I had been to Blue and Gray once before, when they were still in the process of building the Lee's Retreat brewpub, which is now finished and I think is a nice venue for sitting and enjoying several pints. On that initial visit, in November 2009, I wasn't really all that impressed with the beer, so I was looking forward to trying them again, and so the flight came....
- Classic Lager - gold, bready, easy drinking
- Fred Red - dark amber, caramel sweetness, typical red ale
- Falmouth American Pale Ale - rich amber, bitter citrus, down the line pale ale
- Stonewall Stout - pitch black, roasted coffee and chocolate, I would give my right arm for this
- Borman's Belgian - clear gold, very fruity, interesting but unlikely to change my view on Belgian style beers
- Minor Dementia Imperial Stout - boozy prune juice, weird but tasty, sampler is enough
Generally though we left with a positive view of the place. A solid core range of beers, and in Stonewall Stout a very nice classic stout which I would happily drink all night. While we were there we ate, and the food was good, very good in fact. As ever I went for a burger, this one with gorgonzola and bacon, and it really was excellent. The service was also just right, a big thing for me is getting the balance between the service being available but not in your face every 5 minutes making sure everything is ok. Definitely a place I will visit again, and even take Mrs Velkyal!
Beers (or anything) named after Stonewall Jackson, eh? We're not in Charlottesville anymore!
ReplyDeletePoor naming choice aside, it does seem like a nice place. A great burger along side good beer is really hard to beat.
Simple pleasures indeed. All my favourite brewpubs share that combination, sometimes I just want a feed and a drink, not an existential experience.
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