Cowboy Couture was designed to showcase Enigma, a unique Australian hop developed by the Hop Products Australia breeding program. They describe Enigma as being “a bit of a chameleon” because it can display a wide array of flavors and aromas depending on how it is utilized. We combined copious amounts of Enigma with, more modest, amounts of Citra and Mosaic, to steer the profile toward tropical fruit and citrus. We only added hops in the whirlpool and in a multi-stage dry hop, to minimize bitterness and maximize their aromatic potential. This was combined with a grain bill composed of Murphy & Rude’s malted wheat, and tons of flaked oats, to produce a velvety, creamy body, and sweet honey cracker malt profile. The result is a beer with predominant notes of passion fruit and white pine, and more subtle tones of redcurrant and chamomile. Cowboy Couture has a soft round mouthfeel, and a bittersweet finish. 

Grains: Pilsner, Murphy & Rude Soft Red Wheat, Flaked Oats, Acid Malt
Hops: Enigma, Citra, Mosaic 

Yeast: Kveik

Other: none

Style: Czech Dark Lager     

ABV: 4.8    

IBU: 25    

Also known as Tmavé Pivo, Czech Dark Lagers are rich, malty, beers that pack a complex array of flavors into a smooth and incredibly easy drinking package. Our interpretation of the style has a sweet, nutty, aroma that combines bread crust and cocoa nibs with subdued spicy hops. It has a medium body, and creamy texture, that carries flavors of cold brew coffee, baker’s chocolate, and cola. Meanwhile background notes of dried dark fruit, pumpernickel, and vanilla add additional layers of malty flavors before eventually fading to a dry finish. 

Grains: Pilsner, Munich, Pilsner, Crystal, Murphy & Rude Cimmerian Wheat, Acid Malt
Hops: Saaz

Yeast: House Lager

Other: none

Style: White IPA    

ABV: 6.5    

IBU: 32     

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 

Other: none

Style: Danish Old Ale    

ABV: 9.2%   

IBU: 40    

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: Mixed Culture Farmhouse Ale 

ABV: 11.0    

IBU: 20    

This beer is a blend of a fresh, dark, Belgian inspired, Farmhouse Ale with a smaller portion of mature mixed culture beer that was aged in barrels for over two years. The fresher portion of the beer helps to temper the acidity and funkiness of the barrel aged portion, but still allows the complexity of the barrel aged portion to come through. The resulting beer is a varied blend of dark malt with mixed culture overtones and specific notes of tart cherry, dark chocolate, and baking spice. 

Grains: Vienna, Pilsner, Red Malt, Special B, Murphy & Rude 6-Row Pale, Murphy & Rude Malted Spelt, Epiphany Malted Wheat, Greater Richmond Grains Organic Raw Wheat, Murphy & Rude Soft Red Wheat, Murphy & Rude Belgian Amber Hops: Greenmont Mother, American Nobel Citra, American Nobel Simcoe, Nugget, House Aged Hersbrucker 

Yeast: “Resettle” Culture, “Slashes” Wild Culture, Brettanomyces bruxellensis, House Saison, Belgian Ale, Lactobacillus Blend

Other: Belgian Candi Syrup

Style: West Coast IPA    

ABV: 6.7    

IBU: 45   

Dolphin Dance is a West Coast IPA brewed with Murphy & Rude wheat and featuring Citra and Azacca hops. On the nose these hops come together to produce floral aromas of fresh citrus, pine needles, and orchard fruit. These same hops deliver flavors of citrus peel, pine, and grapefruit with subtle tropical notes in the background. The initial round body fades quickly into a pleasant lingering bitterness that accentuates a crisp profile.  

Grains: Pilsner, Murphy & Rude Soft Winter Wheat, Chit Malt, Acid Malt
Hops: Citra, Azacca

Yeast: House Ale

Other: none

Style: Doppelbock  

ABV: 7.0   

IBU: 20   

Doppelbock is a strong, rich, malty German style lager, that combines a full body with a clean and light finish, allowing for a fantastic combination of the flavors and mouthfeel of bigger beer, and the clean, dry, finish of a lighter lager. Our Doppelbock has a rich aroma of dark dried fruit, cocoa nibs, and toasted pumpernickel bread. Its flavor is sweet up front and displays malt forward notes of toasted oats, roasted nuts, and dark chocolate.   

Grains: Munich, Vienna, Honey Malt, Murphy & Rude Cimmerian Wheat, Acid Malt
Hops: Hallertau Mittelfrüh

Yeast: House Lager 

Other: none

Style: Dortmunder Lager   

ABV: 6.0%   

IBU: 25

Originally brewed for industrial workers in the city that lends this beer its name, Dortmunder Lagers are known for their smooth and rounded profile that balances bready malt with a mild hop character. To achieve this profile, we brewed ours with a blend of Murphy & Rude 6-Row Pale and German Pilsner malt before adding a generous addition of Elani hops, from Yakima Quality Hops. The aroma combines floral hops note of magnolia blossoms with a bready malt aroma that is lightly toasty. The flavor strikes a pleasant balance between mild malt sweetness and a subtle citrusy hop note. The body is mellow and smooth with a pleasant bitterness in the finish.   

Grains: Murphy & Rude 6-Row Pale, Pilsner, Murphy & Rude Munich 15, Acid Malt
Hops: Yakima Quality Hops Elani (previously known as YQH 1320)

Yeast: House Lager

Other: none

Style: Brett Saison 

ABV: 5.5%   

IBU: 30     

We brewed this Saison with a base of Murphy & Rude Virginia Pils and European malted spelt, before we open-fermented with a co-pitch of Saison yeast and our favorite isolate of Brettanomyces bruxellensis. After primary fermentation we dry hopped it generally with New Zealand Nectaron & Motueka. We then packaged it and allowed it to naturally carbonate and condition for almost 10 months before release.    

The resulting beer displays a fragrant sweet bouquet of dried pineapple, tropical smoothie, and peach candy. The flavor is more citrus leaning with pronounced notes of calamansi, fresh orange juice, and mild earthy brett funk. The body is soft and round, but is quickly cut by vigorous natural carbonation and a dry finish that highlights a mild refreshing tartness.  

Grains: Murphy & Rude Virginia Pils, Malted Spelt
Hops: Nectaron, Motueka, Hallertau Blanc 

Yeast: House Farmhouse Blend 

Other: Clear Belgian Candi Sugar

Style: Dry Irish Stout   

ABV: 4.5%    

IBU: 25    

Despite a dark color and flavorful roasty profile, Dry Irish Stouts are meant to be incredibly easy drinking and remarkably smooth. To achieve this we started with Murphy & Rude’s English Pale malt and added English Roasted Barley and Chocolate Malts. We then hopped it gently and fermented it with our preferred house ale strain. 

This produced a dark hued beer with an aroma of cold brew coffee, cocoa nibs, and roasted barley. The flavor is similar with a profile reminiscent of iced coffee, baker’s chocolate, and campfire toast. It has a creamy texture, soft round mouthfeel, and a mellow dry finish with a hint of roasty bitterness.     

Grains: Murphy & Rude English Pale, Flaked Oats, Roasted Barley, Chocolate Malt
Hops: American Nobel Simcoe

Yeast: House Ale

Other: none

Style: Maibock    

ABV: 6.5    

IBU: 20   

Our Earth to Beer Maibock is part of a national Earth Day beer campaign that raises funds for environmental organizations across the country. We worked with Shalom Farms, a nonprofit farm and food justice organization, to brew a lager with sweet potatoes and yarrow. We deeply admired their dedication to equitable and healthy food systems, and this project will help promote and raise funds for their mission and their work.

One of their two farms is located less than 10 miles down the road from our brewery, which is where we sourced the sweet potatoes and yarrow for this project. We roasted those sweet potatoes and mashed them with Murphy & Rude malts and organic raw wheat, from Greater Richmond Grains. The yarrow we dried, before adding it to the whirlpool along with Greenmont Mother hops from Greenmont Hopworks.

Sourcing in this way helps us to reduce our carbon footprint, both reducing the costs and environmental impact of shipping.  It also allows us to have a more direct relationship with the quality of the ingredients we work with, and allows us to support the community and businesses that call our region home. Beyond that, focusing on local and sustainable sourcing ensures that our beers are rooted deeply in a sense of place, and that they are a reflection of the farms and forests that surround our brewery.

The yarrow and sweet potatoes contribute rustic notes to their otherwise traditional Maibock, transforming this spring lager into an herbal and earthy expression of both ingredients. The aroma leads with yarrow derived notes of fresh sage and baked apples alongside malt tones of dried grass and graham cracker. The flavor of the beer is spicier, with upfront notes of allspice and ceylon cinnamon that fade into a rich sweet potato like earthiness. On the palate this beer is sweet at first, with a pleasant roundness, but restrained bitterness and natural carbonation combine to produce a refreshing dry finish. 

This beer is released as part of a national campaign called Earth To Beer. More than 35 breweries in over 20 states are participating by making specially packaged beer with environmentally responsible ingredients and by giving back to local environmental organizations that make Earth Day their every day.

Grains: Murphy & Rude Virginia Pils, Murphy & Rude Vienna, Murphy & Rude Munich, Greater Richmond Grains Organic Raw Wheat, Murphy & Rude Chocolate Wheat
Hops: Greenmont Hopworks, Greenmont Mother 

Yeast: House Lager 

Other: Shalom Farms Sweet Potatoes, Shalom Farms Yarrow

Style: West Coast IPA    

ABV: 6.5    

IBU: 50    

Hopped with Simcoe, Citra, and Strata, this West Coast style IPA features pungent aromas of citrus, tropical fruit, and pine. Its round mouthfeel is balanced by a dry, crisp, finish and an assertive but pleasant bitterness.  

Grains: Pilsner, Malted Wheat, Chit Malt, Acid Malt
Hops: Simcoe, Citra, Strata, Cryopop

Yeast: House Ale

Other: none

Style: English Brown Ale    

ABV: 5.2%    

IBU: 22    

English Brown Ales are often divided into two main groups, the Southern English Brown, also known as a London Brown, and the Northern English Brown. The Southern ones tend to be darker, sweeter, and lower gravity than their Northern counterparts. Ours is modeled after the drier, lighter hued, easy drinking Browns, from Northern England. We brewed it with a rich mix of Murphy & Rude English Pale and specialty malts, and hopped it moderately with Virginia grown Chinook hops from Greenmont Hopworks.

The result is a beer with a toasty, malty, aroma, with specific notes of roasted almonds, bread crust, and light caramel. The flavor is similar but also displays a hint of fruity yeast, alongside flavors of toasted biscuits, walnuts, and a hint of brown sugar. While medium bodied, and lightly carbonated, this beer has a refreshing, dry finish with just a hint of bitterness.

Grains: Murphy & Rude English Pale, Murphy & Rude Crystal 40, Murphy & Rude Brown Malt, Murphy & Rude Crimson Roast, Honey Malt

Hops: Greenmont Chinook, American Nobel Citra

Yeast: House Ale

Style: English Brown Porter    

ABV: 5.8%   

IBU: 25    

Porters originated in England as an evolution of the Brown Ales that were popular in the 1700s. They have changed over the years, but today English Porters still display more of their parentage than the American interpretation of the style. Our English Porter has a nutty aroma with highlights of light roast coffee and toasted biscuits. The aroma gives way to a flavor profile that is bready with notes of cocoa nib, roasted malt, and whole grain bread. The finish is dry and balanced by a pleasant bitterness, and restrained roastiness.

