fine creek

RVA ON TAP: Lager World & Oktoberfest at Hardywood

Caley Sturgill | October 2, 2019

Topics: Ardent craft ales, Ballast Point Brewing, beer, beer column, Center of the Universe, Final Gravity, fine creek, Hardywood, Isley Brewing Company, kindred spirit, RVA On Tap, strangeways, The Veil, Three Notch’d RVA Collab House, Triple Crossing Beer, 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!

This week, we’ve got more fall events and some amazing new beer releases from our favorite locals, plus a bittersweet goodbye to one of my favorite Virginia spots after their closing in Botetourt County.

If you’ve been enjoying the array of Oktoberfests around town this month, trust us that we’ve got one you won’t want to miss. Hardywood’s Oktoberfest goes down all day this Saturday at their West Creek spot, and they’re telling you to pull out your lederhosen, because it’s time to party!

The fest goes on from 1-10pm, with games, contests, live music with Elby Brass and the Harpoondodgers, and lots more. Some of our favorite eats are also going to be around, like Grandpa Eddie’s Alabama Ribs & BBQ (my personal favorite, as you all have heard from me a hundred times by now — try them!!), The Return of the Mac, Southern Spud, Dockery Farms, Candy Valley Cake Company, La Bete, Wigglestick Barbecue, and the Prost Food Truck. The PROST! Bar opens to kick off the day at 1, then Oktoberfest goes on with some extra-special barrel tappings and a parade of booze.

And the most important part: the beer! They’ll have “a whole slew” of German brews ready to go at Hardywood, like Smoked Marzen, Munich Dunkel, Doppelbock, Helles, and Hefeweizen. Don’t miss tons of awesome Oktoberfest-themed games with Shalom Farms as well, and traditional German dancing from the Alpine Dancers. See ya there!

We’ve got some awesome news coming this weekend from Center of the Universe, too. We all know the feeling of visiting our favorite breweries on a slow night and wishing there was more food around. Aside from a small few, most spots in Richmond don’t have food vendors stationed at their spots all the time.

That’s about to change again with our friends at COTU, who are celebrating the grand opening of the permanent Freekin’ Rican food vendor out at their Ashland brewery to occupy the “beer window” in the biergarten. The whole day will be full of activities and Puerto Rican-inspired food to commemorate the opening, with burgers, bratwurst, tacos, quesadillas, nachos, sandwiches, pork and chicken entrees, and more.

For the occasion, COTU is bringing back their limited return of Monkey’s Uncle Lemongrass Tripel and Summer Moon Raspberry, an Imperial Wheat Ale, for one day only! They’ll also be starting weekly specials the following week, like $3 tacos for Taco Tuesdays, Tapas Thursdays, and Island Sundays to bring out traditional Caribbean Island dishes — so if you miss the very-special returns of these two stellar brews, you’ll still have a reason to celebrate the new addition with them every week.

Three new brews hit the taps at Strangeways over the weekend, and we can’t wait to get our hands on these.

Fine Malt Lyrics Malt Liquor — which one might assume is a House Of Pain reference — kicks off the releases, and this high 9.1% ABV brew hits in at 30 IBU and has an “absurd strength,” according to the brewers. With a big malt-forward taste, it came together with both two-row and six-row barley, plus flaked corn to round out all its flavors.

Brass Monkey comes second, and this 7.3% ABV with 30 IBU recipe is a lot lighter — and might just be perfect for those friends of yours who tend to pick the brunch drinks over beer. This mimosa-style beer is Strangeways’ Fine Malt Lyrics mixed with orange juice to create the perfect beermosa blend (and it’s Beastie-approved).

Wizard Fight! is the lowest ABV of the releases, and at 7.0% and with 70 IBU has a “chewy malt character” that’s accented by its juicy fruit flavors and aromas. The Pilsner and white wheat malts come together with the Columbus and Azacca hops to combine the fruity with the crisp in the New England IPA.

More great brews are on the way this week with Fine Creek Brewing Company’s Chestnut Honey Brown Ale release on Saturday. The beer is coming as a collaboration with Elysium Honey, who are hosting a pop-up at the brewery from 3-6pm this Saturday as Fine Creek taps their brand-new brown ale.

