Brothers Craft Brewing - The Great Outdoors

The Great Outdoors presents us with a brightly golden and slightly hazed color, topped by a cap of pale foam. Crafted with Summit and Cascade hops, we pick up a classic American hop aroma offering bright citrus notes of orange, grapefruit, and tangerine along with softer and more delicate floral tones. The malts offer an undercurrent with light suggestions of cracker or bread. Look for all these themes to play out on the palate, too, where those malts deliver a crackery and lightly toasted core upon which those hops engage us with a pleasant dose of citrus juice and zest. The hop bitterness here is restrained compared to an IPA, which, as the brewery says, “...allows citrus to shine without overpowering the crisp, clean character that makes The Great Outdoors so refreshing.” This pale ale is, indeed, refreshing and, at sub-5% ABV, it’s quite sessionable, too. For pairing options, there’s a lot to choose from as this is a pretty food-friendly style. Fried or roasted chicken, fish & chips, pizza, tacos with a fruity salsa, grilled pork, moderately spiced Thai and Vietnamese dishes, lemon meringue pie, or a snack of mild Cheddar, Gloucester, Leicester, or Jack cheeses all should make fine accompaniments. Cheers!

Situated in the Shenandoah Valley, Brothers Craft Brewing began business in December of 2012, the realization of a dream of three brothers: Adam, Jason, and Tyler Shifflett. Originally named Three Brothers Brewing, the brewery rebranded in April of 2015 to avoid potential conflicts with other marks, and to better represent the sense of brotherhood and camaraderie among the entire staff of the company – why limit the brotherhood to three, after all? The roots of the business go back to when Adam, the eldest brother, started homebrewing while still in the Navy, where he had worked as a nuclear powered submarine engineer. After leaving the Navy and developing his skill as a brewer, he and his brothers joined up and started a production brewery to serve the Harrisonburg area and the surrounding Shenandoah Valley, which the brothers had always called home.

Today, the brothers are still as focused as ever on producing the highest quality and freshest beer for their local community. But, their community focus doesn't end with the beer; the brewery supports numerous charitable initiatives including a gift drive each December for Mercy House, the Souper Bowl Food Drive in February, the United Way's Stuff the Bus campaign each summer, and, one Friday per month, Cask for a Cause, which features a beer brewed specifically to support a local nonprofit. Currently the brewery produces six year-round beers, multiple seasonals, and a growing list of literally dozens of limited and one-off brews including barrel-aged, wild, sour, and experimental beers. For more info on the brewery, their Taproom, or their Horizon Society club featuring limited production brews in 750-ml bottles, visit www.brotherscraftbrewing.com.