Grains: Murphy & Rude 6-Row Pale, Pale Malt, Murphy & Rude Crystal 40, Cara Munich 60, Chocolate Malt, Murphy & Rude Brown Malt, Roasted Barley
Hops: Nugget

Yeast: House Ale

Other: none

Style: Dark Mild  

ABV: 4.0%  

IBU: 10   

Our Dark Mild is a malt focused, session beer brewed with Murphy & Rude 6-Row Pale and a  blend of their specialty malts. It is designed to pay homage to traditional English brewing. The aroma is fruity and toasty, with hints of chestnut, caramel, and subtle plum. The flavor carries many similar notes, with specific flavors of biscuit, toffee and subdued cocoa nib. This profile is paired with a light body and low bitterness, which makes for a refreshing and flavorful beer with a mellow semi-sweet finish.

Grains: Murphy & Rude 6-Row Pale, Murphy & Rude Brown, Murphy & Rude Crystal 40, Honey Malt, Murphy & Rude Chocolate Wheat, Acid Malt
Hops: American Nobel Citra, Chinook

Yeast: House Ale 

Other: Maltodextrin

Style: Pilsner    

ABV: 5.2%    

IBU: 40    

We relied on the same traditional techniques, process, and fermentation that we utilize for Continental Pilsners but replaced the German grown hops with some of our favorite English varieties. The resulting beer still retains the familiar refreshing body and snappy finish of a classic Pilsner but with aromas and flavors that lean a bit more toward citrus, ripe fruit, and floral Spring meadows.   

Grains: Pilsner, Chit Malt, Honey Malt, Acid Malt
Hops: UK Golding, UK Challenger

Yeast: House Lager

Style: English Summer Ale    

ABV: 5.0%    

IBU: 22    

Originally brewed in the late 80s to compete with the rise in popularity of mass market lagers, English Summer Ales are highly drinkable well hopped golden ales meant to pair with hot days on English beaches. They are dry, crisp, and refreshing with a pleasant hop presence and enough malt to maintain a balanced profile. We brewed ours with a Murphy & Rude English Pale, Virginia Pils, and a touch of their Biscuit Malt. We balanced that against two of our favorite English hops: Challenger and East Kent Golding. We also allowed the whole batch to naturally carbonate, and condition, in order to produce lively but soft textured carbonation.

The aroma is a great display of the hop varieties we used, leading with candied lemon peel, spring flowers, and subtle hop spice. This is backed by malt aromas reminiscent of freshly baked bread. The flavor has a pleasant herbaceousness from the hops with more subtle tones of fresh pear and dried flowers that compliment notes of biscuit and straw. The body of this beer is very smooth, and the natural carbonation lends a pleasant creaminess, but it has enough restrained bitterness to ensure a dry snappy finish.              

Grains: Murphy & Rude English Pale, Murphy & Rude Virginia Pils, Murphy & Rude Biscuit Malt
Hops: East Kent Golding, Challenger

Yeast: House Ale

Other: none

Style: Pale Ale    

ABV: 5.2    

IBU: 32   

We combined Murphy & Rude’s 6-Row Pale with Ahhhroma hops to produce a hazy, hop forward Pale Ales with a round mouthfeel and a refreshing bitter accented finish. Ahhhroma has one of the highest volumes of aromatic oils found in American Aroma hops and an unusually high percentage of myrcene. The resulting beer has aromas of peach blossom, tropical fruit smoothies, and green papaya. The flavor has notes of tropical cocktails, white peach, and magnolia blossom, with subtle tones of coconut and nutmeg. It has a round easy drinking body that finishes crisply, with a welcomed dry, orange pith like bitterness.        

Grains: Murphy & Rude 6-Row Pale, Acid Malt
Hops: Ahhhroma

Yeast: Kveik

Other: none

Style: Extra Pale Ale    

ABV: 6.0%   

IBU: 45    

The term Extra Pale Ale has been used to mean a few different things over the years, but in our case, we use it to mean a Pale Ale that has a little extra ABV, and a bit more aggressive hopping. We aimed for a light-colored Pale Ale that we wanted to be crisp, hoppy, and quaffable. To do this we used an extra light colored German base malt and layered in Murphy & Rude Soft Red Wheat, for a bit of body, before hopping it aggressively with Mosaic and Chinook.

Pouring a beautiful light gold hue this Pale has an aroma that leads with notes of balsam pine, pomelo, and orange blossom. The flavor has some sweetness at first, but notes of pine resin, grapefruit peel, and subtle hop spice help to produce a pleasant pithy bitterness that accents its dry finish. 

Grains: Heidelberger, Murphy & Rude Soft Red Wheat, Acid Malt

Hops: Mosaic, Chinook 

Yeast: House Ale 

Other: none

Style: English Summer Ale  

ABV: 6.0%   

IBU: ?   

Virginia isn’t ideally suited for the cultivation of hops, so it is no small undertaking that we tend to a modest hop yard every year. Our climate, daylight hours, and soil aren’t quite right for them, but despite this we are able to get a reasonable harvest each season. This requires a significant investment of time and effort from many members of our team, and we are constantly learning and trying to improve our methods for cultivating them. On top of the difficulty of growing them, they also present a number of challenges to harvest and use. We pick them all by hand and work with them fresh from the field, meaning that we brew with them no more than 36 hours from when we pick them.    

Regardless of the work involved, we take pride in our hops, and the beers we brew with them. We feel that this process, like many of the ones we use in the production of our beers, helps to keep us firmly rooted in beer’s agricultural lineage, and it acts as a powerful reminder of the many hands that labor so that we are able to make beer. On top of all of this, we find that the Cascade that we grow has some unique nuances and is unlike Cascade grown anywhere else in the world. 

This Farmhouse Gold was brewed as a celebration, and showcase, of these hops. We modeled it after an English Summer Ale and brewed it with Virginia grown barley, malted by our friends at Murphy & Rude, in Charlottesville. It has a floral aroma, leading with honeysuckle and jasmine, that is balanced against bready malt tones. The flavor yields soft citrus notes, alongside dried flowers, freshly baked bread, and marmalade. On first sip, this beer is medium bodied and subtlety sweet but a pleasant bitterness and natural carbonation combine to produce a refreshing dry finish. 

Grains: Murphy & Rude 6-Row Pale, Murphy & Rude Virginia Pils, Murphy & Rude Biscuit Malt, Murphy & Rude Belgian Amber
Hops: Fine Creek Grown Fresh Cascade

Yeast: House Ale

Other: none

Style: Farmhouse Ale   

ABV: 6.2%   

IBU: 6   

This beer is meant to highlight our favorite elements of fresh Farmhouse ales. It combines our House Saison yeast with bright Cashmere hops and Murphy & Rude 6-Row Pale, to produce a lively refreshing beer. 

The aroma leads with lemongrass and tropical fruit before giving way to subdued fruity Belgian yeast. There are flavors of dried hay and ripe melon alongside lemon zest and a subtle spicy yeast character. The mouthfeel is round and soft at first, but robust natural carbonation and a dry finish combine to produce a snappy refreshing beer.

Grains: Murphy & Rude 6-Row Pale
Hops: Cashmere

Yeast: House Saison 

Other: none

Style: Kölsch    

ABV: 4.2    

IBU: ?

Virginia isn’t ideally suited for the cultivation of hops, so it is no small undertaking that we tend to a modest hop yard every year. Our climate, daylight hours, and soil aren’t quite right for them, but despite this we are able to get a reasonable harvest each season. This requires a significant investment of time and effort from many members of our team, and we are constantly learning and trying to improve our methods for cultivating them. On top of the difficulty of growing them, they also present a number of challenges to harvest and use. We pick them all by hand and work with them fresh from the field, meaning that we brew with them no more than 36 hours from when we pick them.    

Regardless of the work involved, we take pride in our hops, and the beers we brew with them. We feel that this process, like many of the ones we use in the production of our beers, helps to keep us firmly rooted in beer’s agricultural lineage, and it acts as a powerful reminder of the many hands that labor so that we are able to make beer. On top of all of this, we find that the Cascade that we grow has some unique nuances and is unlike Cascade grown anywhere else in the world. 

This Kölsch was brewed as a celebration, and showcase, of these hops. We brewed it with Virginia grown 6-Row barley, malted by our friends at Murphy & Rude, in Charlottesville. It has a floral aroma, leading with red clover and grape blossoms, that is balanced against malt tones of sun-dried hay and water crackers. The flavor yields mild citrus, alongside straw, dried flowers and green tea. The body is creamy and round with a lively natural carbonation, and a pleasantly bitter finish. 

Grains: Murphy & Rude 6-Row Pale
Hops: Fine Creek Grown Fresh Cascade

Yeast: House Ale  

Other: none

Style: Wheat Lager    

ABV: 4.8%    

IBU: ?    

Virginia isn’t ideally suited for the cultivation of hops, so it is no small undertaking that we tend to a modest hop yard every year. Our climate, daylight hours, and soil aren’t quite right for them, but despite this we are able to get a reasonable harvest each season. This requires a significant investment of time and effort from many members of our team, and we are constantly learning and trying to improve our methods for cultivating them. On top of the difficulty of growing them, they also present a number of challenges to harvest and use. We pick them all by hand and work with them fresh from the field, meaning that we brew with them no more than 24 hours from when we pick them.    

Regardless of the work involved, we take pride in our hops, and the beers we brew with them. We feel that this process, like many of the ones we use in the production of our beers, helps to keep us firmly rooted in beer’s agricultural lineage, and it acts as a powerful reminder of the many hands that labor so that we are able to make beer. On top of all of this, we find that the Cascade that we grow has some unique nuances and is unlike Cascade grown anywhere else in the world. 

This Farmhouse Lager was brewed as a celebration of these hops. We modeled it after a Wheat Lager and brewed it with Virginia grown barley and wheat, malted by our friends at Murphy & Rude, in Charlottesville. It has a floral aroma, leading with hydrangea and lilac, that is balanced against notes of bread dough and unripe pear. The flavor begins with a mild sweetness and displays freshly baked bread, citrus blossom, and sun-dried hay. Wheat is known for its contributions to the texture of beer, and that is no exception in this lager, where it contributes a round creamy mouthfeel that fades into a pleasantly dry finish with just a hint of refreshing bitterness. 

Grains: Murphy & Rude Virginia Pils, Murphy & Rude Soft Red Wheat, Munich, Acid

Hops: Fine Creek Grown Fresh Cascade

Yeast: House Lager

Style: Pale Lager    

ABV: 5.2%    

IBU: 20  

Fonio is the oldest cultivated grain in Africa. In addition to being highly nutritious and having a great taste, it also germinates quickly, can be harvested in as little as six weeks, is drought resistant, has minimal resource requirements, and can be stored for longer than most grains. Despite all of this, In recent years it has been heavily underutilized in favor of imported crops that are more expensive, don't grow as well, and don’t provide the same level of food security. By brewing with fonio we help to support small-scale growers and create a more viable market for this ancient grain. Fonio also has great potential as an ingredient in beer, it's easy to work with, and process for brewing, and it contributes to silky rounded mouthfeel as well as a subtle fruity and nutty profile.

In order to showcase this grain, we opted to brew a very straightforward pale lager that we hopped with Virginia grown Cascade from Greenmont Hopworks. The aroma is light and floral with notes of white bread, jasmine rice, and lychee. The flavor is a blend of water cracker and straw with subtle white grape and floral tropical fruit. The fonio contributes a pleasant softness to this light bodied lager, but it doesn’t prevent it from having a dry refreshing finish.

