craft beer

RVA ON TAP: Jurassic Jeeps & Yappy Hours

Caley Sturgill | May 29, 2019

Topics: beer, beer column, Black Heath Meadery, Center of the Universe, craft beer, Final Gravity, Hardywood, Intermission Beer Company, Isley Brewing Company, RVA On Tap, Steam Bell Beer Works, Strangeways Brewing, The Veil Brewing Co., Three Notch'd Brewing, vasen brewing

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!

Now that the holiday weekend has come and gone, summertime is here for real, and with it comes all of Richmond’s great events that make the River City so fun every year. Whether you want to stay in town or take a day trip, Virginia’s breweries have something for just about everyone.

Did you have fun over Memorial Day weekend? We did, and we hope you did, too. If you made it down to the beach to celebrate, we’ve got some exciting news about your new favorite spot there: The Veil Brewing Co. is opening a brewery in Norfolk, and they’ll be slinging beers this weekend at the Norfolk Street Museum party ahead of the occasion. The street party is happening in the Studio Colab parking lot at Toast in Norfolk, with live music all day, murals, eats, and beer.

The Lazy Dangers, NFK Nightmares, and Tired All The Time (I feel that) will be providing the jams throughout the event, plus food from Handsome Biscuit and Pendulum Fine Meats. The Veil will be out with all their stellar beers that have made them so Richmond-famous, and I can’t wait to see how quickly they take off down in Norfolk — I have no doubt they’ll be a fast favorite for the beach crowd. Tim Skirven is debuting a brand-new mural during the party, too, so rest assured you’ll have plenty of reasons to have a good time if you make it down.

Calling all car (and dinosaur) enthusiasts! Intermission Beer Company is hosting their Jurassic Jeeps event this Friday, and whether or not you’re usually into cars, I think we can all agree that Jurassic Park cars are awesome. Bring out your dinosaur costumes and don’t hold back on the free dinosaur temporary tattoos (after all, Richmond is one of the most tattooed cities on the coast. Pile ‘em on, y’all). Grab some grub from Haulin’ Balls RVA and a pint from the bar to enjoy the movie-themed Jeeps and dinosaurs everywhere. I personally know plenty of Jeep lovers and a few friends with dino costumes, so come out and get pumped.

I spent many a childhood day laying in the soft grass in the mountains, watching the clouds go by. Hardywood gets it, and they’ve themed their newest can release after the pictures in the sky: Cloud Shapes debuts this Friday at Hardywood Richmond, a New England-style DIPA that packs a higher alcohol content than its light, fluffy name might suggest. At 8%, Cloud Shapes is best enjoyed “with a picnic blanket and a buddy to go cloud chasing with,” and its large-bodied flavor is complemented with a sweet finish. You’ll catch notes of mango, orange, grapefruit, and lemon in this hoppy brew. The Flavor Project is coming out to jam for the occasion along with Smokie Joe’s BBQ.

Peaches and Cream — is there a better flavor for a summer day? Not in my book. Our friends at Three Notch’d RVA Collab House are releasing their Peaches and Cream Ale this Friday as a collab with Endeavor RVA, a local fine art studio and gallery, and damned if it doesn’t sound delicious. With lactose, vanilla, and peaches, it’s one of the brewery’s most experimental beers despite its simplistic nature, according to its creators. They say it’s “deceptively thick” and as sweet as a creamsicle, which means it’s right up my alley, and a taste that’ll stick with you throughout the summertime.

Final Gravity fans: one of your favorites is on its way back to the taps this Friday. 3 Mile Double IPA was brewed originally as a tribute to Final Gravity’s running club, so if you’re in the market for something to cool you off after a hot day outdoors, this is the one. Brewed with Jarrylo, Falconer’s Flight, and Citra hops, 3 Mile Double IPA is available in a glass or a Crowler, and will refresh your day with grapefruit, pear, and passionfruit. Be sure to check out Final Gravity for their Bluegrass Jam next week, and to learn how to brew mead with Black Heath Meadery (which we’ll talk more about in a bit).

