Halloween

RVA ON TAP: Diablo Forever & The Return of Scream Forest

Caley Sturgill | September 4, 2019

Topics: Ardent craft ales, beer, beer column, booze clues, booze clues podcast, clown battle royale, craft beer, diablo forever, final gravity brewing co, fine creek brewing, Halloween, Intermission Beer Company, Kindred Spirit Brewing, mekong, podcast, quy forever, quy pham, RVA On Tap, scream forest, Stone Brewing-Richmond, the answer brewpub, The Veil Brewing Co., Three Notch’d RVA Collab House

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 an early announcement for a very special fundraiser to the people of Richmond, plus the return of Scream Forest Blood Orange IPA and more to get your Halloween juices flowing.

This summer, our friends at The Answer Brewpub and across the Richmond community lost a beloved member of The Answer’s family, and a beloved friend to folks all around the city. Quy Pham, a longtime bartender at our favorite brewpub and close friend of the owner An Bui, is memorialized forever now on the building The Answer calls home, in a mural along its main wall.

“Diablo Forever” is the phrase of the summer, and one that will stay endlessly in the minds and hearts of all those Quy touched in his life. Last month saw the release of Quy Forever by The Veil Brewing Co. in his honor, and it was brewed to taste sweet, like all our memories of Quy are.

Coming up on September 14, The Answer Brewpub and Mekong are hosting a celebration of Quy’s life and a fundraising event to benefit his family. They’ll have a special beer and glassware auction for fundraising, with bottles, glassware, and other memorabilia donated by the friends and community of Quy and The Answer. If you’re unable to make it out to the event, you can still do your part and donate to his family’s GoFundMe page, which lists an excellent and heartfelt tribute to the kind of guy Quy was with the folks he loved:

“Quy’s ability to at the same time be the most humble caring human and the most sarcastic outgoing comedian is unparalleled. If you have never seen the TV show Cheers, go watch it right now. If you have, you know that you could easily insert Quy as a main character.

“His innate ability to understand people and make them feel relaxed and at home embodied the best of the RVA craft beer & food community. The truth is, he represented the best of what everyone should aspire to be… an amazing friend to everyone. As soon as you sat down at the bar at Mekong you felt like you were at home. If you passed him walking through The Answer with that smile, it was infectious. Quy was always laughing, smiling and giving the best hugs. He was an amazing father & husband and inspired others to be the same. He was always a source for motivation for whatever you wanted to accomplish. Quy has and will continue to impact countless lives.”

After the tragedy of his loss, friends of Quy around town have come together to help his family during hard times. If you’re able to make it out to the fundraising event, your support would be greatly appreciated by The Answer and its community.

Now that fall is nearing, the local breweries around town are gearing up for all the events and releases it brings. With Halloween just around the corner, Three Notch’d RVA Collab House has partnered up with Creepy Hollow Scream Park again to drop Scream Forest this Friday, a Blood Orange IPA that made waves last year for its awesome flavors… and an awesome photo shoot to accompany it.

Creepy Hollow Scream Park is out in Glen Allen, and it’s filled with spooky scenery to keep the experience going at every turn with realistic illustrations and scary surprises. It’s Richmond’s favorite Halloween destination, and it’s made even better by the blood orange flavors bursting in Scream Forest. This IPA was dry-hopped with Mosaic hops to give the blood orange a nice base, added right before they kegged it to keep the tastes fresh — and it’s “bloody delicious,” according to those who have had the pleasure of drinking this spooky brew.

Join Three Notch’d at their Scott’s Addition spot this Friday for the release, and get your spooky gears turning… we’re only a few short weeks away now from cold nights and the thrills of the season.

Happy birthday, Intermission Beer Company! The Glen Allen brewery is celebrating its second birthday this Friday, and we couldn’t be more excited to congratulate them on two trips around the sun together.

For the occasion, they’ll have two new beers on tap: Levy-goz-ah, a Cranberry-Lime Gose coming out Friday, and Ghost Light Lager on Saturday. With a new brew for each evening, Intermission will be keeping the party going throughout the weekend with some awesome entertainment as well.

On Friday, you’ll catch Firesides Food Truck along with the Richmond Astronomical Society for an awesome show, and dessert with Lil’ Stuff Cookies, which has some delicious galaxy-looking batter that fits the occasion. Saturday night, Haulin’ Balls RVA is coming out with music by Spenser Morgan to jam through the evening and celebrate the 2-year anniversary right.

Our friends at The Veil Brewing Co. are at it again, with another multi-release that just went down last night.

Hornswoggler made its way back last night, and this one’s on the opposite end of the flavor spectrum. The Chocolate Milk Stout is on the heavier side, with a huge percentage of fresh chocolate and caramel malts to complement its milk sugar and actual chocolate additions. It’s a little heavier at 7% ABV, and it comes with a surprise: in a true Willy Wonka-inspired candy fashion, this beer will be coming out with 10x Golden Tokens hidden underneath the 4-pack holders that will win you a free Hornswoggler glass if you find one. The glasses aren’t ever going to be for sale, so if you’ve really got your heart set on this limited-edition swag from The Veil, you’ll want to grab a 4-pack ($18.00/pack) while you can!