Chestnut Honey has a rich maltiness to its flavor, with fruit characters highlighted from the honey additions in its brewing process. With nutty and bready malt tones, the Elysium Honey has a fruity and herbal aroma that goes perfectly with the tastes of pumpernickel bread, coffee, and baker’s cocoa in this beer.

You can grab a glass of your own this weekend, and support Elysium Honey’s land and hive management work, alongside Damian Allen playing in the taproom through the evening.

Over at Final Gravity Brewing Co., Pulsar New England IPA made its way to the taps in all its 100% Falconer’s Flight hop glory recently.

The brand-new IPA came out as part of a triple-release with two siblings, starting with Retrograde Session IPA. Retrograde was brewed with all Mosaic hops in its return, and they also brought back The Doppler Effect in their latest batch. This new recipe added extra Mosaic hops to the original favorite, and double dry-hopped the hops in the fermenter *and* the kegs to bring out “that extra POW of citrus,” according to the brewery. Head over to get a taste of whichever suits your palate — or all three — and stick around for Dart Night if you make it out tonight!

Our buds at Triple Crossing Beer put something fresh on deck (and best enjoyed on the deck) this week as well. Czech Dark came back to the taps with Triple Crossing’s “hopes for the eventual end of summer,” and boy, are they preaching to the choir. With all these delicious seasonal beers coming out, we are anxiously awaiting a chilly day to drink them with.

Czech Dark pours with a black mirror deep-dark-ness that brings out subtle red tones underneath its fluffy head. You’ll catch some small notes of coffee in this easy-drinking 5.2% ABV lager, and the late-fall flavors are dry, toasty, and have a roast-forward finish.

It’s time for Lager World at The Veil Brewing Co.! This Saturday, head over to your favorite Scott’s Addition spot for The Veil’s second Oktoberfest-style jammer, with 12 special brews for the occasion, plus two extra releases.

If you’re in the mood for a lager, you’ll have more than enough to pick from: Hide, Child Support, Jackson Flavor, Rain, Coalesce, Numb, Love and Trust, Deathless, Thorn, Braühaüsenweisse (try saying that one three times fast), and Dwell, from both its first and second batches.

Special releases coming are Deathless in 4-packs and Batch 2 of Dwell in bottles that day, plus sausages from Cardinal State Butchers and the delicious Sugar & Twine pretzels. Something even more special: for $10 (16oz) or $14 (32oz), you can grab your own stein and fill ‘em back up with any beers available with no limit.

This Friday, a brand-new can release is going down at Väsen Brewing Company, and it’s right up my alley. This juicy Double IPA is called Mandarin Galaxy, and it’s “loaded” with Citra Cyro, Mosaic, Mandarina Bavaria, and Australian Galaxy hops.

You can get your own taste of it this weekend along with the perfect dinner to complement this brew: Intergalactic Tacos! Get spacey, Richmond. Both of these rule.

Got something on your mind lately? Here’s your chance to get it out with a Brainstorm. This collab brew comes fresh from our friends at Ardent Craft Ales, in collaboration with Narrow Gauge Brewing Company out of St. Louis.

Another delicious juicy Double IPA, Brainstorm is “bursting with flavors of orange and pineapple” from its double dry-hop process with Amarillo and Galaxy hops, and it’s the perfect way to close out these last super-hot days of summer and make them feel (and taste) a little better. With this soft, aromatic, smooth, and flavorful recipe, the 9.0% ABV beer hits in at 10 IBU and is available in both draft and crowler fills.

This Friday, Three Notch’d RVA Collab House is working with Dotted Line Collaborations to put out a new beer called Dot Your IPAs. This New England IPA will benefit the Shepherd’s Way Relief Center to donate a portion of their sales to the charity, which helps local impoverished citizens get back on their feet. The brews are $3, and for each one sold, $1 goes back to the organization — so head on out and drink for a cause!

In more collab news, Three Notch’d is also searching for more folks from organizations, companies, charitable causes and more to partner up and make collab beers to do good. If you or your place of work has any opportunities for collaboration, hit up Three Notch’d here and see what you can get rolling.

This one might be my favorite of the whole week. Isley Brewing Company just dropped Choosy Mother in-house and to-go — and this Peanut Butter Porter is all of the best parts of Reese’s and peanut butter pies wrapped up in one delicious brew.

They also released Sir Falstaff this week, a West Coast Double IPA with a lovely golden amber color and 9.1% ABV.

