Tin Cannon Brewing Grand Opening
This past Friday (the 28th) was the grand opening of a nano-brewery relatively close to the homestead. Tin Cannon Brewing is located in Gainesville, VA just off the main shopping strip in the shadows Target and Best Buy. I tend to stay away from that area in general as traffic is a nightmare, even more so on the day after Thanksgiving, but decided to make an exception for the occasion. The brewery is located in a small block of retail space off of Limestone Dr — next to a crossfit gym and a kids bounce house.
As a nano, it’s not the largest of operations and the tasting room quickly filled after the doors opened — leading to a line out on the front walk by the time I left to continue my beery adventures. Upon entering I was happily greeted by friendly staff who handed me a laminated print out of the beers on tap (four flagship offerings and two experimental releases).
I was lucky enough to be the fourth or fifth patron in line and promptly ordered a flight of the four main brews. Unfortunately, that’s not what I ended up sampling — probably due to the initial chaos of the company’s initial opening. I’m sure once things settled down the beers flowed more smoothly.
I grabbed a nearby stool and settled in for a quick sampling. First up I believe was Belgian Judy, a 6.5% ABV Belgian-style blonde ale, that was pretty darn subdued. It’s always tough to judge a beer with just a sampling, but the aroma and flavor of this one never really got going. Second, was an experimental release. Breakfast of Champions is an amber ale brewed with bacon and chipotle peppers. The pale beer didn’t have much of a bacony or roasty character, but the chipotle influence was nice, adding just a hint of heat and a peppery, vegetable presence.
I saved the darker of the four flight samples for last, leading with Unkelweizen. This dunkel was damn near spot-on for the style and my favorite of the bunch. Had the place not been packed to capacity, I would have happily gone back for a full pint of this one.
Last up was Vaughn’s PB, a porter brewed with peanut butter — a trend the past couple of years of which I am not overly fond. I’d rather enjoy a solid porter than one using an additive to mask any shortcomings. I don’t believe that’s what is going on with this particular Tin Cannon brew, but it just wasn’t my thing, though it did have a decent roast and nuttiness.
I’m not sure how the rest of the day went for the small operation, but if the line out the door was any indication, the grand opening was a success. The brews are decent and I expect that they will only get better as Tin Cannon settles into their niche in Virginia’s ever-growing craft beer scene. I know that the next time the wife drags me to go shopping in Gainesville, I will do my best Steve McQueen great escape and grab a pint of that tasty dunkel.
