Latest reviews from Roseland
| 76 /100 3224 EAST BRANCH LOOP “Well... deserted when I got there as they weren't open! My bad, I looked up the Richmond location hours by accident. It didn't even occur to me they could have a second location already. About 10 minutes south of Devils Backbone and deep in the woods. Beautful. Small tasting room, lots of outdoor tables. They can have some pretty good parties here. I ran into the owner and he was willing to let my purchase bottles to go despite their not being open. That was awfully nice. Large array of ciders on tap and bottled. I've only tried one of their products, but it was good enough for me to pick several bottles to go, including stuff I haven't seen in stores. Overall its a nice place and worth a stop, and it lengthens the already impressive list of breweries, distilleries, cideries, and wineries on this little state road.“ |
| 58 /100 17223 PATRICK HENRY HWY “Yes, this place is huge. Why? Well Anheuser-Busch, the evil empire has bought them only after a year in business. Sickening. The beer here is below average, and they have SET flights, which mean you can’t build your own. Not worth the stop, unless you’re a novice beer drinker.“ |
| 70 /100 462 WINERY LANE “Picturesque rural setting not far from many distilleries, cideries and breweries. One of the newer younger cidermakers from their Rochester location poured our samples, so of course he was a font of information. We sampled everything he had - all were middle of the road, sessionable, nothing extreme. Can or growlers to go. No food. If the weather is nice, sip your cider at the picnic tables near the babbling brook behind the taproom.“ |
| 78 /100 17223 PATRICK HENRY HWY “Oh look, another place I haven’t reviewed. Ambiance is great - I love the look of the place (though I’m not a hunter and couldn’t kill an animal myself), and the outdoor area in good weather is also fantastic. I have never gotten good service here - it’s never been bad, it’s just been getting me the beer. I could get the same service at Draft Taproom in Charlottesville where I serve myself (though the folks there are friendly and are around if you have questions). Selection is usually quite good - and very time there’s a good amount of new shit on tap I haven’t tried. Twice within the past 6 months I’ve attempted to visit and it was overpacked and I left without sampling everything. I was initially quite put off that they sold out to Budweiser, but then remembered that most of their beers were average to slightly above anyway, so obviously they were never going for the craft crowd (quantity over quality in many cases, in my opinion). However, it is a really nice place - and if you can get in (and not have a 40-minute wait - which, in that case, is not worth it) I’d say go. Food is expensive - enough to the point I’ve always gone elsewhere for grub.“ |
| 74 /100 17223 PATRICK HENRY HWY “It was quite surprising to find this in the middle of woods. They had a good selection of beer and food. Flights can be found in various locations.“ |
| 86 /100 17223 PATRICK HENRY HWY “Update 2/2916: They have expanded an outdoor area. Fire pit, outdoor "food truck-ish" kitchen, outdoor bar with some rudimentary climate control and often different options than inside. Beers are still of excellent quality. Old reviews follow... 11/27/08: The brewery is located right off 151 behind a Ski Barn with a very blue roof. If you are coming from the North, watch out as it is easy to miss the turn. Big place, with the brewery clearly visible behind the bar, lots of wood and other touches, much of which is made from recycled material. Not all the beer was ready opening day, but the five available were all drinkable and three of those were very nice. Food was tasty. Prices reasonable. Service was friendly, but not too terribly knowledgeable about the beer, but this can be forgiven on opening day. They have 2-3 guest taps dedicated to other Virginia beers at all times, which is cool. Absolutely beautiful surroundings. This is a very cool place, and one that I will be visiting time and time again. 5/5/09... one that I HAVE visited time and time again! 