It’s the season of Brown Ales, and I couldn’t be more stoked for it. An especially-awesome variation just came out at Kindred Spirit Brewing: Coffee Brown Ale, which comes in at 6.0% ABV and brings out all the best flavors in one.

Coffee Brown Ale brings together the creamy with the sweet in this coffee-toffee mixup, with a hint of chocolate to finish it off. They also dropped Project Pale Ale, a 4.6% ABV ale that was hopped with Centennial and “a little CTZ” that brings out a perfectly piney flavor, resiny and with hints of citrus for a crisp, refreshing drink.

Before we go today, I just want to say a quick (and very sad) goodbye to Ballast Point Brewing in Botetourt County. This brewery was pretty special to me, and while it’s not close to us in Richmond, I held it very close to my little mountain heart from good times spent drinking their amazing beers on chilly days visiting home over last winter. It was one of the prettiest breweries I’ve been in to date, and something about a cloudy day, all bundled up in flannels overlooking the mountains at Ballast Point, just felt right. They aren’t closed nationwide, but after a big uprising from the locals trying to get them to stay, Ballast Point ultimately said no and closed the location to pursue bigger things and more distribution. They poured their last beer here last week, and they will be sorely missed by my hometown. Cheers forever, Ballast Point, and thanks for the memories!

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: Dry-Hopping & International Craft Beer Weekend in Richmond

Caley Sturgill | July 31, 2019

Topics: Ardent craft ales, beer, beer column, booze clues, Center of the Universe, cotu brewing, Devil's Backbone, fine creek, fine creek brewing, garden grove, geeks under the influence, Hardywood Park Craft Brewery, intermission, Intermission Beer Company, international craft beer weekend, Kindred Spirit Brewing, Midnight Brewing, O'Connor Brewing, red paint rva, RVA On Tap, Starr Hill Brewery, the answer brewpub, The Darkroom, The Veil Brewing Co., three notchd, Väsen, virginia museum of history and culture

This week, we’ve got tons more great events to keep you occupied in the spirit of summer, plus new releases from our favorites like The Answer Brewpub and more. Don’t miss the annual BrewHaHa Festival, the Red Paint International Craft Beer Weekend celebrations in RVA, and an awesome Gose Fest with Center of the Universe. Drink up!

Before we dive into the many events of the week, let’s start with an especially-good new release and some info on its breed. The Answer Brewpub just dropped The War on Glycol last night out at the brewery, and it looks awesome.

Brewed with Amarillo, El Dorado, Citra, and Eureka hops, The War on Glycol is a Double-Dry-Hopped (DDH) Double IPA.

We’ve talked about a lot of DDH releases over the last year or so, but for the non-brewers out there, here’s a bit of info on that: the Double-Dry-Hop process is different everywhere you go. It can either mean brewers went through the hop process, then re-did it a second time to make it a double, or it can mean they added double the amount of hops that they normally would to the first single-processed beer. Either way, you’re in for something hoppy — it just might mean you’ll get a larger amount at some breweries than at others. But you’re also in for more flavor, because the late addition of hops is already where you’ll find a good chunk of your flavor, and the late-late-addition of hops is where your brewer is packing it in for that “explosive” flavor we’ve seen more and more of lately (and trust me, it’s a good thing).

Depending on the specific beer and the brewing process of that beer, the pour in your glass could have began in a barrel with four pounds of hops, six pounds of hops, or even nine pounds of hops. So next time you head to Kroger at 10pm on a Tuesday for a build-your-own six pack because you’re craving some new tastes for your nighttime porch hangs, you’ll know what that DDH on the side of the can means (and why so many people are gravitating to try them).

While you may not find The War on Glycol DIPA DDH at Kroger, you should definitely swing by The Answer for a case of cans to try it: in its true fruity fashion, this brew has big aromas of apricot and pomelo to complement its creamy, refreshing feel. Show The Answer some love and head over to grab one while you can — as we all know, these beloved (and award-winning how many times now?) brewers are known for cooking up recipes that can go quick once they’re out, because everyone wants a taste.

*PHOTO: International Craft Beer Weekend in RVA*

International Craft Beer Weekend is alive in Richmond! This weekend, Red Paint RVA is throwing their first annual event, with a series of contests and beer features around Richmond to celebrate. Some of our favorites like Intermission Beer Company, Vasen Brewing, Fine Creek Brewing Company, Three Notch’d RVA Collab House, Garden Grove Brewing & more will all be out for the occasion, with special beers lined up for enthusiasts like ourselves to vote on our favorites.

