Cobb Island IPA

It was originally named Sand Shoal Island until it was purchased by Nathan Cobb for 100 bags of salt in 1939. The island was then renamed Cobb Island. It has always been one of the barrier islands along the eastern shore of Virginia. Nathan Cobb built a resort on the island and, with his sons, he was  known to "splice the main brace" with the rich and famous who would come and stay at the Cobb Island Hotel. That was until the hotel was washed away in 1893. By 1933, the rest of the residents retreated to the mainland. Cobb Isladn was once again deserted. 

For me, the mention of Cobb Island has some other meanings. During our most recent vacation on the eastern shore of Virginia, we visited the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, where we learned about the efforts to restore a locally extinct species ... the bay scallop. Once of the areas that they have focused their work is Cobb Bay, which is the brackish water near Cobb Island. The scientists and researchers first restored the seagrasses in the area, and then they followed with the re-introduction of the bay scallop. Their efforts have been successful, bringing bay scallop populations to the point where there might be a recreational fishery in the near future. 

The brewers at Cape Charles Brewery give a nod to this history, along with the island itself, with their Cobb Island India Pale Ale. The beer is brewed in the style of a West Coast IPA: a golden hue with foam that stubbornly clings to the sides of the glass, with the centennial and cascade hops providing citrus aromas and flavor elements. Those flavor elements weigh heavily on the citrus side (as opposed to the piney side). The most readily identifiable element is grapefruit, with a little lemon on the edge. 

I have not seen this beer where I live, but I did pick up a four-pack from the brewpub in Cape Charles, Virginia. It's definitely worth the trip, not only for the beer (which is excellent), but also the award-winning wings with Miss Eve's Sweet and Spicy Sauce. Those were the best wings that I have had in a long time.

PEACE.