What’s happening craft beer lovers of RVA?! Welcome to this week’s “Tapped,” RVA Magazine’s go to weekly craft beer column where you can find all your craft beer-related events, releases, festivals and all the booze news your little hearts’ desire.
If you missed last week’s beer news, you can check those out here. Our cup is overflowing with news this week from releases to events, and other cool happenings around town, so hold on to your mugs because we’re getting ready to tap this thing!
Some of the coolest news is that RVA Mag will be partnering with Charlottesville’s Tom Tom Founders Fest this spring. The week-long fest will have over 100 events, 300 speakers, and 70 bands. Tom Tom is the largest gathering of “innovators, visionaries, and artists who are shaping small cities,” in the Commonwealth. Like any great event, the festival will bring together musicians, artists, civic innovators, and social entrepreneurs across a series of panels, roundtables, mixers and immersive talks. Keynote speakers include Dan Rather, Bill Kristol, and John Clease. RVA Mag Editorial Director Landon Shroder will be speaking on the After August 12: Freedom of Speech and Domestic Terror panel. Anyway, the Richmond kickoff event to celebrate our partnership with Tom Tom is going down at Hardywood this Thursday from 6 to 8 pm. Come have a beer with us and the people of Tom Tom and learn about the festival!
This week at Fine Creek Brewing, they will have the return of their Citra Mosaic IPA, with a massive amount of whirlpool and dry hops to create tons of citrus and tropical fruit flavors.
Triple Crossing will have bottles of Raspberry Sliced and Green Dreams DIPA at both locations this weekend and Downtown they will have Fierce Abandon IPA. This 5.5% IPA is jammed packed with notes of crazy juicy fruit apricots, ruby red grapefruit and clementine oranges. Hops we featured are Citra, Mosaic, and Simcoe. This will be available Downtown tomorrow at noon in Crowler format.
Center of the Universe will release its Chic Saison brew this Saturday. The Ashland brewery brewed this French Farmhouse Saison brewed with Mangosteens which are grown in Southeast Asia and contribute a tart and tropical fruit punch that pairs perfectly with the spicy qualities of the French Saison. The beer clocks in at 6.1% and offers the perfect way to welcome in Spring!
This Friday, Final Gravity Brewing Co. will release Rites of Spring, a smooth 5.5% lager brewed with ginger and honey. And they will release a new Double IPA, Cipher which brings the haze and the hops including Loral, Falconer’s Flight, Galaxy, and Citra. Both available in Growlers and Crowlers.
Twisted Ales has come out with an experimental IPA called Sleight of Hand. It was fermented with wild yeast captured outside of our brewery. It is not your typical IPA. Blood orange and mango flavors, 7% ABV.
On Saturday, Vasen Brewing will release its American Pale Saison, their version of an IPA that’s a double dry-hopped golden saison with moderate bitterness with flavors and aromas of ripe peaches and grapefruit from Citra hops.
On Thursday, Three Notch’d RVA Collab House returns with its weekly collaboration. This time, its “Tapped Potential”, a saison made with the Frontier Project. The Frontier Project leaves their mark by working with businesses to facilitate positive change in their company’s culture. Expect fruity and early flavors from this Belgian saison. Pint specials!
Screens n’ Suds’ Beer and Arts Festival returns to RVA this Saturday, this time at Studio Two Three. There are three different ticket options for this fest, ones for the casual beer drinker up to one for the hardcore craft beer lover. Tickets, depending on price, get you samples, a commemorative glass, early access, and more. Details on what’s included with VIP, GA, and the free ticket option can be found at the link above. Screens: A brand new print series created specifically for the event will be released at the event at noon. Check out the lineup of artists vending on the Facebook event. Suds: Your VIP or Suds ticket will include hand-picked beverages for the event during the hours of your selection. Noon-6pm for VIP Tickets and 2pm-6pm for Suds Tickets! List of breweries participating can also be found on the event page. Tickets are $50 for VIP and $33 for a Suds ticket which can be found here. All proceeds from this event will go to National MS Society Virginia-West Virginia Chapter, Gallery5, and Studio Two Three.
Tonight, Chef Mike Ledesma, who will open his Scott’s Addition restaurant Perch soon, will take over the menu at Matchbox Short Pump, pairing his cuisine with Blue Bee Cider’s ciders and Vasen Brewing beers. He will create several a la carte items. You can click the link for the menu. 5-9 PM. And if you need another reason to go besides delicious good, cider, and beer, ten percent of proceeds from Mike’s menu benefit Holton Elementary so go eat and drink for a good cause.
Today, Buskey Cider is doing an experimental hops collaboration event with Yakima Valley Hops. Team Buskey flew out to Yakima, Washington, where some of the world’s best hops are grown. Yakima Valley Hops picked out eight varieties that they highly recommended for dry hopping in ciders. $15 gets you a sampling of our 8 experimental hopped ciders and the opportunity to chat with our production team. You’ll also be entered into a raffle for some cool cider and hop related items.
Submissions or ideas for Tapped can be emailed to Amy at amy@rvamag.com. Cheers!
Top Photo By: Twisted Ales
