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’ve got some special surprises if you’ve been taking the month off, and tons of great new brews to accompany the fresh new month.
PHOTO: Final Gravity Brewing Co.
Welcome back, Dry Januarians! Final Gravity Brewing Co. has a surprise for you. After a whole month of being responsible and kind to your bodies post-long summer and holiday season, it’s time to return to the Dark Side with the rest of us. Final Gravity has a message for you:
“We’re proud of you. We really are . . . But…we miss you. And we know you miss us, too.”
They couldn’t be more right. Head over to the brewery this Friday for some first-of-the-month festivities and celebrate a rightful prize for your accomplishments. To add even more to the occasion, Final Gravity is discounting your first beer of the year (even if you cheated a little bit. We all forgive you). So if you’ve been on a month-long La Croix mission, as they say, and you’re seeking salvation, it shall be delivered to you. You’re almost at the finish line.
PHOTO: Krueger’s Cream Ale, Hardywood – Good Beer Hunting
Now for a quick history lesson before we resume your regular Booze News content. Back in 1935, Good Ol’ RVA set a record. This legend in a can, Krueger’s Cream Ale, was the very first can of beer in the U.S. to be packaged and sold — right here in Richmond. Nearly a century later, Legend Brewing Company and many others have carried on the trend here in town. As Richmond’s OG craft brewery, Legend has been around creating and canning brews since for a few decades, and other local favorites like Hardywood have kept up the Krueger’s name with Cream Ales and craft brews alike. Learn something new every day, right?
PHOTO: Center of the Universe Brewing
Annnnnnd even more records to break! Center of the Universe Brewing has a Satellite Rewards membership program (PS: it’s free), and their top earning Satellites get to brew whatever beer they choose every year. This Saturday is the first time a Satellite-brewed beer will be released in 16oz cans from COTU, and this 6.5% Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Porter sounds like a dream. It’s brewed with vanilla and cinnamon (YUM) to add the cookie flavor, and brewed with Maris Otter, Flaked Oats and Barley, Carafa 3 Dehusked, Crystal 90, and Double-Roasted Crystal malts — a mouthful, to say the least.
PHOTO: The Veil Brewing Co.
Yesterday, Amun returned to The Veil Brewing Co. for the first time in more than two years! It means “The Hidden One,” and the Oat Milk DIPA comes to us in collaboration with Sweden’s Omnipollo brewery. This deliciously-colorful brew is 8% ABV and oversaturated with Citra, Mosaic, and Nelson hops to pack big flavor into every glass. Amun/The Veil X Omnipollo collab glasses went on sale as well, so swing by and check this one out while they’re around. They are more than adorable.
PHOTO: Three Notch’d Brewing Company
Tap That is back on at Three Notch’d Brewing Company, one of my personal faves because they cross the bridge and have locations between two places I call home — so whether I’m in RVA or in the mountains of Roanoke, I can always grab something familiar and know this one’s gonna be good!
Over the weekend, they dropped their Spiced Alpaca Mexican Hot Chocolate Stout. This collab with Richmond’s The Camel music venue is a tribute to their name, and “named after one of the greatest animals of all time.” Obviously. Anyway, Spiced Alpaca has a chocolatey, velvet-smooth feel down the hatch and a bit of a chili kick to the tastebuds. It’s rounded out with organic cacao nibs, lactose, and cinnamon, and Three Notch’d says it’s quickly becoming one of their favorites.
PHOTO: Shiplock Brewing Company
The new brewery on the block has some exciting news (besides $2 flights all January — which, if you didn’t try, you seriously missed out). Shiplock Brewing dropped their first-ever Crowler in an early release this past week, a Robust Porter accompanied by New York Islanders Hockey. I’m pretty sure it’s a universal rule to watch aggressive sports with a side of beer, and as big of a hockey town RVA is (go Caps!), this one sounds like a great sidekick to your games. Don’t forget to grab one for the Super Bowl, which is coming up Super Soon. Haha. I’m not a big football guy, ignore me. Either way, Shiplock is a really unique spot, and their location down by the riverwalk couldn’t be more perfect. I might suck at jokes, but check these guys out! They certainly don’t disappoint.
PHOTO: Triple Crossing Beer
⟁ Triple Crossing Beer is famous for its reliably-delicious recipes, and we’ve got another three to look forward to this weekend! Dawn Chorus is coming out this weekend in Fulton, and the 8% DIPA is returning with Citra, Vic Secret and Galaxy hops to “double down on its layers of fruit-forward hop and yeast-derived character.” There are even more releases to be announced, and you can look forward to a nice mid-winter fruit blast with this one. Your cold weather blues will be soothed by citrusy-melon, pineapple, and a slightly-dank undercurrent to give that Triple Crossing signature-super-soft DIPA body and feel. ⟁
PHOTO: Fine Creek Brewing Company
Right outside of town, our buds at Fine Creek Brewing Company have a few special releases this week, but their Wine Barrel-Aged Brett Saison w/ Asian Pears has “hit the ground running.” It comes along after last year’s Saison with Asian Pears from out at the Owl Orchard’s farm in Powhatan, but this year, they swapped over to a Brett Saison that’s been aging in wine barrels over the last year. It’s a bit funky and fruity this time around, and has subtle notes from the Asian Pear finish to give a nice fruity end to each sip.
PHOTO: Black Heath Meadery
Oooooooo, this sounds good. The Boysen’s Back in Town Session Mead is fresh back to the tap at Black Heath Meadery, and this deliciously-dark mead is made with boysenberries to give off a really unique taste. I would love to give this one a try!
PHOTO: Isley Brewing Company
It’s a Doozie! Or is it? It is. This Imperial Stout is fresh to the taps on Groundhog’s Day from Isley Brewing Company, and it’s a high-gravity flavor brewed with traditional English malts to bring out a perfect taste for the colder weather. It’s thick like your winter jacket, and this inky-black, heavy-bodied stout has a sweetness in its big, malty backbone. It’s a Doozie is balanced with “a heavy dose of hop varietals,” rounding out this super-drinkable, complex and hearty winter ale.
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!
