Blue Mountain Brewery

The last stop in Virginia was the Blue Mountain Brewery. It is located on the same road leading to the Devil's Backbone but about twenty minutes closer. We did this one last because it was a bit more convenient to visit before heading back to Philly.

The one thing I can say is the views were pretty incredible. This is a view of the outside as you are walking into the place. I imagine during the summer the outside seating is mobbed but right now it was a bit too cold though it was sixty degrees that day.

Not too many people were there yet as it was still before noon on New Years Day, but there were more than I figured. We walked up to the bar and I ordered the sampler. They don't play games and just automatically give you a sampler of everything on tap.

From right to left we have: Classic Lager, Kolsch 151, Evan Altmighty, Lights Out, Full Nelson, Hibernator, Long Winter's Nap, and BIPA. For the most part, Blue Mountain concentrates on English style beers more than anything else.

As far as the straight lagers, I thought the Evan Altmighty was the most decent. It had a nice toasted note to go with the sweetness of the lager that the others didn't have. I think Jo liked the straight lager the most. Of the rest of them, my favorite seemed to be the Lights Out which had a nice caramel nose with a sweet body. The Long Winter's Nap wasn't bad for a 10.5% beer but the alcohol was a little too present at times. All in all the beers were decent, but nothing really wowed me. At other times they apparently have some bourbon barrel stuff but it was all gone by New Years. Ah well.

The brewery definitely gets packed even if it wasn't too busy when we got there. We stopped there the day before to ask a question and the lot was completely full and this wasn't a small lot. The brunch food was pretty good and apparently their normal food is quite delicious. Even with the beers only being a bit above average, this was a fun stop. While the look of the actual building wasn't as dramatic as Devil's Backbone, the views outside were pretty amazing and made up for it. Not a bad visit and I'd check it out again if they had other things on tap so it has that going for it though I'd visit Devil's Backbone first if I had to choose. Not a bad way to end our time in Virginia.