Richmond’s brewers are no strangers to the national scene, and the culture around it here is getting its own event to commemorate it. Red Paint themselves are collaborating on a beer with Three Notch’d for the occasion, and we’ll make sure to give that one a try.

Across town, you’ll be able to try the stellar brews that everyone is voting on all week long — and when you’re ready to vote for your favorite, just head over to redpaintva.com, search for the brewery of your choice, and click “like” on their profile to cast your vote. It’s going to be a hard call between all of these for me, but I’m thinking Fine Creek will probably take my vote. We’ll just have to wait and see!

*PHOTO: Booze Clues Podcast with Geeks Under The Influence*

Our favorite local beer podcast is back, and they’re recording their next episode live at The Dark Room this coming Sunday. Booze Clues, the live comedy podcast by Geeks Under The Influence that looks into hilarious recent headlines in the news, has their most recent episode available here, in case you haven’t had a chance to check it out yet.

Dissecting the most spirited headlines of drunken debauchery around the world, our host, Mike “Hobbit” Bickett, along with a group of comedians, podcasters, and performers, will dive into the most ridiculous things people have been caught doing after a good night of boozing. It’s free, so if you’re looking for something to spice up your Sunday night, they’ve got you covered.

The Answer isn’t the only local spot that had a killer release last night: The Veil Brewing Co. just dropped their new Soft Block DIPA brew.

The Veil has recently taken part in a lot of great collaborations. This is likely due to their reputation growing ever bigger and ever better across the beer scene, and drawing in other eager brewers to team up and create something awesome together. Soft Block DIPA is the creation of the hands of The Veil and Other Half Brewing Company, and it has the awesome creamy, orange color I’m always looking for. Can you tell I have a type? Yeah, that’s 1000000% it.

This delicious beer is a Double IPA, brewed with raw wheat, malted oats, milk sugar (!!), vanilla freeze-dried ice cream (!!!!!), oranges, vanilla, and Mosaic hops. Wow. I absolutely need it. If anyone’s in the market to treat ya girl this week, you know what to do.

Soft Block DIPA also hits in at 8% ABV, so a few will go a long way when you sit down to hang at the brewery — but get those Ubers ready, y’all, because you’re going to want more than one.

It’s Gose season in the beer world, and Center of the Universe is here to celebrate it. With another great event coming up this week, our buds at COTU are hosting Gose Fest this Saturday, and they’ve got plenty of entertainment to keep you going.

They’ll be releasing There Gose Summer, a traditional German-style Sour Ale brewed with “heaps of tangerine” and a dash of salt to make the perfect Gose. This one is slightly tart, according to the brewers, and a refreshing brew that will make “the agony of a diminishing summer” a little less dreadful, and a little more flavorful.

There Gose Summer is also being released with seven different variants to cater to all flavor profiles, so we’re sure there’s one for you. Check out COTU’s homage to summer at the brewery over the weekend, and if you make it out on Saturday, you’ll get to pair it with awesome eats from Freekin’ Rican and live music from Flashlight Tag.

Over at Intermission Beer Company, a real beast of a beer is brewing, and it’s our favorite mythical creature.

Centaur Bard is a West-Coast style IPA that was created with some really dank hops, like Simcoe, Cascade, Chinook, and Amarillo, before its dry-hopping process to really boost out the flavor. It was hopped over a 90-minute boil, and you’ll catch some great citrus flavors in this one.

“If you crave hops, the Bard obliges,” they say. “Ney, the Bard delivers!”

In more events this week, BrewHaHa is back at the Virginia Museum of History & Culture on Saturday. This year is their 3rd annual festival celebrating Virginia Craft Beer Month, and it’s going to be full of our favorite local brewers.

Catch places like Starr Hill Brewery (one of my personal favorites — have you tried their maple beer?! Be on the lookout for it this fall), O’Connor Brewing Co., Hardywood Park Craft Brewery, Blue Bee Cider, Ardent, Devil’s Backbone (my first love of craft beer), Midnight Brewery, Isley Brewing Company, and Kindred Spirit Brewing.

