Reaver Beach

We’re pleased to present a new beer in our ever-evolving wild beer program: Bass Panzer – a sour black ale fermented in bourbon barrels. Bass Panzer (pronounced “base”, as in the low sound tone) was 100 percent fermented in bourbon barrels using our mixed culture of farmhouse ale yeast, brettanomyces, and wild yeast and souring bacteria native to Coastal Virginia. As with all sour beer we make, fermentation with local, naturally occurring microflora was done to tie the liquid to our home and make it unique to our region. It’s interesting that our philosophy on sour beer is not unique to beer. I read a great article recently (which you can read HERE) that discussed something I hadn’t previously heard of: Biodynamic Farming. This farming philosophy is as interesting as it is intuitive. A biodynamic farmer looks to have the most diverse ecological environment possible in which to raise crops and animals. This farmer believes nature’s hand is essential and that organic farming works best by allowing it to guide the farm. Put simpler, animals and plants work together. Animals eat plants and serve to fertilize more crops. Even weeds have their purpose. The simple truth is this: nature wants to do things a certain way. It is alive, has habits, and doesn’t like deterring from them any more than people do. When we ask nature to do something it doesn’t like, we have to find ways around its habits. Pure culture fermentation is a great example of this. People have isolated yeast strains that do what we ask them to do in short order. But, nature always wants to reverse our efforts, which is why brewers go through great pains to ensure a sanitary environment. With our sour beer though, we have much in common with the biodynamic farmer. We practice control on the brewing and fermentation environment to achieve our aim, but we do not control the exact mix of microflora. Instead, we allow nature to consume the sugars in our wort exactly as it likes. This is terroir, this is sense of place. Bass Panzer is another example of this philosophy and practice. The result is something we’re excited about and proud of. It is dry and tart, with a host of dark fruit character. We can thank nature for much of that.

A Barleywine is much what it sounds like: a barley based fermented beverage brewed to a very wine-like strength. Barleywines are typically light amber to deep red in color and boast a heavy malt base, ordinarily mashed at relatively high temperatures to create a less fermentable wort than say, an IPA has. This leaves behind longer starch chains that brewer’s yeast cannot break down and is done to create extra body in the beer. If a beer is described as “sticky”, this usually refers to the sugars and starches not broken down by fermentation.

Named for a carnivorous squid, this "red devil" boasts a malty Vienna base, backed up by spicy rye and 95 IBUs of hop flavor. Once fermentation is complete, we dry hop with a special blend to give it a lasting floral aroma.

Smoked Coffee Porter

A super hoppy pale loaded with Citra hops and finished with a few pounds of FRESH Cascade hops!

Got hops? This vicious IPA does, boasting powerful hop flavor and aroma. We combine a carefully selected malt base, seven varieties of boil hops, and a generous dry-hop to form an India Pale Ale with exceptional balance.

Our Hoptopus DIPA is an 8-legged hophead's dream. It's 8.8% ABV malt base balances with 8 seperate additions of hops, 108 IBUs, and a foolishly generous dry-hop to make this denizen of the deep a lupulin delight.

A refreshing American wheat, brewed with malted wheat and loads of fresh Cascade hops. Fermentation with a clean American ale yeast gives Hurricane a distinctive crispness.

Collaboration with Final Gravity

Bourbon Barrel Aged Belgian Dark Strong

A honey rye saison.

A festive Belgian-style tripel, brewed with spices and rock candy. After fermentation, we puree whole cranberries and add them to the beer, lending it a refreshing tartness.

It calls. Always it calls, infinite in its recalcitrant cast. The bold are rewarded, the meek crushed in its deadly churn. Laugh with the wind, sing with the waves, mourn with the rain. We are delivered. Reaver’s Salvation is a farmhouse-style ale refermented with watermelon in oak barrels with Brettanomyces, and wild yeast and souring bacteria native to Coastal Virginia.

Riptide Alt is our tribute to traditional German brewing, while retaining a distinctive American spirit. Dominated by pilsner and munich malts, and balanced with additions of noble hops, Riptide is wonderfully sessionable and balanced.

A crisp, refreshing Kölsch-style brew, designed by our good friend (and winner of our homebrewing competition) Philip Vaughn!

A wicked combination of chocolate, roasted and black patent malts, backed up by 75 IBUs of balancing hop goodness.

Juicy, Hazy Ipa Hopped Intensely With EL Dorado And Simcoe.

A Monstrously Hopped Triple India Pale Ale.

The Reaver is an oak-aged farmhouse-style ale, fermented with farmhouse ale yeast, brettanomyces, and wild yeast and souring bacteria native to our Coastal Virginia home. Tart and refreshing, with notes of nectarine and orange zest.

Red Messenger was 100 percent fermented in oak barrels using a mixed-culture fermentation. This mixed culture includes farmhouse ale yeast, brettanomyces, and a culture of wild yeast and souring bacteria native to Coastal Virginia. Every wild/sour beer we make will include this native culture in fermentation. While we could source laboratory cultures for souring purposes, we feel it’s important to ground our wild beers in the local environment and give them complexity that only a truly “wild” culture can provide. Our philosophy is that to create genuinely wild beers, we must harness the environment and allow nature to imbue a sense of place into them. In this way, we are creating something unique and something that cannot be exactly replicated elsewhere.

This limited beer begins its life as a Belgian Dubbel, brewed with Pilsner malt, Special B, and Belgian candi sugar. But....it turns traitor during the boil with copious additions of American hops, then on fermentation with American ale yeast. The betrayal is complete with a 100 percent Citra dry-hop, giving it huge, lush aroma.

Pale straw color, crisp and sessionable.