Grains: Pilsner, Fonio, Acid Malt

Hops: Greenmont Hopworks Cascade

Yeast: House Lager

Other: none

Style: Lager    

ABV: 4.5%    

IBU: 10    

This lager was brewed with Murphy & Rude 6-Row Pale and Buena Vista malted corn. We hopped it lightly with Greenmont Mother hops from Greenmont Hopworks, but what makes this lager so unique is that during whirlpool we also added a massive addition of foraged hardy oranges. Trifoliate oranges, or hardy oranges, are small golf ball sized oranges that are covered in a soft fuzz. They are firm, resinous, full of seeds, and known for their bitter flavor. The trees that they grow on are covered in viscous looking thorns, and are notoriously hardy and prolific. For these reasons it would surprise most people familiar with them to find out that they make such a welcomed addition to beer, but they lend an amazing blend of citrus notes.

The resulting beer has a fragrant citrus forward aroma with specific notes of pomelo, bergamot, and yuzu. The flavor is similar with a dominant white grapefruit and mandarin orange profile, but crisp notes of straw and water crackers linger in the background. The addition of corn helps to produce an elegant, light, body and a mild citrus-pith like bitterness helps to produce a refreshing finish. 

Grains: Murphy & Rude 6-Row Pale, Murphy & Rude Malted Corn: Buena Vista
Hops: Greenmont Hopworks, Greenmont Mother

Yeast: House Lager 

Other: Foraged Hardy Oranges

Style: IPA    

ABV: 7.2    

IBU: 50      

We love the smell of fresh pine needles and hoped to capture some of that in this IPA by brewing it with over 40 pounds of Virginia and Loblolly pine tips. We combined this pine with malts from Murphy & Rude and Virginia grown Chinook hops from Greenmont Hopworks.

Pine tips like these can add a wide range of flavors and aromas that go beyond just pine, often mimicking many of the notes we expect to come from hops, making them an excellent addition to this otherwise traditional IPA. The Virginia Pine we used displays more on the aroma, showcasing a distinct citrus character alongside fruity hops. The Loblolly brings more earthy, resiny, notes to the flavor and a minor herbal note to the finish.

Grains: Pilsner, Murphy & Rude Soft Red Wheat, Murphy & Rude 6-Row Pale, Murphy & Rude Cimmerian Wheat, Acid Malt

Hops: Greenmont Chinook, Mosaic, Simcoe

Yeast: House Ale

Other: Foraged Virginia Pine Tips, Foraged Loblolly Pine Tips

Style: Double IPA    

ABV: 8.5    

IBU: 9    

Hopped primarily with Idaho 7, Gamma Garden is a unique Double IPA that displays elements of both modern and traditional IPAs. The aroma is heady and dank with pronounced notes of juicy tropical fruit, orange zest, and resiny pine. The palate is rich with tones of apricot, papaya, black tea, and grapefruit. Fruity yeast esters support and enhance the hop character while a pronounced bitterness cuts the fuller body.

Grains: Pilsner, Flaked Oats, Acid Malt

Hops: Idaho 7, Cryo Pop, Citra, Mosaic

Yeast: Kveik

Other: Maltodextrin

Style: American Golden Ale    

ABV: 5.6     

IBU: 18     

We brewed our Golden Ale entirely with Murphy & Rude Virginia Pils malt and delicately hopped it with Cascade hops. This combination of ingredients, along with a cooler than usual fermentation, produced a round bodied beer with an almost lager-like finish, that is clean and crisp. The aroma is floral with notes of fresh dough, white bread, and sundried hay. The flavor leads with a minor malt sweetness, reminiscent of biscuits, but gives way to subtle notes of straw and citrus.

Grains: Murphy & Rude Virginia Pils
Hops: Cascade

Yeast: House Ale

Other: None

Style: Graf    

ABV: 4.4%    

IBU: 12    

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: Pilsner  

ABV: 5.2%    

IBU: 30    

A big part of what makes this Pilsner unique is that the hops used to make it weren’t just grown locally; they were found growing wild at Greenmont Hopworks. Genetically, the hops are completely American, lacking the European parentage common in most hops grown in North America. The bines grow longer than most commercial varieties, are more resistant to mildew, and harvest later in the season because they've adapted to our soil and weather. To showcase these Greenmont Mother hops we made a straight forward Pilsner with a base of Murphy & Rude Virginia Pils malt. The combination of ingredients in this style allows the subtlety and nuances of both ingredients to be on full display.  

The aroma is a beautiful blend of ripe bartlett pear alongside freesia blossoms and more subtle notes of sweetgrass and straw. Meanwhile, the flavor leads with herbal and spicy hop notes that giveaway to dried hay and jasmine-like flora tones. Overall, the flavor and aroma are well balanced, with a dry finish and enough mellow bitterness to accent it.

Grains: Murphy & Rude Virginia Pils, Chit, Honey Malt

Hops: Greenmont Hopworks Greenmont Mother, Greenmont Hopworks Chinook

Yeast: House Lager

Style: Grisette    

ABV: 5.0%    

IBU: 2  

To produce this beer, we conditioned a blend of two batches of mixed culture Grisette with a massive addition of red grape skins from our friends at Blenheim Vineyards. The grapes had been pressed for use in Blenheim’s Rosé, and were a blend of Malbec & Merlot. Traditionally red wines are fermented and/or conditioned on the skins, but Rosé is unique because it is produced with very minimal skin contact. This means that when we produce beers with grapes that have been pressed for Rosé, they take on a lot more color, tannins, flavor, and structure from conditioning with those skins.

As a result, this Grisette pours a deep reddish purple and has an expressive tart aroma of red currants, raspberries, and lingonberries. Despite the sharp aroma, the flavor is rounder and is a mix of plum, red wine, and tart cherry. The culture delivers a subtle acidity that pairs beautifully with red wine like tannins, and a more subdued minerality, to produce an easy drinking tart beer with layers of red berry notes.    

Grains: Murphy & Rude 6-Row Pale, Murphy & Rude English Pale, Murphy & Rude Soft Red Wheat

Hops: House Aged Hersbrucker

Yeast: “Slashes” Wild Culture from Ashland, VA, House Saison

Other: Blenheim Vineyards Rosé red grape skins: Malbec & Merlot

Style: Helles Lager    

ABV: 4.5    

IBU: 25    

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 

Other: none

Style: Double West Coast IPA    

ABV: 8.0    

IBU: 45    

Hello Nasty combines Idaho 7, Cashmere, and Centennial hops to produce a Double IPA with sweet aromas of candied orange, citrus zest, and fresh spruce tips. The flavor is citrus forward with notes of orange, lychee, and citron. These hop flavors are carried by sweet and clean malt tones that give the beer a full and semisweet body but the hops provide enough bitterness to remain refreshing and easy drinking. 

Grains: Pilsner, Flaked Wheat, Caramalt, Acid Malt
Hops: Idaho 7, Cashmere, Centennial 

Yeast: House Ale

Style: Hazy IPA    

ABV: 6.8    

IBU: 13    

Holtzman Effect was brewed with a combination of New Zealand Nelson Sauvin and Australian Vic Secret hops. Together they deliver striking and pronounced elements of passionfruit, pineapple, key lime, white peach, and red berries. This incredible aroma and flavor is paired with minimal bitterness and a soft full body, thanks to a generous addition of Murphy & Rude Soft Red Wheat. 

Grains: Pilsner, Murphy & Rude Soft Red Wheat, Flaked Oats, Acid Malt
Hops: Nelson Sauvin, Vic Secret

Yeast: Kviek 

Other: None

Style: Saison    

ABV: 5.3%    

IBU: 30    

Featuring Murphy & Rude malted spelt and German Saphir hops, our House Saison is a classic interpretation of the style. It has an aromatic bouquet that is floral and fruity with faint tones of white peppercorn and sundried hay. It is dry with a subtle bitterness that helps to elevate flavors of unripe pear and bread dough. The spelt contributes to a soft texture which is paired with a lively carbonation producing a round and refreshing beer.

Grains: Pilsner, Murphy & Rude Malted Spelt, Acid Malt  
Hops: Saphir, Nugget 

Yeast: House Saison

Other: none

Style: Imperial Belgian Wit   

ABV: 7.0%    

IBU: 20  

We love Belgian-style Witbier, it is a style that is flavorful yet refreshing and creamy textured but dry. It allows Wits to be well suited to many meals and occasions. For this project we wanted to maintain all of those qualities, but push the ABV beyond the normal range.

We built this recipe with Murphy & Rude Malted Soft Red Wheat and Greater Richmond Grains Raw Wheat. We kept the grist ratios the same, but drastically increased the quantities and used a traditional low-pressure fermentation to reduce sulfur production and increase fruity esters.

The resulting beer has a classic clove forward aroma, with notes of rising dough and cracked wheat. The flavor is much fruitier, displaying sweet lemon and orange alongside whole wheat flour, and guava. The wheat in this beer contributes a creamy medium body, but the natural carbonation provides a dry finish with a hint of effervescent tartness. 

Grains: Pilsner, Murphy & Rude Soft Red Wheat, Greater Richmond Grains Organic Raw Wheat, Acid Malt
Hops: Nugget

Yeast: Wit 

Other: Orange Peel, Lemon Peel, Coriander

Style: Kalja    

ABV: 4.7%    

IBU: 25    

Our Kalja is modeled after an ancient Finnish farmhouse ale that was brewed for daily consumption. The tradition of this table beer varied widely based on where specifically it was brewed, but generally it was a dark, rye forward beer, with a hint of sweetness and a subtle char. To replicate this, we brewed ours with a base of nutty, sweet, English Pale, a generous portion of subtly spicy Abruzzi Rye, and a few specialty malts to give it a bit of roasty sweetness. All of these Virginia grown and malted grains we sourced from Murphy & Rude in Charlottesville. Finally, we fermented this beer with a fruit forward strain of Farmhouse yeast before allowing it to naturally carbonate and condition.  

This combination of malt and yeast produces a fruit forward aroma of black currant, plum, and blackberry. The flavor is also fruit forward, but with malt notes of toasty graham cracker and roasted sunflower seeds that intermingle with sweet apple and hints of rye spice. There is a mild sweetness and medium body but both are balanced by a robust, but creamy textured natural carbonation. 

Grains: Murphy & Rude English Pale, Murphy & Rude Abruzzi Rye, Murphy & Rude Brown Malt, Murphy & Rude Crystal 260

Hops: American Noble Simcoe

Yeast: Kveik

Style: Kentucky Common    

ABV: 4.8%    

IBU: 15    

Originating in the mid 1800s around the area of Louisville, Kentucky Common is another American style of beer that represents Old World brewers attempting to adapt to North American conditions. It combines protein rich 6-row barley, in our case from Murphy & Rude, with one of America’s most abundant crops: corn. The corn in our version is a combination of malted Bloody Butcher and Buena Vista, from Murphy & Rude, with Blue Clarage Cornmeal from Deep Roots Milling. 

In addition to 6-Row and corn, this style also relies on darker malts, both to produce a slight toasty profile, and to help balance the alkaline water of Kentucky. For our version we used Murphy & Rude Cimmerian Wheat as well as some of their Crystal 40. Keeping with tradition we also hopped this beer with rustic American hops, in our case Chinook from Greenmont Hopworks. 

The aroma is biscuity with highlights of toasted sunflower seeds, woodsy hops, and fresh corn tortillas. The flavor is slightly nutty, with notes of fresh straw, cornbread, and subdued hops. The overall profile is balanced and crisp with a pleasant bitterness and spritzy natural carbonation that helps to dry out the finish.    

Grains: Murphy & Rude 6-Row Pale, Murphy & Rude Malted Corn (blend of Bloody Butcher & Buena Vista), Deep Roots Milling Blue Clarage Cornmeal, Murphy & Rude Crystal 40, Murphy & Rude Cimmerian Wheat
Hops: Greenmont Hopworks Chinook

Yeast: House Ale

Other: none

Style: Kölsch 

ABV: 4.8   

IBU: 25   

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 

Other: none

Style: Experimental Lager    

ABV: 6.0%    

IBU: 22    

This lager displays an unexpected white wine like profile, akin to a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. It may then be surprising to learn that it was brewed with a significant addition of Virginia Cabernet Sauvignon Grape Skins, from Blenheim Vineyards. This transformation of flavor and aroma, from red wine grapes to white wine flavors and aromas, was a result of fermenting this lager with a very unique strain of yeast, that has an enhanced ability to biotransform compounds found in malt, hops, and even grapes. 

