Devils Backbone Brewing Company

Deuane

Pennsylvania

4.22/5  rDev +7.1%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$

Tucked in the Blue Ridge Mountains, there is a lovely mountain lodge where the creators thought of every detail before opening November 2008 to serve house-brewed beers. We finally got a chance to check out Devil's Backbone Brewing Company in February 2009, which is just south of Nellysford, VA at the intersection of Route 664 and 151. On the edge of a planned community in the making, this is the flagship business for the Village at Glen Mary.

It's modern beam and local stone construction, accented by recycled corrugated metal roofing and recycled wood from a variety of sources, make the building a work of eco-friendly art. The metal adorning interior walls comes from a 1900's dairy barn in Urbana, MD while the tables and booths are distinctively crafted from wood recycled from a horse barn in Uppersville, VA. The wide floor boards were pulled from a tobacco barn, while the stone is local river rock. Taxidermied wildlife has been provided by Nelson County hunters and sportsman - all local mammals, with the exception of a moose from Maine. It's a 3-million dollar investment and every dollar shows in the perfect detail.

My first impression of this over-sized building and perfectly detailed wood and stone work was that it would be a typical tourist-oriented steakhouse that serves house beer. But when I walked in the door, the first thing I smelled was mash - not wood smoke or grilled meat as expected - milled grain in the boil! That's a promising sign for a microbrewery!

We were seated at a table near a gorgeous fireplace and under a handcrafted metal chandelier - the metal shaped into hops vines and grain. Large windows created good lighting and beautiful views of the mountain surround. The staff were courteous and attentive, not just to us, but to every detail. They kept the place tidy and ready for guests to come.

The beers were very good. Nothing blew me away, but I wasn't disappointed by anything on our table. Devil's Backbone offers half-pints and several taster flight option (only 2-oz of each, though), so we opted for half-pints. Seven house brews and two guest tap were flowing when we visited. We tried:

* Wintergreen Weiss (4.7% ABV, 13 IBUs) - light, balanced and full of banana and clove aroma.
* Eight Point IPA (5.9% ABV, 60 IBUs) - seemed like more of a Pale Ale; very light in color and on the maltier side; not a lot of hop aroma.
* Alpen Bock (6.9% ABV) - drinkable and smooth with a touch of roastiness and a subtle hint of butterscotch.
* Dead Bear Imperial Stout (8.5% ABV) - full flavored brew, despite a quiet nose; ends with hints of dark chocolate and espresso.

The food was quite good, and there were so many interesting things on the menu that we didn't try. I had the fish and chips - the fish was prepared with a hint of chili powder prior to deep frying, and arrived in the shape of little fish "fingers"; the fries were substantial and tasty. C had a cream of spinach and bacon soup paired with a winter beet salad, made with roasted watermelon, spiced pecans and goat cheese.

If you find yourself in Nelson County, VA, stopping by Devil's Backbone Brewing Co. is worthwhile!

**Edit from a 11/30/2009 visit--Now had 10 house beers on tap--raising selection score from 3.5 to 4.0. Also raising service 0.5 points due to exceptional service from server Saporha(sp?) and from our lengthy chat with brewer Jason Oliver.

A most pleasant place I will visit with every opportunity I get!

09-13-2009 21:36:48 | More by Deuane

MMT

2.25/5  rDev -42.9%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3 | service: 1 | selection: 2 | food: 3 | $$

Our experience this afternoon canceled out all good feelings we ever had about this place.

Our first bill had a $10 mistake in their favor. We sent the bill back, and one of us left the table. The second bill was correct, and was paid with a tip of about 18%. But our credit card was not returned to us. This has never happened to us before -- and we're pretty old.

When we called the General Manager, the story was that it was all our fault. We were told we'd left our credit card behind, with the merchant's copy of the receipt. Yeah, we don't believe it, either.

According to the manager, this happens all the time, and people who don't report their losses quickly have their credit cards shredded. So: check your bills, and keep tabs on your credit cards. Using cash would be safer.

10-04-2012 21:35:10 | More by MMT

Walshwi

3.05/5  rDev -22.6%
vibe: 3 | quality: 2.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3.5 | food: 2.5 | $$

Unfortunately, this place is a tourist trap. It's right next to the Wintergreen resort and it seems to be the go-to place.

The atmosphere is actually pretty cool. It's got a lodge feel complete with associated decor. I remember the temperature being inconsistent throughout the bar. Service was average.

The quality was sub-par. The beer and food leave a lot to be desired. The beer was just low quality. I would rate it under large commercial brewpubs like Gordon Biersch. There was quite a selection, but like I said, not good quality.

I've been to Russian River, Moylan's, Lagunitas, and other premier brewpubs... this place just doesn't do it for me.

09-18-2012 21:31:59 | More by Walshwi

akorsak

Pennsylvania

4.05/5  rDev +2.8%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5 | $$

Stop 3 on the BRT and final one before Asheville (we didn't pull in until 12:30AM). Dinner and drinks.

Atmosphere: A giant chalet, plenty of wood and glass. Inside animal heads dot the landscape. Outside a smoker stands watch. Plenty of tables to the right; the bar behind the primary waitstand. Brewing equipment behind that. Another beautiful locale.

Quality: Good food and okay beer. The biggest thing going is the quantity of beer - 11 beers on tap.

Service: Attentive throughout, I have no complaints.

