For most college students, little more thought is put into purchasing beer than what case is cheapest at Kroger. Although the more economical beers may be more compelling for shot-gunning and beer bongs, Blacksburg offers many diverse options for students interested in seasoning their beer-drinking palate.
Caitlin Cox, a senior history major, never had much of an interest in different types of beers. After hearing about the free beer tastings at the Vintage Cellar every Friday, Cox now rarely misses the weekly event.
“I never realized there were so many diverse options,” Cox said. “Just coming here every week I’ve been able to try so many different beers and really appreciate the complexity of each.”
The Vintage Cellar, primarily a wine store, has been hosting weekly beer tastings for more than 10 years. The store offers more than 800 different types of beers from rich lagers to hoppy pale ales.
Trent Crabtree has been working at the Vintage Cellar for two and a half years and is a certified sommelier, a French term for a wine, beer and cigar expert. He also hosts most of the beer tastings. Originally from Kansas City, Crabtree came to Blacksburg on a whim and has since been charmed by the town’s avid beer culture.
“This is a beer town if I’ve ever seen one,” Crabtree said. “I’ve never been in an area where so many people brew their own beer and brew extremely well.”
One of the more popular local brews, Shooting Creek, is an example of how prosperous the beer culture has become.
“I think the people at Shooting Creek really had no idea how good they were when they started or that they would become as popular as they are,” Crabtree said.
Shooting Creek brewery is located in Floyd County and distributes exclusively to the New River Valley. One of the most unique things about this microbrewery is the use of fresh, organic ingredients, with almost all ingredients used in the beers on a farm beside the brewery.
Aside from large-scale local endeavors, brewing in Blacksburg takes place in a much smaller capacity. Senior Ryan Flynn is among many locals who brew their own beer at home.
“My roommates and I have been brewing for the past couple of years,” Flynn said. “We just look up recipes online and try to make different ones every time.”
Flynn gained more of an interest in the malted beverages after traveling to Colorado and seeing the passion people have for beer.
“Each trip I took, I probably tasted 50 beers. It made me realize how many different flavors there are,” Flynn said.
Part of his attraction to Blacksburg’s beer culture is its laid-back atmosphere.
“It’s a really open, fun culture compared to wine,” Flynn said. “People aren’t really judging the beers, they just like drinking it.”
Since graduating in December, Flynn now devotes much of his time in Blacksburg to developing an idea that will hopefully help to unite fellow beer aficionados in the area. Working with a group of five sophomores in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Flynn is creating a social networking Web site for beer enthusiasts.
“The idea for the site is basically taking what Facebook has done and making it for more of a niche type of market,” Flynn said. The site, which the group hopes to have running by April, will connect beer drinkers and provide information on all aspects of the culture.
Many restaurants in the area produce their own unique types of beers such as Bull and Bones, which has six types of beers brewed in the back of the facility. Combined with the many wallet-friendly watering holes available, Flynn believes there’s no better time to experience the area’s beer scene than now. Or at least at 5 p.m.
“People need to start expanding their horizons on beer and they’ll be really surprised at how amazing and diverse the options are,” Flynn said. “And after all, lots of them have a much higher alcohol percentage than the cheap ones, so you get just as drunk off of a six pack as you would on a 12 pack.”