By now everyone in RVA has heard about Hardywood Park Craft Brewery, the up-and-coming Richmond beer producer making a big splash on the local scene with an emphasis on creative brews and community involvement.
By now everyone in RVA has heard about Hardywood Park Craft Brewery, the up-and-coming Richmond beer producer making a big splash on the local scene with an emphasis on creative brews and community involvement.
We hoped to dig a little deeper and get some insight into what makes this place tick, so we got in touch with brewmaster Patrick Murtaugh, head brewer Brian Nelson, and hospitality manager Kerry Anderson. They had a lot to tell us about Hardywood’s extensive craft beer pedigree, their standout live musical events, and the inspiration they derive from the local community.
Hardywood Park comes from a long line of brewers. Can you tell me a little about the heritage and tradition of Hardywood?
Patrick: My great-great-grandfather immigrated to America from Germany in the late 19th century and was the brewmaster at the Springfield Brewery in Massachusetts. His son, my great-grandfather, studied brewing at the Siebel Institute in 1908, where I also studied. He later worked as a brewer at the Wayne Brewery in PA. My great uncle also attended Siebel, and was a brewer at the Koehler Brewery, also in Pennsylvania. So there is definitely a history of brewing in my family tree and, as a brewery, we have a deep respect for tradition. Most of the beers we make are derived from traditional styles… with our own spin put on them.
Something that I personally enjoy from Hardywood is the creative layout of your bottle imagery and designs. How did you come up with the layout of your bottles, and what’s the history behind the design of your beers?
Brian: The imagery we use on our label designs reflects what we as a company find inviting and comforting. I think for brand recognition, it is important to keep a somewhat uniform style to our labels. We have a label designer who usually captures the concept of the beer that we put into the bottle. The designs reflect the passion we have for our beer.
Hardywood Park is known already as a creative brewery–what has influenced your choices of your flagship beers and seasonal beers?
Brian: Hardywood started in a unique direction by choosing a Belgian beer as the flagship. I think that choosing Singel, a Belgian blonde ale, differentiated our brewery from others, as well as introducing many Richmonders to the complexity of Belgian beers. Some of our more creative beers [are inspired by] culinary interests and beer/food pairings.
Hardywood has had some great events at their location in Richmond; how have these events helped grow the Hardywood brand? Could you tell us about some of the benefits of bringing in a diverse variety of music? From No BS! Brass Band to Municipal Waste, you have had some great Richmond acts.
Kerry: It’s so much fun to present a variety of genres throughout each season. Hardywood’s audience is as varied as the styles of beer that we produce, so I want to find something for every genre of devotee, and also change up the mood of the tasting room a bit each day.
For a lot of our guests, a first visit to the brewery is to see a specific act. We hope that when someone has a very meaningful experience here through music, they will come back again to learn more about our beer, and by extension, about new and different music on their next visit. The bands play a role as ambassador to Hardywood when they are performing, so I love to invite Richmond acts that have strong ties to their community, understand our role in RVA, and are terrific at engaging the guests that come for the beer as well as their fans. It’s great to experience both the communities that support live music and [those that help] craft beer continue to develop in a congruous way in all of Richmond’s venues.
Hardywood has been growing since day one; recently your portfolio is expanding to Northern VA and beyond. What is your current barrel system, and how is Hardywood looking to expand in the future?
Brian: We have a 20 bbl, 3 vessel brewhouse. If everything is on schedule and running smoothly, we have estimated that fermentation capacity would be towards the 20,000 bbl mark. We are slowly working up to that number.
What inspires Hardywood most from the City of Richmond and the people within it?
Patrick: The creativity, individuality, and community pride in RVA has been particularly inspiring. More than anything, we have been blown away by the level of support we have received from the people of Richmond. As a relatively new business, having that support is essential.
This article is taken from the latest print issue of RVA Magazine, out now. To read a digital version of the full issue, click here.