Summer Sauce Tastee came out just in time for the end of summer, and this smoothie-style Sour Ale was brewed with oats, milk sugar, and tons of awesome fruits to bring out the warm-weather season’s best. You’ll taste a crazy amount of apricot, guava, and passionfruit, according to the brewers, and this 5.5% ABV brew is perfect for an early evening or the last days by the river of the year.

Now that we’re past Labor Day, I think all of us can describe the last few days with the name of The Veil’s next brew: Sick Weekend. And we mean that in the fun style (though I’m sure after your first two nights of celebrating the holiday, you probably got some of the hungover style, too). This brand-new IPA just made its debut last night, brewed with raw and malted wheat and malted oats, then over-saturated with fresh Galaxy, BRU-1, Motueka, and El Dorado hops, hitting in at 6.5% ABV.

Merciless was the fourth release of the night, another fresh recipe from The Veil with some of my most favorite flavors. This Double IPA was brewed with raw wheat, malted wheat, oats, and “piles” of fresh Citra, Galaxy, Simcoe, and Vic Secret hops — plus some extra Citra and Simcoe LP for an extra boost of hop saturation and flavor without the bitterness. Like most Double IPAs, its higher in ABV at 8%, and it’s smooth straight out of the tap.

Check back with us next week for more of The Veil’s delicious releases, and hopefully (fingers crossed) another week of several dropping all at once.

It must be the week of multi-releases, because we’ve got an awesome one coming from Final Gravity Brewing Co. too.

This Friday, Final Gravity’s returning a few fan favorites and bringing out something brand-new. If you’re part of the Final Gravity fan club like we are, you’re gonna be really pumped on a few of these coming back: like Morning Glory New England DIPA, made with Cashmere and Azacca hops.

Also this week is the return of Satellite of Love Berliner Weisse with mango, lime, tangerine, and pineapple-passionfruit flavors — plus the new California Dreamin’ West Coast IPA that blasts flavor with bold hop bitterness, and just a hint of pine for a clean, easy drinkability.

DaddyG PopUp is also heading out to the brewery for the release, and you’ll only be able to get Satellite of Love to drink on site, so make sure to swing by and get a few favorite tastes while they’re here!

Over the weekend at Fine Creek Brewing, Vitalism came out for their Friday Beer Feature. This 7% ABV Hazy IPA brings out a sweet aroma of bright tropical fruit from its Kohatu and Mosaic hop combinations, and notes of papaya and pineapple from its fresh-cut fruit.

It was also brewed with earlier additions of Idaho 7 and German Amarillo hops, so you’ll catch even more fruity tropical tastes like blackberry tea, citrus zest, and mild bits of floral in this beer. Fine Creek sits on a gorgeous farm outside of town in Powhatan, so if you haven’t made it out yet, this beer is a great reason to go enjoy the outdoors on the last of our warm days before fall makes its way in.

Labor Day Weekend brought another great new release with Ardent’s Mixed Berry Gose.

This is Ardent’s most-fruited gose ever, and at a low 4.4% ABV, it’s great for any time of the week — so if you’re still reminiscing of easy nights and fun over the weekend, this is a great one to sip on during the week to ease up those back-to-work blues.

Mixed Berry Gose is packed with raspberry, blackberry, boysenberry, and black currant to pour with a distinct purple color and a sweet, jammy flavor that balances out the tart acidity of the gose style. It’s full of flavor while staying on the refreshing side, and it’s one you won’t want to miss.

Out at Stone Brewing Richmond, a national release got an early debut just for the beer-lovers of Richmond to taste first.

Stone Buenaveza Lime & Sea Salt Lager just came out at the East End brewery, and it was inspired by the area Stone originally called home: Southern California, just minutes from the border. According to Stone, many of their flavors have been influenced and enriched by our Southern neighbors, and this Buenaveza was inspired by one in particular. Stone Xocoveza, an imperial stout released back in 2014, brought all of the rich and complex flavors of Mexican hot chocolate into a beer.

This Stone style is back again now with Buenaveza that follows that same take on a classic lager, and you can get it now in Richmond — which you’ll want to do soon, because it won’t be back in distribution until next year, when it’ll come out on a national scale.

Our favorite local beer podcast is out with a new episode again, and it’s as great as ever. Booze Clues just released a new episode and hosted another live recording, and you can catch the latest episode here: called Clown Battle Royale.

