Isley

RVA ON TAP: The Big Release

Caley Sturgill | August 6, 2019

Topics: Ardent craft ales, beer, beer column, Black Heath Meadery, Blue Bee Cider, breweries, Buskey Cider, courthouse creek cider, events, final gravity brewing co, fine creek brewing, Hardywood Park Craft Brewery, Isley, local beer, Reservoir Distillery, richbrau, RVA On Tap, scotts addition, scotts addition beer, Starr Hill, strangeways, the answer brewpub, the big release, The Veil Brewing Co., three notchd, 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 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 some great returns of old favorites, plus a brand-new festival: the Scott’s Addition Big Release. All the brewers in Richmond’s booziest neighborhood are coming together for the first annual collaboration release, so if you’re looking for some new flavors in your life, the beer family of Richmond has you covered.

Summer is slowly coming to an end (thank god for me, and maybe a bummer for some of you), and our pals at Hardywood are dropping one of their early-spring favorites in cans this Friday to bring the season of fruity beers full-circle. The Original Five Flavors came out at Hardywood back in May alongside Dreamlike — which sounded like an actual dream, and incredibly tasty — and it’s making its second debut in cans. Dreamlike made its debut again back on August 2, along with Kiwi Lime Berliner Weisse.

The Original Five Flavors is a candy lover’s delight. This one was made to match the early days of Lifesavers candy, and comes in the classic flavors of cherry, orange, lemon, lime, and pineapple. Dreamlike, on the other hand, is a pillowy-soft DIPA, with nice, fresh hops released with Kiwi Lime Berliner’s hot-day flavors.

“What’s that in the clouds over there?” says Hardywood, “A Dog? A Bunny?” Nah, booze. There’s no rush to wake up from this dream.

Also returning this Friday is Final Gravity Brewing Co.’s Absolute Magnitude Double IPA. This one was brewed with 100 percent Citra hops to really bring out the fresh hop flavor, and focus in on a widely-loved favorite in the brewing process. Citra brings out orange zest, grapefruit, and lemon tastes that bring this Double IPA up to 8% ABV — and according to the brewers, it “radiates” with its astronomical sum of citrus, magically brewed with a velvety finish.

I’m a big fan of a soft finish to an IPA, and the trend of these fruity IPAs with soft finishes is delicious. Final Gravity never disappoints, so this is definitely one on my list to try for the week!

Are you looking for a party where you can brewery hop around the neighborhood and try something brand-new at every single one? Yeah, these don’t come around too often. That’s why you’re going to want to head out to Scott’s Addition this Saturday for The Big Release, a massive collab between the booziest area in town with breweries all cooking up fresh recipes for a full day of new brews.

A few of the new releases I’m most excited about on this list start with Blue Bee Cider’s Hot Honey Gold Rush cider. This barrel-aged cider comes from an apple brandy barrel that started off with jalapeño-infused honey, so you’ll get an awesome kick of spice at the end to round out the brandy and honey flavors. Another I can’t wait to try is Three Notch’d RVA Collab House’s Lush-ious — this one looks SO good, y’all. This Maple Pecan Brown Ale (holy wow, I’m in heaven) was brewed in collaboration with Lush Cupcakes. If you haven’t heard yet, Lush makes alcohol-infused cupcakes, and just celebrated their opening in Scott’s Addition. Their Lush-ious collab with Three Notch’d set off to create something similar in beer form, and landed on maple and pecans added into a Three Notch’d brown ale that started off with biscuit and chocolate undertones to create the best dessert-brew flavors ever.

You’ll catch your favorites like Ardent Craft Ales and Strangeways, plus Starr Hill, Vasen, Three Notch’d RVA Collab House, Isley Brewing Company, Buskey Cider, Black Heath Meadery, Courthouse Creek Cider, Blue Bee Cider, Reservoir Distillery, and The Veil… who has an extra surprise up their sleeve this week as well.

Last night, The Veil Brewing Co. released four debuts and one return to fill glasses for every taste.

Kicking off the releases, Very Berry Tastee (pictured above) brings the sour and the smoothie to one perfect combination. This thick, fruity ale is the product of combining raspberries, blackberries, boysenberries, blueberries, and strawberries with milk sugar to pull the fruits together in a smoothie-style sour ale that hits in at 5.5% ABV.