The specific compounds this yeast is able to release are called thiols, and while they are highly aromatic, they often exist only as inaccessible precursors, but this strain of lager yeast, and others like it, were specifically developed to unlock thiol precursors. This allows us to access these compounds and produce a beer with a unique profile, unlike we have ever brewed before. The aroma has citrusy notes of guinep and grapefruit, alongside the distinct profile of an aggressive New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. The flavor is similar, displaying passion flower alongside guava, and more white wine notes, but without the usual acidity. Instead the profile is round, full of the creamy effervescence of natural carbonation, with a dry lager-like finish, accented by a snappy bitterness. 

Grains: Pilsner, Murphy & Rude 6-Row Pale, Murphy & Rude Chit
Hops: Hallertau Blanc

Yeast: Lunar Crush, Thiolized Lager Strain

Other: Blenheim Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Grape Skins

Style: Pale Ale    

ABV: 5.0%    

IBU:

This hazy pale ale was brewed with one of the first hop cultivars bred and grown by Great Lake Hops: Michigan Copper. We used a base of Murphy & Rude 6-Row Pale malt for a soft texture, and rustic straw and cracker notes, which provides a great contrast to the floral and citrus notes of this unique hop. The Michigan Copper lends aromas of black currant, hibiscus, and ponderosa lemon. The flavor has a more pronounced white grapefruit character, with background notes of cherry blossom and tangerine. While initially round bodied there is a noticeable citrus pith like bitterness that lends the beer a dry finish.

Grains: Murphy & Rude 6-Row Pale, Pilsner, Acid Malt

Hops: Michigan Copper

Yeast: Kveik

Style: Gose    

ABV: 5.5    

IBU: 1     

The combination of salt and coriander in a traditional Gose produces a mildly tart beer with a bright citrus character and a slight tingly, mouthwatering quality. We love these elements from this style but prefer the rounder and more complex character that a mixed culture delivers, so we brewed a beer that combines our house wild culture, caught near our head brewer’s home, with Virginia grown and malted grains to produce our take on a traditional Gose. 

The grist is built on a base of Murphy & Rude 6-Row Pale and their malted Soft Red Wheat. We added fresh ground coriander, Mediterranean Sea Salt, and, our own house aged, Hersbrucker hops to produce a traditional Gose wort. Which fermented and conditioned with our wild culture for 12 months before packaging. After packaging we gave the beer another 5 months to naturally carbonate and condition. This process produced a highly carbonated, tart, and fruity wheat ale, with pronounced citrusy coriander and restrained salinity. While having very minimal bitterness the salinity and acidity contribute to a refreshing light body and provide balance against the moderate bready malt character. 

Grains: Murphy & Rude 6-Row Pale, Murphy & Rude Soft Red Wheat
Hops: House Aged Hersbrucker

Yeast: “Slashes” Wild Culture from Ashland, VA

Other: Fresh Ground Coriander, Mediterranean Sea Salt, Sweet Orange Peel

Style: Gose    

ABV: 5.6    

IBU: 10     

We do our best to make good use of the limited space we have for growing fruit, and after several years of tending to our trees and brambles we finally had a large enough crop to make a beer with them. While we grow many different things, our blackberries and plums tend to be the most bountiful, and their complementary flavors made them a natural addition to our mixed culture Gose.

The base Gose was brewed with Murphy & Rude barley and organic raw wheat, grown just down the road, from Greater Richmond Grains. It was fermented with our wild-caught culture, before being aged for just over six months in oak. After this aging we then conditioned it on over 300 pounds of Fine Creek grown blackberries and plums. Like all of our mixed culture beers, we then packaged it and allowed it to naturally carbonate and condition in bottles and kegs. 

The finished beer has a fruity aroma of fresh plums, grape skins, and blackberry blossoms. The flavor is sour with specific notes of tart wild blackberries, green plums, and freshly squeezed lemon juice. While there is a juice-like texture to the body of this beer, the level of acidity, and subtle tannins from the blackberries, make it feel much lighter, and dry out the finish considerably, producing a tart, refreshing profile with subtle fruit notes throughout. 

Grains: Murphy & Rude 6-Row Pale, Greater Richmond Grains Raw Organic Wheat, Murphy & Rude Virginia Pils, Flaked Wheat

Hops: House Aged Hersbrucker, American Nobel Citra, El Dorado

Yeast: “Slashes” Wild Culture from Ashland, VA, Belgian Ale Yeast 

Other: Fine Creek Grown Blackberries, Plums, Figs, Blueberries, & Cherries, Fresh Ground Coriander, Mediterranean Sea Salt, Sweet Orange Peel 

Style: Mixed Fermentation Saison    

ABV: 7.2    

IBU: 16     

This project began by blending the acidity of an all stainless fermented Sour Gold with a Brett forward Saison that had been aged in Blenheim Petit Verdot Barrels for two years. This blend was then conditioned on freshly pressed Chardonnay grape skins from Blenheim Vineyards for six months. The resulting beer is an expressive display of white wine notes with a delicate light tartness and a pleasant fruit forward Brett character.

The aroma leads with juicy white grapes followed by fresh apple blossoms, and fruity tones of dried pear. The flavor has a restrained acidity and Brett character that allow for a more white wine forward profile, with specific notes of lemon zest, ripe cantaloupe, and tart apple. The body of this beer is light, with minimal bitterness, and a pleasant dry finish, with a hint of lingering fruit. 

Grains: Murphy & Rude Virginia Pils, Murphy & Rude 6-Row Pale, Epiphany Malted Triticale, Murphy & Rude Biscuit

Hops: Taiheke, Motueka, Southern Cross, Kohatu, Moutere, House Aged Hersbrucker

Yeast: House Saison, “Slashes” Wild Culture from Ashland, VA, Brett Blend

Other: Blenheim Vineyards Chardonnay Grape Skins

Style: Historical Beer: Strong Ale    

ABV: 8.0%    

IBU: 54    

We brewed this Strong Ale, inspired by historical records from Monticello, in collaboration with Crazy Rooster. It is part of the Virginia Craft Brewers Guild’s Revolutionary Brews program, celebrating VA250.

To make this beer we made a hop tea with Greenmont Hopworks Crystal hops that were boiled for two hours. The process of boiling the hops ahead of the mash was fairly common for the time, and both records from Monticello, as well as the brewing books Jefferson kept, recommended this technique. We then used that hop tea as our mash liquor, combining it with a grist of Murphy & Rude 6-Row, Soft Red Wheat, & Malted Buena Vista Yellow Corn, before sending it to tank, and fermenting it with English Ale yeast from RVA Yeast Labs.

At the time 6-Row was the most common type of barley being grown in Virginia. In Jefferson’s own words, the inclusion of wheat and corn was commonplace for the beers of Monticello "as we do not raise barley." To determine the amount of malt to use, we relied on additional records. In a letter, Jefferson proposed that beer should be brewed with 1 bushel of malt for every 8-10 gallons of beer, and he even goes a step further to suggest that “public breweries” who used less malt "makes their liquor meagre and often vapid." Surprisingly a bushel of malt hasn't changed in size since that time period. We followed that ration on our system, which worked out to needing a bit north of 300# for a 3bbl batch, which yields a fairly strong beer: 8.0% ABV.

While the beer coming out of Monticello was regarded as exceptional, Jefferson was not the brewer there. Originally, he employed Joseph Miller, an English sea captain and brewer, but the main brewer at Monticello, and the individual who deserves credit for the quality of the beer being made at the estate was Peter Hemings. Hemings was an enslaved cook, tailor, and master brewer. His talent as a brewer was great enough that on several occasions Jefferson encouraged others to send people to train under him to learn the trade. Despite this, Hemings would not gain his freedom until he was in late fifties, after Jefferson’s death.

The resulting beer is sweet and fruity, with aromas of dried figs and plums, blending with grain-driven notes of straw and cornbread. The flavor is similarly sweet, leaning with malty notes of toasted biscuits and pastries, alongside a fruity character reminiscent of candied orange peel. A traditionally low carbonation level, and sweet leaning profile lends the perception of a fuller body, but there is enough mellow bitterness to produce a balanced drier finish.  

Grains: Murphy & Rude 6-Row Pale, Murphy & Rude Buena Vista Yellow Corn, Murphy & Rude Soft Red Wheat, Murphy & Rude Melanoidin

Hops: Greenmont Hopworks Crystal

Yeast: RVA Yeast Labs Manchester Ale

Style: Pale Ale    

ABV: 5.0    

IBU: 30   

El Dorado is a versatile and expressive hop that has long been a favorite of our team. It plays a significant role in a number of our IPAs and has found its way into a couple of our mixed culture projects, but until now we had never made a beer that allowed it to stand on its own. So, when we thought about a hop for our next Pale Ale, we knew it was time to showcase El Dorado.

Our series of mildly hazy, hop forward Pale Ales, rely on Murphy & Rude’s 6-Row Pale to produce the desired round mouthfeel we want while also delivering notes of clean hay and water crackers, providing a beautiful background malt tone that highlights El Dorado’s fruit forward profile. The combination produces a beer with notes of mandarin orange, sweet citrus, and fresh fruit salad. It has a round easy drinking body that finishes crisply, with a welcomed dry bitterness.        

Grains: Murphy & Rude 6-Row Pale, Acid Malt

Hops: El Dorado

Yeast: Kveik

Other: none

Style: Pale Ale   

ABV: 5.4   

IBU: 32   

When Murphy & Rude released a 6-Row Pale Malt we immediately knew that we wanted to build a recipe around it. The row, in 6-Row, refers to the number of barley kernel rows that grow on the seed head of a barley stalk. Most craft brewers work with 2-Row barley, but 6-Row barley’s higher protein content, and more rustic flavor, make it a fantastic malt to work with for certain projects; and its higher disease resistance and better yields often make it more attractive for barley farmers. 

We wanted to produce a mildly hazy, hop-forward, Pale Ale, and the increased protein helped to produce the desired mouthfeel while the notes of clean hay and light cracker provided a beautiful background malt tone for Mosaic hops. The combination produces a beer with notes of citrus, pine, and exotic fruit. It has a round easy drinking body that finishes cleanly with a crisp and growing bitterness.  

Grains: Murphy & Rude 6-Row Pale, Acid Malt

Hops: Mosaic

Yeast: Kveik

Other: none

Style: Pale Ale    

ABV: 5.0    

IBU: 22 

Yakima Quality Hops is our source for many of the hops that we use in our beers. When we found out that they were releasing an experimental hop variety, YQH-1320, we knew that we wanted to showcase it by brewing another Pale Ale with Murphy & Rude’s 6-Row Pale malt. We cherish this malt for its flavors of pastry dough and fresh hay, as well as its ability to deliver a round body and mild haze that works perfectly for our Pale Ales. 

YQH-1320 has a diverse aroma and unique profile that really stands out against some of the other varieties we have tried in our Pales. Upfront the aroma is dominated by topical leaning notes of green pineapple, but citrus aromas of sweet orange and white grapefruit are also apparent. The flavor profile is distinct from the aroma; there are hints of Meyer Lemon and melon alongside a distinctly floral note reminiscent of magnolia blossoms and rose petals. The round body of this Pale is accompanied by a subdued bitterness and a dry finish.    

