Four Virginia Beers honor the Nature Conservancy.
Known as “America’s Founding Forest,” longleaf pines covered more than a million acres in 1607, when the English settlers landed here. Their wood built the boats and houses that launched our nation. Today, with 200 pines remaining at The Nature Conservancy’s Piney Grove Preserve in Sussex County, manager Bobby Clonz is among those working to preserve the species.
When Josh Chapman, owner of Chincoteaque’s Black Narrows Brewing, heard about restoration efforts. he got an idea: “I know this is going to sound crazy,” he told Clontz, “but I really want to make a beer using this crazy longleaf pine.”
With its “grapefruity notes,” Chapman’s Piney Grove IPA, “turned out even better than I could have hoped.” Brewed from longleaf’s green needles, branches, bark, and cones, Chapman’s beer has inspired three more Virginia brews. Though they sold out quickly in the fall/winter, there’s talk of bringing back the OktoberForest collection for this year, 2023 :
- Powhatan’s Fine Creek Brewing Co.’s Allegheny Farmhouse Ale, made with chanterelle mushrooms from the Warm Spring Mountain Preserve.
- Väsen Brewing Company’s Barrier Islands Gose, made with eelgrass from the Volgenau Virginia Coast Reserve.
- Crooked Run Fermentation’s Clinch Valley Saison, made with red spruce tips.
“Knowing the amazing work that The Nature Conservancy has done on the Eastern Shore, it just made sense to use our local beer to highlight longleaf pine,” says Chapman. Nature.org
This article originally appeared in the February 2023 issue.