12/12/11: I see I haven’t updated this in a couple of years, so I shall now. I’ve had every beer they’ve produced, or very close to that. If they’ve made a beer I haven’t had, I’m not aware of it. Wide range of beers, there are of course ups and downs but the overall quality of the beer is high and standouts are common. The food is always good as well. Lots of local stuff, and the meat smoked on premises is simply astounding. The place where their popularity affects them negatively is customer service which can vary quite a bit, though the bar staff is generally very good. I’ve gotten to know Jason the brew-master and he’s a cool guy. I originally rated this a 78. I expect that’ll be going up a fair bit in the next few minutes. Another update 7/3/13. Boy these guys have grown. They now have a second production brewery with packaged product seeping into other states. Both breweries are currently undergoing expansions. I wish I could give this place a higher score for ambiance, because the outdoor setting is simply stunning any time of year. The customer service can still be iffy at times, but seems to be a bit better, and some people have now been there for years which certainly helps. The beer is still excellent and quality control is more consistent. The food is still excellent. Prices are still in line with the competition. Old score 84, new score 86 “ |
| 68 /100 462 WINERY LANE “Located almost across the street from Devils Backbone. This is the Virginia production facility for Blue Toad. On the campus of a former winery, expect the vibe to be spacious fields and winery tasting room. I was the only customer late afternoon on a Friday. Bartender was friendly and helpful and was able to answer all my questions about the ciders and the business. Several ciders on tap including seasonals. The ciders are mediocre to good in quality and in general they are getting better over time. Nice, peaceful place and I’ll be back.“ |
| 82 /100 17223 PATRICK HENRY HWY “On the same road as Blue Mountain (Afton) and Wild Wolf (Nellysford). This is being made into a destination in the style of what Walt Disney might do for a rural brewery. The effect is mixed, because, with the improvements the p;ace has a lot of potential activity, but, along with that, it seems a little inauthentic and artificial. The staff was friendly and attentive on a Wednesday afternoon, and there are several really solid brews available as flights (at a very good rate). I didn’t try the food. Overall, very positive.“ |
| 62 /100 17223 PATRICK HENRY HWY “Decent place. Off the beaten path but they have a nice brewery there. Good selection.“ |
| 60 /100 17223 PATRICK HENRY HWY “Came here at night. Super busy as the long bar was 3 or 4 people deep. Staff seemed busy and curt. Didn’t eat anything and filled two growlers. Meh“ |
| 76 /100 17223 PATRICK HENRY HWY “Good place to eat, nice menu, great location and both indoor and outdoor seats available. They offer several samplers. The beer is OK, but the food is delicious.“ |
| 88 /100 17223 PATRICK HENRY HWY “Roomy interior has the feeling of a ski or other wilderness lodge. Waitstaff are alert and quick. Food is classy, if not gourmet, and very tasty. They have a bunch of beers on tap, all theirs, and all good. Worth going down the winding back roads of Blue Ridge Virginia.“ |
| 62 /100 17223 PATRICK HENRY HWY “A very large place, with plenty of parking, though it’s pretty dense gravel. Inside there are thematic taxidermized, positioned animals that offer quite the comical thrill. A pretty large bar, and a wide range of seating inside and out. On tap they have their several year-rounds, plus an array of seasonals and limited offerings. The food is kind of expensive, but pretty good.“ |
| 86 /100 17223 PATRICK HENRY HWY “Nice open bar. Dinner seating and other tables available. Nice beer selection, all beers solid to say the least. Server very helpful though she was busy. Flights available pours are excellent size for one person. Didn’t eat. Parking plentiful. No customer WIFI available. Beautiful ride from the interstate. A must stop.“ |
| 80 /100 17223 PATRICK HENRY HWY “This is a large place in a beautiful setting. Plenty of parking. Not five minutes after I sat down, one of the brewers came out to the bar and said, "Come smell the beer!" So four of us dutifully trundled into the brewery to inhale the malty goodness of the boil. Nice appetizer for a tasty lunch and plenty of unique beers I hadn’t had before. Worth the trip.“ |