Grains: Murphy & Rude 6-Row Pale, Acid Malt

Hops: YQH-1320

Yeast: Kveik

Other: none

Style: Pale Ale    

ABV: 5.0    

IBU: 32   

Nelson Sauvin is one of the most unique and sought after hops to come out of New Zealand. It is known for its distinct fruity profile, and its ability to deliver a very pleasant, mild, bitterness. We combined it with our favorite base malt, Murphy & Rude’s 6-Row Pale, to produce a hazy, hop forward Pale Ale with a round mouthfeel and a refreshing, bitter accented, finish. 

The aroma is a delightful blend of crushed white grapes, candied grapefruit, and fresh white pine, but it also has subtle hints of passion fruit and tropical spices. The flavor delivers the classic gooseberry forward profile that has made this hop famous, alongside notes of papaya, lime zest, and New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. Murphy & Rude’s 6-Row Pale provides a round easy drinking body but the beer still finishes crisply, with a welcomed dry, lime pith like bitterness.        

Grains: Murphy & Rude 6-Row Pale, Acid Malt

Hops: Nelson Sauvin

Yeast: Kveik

Other: none

Style: Hazy IPA    

ABV: 7.0%    

IBU: 13    

We brewed Neon Windbreaker with generous additions of flaked oats and wheat to give it a soft round mouthfeel. This is combined with a punchy hop profile, delivered by Cryo Pop hops, with supporting notes from Citra and El Dorado. 

These hops produce a tropical aroma of fresh pineapple and lime sherbet with sweeter notes of peach gummies in the background. On first sip, this IPA has sweet notes of ripe papaya and orange, but this quickly fades into pine resin and a grapefruit bitterness that produces a drying finish. 

Grains: Pilsner, Flaked Oats, Flaked Wheat, Chit Malt, Acid Malt

Hops: Cryo Pop, Citra, El Dorado  

Yeast: Kveik

Other: None

Style: New Zealand Pilsner    

ABV: 4.8%    

IBU: 40

This year we decided to revisit this recipe and brew a Pilsner with New Zealand hops that is truer to the origins of the style, and allows for a harmonious blend of German Pilsen Malt and New Zealand grown hops. In years past our New Zealand Pilsners have tended toward an aggressive hop presence that didn’t reflect the delicate balance inherent to Pilsners, and our hope with this recipe is to rectify that. 

The aroma leads with fresh flowers and gentle notes of lemon and lime. On first sip this beer is round bodied with a bready sweetness, but a pronounced, and balanced, bitterness cuts the mouthfeel and allows for a crisp finish. The flavor is intermingled with malt tones of wheat cracker and fresh bread alongside hops tones of dried citrus peel and subtle pine and spice. 

Grains: Pilsner, Murphy & Rude Chit Malt, Honey Malt, Acid Malt

Hops: Taiheke, Nelson Sauvin

Yeast: German Lager

Other: none

Style: Norwegian Farmhouse Ale   

ABV: 6.8%   

IBU: 10   

This beer was inspired by the Farmhouse brewing traditions of Norway and in collaboration with our friends at Nost Brewing Project. It started with us collecting juniper berries from the trees around our brewery, and juniper boughs from a patch of woods just down the road. The boughs were steeped in hot water producing a “juniper tea” that we combined with a blend of Murphy & Rude malts, and Epiphany Triticale to produce a rich amber hued wort. We then added additions of Greenmont Mother hops and juniper berries, before fermenting it hot with our favorite Kveik yeast. After a rapid fermentation we gave it time to condition and naturally carbonate.

The resulting beer is a great display of the wide range of flavors and aroma that brewing with juniper can achieve. The aroma leads with fruity notes of dried blackberries and soft pine resin, with herbal hints of fresh rosemary and dried dill. The flavor is equally fruit forward, displaying notes of pome fruit and mixed berries that give way to rustic toasted malts and sweet juniper. The medium body and gentle natural carbonation give it a creamy texture and sweet leaning flavor that fades into a pleasantly dry finish with lingering hints of botanical gin. 

Grains: Murphy & Rude 6-Row Pale, Murphy & Rude Vienna, Epiphany Malted Triticale, Murphy & Rude Crystal Malt

Hops: Greenmont Hopworks, Greenmont Mother

Yeast: Kveik

Other: Juniper Boughs, Juniper Berries (Juniperus virginiana) A note on this, some people call this Eastern Red Cedar, it is not actually cedar but instead is a variety of juniper native to our region.

Style: Norwegian Farmhouse Ale   

ABV: 4.0%   

IBU: 15   

We have done a pretty deep dive into the Farmhouse brewing traditions of Northern Europe. After brewing many beers following these traditions we have finally decided to brew one that isn't an homage to a specific style, but still follows in the footsteps of their brewing ethos. We are calling it a Norwegian Table Beer. We brewed it with hand-gathered local juniper boughs, as well as Virginia grown barley and wheat from Murphy & Rude, before fermenting it with our preferred strain of Norwegian Kveik yeast.

The result is an approachable and refreshing Farmhouse Ale, that still retains many of the elements we love from these brewing traditions. The aroma is herbal and woodsy, thanks to the use of juniper branches, with specific notes of fresh dill, pine wood, and dried lemon. The flavor is floral and citrusy with notes of botanical gin, orange zest, and green tea. This beer has a light body and a dry finish with woody tannins and hint of bitterness.  

Grains: Murphy & Rude Virginia Pils, Murphy & Rude Soft White Wheat, Murphy & Rude Chit

Hops: Chinook

Yeast: Kveik

Other: Juniper Boughs (Juniperus virginiana) A note on this, some people call this Eastern Red Cedar, it is not actually cedar but instead is a variety of juniper native to our region.

Style: Helles Lager    

ABV: 5.0    

IBU: 25    

We love the contribution that oak can give to beer, but often it is blended with many other elements, and it can become difficult to notice the subtle elegance that oak can contribute. With this project we aim to allow the oak to take center stage, by aging a slightly stronger version of our Helles Lager, for over a month, on medium toast American oak spirals. This process contributed a massive oak presence to this otherwise traditional Southern German lager, and presents a delicious demonstration of what oak can do.

The rich bready aroma of this lager is transformed into a robust display of freshly sawed oak, with more subtle hints of vanilla and dried coconut. The flavor is lightly fruity, with honed tones of toasted bread and light roast coffee. The oak contributes some tannins which creates a greater dryness in the finish, but despite a light body, the structure of the beer feels rounder and displays a greater sweetness overall. This combined with a restrained bitterness makes for an incredibly easy drinking, but oak forward, beer.

Grains: Pilsner, Chit Malt, Honey Malt, Acid Malt

Hops: Hallertauer Mittelfrüh

Yeast: House Lager 

Other: Medium Toast American Oak Spirals

Style: Oatmeal Stout    

ABV: 5.0    

IBU: 20    

Oatmeal Stouts are a marriage of very dark and roasty malts with the complementary, creamy, and nutty flavors of oats. Our version of the style is a mildly sweet full-bodied ale with aromas of baker’s cocoa, black coffee, and granola. While the aromas have some hints of bitterness, the flavor of this beer expresses these notes in a much sweeter way, with layers of milk chocolate, iced latte, and oatmeal cookies. The end result is a velvety, dark, malty ale with a creamy texture and expressive oat character.

Grains: Vienna, Flaked Oats, Murphy & Rude Bakers Cocoa, Roasted Barley, Murphy & Rude Crystal Malt, Murphy & Rude Chocolate Wheat

Hops: American Nobel Citra

Yeast: House Ale

Style: Märzen     

ABV: 6.0     

IBU: 25 

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

Other: None

Style: West Coast IPA     

ABV: 7.0     

IBU: 50     

Origin of Birds is a West Coast IPA that showcases Falconer’s Flight hops, which are a Yakima Chief proprietary blend of hops created to honor and support the legacy of Northwest brewing legend, Glen Hay Falconer. We combined this blend with Mosaic, to produce an IPA that has a distinct fruity aroma with notes of candied orange, and flavors of sweet grapefruit, fresh pine needles, and orange zest. While it maintains the drier finish and the refreshing character of a traditional West Coast IPA, we brewed this beer to have a slightly rounded body, and less bitterness, yielding a bright easy drinking beer with plenty of hop character. 

Grains: Pilsner, Vienna, Malted Wheat, Acid Malt

Hops: Falconer’s Flight, Mosaic

Yeast: House Ale 

Other: none

Style: Mixed Fermentation Saison    

ABV: 6.5%    

IBU: 22    

We are very fortunate that the creek that gives our brewery its name also happens to be an amazing habitat for pawpaw trees. During the peak of pawpaw season, you can actually smell the fruit before you see them, parts of the forests around our creek develop a heady aroma of overripe tropical fruit, notes of brown bananas and funky mango linger in the summer air. Despite an abundance of trees, individual seasons can be fickle, but recently we were lucky enough to get just over 200 pounds of pawpaws. To compliment them, we combined them with a Saison that we brewed entirely with Virginia grown ingredients: Murphy & Rude Virginia Pils and Greenmont Hopworks Crystal hops. 

The saison was open fermented in Blenheim Vineyards wine barrels for 3 months with our House Saison yeast. It was then conditioned on pawpaws for 4 months. In addition to imbuing the beer with much of their unique character, this also introduced the wild culture of microbes living on the pawpaws. This culture produced acidity, and many of the characteristics you might expect from some of our Wild Ales. Finally, we conditioned this beer in bottles and kegs for 6 months with one of our favorite isolates of Brettanomyces.   

The aroma is funky and tropical with a nose that is reminiscent of muscadine skin, white wine, cherimoya, and green mango. The flavor presents a balanced mild acidity, and floral profile, that showcases a blend of honeydew melon, unripe pear, and kiwi. The body is light and accompanied by a pleasant rounding carbonation that gives way to a dry finish accented by tannins. 

Grains: Murphy & Rude Virginia Pils

Hops: Greenmont Hopworks Crystal

Yeast: House Saison, Wild Culture From Pawpaws, Brettanomyces bruxellensis

Other: Wild Pawpaws

Style: Mixed Fermentation Saison    

ABV: 7.2%    

IBU: 30    

We are very fortunate that the creek that gives our brewery its name also happens to be an amazing habitat for pawpaw trees. During the peak of pawpaw season, you can actually smell the fruit before you see them, parts of the forests around our creek develop a heady aroma of overripe tropical fruit, notes of brown bananas and funky mango linger in the summer air. Despite an abundance of trees, individual seasons can be fickle, but recently we were lucky enough to get our biggest harvest ever: 370 pounds of pawpaws. To compliment them, we conditioned them on a blend of Saison and Belgian Tripel.

The blend was conditioned on pawpaws for 3 months. In addition to imbuing the beer with much of their unique character, this also introduced the wild culture of microbes living on the pawpaws. This culture produced acidity, and many of the characteristics you might expect from some of our Wild Ales. Finally, we conditioned this beer in bottles and kegs for 6 months with one of our favorite isolates of Brettanomyces.   

The aroma is funky and tropical with a nose that is reminiscent of cherimoya, green mango, and caramelized pineapple. The flavor is tart up front, and leads with tropical flavors of papaya and pineapple, that give way to fresh lemon and melon rind. The body is light and accompanied by a pleasant rounding carbonation that accents its dry finish. 

