LA iced tea. Photo courtesy Three Olives Vodka.

I’m not sure we really need an excuse to drink iced tea here in southwest Virginia, but in case we did, here it is: June 10 (today) is National Iced Tea Day.

We’ve talked tea here on the blog before and found it to be a pretty lively topic, particularly the question of whether we like it sweetened or unsweetened. We even took a survey (it’s not active now, but you might find the blog comments interesting at that link). Personally, I’m for lightly sweetened iced tea, not sickeningly sweet and not completely unsweetened, which is the way my hubby likes to drink it.

But for a twist on basic iced tea, how about iced tea cocktails? Tea cocktails became more popular several years ago with the introduction of Firefly sweet tea vodka, but not all tea cocktails call for sweet tea vodka. Some call for other flavors of vodka or other spirits. If you’re looking for an interesting way to incorporate tea into toddy time, check out these recipes (below).

Do you drink a lot of iced tea? Have you ever tried using it in a cocktail?

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For the third year, the Roanoke Jaycees have organized a celebration of craft beer and cider at LewisGale Field in Salem. The Third Annual Big Lick Beertopia: A Celebration of Craft Beer will take place this Saturday, June 8, from noon to 6 p.m.

Almost 40 breweries and cider houses from around the world, including some in our neck of the woods, have signed up to showcase their goods. Ticket holders will be able to sample the beverages while listening to live music from the bands Polychrome and Superhold.

To see a list of participating breweries, click here.

Advance tickets are available through Friday at all Valley Bank locations, Wine Gourmet, Countryside Classics, The Vintage Cellar, Sumdat Farm Market and Mr. Bill’s Wine Celler. They are $23 for a 10-pour ticket, $32 for a 20-pour and $8 for a designated driver/non-drinker ticket. Tickets are also available at the gate for $27, $32 and $10, respectively, and there are VIP tickets for sale.

Proceeds from the event will support the Roanoke Jaycees, Camp Virginia Jaycee, Easter Seals, Roanoke Valley CHIP and the Salem Roanoke County Food Pantry.

For more details about ticketing and the event, click here.

Have you been to this event in years past? If so, would you recommend it to others?

Wow! What a great response in yesterday’s contest to win tickets to the Vinton Wine and Food Festival. Thanks to everybody who read the blog entry and left a comment for a chance to win.

Unfortunately, I only have four tickets to give away (two sets of two). Today is the lucky day for:

* Becky I, who left comment #47, and…

* Chelsea, who left comment #32

Congratulations, winners! Please email me ASAP at lindsey.nair@roanoke.com or call me at 981-3343 so we can figure out the best way to get these tickets to you for this weekend’s festival. If you are not going to be able to attend and don’t know anybody you want to give the tickets to, let me know so I can pick another winner.

For those of you who did not win, there are still tickets available to this event. They’re only $15 in advance and $20 at the door. To purchase tickets, click here. For more information about the festival, click here or call the Vinton Chamber of Commerce at 540.343.1364.

The 4th Annual Vinton Wine and Food Festival is coming up this weekend, and organizers were kind enough to give me four tickets to give away on the blog. Why not start planning your weekend on Monday?

This event will be held on the front lawn of the lovely Vinton War Memorial on Washington Avenue in Vinton from 1 to 6 p.m. on Saturday. These are wine taster tickets, which means you get a complimentary wine glass and free tastings of wine from participating vendors. For those who don’t like wine, there will also be beer and non-alcoholic beverages available.

Because it’s silly to drink without having a little snack to go along with it, there will be several great food vendors on site at the festival, as well. Finally, there will be an opportunity to do a little shopping at some booths set up by retailers. To see the list of participating wineries, food vendors and craft/gift vendors, click “read more” below.

At the moment, meteorologists are calling for Saturday to be 81 degrees with only a slight chance of thunderstorms. Sounds like a lovely day to get outside and enjoy some beverages and food. For more information about the festival, visit the website here.

I’m going to give away these tickets in two sets of two. If you are interested in winning, please post a comment on this blog entry by 9 p.m. tonight. I’ll choose two random winners tomorrow and get these tickets in the mail or put them at the front desk of the newspaper office so the winner will be ready to go by Saturday.

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Sunken City Brewing Company. Photo courtesy brewery Facebook page.

CLARIFICATION: I was contacted by Jerome Parnell of Sunken City Brewing Company, and he said the beers will be $5 for a 20-oz. imperial pint. There have been some comments about the original report that the beer would be sold for $5 to $6 per pint. Small batch beer may be sold for a bit more than $5 on grand opening day. -LN

Beer lovers, take note: Southwest Virginia’s newest craft brewery will celebrate its grand opening on Friday, May 10.