Next up comes Steady Incline, a light-orange colored Double IPA with Citra, Galaxy, Amarillo, Simcoe, and Mosaic hops at 8% ABV. Strong Enough follows, and this brand-new IPA release combines some flare with flavors like El Dorado and Vic Secret in addition to its Galaxy, Mosaic, and Citra with a bright color in the glass. Strong Enough is a lighter 6.5% ABV beer, and it comes with Color of Blood’s high 11% ABV for the stronger drinkers out there. Color of Blood is a triple IPA that benefits from hops like Wakatu and BRU-1 to complement Galaxy, Mosaic, Simcoe, and Nelson, and although it pours with a crispy orange juice color, its heavier ABV and bold taste bring out its name.

Another featured release in the bunch is Brenner Pass: Grand Cru, which is returning to commemorate the second anniversary of the beloved local restaurant. This brew is unlike the rest, and drinks more like a fine table wine with textures like Chardonnay coming from its spelt, raw wheat, and floral American hops from the brewing process. The Mixed Fernie is funky and dry with a subtle acidity, and was stowed away and inoculated with The Veil’s house culture to prepare for the anniversary celebration.

All in all, The Veil has a beer for just about every preference out right now, and all of them bring something unique to the table for every kind of drinker. If you’ve been waiting for an opportunity to bring your wine friend or your daiquiri friend to a brewery, now’s your chance!

Summer may be slowly making its way out the door, but the brutal August heat of the River City is still to come before we can lay this hell season to rest and get back to the good stuff: pumpkin picking, hay rides, getting lost in corn mazes, haunted houses, chilly mornings, hot chai, sweaters, bonfires (!!), weekend trips to the mountains, colorful leaves falling on Monument Avenue, SNOW, the good food and fam time of the holidays, and pretty much everything else that makes cold weather good and summer awful. Halle-fucking-lujah.

Anyway, we’re not there just yet, and it’s going to be a rough one for these next few weeks. Thankfully, Väsen Brewing Company is here to take the heat off.

The Watermelon Puffin is on its way to Väsen this Saturday, and this crisp, refreshing American-style Berliner Weisse is the perfect beer for the end-of-summer hear, according to its brewers. The Watermelon Puffin brings out some slight sour flavors in addition to its watermelon puree to give you all the fruity twists you’ll need when the temp gets above 100° — and you know it’s coming, whether we like it or not. Cool down with these blueberry and lychee notes in a watermelon brew, and try to stay out of the heat (lord knows I will).

Out at The Answer Brewpub, a fresh beer made its way in cans right after we got together for RVA On Tap last week. Corporate Headquarters is a Double IPA brewed with Citra, Mosaic, and a touch of Columbus to come together in a nice, pale-orange pour that looks as crisp as it is creamy. Is there any better combination in a beer? I haven’t found one yet, and I don’t plan to as long as these awesome Double IPAs are around.

The Answer also dropped FRESH AF, which is as green as it gets:

This Session IPA was double-dry hopped with Ella, Amarillo, and Simcoe hops, and according to our buds at The Answer, this crusher “bursts with aromas” of mellow mango before its grapefruit finish. If you’re in the mood for one, go grab one while you can, and don’t forget to give The War on Glycol a taste while you’re out there.

PHOTO: Fine Creek Brewing and Väsen Brewing Company

This week, we also saw an awesome beer feature in a collaboration between Fine Creek Brewing and Väsen Brewing Company. The International dropped as a mixed-fermentation Bière de Garde to celebrate the international collaboration with the Farmhouse Ale Appreciation Society, and it came as part of the International Craft Beer Weekend Red Paint hosted in Richmond last week.

This brew came together with Murphy & Rude Pils malt and raw wheat, and was hopped with Saaz and Strisselspalt — but the real kicker on this one is its unique, prolonged 5-hour boil in addition to primary lager fermentation and secondary wooden barrel fermentation that brings out its funky Brett tones and citrus and grape skins. It’s got a mouth-puckering acidity with a dry finish, so if you’re into the sour and the sweet, these breweries have plenty of options to get your week rolling.