| 64 /100 17223 PATRICK HENRY HWY “Ale of Fergus = YUM“ |
| 78 /100 17223 PATRICK HENRY HWY “Was here with the family while visiting my sister upon her recommendation. Great atmosphere, awesome location, be it a bit in the middle of no where, it’s on the Route 151 crawl way out. Definitely worth the trip. Beer was competitively priced. Food, on the other hand, was not. Sandwiches were reasonable, but most of the entrees were priced relatively high. Price withstanding, the place was pretty awesome. Large space with tons of mounts in a gorgeous setting that even a torrential downpour couldn’t dampen. Well, figuratively at least. Beer was well executed. The IPA was solid, though the Ichabod Crandall and the Rauchbier were the standouts. I had the pulled pork which wasn’t bad, while my wife had the espresso rubbed ribeye, which was pretty sold, though probably not worth the $30 price tag associated. The service was excellent. The place was packed an we never felt as if we were being neglected. Will definitely return.“ |
| 80 /100 17223 PATRICK HENRY HWY “Worth the trip just for the scenery alone. The 180 degree view of the blue ridge mountains from the patio has to rank as one of the best vistas offered by a brewpub. The building itself is pretty cavernous. The ambiance is not unlike a refurbished ski lodge. Sort of dark, lots of wood and taxidermy. The service was prompt during my Saturday lunchtime visit. 12 Devils Backbone beers were on offer at reasonable prices. The food’s solid pub fare. Perfectly acceptable though certainly not life-affirming in quality. Prices were fair. Overall, a must-visit stop if you’re in the area. I’ll definitely be back.“ |
| 86 /100 17223 PATRICK HENRY HWY “Not familiar with the area at all but this place is out of the way and off the path. That being said, I was really glad we stopped here. Huge parking lot, looks like they have outdoor concerts there with local music. Cornhole/baggo outside....with picnic tables... cool. Great view of the mountains! The building looks like a hunting lodge. Good size bar. Glasses, shirts and others gifts available. Outside deck seating with a outside fireplace... Pretty chill outside. Dogs welcome, and they have a little jack russel terrier who is cool dog. Some old school blues music was on. Server was friendly and fast. Dozen or so beers on tap all pretty good. Food menu has a lot of options with a variance in price. I had a sandwhich which was good. Overall, this was a cool place and hope to make it back. Well worth the detour we took to stop in“ |
| 68 /100 17223 PATRICK HENRY HWY “Very good beer selection. There’s always at least one that will fit your palate. Food could be improved. The menu looks better than what actually comes to the table. Service is good.“ |
| 76 /100 17223 PATRICK HENRY HWY “Headed on down to the Devils Backbone from a house we were staying at the Wintergreen resort area. There is a lot of parking - probably far more parking than the actual brewpub could ever support, lots of space. Place was fairly crowded but we were able to sit in a nice fireplace and space heater heated covered outdoor area. Servers were very chipper, and easy to talk with. Lots of beers available from them, so it was good to be able to try many of their brewpub only brews. Food came out pretty promptly. Burger was HUGE, so it made up for the slightly over-salted (at least for me) fries that came with them. Went there a second time two days later and the place was busy, even for roughly 4:00pm, but still got seated immediately in the covered patio. Service was quick. One addendum to this that other reviewers have noted - no one in the group of 8 (both with Verizon and AT&T) had cell signals. It’s dead. There isn’t any free wi-fi available, something that at least Wild Wolf provided just down the street. Not a deal breaker, but virtually impossible to check-in or write reviews on the fly when there.“ |
| 70 /100 17223 PATRICK HENRY HWY “Nice looking place. Hunting lodge feel. The service was fine, friendly and seemed knowledgeable. We didn’t eat, but the food menu looked interesting, though a little pricey. Solid brewpub.“ |