Starting off the first day of June right, Center of the Universe is dropping Monkey’s Uncle Lemongrass Tripel on Saturday, a classic Belgian style created with Pilsner malt. You’ll catch notes of German Munich and Vienna malts that bring out its color and sweetness to pair with its light, crisp body and straw-colored pour. Lemongrass fills its aroma with fresh herbs from the local Village Garden added in its boil. It sounds like the perfect light brew to go with the Puerto Rican food it’ll be served up with by Freekin’ Rican all day out at the Ashland spot.

I can never get enough dog events around town, and Strangeways never fails me. Yappy Hour is happening tonight (!!) at their spot on Dabney Road, and the brewery’s inviting you to bring your pups out and support the Richmond Animal League. There’ll be more Yappy Hours to come this summer, so fear not if you can’t make it on short notice — but if you’re able to go, Strangeways has plenty of treats for your furry pals and dog pools to keep them cool. A portion of beer sales from the event will go back to the Richmond Animal League, too, to let attendees drink for a cause.

Looking to get out of town? Väsen Brewing Company wants you to come out to Rock the River FXBG festival in Fredericksburg on Saturday. The festival will be packed with awesome vendors like Two Tree Outfitters, the Virginia Outdoor Center and more, plus our favorite outdoor-enthusiast brewery. Väsen’s known for getting Virginians outside for hikes, kayak trips, bike trips, and everything else that our beautiful state makes possible, and they’re excited for the celebration of it all this weekend in Fredericksburg. Jackass Flats and Kyle Davis will be providing the jams, and there’ll be plenty of great food from pizza to Martina’s Cantina. If you don’t want to get outdoors in town, get out of town and enjoy the weather with our neighbors to the north.

Honey wine, honey wine. It’s been a while since we’ve had the chance to learn how to brew mead with Black Heath Meadery, and I’m stoked to see the opportunity coming back around. Next Monday, head over to Final Gravity in Lakeside to join Black Heath’s Mead Mavericks, Bill Cavender and Mike Palese, to learn the basics of fermenting mead and the history of honey. If you’ve ever wanted to know what the process is like behind all your favorite brewers creating your favorites, this is a great chance to see it specialized for meads and get a feel for the chemistry behind it all. It’s not as hard as you think, either — you’ll get to see how simple the equipment is that you’ll need “to begin a lifelong relationship with flowers, bees, yeast, and alcohol,” according to the brewers.

Over at Isley Brewing Company, don’t miss special summer flavors on tap right now… like Piña Colada Honey Bock and Peach Ginger Golden Ale. It’s hard to drink a Piña Colada without wanting to drink 10 because they’re just too good to put down, and I expect that the flavors blended with beer will have an extremely similar effect. Isley’s also got a spiced cola out at the brewery, so swing by and grab a taste from the awesome varieties they’ve got on deck this month.

In case you haven’t made it out to one yet, be sure to check out all the awesome live music at Steam Bell Beer Works all season. You can catch Commonwealth Bluegrass this Friday, plus tons more on the calendar soon like Mama Juana, Pat Russell, and LeeStreet to start June off right. Their 3rd anniversary is coming up soon, too, so stop by your favorite Midlothian brew spot and show them some love for all the great beer and entertainment they keep dishing out.

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 [email protected], and if you’re a beer enthusiast, drop me a line anytime to talk booze. Catch y’all next week!

RVA ON TAP: Daytime’s for Drinkin’

Caley Sturgill | May 8, 2019

Topics: Ardent craft ales, beer, beer column, Center of the Universe, champion brewing rva, craft beer, Hardywood Park Craft Brewery, Intermission Beer Company, Kindred Spirit Brewing, legend brewing co, midnight brewery, RVA beer, RVA On Tap, Steam Bell Beer Works, Stone brewing, Stone Brewing-Richmond, strangeways, triple crossing

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.

This week, we’re kicking off the beginning of Richmond’s hot-hot summer days with tons of beer releases to cool on down. With Southern dessert flavors like Peach and Blueberry cobbler beers to pair with Pina Colada and Banana Split classics, River City brewers are telling us to treat ourselves. And lawd, we will.