For National IPA Day, Richmond’s oldest craft brewery dropped an awesome new Citra-hopped beer. Richbrau released Psychic Horse with the tale of its origin:

“Born in 1924, Lady Wonder was a prophetic horse that lived on the southside of Richmond. Taught to communicate on blocks with letters of the alphabet, Lady Wonder answered questions daily from noon to three, 3 questions for $1, and was visited by more than 150,000 people over 30 years. Her prognostications included Truman’s presidential defeat of Dewey, 28 of 28 winning horses at a Baltimore race track, and she garnered national recognition in 1952 for helping police locate the body of a missing Massachusetts boy. Lady Wonder died in 1957 at the age of 33, three years later than she predicted.”

And the horse girls of the world rejoice. Lady Wonder sounds like she really was a wonder to the residents of Richmond in the last century, and I’m not gonna lie, I’m bummed she’s not around in our time. Thankfully, her legend lives on, and like the horse that came from historic Richmond, the brewers who keep her name alive are a big part of our history as well. Richbrau has been a staple of the River City for decades, and now that it’s back, you can get a taste of history at their brewery (and learn something about Richmond’s legends, too).

PHOTO: Black Heath Meadery and Buskey Cider

Coming up this Saturday at Black Heath Meadery, an awesome new collab with Buskey Cider is making its way to the taps for the Scott’s Addition Big Release.

Buskey Orange Ginger Cyser was crafted between the brewers with local ingredients like Virginia apples and Virginia wildflower honey, plus baby yellow ginger from Casselmonte Farm and orange peels.

According to the brewers, this one’s getting drier by the day, and it’s fermenting in the tank ready to make its way into your glass this weekend.

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: Bless Our Southern Hearts

Caley Sturgill | March 20, 2019

Topics: Ardent craft ales, Castleburg Brewery, Center of the Universe, Final Gravity, Hardywood Park Craft Brewery, Isley, Legend Brewing Company, RVA On Tap, Stone brewing, The Answer, 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.

This week, we’re diving into lots of special occasions as the springtime rolls in, and our calendars are starting to fill up with the best warm-weather times for the River City.

Oh man, this is gonna be good. Center of the Universe Brewing is hosting their 2nd Annual Southern Food Festival this Saturday, and it looks like a dream. They’re not only bringing together some of Richmond’s best Southern cookin’ establishments — like Mama J’s, Capitol Waffle Shop, Jake’s Place, Grandpa Eddie’s Alabama Ribs & BBQ, and more — they’re also inviting all of us (!!) to submit our own favorite family recipes to enter into the competition. Y’all might even catch my famous ham biscuits there (if you’re lucky). The submit date for the competition ends TONIGHT, so if you want to get your fav apple pies and cornbread into the mix, you better get cooking and head over there ASAP.

Y’all, I can’t wait for this one. The brewery will also have a special limited beer release on tap, Bless Your Heart, a Peaches and Cream ale that I am absolutely drooling over already. Fuck me up, COTU. I’m bout to pass out in a peach-beer-ham-biscuit-apple-pie-coma and none of you can save me.

Further down at Hardywood this weekend, Raspberry Short Kate is dropping for Fresh Can Friday. Named after a beloved member of the staff (whose height we can’t confirm), this 7% ABV Milkshake IPA is probably the best way to start off a hopefully-hot weekend. Brewed with milk, sugar, and tons of wheat and oats, Short Kate is soft on the feel and full of body from its Cascade and Huell Melon-hop profiles. They’re also working with Sure Hand Signs to bring out some new artwork for Tropication on Friday, so be on the lookout for both of these warm weather brews through the week.

Back roads and beer. Two of my most-favorite things are coming together next week at Legend Brewing Company, for a film preview of Back Roads: People, Places and Pie Around Virginia. This documentary follows Bill Lohmann and Bob Brown, with filmmaker Randy Scott and his crew, documenting the travels of these two buds as they make their way through every corner and cave of our state — and apparently getting in some healthy doses of sweet Virginia pie along the way. Legend is releasing a special beer for the occasion, Back Roads Black Lager, a Schwarzbier-style recipe that holds a nice drinkability for the classic dark brew. If you come with an appetite, you can also get some tastes of Legend’s documentary-inspired dishes topped with gravy and served up with pie and beer: clearly, the best way to celebrate the release of their long-awaited film.