Booze Clues takes national headlines of all things drunkenly-inspired from around the globe, with the world’s most “spirited” headlines… which are always hilarious, and often include the nation’s mysterious residents like Florida Man, who is somehow always getting into the worst shenanigans. Make sure to check out their latest comedy episode and subscribe, both to make fun of the world’s drunks and to feel a little better about your own Saturday night drunken shames. We all know we’ve had them.

A new beer is on tap now at Kindred Spirit Brewing, and it’s “dangerously drinkable” at 9.3% ABV (lord help me, because these are always the first to get me). Imperial Red is full of malty goodness, with a resiny-hop finish to keep the flavor as high as the alcohol percentage.

It’s been described by some drinkers as “The best Red I have ever had,” with its smooth, easy flavor that makes the high ABV surprising. It was out back in the spring of last year, and this new brew of the old variation is just as delicious as ever.

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!

Terror InPodNito Brings the Horror for Your Morning Commute

Marilyn Drew Necci | November 5, 2018

Topics: Halloween, horror, podcast, terror inpodnito

October has ended, but every day is Halloween in my heart. It’s nice when everyone happens to be in the spirit at the same time, but what am I to do when that month ends? Luckily, there’s a horror podcast that spends the entire year talking about horror films and the surrounding pop culture, which I can listen to anytime, whether it be October 31st or February 2nd.

Hallelujah.

Terror InPodNito is a weekly podcast that discusses all things horror: from movie reviews to news and theories, they cover every nook- and blood- and gut-soaked cranny they can get their hands on. Started by three friends (Palmer Sturman, Alex Lootens, and Sam Berson), Terror covers everything that is badass about the horror genre.

I went to visit the podcast on one of their recording nights, and fitting enough, it was when the Richmond area was under a tornado watch. Of course, it rained and flooded on my way there, and the power went out toward the end of our interview.

Naturally, but also very appropriate.

The podcast records in Sturman’s home, which was covered in Halloween decorations and ready for the season — with bins of more decor ready to go up when he and his wife got a chance. I was also greeted by Luna, the world’s biggest, fluffiest, and friendliest dog. Not exactly what I would have expected out of an interview about horror, but it was a much-welcomed surprise.

They had been friends for a long time, and shared a love of discussing horror films. After a good drinking session, they wondered the question we all would in that situation — Why not do a podcast?

“It started with off with us giving a synopsis of films,” Sturman said. “We kind of got bored with that really quickly, so we started adding new segments and seeing where things went.” Lootens added that it got more analytical as it went on, even though they laughed that none of them have any kind of film education.

One of Lootens’ favorite parts of the process is how they choose not only the theme for each month, but which films fit the chosen theme.

“We [choose them] as a group, and I feel like sometimes it has to do with the holiday,” Lootens said. “This month would of course be Halloween-themed movies, and Christmas would be Christmas-themed movies. But for the months that don’t have a specific holiday, we try to bounce around with different topics.”

Sturman added that they try to come up with a variety of different topics in order to keep things interesting. They keep a Google Document together so that any time someone has a new idea, they can add it and check it out.

“Generally someone comes up with a theme, and then they’re like, ‘Oh, this movie would fall under that!’,” Sturman said. “For instance, one of the ones that I have included on the document recently is Wild West films that are also horror films. And I’ve found more and more that fit that niche.”

I wondered if they ever came up with a great idea only to not find films to fit the theme — but they assured me that the opposite has happened. If anything, once they come up with a theme, they generally have issues narrowing the films down. After all, Wikipedia currently lists over forty different Christmas Horror Films in that category, so I guess anything really is possible.

The horror genre has been more ripe for remakes than any other genre, it feels like; so naturally, there are going to be feelings about the handful of remakes announced this year alone. Their take on remakes? Make it original.

“For instance, the remake of Psycho, which was a blow-by-blow remake of that movie? Don’t do that,” Sturman said. “This is going to be really controversial, but I really liked the Rob Zombie remake of Halloween. Part of the reason that I really like it is because he went in an entirely different direction from the original films, and gave Michael a purpose. A lot of people think that was a shot and a miss, but I enjoyed the fact that if you are going to take a franchise and try to reboot it, you go in a different direction.”

One thing that we for-sure all agreed on, though? The remake of Dario Argento’s Suspiria is going to be all kinds of glorious.

“When I first heard about [Suspiria], I was adamantly against it, but I have seen so many trailers for it that now it’s one of my most-anticipated movies,” Sturman said. “We finally saw it on the big screen. The trailer looks even better when it’s a hundred feet,” Berson added.

We would be remiss if we didn’t acknowledge that focusing on one thing changes your views on things. Despite not having studied film, the cast can make a solid argument for being on-par to film students at this point. One of the main things that has come from doing this podcast has been not only how they analyze films, but also the fact that they just can’t watch a film in the theater anymore.

“It takes me much longer to watch a film now,” Lootens said. “I’ll watch it, and then I’ll take a day and watch it again, even movies that I have seen before. I feel like it takes me a lot longer to watch a movie.”