Head over here for tickets, and get ready for a day of live music, food, and a popular VIP portion called Battle of the Brews: showcasing local Virginia brewers’ renditions of a historic beer recipe from the museum’s collections. And as the museum says, you won’t want to miss this chance to “sip history.”

Highpoint DIPA has returned to Ardent Craft Ales, and the cans look as good as it tastes. This is one of Ardent’s newest DIPAs, and through its triple-dry-hop process, you can expect big hoppiness and big flavor out of this one.

Galaxy, Citra, and El Dorado hops made this brew come to life, and its house yeast blend finishes clean to allow the hops to shine, according to the brewers. You’ll catch flavors of tropical fruits, plus pear and citrus, in this new recipe made for the hazy DIPA lovers (like myself) out there.

Yuuuum, Fine Creek Brewing served up something special over the weekend. This Belgian Wit with Elderflower & Chamomile hits in at a soft 5.7% for easy drinking, and it’s the product of teamwork on the farm.

As the coalescence of the Fine Creek team’s hard work, this beer had hands from elderflower gatherers to the garden team growing, hanging, and drying its chamomile, and off to the brewers who cooked it all up in the end. You’ll catch flavors from Virginia Pils and Soft Winter Wheat malts from the Murphy & Rude Malting Co., plus water-cracker notes and a creamy body.

The elderflower is dominant on the nose, Fine Creek says, and the chamomile comes out in its taste. This beer’s soft, floral character melts into its citrusy tastes to complement both halves of its flavor profile.

RVA ON TAP: Pride in Richmond & Triple Releases

Caley Sturgill | June 19, 2019

Topics: beer, beer column, Castleburg, Center of the Universe, fine creek, garden grove, Hardywood, kindred spirit, Lickinghole Creek, RVA On Tap, Steam Bell Beer Works, The Answer, The Veil, Triple Crossing Beer

Did you miss me? This week, we’re jumping back in after a week off (thanks to all our beautiful beer people for being patient while I took my first vacation break from writing the column since last fall). I’m home from a lovely week with the fam, tanner than ever, and super stoked to be back to my beer world. We’re going to check out some extra-awesome events this week, and catch up on a few special releases that happened over my holiday. Local brewers are dropping tons of multiple releases this week, too, so if you’re in the mood to try something new, we’ve got you covered. Drink up, y’all!

Happy Pride Month, everyone! Your faves at Hardywood Park Craft Brewery are celebrating big. This coming Sunday, Hardywood is honoring all the folks over the years who have worked tirelessly, marched bravely, and stayed strong in the fight for human rights despite our nation’s enduring resistance to equality.

As Hardywood so notably stated, these rights are grounded “on the foundations of love and equity,” and they continue to write love into our future. Well said, y’all. And on that note, they’re throwing a party to commemorate the fourth anniversary of the Supreme Court ruling on marriage equality with what they do best: beer.

For the high-spirited occasion, they’re bringing back a brew made for uplifting times like these. Tropic Like It’s Hot is Hardywood’s passion fruit, pineapple, and dragon fruit-laced sour recipe that comes along with a tart, dry finish to stay refreshed on hot days. During the event, they’re hosting three live bands plus two drag shows, and tons of awesome local vendors. Catch places like Dayum This is My Jam, Maven Made, Chop Chop RVA and more, plus food trucks like Haulin’ Balls and King of Pops. Yum!

The Veil Brewing Co. has more than one something up their sleeves. Cherry-Mang Tastee dropped last night, along with Taste Test and the return of Crucial Shredder.

Cherry-Mang Tastee started off the group, and it’s not your usual brew. This smoothie-style sour ale was created with milk sugar and cherry and mango purées. You can catch it at the brewery now (while they last), along with Taste Test: a West Coast-inspired Double IPA. Taste Test is fresh to the taps, a brand-new release brewed with Simcoe, Amarillo, Centennial, and whole-leaf Cascade hops. The Veil’s third release in this week’s Tuesday night series, Crucial Shredder, is making its second debut at the brewery as a blend between two old favorites. I’m sure you remember Crucial Taunt, a fan favorite and delightfully-hoppy beer that’s now been blended with Master Shredder to create this 5.5% ABV collab brew.