While we’re on events, don’t forget to close out your weekend over at Stone Brewing for their Sunday Farmer’s Market. It’s the first of the year, and it’s probably one of the few farmer’s markets in town that makes it acceptable to day drink while you shop… plus, it’s almost certainly the only one that doesn’t start at the crack of dawn, and who really wants to get up that early on a Sunday? Since the city’s full of local vendors, makers, and farmers, there’s usually something for everyone at markets around here. It’s 21+ for booze, but all ages are welcome, so bring the kiddos along for the afternoon if you’ve got ‘em.

Can we say yum? Ardent’s releasing their Pineapple Guava Gose tomorrow night, and the 5.6% ABV wheat beer marries the tropical to the tart. With salt and coriander blended with pineapple and pink guava purée, it’s perfectly-pink to the eye and perfectly-flavored to the tongue — and its softer, juicy taste complements the acidity of the gose. Get one while you can, because this one’s not out in cans or bottles. Coming up next week, you can also head over to Ardent for History on Tap: Women Making History, and Alcohol to get your knowledge on about the history of gals in beer production. Who knew — we know stuff, too! Mind-blowing. Anyway, it’s painfully underreported, so props to Ardent for setting this one up. Blue Bee Cider is coming out to host, too, and they’ve made a collab with Ardent called Jane’s Persimmon from an 18th-century Virginia women’s cookbook for the event.

The Answer Brewpub brought back Summer Showers IPA last week on Pie Day (bless), made with Australian Summer hops. It’s a soft, hazy IPA according to The Answer, and it’s packed with cantaloupe aromas to bring out the best type of refresher for the springtime. “Like a cloudburst in the summer,” they say, this ripe-melon, citrus, and tea-hinted brew will be gone as quickly as it came.

A new Belgian-fruited sour is on its way to Väsen Brewing Company tomorrow, and after being conditioned with hundreds of pounds of papaya and mandarin orange, it carries its name. Papaya Mandarin Sour has a mostly-tart flavor, but to even it out, Väsen added a hint of lactose to bring out a sweeter balance to add to its “dangerously smooth” tastes. They’re hosting their Geeks Who Drink trivia night alongside the release, so gather your nerd friends and grab a Goatocado bowl to compete for the night.

Final Gravity’s got a double whammy. Head out to Lakeside on Friday for a taste of another one of their famous Session IPAs, Dwarf Star, and its DIPA brother, 3 Mile. Dwarf Star is an especially-drinkable beer, hitting in at 4.5% and brewed with the trusty Mosaic, Citra, and Amarillo hops for a full taste and a tropical, smooth flavor. 3 Mile brings in more fruit, with pear, grapefruit, and passionfruit to complement its hop profile, and created as a homage to the brewery Running Club’s second anniversary this week. The tastes were picked to refresh your senses and “get you going,” so if you’re in need of a sidekick for all the marathons you’re running this season (count me out, but I’ll watch y’all from the bar), it’s right up your alley.

Where the hops and the hip connect: bring out your haggling mood, because Isley’s got a shopping Spring Fest coming up on Saturday with our favorite thrift + antique shop. Class and Trash is partnering up with the brewery to celebrate the first day of spring, plus Isley’s releasing a brand-new-brew to kick off the season. I’ll Bee Bock is a Honey Bock Lager with a German backbone, flavored with honey and finished with a thick, creamy head. No matter the weather, this lager will sit well with you to check out the vendors and bring home the goods.

Castleburg Brewery and Taproom is bringing back their Lemon Peppercorn Saison this week, fresh and zesty to pack in all the citrus. If you’re unsure about the pepper, don’t worry: Castleburg says it’s but an aftertaste to the lemony-deliciousness of the Saison, and at 6.7%, it’s a solid drinker for any time of the week.

RVA ON TAP: Crushing the Sun (in February)

Caley Sturgill | February 26, 2019

Topics: Ardent craft ales, Center of the Universe, Final Gravity, Hardywood, intermission, Isley, Lickinghole Creek, RVA On Tap, three notchd, triple crossing, vasen beer

This week, we’ve got a ton of fresh new releases coming out of Richmond, and a few collabs with friends down in Norfolk, too, to get you through an awesome week with plenty of events to keep the fun flowing.

Happy rainy, cold, flood week! If you’re over it like me and wishing you could grab a White Claw in the sun, I’ve got some exciting news for you — our local faves are dropping their own sparkling fruity beer. Hardywood has their eyes pointed toward the summer, with their recent announcement of a sweet new side project, Suncrush Beverage LLC, coming this season. Suncrush is a series of sparkling ales from the local sweethearts, brewed and distributed by Hardywood but keeping their own brand at the same time.