“I don’t like watching movies in theaters anymore because I can’t pause it,” Berson said. “I can’t rewind and double check if I saw something. There are still some movies you have to see in theaters.”

“It’s harder for me to watch movies I’ve seen now,” Sturman said. “Now I’m not watching them for pure enjoyment, I’m watching them to pick them apart, whether it’s for good reasons or bad reasons.”

Thanks to overwhelming support from fans and the horror community, Terror InPodnito has received the opportunity to experience some pretty stellar things. From a friendship with Red Vein Haunted House, to interviewing a major horror icon, to even just meeting fans who loves their podcast, things have been pretty great so far for the trio.

“In Williamsburg, there is a horror convention called Scares That Care, and it’s a charity event and a horror-con,” said Lootens. “We had the opportunity to interview Doug Bradley, who is the original Pinhead, and Adrian King. For 45-50 minutes each, they took the time out of their day to sit down with us. Interviewing Adrian King was amazing and just… I got to talk about David Bowie, my favorite singer, with Doug Bradley, my favorite horror icon, and it changed my life.”

“The biggest draw for me, and the reason I continue to do this, is the people,” said Sturman. “We’ve connected with so many people that we just never would have an opportunity to otherwise. Not just horror icons, but fans. At Scares That Care, we met a fan that listens to the podcast and it blew my mind.”

So what do the next five years bring? As they all took a moment and sighed, unsure how to answer, they all agreed that mostly, they want to keep doing this for as long as both people enjoy it — and as long as it remains fun for all three of them.

“If it gets to the point where we can start making this a source of income, that’s great, but ultimately if it just becomes something where we read a couple small advertisements to keep the podcast alive I’m happy,” said Sturman.”

“I think really we just want to do it until it’s not fun anymore,” said Lootens. “When you break it down to the bare bones, it really is just three best friends talking about stuff that they love and also getting to meet and interview awesome people along the way.”

As we round out the spookiest (and best, let’s all be honest here) time of the year, it’s easy to get sad while we begrudgingly check off the days on our calendar like Linus awaiting next year’s Great Pumpkin. But don’t you worry, horror fans: Terror InPodnito has horror picks and news for you every month of the year — even around Christmas when Aunt Betty wants to ask you, once again, how life is going.

Terror InPodnito can be streamed and downloaded on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, and Buzzsprout.

RVA ON TAP: Heavy Metal Pumpkins, Big Lebowski Bar Crawl, & New Fall Brews This Weekend

Caley Sturgill | October 31, 2018

Topics: ardent, carytown bar crawl, Castleburg, Center of the Universe, covenant beer fest, craft beer and brewing magazine, Halloween, novemberfest, oregon hill parade, strangeways, The Answer, The Big Lebowski, the cask, The Veil, triple crossing, Väsen

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, from beer releases to festivals, events, and other cool happenings around town — so hold on to your mugs!

IT’S HALLOWEEN! Hallelujah! It’s Lucky Number 13 for the Richmond Halloween Parade, which is going down in Oregon Hill tonight. Meet up in Monroe Park at 7, and bring your puppets, bring your props, dress to impress: the citizens are the parade for this RVA Halloween tradition. Once you’re done at the parade, the city’s got a ton of great beer releases, bar crawls, and events to keep your juices flowing through the week and say hello to November.

Does playing music at plants really affect how they grow? Does blasting metal at pumpkins change how they taste? Strangeways set out to find the answer. Porter season is the best season, and these guys know it. This Saturday, Gourd of Thunder returns, made with freshly-picked local pumpkins that were ripened on the vine “while continuously listening to heavy metal.” It was created to cataclysmically blow your mind with its face-melting, high-voltage attitude (not unlike myself as a kid, S/O to my mother for her troubles).

This malty-pumpkin fuses with a milky sugar creaminess, packed with bourbon vanilla beans to drive the cinnamon, ginger, and clove spices right through your skull (sweet!) and aged in oak barrels. Headbangers Unite!

My fav is back, and there’s a whole bar crawl to drink it at! “Pull out that bathrobe grandma gave you last Christmas, and strut your stuff in Carytown” for the Big LeBYRDski Fest in honor of 1998’s best movie. Grab a Center of the Universe (COTU) El Duderino, the famous White Russian milk stout (yum!), featured at this weekend’s Carytown Bathrobe Bar Crawl because “It’s how the Dude would want you to roll.” The crawl hits Citizen Burger Bar, Burger Bach, NY deli, Mellow Mushroom, and RVA Draft Room, and it’s topped off at the end with a showing of The Big Lebowski at the Byrd Theatre. I can’t imagine a more perfect day.