Speaking of old favorites, Pegasus Double IPA is making its way back to Final Gravity Brewing Co. on Friday. This “mystical blend” of pineapple, citrus, and fresh pine was made to send your tastebuds soaring — and it’s meant to create a surge of flavor reminiscent of the magnificent beast it’s named after.

According to Final Gravity, much like the legend that “the winged horse struck his hoof to the Earth,” Pegasus DIPA will inspire its drinkers with the surge of flavor that comes from its Falconer’s Flight hops. It carries a golden haze in color, and it’s got a nice citrusy-hop flavor in its profile.

Richmond brewers are really upping their multiple-release game this week. First with The Veil and again with Canon & Draw Brewing Company, this trend is one I’m on board with. Canon & Draw is dropping their Peaches n’ Cream fruited IPA this Friday alongside their Sole Accomplice IPA, brewed with Simcoe hops and coming out as part of their fruited IPA series. Sole Accomplice is going to be a recurring theme over at the Main Street brewery, a rotating series that’ll highlight a specific hop with each new recipe it makes.

An extra-cool part of this week’s series is that Peaches n’ Cream is coming out on National Peaches n’ Cream Day. Who knew this was a thing?! Who’s been keeping this from me? I can’t wait to celebrate it.

While I was shoulder-deep in the ocean living the dream last week, The Answer got fresh goods in to your favorite brewpub in town. Everyone knows The Answer for their stellar glasses (let us not forget all the times they’ve excited gamers, fandoms and more with glassware for every interest) and they introduced a brand-new design. Their Platinum house glasses went on sale right after our last RVA On Tap together, so go grab one while you can!

In more news at The Answer, Medical Glycol Card dropped over our break as well. This Double IPA was brewed in collaboration with Burley Oak, and with its Cashmere, Enigma, and Cascade hops, the brewers noted its healing properties — but reminded us to “always consult your glycol shaman before you imbibe.”

Last Friday, in the spirit of more multiple releases, Triple Crossing Beer put out two fresh recipes and one beloved return in Fulton. Triple Crossing is already known for multiple releases, but they’ve set the standard for how to do it damn well every time.

Interstellar Burst started off last weekend’s new beers, a Double IPA with flavors of passionfruit, pineapple, grapefruit, and mango that was generously hopped with Galaxy, Citra, and El Dorado hops. It’s got deep and plush fruit flavors, according to the brewers, and it was the crowd favorite of the week. Nectar and Knife also made a new debut in Fulton, made with Simcoe and Mosaic hops to give off the bright, grapefruit-pulpy zest and softness of a DIPA well-done — and zero bitterness. Origins Double IPA returned to Triple Crossing as well, and it was inspired by the beautiful Northeastern U.S. It’s got a balanced caramel-malt sweetness to complement the bitterness of its hops — Simcoe, Centennial, Mosaic, and Amarillo — and its style was pioneered in the “densely-wooded” states it was made for.

In more events this week, don’t miss the Powhatan Music Festival with our buds at Fine Creek Brewing Company. Hosted out at the Village Meadow, the festival will be packed with live music all day long with artists like Maddie Leitch, East of Hollywood, PumpHouse Blues, Kyle Davis, and The Commonwealth Bluegrass Band.

You’ll get to catch some of your favorite local wineries in addition to the delicious brews served up by Fine Creek, and this “One Day of Music” will certainly be one for the books. Bring your kiddos along for cheaper tickets (and the littlest ones for free), and grab some grub and beer for the best Virginian-music spirit.

Kindred Spirit Brewing is dropping a new summer release on the first official day of the season, their Orange Dream fruity recipe. This orange and vanilla cream ale is designed to remind you of Dreamsicles and daydreaming under the clouds, and like Peaches n’ Cream, it blends the best kinds of fruit with the pillowy-softness of a cream ale. It’s coming out this Friday out at Kindred Spirit’s spot in Goochland, so head out west and start your weekend off right.

In *another* double release this weekend, Steam Bell Beer Works has two awesome recipes to bring to the table (or bar). On Friday, Idolic and Patchronce are coming out to the taps. Idolic is a complex malt, according to the brewers, with strong notes of caramel, raisin, and plum to give this Belgian ale’s yeast the room to work its magic. It’s “dangerously drinkable” at 10.7%, so don’t drink this one lightly — or do, and don’t remember your Friday. That’s on you, pal. It’s fruity and soft at the same time, and it’s coming out with Patchronce: A light-bodied French Saison that was brewed with raspberries and blackberries.