Sunken City Brewing Company, named for the villages that were submerged when Smith Mountain Lake was created, is housed in a brand new building near Westlake Towne Center on Virginia 122 in Franklin County. It is a $2.3 million, 8,800-square-foot brewery that features a 25-barrel brewhouse, automatic canning distribution, a tasting room, pub and an outdoor beer garden.

Sunken City owners hope to distribute their beer throughout the state. Brewmaster Jeremy Kirby said they’ll have two signature beers at the grand opening. Dam Lager is an American-style amber (4.7 percent ABV) and Red Clay IPA is an amber-colored India Pale Ale (7 percent ABV). In the near future, they plan to have other beers in their line, including some seasonals.

Kirby said they may have some small-batch beers available at the grand opening, as well. They’ll be selling pints for $5 to $6, he said.

Bruno’s GastroTruck will be on-site for the celebration, selling its awesome gourmet pub grub. The band Barefoot West will perform at about 5:30 p.m. The open house begins at 4 p.m.

Kirby said they have not yet nailed down the hours for the tasting room but he suspects it will be open on Friday and Saturday nights and on Sunday afternoons. Once they know for sure, they’ll add those hours to their Facebook page. The Sunken City website is under construction.

So, what do you think? Do you plan to head down for the open house?

Courtesy photo.

This time last year, I was a judge at the Virginia Food & Beverage Expo in Richmond. One product that did not place but was nevertheless very impressive was called Keep It Simple Syrup (or KISS for short), an all-natural simple syrup infused with spearmint.

Being the debaucherous sort that I am, my mind immediately went to mint juleps and mojitos. Who wants to muddle mint and make simple syrup at home when you can simply add a splash of this delicious syrup to your beverage? I’ve tried it in those applications and give it my seal of approval.

But KISS founder Susan Martinson of Richmond points out that there are many other uses for her product. It can be used to sweeten iced tea or flavor hot cocoa, whipped cream, ice cream, a number of baked treats and more.

Best of all, Keep It Simple Syrup is made in Virginia and carries the Virginia’s Finest trademark. It is fat-free, gluten-free, high fructose corn syrup-free, and certified kosher. For a while, it was hard to find in our part of the state, but now Martinson has made it available in multiple ABC stores and Kroger stores throughout the region. It is available in both 700 ML bottles and 350 ML bottles.

If you do decide to try KISS in mint juleps, the time is now! It is the official drink of the Kentucky Derby, which is on May 4 this year.

Here’s a list of stores that carry KISS, according to Martinson:

ABC stores:
Daleville: Botetourt Commons, 56 Kingston Dr.
Christiansburg: Peppers Ferry Shopping Center, 290 Peppers Ferry Road
Hardy: 12990 Booker T. Washington Highway
Lynchburg: Lynchburg Hill Plaza Shopping Center, 2118 Wards Road
Boonsboro Shopping Center, 4925 Boonsboro Road.
Chatham: Tightsqueeze Plaza Shopping Center, Hwys 29 & 703, Route 2
Roanoke: 5050 Rutgers Street, Towers Shopping Center, 646 Brandon Avenue. S. W.

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Cupcakes from last year’s bake-off. Photo courtesy The Advancement Foundation.

In this blog post you’ll find details about the Cupcakes at the Cottage Bake-Off in Vinton, the 2013 Earth Day Celebration in Grandin Village, local seedlings for sale, a custom tea blending workshop and a schedule of food demonstrations at Blacksburg Fork and Cork.

* It’s time for the Second Annual Cupcakes at the Cottage Bake-Off, which takes place at the Charity Cottage Thrift Store in Vinton on April 27 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the same day as the Vinton Dogwood Festival Parade.

The thrift store is operated by The Advancement Foundation, a non-profit aid organization that works to eliminate poverty. Proceeds from the bake-off will go to various charities. In addition to cupcakes, the event will offer refreshments and special deals at the store.

Interested parties should register to bring at least one dozen cupcakes to the bake-off. The cupcakes will be judged at 2 p.m., just before the parade begins at 2:30 p.m. The cupcakes not tasted by the judges will be for sale to the general public at a cost of a $1 donation for each cupcake. The buyer gets to choose the charity to which he or she wants to donate the dollar.

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Image from www.biglickbeertopia.com

Attention home brewers: It’s time to perfect your latest concoction so it can be entered in the Beertopia Home Brew Competition. The winner of this year’s contest will have his or her beer brewed by Parkway Brewing Company in Salem!

This contest is connected to the Beertopia Craft Beer Festival, which takes place June 8 at the Salem Red Sox stadium in Salem. This will be the third year for the festival and the second year for the home brew competition.

The categories for the contest are light, dark, amber and specialty (no mead or cider). It is open to home brewers from anywhere in the United States and beyond. How would someone from across the pond get their beer to Virginia to enter the contest? Well, the festival organizers, Roanoke Jaycees and Star City Brewers’ Guild, will accept entries submitted through the mail in addition to those dropped off in person.

