We were on a mission on our way home from the Chesapeake Bay the other week. A mission for food that could be eaten while watching football. I’m not that into the NFL (college football is so much better), but Tom is a life-long Jets fan and hates to miss a game.
I’ve actually tried really hard to become a pro football fan. As an Okie, we don’t have a local team that we grow up loving. Those with bad taste choose the Cowboys due to proximity, but as a Sooner fan I can’t get down with any Texas team. When I moved to DC, I gave both the Ravens and the Redskins a shot. But it just didn’t stick. This year, I’m trying to cheer on the Eagles because their quarterback was OU’s most recent Heisman winner, but they… aren’t very good.
So, for now I just do my wifely duties and watch Jets games. Surprisingly, they’re not terrible this year.
We were already planning to pass through Fredericksburg, Virginia and decided to stop into the city’s cute downtown for a late lunch and to catch the last half of the game.
Yelp led us to Spencer Devon Brewing, with its promise of TVs, good grub and house brews.
Of course, when at a brew pub, you must sample the goods. We each had a flight of beers so we could taste several of the offerings. I loved the presentation.
I especially enjoyed the 3-4-5 Pilsner and the Center House Association Ale, which was brewed for the Center House Association located in the Marine Corps Barracks here in D.C. Both were crisp, smooth easy drinking beers.
I also tried the Snead’s Squash Harvest, an interesting beer brewed with Georgia Candy Squash puree from nearby Sneads Farm. It wasn’t quite my thing, but I liked it more than I like most pumpkin beers. Last up was the Rappahannock River Water Brown Ale, which was very nutty and had a good, long finish.
All of the beers I tried had an ABV under 5%, which is good because each taster in the flight was 6 oz. The highest ABV is the Lauck’s Island IPA, which Tom tried and enjoyed, describing it as having a good amount of hops without being overly bitter, with a hint of citrus. I’m not much for the hops, but there were several other bitter beer options for those so inclined, including the Bittersweet ESB and Fall Line Pale Ale.
Bottom line: these beers are thoughtful and approachable, the majority of which can serve you through an entire half of a football game without causing extreme inebriation.
After our epic breakfast in Urbanna, I wasn’t at all starving so I opted to fill up on a soup and salad. It was a chilly Fall day, and this thick and creamy broccoli cheddar and beer soup really hit the spot.
Along side the soup I had the Autumn field greens salad, which was inexplicably missing several of its advertised ingredients. It was good, but tasted like something I could easily have put together at home, which was kind of a bummer.
Tom opted for the Putanesca braised local chicken sandwich with a Gran Padano pesto, potato salad and house made pickles.
The sandwich was very flavorful with fresh, white meat chicken and a chewy baguette. I stole all of the pickles, which were so sour and good. I’m pickle/vinegar obsessed. The potato salad was a little bland, but served as a nice contrast to the tart pickles.
If we were local, I think we would spend a lot of time at Spencer Devon Brewing. The atmosphere is very laid back and the service was great. They rotate brews seasonally, so I’m sure there’s always something new to taste.
We’re planning to visit Fredericksburg again in the winter to visit friends and see what else the charming Virginia town has to offer. If you have any recommendations of places to eat or things to do, leave them in the comments please and thank you!
Leave a Reply