Oh boy, the Southern girl in me is drooling. Hardywood Park Craft Brewery is dropping Mamaw’s Mean Cobbler in a can release this Friday, and if it tastes anything like the cobblers of the Mamaws I’ve known in my life, we’ve got a reason to celebrate, my friends. This Belgian-style Tripel is a new variation off Hardywood’s Peach Tripel, and this one’s packed with vanilla, cinnamon, coconut, and sugary milk additions to marry beer with the classic tastes of a peach cobbler fresh from your grandma’s kitchen. YUM! This one’s going on my to-do list, y’all. Sign me up.

The summer seasonals are on their way back to Legend Brewing Company, and their own favorite brew is coming back soon. They just started up their sneak peeks of Z DAM over the weekend, brewed with fresh lime and ginger to add a light body and clean-malt flavor to the pale, golden ale. It’s best-served on the patio in the sunshine or to toast a successful descent through the rapids of the Mighty James, according to Legend (nice)… which is suited extra well, because I spent one of my first Legendary nights with a group of kayakers who had just conquered the river and came out to the deck to celebrate. With a balance of late kettly hops and ginger, orange, and lime flavors in the boil, Z DAM brings in a zestiness and refreshing taste to summertime in Richmond.

The Sleaze is coming to Strangeways. This Saturday, grab a taste of Sleazestack, the brewery’s first-ever can release. This New England IPA with Lactose hits in at 7.3% ABV and all the can releases are part of their “Parody Project,” with every new release coming out with special labels. Be sure to collect them all — the next one up will be Vegan Vampyre following this week’s fresh can.

In another release the same day, Strangeways is dropping Albino Monkey Wheat Ale in three new additive flavors: Pina Colada, Blueberry Cobbler, and Banana Split. I’m a sucker for a banana split, so this one’s definitely on my list!

Are you a mom? Are you celebrating a mom? Are you not a mom or celebrating a mom but just want an excuse to go get some brunch and day drink? Awesome! If you’re none of those things, I can’t help you. If you are, Center of the Universe can.

On Sunday, take yourself or your mama or whoever suits your fancy out to COTU’s Mother’s Day Brunch, set up to give all the moms a day off and treat them to a full day in the sun with Beer Bloody Marys and MOMosas, plus a delicious brunch by Freekin’ Rican, Richmond’s fav Puerto Rican food truck.

If you’re celebrating this holiday, be thankful to have the occasion. Don’t forget that many of your friends and loved ones might not have their mamas, or might not have the best mamas, so give them some extra love as well. Either way, happy May to you all, and happy start to sunny days finally sticking around!

YEET HAW, this is one I can get behind! Put your stash flasks away and day drink freely. Kindred Spirit Brewing Company is throwing a Day Drinkin’ Festival this Saturday with Fine Creek Brewing Company and Midnight Brewery, and I know damn near everyone in this drunken city can hold their own in one of these. Come friends, come family, come neighbors, they say, and join five breweries, a winery, and a cidery at the festival in a day of games like cornhole, ping pong, big jenga, giant beer pong(!!), and more. Does it get any better than that? Giant Jenga is definitely coming down on someone, and I hope I get to see it.

Happy birthday, Midnight Brewery! Our beloved Rockville folks are turning 7 this Saturday with a huge bash at their spot. All day long, you can hang at the brewery with Road Kill Roy and South of James playing sweet tunes — plus you can beat the heat, because the weather’s set to be cool & a little cloudy in the forecast. That’ll probably change 100 times between now and Saturday, but so far, it looks like the perfect chill day to hang in Rockville and celebrate our favorite outside-the-city brewers in good ol’ Virginian fashion. Drink up!

This Friday at their Fulton spot, be the first to taste Triple Crossing Beer’s Pathway Pils, a house pilsner perfectly-crafted with 100 percent German Pils malt. Known for their carefully-balanced ingredients, Triple Crossing filled this one with a sweet-honey-straw flavor of florals, lemons, and hay to create the soft-bodied lager. In their “constant state of refinement and evolution,” the brewers have named this recipe their house Pilsner (so you know it’s a special one).