The judging will take place at Parkway Brewing Company and the winning beer will be announced at the festival, which will also feature tastings from almost 40 different breweries. To check out a full list of participating breweries, head to the festival Facebook page.

To read the official rules and register for the home brewer competition, click here. You must register by May 10. Parkway Brewing Co. reserves the right to not brew the winning beer if “it is not deemed commercially viable,” according to the festival website. In that case, the winner will still be able to hang out at the brewery and help make beer for a day. But festival spokesman Zak Moore said if the Best in Show beer is a really complex beer, Parkway might just do a small batch.

Stay tuned for more details about the festival itself.

Poplar Forest. Courtesy photo.

Thomas Jefferson Craft Beer Tasting

April 13, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Poplar Forest, 1542 Bateman Bridge Road, Forest

This tasting will include six Virginia craft breweries: Apocalypse Ale Works, Blue Mountain Brewery, Devil’s Backbone Brewing Company, Parkway Brewing Company, Starr Hill Brewery and Wild Wolf Brewing Company.

Admission is $30 in advance, which includes 20 (5-oz.) beer tastings. Admission the day of the event is $25 for 10 tastings or $35 for 20. Non-tasting tickets, $10 in advance and at the door. The price of admission will also include a Thomas Jefferson’s Poplar Forest beer glass (until they run out of them).

Event is rain or shine. No refunds. There will be no children’s activities available. Buy tickets online at www.tjcraftbeertasting.com until midnight April 12 or at the museum shop until 5 p.m. on April 12. For more information, call (434) 534-8120.

Southwest Virginia Gluten-Free Expo

April 13, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Tanglewood Mall (inside near A.C. Moore entrance)
This event will feature a variety of vendors offering tips, information and free samples to those interested in a gluten-free diet. The expo will also include raffles, prizes and games for kids.
Free admission.

Chef Behmoiras. Photo courtesy of The Bank.

Local Chef Recognized

From The Bank Food and Drink in Pearisburg: “Chef Michael Behmoiras, of The Bank Food and Drink restaurant, has been honored as one of the country’s top culinary talents in the inaugural edition of Best Chefs America. This is the first-ever peer review guide of U.S. chefs, who were chosen after extensive interviews between their fellow chefs and Best Chefs America analysts. Chef Michael is showcased in the informative and exquisitely produced 386-page coffee table book that was just released in March 2013.”

Congratulations, Chef Behmoiras!

Scott Koerner, bartender at Annie Moore’s Irish Pub, with his drink, the Irish Dreamsicle. Photo by Kyle Green | The Roanoke Times.

St. Patrick’s Day is historically a holiday when Roanoke bartenders pull a lot of draft beers and pour a lot of shots. The top-selling beers are probably Guinness and anything dyed green, while you can bet the Irish whiskey bottles don’t collect much dust, either.

But I thought it would be fun this year to challenge a few local bartenders to test their luck at inventing a holiday-themed cocktail. The rules were simple: It had to be their own concoction, it had to be inspired in some way by St. Patrick’s Day, and it did not necessarily have to be green.

The following good-natured folks happily took me up on my request: Brad Joynes and Laura Jeter at Macado’s in downtown Roanoke, Diana Dixon and Alejandro Rivera at Pomegranate in Troutville, Jennifer Wilcox at Corned Beef & Co., Scott Koerner at Annie Moore’s Irish Pub and Hunter Johnson at Lucky Restaurant.

To read more about these bartenders and see the drinks they created, please click here.

Do you plan to celebrate or observe St. Patrick’s Day in some way this weekend? If so, what do you plan to do/eat/drink?

I have to hand it to Jason Martin, the owner of Martin’s Downtown Bar & Grill in Roanoke. He always seems to be brainstorming clever ways to get customers in the doors down there. One idea, the half-price burgers from 4 to 10 p.m. every Monday, has been a raging success.

In addition to rib nights on Tuesdays and 50-cent wings on Wednesdays, Martin’s is now offering specials for “3-Buck Thursdays,” including a variety of “gourmet gringo tacos.” The tacos are $3 each between 4 and 11 p.m. each Thursday and can be paired with a $3 16-oz. draft beer or a $3 house liquor drink between 4 and 9 p.m.

Here’s a sampling of some of the gourmet tacos, which are all served on a 6-inch soft flour tortilla:

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Five Southwest Virginia wineries and one cider house took home medals from this year’s Virginia Governor’s Cup event.

The highly competitive contest among the state’s wineries is organized by the Virginia Wineries Association, the Virginia Wine Board and the Virginia Vineyards Association. Several hundred individual wines are sampled each year by a panel of expert judges.

The judges award medals of gold, silver and bronze. After this year’s winners were announced late last week, I scoured the list to see how many local wineries I could find.

