Ode to a Nightingale: Hogwaller Brewing’s Beer Tribute to Wilson Richey Debuts January 18

by Charlottesville29

People express themselves the best way they know how. Painters paint. Singers sing. Creators create. When brewer Mark Fulton lost his Hogwaller Brewing co-founder Wilson Richey to a car accident last month, he was devastated. But, words did not come easily. Quiet, stoic, and bearded, Fulton is like a walking stereotype of a brewer. And so, he turned to his malt, hops, and water.

Weeks later, Fulton’s tribute beer to Wilson Richey is here. A black lager, Ode to a Nightingale combines Richey’s two favorite styles: stout and lager. Blending four local malts from Murhpy & Rude with Halltertau hops, the result is a 5% alc/vol dark lager that on the one hand carries flavors of a good stout — baker’s chocolate, caramel, and plum — but on the other hand has a lager’s clean finish and body that makes it quaffable, a feature Richey would have appreciated. The name comes from Richey’s favorite poem, which ponders life and death, joy and sorrow, the real and the ideal.

Hogwaller will release the beer Thursday, January 18 at the brewery, while also debuting the playlist created in Richey’s memory: Make Every Song Your Favorite Tune: Music of Will Richey. “Come enjoy one with us, as we pay tribute to the spirit and inspiration of Wilson Richey,” said Fulton.