Lickinghole Creek Craft Brewery is the definitive example of farmhouse brewing on a breathtaking scale one has to see to believe. This 290-acre vibrant farmland nestled in Goochland, Virginia grows hops, fruits, barley and herbs to create a fantastic catalog of beers ranging from IPAs to Russian imperial stouts. Most Virginians love their reputation for creating barrel-aged behemoths contained in gorgeous 750 mL bottles that feature stunning label art and memorable liquid. So how fitting is it that the largest farmhouse brewery in the Commonwealth of Virginia creates the biggest beer in the state’s history?

Meet the Magnificent Pagan Beast, a bourbon barrel ale capped at 17.5% ABV and 110 IBUs. Magnificent Pagan Beast goes beyond the limit of imperial to a level all its own by using thousands of pounds of grain and hundreds of pounds of Belgian candi sugar. If the name sounds familiar to you, Lickinghole Creek co-owner Sean-Thomas Pumphrey explains that the name came before the creation of the brewery itself:

“The name for that comes from ‘Cheers,’ that I used to watch as a kid. It’s the first thing Diane says to Sam when she meets him: ‘You Magnificent Pagan Beast.’ Six years ago I thought, THAT is a beer name. What beer could possibly live up to a name like Magnificent Pagan Beast? How about a 17% bourbon barrel mega ale?”

 

 

“We had to get our own yeast for it. We had to brew four times for it when normally we brew twice to fill up a tank. It’s about six times the amount of hops we use when we hop up our beers a lot already. I wanted something big, strong but something you could enjoy and share with friends.”

If any brewery were up to the job of creating a beer of this magnitude, it would be Lickinghole Creek. The spacious brewery and barrel selection has swooned a legion of dedicated consumers through creating memorable, fantastic variants on their award-winning base beers. Virginia Black Bear, their seasonal Russian imperial stout, has won gold twice at the Virginia Brewer’s Cup. Virginia Black Bear evolved in a blaze of bourbon-barrel glory to become the Enlightened Despot, one of the most highly rated and sought after beers in the state’s beer trading community.

This innovation has expanded to their Belgian quads, tripels and brown ales to create showstoppers in every hefty beer category there is. And the love the staff at Lickinghole Creek has for Magnificent Pagan Beast seeks to take on the world. There will be no distribution for these beers outside of the brewery, so this weekend is the best time to trek down to Goochland, especially if you love taking your dog!

 

 

2,000 bottles
Four-bottle limit
$25 per bottle

A portion of the proceeds from the bottle release will be donated to the All. Here. Now. Campaign in support of Goochland Free Clinic & Family Services.

As incredible as this sounds, what makes the release of Magnificent Pagan Beast significant is that it shares the date of the brewery’s third anniversary. Lickinghole Creek tends to do two bottle releases per month, showing their latest recipe or revived classic. The brewery is going all out by releasing an incredible tap list of dozens of limited release beers and variants. The third year anniversary celebration is the dream event for any fan of this brewery; almost every beer that will be rotated out would be worthy of its own bottle release.

If you wish to buy a bottle of Magnificent Pagan Beast, pre-sale tickets are already available for purchase. Spending $10 gets you access to buy the beers throughout the day of the event and the day afterward depending on your scheduling. Speaking from personal experience, I can say that Lickinghole Creek is making the right choice setting up this ordering system. It is to ensure everyone gets the bottles they ordered and to prevent gigantic lines for the bottles and taps. This event is expected to have up to 1,000 people. Be prepared and go to the front page of http://www.lickingholecreek.com/ to order tickets and learn the allocation system.

The first nine beers will be poured in regular 12 or 16 oz glasses inside the brewery. All cellared beers (listed after Virginia Black Bear) will be available in limited qualities as 5 oz pours for $3 and 10 oz pours for $6. For the vast majority of the cellared beers, there is only one 1/6 keg available. Some beers will be poured in a certain order, so to learn what will come up first, please check out the event’s Facebook page here. Growlers will not be permitted.

The Magnificent Beer List

Beer name	Beer style
‘Til Sunset	Session IPA (Cans For Sale!)
Magic Beaver	Belgian-style pale ale (cans for sale!)
Pony Pasture Pilsner	Czech pilsner
Citra Fresh IPA	IPA (bottles For sale!)
Carrot Cake	Imperial amber ale (bottles for sale!)
Coconut Quad	Belgian-style quadruple ale with coconut
Mango Habanero Brown Ale	American brown ale with mango and habanero (bottles for sale!)
Seven Region	Oyster saison (bottles for sale!)
Virginia Black Bear	Russian imperial stout (bottles for sale!)
Vanilla Virginia Black Bear	Russian imperial stout with vanilla
Chai Tea Virginia Black Bear	Russian imperial stout with chai tea
Enlightened Despot	Bourbon barrel Russian imperial stout
Hug the Despot	Bourbon barrel Russian imperial stout with vanilla
Heir Apparent	Mexican-spiced Russian imperial stout with chilies
Supreme Leader	Bourbon barrel Mexican-spiced Russian imperial stout
Great Commander	Rum barrel Mexican-spiced Russian imperial stout
Redneck Wedding	Bourbon sarrel Belgian-style quad
Kentucky French Toast	American brown ale
Coconut Illuminatos	Rum barrel Russian imperial stout with coconut
Bourbon Barrel Chocolate Obsession	Bourbon barrel imperial chocolate stout
Bourbon Barrel Coffee Obsession	Bourbon barrel imperial chocolate stout with coffee
Bourbon Barrel Blueberry Obsession	Bourbon barrel imperial chocolate stout with blueberry
Maple Bourbon Brown Ale	Bourbon barrel American brown ale with maple syrup
Bachelors Delight	Rum barrel Belgian-style quadruple ale
Pineapple Delight	Rum barrel Belgian-style quadruple ale with pineapple
Rum Barrel Chocolate Obsession	Rum barrel imperial chocolate stout
Rum Barrel Coffee Obsession	Rum barrel imperial chocolate stout with coffee
Bourbon Barrel Tripel	Bourbon barrel tripel
Bourbon Barrel Tripel + Ginger	Bourbon barrel tripel with ginger
Magnificent Pagan Beast	Mega bourbon barrel beer (1 oz pours only!)

 

Live music will be provided at the event throughout the day. From 12 p.m. to 2 p.m., Rick Hollowell will be playing classic rock and country. Bryan Holt will be playing between 2 p.m. and 4:30 p.m., and Cook County Bluegrass finishes the night from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Food trucks will also be stationed at the event throughout the day. Your choices are: Harry’s Picnic Basket for gluten-free sandwiches and salads, Mean Bird for fried chicken, and Vanguard Range Gourmet for delicious goat entrees.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BIdxVKaA5hU/

You have to come to a place with a sunset that unbelievable. Hope to see you there!

Event Location

4100 Knolls Point Dr.
Goochland, VA 23063
About 15 minutes from Exit 167 Oilville/Goochland off of I-64.

Event time

October 1, 12 to 8 p.m.
(Bottles may be picked up on October 2 from 12 to 4 p.m. if you register for bottle pickup at that time.)

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