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!
Strangeways has a bevy of new releases for this Saturday, March 24. First up, the Martian Spring Biere de Mars, a favorite making its annual return to the Henrico brewery. Aged in oak wine barrels. Next up is Täng Orange Berliner Weisse, a 4.5% citrusy delight. Next, is the Strangeways to Get Lost Smoked Peach Sour, the brewery’s collaboration with Pennsylvania’s Lost Tavern Brewing Company. This sour ale is used with a touch of Virginia Copper Fox Applewood/Cherrywood smoked malt and conditioned on 144 pounds of peach puree. Notes of stone fruit, grilled peaches, smoked bark and sour tropical fruit. The brewery will also be pouring Berry Rude Short Man Strawberry Shortcake IPA, a beloved dessert turned into a beer with the help of Fredericksburg baker, Eileen’s Bakery. The brewery used 100 pounds of pound cake along with 50 pounds of cool whip for sweet, marshmallow aromas. During fermentation, they conditioned this beer on 220 pounds of Strawberries and dry-hopped this IPA with Nugget and El dorado hops for notes of stone fruit, pineapple, strawberry fields and marshmallow fluff. Finally, Strangeways will release Nana Jeane’s Peach Cobbler Belgian Ale, which has notes of fruity cinnamon, caramel, and spiced peaches.
Triple Crossing will release Falcon Heavy, an 8% DIPA with notes of peach, mango, and papaya. This beer features Citra, Falconers Flight and Vic Secret hops.
The brewery will also be pouring Blood Orange and Grapefruit | Waxing Poetic Berliner on Friday at Fulton. They are shooting for 200 cases at $17.50 per 4 pack (1 case limit). We will also have Falcon Heavy DIPA available in 4-packs this Friday.
Into The Black 6% Porter is now on tap at Triple Crossing’s downtown location on Foushee Street.
Powhatan’s Fine Creek Brewing Company will release Macho Mug Session IPA (dry hopped with Citra & Huell Mellon), Märzen Lager, and their Thai Tea Milk Stout along with live music.
Three Notch’d RVA Collab House returns this Thursday with its weekly collaboration. This time, its a raspberry-blackberry gose made with Peak Experiences Indoor Rock Climbing CenterIts’s name, “It Gose, Boys,” which is a nod to legendary climber Lynn Hill and the words she spoke once becoming the first climber to free climb The Nose on El Capitan in Yosemite Valley.
This Friday, Isley Brewing brings back its infusions, with a Margarita Gose. Happy hour is from 4-6 so swing by and try out this interesting new brew.
On Saturday, Center of the Universe will host the Southern Food Festival, the inaugural fest for the brewery featuring local food vendors and an amateur Southern Dish Competition! Five food vendors (Grandpa Eddie’s Alabama Ribs & BBQ, Mean Bird, Jake’s Place, Mama J’s, and Early Bird Biscuit Co.) will show off their southern food specialty with $3 small plates during festivities. Winners of the Amateur Southern Dish Competition will be announced and cash prizes will be awarded at the festival. Two bands (Buckville Hootenanny and Commonwealth Bluegrass Band) along with two special beer releases will round out the day including the “Bless Your Heart” Peaches and Cream Ale. This event will benefit the Ashland VA Rotary Club,
On Friday, Final Gravity Brewing Co. will release its Sojourner DIPA, a juicy, citrusy ale made with Simcoe, Mosaic, and Citra hops.
And on Monday, Final Gravity will host Dine For Success, a Vegetarian Beer Dinner . The Lakeside brewery is partnering with Chef Keva Miller, CEO of FeedShine, to bring you a seven-course vegetarian beer dinner benefitting Dress for Success. $65 includes dinner, beer, tax, gratuity, and donation. Tickets here.
On Saturday, Hardywood will host the Women Rock Festival , featuring an eclectic lineup of live music and a pop-up market of local women artists, women-owned businesses, and community organizations. The taps and the good vibes will be flowing all day long! The afternoon will be hosted by Richmond actress Kathy Northrop Parker and Beth Stanford. The market includes the following vendors: Happy Clay, Maven Made, Love This, Bright Body, Kim Young Art, Gifted RVA, Ashleigh Lum Woodworking, Foust Art, The RAW Aura, Feral Blue – Jewelry, Chris Pool Art, Mobile OM Yoga & Wellness, and Cap Trail Bike Shuttle.
The lineup is pretty stacked too, with performances by The MelBays, The New Misty Centrals, The Sequels, Suzie and the G-Tones, Janet Martin, and The Soul Proprietors.
For the occasion, Hardywood will release the Hardywood Grapefruit Singel in the taproom and in growler fills to go. 5% of sales from Women Rock to the VCU Chapter of Women Matter & Richmond Peace Education Center
Trapezium Brewing in Petersburg is back tonight with their small batch pie series brews, which they launched last week. For this week, they are releasing a Lemon Meringue Pie beer, a 7% imperial cream ale brewed with lactose, graham cracker, lemon zest and vanilla bean.
On Friday, Lickinghole Creek will release Something Royal, a New England IPA named after Secretariat’s mom to honor her legacy.
On Saturday, Lickinghole will also bring back its Tequila-barrel aged Tripel, Nasty Woman during their Oyster fest with Rappahannock River Oysters. Rappahannock will be shucking oysters all day, there will be food trucks, live music, and Nasty Woman will be available in the taproom and for purchase in bottles.
Kindred Spirit Brewing in Goochland will also host its own Oyster Roast on Saturday. Tickets are $26 for 1 dozen oysters and 2 KSB brews. Get yours here.
On Saturday, Vasen Brewing will release its Guave Gose, a tropical, salty, sour brew.
Castleburg Brewery will release its Valiant Knight IPA on Saturday. which is bursting with bursting with grapefruit citrus notes.
Today, Buskey Cider will release its Orange Ginger Cider, the cidery’s first limited can release. The cider will be in 12oz 4 pack limited cans from the tasting room for $10/4 pack. Buskey Orange Ginger Cider is made from fresh apples, fresh oranges, and fresh ginger.
Tonight, Blue Bee Cider will host In Plain Sight: An Awareness Dinner with Brenner Pass/Metzger Bar & Butchery Chef Brittanny Anderson. The five course-pairing dinner will raise funds for women working without pay as forced laborers in the industry. Participants will hear from John Richmond, founder of the Human Trafficking Institute and learn about the Institute’s work to prosecute and convict people who force others to work without pay in restaurants, hospitality venues, and related businesses. $85/person.
On Saturday, Steam Bell Beer Works will host its 2nd Annual Brews & Blues Festival. Lineup: RJ Marshall Band, Parker & Gray, Elana Lisa& Weeping Molly, THE BUSH LEAGUE, Forrest McDonald Band, Mikey Junior, and The Chris O’Leary Band. 12 PM to 11 PM. 
On Thursday, Ardent Craft Ales will release a Pomegranate Gose, a tart, wheat beer that is refermented on pomegranates and features salt and coriander.
Submissions or ideas for Tapped can be emailed to Amy at amy@rvamag.com. Cheers!
Top Photo By: Triple Crossing Beer
