Regional beers crush it at the CBMA
The Craft Beer Marketing Awards, a global event that lets brewers compete for titles like Best Tap Handle and Best Beer Related Podcast, recently announced its 2022 winners, and multiple Virginia brands were on the list.
For amateur beer consumers who are overwhelmed by the array of craft beers on store shelves, there’s a lot to be said for having a can that stands out—and the CBMA appreciates that. The Crushie awards, judged by a panel of beer, marketing, and design experts, determine the most aesthetically appealing ales on the shelf, and our very own Starr Hill Brewery was awarded a Golden Crushie in the Best Packaging for Bottles category for the eye-catching wrap on its Northern Lights IPA. In Best Logo Typography, The Second Sun Design Company received a Platinum Crushie for its work with Chesapeake, Virginia’s Studly Brewing. Finally, another Golden Crushie went to Ashburn’s House 6 Brewing Co. for Best Beer Flight Presentation. The brewery’s Double Ladder Party Flight is served in a wooden model of a fire engine, staying true to its mission of supporting and honoring Virginia’s first responders.
New nosh
The offerings at Dairy Market grew a little with the recent opening of Maizal South American Street Food. This is the D.C.-based chain’s first location outside the metro area, and Charlottesvillians can expect the same empanadas, burritos, tacos, arepa cheese balls, and more.
Chickadee is a new café from Tricia Zawhorodny and David Stone, who developed their passion for bread baking and sandwich crafting during the pandemic lockdown. Now C’ville can enjoy the fruits of their experimentation in The Glass Building spot formerly occupied by Bluegrass Grill & Bakery. Chickadee’s creative menu offers breakfast salads, as well as morning sandwiches such as the Crab Dang Boom with crab cake, yolky egg, herb boursin, capers, fried shallots, chives, pepper jelly, and arugula. Lunch items include a veggie smash burger and the AJ Soprano sandwich with fried bologna, ham, pepperoni, sharp provolone, fried shallots, lettuce, onion, herb vinaigrette, chow chow, and garlic aioli on a housemade hoagie roll.
Looking forward
We were sad to see Junction shutter at the end of 2021, and while those Southwestern plates appear to be gone for good, there’s also good news. Junction chef Melissa Close-Hart recently announced that the Belmont space won’t be empty for long, thanks to her soon-to-open Mockingbird Southern Cuisine. The new restaurant will welcome diners at the end of the summer. Along with the name change and a new menu, expect a slightly updated look. We’re licking our chops!