Over the weekend on Star Wars Day, Steam Bell Beer Works dropped two new variants to add into their Extra Plenty Gose series, Red Wine Sangria and Margarita. I can’t tell you how many friends I’ve seen drinking Strawberitas and Limearitas down by the river in the summertime, so if you’re looking to get a little classier (and tastier, by far), Steam Bell’s got your gals right here. These two beauties bring the mixed-drink faves of the season into their beer, so you can ditch the gas station tallboys that overheat too fast and get in on somethin’ good.

Back on deck at Champion Brewing Company this week is a brewery favorite: Melee. Their Session IPA is cooked up with Citra and Amarillo hops, a classic combination to its style of brews that brings out the crisp, refreshing taste we’re all going for in an IPA. On the hottest of days — which, whether we like it or not, we’re gonna be in for a *lot* starting pretty soon — an IPA down the hatch tends to do the job.

After their perfect pet events starting off the month, Ardent Craft Ales is keeping the pup theme going with their Garden Pawty Adoption Event partnered with the Richmond SCPA on Saturday. If you’re looking for a furry addition to your household, join Ardent with Bingo Beer Co. and Courthouse Creek for local beer and giveaways, with vegan-friendly BBQ plates (rare and delicious) and an exclusive cider. The event’s going down in the beer garden of Lunch & Supper in Scott’s Addition, so grab your pup and head on over.

In more Mother’s Day celebrations, Intermission Beer Company has all the mom-miest things for your special lady’s holiday. With Beermosas, Bingo, and Books all day, you’ll get to win prizes in the game contests with cards free with your beer (or raise your odds with extras for 2 bucks), and all the proceeds are being donated to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation. They’re also starting up their very own Little Free Library for the day, so bring out your old favorites to donate and spread the love.

Fresh to the taps over at Stone Brewing Richmond is 2015 Double Bastard, an Imperial variety of one of their oldest, most well-known beers — and for me, a testament to what a bastard of a year 2015 was. This brew sounds a hell of a lot better than the year, and with its smooth, caramel-malty goodness, it’s a great addition to Stone’s draft list. If you haven’t made it out to give it a taste yet, it’s one that’s worth the trip.

*PHOTO: some dark corner of the internet*

Inspired by today’s cover image, I’ve decided to start publishing a #DogOfTheWeek in each beer column. You can submit photos of your own dogs kickin’ it with a cold one, or just enjoy the amusing pics I discover in the dark corners of the internet. I’d prefer to see your pretty pups, so let’s get that rolling, y’all.

RVA ON TAP: Drinks With Your Dog

Caley Sturgill | May 1, 2019

Topics: beer, beer column, craft beer, final gravity brewing co, Garden Grove Brewing, Hardywood, Isley Brewing Company, mariners craft beer fest, richmond beer, RVA On Tap, Steam Bell Beer Works, strangeways, Three Notch'd Brewing, Triple Crossing Beer, Vasen Brewing Company

This is an extra-special week because it’s both my 25th birthday week (happy bday to me!!!) and it’s the week of more dog beer events (!!!) These couldn’t have come at a better time. Hope to see you there!

*PHOTO: Lickinghole Creek Craft Brewery*

We’re set up for all the good dog-lover events, with Lickinghole Creek Craft Brewery’s Rescue Dog Olympics on Saturday after the Strangeways event started the pup themes last weekend. Lickinghole Creek is inviting the entire community out to celebrate the joy that rescue dogs have brought to their lives — my rescue pup included — in a competition that lets all pups participate, no Westminster required.

They’ll also have dogs for adoption looking for homes, so if you’re looking for a new addition to your family, now’s your time to shine. With a costume contest plus more like Best Kisser, Best Trick, Simon Says, Fido Fetch, and a Frosty Paws eating contest, the brewery will keep you busy… and for the less-talented pets like my own, they’ve even got a goofiest photo contest. You’ll probably catch my Bagel in a top hat in there.

Keeping with the theme, Ardent Craft Ales is hosting Barkitecture on Saturday. In their third year, they’re raising money for animals in need in a day of paws and pints. Instead of a pup competition, this one has humans competing in who can build the coolest custom dog houses and kitty condos. They’re all built by your favorite local creators, so make sure to vote for your favorite Richmonders at the event.

