final gravity brewing

RVA ON TAP: Food Fests & 50 Years of Love

Caley Sturgill | July 10, 2019

Topics: beer, beer column, Canon And Draw, Center of the Universe, craft beer, final gravity brewing, fine creek brewing, Hardywood Park Craft Brewery, Intermission Beer Company, RVA On Tap, Stone Brewing-Richmond, Strangeways Brewing, Vasen Brewing Company

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’re keeping with the spirit of summer and all the events that come along with it. From beer classes to food festivals, the local brewers are keeping their schedules (and their glasses) full to keep you busy every night.

I know y’all remember my last visit to a Center of the Universe food festival, because I was stoked after it to present both the best barbecue and waffles I’ve ever had in my life (S/O to Grandpa Eddie’s Alabama Ribs & BBQ and Capitol Waffle Shop) — and also my award-winning ham biscuits that finally got some official recognition winning COTU’s Southern Food Fest after a lifetime of people fighting over them at family gatherings.

They’re bringing back another food festival, and it covers the tastes of the whole nation this time around. The American Food Fest is going down this Saturday, with hot dogs, BBQ, ice cream and more to complement live music and a special beer release. Grandpa Eddie’s will be out again, so don’t miss it this time, along with Mama J’s, Good Dogs RVA, Freekin’ Rican, and some good old fashioned Cold Stone Creamery for dessert. Another important detail to note is COTU’s commentary on their Saturday race:

“Do you like to run? Do you enjoy a nice lather of sweat on a Saturday afternoon? Neither do we!”

Same! In the spirit of laziness and actually enjoying your weekend, their second annual “non-run” is taking place to fundraise for the Ashland Rotary. This perfect event means the only running you’ll do is from the beer trucks to the Freedom Fries after they carry the finish line over your heads. Grab your beer and your lawn chair, because there’s nothing more American than having someone else do the work for you and enjoying the sweet rewards of beer and BBQ.

Does anything make sense? Not really, and Hardywood gets it. Their beloved But Does It Make Sense? IPA is coming back out in cans this week for #FreshCanFriday, complete with live music from Damn Tall Buildings through the evening and Smokie Joe’s BBQ to make sure both your plates stay full as well.

But Does It Make Sense? is a New England-Style Double IPA, brewed with Mosaic, Hallertau Blanc, and Galaxy hops with an 8.5% ABV to kick off the weekend the right way.

Make sure to plan your weekends through the rest of the month, too, because Hardywood’s HeART & Soul Brew Fest is coming up on the 27th to bring Richmond the best dope music, urban art, craft beers, and soul food — is there a better combination than that?

50 years of love in the Commonwealth: a big reason to celebrate, and all our favorite local breweries are following suit. Head out to Final Gravity Brewing Co. on Sunday to keep the festivities going after their 50-mile bike ride from the Jamestown Settlement back up to the city. Virginia is for Lovers sponsored a shuttle for Final Gravity’s ride with the Cap Trail Bike Shuttle to take bikers from Stone Brewing all the way down to the settlement, then the brewery’s hosting an afterparty all evening with a special beer release and Zorch Pizza in honor of the campaign.

Keeping the love going, Intermission Beer Company is hosting a Home-Grown Comedy Show this Saturday night — and there’s more than one reason to celebrate. With their great lineup of local Virginian stand-up comics, Intermission’s setting the stage to commemorate both the 50th anniversary of Virginia Is For Lovers, and the birthday of the night’s headliner, Winston Hodges.

The show starts at 7pm, and this one’s not for the kids: so make sure to call your babysitter if you need one, and come out for a night of laughs with Winston and Liz Carrnage, Alida Harper, Joshua Sekani French, Heather Joyce and more. It’s never a bad time to wind down and share smiles with strangers, and it’s especially fun to do it with entertainers from our own home.

Canon & Draw Brewing Company has a surprise. If you’ve ever drank the water somewhere cleaner than the city of Richmond, you’ll know that the drips coming from our taps are definitely not the state’s best… and even questionable, in my humble opinion. So in order to bring new (and certainly better) meaning to the phrase “River City Tap Water,” Canon & Draw cooked up something delicious.

River City Tap Water is an American Light Lager that’s got all the crisp coolness of the river and all the drinkable goodness of a solid brew. With bright, bursting flavors, you won’t have to worry about what my friends refer to as the “brain slugs” you’re in for if you take a sip from the James — just tasty, easy drinking and a great way to spend a hot summer day.

Notooooorious! On the 4th of July, Stone Brewing Richmond dropped Notorious P.O.G., a Berliner Weisse. This style is one of Stone’s specialties, and I’m looking forward to getting a taste of it for my own.