The contest is still fairly well dominated by wineries in Northern and central Virginia, particularly the Charlottesville area. None of our local wineries earned gold medals, but several silver and bronze medals did come home to our corner of the state.

Congratulations to the owners of the following wineries. If you are a wine aficionado, what do you think of Southwest Virginia wines?

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Pairing wine and chocolate is all about trying new things and having fun. Photo by Bayla Sussman

Hi there. I am Bayla Sussman, aka “Baylee the Chocolate Lady,” owner of Baylee’s Best Chocolates on Virginia 419 in Roanoke County. For the last few years, I’ve been your friendly hometown chocolatier. About 30 years ago, I started baking and working with chocolate after I was injured while working as an actor. I was pretty limited for a couple of years, but I could bake, and people really liked what I baked. The great thing about making and selling chocolates is the smiles. No matter how bad somebody’s day has been before coming in, people tend to leave the store in a good mood. We like to make people happy.

At this time of year, customers often ask me to pair chocolates with wines for Valentine’s Day. Chocolate-dipped strawberries with sparking wine immediately come to mind, but there are so many other possibilities:

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Stephanie Klein-Davis | The Roanoke Times

On a recent weekday at Parkway Brewing Co. in Salem, only me and a few employees rattled around inside the yawning industrial building.

As I talked to brew master Ryan Worthington, company founder Mike “Keno” Snyder was busy scooting one of six picnic tables in the warehouse space into a diagonal position.

“I don’t like them all in a straight line,” he said. “It reminds me of a school cafeteria.”

That’s Keno for you, his friends say — always thinking and never walking a boring straight line.

As they prepare to open the brewery in a few weeks, life is about to take an interesting turn for Snyder and his wife, Lezlie. It is a diversion born of a love of good beer, a fascination with the brewing process and a firm belief that craft brewing is a sound investment right now.

There is strong evidence to support that belief. According to the Brewers Association, a nonprofit trade association based in Boulder, Colo., the craft beer industry grew 13 percent by volume and 15 percent in retail sales in 2011. Alcohol sales in general — including wine, beer and spirits — have continued to climb despite the recent recession, presumably because people like to drink as much — if not more — when they are bummed out than they drink when they are happy.

The caveat is that craft beer enthusiasts have to like the product. Judging by what I’ve seen and tasted at Parkway Brewing Co., that’s not likely to be a problem.

To continue reading this story, click here.

What do you think about southwest Virginia’s craft beer scene so far? Are you looking forward to tasting Parkway’s beer?

Changes to a new Blacksburg pub. Photo by Daniel Lin l The Roanoke Times.

On this lovely, clear Monday morning, I would like to share a smattering of food-related news:

* Growlers have arrived at Blue 5 in downtown Roanoke, which means you can take home 64 ounces of your favorite beer in a big ol’ jug. Prices vary.

* Local Roots Restaurant in Grandin Village is hosting a dinner on Oct. 18 to benefit the Western Virginia Land Trust. The non-profit works to preserve natural resources in the counties of Bedford, Botetourt, Craig, Floyd, Franklin, Montgomery, and Roanoke. That evening, 15 percent of the dinner profits will be donated to the land trust. The regular menu will be available. For more information, contact the restaurant at 540-206-2610.

To see much more food news, click “Read More.”

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The 18th annual Rockbridge Beer & Wine Festival will take place Saturday, Sept. 8 at Lime Kiln Theater in Lexington.
This festival is meant to spotlight Virginia wines and local food businesses, but it also includes a couple of craft breweries. This year, the participating breweries are Blue Lab Brewing Co. and Devil’s Backbone Brewing Co., both of Lexington.

The wineries that will be represented at the festival are:

Barboursville Vineyards, Charlottesville
Blue Ridge Vineyard, Eagle Rock
DeVault Family Vineyards, Concord
Fincastle Vineyard & Winery
Horton Vineyards, Gordonsville
Lexington Valley Vineyard, Rockbridge Baths
Peaks of Otter Winery & Orchards, Bedford
Rebec Vineyards & Winery, Amherst
Rockbridge Vineyard, Raphine
Villa Appalaccia Winery, Floyd
Well Hung Vineyard, Charlottesville
West Wind Farm Vineyard & Winery, Max Meadows
Wintergreen Winery, Nellysford

To complement all of those great beverages, there will be several food vendors at the festival, including Beameup BBQ & Cafe, Cheese to You, Good Eats Cafe & Catering, Hogback Mountain BBQ, Inc., Kroger and Pure Eats. The band Southpaw will provide entertainment.

The festival is from noon to 5 p.m. Advance tickets are available until 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 5 and cost $15 per person; at the gate, tickets are $20. Non-tasters and designated drivers may purchase a ticket for $10. Tickets may be purchased by calling the Lexington-Rockbridge County Chamber of Commerce at 540-463-5375 or visiting www.lexrockchamber.com.

