RVA Mag’s Halloweek 2015 begins tonight, and for a limited time you’ll be able to celebrate like a true Richmonder with a unique new beer from Hardywood Craft Brewe
RVA Mag’s Halloweek 2015 begins tonight, and for a limited time you’ll be able to celebrate like a true Richmonder with a unique new beer from Hardywood Craft Brewery.
The Bride of Frankenbier, limited to less than 20 kegs specifically for RVA Mag’s Halloweek festivities, is a rich, dark mix of their trademark Mega Stout, Belgian Quad, and a bit of fresh IPA. The mix comes together with numerous spices to create a high quality seasonal blend of flavors that is sure to excite your tongue and keep you partying late into the night.
“It had been sitting in the barrels for a while, we took it out and tasted it and decided to go with it,” said Justin Anderson (pictured below), one of Hardywood’s brewers. “Extended barrel aging for this beer is important.”
He said the longer the brew is in the barrel the better the flavor, and the six month aging period is perfect for a brew like this.
You’ll taste another familiar flavor when your lips touch a fresh glass of Bride of Frankenbier: Tootsie Rolls.
To be honest, Tootsie Rolls are actually at the bottom of my ‘favorite candy’ list, however the chocolatey/Tootsie malt flavor (which comes from Mega Stout/Foolery base) in this brew isn’t over powering. Instead, Bride of Frankenbier threw me back to my days running through the suburbs with a pillow case in hand, knocking on doors and feasting at home while watching Tree House of Horror Simpsons episodes.
The mixture of Quad and Mega Stout, along with a bit of fresh IPA, is a tool used frequently by Hardywood head brewer Brian Nelson, something Anderson said helps make their beer stand out.
“It’s interesting smelling that hop aroma on such an old beer,” he said. The hop bitterness fades over time, so adding the IPA can help liven up the flavors, alongside the brown sugar and other flavors added to the brew.”
“I think Brian (Nelson, Hardywoord head brewer) blended it out really nicely,” Anderson said. “The IPA gives it a bit of a kick.”
You’ll be able to find Bride of Frankenbier at many of the local businesses involved in our Halloweek series of events, check out more details about the week here.
You can also snag some of the new beer while waiting for the release of Hardywood’s 4th Anniversary brew, Quadrahop.
It’s hard to believe that four years and 1,425 glorious batches of beer have passed since Hardywood opened their doors here in RVA’s Scotts Addition neighborhood. You can help them celebrate Saturday starting at 2 PM.
As for the Quadrahop, this IPA features a mix of four different hops to create “a big, bold, juicy imperial IPA bursting with a bright, tropical bouquet from an artful melange of four of the worlds most sought after hop varietals.”
This town loves IPAs and Hardywood, so we’re excited to see this bad boy enter the ring.
The day-long event features food trucks and live music (Details below) so make sure you come out and celebrate the Richmond way… by drinking lots of IPA and watching Gull.
Food trucks:
King Of Pops – Richmond,
Pizza Tonight
Slideways Mobile Bistro
Goatocado
Sammich
Bands:
The Green Hearts
power chords, catchy melodies, sweet harmonies
Gull
guitar/percussion hybrid street muse
www.gullface.com
Spooky Cool
Harmonious electric psych rapture, brand new project from ex-members of Zac Hryciak & the Jungle Beat.
Photosynthesizers
Soul-rock-hip-hop band, fronted by Maurice Bar Codez Jackson.
www.reverbnation.com/photosynthesizers