All together, the new line is made with fruit and matcha tea, according to the RTD, and come in Ginger Lime, Southern Peach, Grapefruit, Lemon Raspberry, Cranberry, and Black Cherry. Keep an eye out for them across Virginia this week, and if you’re traveling, they’re dropping in North Carolina and Georgia soon, too.

In new-brew news, Center of the Universe’s Bald Irishman is dropping this Saturday. This Irish Red Ale is created with five different malts, and “a whole lotta love!” Contrary to its El Duderino counterpart, Bald Irishman comes from the breweries Satellite club fundraisers, dubbed by COTU as their “El Balderinos.” Grab one (or twelve), because 10 percent of the proceeds of these bad boys go to the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, which benefits research for kids with cancer. This one also took home a gold medal last year in its class at the World Beer Cup for Irish reds, and with its perfectly-balanced flavor, we can’t debate it.

If you’re looking for fun this weekend, COTU is also hosting Brewery Burlesque on Friday night, so be sure to pregame your bald Europeans with some half-naked Americans. Nice.

Over at Intermission Beer Company, Stiftung is making its way to the taps on Friday as well. This Blood Orange IPA is both good for the body and good for the soul, as Intermission’s first-ever gluten-reduced brew — and its beautiful sunset colors will have you wishing for summer even more. It was made as a collab between Intermission and Schnabel Engineering, hopped with Simcoe, Amarillo and Cascade to give the perfect blend of blood orange and a floral-citrusy taste to finish.

Yeehaw! This is right up my alley. Final Gravity Brewing Co. is throwing another Bluegrass Jam next Wednesday, and it’s one you won’t want to miss. The event will be full of all the gee-tars and acoustic bluegrass jams your lil hearts can handle: And if you bring your own and join in, you’ll get cheep beer! It don’t get better than that. I’m musically-challenged, but all my bets are on enjoying the classic mountain jam night with some of my favorite brews (and people), plus a visit from Happy Empanada to warm everyone’s bellies with some delicious authentic eats.

Surprise! Väsen’s got something up their sleeve. Or rather, they did, because they released this secret beer over the weekend when no one was looking. Wanderlust #3 is their version of traditional Norwegian farmhouse ales, which according to Väsen are often brewed with juniper in addition to the regular hops. They brought the hometown vibe into this one with local Virginia juniper, coupled with pineapple and dried apricots from the traditional kveik yeast to make all your Scandinavian dreams come true. It’s already out on the taps, so grab a glass while you can!

Triple Crossing Beer has also got some extra-special recipes this week, like their Oak Aged Hilltop that came out last night at their spot in Fulton. This is a step past their previous ventures in cold-fermented beers, which brought them to the Franconian Kellerbier. Triple Crossing is famous for their carefully-crafted, expertly-flavored brews, so this one’s definitely worth a spot on your tastebuds. According to TC, they like to think this style might have been created “out of necessity” rather than for enjoyment in its original making, but this particular version was left longer to age in red wine oak barrels. It’s full of flavors like vinous oak barrel, florals, zesty herbal orange peel oak spices, and a malt-forward pumpernickel bread crust base to balance all the scales just right — in a perfectly-Triple-Crossing fashion. Its rich amber color can be found in half-liter dimpled mugs before it goes down the hatch, so enjoy the character while you drink. TC said they made the decision to give it hell: And they think you’ll agree.

Our buds at Three Notch’d have a delightfully-summery beer on the way for Tap That Friday, a Blood Orange Gose appropriately named Blood Orange, Sweat & Gears. This Gose was brewed up to raise awareness for the next big bike thang in town, the 2019 Colonial Crossroads ride between Richmond and Williamsburg with BIKE MS. It was made specifically to be a nice, refreshing break for bike riders along their trail, and every pint donates a dollar to the organization all night. Drink up!

This special beer has been stirring up a lot of excitement all week. Smartmouth Beer, out of Norfolk, has a Saturday Morning Marshmallow IPA on the way this Saturday, set to flash you back “to those perfect Saturday Mornings when you rolled out of bed, and were lazy all morning watching your favorite cartoons.” The Lucky-Charms flavored brew was made with tropical fruity Calypso hops, and the result is ~magically delicious~ according to its creators. It’s one for the books, and it’s definitely one you want to give a try.

