VA Beer Trail

One of my favorite seasons for excellent craft beer is Winter. Many craft breweries take advantage of the seasonal cold temperatures to brew bold, thick and rich season offerings. Blue Mountain Brewery is no exception with the exceptional Long Winter’s Nap, which is categorized as a Doppelbock by Beer Advocate. Earlier this week, I had the pleasure of experiencing a Long Winter’s Nap at Capital Ale House in Midlothian, based on a friend’s high recommendation.

I was pleasantly surprised at the sheer robustness of this beer. The coloring was lighter than the thickness I expected in this brew. Simply looking at the liquid, prior to tasting it, I thought it might have the consistency of a lighter beer such as a blonde or wheat ale or something similar. Once I tasted it: wow. The thickness wasn’t quite syrupy in nature, however, definitely thicker than I expected. That certainly didn’t stop me from enjoying the rest of my glass, of course! In fact, I was so engrossed with the ale, I couldn’t say much more than I did when I checked in on Untappd, it was that good!

The taste itself was very enjoyable offering a nice blend of fruity sweetness with hints of almost cidery overtones. The brew goes down very easy, almost too easily as one may have to watch their intake with this one considering it’s at 12% ABV!

Currently on tap at Blue Mountain Brewery as well as Capital Ale, of course, this one is sure to sell out quickly and, being a seasonal, one may have to wait off until next year to enjoy it. That being said, I highly recommend you pick some up soon!

Well done, Blue Mountain Brewery! Can’t wait to see what you come out with next!