Virginia Craft Beer Month Day 4: "Down Under" Pale Ale Homebrew Project and O'Connor Brewing at Harbor Park

*Note: Due to a very busy day, this posting is for Saturday, August 4th.  Sorry its a day late. 

In recent years, Australian and New Zealand hop growers have been producing a multitude of new hop varieties.  These new hops often exhibit unique flavor and aroma characteristics, and American craft and homebrewers have begun to take notice.  Varieties like Nelson Sauvin and Galaxy in particular have drawn commercial interest.  However, there are many other less utilized hops, of which less is known.  In order to get a better handle on the flavor and aroma properties of these newer hop varieties, a little experimenting was necessary.

A busy Saturday began bright and early with a trip to my friend Eric's house, where a couple of other homebrewing buddies and I brewed up 35 gallons of Pale Ale. What made the brew day unique was that the 35 Zealand. The hops used in our "Down Under" experiment were: Kohatu, Motueka, Pacifica, Rakau, Stella, and Topaz.

While one occasion it is nice to brew alone, I also really enjoy brewing with others.  Not only does it afford the opportunity to share and discuss homebrews and commercial beers, I have found that every time I brew with others I end up learning something new.  The brew day went smoothly, and I intend to post some tasting notes in a month or two when the beers are ready to enjoy. 

To culminate an enjoyable brew session, the family and I travelled down to Norfolk, Virginia for an evening at the ballpark and a Norfolk Tides baseball game.  For a long time, ballparks have been a veritable craft beer wasteland, and Harbor Park was no exception.  In recent years, however, craft beer options (albeit limited) are starting to become available.  Located on the first base side of the main concourse at Harbor Park is a draft beer stand featuring two beers from Norfolk’s own O’Connor Brewing Company. 

The Green Can Ale is a refreshing golden ale.  Gold in color, light in bitterness, and at about 5% ABV, Green Can is what I like to call an “entry level” craft beer.  On a hot, sticky day game afternoon, or in the early innings of a night game when the sun is still beating down, the Green Can Ale is my “go-to” thirst quencher. 

As the sun sets, however, I am usually looking for something with a bit more robust flavor, so I turn to the Norfolk Canyon Pale Ale.  Orange to light amber in color, the Norfolk Canyon features a floral and citrusy hop aroma, with a firm malt backbone.  At 5.5% ABV, it’s a solid American Pale Ale.

http://oconnorbrewing.com/