With proceeds going to local animal shelters, you’ll get to drink happy and hit up the pet photo booth, face painting, games, raffles, and more.

Our favorite people over at Hardywood have a special week coming up, too — with three days of releases all weekend! They’re starting off on Friday with their Pineapple Great Return can release, and it’s “incomparably bright,” according to the brewers. The 7.8% ABV brew is a West Coast-style IPA, blending the citrus and the tropical in a perfect summery harmony.

The next day, they’re dropping their Belgian-style Peach Tripel, an 8.2% ABV that’s packed with yellow peaches and apricots to complement smaller notes of honeysuckle and white pepper. Finishing out the weekend on Sunday is a different flavor profile with their Cream Ale with Salt & Lime can release. I’ve never had a Hardywood beer I didn’t love, so the smart money says that this whole trio will be delicious.

If you missed Fine Creek’s Wild & Weird Festival, you can hit up Strangeways this weekend for a similar gig. Their Sour & Wild Beer Festival is happening this Saturday, filled with over *twelve* new Strangeways beer releases, plus some oldies but goodies. The new brews on deck are consistently huge crowd favorites, according to the brewers, and the festival is set to be the unique-beer drinker’s wildest dream. Cheers!

At Final Gravity on Friday, Aurora Double IPA is returning to the brewery. This citrusy-pineapple beer has a hazy glow and a fruity aroma, and it’ll “transform your most hectic days into blissful ones.” Who doesn’t love the sound of that?

Also this weekend, Final Gravity’s throwing their Cinco de Mayo fiesta on Sunday with authentic Mexican street tacos, tortas, gingas, and more with homemade tortillas and sauces. Come out and celebrate the right way, with cold beer and the best tacos in town.

Have you been missing the amazing deck at The Answer Brewpub? We have, too, and it’s the perfect time of year to get back outside and drink with one of the nation’s favorite breweries. This week at The Answer, you can catch new releases like I’m Rich Years Old, a Helles Lager, and Drinking Out of Cups IPA which hit in at 5.25% ABV and 6.0% ABV, respectively, and are already available. By tomorrow night, you can also catch their new Work Friends DIPA (8.0% ABV), a collaboration with Dancing Gnome, and on Saturday they’re dropping Is It Chill If I Chill Here IPA (5.6% ABV) — and if you haven’t seen the video this is referencing, good lord, please go watch it. It’s the best I’ve seen this year, imho. The Answer’s got a solid sense of humor, y’all!

Happy May! Väsen Brewing Company is kicking off their Saison month today with rustic beers and delicious varieties to start the season right. They’ve got four beers to release, starting with Vårsol, a barrel-aged brett Saison that’s dry-hopped with Vic Secret and Motueka hops.

Next up is Gidá, a barrel-aged sour recipe to go with Celeia, their rye Saison made with Motueka and Styrian Celeia. Last but not least is Solbaer Blackcurrant Saison, brewed special with Spelt and then conditioned over hundreds of pounds of Blackcurrant fruit. Can you say yum?

Isley Brewing Company’s spicing things up. If you’re a fan of the heat, they’ve got you covered — this jalapeño-infused Pilsner was created for Cinco de Mayo and brings some non-traditional flavors together for the holiday. I’m big on the peppers for eats (if you haven’t tried Jack Brown’s jalapeño-cream-cheese burgers, you need to get on it) but have never seen them used in a brew before. I’m all for this spice, so I’ll definitely be giving this guy a try when the opportunity presents itself.

*PHOTO: Garden Grove Brewing & Urban Winery*

Toward the end of last week, Garden Grove Brewing & Urban Winery released their Superstitious Sour. This 5.8% ABV Belgian Sour has some *seriously* awesome flavors, like Lemon Verbena (my absolute fav) and Lemongrass. Its “delicious, citrusy tartness” is preceded by a mellow, bready beginning before its big-flavored finish. Head out to Garden Grove’s patio to soak in the beautiful weather with them and give this unique recipe a taste.

