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!
Isley Brewing Company will be celebrating their FOUR YEAR ANNIVERSARY this Sat., October 28. Food trucks: Manchu, Dank Eats, Happy Empanada, and Hawk’s BBQ. Live Music on the patio starting at 2pm with Prabir Mehta Trio (2pm), Kevin Gaines Trio (4pm) and Brandon Wilson (6:30pm). The brewery will also have exclusive Beer Releases, collectible Anniversary Memorabilia, Choosy Mother Cupcakes by Lush Cupcakes, Choosy Mother Donuts by Sugar Shack Donuts, Outdoor music, games & activities
On Saturday, Legend Brewing Company presents Manchester’s First Annual Harvest Festival! A family-friendly event featuring live music, pumpkin carving, face painting and more! They’re shutting down the parking lot and set up the big stage so you know it’s gonna be a good time! Food & alcohol tickets will be available for individual purchase. We’re roasting a pig and pouring beers from the milk truck!! If you don’t drink that’s ok! Cafe Zata is taking care of hot apple cider, hot chocolate & homemade doughnuts and Brewer’s Café is bringing the coffee! Live music bhy Chamomile and Whiskey, Li’l Ronnie and the Grand Dukes, and Paulo Emilio Franco Londoño! There will be live Radio Broadcasts w/ XL102 & G104.3 throughout the day and Dogtown Dance Theatre is going to put on a special performance before hosting their own Haunted House that night! Together, Art Works Richmond & W.M. Jordan are hosting pumpkin painting! Free admission. Adult and kiddie costume contests.
On Saturday, Hardywood will release Hoax, their base imperial milk stout, Cassowary, aged one year in traditional brandy barrels. Hoax is another behemoth of a beer joining its fellow crafty misfits, Trickery, Foolery & Ruse, yet remaining unbelievably smooth. Music Video Premiere with Good Day RVA and other live music.
Carytown’s Garden Grove recently relaunched as Garden Grove Brewing Company & Urban Winery and are now making wine and selling it by the glass. They are serving up about six wines, still and sparking, meads, and ciders. You can check out our full in-depth interview with head brewer and winemaker Mike Brandt here.
And Saturday, Garden Grove will release its 2017 Criminal Mischief, the return of their Vermouth. Brewed with an assortment of locally grown ingredients (aronia berry, rosemary, lemon thyme) and botanicals from around the globe.
Be sure to head to the brewery Monday and get your tickets in advance for their monthly beer dinner. This time, Heritage’s Hoe Sparatta will be serving up five courses paired with five GG brews or wines. The event is a charity beer dinner for Natural Resources Defense Council, an international, nonprofit environmental organization. $49 plus tax & tip. tickets here.
This weekend, Fine Creek Brewing Co. will release Hello Nasty Idaho 7 DIPA. The Powhatan brewery will also have yoga and live music both Saturday and Sunday.
Twisted Ales Craft Brewing will host a Rockin’ For Autism Celebration during the day Saturday. Live music with Flashlight Tag and Third Rail. Food trucks and a bake sale, trunk-or-treat for the kids provided by local vendors, craft brews, raffle prizes and more. Donations accepted at the event. All proceeds will benefit Commonwealth Autism’s programs at The Founders Center.
Later that night, Twisted Ales will host a “Very Twisted Halloween” party with a DJ and live outdoor concert with League of Space Pirates. $5 cover charge for dance party. Boka Tako Truck will be onsite serving dinner. Come in your best costume! Prizes will be given for: Best Overall, Best Steampunk, Funniest, and Sexiest.
This Friday, Final Gravity Brewing will release its VIc Ferrari Double IPA. The brew is an 8% Double IPA that’s taken the fast lane with the help of Vic Secret hops. This Australian addition brings pineapple, passionfruit, and pine flavors to your average unassuming IPA.
Tickets are on sale now for RVA’s sexiest, sassiest, silliest Halloween party. Brews & Burlesque-Scream Queens at STRANGEWAYS BREWING brings to best of burlesque from around the nation here to Richmond to tease and titillate, entertain and enliven, delight and dazzle you. *COSTUME CONTEST* Get your best drag on for a chance to win a year’s tickets to Brews & Burlesque or tickets to I Wanna Rock! 80s burlesque on 11/11. (No full masks, please.)
On Thursday, Ardent Craft Ales will release its Fig Gose. Fig gose is a tart, effervescent wheat beer featuring salt and coriander with fig concentrate blended in for a fruity, jammy, slightly sweet balance to the natural acidity in the gose style. Fig Gose is a draft-only special, so so go have a glass or take home a crowler for later! Plus, Intergalactic Tacos will be in the house.
On Saturday, Steam Bell Beer Works will release The Steam Belle, a 5.8% Belgian Ale fermented over tart cherries and toasted almonds.
Castleburg Brewery is bringing back their mOatmeal Stout this Saturday. Dark, rich and malty with hints of chocolate, coffee and fruit. The brewery will also have a Halloween costume party. GRAND PRIZE for the contest is $100.00 in CASH!
Three Notch’d Brewing RVA Collab House returns this Thursday with its weekly collaboration. This time, its the “Founders First” saison, brewed in partnership with Activation Capital and RVA Yeast Labs which showcases the “Ghost” Ale strain, an exclusive RVA Yeast Labs saison strain. The brewery will also be joined by special guests Gov. Terry McAuliffe and Mayor Levar Stoney. Specials on the new release from 4-7pm. Take one home in our their 32oz CROWLER format thanks to our friends at Activation Capital.
Center of the Universe Brewing is channeling “the dude” this year again. The Ashland brewery’s El Duderino White Russian Stout returns on Saturday. El Duderino is available in draft on site and in 750ml bottles to go. Also, please join in with our annual Growl-o-Ween event taking place on the same day. The event is free to attend! Carytown Burgers and Fries will be serving food and Buckville Hootenany will be playing live on the Biergarten Stage from 2pm-5pm.
A Booze Crawl is going down in Scott’s Addition this Saturday, Visit the below breweries, cideries, distilleries and meaderies and pick up Booz Crawl cards at any of the locations during the event and get three unique stamps from any of the participating alcohol producers, and be entered to win a $25 gift card individually for each location. Participants: Ardent Craft Ales, Black Heath Meadery, Blue Bee Cider, Buskey Cider, Isley Brewing Company,Reservoir Distillery, Three Notch’d RVA Collab House, Väsen Brewing Company, and The Veil Brewing Co.
Also on Saturday, The Veil will be throwing a Halloween Costume and Dance Party of its own from 6pm-12am for the second year in a row. Make sure you wear your costume and get ready to dance! It’s going to be a scary good time! Food from Cobra Burger 6p-Midnight . DJ Neil Flick 8:30p-Midnight. BadAss Photobooth 6:00p-11:00p. All beers will be poured at 12oz for $6. Beers will be served outside and inside.
Some of the biggest news is that we have just kicked off our annual Halloweek celebration and that means HALLOBEER has returned! On Monday, Oct. 30, The Answer Brewpub, RVA Magazine & Hardywood Park Craft Brewery present this year’s 10th annual HALLOBEER! Join us for a special All Hallows eve RVA Appreciation Night with live music performed by our friends Mekong Xpress & The Get Fresh Horns. They’ll be doing a special Tower of Power set!! Music starts around 9:30pm. *Costume Contest during set break, with special Andals and Brews all night.
Email any submissions or ideas for Tapped to Amy at amy@rvamag.com. Cheers!