There is “Love on Tap” in Virginia this month as our state celebrates the first annual Craft Beer Month. In a recent press release, Gov. Bob McDonnell’s office noted that there are some 40 craft breweries in Virginia now, and they join our 220 wineries in drawing tourists to the state.

Two pieces of legislation that went into effect on July 1 have helped to support the state’s craft brewers: House Bill 359, which lets manufacturers rent space in their brewhouses to small-scale beer makers, and Senate Bill 604, which allows Virginia breweries to sell beer and provide samples on their premises.

As part of the “Love on Tap” beer month, the Virginia tourism office has created an interactive map to help people find breweries and a site with information about travel packages and special events. The month will culminate in the first annual Virginia Craft Brew Festival, which is scheduled to take place Aug. 25 at Devil’s Backbone Brewery in Nelson County.

Here, taken from the press release, are some examples of the special craft beer-related packages on special this month:

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Chateau Morrisette is having a winemakers' dinner Aug. 3. iStock/Getty images.

Response to the Virginia Cooperative Extension’s food preservation class on Aug. 1 was so healthy that they’ve added a second date to accommodate interested parties who could not get in for the first class.

The second class will take place Wednesday, Aug. 8 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Brambleton Center, 3738 Brambleton Avenue, Roanoke. Water bath canning, pressure canning, freezing and drying will be demonstrated. Class costs $5 and includes take-home materials and a jar of vegetables. You must pre-register because space is limited. To register, call 772-7524 or email dchappel@vt.edu.

Pressure canner gauge testing will be available at this class. If interested, just bring your lid only. Also, don’t forget the dehydration class is still scheduled for Aug. 16. For more details about that, click here.

While I’m on the topic of food events, here are a couple of other opportunities:

>>> Chateau Morrisette is having its annual winemakers’ dinner this Friday, Aug. 3, beginning at 6:30 p.m. This is a five-course meal featuring ingredients from the winery’s estate garden and local farms. Each course will be paired with a Chateau Morrisette wine. $75 per person; 6:30 pm. Reservations and pre-payment required.  Reserve your seats by calling 540-593-2865.

Here are the menu details:

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* Salem High School Culinary Arts Director Jeff Shupe was supposed to take over the Chef’s Circle at the Salem Farmers Market tomorrow (Saturday), but something’s come up and he will be unable to do it. In his place, the fantastic Chris Parkhurst of Firefly Fare in the Roanoke City Market Building has agreed to fill in.

Those of you who dine at Firefly Fare know Chris is a master with fresh, local ingredients and makes some killer vegetarian dishes in addition to meats. The Chef’s Circle is free and it begins at 9:30 a.m. It is recommended that you bring a lawn chair if you don’t want to stand the entire time.

* Big changes are afoot at Pomegranate restaurant in Troutville. On July 24, they will start serving lunch and launch a new menu. The lunch menu, which will be available 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, includes a burger, Philly cheesesteak, chicken strips and BBQ, as well as salads and side dishes.

The new dinner menu features small plates such as conch fritters with Caribbean mayonnaise and blood orange barbecued shrimp with margarita-marinated grilled watermelon. Examples from the large plate section include vegetable-crusted salmon and chicken puttanesca.

Read more »

In this blog entry, you will find news about:

- A temporary farmers market set up at the Kirk Family YMCA
- A local boy in the running for an Apple iPad (VOTE for him! He’s in the lead already!)
- LOA Area Agency on Aging’s annual fundraiser for Meals on Wheels, “Let’s Do Lunch.”
- The Southwest Virginia Wine Festival in Abingdon.
- Big Lick Beertopia: A Celebration of Craft Beer.

* City Market at the Y has begun. This is a satellite farmers market that will be set up every Thursday in June between 4 and 7 p.m. next to the Kirk Family YMCA at the corner of 5th Street and Luck Avenue in downtown Roanoke. Produce, baked goods, wild-caught fish and grass-fed beef will be among the items for sale.

Credit cards will be accepted, as will EBT cards for SNAP benefits. Thanks to grants from Carilion Clinic and Foundation for the Roanoke Valley, those SNAP dollars will be doubled at the market up to $50.

* O’Charley’s has announced the winners of its “Greatest Grads Contest.” One dozen winners were selected in the Midwest and Southeast, including one Vinton student. That student, James Jennings, will receive a celebration party at our local O’Charley’s and a chance to win an Apple iPad.
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Looking for something fun to do this weekend? If so, you might want to consider checking out the Vinton Wine & Food Festival this Saturday on the lawn of the Vinton War Memorial.

The festival, which benefits the Vinton Area Chamber of Commerce, will be held from 1 to 6 p.m. You may purchase a basic ticket or a ticket that includes a wine glass and tastings from these participating wineries: Fincastle Vineyard & Winery; Rebec Vineyards, Inc.; Savoy Lee Winery; Brooks Mill Winery; Sans Soucy Vineyard; The Homeplace Vineyard; Peaks of Otter Winery; West Wind Vineyard & Winery; Hickory Hill Vineyards; White Rock Vineyards & Winery; Rural Retreat Winery & Vineyards; and Attimo Winery.