*PHOTO: Lickinghole Creek Craft Brewery*

Keeping the trend going: More double releases, and this one’s special. Lickinghole Creek Craft Brewery is proud to introduce Hemp in the Hills and Juicy #12 this weekend, with food trucks like Sandtopia and Firesides stopping by over the course of the weekend.

If you’re feeling the events and the new releases at the same time, Lickinghole Creek’s got you covered. These beers are coming out with live music to go along with them, like Dropping Julia on Saturday and Michael Melvin on Sunday.

Rather than a one-day double release, these two are being celebrated all weekend long (so if you’re trying to make it out to more than one boozy event like myself this weekend, you can put Lickinghole Creek on your books no matter what).

As if you didn’t need more reasons to wag your tail, Center of the Universe Brewing has a huge one for all of us: Dogs! Bring your pups out tonight for Tail Waggin’ Wednesdays, with food trucks and live music outside at your favorite Ashland spot to brighten up your mid-week blues.

Proceeds from these Center of the Universe events go back to the Friends of Hanover Dog Parks and to the Hanover Humane Society. Freekin’ Rican is coming out for catering, and Ryan Hearn Music will be out rocking the Biergarten stage.

In case you didn’t hear, there is a *ton* of awesome live music coming up at Castleburg Brewery and Taproom. In the next week, we’ve got a good group of upcoming shows to plan on: like Kate Stedelbaur live at Castleburg this Friday, The Embalmers go Surf-Psycho on Saturday, Jim Lord live on Sunday, and Miki Fiki coming up next Wednesday. Castleburg is getting in gear for a good time, as it seems, and they’re here to make sure hardly any nights of your week go unfilled with fun.

*PHOTO: Garden Grove Brewing & Urban Winery*

Head over to Carytown, my friends, and join Garden Grove Brewing & Urban Winery in collaboration with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation for Brew For A Cure. JDRF is making their way to Garden Grove on Saturday to drink beer for a cause (what’s better than that?) and further their mission to find a cure for type 1 diabetes with research support from the event and its attendees. With raffles and live music from 1:00-10:00pm, you can swing by any time of the day to grab a brew towards making a difference.

RVA ON TAP: Fizz The Season! New Year, New Beer

Caley Sturgill | January 2, 2019

Topics: 2019, Black Heath Meadery, Castleburg, Final Gravity, fine creek, Lickinghole Creek, midnight brewery, new year, RVA On Tap, strangeways, the answer brewpub, The Veil Brewing Co., three notchd

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 with news this week with beer releases and festivals, events, and other cool happenings around town — so hold on to your mugs!

Hope you’re not too beer-ed out from NYE, because we’ve got a lot of great new brews coming out this week and plenty of fresh recipes to bid the holidays adieu and start rolling towards spring.

Cheers to 2019! Fine Creek Brewing Company toasted the new year with their very own champagne of beers, Brut IPA. It’s extra carbonated to give that authentic champagne feel, and with its Lemondrop and Hallertau Blanc hops, it’s nice and fruity. With low bitterness and dry hops, this beer stays very crisp and dry according to its brewers, and has a sharp white wine flavor — perfect for the first moments of our next trip around the sun.

Congrats to Black Heath Meadery on finalizing their new production facility! The meadery is spreading its wings with the new space to bring their meads to new areas of Virginia, and expand their footprint here in town. As Central Virginia’s first and only meadery, Black Heath has always brought something special to the table in a crowded beer scene around Richmond, so I’m extra excited to see them do so well. The new beehive will grow the Scott’s Addition tasting room, and its fundraiser also helps them set up new beehives around Virginia. If you’re a big fan of meads, head over and donate. I hear they have a few perks up their sleeves, too!

Over the weekend, Triple Crossing dropped a surprise. 500 is their “cleverly-named 500th mash,” and it’s their first try at putting their purpose-built imperial stout into bourbon barrels. Through experimentation and evaluation, they came about two variants — one vanilla, one coconut — from the bourbon-aged brews, then blended each of those unique flavors with a brand-new, clean imperial stout. The candied, burnt vanilla bean flavor of 500 With Vanilla is laced with brown sugar ice cream, which gives off dark and cacao-like malt flavors. 500 With Coconut, on the other hand, comes across more as a dark chocolate-like devil’s food cake, with an unsweetened coconut, raw sugary bourbon finish. Both of these beers are complex (and look beautiful, to be honest), and the brewers put a lot of calculated effort into making them just right.