*PHOTO: Lickinghole Creek Craft Brewery*

Aside from breakfast foods, Lickinghole Creek Craft Brewery has a double release coming up on Friday to highlight the best fruity flavors in their Deck of Cards Series: Something Soaring. This juicy IPA is perfect for regular drinkers of this style, packed with Huell Melon, Simcoe and Azacca hops to brighten up all its strawberry, cantaloupe, stone fruit, and mango vibes. Make sure to get one while you can, as the brewery says cases are extra-limited. This fruity princess is one for the books, and likely to become one of those favorites you’ll never forget and wish you could get another taste of down the road.

The east side of 64 is crafting it up this week! Coming out tomorrow night for Richmond’s beloved Thirsty Thursday tradition is Ardent Craft Ales’ Kōyō. This Japanese-style rice lager comes as a collab between one of our favorite local spots and Elation Brewing down in Norfolk. This one’s a delicate, pale-yellow colored lager that finishes with a crisp, clean body to balance out with its Zuper Saazer hop character. It’s a nice light lager to start your weekend off with, and its minimal bitterness is a perfect beginning to a few days off of tasting all the new faves around town.

RVA ON TAP: New Brews, Beer Burlesque, & Boujee Boozey Pups

Caley Sturgill | January 9, 2019

Topics: ardent, Black Heath Meadery, Champion Brewing, Final Gravity, Hardywood, Isley, Potter's Craft Cider, RVA On Tap, shiplock, Stone brewing, strangeways, three notchd, triple crossing

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!

This week, we’re jumping into the New Year with tons of new brews from all your favorite spots around town, making our way from East to West across Central Virginia with all the new tastes you need to start fresh.

Hallelujah! My favorite Hardywood beer is out for a can release this week. Head out to the brewery on Friday to get a can of White Out, the 8.5% Wheat Double IPA. White Out is the classic white beer that I had too much fun with at the Heroes Run event at Hardywood West Creek last fall, and I am more than stoked to see it in cans. You can definitely bet this baby will be making its way to my fridge this week!

Ardent teamed up with Potter’s Craft Cider and Champion Brewing Company this season to bring back their annual Earl Grey Brown Ale. Earl Grey is such a unique flavor, I’ve never seen it in a beer before but this one is bigtime striking my interest! This 6.5% Brown Ale kicks off with a classic brown color and white, frothy head, according to the brewers — and the tea and citrus flavors give it a nice, easy-drinking feel down the hatch. Mmm, just like Earl Grey. It’s light-bodied smooth, and this perfect cloudy day brew will be debuting for its 2019 round this Saturday at Ardent. It’s also being served up with River City Wood Fire Pizza (yum!), so it’s a great way to start into this freezy week.

Black Heath Meadery is truly something special. Not only are they the only meadery in Central Virginia, they’re right in the heart of Scott’s Addition, and they’re ready to share their smarts with the public! Coming up next month, you can head to Richmond’s self-proclaimed booziest neighborhood and try your hand at brewing meads. Under the wings of Mead Mavericks Bill Cavender and Mike Palese, you’ll get to learn how to make this delicious honey wine straight from the beginning — so more on this soon!

Is it a super cool alien spaceship, or the weird guy at the bar sitting too close to you? Lucky you, it’s super cool aliens! Space Invaders is coming back to Final Gravity Brewing Co. this Friday, and this one sounds delicious. It’s full of 100 percent Mosaic hops, and this Double IPA don’t play. The 8% DIPA is packed with flavor, “blasting your tastebuds with mango, lemon, citrus, earthy pine, tropical fruit, herbal, and stone fruit notes.” What more could you want in an IPA?

Yay, another double release from Strangeways! If you’re looking for fun alongside your booze — and why wouldn’t you? — they’ve got brewery burlesque coming up this Friday! It’s a fundraiser for the 2020 Richmond Burlesque Festival, which already sounds like a blast.