Speaking of COTU, a brand-new brew is on its way from the Ashland spot this Saturday for the Donny Coffee Brown Ale release. This whole week is full of brews right up my alley, and Donny doesn’t disappoint. This Southern-English style brown is brewed with Lamplighter Coffee’s cold brew, and its smooth, velvety flavor is topped off with toffee and caramelized sugar notes. COTU says it’ll remind you of carefree coffee dates with your closest nihilist buddies — truly a pastime at Lamplighter. Donny is brewed with Maris Otter, Crystal 120, Crystal 77, Flaked Barley and Flaked Oats, and balanced with Perle hops and Richmond’s favorite coffee company.

Is everyone this into fall beers, or is it just me? Here’s another drool-worthy brew this week, Castleburg’s mOatmeal Stout. For a stout, it’s light, creamy, and pretty low in ABV — at 5.5%, it’s suitable anytime and sounds like an English dream. Dark, rich, malty, and full of chocolate, coffee, and fruit. This stout is brewed with Cascade and Willamette hops, dark roasted malts, and traditional English yeast to round it out, according to the brewers. It’s also gluten-reduced, so all of you watching your waistlines can enjoy it before America eats its weight in food for good ol’ Thanksgiving tradition a few weeks from now.

Vasen is ahead of the winter game, with a full-on Stout Month called Walrus Series. The heavy beers are certainly comparable to this monster of the animal kingdom, and they’re paired at Vasen with Intergalactic Tacos and trivia from Geeks Who Drink for the release party tomorrow night. These beers come in four varieties: the Wired Walrus, the Imperial Walrus, the Whiskery Walrus, and the Sour Cherry Walrus. Vasen’s also partnered with Mustaches for Kids Richmond, and brewed a special Cancer Gose Bye Bye with the organization. The benefit-collab beer will also be on tap tomorrow evening, and the brewery is donating 20 percent of its sales to the nonprofit: so go drink for a good cause!

Everyone’s favorite south Robinson Street spot paired up with Ardent to come up with the Barrel Aged Defenestrator. The Cask had a hand in this doppelbock-collab, which is lagered for 10 months in bourbon barrels. Its 10.4% ABV has the same malty base and stone fruit as the beer’s original version, but with some extra bourbon and oaky flavor, according to the brewers. Come out to The Cask Thursday night to give it a try with The German Snack Shack on-deck.

Never Dead returned at The Veil Brewing Co. last night, so get ‘em while they’re hot (cold)! This All Hallow’s Gose Ale with sour candy has “Pillowcase after pillowcase of Sour Patch Kids and Sour Gummy Worms.” Its brewers say it tastes like a sugar-filled night of mischief and mayhem, and we all know The Veil’s best brews don’t last long — so swing by while they’ve got them. You can also buy this one in cases, and there’s a one-case or six 4-packs per person limit on purchase (so if you’ve got a sweet tooth, don’t expect to go snatching them all up from the rest of us).

PHOTO: Triple Crossing Covenant Beer Fest

Triple Crossing is opening its doors once again for its ⟁Covenant Beer Fest⟁ in Fulton. The brewery is hosting 19 world-class brewers and separate can release event the night before on Friday. At the festival, the entire Fulton Brewpub will be open and tickets can be purchased beer-by-beer during the event.

⟁At Friday’s Covenant release, all the triangle variants have increased hops. Interstellar returns in addition to Falcon Smash coming out of hibernation in 16oz cans. Next up is Galaxy Triangles, a 6% IPA brewed with flaked wheat, flaked oats, and malted wheat — on top of crushed pineapple tropical passion fruit and threaded into the house ale’s trademark citrus. Galaxy Triangles has a softer-than-10-ply plushiness. Light that Never Goes Out is the fourth release, and the golden sour has a refreshing tart acidity along with its deep fruit tones. According to the brewers, it’s “just as easily consuming all the attention in the room, and then forgotten about when shared with good company.” This Light is well-done among friends. The final can release of the night comes with Nectar and Knife, which has a bright, grapefruit-pulpy zest softness brewed with “Simcoe and her daughter Mosaic.”⟁

Richmond’s on the national beer map for being awesome again. Feels like every week we win something new: Congrats to The Answer Brewpub for being that marker this time around, hitting the list for Craft Beer and Brewing Magazine’s Best 18 Beers of 2018. The Answer’s 3 Scoops is one of the brewery’s “in-your-face sour” fruit beers that push the legal limits of fruit content, and according to Beer and Brewing, the intensity of flavor is undeniable. The magazine noted that for brewers in 2018, it’s been hard to talk beer without a conversation about using unfermented fruit: a conversation, they say, that was primarily started by The Answer — “so unapologetic in their approach that they’ve even designed ticking time bomb labels to stress the meaning of ‘drink fresh, keep cold.’”

3 Scoops is a fruit smoothie beer with a daiquiri consistency, and comes in flavors like Passionfruit/Lemonade/Mango and Raspberry/Strawberry/Rhubarb. With these fruit blends, The Answer has “expanded the idea of what beer can be” to Beer and Brewing Magazine.

