Victory for craft beer fans
Photo courtesy P.A. Short Distributing Co.
P.A. Short Distributing Company of Hollins has announced the introduction of a new craft beer line to the area their line-up. The brand is Victory Brewing Company of Downingtown, PA, which makes 11 different beers as well as a good number of seasonals. P.A. Short is carrying the entire line, including seasonals, and I’ll share with you the locations later in this blog entry.
I tried four of the beers last weekend: Golden Monkey, HopDevil Ale, Prima Pils and Storm King Stout.
Golden Monkey is made with German malts and whole flower European hops, with 9.5 percent alcohol by volume. It was my favorite, and seemed to have a slightly fruity flavor – apple-like, I would say, but I’m not an expert.
HopDevil is made with German malts and whole flower American hops, with 6.7 percent alcohol by volume. It is very hoppy, with a smooth finish.
Prima Pils was surprisingly hoppy, and I would say my personal least favorite just because I don’t get into that bitter aftertaste. But a lot of folks do, and this one’s also made with German malts and whole flower European hops at 5.3 percent alcohol by volume.
The last beer I tried was the Storm King Stout, an Imperial Russian Stout made with imported malts and whole flower American hops, 9.1 percent alcohol by volume (less than the Golden Monkey, which surprised me). It has really nice chocolatey/coffee-like flavors that I found very pleasurable.
Aden Short of P.A. Short told me Kroger is carrying the widest selection of bottled Victory beers, but the specific selection will depend on which Kroger you visit. The one on U.S. 221 as you head up to Bent Mountain probably has the widest selection, he said, but if you can’t find what you’re looking for at your Kroger, simply request that they carry it and there’s a good chance it will turn up.
Other than Kroger, you can find Victory in bottles at Wine Gourmet, Mr. Bill’s Wine Shop and Nature’s Outlet at Valley View, all in Roanoke. Also, according to their awesomely searchable website, it appears that Vintage Cellar in Blacksburg carries a few Victory beers.
As for draught:
Golden Monkey: Lucky and Blue 5 in Roanoke and Awful Arthur’s in Salem.
HopDevil: Macado’s and Mac ‘n’ Bob’s in Salem; Sharkey’s Wing and Rib Joint in Radford
Storm King Stout: Lucky and Blue 5 in Roanoke
Short said they’ll likely be adding customers, so we’ll try to keep you updated on where you can find this beer. If you’ve tried it, let me know what you thought of it. If you have questions, head to the P.A. Short Distributing Facebook page.
January 21, 2011 - 7:00 AM
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Well the fact that Victory beers will be on draught around here is certainly news (AWESOME news at that), but Victory has been sold in bottles at most of the locations listed for several years. That said, I’d list Victory as one of my top 3 breweries on the east coast and I’m ecstatic to see them landing more accounts around here!
Thanks for the mention of Wine Gourmet in your piece about Victory Beer in Roanoke. Our customers have been enjoying Vic beers for years. We stock nearly every flavor – also can get in kegs.
I guess the news is that it is now more widely available.
This is great news!
I’m surprised you didn’t like the Prima Pils; it’s known as one of the best commercial examples of the German Pilsner style.
I did find it funny how many folks go for the Golden Monkey because it’s lighter in color. In fact, I overheard a bar tender suggesting this to a patron because he thought darker meant more full-bodied; I bet that patron was surprised by the 9.5% alcohol!
But seriously, living in the craft-beer wasteland of Tennessee has taught me to appreciate the great beers we get in Virginia. It’s not as good as North Carolina, but we’re getting there.
I saw Julie and Julia (finally) the other day, and loved it (although contemplating what they were spending on food that year curled my hair).
Lindsey, have you ever thought about doing some sort of casual Foodie book club discussion on this blog? I get the feeling that a lot of people on here are big readers as well as foodies, and combining them every once in a while with a book/movie like J&J might be fun. Or not. Just a thought. Maybe it’s just me.
I tried those four beers, too, and thought them all good. Though I’m not a “yellow” beer drinker, so the pilsner was my least fav. too. I liked the Hop Devil best, I’m a true “hop head” so the more hops the better for me. I would put Victory in my top ten fav. breweries, they do a good job! And glad to see more beer like that on tap around here!
We DO have a good craft beer scene in SWVA. It’s nice to see some local breweries turning out some of the best stuff, too. What do you all think of Loose Caboose, the newest beer from Roanoke Railhouse?