Grains: Murphy & Rude Virginia Pils, Murphy & Rude 6-Row Pale, Malted Spelt, Flaked Wheat, Chit Malt, Acid Malt 

Hops: Taiheke, El Dorado, Moutere, Southern Cross, Kohatu, Motueka

Yeast: House Saison, Belgian Ale, Wild Culture From Pawpaws, Brettanomyces bruxellensis

Other: Wild Pawpaws, Belgian Clear Candi Syrup

Style: Barrel Aged Sour Ale    

ABV: 7.7%    

IBU: 2    

We are very fortunate that the creek that gives our brewery its name also happens to be an amazing habitat for pawpaw trees. During the peak of pawpaw season, you can actually smell the fruit before you see them, parts of the forests around our creek develop a heady aroma of overripe tropical fruit, notes of brown bananas and funky mango linger in the summer air. Despite an abundance of trees, individual seasons can be fickle, and our last harvest was on the leaner side, just over 100# of fruit, so for this year’s batch we decided to make a smaller volume of beer so that we could keep the fruit presence strong. We managed to hit a ratio of 3# of pawpaws for every gallon of beer we produced.  

 We took this year’s batch in a tarter direction, and conditioned a barrel aged Golden Sour on the pawpaws for 3 months. In addition to imbuing the beer with much of their unique character, this also introduced the wild culture of microbes living on the pawpaws. This culture added additional layers of acidity, and many of the characteristics you might expect from some of our Wild Ales. To lean into this further we decided to go with a very low level of carbonation, an approach akin to how some of our favorite traditional Belgian Sours are presented.    

 This choice produces a beer with an amazingly juicy texture that is combined with an aromatic pawpaw forward aroma and sour, but clean finishing, flavor.  The aroma is funky and tropical specific notes of tart pineapple, sweet cantaloupe, and overripe mango. The flavor is tart up front, and leads with freshly squeezed lemon juice, before layering in tropical tones of calamansi and passion fruit. The medium body and juicy texture quickly give way to a pleasantly dry finish.

Grains: Murphy & Rude 6-Row Pale, Murphy & Rude Malted Rye, Murphy & Rude Crystal 260

Hops: House Aged Hersbrucker

Yeast: “Slashes” Wild Culture, Wild Culture From Pawpaws

Other: Wild Pawpaws

Style:  IPA    

ABV: 6.0%    

IBU: 42    

Brewed in collaboration with Upweller Beer Company and Inspired by Piney Grove Preserve. Longleaf pine needles gathered from Piney Grove—the northern front for initiatives to restore the South's signature forest—enhance the hoppy nuances of this India Pale Ale.          

Grains: Murphy & Rude Virginia Pils
Hops: Cascade, Mosaic

Yeast: Kveik 

Other: Foraged Longleaf Pine

Style: Pre-Prohibition Lager  

ABV: 5.8 

IBU: 35 

Per-Prohibition lagers were first created by German immigrant brewers attempting to adapt Old World brewing techniques to New World ingredients. At the time it was hard to get ahold of the traditional two-row barley used for malt, which wasn’t well adapted for growing conditions in America. Meanwhile six-row barley was proving to be better suited to the climate. Six-Row is noted for having higher protein levels and higher enzyme content, meaning it is better at converting starch into fermentable sugars. To take advantage of those enzymes, and to reduce the additional protein, these brewers turned to a cereal grain that was more abundant in North America: corn. They still relied on cold fermenting lager yeast and traditional brewing methods, but many had to adapt their hop choices. While some still worked with European varieties, they were expensive to import, so more brewers began to turn toward North American grown hops.

Our version is adapted from a historical recipe from 1912. We remained as true to that recipe as possible, relying on its hopping rates, process, alcohol content, and ratio of corn to six-row. We utilized Murphy & Rude’s 6-Row Pale, a massive addition of their malted heirloom Bloody Butcher Corn, and Chinook hops grown by Greenmont Hopworks in Charlottesville, VA. The result is a clean refreshing pale lager with a grainy malt profile and bitter crisp finish. The two unique malts we utilized add subtle notes of water cracker, straw, and freshly shucked corn, while Greenmont’s Chinook hops add light floral notes of melon rind and subtle citrus. At first the beer is malt forward with a mild bready sweetness, but it then finishes with a pleasant noticeable bitterness and dry crispness. 

Grains: Murphy & Rude 6-Row Pale, Murphy & Rude Bloody Butcher Corn

Hops: Greenmont Chinook

Yeast: House Lager

Other: none

Style: New Zealand IPA    

ABV: 6.8    

IBU: 50    

Prince of Parties has always been a celebration of New Zealand hops, but for the first time we chose to model this recipe after a West Coast IPA. We felt that a more neutral yeast profile, and a snappy bitter finish, would better showcase what makes hops grown in New Zealand unique. The resulting beer does not disappoint, and the specific hops notes are much more distinct.

The aroma is a blend of fruity and citrus hops with notes of dried limes, Valencia orange, and subtle tropical fruit. The flavor has a hint of sweetness up front but slowly fades into a pithy bitterness and dry finish, transitioning from candied lime to white grape and eventually finishing with bitter and citrusy grapefruit juice.

Grains: Pilsner, Acid Malt 

Hops: Moutere, Nelson Sauvin, Motueka, Taiheke 

Yeast: House Ale

Other: none

Style: IPA    

ABV: 7.5    

IBU: 12    

Raygun Gothic is a showcase of Azacca hops which deliver pronounced aromas and flavors of candied pineapple, ripe mango, and pine. This is combined with a round mouthfeel, and medium body, that help to emphasize the character of the hops. Brewed with a large portion of Murphy & Rude Malted Wheat, there is a noticeable sweetness, that highlights bready notes of graham cracker and subtle yeast driven notes of apricot. The finish has a welcomed drying hop bite and mellow bitterness.  

Grains: Pilsner, Murphy & Rude Malted Wheat, Flaked Wheat, Flaked Oats, Acid Malt

Hops: Azacca, Citra, El Dorado

Yeast: Kveik

Other: Maltodextrin

Style: American Pale Ale    

ABV: 5.0%    

IBU: 38   

From time to time we find ourselves yearning for the classic character of a more traditional Pale Ale. The kind of Pale Ale that has a biscuity malt backbone with just a hint of caramel, and enough bitterness to keep it from being sweet. It is for this nostalgia that we brewed this Retro Pale Ale.

It has an aroma reminiscent of fresh pine needles, grapefruit zest, and sweet shortbread. The flavor combines resiny, spicy, hops with richer malt tones and a bright upfront bitterness that mellows toward the finish. 

Grains: Murphy & Rude 6-Row Pale, Vienna, Caramel Malt, Acid Malt

Hops: Simcoe, Chinook, Citra

Yeast: Kveik

Other: none

Style: International Pale Lager   

ABV: 4.8%   

IBU: 18  

We brewed our rice lager with a base of Murphy & Rude Virginia Pils and aromatic Jasmine Rice. Rice lightens the body and color of beers brewed with it, contributing a pronounced crisp, dry, and refreshing profile that is ideal for a pale lager. The result is a delicate lager with notes of toasted rice and water cracker, alongside a pleasant citrus hop note from Motueka. Our Rice Lager is light bodied with a very dry, and moderately bitter, finish.

Grains: Murphy & Rude Virginia Pils, Jasmine Rice, Acid Malt

Hops: Motueka

Yeast: House Lager

Other: none

Style: West Coast IPA    

ABV: 6.6%   

IBU: 45    

Pouring a beautiful light copper hue, Richness of Martens is brewed to be a classic take on West Coast IPA. Hopped with a combination of Mosaic and Chinook, this IPA has an aroma that leads with notes of balsam pine, pomelo, and orange blossom. The flavor has some sweetness at first, but notes of candied orange peel and Asian pear soon give way to sappy mountain pine and a grapefruit-like bitterness that accents its dry finish. 

Grains: Pilsner, Flaked Wheat, Flaked Oats, Crystal, Acid Malt

Hops: Mosaic, Chinook 

Yeast: House Ale 

Other: none

Style: Rye Lager    

ABV: 5.0%    

IBU: 35    

Rye is so commonly paired with darker malts that many folks seem to think that the two are related. The reality is that rye adds an array of unique flavors, aromas, and textural elements that do not have to be paired with richer dark malts. We brewed this light hued lager with a healthy amount of Murphy & Rude’s malted Rye to help illustrate what we love about rye, and to show what it is capable of on its own. 

The resulting beer has mild aromas of soda cracker and toasted seeds alongside a pleasant fruitiness from Mosaic hops. The flavor brings our more traditional rye spice character, but also showcases the pleasant clean earthiness that rye can deliver. The malted rye also allows this dry lager to have a full, almost slick, mouthfeel which is balanced with a refreshing bitterness and a crisp snappy finish. 

Grains: Pilsner, Murphy & Rude Abruzzi Rye Malt, Flaked Rye, Acid Malt

Hops: Mosaic

Yeast: House Lager 

Other: none

Style: IPA    

ABV: 7.3    

IBU: 10    

Protoscience is predominantly hopped with El Dorado which lends this IPA a sweet aroma and a fruit forward flavor. The aroma leads with notes of tropical fruit smoothies, cherry lifesavers, and peach gummies. The flavor has similar sweet tones of ripe tropical fruit and fresh summer melon, but with a pleasant orange pith bitterness. While the mouthfeel is round and full the other elements keep the composition in harmony and allow the beer to finish with a touch of drying bitterness. 

Grains: Pilsner, Murphy & Rude Malted Wheat, Flaked Oats, Chit Malt, Acid Malt

Hops: El Dorado, Mosaic, Citra, Cryopop

Yeast: Kveik

Other: none

Style: Roggenbier    

ABV: 6.0%  

IBU: 15  

This year the Virginia Craft Brewers Guild launched an all–new Professional–Amateur (Pro-Am) collaboration category for the 2026 Virginia Craft Beer Cup. The goal of this category is to showcase the innovative spirit and shared talent of Virginia’s breweries and homebrewers. In celebration of this new category, we brewed this collaboration with Mike Drago, a talented home brewer and Fine Creek regular who had previously won a medal for his Roggenbier in the 2024 Dominion Cup.

Roggenbier is akin to a dark Hefeweizen but brewed with rye rather than wheat. This produces a beer with a round body, mild dark malt tones, some pleasant rye spice, and a refreshing finish that is accented by yeast forward notes of banana and clove. Drago’s recipe is true to style and combines traditional German malts and rye, with Hefeweizen yeast, which we sourced from RVA Yeast labs.

The resulting beer has an aroma that blends rye spice, subtle vanilla, and clove with fruit forward notes of pear and banana. The flavor displays a wider range of malt, with notes of toasted pumpernickel, Tellicherry peppercorns, and whole wheat biscuits mingling with fruity and spicy supporting yeast notes. While initially greeting the palate with a fruity round body, the finish is dry and refreshing with a hint of noble hop spice and mild bitterness.  

Grains: Munich, Malted Rye, Pale, Caramel Malts, Roasted Malts

Hops: Styrian Golding Celeia

Yeast: RVA Yeast Labs 401 Hefeweizen I

Style: Rotbier    

ABV: 5.8    

IBU: 28  

Rotbier, in German, simply means red beer, but it generally refers to a lesser known lager that derives its amber, to red, hue entirely from malted barley. This style is closely associated with the city where it originated: Nuremberg. Traditionally it is known for having a rich malt profile with notes of toasted bread, caramel, and biscuit. This is paired with a mild hop character that helps to create a clean and crisp finish. Our interpretation of this style has all of those elements, owing its color and semi sweet body to a blend of German Malts and Murphy & Rude’s Belgian Amber. To this we added German noble hops, before fermenting it with our preferred house lager strain. The result is a refreshing and easy drinking lager with a malt forward flavor and a floral and spicy hop aroma.

Grains: Pilsner, Red Malt, Murphy & Rude Belgian Amber, Crystal Malt

Hops: Hallertau Mittelfrüh

Yeast: House Lager

Other: none

Style: Schwarzbier     

ABV: 5.0    

IBU: 25    

Our Schwarzbier combines the refreshing and smooth profile of a lager with dark roasted malt tones. Its toasty and nutty aroma has highlights of baker’s chocolate and cocoa nibs, while its flavor combines toast pumpernickel with cold brewed coffee and rich dark chocolate. The combination produces a beer that has characteristics of dark malt but with medium body, mild bitterness, and smooth finish.

