What’s happening, craft beer lovers of RVA?! Welcome to this week’s RVA On Tap, RVA Magazine’s weekly column for all your craft beer-related events, releases, festivals, and all the booze news your hearts desire.
If you missed the last column, you can check that out here. Our kegs are overflowing this week with beer releases and festivals, events, and other cool happenings around town — so hold on to your mugs!
This week, we’re jumping into tons of events, benefits, anniversary celebrations, and more, plus tons of releases to get your juices flowing.
It’s finally here! We’ve been waiting for the Imbibe Craft Beer & Arts Festival to come back for months now, and it’s hitting Fredericksburg this weekend. With tons of our favorite breweries from around the state, the festival packs in more than 100 craft libations, and say they’ve got some special love for the local spots. They’ll have an Artisan Market with handmade wares from regional makers in the area, and awesome bands like the North Mississippi Allstars and the People’s Blues of Richmond.
For a full list of the attendees, hit up their website, but you can expect most of these guys from the Richmond area: Ardent, Blue Bee Cider, Hardywood Park Craft Brewery, Intermission Beer Company, Legend Brewing Co., Strangeways Brewing, and Väsen Brewing Company. Starr Hill, our Charlottesville sisters who have set a spot in Richmond to open this year, will also be in attendance — along with some of my personal favorites from the rest of the state like Devil’s Backbone.
Happy birthday, Strangeways! Our friends over at the brewery have a huge weekend planned, and this is one you aren’t gonna want to miss. They’re re-releasing not one, but seven old favorites from the vault to celebrate their time with us. Look forward to the nostalgia, and grab a taste of That’s My Jam!, a Berry Sour, Wake Me Up Before You Gose, Apple Sour A Bomb, Wake Me up Before You Gose Hibiscus, and Cloak of Feathers — a Baltic Porter — all on Saturday.
Also starting Saturday, The Atkinsons will be playing live all day with food trucks and Truckle Cheeemonger full of picnic-esque treats. Continuing on into Sunday (for National Drink Beer Day!), LowCo Eatery Brunch is coming out to serve up the goods with the releases of Only Brewed 4 Cuban Linx Wild Ale, Wake Me Up Before You Gose Ghost Pepper, and Oscillate Wildly Blueberry-Wild Sour.
Bring out the fashion, Richmond, because Stone Brewing ain’t just wearing pink on Wednesdays. Tomorrow night, bust out your favorite pink clothes and come celebrate International Women’s Day all over again with Pithy In Pink, a Pink Boots Society White IPA, perfectly-flavored with grapefruit and coriander. On the real IWD, Stone brought out some of Virginia’s best with amazing women from across the state to brew the beer together, and it’s finally here to drink. The Pink Boots Society is a badass organization (with a local chapter here in town) of women in the brewing industry, and it’s got its own brew now to accompany it. Head out tomorrow night and grab a bite from Curry in a Hurry over in the garden, too, and celebrate the ladies in your life.
Isley Brewing Company’s Kiwi Infused Pilsner is fresh to the taps this Friday. If you’re looking for a brew to bring out the best of summertime and forget about how *absolutely freezing* the weather has been this week — after such a long week of warm, too — this might bring your taste buds to a happier place. Full of one of the best summertime fruits of all, this Pilsner ought to bring your brain back to warmer days and out of this long winter.
Fine Creek Brewing is hosting their Make-A-Wish Benefit tomorrow night, so grab a beer and help grant some wishes to local kids. Come out and support their Walk-For-Wishes, the largest community event for the organization in Greater Virginia.
While we all know how awesome the Make-A-Wish foundation is, here’s something you might not have known: The excitement of these Wishes have actually proven to possess some physical and emotional benefits — which actually can give these kids a higher chance of survival. The impact of real Wishes on the families, and communities, of the sweet kids who pick them is far-reaching and positive across their loved ones. So all around, if you’re in the mood for a drink tomorrow, please keep Fine Creek high up on your list. With a beautiful farm to host it on, you’ll be very glad you did!
Does it make sense? I mean, when does anything? Hardywood’s in the spirit of confusion this week and I’d be lying if I said the artwork doesn’t appropriately suit the cause. Who is she? She’s beautiful, is who she is. This New England-Style IPA is heading to the cans this week, But Does It Make Sense?, and it’s citrus-forward with Mosaic, Galaxy, and Hallertau Blanc hops. Swing by Hardywood and grab a bite from Hog Haven too, which looks just as mouthwatering as it sounds.
Intermission Beer Company is dropping a new brew this Friday. Tight Pantaloons is another New England IPA, and it’s also one whose name I can’t seem to read without a British accent in my head. I think it’s unfair not to, honestly. It just sounds so good. Anywho, ol’ pantalones hits in at 7.5% ABV and it’s a hazy, non-bitter tasting IPA that was dry-hopped with Galaxy, Mosaic, and Citra hops.
As far as the IBU goes, they say:
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
So I’m glad we’re all on the same page with how we’re feeling this week. Me too, guys, me too. But either way, they’ve done a really solid job on this one!
Lust for Glory: Even the name sounds romantic. This Guava Sour is making its way over to Castleburg Brewery and Taproom this Friday, and Castleburg says they were having a strong desire to “feed your sensual appetite.” Nice. With the pink, juicy flesh and strong, sweet aromas of guava in this one, the sour is just the thing to make you pucker up, according to the brewers.
Glory be!
Lickinghole Creek is throwing their Despot Day this Saturday, with live music and tons of variants from their favorite recipes coming out every hour during the day. Look forward to a nice big list of brews, plus live music from Mighty Joshua, Calvin Presents, and more and a ton of awesome food trucks — like Papa V’s Backyard Grill, Silence of the Hamms BBQ (nice), SandTopia and more.
For beers, you’ll get to try ENLIGHTENED Despot (14yr), HIDE the Despot (23yr), HUG the Despot (Vanilla), AWAKEN the Despot (Coffee), and VIBE the Despot (a new variant, Coconut)!
That’s it for this week’s RVA On Tap! As your weekly columnist, I’m here to take all your beer releases, event info, ideas and questions. If you’re a brewer, send me your release info at caley@rvamag.com, and if you’re a beer enthusiast, drop me a line anytime to talk booze. Catch y’all next week!