The next day, they’ve got a double release with Brasetto and Natural Magic. Brasetto is a 9.5% Rye Tripel, brewed with rye and getting great reviews in the field and in the malthouse. This one will bring you a few different things: The complex flavors start off sweet and finish dry, with a “pleasant warmth that hints its ABV.” It’s fruity, spicy, and earthy, with notes of rustic bread crust and rye spice. Natural Magic, on the other hand, is a 6.3% Sour Saison — on the other end of the spectrum, this one hails from Virginia barley, Epiphany Craft Malts, and Virginia wheats from Murphy & Rude. It’s a saison set out to combine acidity with hoppiness, and it’s nice and tart.

The new brewery on the block is certainly starting the year off with a bang. Shiplock Brewing has $2 flights all month (!!!!!) to fill all your “I hate January” needs up with brand-new brews. I’m a big fan of filling the hole in my heart (and stomach) with a good beer, and I love this start from Shiplock. They’re floating our souls through a not-so-fun month and making sure we all enjoy it anyway… My heart’s happy. I’m definitely excited to see what else comes along from them throughout the season.

Earlier this week when we weren’t even looking, Isley Brewing Company went and dropped a banger! Holy wow, do I need to get my hands on this. Choosy Mother (nice), their Peanut Butter Porter, is on tap at the brewery and available to-go, too. It was fresh back to the taps on Sunday, so grab ‘em while you can — special brews like these only last so long before everyone wants a taste!

Another weekend debut-er came from Stone Brewing this week. Liquid Compass, a DIPA, is brewed with orange, juniper, and coriander — and this 8.5% ABV will really get your night going. Stone is known pretty well nationally for their classic brews that taste good in all varieties, and I’m sure Liquid Compass doesn’t disappoint.

*PHOTO: Stephenie Harrington. Miss Wrangler (left) and Miss Tesla (right) enjoying a Tangerine Express IPA after their hike through Dorey Park.*

Bonus points: It looks even better in the paws of two cute pups.

⟁ Our favorite East-Enders have something tasty up their sleeves. Green Dreams is coming back this Friday at Triple Crossing in Fulton, and like most of their brews, it’s been carefully balanced into perfection. It’s made with doses of Denali, El Dorado, and Citra hops, with their ever-rotating hop varieties to give this DIPA “impressions of fresh pineapple, orange citrus zest, and fleshy peach.” Cases are limited, so drink ‘em while you can!

Our buds at Three Notch’d have partnered up this week, too, with Secret Sandwich Society. Their custom brew Smoke & Mirrors is a smoky, robust porter, and it comes out this Friday. Secret Sandwich Society is hosting the release party at their Richmond spot, over on East Grace Street and full of all the sammies your heart could imagine.

Last but most certainly not least, Castleburg Brewery is bringing back their Murder Hole Mango DIPA this Friday! This intensely-hoppy, fairly strong DIPA is brewed with fresh mango to make this IPA very drinkable, according to its brewers. It won’t get too sweet on you, though — with an IBU over 100, it’s got everything you could need from fruits to deep flavor.

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: 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

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!

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!

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!

RVA ON TAP: Party Time! Excellent! Scott’s Addition Booz Crawl, and Richmond’s Best-In-Nation Brews

Caley Sturgill | October 17, 2018

Topics: Ardent craft ales, beer crawl, Black Heath Meadery, Blue Bee Cider, booz crawl, Buskey Cider, Castleburg, courthouse creek, Isley, Reservoir Distillery, RVA On Tap, Scott's Addition, Steam Bell, stone, the beer travel guide, The Veil, three notchd, Väsen, waynes world

Last week, we checked out a few awesome beer events and even found a boozy haunted house for Halloween. We’ve got even more exciting stuff coming up, and RVA made the news once again for being one of America’s top beer destinations (surprise, surprise).

This week, Richmond was named the “Ultimate craft beer destination in Southeast America” by The Beer Travel Guide, with a note that good ol’ RVA has the best craft beer east of the Mississippi (can’t argue with that). According to the travel guide, we not only have a rich number of breweries, but also have some of the nation’s most elite right here in the city limits. They report:

“Any serious beer trader has a few Richmond breweries on his or her ‘In Search Of’ list. One could easily spend a weekend in Richmond doing nothing but drink craft beer and *still* feel like there wasn’t enough time to get everything done.”

Ain’t that the truth. Since RVA is just so-damn-great, we actually get two parts to our chunk of the country’s guide, all to ourselves. They released Part 1 this week, and some of our favorites made the list.