Another special release happened over the weekend, with our friends over at Triple Crossing Beer. Less than Alone was brewed with Ethopian Yirgacheffe Boji coffee from Blanchard’s Coffee Roasting Co. to create this 100% barrel-aged vanilla stout. It’s also layered with dark chocolate, apricot, and lemongrass flavors imparted from the whole bean coffee. It only came out in Fulton, so to my East End friends, go get one while you can!

Did you make it out to Something In The Water last weekend? If you didn’t get a trip to the beach but you’re still itching to get out of town, head over to the Mariner’s Craft Beer Festival in Newport News this weekend to get tastes of great brewers from around the state. Some of my personal faves on the list, and names we don’t hear as much in RVA: Devil’s Backbone (my very first craft beer love), Alewerks, New Belgium, Starr Hill, and Larry’s Lemonade. By the way, if you’ve never tried Larry’s Lemonade before, you are Missing. Out. Bigtime. We got the pleasure of trying these guys out at the NASCAR race recently, and it’s ridiculously good — I recommend mixing their 2 main ones together. Trust me, it rules.

Three Notch’d is hosting a collab with The Byrd Theatre and Science Matters next Tuesday with the Film & Fermentation Beerfest. The event is set up to teach drinkers the ins and outs of the beer-making process, and all the science that goes into it as well. They’ve also brewed a special beer for the theater’s 90th anniversary so we can all celebrate our favorite movie spot in town. Long live the Byrd!

This weekend at Castleburg Brewery and Taproom, the winner gets the booty in the war. You’re the winner this time around, and the booty is To the Victor Gose the Spoils, a strawberry-lime gose that was inspired by Cinco De Mayo. Head over Friday evening to get a taste of the gold.

RVA ON TAP: Stone Brewing Makes A Movie, The Return of Richbrau & More

Caley Sturgill | April 24, 2019

Topics: beer, beer column, craft beer, final gravity brewing, fine creek brewing, Hardywood Park Craft Brewery, Hardywood West Creek, Legend Brewing Company, richbrau brewing company, richmond, RVA On Tap, Stone brewing, Stone Brewing-Richmond, Strangeways Brewing

Last week, we were so packed with events we couldn’t pick which one to go to. It’s keeping up this week, with Stone Brewing’s founder in Richmond set to after-party at River City Roll following his movie premiere (yep, you read that right) at Bow Tie Cinemas here in town. We’ve also got dog-lover events with Strangeways, the return of Richbrau Brewing to Richmond in Shockoe Bottom, and lots more to keep your week full.

Did you have a good Easter? Our own freshly 25-year-old Legend Brewing Company did, along with lots of other great spots around town. Last year, I spent my holiday in Richmond, Easter Beer Hunting around alleys in town, collecting hidden beer cans and hidden treasures for my first time partaking in the small local tradition. This Easter weekend, I got to visit a few awesome spots down home like Big Lick Brewery and Olde Salem Brewing Company for some tasty Appalachian brews with the fam. Here’s hoping all of you had a great spring weekend in RVA, and we’ve got plenty more to make sure you keep the party rolling into the rest of the month.

In event news, Stone Brewing Company’s founder, Greg Koch, is the star of a new documentary called The Beer Jesus From America. The film follows Koch’s journey taking Stone outside our nation’s borders, as it became the first independent American craft brewer to build, own, and operate its own brewery in Europe.

The event is going down tonight at Bow Tie Cinemas, with a pre-mixer at Movieland at 6:30 and an after party across the street at River City Roll. Greg and Matt Sweetwood (Stone Director) will be out at the event, and you can even grab special tastes of Berlin brews at the afterparty. As they say, this one’s not to be missed!

Finally! Richbrau Brewing Co. is coming back this summer, the OG Richmond brewers (even before Legend) who operated down in Shockoe Slip back from 1933 until 1969, and again from 1993 until 2010. The revival is music to our ears, and it’s coming back to its Shockoe neighborhood that it once called home. The new spot is set to open this June — and with a location down on South 20th street right by Canal Walk, it’ll be even better than before.