If you’re traveling this weekend, be sure to hit up Novemberfest in NOVA. The Alexandria event features a ton of Virginia brewers, with RVA favorites like Ardent, Blue Bee Cider, Final Gravity, Hardywood, The Answer, Triple Crossing, Väsen, and The Veil — plus a bunch of other great ones throughout the state. The outdoor block party has more than 80 local beers and ciders total and sounds like a blast, so check it out if you make your way up north.

That’s it for this week’s RVA On Tap! As your new 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!

Best of RVA Missed Connections: October 24 – October 30

RVA Staff | October 30, 2018

Topics: Central Virginia, Destiny, Halloween, missed connections, richmond, RVA

The cool crisp casual air of October is full of mischief and missed connections. The perfect combination for an all-hallows meet up in the most auspicious of locations: including one of the most prestigious houses at Hogwarts.

This week, you’ll also find a guy with a leather fetish (hellbent for leather) in Culpepper, and a man looking to connect with gingers: asking all of Central Virginia, “Where you be?” Also, are you a police officer in Midlothian? Someone is looking for you; the “incident” has sparked a curiosity that has grown into something more — dare we even say — “interesting.”

All this and more below. Get amongst it, Richmond.

My Ravenclaw:

I miss you too, everyday.

Jacob: Mall Drive

i was in Lidl today for the first time you asked if i need help and i did , your a very outgoing man and a great look about you we talked a little i wish i would have asked for your number but i chicken out if you see this hit me up

Cyclist: Powtan

When I was leaving the store I noticed you and you noticed me. I was with the guy who had a leather fetish. We know each other from back in the day and we’re very close. Think you lived in Culpeper.

Green Shirt Brown Pants Tattoos White Truck: Wawa Sliding Hill Rd. Near Home Depot

I wanted to speak but lost my nerve, I was hoping to end up in line behind you but I was too late. What color is my car?

Powhatan McDonalds: Powhatan

Allison i come through the drive through & every time you’re working. I’d like to get to know you. I know this is a long shot. Dinner on me? not McDs though lol.

Penn Station Subs Last Saturday: West Broad

So, you started coming in again a few times lately. A few times you just made a small purchase but this time you ordered food. I know we made eye contact several times. Am I reading this wrong that you may be interested?. I hope not. You are a male so if you know who I am and felt something pass between us, you know what to do. Describe me so I know it’s you and let’s talk again.

Gingers: Richmond

Love gingers’ personalities. Where you be?:)

At Home Wasting Away No More: The Fan

We talked for a few minutes you were going to dinner but needed a drink before. You were mad bc you wanted to stay with me but couldn’t on account of the cheating hubby. Wish we could chat? Hit me up with the bar we briefly talked.

Monas Cigar Bar:

hello you were there with several of your friends for a party. we made eye contact as you were leaving the humidor hope to hear from you.

Police Officer: Midlothian

You are a police officer that responded to a call tonight. I was not a part of the incident directly, but we did talk. If you read this, put in the subject line the location of the incident! Hope to hear from you!:)

ES Lobby:

Im looking for a woman in her late 20 -30s. After catching my eyes in hotel lobby and taking taking my breath she disappeared. Never had a chance to talk to you her after check out. I looked everywhere now kicking myself that we weren’t able to connect. You: tall, brunette, Tight jeans, and, white sweater & boots. I hope you are out there, because I would love to possibly connect. Here all week at same hotel in hopes to see you again.

I would tell you more about me, but I’d rather do it directly in an e-mail due to my position. If this sounds like you or if you know her, please send me a message!

Clear PS4 Controller: Richmond

You had to wait for a while in electronics because I was helping this one guy already, and when he left, you told me you wanted one of the clear PS4 controllers, and we both agreed that it looked amazing, and I had my eye on one of them too. Apparently the color is called ‘crystal.’ Anyway, after I rang you up, for some reason I laughed at the receipt printing out sort of crimped, and you giggled as well, then you went on your way.

The chances are super slim that you’ll even see this, but I might as well try right? I remember thinking you were so beautiful and seemed so kind, you had a cute voice, and your blonde hair looked so pretty, (I realize how creepy this sounds), but I kept thinking of ways to smoothly ask for your number or something cliche like that, but couldn’t think of anything. Anyway, if you read this, I’d love to be able to talk to you more sometime. Maybe we can play something together!

Beautiful Redhead: Kroger Ivymont

You were wearing a flannel shirt and had gorgeous red hair. I wanted to speak to you but you were on the phone and my shyness is hard to overcome. Wished I would have been more bold at the time.

RVA On Tap: Halloweek, Harvest Festival, & Doggy-Beer Events

Caley Sturgill | October 24, 2018

Topics: ardent, Center of the Universe, Final Gravity, garden grove, Halloweek, Halloween, Hardywood, Isley, Legend, RVA On Tap, strangeways, The Answer

Last week, we saw some great beer releases and checked out the Scott’s Addition Booz Crawl, which is coming up this Saturday in Richmond’s booziest neighborhood. We also hit the books again as one of the country’s best beer cities (but we already knew that).