| 66 /100 17223 PATRICK HENRY HWY “Beautiful building - post & beam construction and high ceiling gives it a mountain lodge feel, which I guess it is. Staff very friendly and knowledgable. Service was kinda slow - I thought the meal would arrive before my 1st beer. My wife tried the sampler and the beers were warm (this is a general problem with beer samplers). No problem with the food - pretty good pub fare. Overall nice place that I hope to return to.“ |
| 64 /100 17223 PATRICK HENRY HWY “Stopped in for lunch on a Sunday. It’s a BIG place. Really goes for the lodge theme (compete with tons of taxidermied animals on the walls.) Sat at the bar which is kind of hidden and a little hard to get to. They run a full restaurant on top of the beer but the food is really pretty expensive. A good selection beers, the regulars and some specialties. For the most part nothing aside from solidly done standards. Lagers, ales, wheats in multiples. But they did have a black beliner weiss which was awesome! Service was a bit slow and I watched as a few tables seemed to get ignored after getting their waters. But everyone was friendly and there was a good, diverse crowd. Nothing I’m dying to go back for unless I’m in the area already.“ |
| 58 /100 17223 PATRICK HENRY HWY “It started off well. Beautiful ski chalet type building, gorgeous scenery, very good hefe but it went downhill quickly mainly to a lack of air conditioning. It’s already the hottest summer in existence but by the time we left the thermostat was at 85 degrees. By the ends I just wanted to get the hell out of there which kind affects one’s ability to rate a place. That being said I also wasn’t feeling the gas station chic the bartenders were forced to wear. Why dress your employees in something that no one but helroin addled hipsters could look good in? Also no cell service in the area So plan accordingly.“ |
| 56 /100 17223 PATRICK HENRY HWY “Ski chalet; reclaimed materials, large stuffed animals. No AC so in 90+ heat, it was sweltering in there. The bathrooms are about 15 degrees cooler, so you kind of wanted to take your beer to the bathroom and just stay there. Folks were crowding the bar which can be awkward. There is NO cell service in the area, so make note of RB entries before arriving. The wait staff was friendly despite the tragic 1950’s gas station attendant shirts that don’t fit the rustic ski chalet theme.“ |
| 76 /100 17223 PATRICK HENRY HWY “Good, but not wonderful food, good and a couple of very good brews, al lserved in a comfortable setting. The surrounding scenery is enough to make a trip there worth the effort, even if you don’t like beer.“ |
| 74 /100 17223 PATRICK HENRY HWY “Lodge theme- looked clean and well-kept. Kind of fun checking out the dead animals on the wall. Live music. Service was good, friendly and efficient. Decent selection of beer- we did a sampler. None of them rate as my favorite beer ever, but enjoyed our time nonetheless. Food was decent and tasty- not perfect but good. Prices average. Overall an enjoyable visit and a good kick-off to a fun vacation.“ |
| 86 /100 17223 PATRICK HENRY HWY “
Stopped in this place with yourefragile on our way from DC down to Winstom-Salem for the Barrel-Aged Sexual Chocolate release. Kind of out in the middle of nowhere, though the area is beautiful. Also impressive that there are three breweries in close proximity to one another here.
First off, the parking lot is massive and consists of a gravel circle with more than enough room. Ahead is a nice amphitheater, which I assume is used for concerts. Once we got inside, there was a band playing off to the left. Nothing too loud, and fairly enjoyable. Nice hunting lodge theme throughout the place, though quite tastefully done. The brewing equipment is viewable behind the bar, where we sat down.
Good service from the start. The place was quite busy, but the bartender did a good job coming back to us. As would be expected, plenty of German-style lagers on the menu. No surprise, as Jason excels here. Food menu was pretty diverse. There were approximately 10 beers on tap, with 4 regulars and then 6 or so new beers.
The food was pretty good and at a reasonable price. I also loved the fact that they had multiple types of branded glassware -- pints, tulips, and weizen glasses.
Very cool vibe at this place. I will definitely return the next time I’m headed down that way.