Grains: Vienna, Munich, Pilsner, Murphy & Rude Chocolate Wheat, Speciality Roasted Malt, Acid Malt

Hops: American Noble Citra, Nugget

Yeast: House Lager

Other: none

Style: Black IPA    

ABV: 7.5    

IBU: 42  

Shadow Crop is a Black IPA that is intended to represent the harmonious merging of roasty dark malts and pungent hops. A combination of Columbus and Chinook deliver an aroma that is dank and woody with top notes of pine resin and black currant. Behind this Murphy & Rude specialty malts layer in tones of cold brew coffee and hints of char. The flavor is robust and leads with grapefruit, but also showcases earthy, spicy, notes and a restrained black coffee character. While there is a medium body, it is blanched against a dry finish that showcases a growing bitterness and light roasty tones.

Grains: Vienna, Flaked Rye, Murphy & Rude Crystal 40, Chocolate Malt, Black Malt, Murphy & Rude Cimmerian Wheat

Hops: Columbus, Chinook, Simcoe, Mosaic

Yeast: House Ale

Style: Triple IPA    

ABV: 10.6%    

IBU: 60    

Our objective for this project was to push the limits of balance and drinkability for an IPA as far as we could take them. The result is a beer well over 10% ABV, that has enough malty richness to balance a pronounced bitterness and big hop forward profile. It has a sweet aroma that plays earthy pine against candied golden raisins and citrusy grapefruit peel. While rich, the flavor is less sweet, with notes of sappy pine resin, dried apricot, and strawberry jam. It has a full-bodied mouthfeel with a mellowing natural carbonation, and smooth texture. The finish has a pronounced drying bitterness and a pleasant hint of warming alcohol.          

Grains: Pilsner, Vienna, Crystal Malt, Acid Malt

Hops: Strata, Chinook, Cascade, Cryopop 

Yeast: House Ale

Other: Dextrose

Style: Norwegian Farmhouse Ale   

ABV: 6.0%   

IBU: 15   

This beer is based on Stjørdalsøl, an old Norwegian farmhouse style that has seen many changes over the years. It is generally a malt forward beer brewed with smoked grains, these few common elements tie the history of the style together but otherwise it has been adapted and changed by brewers working with what they had on hand and what they knew. The last beer in this style we made featured juniper, but we have been eager to brew one that allowed the interplay between Kveik yeast and smoked malt to take center stage. 

Instead, we turned our focus toward traditional Norwegian malting which is produced in a unique building, called a såinnhus. These buildings have a wooden frame in them with small holes drilled into it. These holes allow the heat from a fire below to dry the malt, but they also allow that fire’s smoke to swirl around the grain and infuse it with flavor and aroma. This process produces darker malts with lots of sweet smoky character that comes from the alderwood traditionally burned in their fires. To mimic that character, we started with Murphy & Rude Virginia Pils and combined it with beech, applewood, and cherrywood smoked malts, as well as a few crystal malts.

The resulting beer has a robust fruity profile displaying both Kveik yeast and smoked malt. It is jammy with notes of ripe dark fruit alongside a gentle smoke character reminiscent of a campfire. Despite some sweetness the finish is dry with a lingering note that alternates between subtle smoke and sweet roasted fruit. 

Grains: Murphy & Rude Virginia Pils, Beech Smoked Malt, Cherrywood Smoked Malt, Applewood Smoked Malt, Crystal Malt, Acid Malt

Hops: Elixir

Yeast: Kveik

Other: None

Style: Norwegian Farmhouse Ale   

ABV: 6.0%   

IBU: 15   

We have made a few different versions of Norwegian Stjørdalsøl, a style that balances smoked malts against fruit forward yeast. Every time we have felt that the introduction of Brett would make for an incredibly flavorful and interesting beer, so when we decided to brew the latest interpretation of this style, we knew we had to pull a portion of it aside to condition with one of our favorite isolates of Brettanomyces bruxellensis. 

The base beer is built on a grist of Murphy & Rude Virginia Pils with generous additions of beech, applewood, and cherrywood smoked malts, as well as a few crystal malts. It underwent primary fermentation with Kveik yeast, but conditioning this beer with Brett transformed its profile into something internally unique.

The aroma is fruity and smoky with funky barnyard notes of late summer pastures, and worn leather. The flavor displays a mild tartness, alongside a goaty brett character that adds some spice notes to the fruitiness of the profile, which ranges from dark fruit jam to apple butter. While the smoke is still present it is no longer at the forefront of the flavor. Despite the initial perception of some sweetness, this beer finishes incredibly dry with lingering notes of sweet roasted fruit and Brett funk. 

Grains: Murphy & Rude Virginia Pils, Beech Smoked Malt, Cherrywood Smoked Malt, Applewood Smoked Malt, Crystal Malt, Acid Malt

Hops: Elixir

Yeast: Kveik, Brettanomyces bruxellensis

Other: None

Style: Norwegian Farmhouse Ale  

ABV: 9.0%    

IBU: 20    

This beer was inspired by the Farmhouse brewing traditions of Norway and brewed in collaboration with our friends at the Wish You Were Beer Show, a live weekly craft beer show that you can catch every Thursday on YouTube.

Vossaøl is an old Norwegian farmhouse style that is traditionally brewed with juniper and pale colored malt, but boiled for a prolonged period of time to produce a mild sweetness and unique smokey profile. We brewed ours with a combination of Murphy & Rude Alderwood Smoked Pale and Virginia Pils before boiling it for four hours. For flavor we also added freshly harvested juniper boughs, as well as Greenmont Mother hops from Greenmont Hopworks.

The result is a truly unique marriage of unlikely elements that provides layers of complexity. The aroma is a boisterous blend of fruity black currant, herbal juniper, and woody alderwood smoke. The flavor has waves of juniper boughs, roasted apples, and burning oak logs alongside a semi sweet malt profile of freshly baked bread. Despite some sweetness up front, the finish is dry with a lingering note that alternates between subtle smoke and juniper.  

Grains: Murphy & Rude Alderwood Smoked Pale, Murphy & Rude Virginia Pils

Hops: Greenmont Hopworks, Greenmont Mother

Yeast: Kveik

Other: Juniper Boughs (Juniperus virginiana) A note on this, some people call this Eastern Red Cedar, it is not actually cedar but instead is a variety of juniper native to our region.

Style: South African Pilsner    

ABV: 5.2%    

IBU: 42  

This Pilsner showcases two newer hops from South Africa: Southern Tropic and Southern Sublime. South Africa has a very unique hop growing region that combines a very short daylight period with a unique coastal mountain geography. These features help to create hops with an expressive terroir. 

In the beer these hops produce aromas of mandarin orange, dried flowers, and straw. The flavor is grassier, displaying notes of orange pith and unripe grape. This Pilsner is well-attenuated with a dry body and crisp bitter finish.

Grains: Pilsner, Chit Malt, Honey Malt, Acid Malt

Hops: Southern Tropic, Southern Sublime

Yeast: House Lager

Other: None

Style: Kölsch    

ABV: 5.5    

IBU: 25    

In the understory of the forest, that crowds the banks of Fine Creek, grows an abundance of native aromatic shrubs known as spicebush. While all parts of the plant lend unique flavors and aromas, we chose to use the more delicate green leaves for this project. We paired them with one of our favorite easy drinking beer styles, to allow their unique character to shine through.

The aroma of this beer is dominated by the spicebush leaves and is a refreshing mix of allspice, dried lemon peel, and apple butter. The flavor allows more of the Kölsch character to come through, providing a bready malt background to notes of lemongrass and pink peppercorn. Natural carbonation lends this beer a soft, yet well attenuated palate, and while there is minimal bitterness, it still has a crisp, refreshing, finish.  

Grains: Pilsner, Vienna, Chit Malt, Honey Malt, Acid Malt

Hops: American Nobel Citra

Yeast: Fresh Spicebush Leaves

Style: Table Beer    

ABV: 4.2    

IBU: ?    

Virginia isn’t ideally suited for the cultivation of hops, so it is no small undertaking that we tend to a modest hop yard every year. Our climate, daylight hours, and soil aren’t quite right for them, but despite this we are able to get a reasonable harvest each season. This requires a significant investment of time and effort from many members of our team, and we are constantly learning and trying to improve our methods for cultivating them. On top of the difficulty of growing them, they also present a number of challenges to harvest and use. We pick them all by hand and work with them fresh from the field, meaning that we brew with them no more than 36 hours from when we pick them.    

Regardless of the work involved, we take pride in our hops, and the beers we brew with them. We feel that this process, like many of the ones we use in the production of our beers, helps to keep us firmly rooted in beer’s agricultural lineage, and it acts as a powerful reminder of the many hands that labor so that we are able to make beer. Moreover, we find that the Cascade that we grow has some unique nuances and is unlike Cascade grown anywhere else in the world. 

This Table Beer, conditioned with Brett, is intended as a celebration, and showcase, of these hops. We brewed it with Virginia grown 6-Row barley, malted by our friends at Murphy & Rude, in Charlottesville. It has a funky aroma with white wine like notes and hints of citrus zest and sun-dried hay. The flavor yields a profile of ripe white grapes, water cracker, and ruby red grapefruit, alongside subtle funky Brett tones. The body is light and dry with a robust natural carbonation, and a pleasantly bitter finish. 

Grains: Murphy & Rude 6-Row Pale

Hops: Fine Creek Grown Fresh Cascade

Yeast: House Ale, Brettanomyces bruxellensis

Other: none

Style: Hazy IPA    

ABV: 6.6    

IBU: 10    

The Art of Noises was designed to showcase Strata, the first hop variety to be released out of Indie Hops’ hop development program. Strata brings waves of different flavors and aromas, ranging from tropical fruit and citrus to subtle dank tones, and fresh fruit salad. We layered these notes on to a mildly sweet malt profile built on Murphy & Rude’s 6-Row Pale and Malted Wheat. The expressive yeast used also makes itself known with peach and apricot notes throughout. All of this is presented with a soft round mouthfeel, and a bittersweet finish.

Grains: Pilsner, Murphy & Rude 6-Row Pale, Murphy & Rude Malted Wheat, Flaked Oats, Acid Malt

Hops: Strata, Citra, El Dorado

Yeast: Kveik

Other: none

Style: IPA      

ABV: 7.5       

IBU: 9      

Tricknology is a hop forward IPA primarily hopped with Azacca and Mosaic. It smells strongly of both tropical and orchard fruit with a ripe mango note throughout. The flavor is more citrus forward, tasting of orange juice, ripe pineapple, and subtle pine. Its soft mouthfeel is owed to a high percentage of oats and wheat but the hops provide enough bitterness to leave the beer with balance. 

Grains: Pilsner, Murphy & Rude Malted Wheat, Flaked Oats, Flaked Wheat, Chit Malt, Acid Malt,

Hops: Azacca, Cashmere, Citra, Mosaic  

Yeast: Kveik

Other: none

Style: Brown Ale    

ABV: 6.0    

IBU: 30    

Turf & Twig is a dark semi-sweet brown ale that leans toward the darker side of the style. The aroma is nutty with notes of baker’s cocoa, toffee, and pumpernickel bread. The flavor has a rich maltiness that highlights nutty, bready, grains and subtle roasted tones. The medium body fades to a clean finish with just a hint of sweetness. 

Grains: Pale Malt, Munich, Murphy & Rude Brown Malt, Honey Malt, Chocolate Malt, Crystal Malt, Acid Malt

Hops: Nugget 

Yeast: House Ale

Other: None

Style: Lager    

ABV: 6.7    

IBU: ?   