Haaaaallelujah, today is the first official day of this year’s Halloweek! That’s music to our ears at the magazine, because it’s our favorite week of the year. RVA Magazine partners up with Hardywood Park Craft Brewery once a year to bring Richmonders the city’s best in Halloween events, jam-packed with beer, bands, zombies, parties and more on every day leading up to the 31st.

Halloweek starts tonight(!!) at Hardywood’s Kick-Off party, with a Halloween FX Makeup workshop for all the overachievers out there, silent movie screenings of the best classics, and Thriller-mixed punk/horror garage jams — but the big fun comes on Saturday, when the brewery drops Trickery in an all-day party for the occasion.

Hardywood first introduced Trickery a few years back as the Halloween season’s go-to brew, and the “deliciously dark” stout has received great feedback every year since: it was even named one of HopCulture’s best beers in the country to drink this fall.

Trickery is all your Halloween dreams wrapped up in one. The 13.5% ABV imperial milk stout is aged in apple-brandy barrels for 8 months, and full of flavors like warm caramel, blackstrap molasses, and chocolate-covered cherries. It’ll be on tap at all three of Hardywood’s locations, and open to take home in to-go bottles if you can’t get enough.

In more new booze news, Ardent is releasing their Fall American Sour Blend tomorrow at their Scott’s Addition spot, a copper-colored and medium-bodied blend of sour blonde and Brett IPA. This is one of those patience-is-a-virtue beers — the kind that gets better as it ages in your kitchen, while it gets harder and harder not to open it (and the kind that if you’re like me, ends up opened in a day). It’s dry, balanced, and the “funky characteristic” from Brettanomyces pairs with the oak barrels it’s aged in to bring this beer a light acidity to its taste.

After the weekend, Halloweek continues when The Answer Brewpub teams up with the magazine and Hardywood Monday night to put on “Hallobeer,” an annual party at The Answer with music from The Mekong Express, and tracks from Earth, Wind, and Fire. There’ll be special brews on deck as well as costume contests for attendees, so remember what you learned at Hardywood’s FX Workshop and go win some prizes.

Final Gravity drops a new IPA this Friday with so many Galaxy hops “you’ll feel like you’ve known it from another life.” Down the black hole of Astral Plane, you’ll find citrus, passionfruit, and peach bringing this ethereal IPA together. Give it a try at its release, or swing by the brewery on Sunday for Oktoberfest in Lakeside. They’ll also be dropping their seasonal Kingdoms Rise and serving up some serious sausages from Cafe Rustika, marinated in the Oktoberfest beer. Bless.

Hope you like dogs, because there are TWO beer and pup events coming up this weekend! Center of the Universe Brewing, one of my faves around town, is hosting Growl-O-Ween this Saturday. Grab your pooch, your costume, and your good-time shoes, they say, for a doggone good time (nice). They’ll have musical chairs, photobooths, bobbing for tennis balls (my heart!), and all the proceeds go back to the Friends of Hanover Dog Parks and the Hanover Humane Society. My beagle, Bagel (pre-Richmond famous Bagel), would be in heaven.

Strangeways is also celebrating the best animal in the world this year, with Barktoberfest this Saturday benefitting shelter and adoption groups like Richmond Animal Care and Control (RACC), the Henrico Humane Society and more. The fur-filled fun day is also hosting a doggy costume contest, so if you’re not a dog person already, I suggest (strongly suggest) you make your way there and change your mind (or else). All extra donations go to Adopt RVA, which Strangeways said was “a natural fit,” because “Dogs and cats are like beer. It’s hard to choose just ONE,” and they certainly know their stuff — Strangeways has 36 beers on tap every day.

Over at Legend Brewing Company, the Manchester Harvest Festival is right around the corner. The festival’s set for this Saturday, and has food trucks, costume contests (for both kids and adults) and good ol’ Americana music to really get that fall in Virginia feel. Legend has long-been our favorite place across the bridge, and the Harvest Festival is one of the best days of the year there. Make sure to come out and grab a fresh copy of the newest RVA Magazine in print, and wear your costume to get picked by our very own CEO, John Reinhold, who’s judging the contest at the event.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ISLEY! The Scott’s Addition brewery turns 5 this Saturday, and they’ll have five birthday infusions on tap to celebrate: a Mango IPA, Orangegasmic porter, coffee-infused Stunt Dubbel, bourbon-aged Fastidious Father, and Boozy Mother. Boozy Mother sounds a little reminiscent of my future. They’ll also have the Bodillaz and Manchu food trucks out for the event, and wine pours from James River Cellars. Head down this weekend and buy yourself a birthday beer on their behalf.

