A cold beer at Chaos Mountain Brewing was the perfect way to end a day of climbing on the Hunger Ride 50-miler.
After the World Hunger Ride
The Hunger Ride more than generated an excuse for a cold beer. The World Hunger Ride from Antioch Church of the Brethren predates the craft beer movement by about two decades, but in modern times it feels as if they were made for each other. We had ridden 50 miles of ups and downs and added 4,800 feet of climbing to our legs by the time we were finished. The ride had been classic Franklin County, Va.with near constant rollers, interspersed by a long climb up to the Blue Ridge Parkway and a thrilling descent of Five Mile Mountain. Exhausted and proud of our accomplishment, we drove to nearby Chaos Mountain Brewing at the base of Cahas Mountain to celebrate. (The Brewery takes its name from the mountain which is often mispronounced — so they just went with “Chaos.”)
Derrig the Giant at Chaos Mountain Brewing
Chaos Mountain Brewing Derrig the Giant artwork
The hardest part of enjoying a cold one at Chaos Mountain Brewing is making a selection. One of my fellow riders had suggested Derrig the Giant. This made my selection a bit easier. The name sounded curious and I ordered up. I normally go for the IPA, but the notion of an Irish red ale intrigued me. Glad it did. This beer has a low IBU and a great taste. Chaos officially lists the bitterness at 27 with the ABV at 5.3 percent.
The seasonal ale, brewed in honor of Saint Patrick’s Day makes for a nice celebration of Spring. It features a variety of malts and flaked barley and two types of hops. The link above will take you to the beer’s official description on the Chaos Mountain Brewing website.
I won’t go too deeply into the brewing methods or the beer’s finish. That’s all a bit beyond me. My role with respect to craft beers is to consume them. In this case, I found Derrig the Giant to be the perfect way to end a hard day of cycling. If you are fortunate enough to snag a ride in or around Roanoke, Va. It’s worth a trip to Chaos… and you might just roar like the giant if you come in the spring and make your acquaintance with Derrig.
I enjoy traveling to ride my bike and to find a nearby brewery to wash down weary legs. Click here for a full review of Beers I have ridden.
Chaos Mountain Brewing offers a nice bar and lots of merch!
A screenshot shows the description of Derrig The Giant Irish Red Ale from the brewery’s website.
Derrig was the latest beer that I have sampled at Chaos. Most of their offerings meet with my approval, and DTG was one of the better swallows there. I like a malty flavor with less of the bitterness and floral notes of many craft IPAs. Cheers! – Well done.
-Bill