Rock Creek Brewing Company - Devil's Elbow IPA

For 18th Century Richmonders to get their paws on an English IPA, British ships had to carry it up the James River and navigate a treacherous stretch known as the Devil's Elbow. Today, The Rock Creek Brewing Company, located just up river from the Devil's Elbow, makes it much easier for locals. This IPA is brewed with a combination of two row pale and caramel malts and is hopped aggressively with Fuggles and Kent Goldings hops. Immediately note a very hoppy spicy and fruity nose in this pale, medium-bodied beer. Great head retention. Its flavor profile begins with a malty sweetness, balanced nicely with a full hop bitterness. Overall, a very flavorful, hoppy IPA.

If you're a hophead, find out how to create your own IPA-only beer membership here!

The Rock Creek Brewing Co. is headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, yet brews all of its beers in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. Rock Creek’s brewery is a traditional English brew house, employing traditional brewing processes. The brewery will be moving its Pennsylvania brewing facility to Raleigh, North Carolina later this year. The Raleigh brewery will be double the size of the previous one, and will feature a small tasting room and beer garden. Customers are invited to tour the new facility and sample Rock Creek’s 20 plus beers once the facility opens. Rock Creek will also have food and drink available at the brewery when completed. The grand opening is slated for September of this year.

This fall, Rock Creek will offer two new products in bottle and on draft. All American Ale, a hoppy, American Pale Ale, and Black Magic Oatmeal Stout, a big, bold stout hinting of chocolate and roasted barley flavors. Both beers will be on the shelves by the time the Raleigh facility opens.

Currently, the brewery produces five year-round beers including: River City ESB, a full-bodied traditional "Extra Special Bitter", Black Raven Porter, named for Edgar Allen Poe's famous Raven - Richmond being the home of Poe - a deep, dark London style porter, Nuttrageous Brown Ale, an English-style nut brown ale brewed in the tradition of Samuel Smith's Nut Brown Ale, Rock Creek Red Ale which took the Gold at the 1997 World Beer Championships, Devil’s Elbow IPA which our panel favored the most, and Rock Creek Gold, a lighter-bodied Golden Ale. Rock Creek also brews an number of Seasonals including Wild Summer Passion Wheat Ale, a Raspberry American Wheat beer, Pumpkinhead Ale, a spiced pumkin Ale, and Winter Passion Spiced Ale, a high gravity holiday Ale. Lastly, if you get a chance to swing by the brewpub yourself, you’ll be able to try one of two Cask Conditioned Ales, a Roasted Stout and/or an Extra Special Bitter.

For more information about the brewery and scheduled tours, call (804) 649-9235 or check out their web site at www.rcbrew.com.