If you’re traveling soon, check out the Imbibe Beer & Arts Festival happening over two weekends in Fredericksburg and Virginia beach. Tons of breweries from around the state are coming out, including Richmond’s Ardent, Legend, Lickinghole Creek, and Strangeways. Some other Commonwealth brewers like Alewerks, Devil’s Backbone, and Starr Hill will make the trip from around the state, for an all-in-one Virginia faves fest with some of the best brews in the country.

For all the coffee lovers out there, Garden Grove just teamed up with Bright Spot Coffee to make The Empress. It’s part-cold brew, part-beer, and the coffee-infused Robust Porter sounds like the perfect way to start the day fresh all over again in the evening. We’ve got some more coffee brews coming up soon from around town — there’s nothing better in your beer for this time of year. Can’t wait to give this one a try!

RVA Mag’s Treehouse of Badass Horror Houses

Ash Griffith | October 24, 2018

Topics: creepy hollow scream park, darkwood manor, den of fear, events, frankenstein, Halloween, haunted houses, haunted laurianne woods, red vein

Welcome, RVA Mag readers, to the greatest time of the entire year: We’re about to get all kinds of spooky in this. I have worked hard to gather to you, my dear Halloween-excited ghouls, a laundry list of the top five best haunted houses (and one creepy-cool anniversary party) in Richmond and across Virginia.

Red Vein Haunted House – Richmond, VA – Tickets Start at $20
Originally formed in 2011 as the Red Vein Army, then officially opened in 2016, Red Vein exploded as one of the go-to Halloween experiences for Richmonders. Not only is the actual haunted house hosted on Hanover Vegetable Farm with realistic sets and a storyline (That’s right, character development up in this. Oh yeah), there is an escape room as well. Oh, and a horror book club. And a horror movie club. Red Vein has so many different tricks and treats, you might as well camp out and make it a whole day of it.

Den of Fear – Richmond, VA – $15
Den of Fear pulls off a rarity: Having a haunted house inside the city limits (let alone a great one). Housed in VCU’s Dogtown Dance Theatre, Den of Fear is only a year old — but with its intense visuals and high-energy actors, it’s pulled praise from even season-haunters and experienced scare-fessionals. While you’re waiting in line at the VCU spot, you can bond with other students about how terrifying student loans are (or how comfy that one study room on the third floor is to sleep in).

Creepy Hollow Scream Park – Richmond, VA – $24
Creepy Hollow gives you three options to have a heart attack: Scream Forest, if you need the ol’ relaxing hobby of “screaming out your stresses of the day.” Staple’s Mill, because nothing’s better than a clear Richmond pun (and mills as a whole are generally pretty creepy). Finally, Axl’s Fun House for those who always wanted to be in that one episode of Are You Afraid of the Dark? — where Bozo the Clown had his own theme park to trap children in. See? Fun for the whole family! Clowns! They’re just like us! Creepy Hollow is located just ten minutes outside of Short Pump, so after you build your rage up on that 5p traffic, you can release it by screaming your lungs out into the abyss.

Darkwood Manor – Luray, VA – Tickets Start at $15
Not only is Darkwood genuinely terrifying, but it is one of the most unique locations on the list. Darkwood Manor is more than 17 years old, based on a real Darkwood Manor location (and family! There was a real Darkwood Family!), but during its off-season, the crew creates makeup and props for film and television, and even makes the masks and costumes for other haunted houses. For this month, the current theme is The 80s Horror Films of Ed Darkwood, because if you’re going to go spooky, you might as well go full Stranger Things. Just ask Will Byers.

Haunted Laurianne Woods – Gainesville, VA – FREE
Forests are always spooky. You never know if you’re going to run into a murderer — or a vengeful spirit, or a pile of PBR cans that could have obviously been recycled (Come on guys, we’ve got until 2040 to get this together. Show some respect). The Laurianne Woods blend its frighteningly beautiful cinematography and storytelling with simple, wholesome figures like children and bunnies: to make it one of the must-see events in Virginia that will send ice down your veins like a Camp Crystal Lake Swim Team.

BONUS: The Wilton House (Frankenstein’s 200th Anniversary Party) – Richmond, VA – $15

While not a haunted house per se, Frankenstein’s 200th Anniversary still takes place in a historic house! (Old means ghosts! Kind of!) On October 27th, The Wilton House is holding an anniversary party for Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. As the first of Wilton House’s Plays in a Passage series, “Mary and her Monsters” will tell the story of Mary Shelley and how her beloved monsters came to be.

If your stomach isn’t aching from all of the BooBerry and Count Chocula cereal you’ve eaten this week, while downing a pint of whatever pumpkin-spice-latte-IPA is on tap at your neighborhood haunt of choice, crawl on out to one of these spooky joints. I promise you, Hocus Pocus and Troll 2 will still be on rotation.

Throw on your spider onesie and take a break. You’ve earned it.