If you’re ready to jump into a big blue pool now that the 80° weather has finally come, you’re not alone. Final Gravity Brewing Co. is dropping their Splashdown Double IPA to cheers the new season, with bursts of grapefruit, citrus, melon, and lime. It’s brewed with Citra and Apollo hops, but according to the brewers, it drinks nice and smooth with its finishing flavors. This 8% ABV will definitely get you river day ready, and it drops this Friday morning.

Out at Fine Creek Brewing Company, a Dark Sour with Cherries came to the taps over the weekend. This cherry pie brew brings out the bright and tart tastes of the classic dessert, and aged in bourbon barrels, it was refermented with sour cherries to get the perfect balance. It also packs some acidity with light notes of chocolate and dark fruits that come in at 7% ABV for the sour. Get ‘em while they’re cold!

Triple Crossing Beer also had a release on Friday, a surprise crowler made with “assertive” amounts of Citra, Mosaic, and Simcoe hops. Fierce Abandon, a 5.5% IPA, has some less-seen fruits like apricot and ruby red grapefruit to complement its clementine oranges.

In more events, tonight you can head out to Hardywood West Creek (one of my personal favorite brewery locations in the Greater Richmond Area, btw) to check out the Richmond Symphony playing live in a concert hosted inside the massive modern-farmhouse building. Richmond Symphony does a lot of really neat events around town, and they’re the same people bringing you the Star Wars: A New Hope symphony concert!! — how cool — on May 4. That’s one you definitely won’t want to miss, either!

Down at Strangeways Brewing this weekend, a few special things are happening. On Saturday, they’re hosting Groove Fetish from North Carolina in a free show that combines “driving rhythms, seductive melodies, and incredible solos with flavors of rock, fusion, funk, and progressive.” Top that off with soulful vocals and some powerful harmonies, and you’ve got Groove Fetish.

On Sunday, head out for their Bow Wow Meow Luau at the brewery. With beers, dogs, food trucks, pet vendors, prizes and more, they’ve got everything for you and your best four-legged pal to close out the weekend together. The event supports the local animal rescue community, so you can drink happy knowing you’re helping pets across the area find good homes.

Before you take your pup out for the day, be sure to swing by Stone Brewing Richmond for another event of theirs this week, their Farmer’s Market in the morning. They’re hosting yoga with RVAbrews to start off the day, then brunch with Ita’s Food Truck to complete the perfect start to your Sunday.

Suncrush Beer Is Outdoor Adventure In A Can

Sydney Lake | March 11, 2019

Topics: beer, craft beer, Eric McKay, gluten-free beer, grocery stores, Hardywood Park Craft Brewery, outdoor activities, Patrick Murtaugh, real fruit, Suncrush Beer

From the founders of Hardywood, Richmond’s newest craft brew uses real fruit to bring the light, sweet taste of the great outdoors to adventurers everywhere.

Hardywood Park Craft Brewery founders Patrick Murtaugh and Eric McKay have brought sunshine to Richmond in beer form, launching their new brand, Suncrush, in Virginia last week.

When Murtaugh and McKay returned from weekend trips with Great Return, a strong and bitter IPA, they agreed that it hadn’t been well-suited for long days on the beach or hiking in the mountains.

“And so, we started thinking about the ideal beer to have for any outdoor adventure,” McKay said.

With cornerstone attributes in mind, they crafted a beer that was low in alcohol, carbs and calories, and had natural caffeine and antioxidants from the green tea and real fruit components. After eight months or so of Murtaugh brewing and tweaking pilot recipes, they settled in on the recipe found on shelves today.

“We just wanted it to be, really, the most refreshing thing you could drink outside,” Murtaugh said. “Starting from the base recipe through adding fruit and green tea, every aspect of this was designed to be that ultimate outdoor-activity beer.”

Because Suncrush serves as a strong brand on its own, Murtaugh and McKay decided to separate their new brand from Hardywood to appeal to a new wholesale environment: grocery stores. Hardywood is intended to have a billboard effect, where multiple Hardywood brands can be seen side by side on the shelf so that customers shopping for Hardywood can see all of the beers together, McKay said.