Lickinghole Creek Craft Brewery is stoked on their redneck name: With the release of Redneck High Society, they’re wearing it proudly. This Belgian-style Quad is French Cognac barrel-aged, and these barrels add a grape tannin flavor to the mix. Proceed with caution, Lickinghole Creek says, and “You’re welcome, RVA.”

The Answer Brewpub gained a brand-new beer this weekend, as well. Slice of Beer is “something crushable after all of those glasses of pizza” — and thankfully, there’s no pepperoni to be found. If you’re looking for a nice flow down the hatch, Slice of Beer is your go-to Mexican-style lager, unfiltered and crisp to drink nice and easy.

The Veil Brewing Co. whipped up something special for the new year, too. Yesterday, the Scott’s Addition sweethearts brought back Dirt Nap³, a triple dry-hopped DIPA packed with Mosaic, Citra, Nelson, and Galaxy hops. This 8.8% ABV was probably a fantastic hair-of-the-dog for its January 1st drinkers, and the new version of this classic Veil brew seems as rich as its predecessor. The OG Dirt Nap is praised for having an “insane” aroma and flavor profile, and as the brewery’s second go at DIPA’s (after Crucial Taunt), it’s got an original feel. I’m looking forward to giving this one a try.

Every week, Three Notch’d Brewing Company hosts Tap That Thursday, and everyone in the taproom gets a free taste of the newest recipe on deck. This week’s release was a special one, with Fantom of the Hopera, an Imperial Red IPA. I had the pleasure last week of joining Three Notch’d at their location in Roanoke for the occasion, and although they took over a beloved spot of my parents’ since I was a kid, I was pleasantly surprised by how well I dig having Three Notch’d in the location. In Charlottesville, Fantom of the Hopera was released last Thursday after our RVA On Tap post-Christmas, with Three Notch’d Brewmaster Dave Warwick and their special guest, David Hunter (founder of Fans of Virginia Craft Breweries). It’s available at their RVA Collab House, so give it a taste while it’s still out there.

Coming up this Friday, a smoooooooth and hazy DIPA is heading back towards Final Gravity. Vapour Trail is filled with grapefruit, floral, and tropcial flavors, brewed with Falconer’s Flight and Citra hops. It first showed up earlier this spring, and like its first release, it’ll only be here for a limited time. Vapour Trail will “soon fade away, like voices in a hurricane” its brewers say, so grab a crowler while it’s around.

Two new brews popped up over the weekend at Strangeways. Bohemian Grove and Geomancy are both fresh to the taproom — Bohemian Grove is their new Lactose New England IPA, which marries a citrusy, dank hop profile to a lightly-sweet, full body. With notes of tropical fruit, black currant, pie, and gooseberry, this recipe is named appropriately. Geomancy is Strangeways’ new boysenberry table beer, a “refreshing and fruity Belgian style, brewed with Virginia-grown barley.” Strangeways has a wonderful tradition of brewing with Virginia-grown resources, and these hail from Epiphany Craft Malt and Murphy & Rude Malting Co.

Fizz the season from Center of the Universe! Bottle Poppin’ Brut IPA is here, and this ultra-dry, champagne-like beer has a light body full of lingering vinous fruit and minerality — but still full of hops. They made it with Simcoe and Mosaic hops, and get ready to pop bottles, they say. This one’s a celebration.

Midnight Granite is back at Midnight Brewery, and this rich oatmeal stout sounds like a dream. It’s a medium-bodied brew, and it comes alongside 623, Midnight’s mix of half-stout, half-Not My Job Brown Ale. With subtle roast and smooth chocolate notes, Midnight Granite will carry you through the coldest weeks coming up. Even though 623 isn’t listed on the board, its brewers say it should be easy to remember…..it’s the route number you’ll take to get there.

For the love of beer, Castleburg Brewery is bringing back a favorite. For the Love & Intrigue returns this Friday, and the cranberry and star-anise Saison will make you fall in love, they say. The 6.8% ABV recipe is also gluten-reduced, so if you’re trying to purge a few inches this month like everyone else, now’s your time to shine: For the Love & Intrigue should fit great in your diet.

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!