The Barley Project

First installment of our series:  "From the Field to the Tap"

Where we explore the process of producing the ingredients from scratch that create quality craft beer - from growing malting barley, harvesting, steeping & germinating the grains, to the drying/kilning process that creates the base malt from which the sweet liquor (called the wort) is extracted.  Next is producing speciality malts from grains that give added character and flavor.  Locally grown hops and yeast culturing will be be explored, the other two ingredients pivotal in creating delicious flavor and body, to all styles of ales, lagers, porters, and stouts.

First Step - Growing the Barley:
In partnership with a local farmer in Luray, (thanks Jeff!) approximately 1 acre of 2-row malting barley was planted on September 24th, 2012.  A barley variety recommended by Virginia Tech and the USDA was used that performed well in Virginia Test Plots in 2011.  As you can see, a week later, it has already germinated!   This is winter barley that gets planted in the fall, grows through winter, and is harvested in late spring (May/June).  Stay tuned for further updates. 

Blue Ridge Brewers Association supports "Love Your Downtown"

This past evening, September 20^th, the Blue Ridge Brewers Association (BRBA) was invited to participate in “Love Your Downtown” a Luray Downtown Initiative (LDI) fundraiser hosted at the Warehouse Art Gallery.  The goals were to introduce our organization to the town, educate attendees to the art of home brewing and the craft beer revolution, offer tastings of home brewed beer and help the LDI with its fund raising effort.  All of the goals were met with the exception of one; offer tastings of home brewed beer. 

Since our last meeting all members with one exception were “tapped out” of their favorite home crafted offerings - members get busy!  Working with LDI a backup plan was concocted to offer several styles across the flavor spectrum to include:

Sierra Nevada - Hellerweise HefeWeisen

Devils Backbone - Vienna Lager

Legend - Pale Ale

Dominion - Hop Mountain Pale Ale

Starr Hill - Pumpkin Porter

Dominion -Oak Barrel Stout

and….

Dan Fause and Mary Balderson’s very own Wicked Cat Ale

The format for each tasting included a brief introduction to the style; describing its flavor profile as a blend of grains, hops and yeast each contributing to the overall character of the beer.  This was followed with an offering to smell and taste the freshly milled grains, bury their nose in this year’s hop harvest from BRBA’s very own Beaver Run Brewery’s hop garden and, depending on the style, catch a brief whiff from jars of honey and whole clove.  These “hands on” sensory guides enabled tasters to really detect nuances present in each style being offered.

Sidebar discussions evolved around the beer making process, grain malting, commercial brewing in Luray, English Bitters (who’s brewing it), growing local, pooling resources, underground irrigation, geology along the Stanley Fault, future BRBA events, yeast survival temperatures, beer/food pairing, and growing and harvesting hops at the local scale versus at the commercial scale. Four tasters signed up and are interested in future Blue Ridge Brewers Association meetings and events.