Food will be dished out by Teaberry’s; Buffalo Wild Wings; Sweet Keister’s; and Bruno’s Gastro Truck. Other beverage vendors include Foggy Ridge Cider, and there will be a Miller Lite Beer Garden and a bunch of vendors selling gifts and products (the vendors bazaar inside the War Memorial is free and open to the public).

Tickets are: In advance, $5 per person, $15 per person including wine tasting; at the door, $10 per person, $20 per person including wine tasting. There may also be some tables on the lawn still available for $200, which includes wine taster tickets, glasses, and seating for eight.

There also may still be VIP tables open for $300 – those seat eight, are under a tent and include wine and catering by Teaberry’s. The menu includes shrimp shooters, beef empanadas, Greek salad with pita bread, fruit skewers, caprese salad, Southwest turkey and Angus sirloin sliders, and crab cake sliders.

Entertainment will be provided by The Materia Project, which plays “original pop-rock-soul kind of stuff, and some jam elements, kinda funky” according to my colleague, music reporter Tad Dickens.

For more information or to order tickets visit vintonwinefestival.com/index.htm or call the Chamber office at 540-343-1364.

This week marks the 7th annual American Craft Beer Week (May 14 – 20) and Blue 5 restaurant in downtown Roanoke is celebrating with an event they call the “Mother of All Beer Weeks.”

Blue 5 prides itself on offering one of the biggest selections of craft beers in the area with some 46 different varieties on tap. During this week, they will encourage customers to sign the “Declaration of Beer Independence” in support of craft breweries. They’ll also feature special beers such as Oskar Blues, Ommegang, Smuttynose, Goose Island (Virginia debut) and Green Flash on “Tap Takeover” days.

Here’s the schedule for that:

Monday: Oskar Blues Takeover featuring Dale’s Pale Ale, Deviant Dale’s, G’Knight Imperial Red and Mama’s Lil’ Yella Pils (tapping at noon).

Tuesday: Ommegang Tap Takeover featuring Rare Vos, Hennepin, Gnomegang, Aphrodite and Abbey Ale (tapping at noon).

Wednesday: Smuttynose Pint Night with Really Old Brown Dog and Smuttynose IPA (tapping at 5 p.m.).

Thursday: Goose Island Tap Takeover with Sophie, Matilda and Pierre Jacques (tapping at noon).

Friday: Green Flash Tap Takeover featuring West Coast IPA, Green Flask Imperial IPA, Hop Head Red and Le Freak (tapping at noon).
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If so, then you need to enter the 2012 Homebrewer Competition!

The Roanoke Jaycees and Star City Brewer’s Guild are sponsoring the Homebrew Competition in conjunction with the 2nd Annual Big Lick Beertopia. The winners will be announced during the Beertopia, which takes place on June 9, 2012 at LewisGale Field (where the Salem Red Sox play).

The exciting part: The beer entry named Best in Show will be brewed locally at the Roanoke Railhouse Brewery!

Beers must be homebrewed. No meads or ciders. Entrants must be 21 or older, and the beer must be entered in the name of the actual brewer. There are four categories: light, amber, dark and specialty.

For more information, and to download the official entry form, go to www.biglickbeertopia.com.

Just to get a sense as to how popular home brewing is among my blog readers, who among you has made beer before? What is it about the hobby that you enjoy?

My co-worker found a really strange food story while browsing CNN the other day. Apparently, Molson Coors Brewing Company has created iced tea-flavored Coors Light.

My thought on this is easily summed up: What the hell?

I can only assume that Molson Coors is trying to catch the wave of enthusiasm for other iced tea-flavored products, most notably Firefly Sweet Tea Vodka, which was released a few years ago and has grown very popular. Now, I can understand sweet tea-flavored vodka, because the world of cocktails is so wide and varied and conducive to experimentation that flavored liquors (within reason – you won’t catch me anywhere near pickle-flavored vodka) makes some sense.

I mean, an Arnold Palmer with lemonade and sweet tea vodka is pretty tasty. But tea-flavored beer? Why? If someone wants to drink iced tea, why don’t they just drink some iced tea? If someone wants to catch a buzz from drinking iced tea, why don’t they just mix some Firefly with some iced tea?

Over the years, I have grown much more adventurous when it comes to trying new beers, but I’ve never had much use for fruity beers. And I don’t have much use for iced tea-flavored beer, either.

Feel free to disagree. As Linda Richman of SNL’s Coffee Talk would say, “Discuss amongst yourselves.”

The new 30-beer tap system at Blue 5.