This robust lager was brewed with Murphy & Rude Virginia Pils and Biscuit malts, as well as freshly harvested Cascade hops from Greenmont Hopworks in Esmont, Virginia. Fresh hops retain a lot more of their moisture content, which is why they are sometimes called wet hops; they also display more of the unique character of their local growing region. They aren’t always more expressive, but they tend to be far more nuanced and unique. 

The fresh, Virginia grown, Cascade used in this lager lends a floral aroma, with highlights of jasmine and orange blossom, as well as malt driven notes of dried straw and fresh biscuits. The flavor is similar, but a bit richer, with bready notes of shortbread, chamomile tea, and dried sweetgrass. Upfront this lager has a bit of sweetness, but it quickly mellows to a smooth, clean, and dry finish with minimal bitterness.  

Grains: Murphy & Rude Virginia Pils, Murphy & Rude Biscuit Malt

Wet Hops: Greenmont Hopworks Cascade

Yeast: House Lager 

Other: none

Style: Saison    

ABV: 6.0    

IBU: ?   

We made this Saison exclusively with ingredients from Virginia. The mash was a blend of Murphy & Rude barley and spelt, as well as Greater Richmond Grains Organic Raw Wheat. We then hopped it with freshly harvested Comet hops grown by L&M Farms, located just down the road in Powhatan, Virginia. Fresh hops retain a lot more of their moisture content, which is why they are sometimes called wet hops; they also display more of the unique character of their local growing region. Finally we fermented it with Ghost Ale yeast from RVA Yeast Labs, before giving it time to condition and naturally condition.  

The fresh, Virginia grown, Comet used in this Saison lends a floral aroma, with highlights of clover and honeysuckle, as well as malt driven notes of fresh hay and melon rind. The flavor is more fruit-forward with notes of dried peaches and citrus zest alongside peppery yeast drive spice. The spelt and raw wheat soften the otherwise dry and light body of this beer, and a mild bitterness helps to create a snappy finish. 

Grains: Murphy & Rude Virginia Pils, Murphy & Rude Malted Spelt, Greater Richmond Grains Organic Raw Wheat

Wet Hops: L&M Farms Comet

Yeast: RVA Yeast Labs, Ghost Ale

Other: none

Style: Vienna Lager     

ABV: 5.0   

IBU: 25   

Our Vienna Lager is a bready display of smooth malt tones and subtle German hops. While we brew many beers that embrace balance and tradition, this lager exemplifies that approach. It has a sweet leaning rich malt tone but with a fairly dry and crisp finish that is elevated by floral hop notes. It displays a profile full of fresh biscuits, toast, and nutty multigrain bread. It leans toward caramel but with a much more restrained sweetness that allows its medium body to be balanced by subdued bitterness and a dry finish.

Grains: Vienna, Chit Malt, Acid Malt

Hops: Hallertau Mittelfrüh

Yeast: House Lager

Other: none

Style: Historical Beer: Small Beer

ABV: 2.8%

IBU: 15 ‍ ‍

In celebration of VA250 , and as part of the Virginia Craft Brewers Guild Revolutionary Brews program, we brewed a historically inspired beer based on George Washington’s 1757 recipe for small beer.

Much of the history of brewing in the colonial period involves folks having to be fairly innovative, because they didn’t have more traditional brewing ingredients on hand. The original recipe for Washington’s Small Beer is a good example of this innovation. It is a molasses beer, flavored with hops and brewed with wheat bran, it contains no malted grains and relies primarily on molasses as its source of sugar.

Fortunately for us we do have access to malt, so for our version we used malt as our primary sugar source and added locally grown, pressed, and boiled Sorghum Molasses from Bear Bottom Farm for flavor and aroma. Keeping to the original recipe, we still brewed it with wheat bran, and flavored it with an early addition of VA grown hops from Greenmont Hopworks.

In choosing the malt to use, we still wanted something that felt historically accurate, so we turned to historical records from that time period. Records mentioned that bere barley was being grown in VA for use in brewing and distilling. Colonial Americans mainly grew bere barely, a hardy 6-Row variety, because it was suited for cold climates and poor soil. The tradition of brewing with 6-Row is still alive in America and we were fortunate to be able to use Murphy & Rude 6-Row Pale Malt as the base malt for this recipe, but the pale color and lighter flavor of this malt wasn’t true to the brewing traditions of the time. “Brown” malt was still the predominant base malt being used in the colonies, so we added some additional Murphy & Rude specialty malts to try to reproduce that profile

The resulting beer is a refreshing small beer with fruity aromas of crushed red apples, multigrain toast and buckwheat honey. The flavor is similar, leading with toasted biscuits and sundried straw before giving way to freshly pressed cider. While very light bodied, a mild natural carbonation gives some fullness to the palate before shifting to a pleasantly dry finish.

Grains: Murphy & Rude 6-Row Pale, Murphy & Rude Brown Malt, Murphy & Rude Melanoidin, Wheat Bran

Hops: Greenmont Hopworks Crystal

Yeast: House Ale

Other: Bear Bottom Farms Sorghum Molasses

Style: IPA    

ABV: 7.0    

IBU: 8    

Vitalism is a hazy IPA dry hopped with Mosaic and Cashmere. Combined these two hops produce a bright aroma of tropical fruit, with notes of freshly cut papaya and peach nectar. The flavor carries some of these fruity tropical tones but also introduces bergamot, citrus zest, and mild floral notes. Vitalism has a medium body and a round mouthfeel that is paired with enough bitterness to avoid feeling too rich.      

Grains: Pilsner, Flaked Oats, Flaked Wheat, Chit Malt, Acid Malt

Hops: Mosaic, Cashmere, Cryopop  

Yeast: Kveik

Other: none

Style: West Coast Pilsner    

ABV: 5.8%    

IBU: 45    

West Coast Pilsner combines the technique, process, and ingredients of two styles, to produce a beer with the crispness of a Pilsner and the hop intensity of a West Coast IPA. To brew ours we combined equal parts European Pilsner malt and Murphy & Rude English Pale. We then hopped it aggressively with a blend of Citra, Vista, and El Dorado and fermented with our preferred House Lager yeast. 

The resulting beer has a fruity, hop forward, aroma of mandarin orange, ripe pear, and lemon zest. Past the hop notes, softer malt tones of toasted pretzel and fresh bread support the aromatics of the beer. The flavor displays specific fruity notes of ripe honeydew, floral lychee, and Asian pear. There is an orange pith like bitterness, but it slowly mellows, as the beer dries on the palate, producing a crisp snappy finish.      

Grains: Murphy & Rude English Pale, Pilsner, Murphy & Rude Chit Malt, Acid Malt

Hops: Citra, Vista, El Dorado

Yeast: House Lager

Other: None

Style: Lager    

ABV: 5.0%    

IBU: 20    

The main flavors and aromas associated with wheat, such as in a Witbier or Hefeweizen, are actually yeast driven, so wheat rarely gets an opportunity to to be the showcase of a beer, without being overpowered by other elements. Our objective with this lager was to give wheat an opportunity to take center stage by pairing it with clean fermenting yeast, and a simple recipe. We chose Virginia grown, and malted, Soft Red Wheat, from Murphy & Rude, and paired it with Virgina grown Greenmont Mother hops to produce a simple lager with a robust wheat-forward profile. 

The aroma leads with flour and biscuit dough, with more subtle notes of lilac and dried lemon peel in the background. The flavor is a mix of toasted baguette and sun dried hay, alongside delicate orange blossom and a subtle hop spice. Wheat is known for its contributions to the texture of beer, and that is no exception in this lager, it contributes a round creamy mouthfeel that fades into a pleasantly dry finish with just a hint of refreshing bitterness. 

Grains: Pilsner, Murphy & Rude Soft Red Wheat, Munich, Acid

Hops: Greenmont Hopworks, Greenmont Mother

Yeast: House Lager

Other: None

Style: Wheatwine   

ABV: 11.8%    

IBU: 30    

This uniquely American style was created with the goal of replacing the hop forwardness of English Barleywine with a more fruit forward yeast presence, and a lighter color. Ours is a strong, malt forward ale brewed with a massive amount of Murphy & Rude Soft Red Wheat. It has pronounced fruity aromas of candied pineapples, fresh glazed pastries, and cooked cherries. Its rich sweet body has notes of caramel, peach, and honey. The beer finishes with an ample sweetness that is balanced by a subtle warmth and a soft carbonation.

Grains: Pale, Murphy & Rude Soft Red Wheat, Murphy & Rude CaraMel Light, Honey Malt, Acid Malt

Hops: Alora, American Noble Citra

Yeast: House Ale

Other: Dry Malt Extract, Maltodextrin 

Style: Brett Saison     

ABV: 5.5   

IBU: 30   

This Saison was made with the intention of highlighting what we like so much about Brettanomyces. It was brewed with a blend of Murphy and Rude 6-Row Pale and Malted Wheat, as well as a generous addition of Mountain House Wildflower Honey. We open fermented it with our preferred house Saison yeast and then transferred it to Blenheim Vineyards’ Petit Verdot Barrels. There we introduced our favorite isolate of Brettanomyces bruxellensis, which produces a restrained funk alongside subtle citrus and tropical notes. We rested the beer in those barrels for nine months before packaging it and allowing it to naturally condition for another eight months.

This process produced a beer with a delicate profile that is both approachable and complex. The aroma is a funky blend of white grape, rambutan, and dried lemon. The flavor is Brett forward, with notes of leather and fresh hay, as well as light citrusy tones of yuzu and citron. At first the body of this beer is round but that quickly gives way to a subtle tartness, and bitterness, that accent a dry finish and lively carbonation. 

Grains: Murphy & Rude 6-Row Pale, Murphy & Rude Malted Wheat

Hops: Barbe Rouge

Yeast: House Saison, Brettanomyces bruxellensis

Other: Mountain House Wildflower Honey

Style: Foraged IPA    

ABV: 7.2    

IBU: 50     

There is something about the smell of fresh pine needles that evokes a sense of crisp winter days and long cold nights. We hoped to capture some of that in this IPA by brewing it with Virginia and Loblolly pine tips along with a malt base featuring Murphy & Rude Soft Red Wheat. Pine tips like these can add a wide range of flavors and aromas that go beyond just pine. The Virginia Pine we used displays more on the aroma, showcasing a distinct citrus character alongside fruity hops. The Loblolly brings more earthy resiny notes to the flavor and a minor herbal note to the finish.

Grains: Pilsner, Murphy & Rude Soft Red Wheat, Murphy & Rude Cimmerian Wheat, Acid Malt

Hops: Simcoe, Mosaic, Cashmere, Chinook

Yeast: House Ale 

Other: Foraged Virginia Pine Tips, Foraged Loblolly Pine Tips

Style: West Coast IPA    

ABV: 7.0%   

IBU: 45    

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 

Other: none

Style: Zwickelbier   

ABV: 5.0%    

IBU: 30  

Zwickelbier is typically an unfiltered, unpasteurized, fully attenuated German style beer designed to mimic the experience of trying a lager fresh from the tank. We decided to make a Pilsner specifically to showcase this experience. Ours is brewed with a simple recipe and German Saphir hops for classic noble hop spice and mild citrus.

On the aroma the hops lend restrained notes of lily-of-the-valley, orange blossom, and bergamot while the malt balances this with mild tones of fresh bread dough and water cracker. The flavor leads with dried straw before fading into mild hop spice, black tea, and dried lemon peel. Overall, the flavor and aroma are well balanced, and the bitterness is mild, making for a smooth beer with a pronounced dry finish.  

Grains: Pilsner, Flaked Oats, Acid Malt

Hops: Saphir, Cira

Yeast: House Lager

Other: None