A Virginia Vacation With a Mad Fox Flair

Outside of Mad Fox Brewing

This past week Mrs. Meister and I headed south to visit our son Jim, his wife Manuela and our beautiful granddaughter Kai.  While there, we did some fishing, ate some great meals and took a swing by a local Euro Gastro Brewpub called Mad Fox Brewing Company.  Mad Fox is located in the town of Falls Church and is renowned for its fine food and handcrafted beers.  Locals in the area rave about the beer like it is the nectar of the gods. So, of course I had to go check it out along with their food and atmosphere.

Beer Vats When You First Walk In

When we got to Mad Fox, all of us went inside where we were greeted with a smile and a warm welcome.  Then came the big question, would you like to sit inside or outside?  The inside of the place was really nice, but since the weather was outstanding we decided to sit outside at street level.  If you have never been to Falls Church, it is a thriving town filled with plenty of bars, restaurants and unique shops along with a few big chain stores which are tucked away in high rise like buildings.  It's a really neat little culturally diverse town with something for everyone.  

My Flight of Beer

Once seated, I immediately went to the beer menu to see what I might order to quench my thirst and to review.  One of the beers that is spoken highly of is their Orange Whip IPA.  I was told that it was a huge local favorite so I knew right away I had to try it.  As I looked over the beer listing, a few others caught my eye so I thought why not get a flight of 4 beers.  I ordered an English Summer Ale, an Altbier, the St. James Irish Stout and of course the Orange Whip IPA.  A nice variety to say the least.  So, lets start the beer rolling with my take on the beers pictured above from left to right.

English Summer Ale / 5.2 % ABV (Meister Meter = 2)

Sight:  This ESA had a very light clear yellow color from top to bottom along with a high quantity of effervescence.  When ordering a flight at a pub, its really hard to determine the beer's head since you don't see it being poured.  I will say that this one had a nice pure white head when it arrived at the table which lasted through several sips.  A pretty typical looking Summer Ale.

Aroma:  Up front you smell a simple beer aroma of hops and barley with back notes of citrus.  Nothing really great to smell just very simple.  I expected more.

Taste:  Right off the top I could taste bready malts with very slight hints of citrus (grapefruit).  This was a pretty good plain English Summer Ale.

Overall I was not really that impressed, however, this was a very simple English Summer Ale that if kept on ice could be an all day drink at a summer picnic or clambake.  I would pair this up with simple grilled food like a hot dog, cheeseburger or chicken.

Orange Whip IPA / 7.5 % ABV (Meister Meter = 3)

Sight:  This IPA had a nice dark amber color with orange hues throughout the glass with a nice cream colored head that lasted a bit.  Not a typical looking IPA but I really liked the way it looked.  I was starting to get excited. 

Aroma:  Up front you get that IPA-like hoppy aroma followed by back notes of citrus ending with a shot of orange.  A nice complex aroma for an IPA.  I am now totally intrigued to see what this tastes like. 

Taste: Yep, this is certainly an IPA all the way.  Right up front you can taste that typical IPA hoppiness along with the grapefruit back notes followed up with a slight flavor of orange.  I was a little disappointed since I was expecting a little more orange. 

Overall I was disappointed with the Orange Whip IPA since it was so highly regarded.  I was expecting big flavor.  Again, a nice IPA that could have used a little more orange to take it to another level. I would pair this up with barbecue ribs or chicken.  It would also go well with a pork chop, red potatoes and green beans.  With a 7.5 % ABV this beer will sneak up on you.

Altbier / 5.9 % ABV (Meister Meter = 4)

Sight:  Since I really like drinking German Altbiers, I couldn't wait to dive into this one.  What I saw here was a nice darker yellow color with amber hue's throughout the glass and an off white head that rung the glass for a long time.  I would say a nice copper like color which is typical of a good looking Altbier. 

Aroma:  With your first whiff, you smell roasted malts and nuts with hints of caramel followed by back notes of chocolate.  A well balanced blend of aromas. 

Taste: With my first sip I could taste the bready malts and caramel followed by hints of what I thought were vanilla and orange ending with chocolate.  This was a very flavorful, well balanced beer on the tastebuds.

Overall this was my favorite beer of the day at Mad Fox.  A nicely blended beer that looked good, smelled good and tasted good.  I will say that as this beer warmed up a bit, the flavors popped a bit more.  I would pair up the Altbier with a smoked pork shoulder or grilled salmon. 

St. James Irish Dry Stout / 4.2 % ABV (Meister Meter = 2)

Sight:  Since I am Irish and my first name is James, this beer selection was a no-brainer.  This is the last of the 4 beers in my flight of Mad Fox selections.  As I looked at my Irish Stout, I saw exactly what I expected, a very dark beer with a light brown thick head.  The head actually lasted through my tasting of the 3 other beers.  Impressive!  

Aroma:  With your first whiff, you get a slight aroma of chocolate and caramel and nothing more.  For an Irish Dry Stout the aroma was weak.  I was totally perplexed at what Mad Fox was trying to do here.  Now I didn't know what to think.  The beer looked good, but was very weak in aroma.

Taste:  Well, let me just say that I did not save the best for last.  This was a weak attempt to reproduce an Irish Dry Stout.  I did get the flavors of chocolate, caramel up front with coffee on the back end.  It seemed watered down and on only slightly flavored.  I really expected the flavors to slap me in the face but it instead all I got was a brush of wanted flavors.

Overall this was my disappointment of the day.  A good looking stout that simply lacked flavor.  If you want to try an Irish Stout for the first time, this would not be the one.  If I had to I would pair this up with nothing.  I know that is harsh, but that's how I see it.  As an Irishman, I am disappointed all around.

With all of the hype surrounding Mad Fox Brewing Company and their reputation for good brews I must say that I was not impressed.  Their beers looked good but were lacking in hardiness of flavor.  The brew pub itself was very nice, the employees friendly and the food was good.  You can check out Mad Fox Brewing Co. at madfoxbrewing.com