Notorious P.O.G., unlike the rap legend of its name inspiration, is real bright and fruity. With flavors of passionfruit, orange, and guava, this brew is set to bring all the best fruits of summertime together for a finished product that’s “Fresh, Tropical, and Damn Tasty.” Damn tasty, like everything Stone does. It’s a tropical Weisse that first came out at their Hop-Con 4.0, an annual release event for “the (in)famous Drew Curtis/Wil Wheaton/Greg Koch Stone Farking Wheaton w00tstout.” According to the brewers, P.O.G. comes from Passion, Orange, and Guava for those unfamiliar with Hawaiian juice lore. Come grab a can here in Richmond, out at the East End brewery (a beautiful spot on its own, even without the beer — so definitely worth a visit).

Our buds at Fine Creek Brewing Company just dropped an awesome Friday Beer Feature over the weekend, a Tart Saison brewed with the nuts and hulls of the shellback hickory tree.

Natural Resonance is a 6.7% ABV beer with spicy birch, woody hickory, minor peppery characters from the Saison yeast, and its birch scion tastes from the wood and roots from sweet birch trees. The flavor starts out sweet, with fruity esters and a stronger apple character. It begins to develop into its spicy and oak-like wood tones as the acidity starts to come out on the taste buds. With a tart ending, this recipe is bright, dry, and a perfect earthy-summer flavor to capture the natural flavors of the area with the tastes of the season as well.

The 6th of July may not be special to some, but it was special to us and to Väsen Brewing Company this year. Thanks to this absolutely delicious release, the weekend of the 4th had an extra reason to get pumped.

Boundless is a complex, hazy Double IPA that was dry-hopped with Sabro, Ekuanot, and Enigma hops. This juicy brew brings out the fruity flavors and enticing aromas of tangerine, mango, and papaya, with an awesome finish of more subtle coconut and raspberry flavors. Its name reflects its taste, meant to ponder the boundless, beautiful summer skies above and pair with an endless summer. Head out to Väsen for a glass on your next breezy weekend day, and look forward to their second anniversary coming up soon… but more on that later.

Ever wanted to learn more about the history of craft beer in our region? Yeah, you and me both! Thanks to Strangeways and VCU, we’re in for a treat. They’re co-hosting a course on The Essentials of Craft Beer out at the brewery, a two-part evening class on July 16 and July 23 with Lee Graves (the RVA Beer Guy!) to get a better understanding of both the types and styles of craft beer and the history of each. You’ll get a new understanding and love for craft beer, plus a lot of great knowledge on the regional history of the industry in our area. Head over here to sign up, and remember that it’s 21+ for attendees.

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: Beer, Bourbon & BBQ

Caley Sturgill | June 5, 2019

Topics: beer, beer bourbon and bbq, beer bourbon bbq best, beer column, Canon And Draw, Castleburg, castleburg brewery and taproom, Center of the Universe, final gravity brewing, Hardywood, Isley Brewing Company, Lickinghole Creek Craft Brewery, richmond raceway, RVA On Tap, Stone brewing, triple crossing

This week, we’re rolling further into the summer with tons of awesome new releases (plus a special America-themed release, because America), and awesome events to jam through summer in the River City. Drink up.

Over the weekend, I got a chance *at last* to check out Stone Brewing Richmond in-person. If you remember back a month or two, Stone celebrated the release of their movie, which followed the trials and tribulations of opening their brewery in Berlin. The German location was the very first American Independent Craft Brewery to expand into the EU — a big deal, to say the least. Anywho, the movie premiered at Richmond’s very own Bow Tie Cinemas earlier this spring, and Stone’s founder even attended the event and its afterparty at River City Roll, complete with actual beers from their Berlin spot.

In the film, a large, empty building slowly takes its shape with their famous gargoyle hanging overhead in a gray-sky, intriguingly-eerie looking space. To bring it full circle, when I visited the Richmond location, I was quickly reminded of the architecture, and felt familiar in a place I had never been, thanks to the cohesive style across their locations. It may not feel like walking into Berlin, but it does feel like walking into Stone. And that’s a feeling like no other, especially in a city packed with a lot of places that can look the same.

In new-news, for all of you who *have* been to Stone and didn’t take way too long to finally check out one of the city’s best spots, over the last week they released Enjoy By 07.04.19. Memorial Day Weekend marked the unofficial start of summer, according to the brewery, so they’ve released their America-themed brew to commemorate the changing season and give us something to enjoy (in the summer only).

For our Richmond-bred locals, the River City’s sweethearts at Hardywood are dropping a brand-new #FreshCanFriday release, and it sounds delicious. I know I’ve said it before, but I don’t think Hardywood is capable of making a bad beer. Distorted Perception follows suit as a hazy IPA, flavored with papayas, amngos, and cantaloupes after its dry-hopped process with Cashmere hops. You’ll also catch notes of honeydew, papaya, and lime in this sweet and smooth brew.