“ |
| 76 /100 17223 PATRICK HENRY HWY “Visited here when staying with friends on a relaxing trip. Tried several of the local favorites and was quite pleased. We sat on the patio area and the smell of garbage was swirling the air. This didn’t bother me as much a some. The beer was pretty good, the food was average or slightly above and the bar inside was quite nice for such a rural nook of the eastern seaboard. All in all, I say the place was nice enough to revisit. Especially since, its the only damn thing in Roseland that resembles a decent beer joint.“ |
| 68 /100 17223 PATRICK HENRY HWY “This brewpub is designed like a ski-lodge in a small rural town (apparently ski village). There are no signs for it on the side of the road, so it was difficult to find (especially in the dark) but just look for a big ski lodge. It was quite packed when we got there (~8:30pm on a Monday night) but slowly thinned and we were eventually able to get seats at the bar. The crowd was your typical skiing-type crowd with a fair amount of young children (who also sat at the bar...). There was a guitar-playing singer performing as well...who was not very good at all...but the children liked him at least. There are a fair number of beers on tap (can’t remember exactly) and the beer is pretty good so it’s worth a stop for that I guess. I didn’t try any of the food. The service was pretty decent, given the amount of people there. Overall, the crowd and design was a bit off-putting but the beer was enjoyable, so it’s worth a stop (especially if you are stopping at Blue Mountain first).“ |
| 86 /100 17223 PATRICK HENRY HWY “This Brewpub was visited on my wife’s birthday. It is located on the access road to the ski area Wintergreen The food was good. TV ’s were positioned well to eat and watch college games on Saturday. The outside tables had a super view of the Virginia Mountains. I had two of their beers. I look forward to future visits. Many of their beers have won medals in national competions.“ |
| 78 /100 17223 PATRICK HENRY HWY “the place is out on its own in a good looking stretch of country. I liked the place as soon as i saw the outside and liked it even better on the inside. the food is good and the beers are better than decent. the service is hopping even on a really busy Saturday. Sat on the rockers a few of us and just took in the sun. nice place, friendly locals.“ |
| 80 /100 17223 PATRICK HENRY HWY “Something like a 45 minute drive from Charlottesville, but worth making the trip out for the beer and food, especially the beer. The service can be a bit hit and miss at times, but if you get a good server then everything is just perfect. Given the talents of the brewing team, there is always something worth drinking on tap, and there session beers are worth guzzling many a gallon of. Beyond the service issue, the only problem with Devils Backbone is that they don’t have a pub in Charlottesville!“ |
| 64 /100 17223 PATRICK HENRY HWY “Pretty nice architecture but hard to find, especially since there is no signage if you are heading in certain directions. The service was okay and there is a decent selection of their brews, plus a couple of guest taps and some macros in bottles as well as a full bar. The food was pretty good, but a bit overpriced. Overall it was an enjoyable experience, but I wish the beers had a little more to them and that they were a little more affordable. I can’t say I had anything that will draw me back to this place.“ |
| 86 /100 17223 PATRICK HENRY HWY “Visited several times since they opened this fall. The building itself is constructed from pieces of old tobacco barns and other farm structures. The many stuffed animals add to the rustic ski lodge theme which is unsurprising given its proximity to the ski resort. The beer selection is updated frequently and new beers have become available on a sometimes weekly basis. Well worth a visit if you find yourself in the mountains of Virginia.“ |
| 86 /100 17223 PATRICK HENRY HWY “February 2009 - On the road to the Wintergreen resort, this is a beautiful building erected just for this brewery. We went on a slow weekday afternoon, so our service was very attentive and friendly. The menu is relatively standard pub fare with a few unique twists on old favorites -- we shared a hummus pizza and some soup, both of which were outstanding. We tried a total of 5 beers between us and all were well made, ’inside the box’ offerings. You have to mean to be out in this part of Virginia, but if you find yourself out there, definitely stop by! Brewery #468“ |
| 52 /100 17223 PATRICK HENRY HWY “Visit in January 2009. Somewhat tacky, overdone ski-lodge feel with lots of stuffed animals on the walls. Service was friendly but very slow. Had a decent variety of hose brews available and a reasonable sample price, but none of the beers was better than mediocre. Food was the best part - good nachos, fries and burgers. Still, given the underwhelming beer, I won’t be going back.“ |
| 70 /100 17223 PATRICK HENRY HWY “Though a bit of a hike from the interstate, this is a nice spot to get a beer. All of their beers are fairly solid brews and they have a few guest taps on. The sampler is only $3 and a pint ranges from $4-5. Wooden and antique items line the place with fireplaces at both ends. Definitely worth a stop if you’re in the vicinity. Only about 15 miles from Blue Mountain.“ |