“With Suncrush, we saw it as a strong enough brand to stand alone,” McKay said. “Many grocery stores are starting to establish a new category that’s currently led by hard sparkling seltzer, and some wine-based brands and kombucha-based brands — typically it’s a prominent space before you even access the craft beer section.”

Suncrush is for people who might typically reach for a hard seltzer. This new beer brand, however, is also another option for customers who may be avoiding gluten in their diet, or might find seltzer drinks to be too watery and lacking in flavor.

“For us, Suncrush is the first that we know of the separate beer brands that’s really targeted to appear in that part of the grocery store,” McKay said. “Our hope is that there may be people outside of the craft beer-drinking community, and maybe outside of the beer-drinking community altogether, who would really be attracted to a beer like Suncrush.”

Before launching Suncrush in Virginia, McKay and Murtaugh tested the waters at their taprooms in Richmond. Although it wasn’t heavily promoted when it was first made available, it quickly became one of the best-selling beers in the taproom, Murtaugh said.

“Our taproom has been a great place to test-market various varieties that we produce to find things that really resonate with people,” Murtaugh said.

Although Suncrush is brewed in Richmond along with Murtaugh and McKay’s Hardywood beers, they now have the task of educating customers who are unfamiliar with the connection to the popular local brewery
about the new line of products. Suncrush may even be sold past Hardywood’s current distribution footprint.

Locally, however, Murtaugh and McKay said that they had designed Suncrush to be good for grocery stores, convenience stores, and event venues — including places where Hardywood is yet to be sold.

“We do think it might open up some opportunities to sell beer in places where we’re not currently selling a lot of beer,” McKay said. “Because it’s so different from a lot of beer in our portfolio and really any other beer on the market currently, it might open some windows of opportunity for us, and we’re eager to find out what those are.”

A main difference between the Hardywood and Suncrush lines of beer is where ingredients are sourced. In order to use high quality crushed fruit, some Suncrush ingredients are sourced from Oregon.

This variation in production was another factor that encouraged McKay and Murtaugh to separate the Suncrush and Hardywood brands.

“With Hardywood, we put a big focus on using local ingredients whenever possible,” Murtaugh said. “Last year we used close to 40,000 pounds of locally grown agricultural products, from grain and hops to raspberries, blackberries, pumpkins, honey, and ginger. With this series, we don’t feel the need to focus too much on sourcing the fruit locally.”

The fruit component of the beer makes it especially challenging to adapt to seasonal flavors — which are a cornerstone for the brand. Although Suncrush may be the ultimate beach beer, Murtaugh and McKay aim to offer flavors reminiscent of colder seasons as well.

“The message we wanted to convey was that this is a beer meant for outdoor adventures,” McKay said. “It’s just fun, simple, and approachable. Anyone who likes doing any sort of outdoor activities might find this beer enjoyable.”

Murtaugh and McKay can be found enjoying their own beers straight off the slopes or after a good hike.

“It makes you feel good about drinking a beer after a workout,” Murtaugh said, after describing that moment when you get to the top of the mountain and crack open a beer while enjoying the view.

McKay brought the cranberry and tangerine brews on his most recent ski trip, citing their popularity among his friends.

“Everyone agreed that they were the perfect after-a-ski beer,” McKay said.

No matter the spring adventure that lies ahead, there’s a Suncrush beer to celebrate with. Flavors to look forward to: lemon raspberry, grapefruit, ginger lime and southern peach.

Photos via Suncrush

2019 Pho King Championship at Mekong

Joe Vanderhoff | January 24, 2019

Topics: beer, craft beer, mekong, Pho Eating contest, Pho King

2019 PHO KING CHAMPIONSHIP

*This is a Pho Eating Contest – one of kind, Champions of all Champions.

Its Pho King Time for us to honor our past Pho King Champions, and crown our new Pho King or Pho Queen!!

Mekong Restaurant hosts the Annual PHO KING (eating) contest on Feb 3th 2019 at 4pm right before the Superbowl as we always do. Please come out to support your favorite contestants, have some amazing brews, have some amazing Pho, and enjoy the Superbowl!