With 16 craft beers on draft, Blue 5 restaurant on 2nd Street in downtown Roanoke was already known as a microbrew destination. But they recently decided to get even more serious and added 30 new taps, all loaded with unique brews.

Among the offerings are Pilot Mountain Pale Ale, Legend Lager, Blue 5 Gold Nail, Allagash White, Schneider Aventinus Weizen-Eisbock, Schlafly Coffee Stout and Stagmeir Winter Warmer. If you want to see the full list, click here. Some of the taps are for rotating seasonals. Bartender Allie Trump says they offer 10-, 16- and 20-oz. glasses.

The folks at Blue 5 are open to requests for other microbrews. Those comments can be left on their Facebook page here.

I can’t think of another restaurant in the area that offers such a wide selection of craft beers. What’s your favorite brew?

Update 4 p.m.: I should point out that although this article did not name any Western Virginia wineries, it did mention “… more than 200 wineries to explore in every part of the state.” And since they mention sipping wine with bluegrass, I will assume that is a nod to us. I don’t think there’s a lot of live bluegrass in Loudon County. End update.

Folks in the governor’s office and the Virginia Wine Marketing Office are excited about a recent article on Wine Enthusiast magazine’s web site. The story declares Virginia one of the 10 best wine travel destinations of 2012.

Two regions in California are the only other domestic locations to make the list, which also includes locations in France, Italy, Chile, Spain, New Zealand and Hungary. That’s some impressive company.

Virginia was chosen for the distinction based upon not only its wine makers, but also its history and geography. In the press release I received from the governor’s office, the president of the Virginia Tourism Corporation, Alisa Bailey, put it this way: “Where else in the world can you enjoy bluegrass music at a winery, kayak to a winery, taste local wines at a national park, sip local wines at a National Historic Landmark or bike from winery to winery?”

Having said that, I did notice that the article starts out by saying: “Luckily, visitors can begin their Virginia wine journey in Washington, D.C., and take in terrific wineries, historic inns, outdoor activities and mouthwatering meals via scenic drives through Loudoun County and Charlottesville.” There is no mention in this article of any winery west of Charlottesville. So I guess it’s really Northern/Central Virginia that made the list.

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The folks at Wine Gourmet are celebrating two events about the same time: their 10th year in business and the ribbon cutting at their new location at the Promenade Park shopping center on U.S. 419 in Roanoke County.

The ribbon cutting will take place on Friday at 4 p.m., while the 10th anniversary celebration will happen from noon until 5 p.m. on Saturday. That will include samples of more than a dozen wines and cupcakes from Viva La Cupcake. Also, with some exceptions, all purchases will be an additional 10 percent off that day (which will make cases of wine 20 percent off).

Wine Gourmet’s new digs are at 3524 Electric Road. If you have any questions, give them a call at 540-400-8466 or email info@winegourmet.biz

In other news:

* The SWoCo blog has photos from last week’s ribbon cutting at Froth, a new coffee shop located in the space that formerly housed Mill Mountain Coffee & Tea on Starkey Road in Roanoke. Check those out here.

* The Ol Mule Hot Dog Company on Roanoke Blvd. in Salem is changing hands. So Salem reporter Miranda Beck has the details here.

Is it beer-thirty yet? No, but it will be in about an hour and a half.

Here’s a little information about a beer-tasting event at Wine Gourmet this evening:

Where: Wine Gourmet, 3524 Electric Rd, Roanoke, VA 24018

When: Oct. 14, 5 to 8pm

What: At least 5 pumpkin beers will be tasted out with home-made pumpkin bread accompanying them.

Happy Friday!

Preston’s at the Inn at Virginia Tech has a new food and beverage director named Max Kiebach and a new executive chef named Jason Smith. Why not add a private-label wine to the offerings?

The private-label Merlot and Chardonnay are made at Prince Michel Vineyard & Winery in Madison, Va. For more information about the new wines, check out this video produced by Andrea Brunais, communications director for the Outreach & Internal Affairs office at Virginia Tech:

Today’s Front Burner column is about an event I covered last week called “The Science Behind the Cocktail.” While it was primarily a promotional event for Canadian Mist and a fundraiser for Center in the Square, I learned a lot about the history of cocktails. Check out the full story here.

One of the presenters, Tim Laird, said he hears from a lot of people who say they are too intimidated to make cocktails at home. I don’t get the feeling they’re talking about a standard Jack and Coke or a Cape Cod, though. I think these are folks who don’t want to mess with the shakers and strainers; the lime twists and the layering.

When I have parties that involve cocktails, I generally set out ice, mixers, a few garnishes, shakers and shot glasses and let guests mix their own cocktails at the bar. But it would be fun to have a signature drink available, such as homemade cosmopolitans or mojitos. I think the closest I’ve come to that is a pitcher of margaritas or a punch bowl filled with sangria.