Selection: As I said, 11 beers on tap. Only the Wintergreen Weisse was off. That left three regulars and 8 specialties. It's not a far leap to say that lagers are a house specialty. I counted 5 of the 11 being of the lager persuasion. The beers overall were good, nothing spectacular though.

Food: The food won the day - delicious barbecue in the heart of Virginia. Try the sampler, with chicken, turkey, pulled pork and beef. The turkey was the stand-out.

Best food here, hands down.

05-29-2012 01:40:39 | More by akorsak

mgbickel

Pennsylvania

3.6/5  rDev -8.6%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 3 | food: 3.5 | $$

Another stop on our way into NC. This place is quite impressive from the outside...looks like something you would find in the Rockies! Inside, there is tons of seating with a long bar lining most of the back wall. We sat at the bar and noticed all of the taxidermy...like being in a mini Cabelas!

The offerings were not very impressive...almost everything was lager based, which goes with the season, but their entire draft list centered on Octoberfest. We got a flight of 6 beers, and most of them were also just meh. The food menu was, jeez, bland as well. Nothing jumped out at us, so we just ordered some soup and decided to eat elsewhere. Our bartender was good, but we didn't ask her much.

Overall this is a pretty neat place that I would not go out of my way for. If you are doing the brewery tour with Blue Mountain and Wild Wolf, it makes perfect sense to stop by though.

10-26-2011 21:05:33 | More by mgbickel

drewsil111

Virginia

3.1/5  rDev -21.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3 | service: 2 | selection: 4 | food: 3 | $$

A cleverly designed brewery, Devil's Backbone Brewing Co. is tucked right below the 3-Ridges and Wintergreen Resort in Roseland, VA. The atmosphere and decorum fits the brewery's location very well. The seating arrangement is good (I've never seen it Jam Packed). DBB is certainly a must visit on the "Brew Ridge Trail," but there are glaring flaws that need to be addressed. First off, the food is very basic. I can't really think of any staple that is of "must eat quality." The beers are VERY hit or miss. The Gold Leaf and Ale of Fergus are very tasty and the obvious standouts. The rest of the beer sampler they offer is either average, or just very unappealing.

10-06-2011 20:51:06 | More by drewsil111

ebby82

Virginia

4.33/5  rDev +9.9%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$

After a lovely drive through the hills outside of Charlottesville, we arrived here around noon on a beautiful summer day. It looks rather large, with a hunting lodge feel, and there are hop vines growing behind the building.

We were seated immediately on the outdoor patio. One of the highlights of this place is the picturesque view of the mountains from the patio. A nice spot to relax and enjoy a few beverages.

My wife and I had a sampler of six of their seasonal and or experimental brews. All were tasty, particularly a wheat beer with lemon and some sort of tea in it. I also really liked their hoppy brown ale, which was a mixture of their IPA, Pale Ale, and Stout.

After enjoying the sampler, I had a pint of their Vienna Lager, which was a tasty, if not amazing, version of the style.

For food, we both had a delicious French Dip, my wife's choice of sweet potato fries was astute.

The service was quick and polite, the beer was excellent, and the view from the patio was calming.

All in all, I shall return, hopefully soon, and I look forward to next year when they shall begin to package a few of their beers.

08-04-2011 23:02:08 | More by ebby82

emquilxy

Pennsylvania

3.8/5  rDev -3.6%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 2.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5 | $$

Stopped last night when traveling through--beer was a solid B+/A-. Really enjoyed the 4 Point Pale Ale, the seasonal Haze was quite refreshing on a 100+ degree day.

For food, the nachos were just okay (not diggin' the watery queso), pulled pork sammich and burger were very good. All of the sammich sides (chips, fries, sweet potato fries, and corn pudding) were fantastic--we had to try them all. :)

Service was definnitely lacking--waited for a long time for a table when there were many empty. Tons of staff were working and running around--not sure what the hold-up was? Were "served" by a bartender who obviously thought he was way too cool to be there on a Friday night.

Wouldn't go out of my way to visit again, but also wouldn't hesitate to stop if I was hungry and in the area.

07-23-2011 13:01:35 | More by emquilxy

Thorpe429

Illinois

4.38/5  rDev +11.2%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4 | $$

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.

07-19-2011 11:08:40 | More by Thorpe429

SpeedwayJim

New York

4.05/5  rDev +2.8%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 3.5 | $$

Was here with capra12, mday, and azurelimits on our way to a beer release.

The Devil's backbone is a brewpub tucked into the heart of Shanendoah valley. The actual place looks like a large hunting lodge nestled in the mountains. The surrounding area is absolutely gorgeous with large fields, an amphitheater and an unobsructed view of the mountains. The spacious outside seating and nicely arranged and decorated interior helped too. Really an amazing atmosphere.

Beer was fresh and the place was very well put together. Not much else to say about the quality.

Service was very timely right around lunch. The place was pretty packed when we got there but it was well staffed and all parts of our meal were delivered in quickly and with a smile.

Devil's backbone, like most brewpubs, only served their own beer. However, with 11 selections ranging from a hoppy pale ale to a barrel aged dry stout, they really had their bases covered in terms of variety.

I got the fish tacos here which were just average. However, their summer squash soup was very enjoyable and their sweet potato waffle fries were to die for. So there's a bit of hit or miss on the menu.

The food and beer was very decently priced but the swag was unimaginably expensive. To give an example... $6 for a bumper sticker... Really?

Overall, Devil's backbone is a highlight of the Shanendoah valley and it's a must visit for the beer aficionado who finds themselves in the area.

07-17-2011 16:34:51 | More by SpeedwayJim