If they can add this to their line-up, why can’t they add New Belgium Fat Tire, Mothership, etc.? For some reason, it’s not available in Virginia but is in North Carolina and Tennessee.
I don’t know, Beth, but I’m beginning to learn that customer requests can go a long way. I would advise you to go to the P.A. Short Facebook page and tell them what you wish you could find around here. Also tell the managers at your local Kroger, as well as specialty shops that carry craft beer, such as Vintage Cellar in the NRV, Wine Gourmet or Mr. Bill’s Wine Cellar in Roanoke.
Morning Lindsey! I have yet to see “Loose Caboose” on tap anywhere! It’s an IPA so I’ll surely try it when I do see it. I think their “Track 1″ is pretty good, but don’t rate it as “special.” My favorite micro brews locally, by FAR, are Awful Arthur’s/Towers! Those are ALL really good beers! I’m w/ Beth regarding Fat Tire, would love to see it here but they are just not licensed to distribute in VA…yet!
Hi Lindsey! I got a 1/6 barrel of Loose Caboose at Wine Gourmet and love it. I haven’t seen it on tap anywhere but would sure like too.
Kristen, I saw Julie & Julia a while back and liked it, although much preferred the Julia part. Have you read the book that Julia’s part of the movie is based on, My Life in France? I highly recommend it!
And I like your idea of a Foodie Book Club. Food, books and new friends are a great combination!
Hey Kristen, sorry it took me so long to address that question. Lori’s comment reminded me.
I have read and seen “Julie & Julia.” I really enjoyed the book and I thought the movie was good, but the parts with Meryl Streep were much better than the parts with Julie.
I would agree with Lori that “My Life in France” is a must-read if you liked “Julie & Julia” and if you like Julia Child. It’s wonderful. Another good book to read if you like Julia Child is “Backstage with Julia: My Years with Julia Child” by Nancy Verde Barr. Barr worked with Julia for a long time.
I’m happy to discuss foodie books on the blog. Anytime you want to e-mail me a short review of a food-related book or cookbook, I’ll post it to get things started. Likewise, I’ll let you know when I’ve come across a good one!
Thanks, Lori and Lindsey! I haven’t read My Life in France, but I’m going to search it out.
I preferred the Julia parts too, but I’m told that’s just because I’m a snob and liked them because they were mostly in France. (not without some basis). What was mainly on my mind during the whole movie was A) what the heck did her food bill look like that year? and B)How did they not blow up like toads eating that food every day?
I’ll be on the lookout for good food-related books, and I too will report them if I think they’re worth the read.
“And I like your idea of a Foodie Book Club. Food, books and new friends are a great combination!:”
We could meet at Lucky!
I’m pretty sure Julie Powell did blow up like a toad- I think I read that both she and her husband gained weight. It would be virtually impossible with all that butter!
I think I liked the Julia parts because, honestly, Julie Powell’s character was not as easy to like. I found myself pulling for her because she seemed so plucky and full of P&V, which I like. But some of the things I read about her later, before seeing the movie, may have colored my impressions.
“We could meet at Lucky!”
YES!!!
“But some of the things I read about her later, before seeing the movie, may have colored my impressions.”
If you don’t have anything nice to say about someone…spill!
Look Fat Tire fans! Maybe they are reading this blog! Haha.
Press release 01/26/11:
New Belgium Brewing Plans East Coast Market Expansion in 2011
Nation’s third-largest craft brewer to open Maryland, Virginia and Washington, DC
FORT COLLINS, CO (January 26, 2011) – New Belgium Brewing, maker of Fat Tire Amber Ale, announced plans today to expand their market territory along the eastern seaboard. The Colorado brewer will open Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C. in September of 2011. The added territory will bring the nation’s third-largest craft brewer to 29 states.
“We had significant expansion in 2009 when we added five states,” said New Belgium Sales Director, Joe Menetre. “We wanted to make sure we had the capacity to keep up with that demand, so we expanded our fermentation cellar to address future growth as well. We’re looking forward to selling our beers in and around the nation’s capitol.”
No decisions have been made regarding distributor partners, brands or package for the new markets.
Everything with New Belgium should hopefully be up and running sometime this Summer! They are in the process now of choosing their distributors, so we have our fingers crossed!