As soon as I heard of the Fredericksburg Area Beer Trail “Summer Selfie Scavenger Hunt,” the challenge was on! At first I thought my wife would, of course, want to be a party to this—and for most part she did—but my excitement to complete each Selfie Challenge was too great to wait for her availability. Either way, LET’S GET ON THE TRAIL!
What’s great about this challenge is that it brings all of the local breweries into play: 1781 Brewing Co., 6 Bears and a Goat Brewing Co., Adventure Brewing Co., Red Dragon Brewery, Strangeways Brewing, Highmark Brewery, Barely Naked Brewery, and Maltese Brewing Company. It allowed me to experience each of these local favorites, with great people, great food, and also… wait for it… GREAT BEER! Seriously, this area will soon be known throughout the country as THE destination for history, nature, food and libations.
Day 1: My plan was simple, divide and conquer, responsibly. So, I split up the mission—er, challenge over several beautiful days. My first stop was the 1781 Brewery, where I got my “Rooster Selfie,” which was easy as they’re everywhere, along with turkeys, chickens, and a swan or two! It’s a great place for supervised children too (don’t just let them go “hog wild” as they say). Then, since 6 Bears and a Goat is also outside of FXBG proper, I went and got my selfie there with the brewer and owner Mark (with his permission of course) and the mighty bear! I also had to have a great meal there, since they are the only brewery with a full restaurant. Then onto Barely Naked, which just won the Northern Virginia “Battle of the Brews;” Thirty-two breweries and they came in at #1!
Day 2: Ready for my next “Adventure,” meaning I headed to Adventure Brewery! I took my selfie at the wall, I took my selfie in front of their food truck, and I had my flight! Great seltzers and Imperial Beer. Then onto the Red Dragon, just blocks from Historic Downtown. Since the challenge was “selfie with a stranger” (in front of the “There are no strangers here, only friends we haven’t met yet”), I had the most fun with this, and probably grabbed more strangers than needed to complete the challenge. Party on! Finally, I ended my day at Highmark, just across the Rappahannock River and the site of the “In the Pursuit of Happiness Wall,” which was the perfect ending to the day as I truly was in pursuit of happiness!
Day 3: I finished my challenge with two breweries that are less than a mile apart. First was Maltese, the brewery founded by firefighters, hence the theme of the brewery. The challenge was having a “Signal One”: the hottest beer ever brewed! Get the fire hose….and then the paramedics! Of note, Maltese—and Day 1’s 1781 Brewery—are located right next to Civil War battlefields, so you can get your “history on” while there. To end my mission from God, I ended up at Strangeways, a perfect name for a great brewery. So many choices of beers (36)! Of course, I had the “Lucky Charms Marshmallow Berliner Weisse” to check off my challenge. (Actually, I had 2!)
Thank you, Fredericksburg Area Beer Trail, for giving me the challenge that I’ve been waiting for. I got to experience so many different atmospheres, foods, people, and beers. My palate has learned a lot, and enjoyed every minute of it. I now dare, or double dare, YOU to get all 20 challenges completed, like me—not just the 10 that are required to be eligible for the prize. You will have fun, you will make friends, and you will be out of your house and not in front of your TV on a Tuesday night! But of course, I must say: stay in control, drink responsibly, and you’ll go far! The mission is yours; will you accept it?
WATCH: Norman’s Summer Selfie Scavenger Hunt Challenge on the FAB Trail
Blog post by Norman Voss.
Norman Voss is a downtown FXBG resident who loves all things FXBG. You can follow him on several of his Facebook pages: For dining/drinks: Voss Cheers. For history: Heroes of History. For music his band page is: The Stormin’ Norman Band. He also is a wedding DJ/Singer/photographer/videographer: Voss Weddings.