Meanwhile at Hardywood, the brewers have teamed up to support the 5th Annual Rockin’ on the Avenue tomorrow night at St. Mary’s tomorrow night. The annual fundraiser started off with a few smaller organic goals, and with lots of community support, it’s taken off to become a long-term gig. They’re rockin’ again this week, so join them for great food and local businesses for the cause.

Over at Final Gravity, Morning Glory Double IPA is making its way back to the taps on Friday. You’ll catch some cantaloupe aromas here, but you’ll also catch some droolworthy notes of candied orange slices and coconut, with some peach and tropical fruits sprinkled in. This 8% ABV brew was dry-hopped with Cashmere hops and a later addition of Azacca to give a nice blended taste, and it’s available by the glass and in crowlers to start relaxing into your weekend with its release.

Triple Crossing has done it again… in a set of the most beautiful cans I think I’ve ever seen in my life. Even if I didn’t want to try this beer, I’d want to buy it just to look at it. It’s dreamy, y’all! Tiny Pils is their newest addition to their perfectly-balanced recipes, a beer designed with the “sometimes need to manage our collective sobrieties” in mind — so it’s got a low ABV that’ll set you down gracefully. Raw clover and a sweet, oak-like baking spice hop character takes this one, with more flavors of lavender and a honey-like malt depth. It’s available on draft, but obviously better in cans, so grab one while they’re available, starting this Friday.

Isley Brewing Company has a new addition to their draft list as well, with a Banana Infused Belgian White Ale. I just had my first taste of a white banana beer recently (at Stone, if I remember correctly), and I’ve got to say, it was better than I expected, as a person who’s not really a banana enthusiast in most flavors. Except for actual bananas, which ironically, I love. Regardless, I was surprised at how much I genuinely enjoyed the combination of bananas and brews, and I don’t doubt that Isley’s recipe will be delicious as well.

*PHOTO: Lickinghole Creek Craft Brewery*

This week, a Strawberry Hefeweizen made its way to our pals at Lickinghole Creek Craft Brewery. If you need an excuse to get out of the city, make your way to the farm for a new brew with some of our favorite outside-towners and catch live music — plus some awesome food trucks like SandTopia, Papa vs. Carolina BBQ, and more. The Jerry Wimmer Trio and Genu Jay will be performing through the weekend at Lickinghole Creek to keep the jams on and the beers cold.

It’s Hawaiian shirt time! Canon and Draw Brewing Company is hosting a Pre-Summer Luau Party this Friday, so grab your tackiest attire and tourist it up in your own town. Justin Golden, Scott Lane, and Charlie and Darlings will be performing with live music all day to accompany popsicles, beer specials, games, and a gift card raffle in the perfect city luau.

Bonus points: If you dress well enough, you can put your name in the raffle for a chance to win best costume and get a prize for your wardrobe. Bust out the Hawaiian shirts, flip flops, bathing suits, luau gear, and anything else you can think of to come out and win. Plus, above all else, it’s a reason to hang out in a bathing suit in public, and it’s always sweet to beat the heat.

This Saturday out at Richmond Raceway, don’t miss the Beer, Bourbon & BBQ Festival that’s got *a lot* cooking. With your ticket, you’ll get unlimited beer and bourbon tastings (as long as you keep it moving from table to table, and tent to tent — don’t get too wild out here, y’all) plus BBQ galore. With pulled pork from whole hogs, ribs, brisket, chickens, sausages, and “any fixins’ you could imagine,” the Raceway says they’ll keep the portions heavy and the prices low.

During the festival, live rock and blues music will be jamming all day, with bluegrass on the main stage to set the best Southern feel — because BBQ and bluegrass just belong together, if you ask me. They’ve also got a Pork-A-Licious VIP Whole Hog session for the extra-committed meat lovers, so get a full plate plus two extra hours of fun with special beer and bourbon tastings to round off the day.

Center of the Universe is throwing an awesome show tonight with Scattered Smothered and Covered for Tail Waggin’ Wednesdays, and they want to remind you that there’s nothing better than a mid-week “having a few” break. Who can blame them? I don’t know how you Summer-In-Richmond, but when I Summer-In-Richmond, I want to be out and about every day to take it all in.

Release the hounds tonight with our buds at COTU, and don’t forget to catch their Beer, Bingo, and Bloodies event coming up again this Saturday. This one used to happen at COTU and was brought back by popular demand — so now that it’s here to stay, if you haven’t made it out yet, here’s your chance!

The Run The Gauntlet Challenge is back at Castleburg Brewery and Taproom. If you remember back when #1 came out last year, Castleburg’s Gauntlet Series of challenges is unlike those you’d find in medieval Europe in that these don’t strike you with physical punishment — they strike you with pale ales. Thank god, right? #10 is here, and its earthy, floral flavors with hints of citrus come from its Centennial hops brewing process. Head out for a punishment that actually doesn’t seem so bad, and tell us how it was!

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

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.

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.