I’m curious as to whether any of you are intimidated by cocktail making. If not, what kinds of drinks have you made for guests in your home? What’s your specialty? Any tips on accommodating non-drinkers?

Photo by Laurie Edwards

Exciting news this morning for fans of craft beer, and specifically for folks who used to enjoy a beer called Blacksburg Pils that has been out of production for a while.

Smith Mountain Lake reporter Laurie Edwards has the news about Virginia Craft Brewing Company, a project of Blacksburg Pils inventor John Bryce and Jerome Parnell. The men hope to break ground on an 8,800-square-foot brewery later this summer and want to start production early next year.

In addition to Blacksburg Pils, Virginia Craft Brewing Company will make Dam Lager, a light lager currently being brewed in Ashburn and available around the lake and Creek Bottom Ale, a contract beer out of Galax. That’s going to either be a pale ale or an India pale ale.

Read the entire story, including the background on Bryce and many more details about the brewery, by clicking here.

Retail business reporter Amanda Codispoti and I put together a story for today’s newspaper about Virginia’s new wine corkage law, which went into effect today.

According to the new law, diners may now bring their own bottles of wine to restaurants, so long as the restaurant allows it and has an ABC license.

Restaurant owners’ reactions to the new law have been mixed, but wine enthusiasts are all for it. In fact, those I have talked to say they’ll be actively lobbying restaurants to adopt corkage policies and will probably not patronize those that don’t.

To read the full article, click here.

What do you think? Would you ever consider bringing a bottle of wine to a restaurant, and if so, under what circumstances?

Furthermore, what do you think would be a fair corkage fee?

Congratulations to our random winners of tickets to the Horse & Hound Wine Festival at Peaks of Otter Winery in Bedford County on July 9:

#19, Mark M (one pair of tickets)

#27, Candace Poling (one pair of tickets)

Our features intern, Becky Mickel, a rising junior at Washington & Lee, was my guest number-drawer for this contest. I think she did a mighty fine job because she picked my favorite response, which came in from Mark. (Becky says she picked 19 because that’s her age)

Mark said:

“I’m a simple guy with simple tastes. A little sun filtering through the shade of large oaks, to enjoy berries — blue, straw, rasp, black; wheat crackers of differing textures; cubed cheeses of a couple of sharp flavors; and a cooled white wine with its hint of blended flavors to touch the palate…much like the woman I share it with who touches my mind.”

Mark M. and Candace, please email me at lindsey.nair@roanoke.com to claim your tickets. Thank you for playing, everyone!

Image courtesy Bedfordwine.com

Thanks to Danny and Nancy Johnson, the kind owners of Johnson’s Orchards and the Peaks of Otter Winery in Bedford County, I have two pairs of tickets to give away for The Horse & Hound Wine Festival on Saturday, July 9.

The festival will include tastings with Virginia wineries, including Fincastle, Hickory Hill, Leo Grande, Rebec, Savoy Lee, Tomahawk, White Rock, Wintergreen and, of course, Peaks of Otter. There will also be arts and crafts, live music, food, agility dogs, a parade of horses, lure coursing, muskrat races, pony rides, a stick horse race and activities for children in the “Kiddie Korral.”

Part of the proceeds from the event benefit the Commonwealth Search and Rescue team, Bedford Humane Society, All American Mutt Rescue and Brook Hill Farm horse rescue. Guests may bring their dogs, who can try out the agility course and the lure course after the pros have finished with their demonstrations. And all dogs are invited to take part in the muskrat race, so if you’ve got a great swimmer at home you might want to think about showing him or her off! For more information about the event, click here.

For a chance to win the tickets, leave a comment on this post and tell me: What is your favorite food and wine pairing?

The deadline to enter is 5 p.m. on Monday. Since there can be no right or wrong answer to this question, I will pick the winner randomly. Good luck!

The Roanoke Times l File photo

In today’s Virginia section, you’ll find an article by reporter Jeff Sturgeon about the closure of Shooting Creek Brewery in Floyd County. The news disappointed me because I found a lot of promise when I wrote a profile of the company back in October 2009.

Since then, my suspicion that Shooting Creek would be a big success continued to grow. Whenever I talked to folks who sold the beer in their stores, they said demand for the beer was very high. Unfortunately, supply was a problem. At first, according to brewery owner Brett Nichols, that was because they were such a small operation and could only make so much beer. But they hoped to get bigger as time went on.

Now, that hope has been dashed by “a divorce and very personal events,” Nichols told Sturgeon.

In addition to the brewery, the Nichols’ farm, Five Penny Farm, has also closed. The property, farmhouses, brew house and some of the beer-making equipment is for sale. Five Penny Farm was a big supplier in Southwest Virginia’s local food scene. According to today’s story, at least, one of two of the farm’s locations in Floyd County has been leased to someone who has hired Brett Nichols as farm manager.

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