Final Gravity Brewing Company came in at #3 for its world-class IPAs (with The Doppler Effect recently ranking as the 12th-best IPA in the country). Up next was The Answer Brewpub at #2, where the travel guide remarked, “If the question is ‘Where can you find some of the best beer in the country?’ the answer is…well, The Answer.” #1 on the list is the entire neighborhood of Scott’s Addition (lol) and honestly, they’re totally right.

I’ve been saying forever that RVA is one of the most unique beer cities for its ability to go brewery-hopping (Seriously, where else is that a thing?) and our friends at The Beer Travel Guide found the same to be true.

Speaking of Scott’s Addition, one of the neighborhood’s best beer events of the year is next! weekend!

Once in a blue moon, we get an opportunity for the whole city to day-drink together, and nobody gets to judge us for it. Richmond’s self-proclaimed Booziest Neighborhood has brought that opportunity back this Saturday, for a full day of adult Trick-Or-Treating in the Scott’s Addition Halloween Booz Crawl.

The crawl this weekend hits 10 different spots in a day, full of beers, ciders, meads, and whiskeys. On your way, make sure to pick up Booz Crawl cards anywhere that’s participating. If you get three unique stamps, you’re entered to win a $25 gift card for each location.

They’ve also included a Lyft voucher for 25 percent off rides, so Trick-Or-Treat responsibly. Participating spots include: Ardent Craft Ales, Black Heath Meadery, Blue Bee Cider, Buskey Cider, Courthouse Creek Cider, Isley Brewing Company, Reservoir Distillery, Three Notch’d RVA Collab House, Väsen Brewing Company, and The Veil Brewing Co.

Party time! Excellent! Yesterday, The Veil Brewing Co. brought Crucial Taunt back at the taproom, and it won’t last long. Straight from Wayne’s World, Crucial Taunt is Wayne’s girlfriend Cassandra’s band, known for their impressive Jimi Hendrix and “Ballroom Blitz” covers that really jam. The New England-style double IPA is extremely hoppy, dank, and has a low bitterness to accompany its juicy, small-malt taste. As a longtime WW fan, I’m extra stoked on this one — and the brewers have warned it may be gone by Thursday, so hop on it, Richmond.

Castleburg Brewery dropped their Above the Salt Gose this week on a berry-blend randall. The Leipzig-style brew is light and tart, and according to Castleburg, it’s the perfect poolside drink as a 50 percent wheat beer that’s crisp and refreshing. It’s Castleburg’s first sour beer, and it hits at a nice medium with a 4.7 ABV. A reminder from the brewers: “Just don’t call us Salt Bae.”

The first full-time brewed and bottled West coast double IPA on the planet is back at Stone Brewing. Ruination 2.0 is the second round of the groundbreaking pale ale, dry-hopped and hop-bursted to get “every last drop of piney, citrusy, tropical essence” that gives this beer its character. It’s also the second stanza in the brewery’s Liquid Poem to the Glory of the Hop.

Stone’s also got their Bikes and Beers event coming up this Saturday for all the athletes out there. Gear up for 15- and 30-mile rides leaving the brewery (rest stops included, thank god) and circle back to Stone to get a glass, koozie, and two free beers! It’s similar to Hardywood’s motorcycle event last weekend, but for analog motorcycles (bicycles), and it’s got a raffle just the same. If you participate in the ride, you get a free raffle ticket — and if you’re anything like me, you might have so much fun you win back your own day-beer lost-belongings in the raffle.

Proceeds go to Bike Walk RVA to improve cycling conditions in RVA, so even if you don’t ride, swing by for a beer and make sure to check this one out!

Out in Midlothian, Steam Bell Beer Works just brought back Dueling Hops. The American-style IPA, brewed with Mosaic and Amarillo hops, has notes of mango and stone fruit for an easy-drinking fruit bomb.

The brewery’s also a stop on the Richmond Beer Trail (with more than 30 craft breweries — no wonder we’re top in the country). Pick up a map and hit five RVA breweries for stamps, and get one of these sweet trucker hats fo’ free!

In more new-beer news this week, the cold weather is back, and so is stout season! Swing by Ardent tomorrow for the release of their Imperial Milk Stout. This bold, rich chocolatey-sweet stout is balanced with a roasty base and has a silky smooth finish — unlike “the boozy burn” that often comes with a 10 percent brew like this.