kindred spirit

RVA ON TAP: Wild & Weird With Virginia’s Best

Caley Sturgill | December 5, 2018

Topics: Ardent craft ales, Fine Creek Brewing Company, Hardywood, kindred spirit, RVA On Tap, Stone brewing, Three Notch'd 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 with news this week with beer releases and festivals, events, and other cool happenings around town — so hold on to your mugs!

Last week, we saw some great award wins from local breweries, some drool-worthy beer releases, and lots of awesome events lighting up the city (literally) for the start of the holidays. This week we’ve got more events coming our way to keep up the trend, and a few great releases to pair with them.

Yay, it’s here! I’ve been waiting a good minute for the Wild & Weird Festival to make its way to town, and it’s coming up this Saturday at Fine Creek Brewing Company. This festival brings together the most extravagant brews of Virginia’s best breweries and cideries, all at one big party at an awesome spot. Tickets are cheaper in advance, so hit them up early. You can also get 20 percent off if you get a cottage(!!) for the festival, and plenty of awesome local brews will be available. Check out the event page for a full list of participants (with awesome spots like Triple Crossing, Strangeways, Final Gravity and more doing brews alongside Fine Creek).

Another bar crawl is on its way this week, with the Fan Fall Bar Crawl coming up this Saturday. This is another one of those golden opportunities in Richmond that lets our locals drink for a good cause: For Small Business Saturday, they’re encouraging us to support a local charity, a local distributor, a local brewery, and four local restaurants. Booze! What better way to celebrate a holiday? The event is sponsored by Ardent Craft Ales and Brown Distributing, and it’ll feature a different Ardent beer at each of its locations. The crawl starts at Foo Dog with Ardent’s Honey Ginger beer, then moves on to Home Team Grill for their Milk Stout and Petite Saison. It goes on to District 5 for Ardent’s Pilsner and Hazy, and closes off the day at PBR with IPA X, Dark Rye, and a special beer-cocktail nicknamed The Professor X by the brewery.

Over at Three Notch’d Brewing, this Sunday brings more holiday markets with tons of handcrafted goods from folks around town. Three Notch’d has two separate markets, full of makers from Charlottesville to Richmond and throughout Virginia. Get your shopping done over a few beers and check out these awesome vendors: Craft Brewed Jewelry (BrewBracelets), CapWorks, Blair Made, Spearmint Spruce, Wren & Hide, The Vintage Nest, Zapantis Designs, You’re In Luck Farm, Hi Fiber Design, and Happy-Haven.

More awesome events are on the way this week, with Hardywood’s Vegan Holiday Pop-up + Shop-up. Hardywood started off the craft shows last week at their Richmond location, and they’re keeping it up this week with another awesome show. They’ve teamed up with Richmond VegFest to do an indoor market this time around, full of local “makers, artisans, and business owners that have a commitment to animals, wellness, recycling, and the world!” Mean Bird is catering the event with Dank Eats, both with awesome reputations around town for their recipes. Tons of great makers are coming out for the day, so be sure to check this one out on your list of shops this weekend.

In New-Brew-News this week, Kindred Spirit Brewing dropped two awesome releases. Rum Barrel Goodness is an 11% ABV imperial stout, and its super-smooth chocolate and spicy taste comes from being aged in dark rum barrels for four months. Deliciousness is the “lil bro” of Goodness, coming in at 5% ABV and with a chocolate-coffee taste, and “softly-sweet chewy finish.” Mmmmm, I want to take this one home and drink it by the fire.

A limited release of Stone Brewing’s Mikhail w/ Coconut stout is coming out this Friday, a special creation from their Stone Mission Barrel Warehouse. Their Small Batch Team brews up “a slew of unique and up-and-coming experimental and barrel-aged brews” at the Mission Warehouse, so these are about as limited as it gets. Mikhail w/ Coconut has an intense barrel character right up front, according to the brewers, with a strong woody-oak flavor and sweet coconut. It’s also got notes of vanilla, espresso, and roasted malt, to make a serious stout brewed with three pounds of freshly-toasted coconut. This is a major to-do on my list!

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: Thanksgiving, Boozey Black Friday & Movember

Caley Sturgill | November 21, 2018

Topics: Center of the Universe, Hardywood, holiday, isley brewing, kindred spirit, movember, strangeways, Thanksgiving, The Veil, three notchd, winter beer

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 started jumping into some holiday brews and hit up some awesome festivals, too. Now it’s almost……Thanksgiving! Hallelujah! As much as I hate the history of this holiday, man do I love the food. And the family, and the love, and everything about the holidays. What’s your favorite yearly celebration? Thanksgiving is definitely mine. Hit up the comments on our Facebook post and tell me yours. I’d love to hear what gets you guys excited every year!

Do you have any Black Friday plans? …….Do they consist of avoiding every store in town and drinking about it? Me too! Thank god for The Veil, because they get it. To cater to the anti-BF lines crowd, they’re releasing their Bourbon White Russian Hornswoggler on the special day. One: Anything that sounds like a White Russian is my favorite thing of all time. Two: I can’t wait to drink beer at home while everyone else stands out in the cold and wrestles each other at Walmart. Count me out, and The Veil, count me in!

More awesome brews from The Veil on Friday come with Dark Daze, an annual fest for Black Friday with tons of awesome releases and brews on sale. Even Even More More is a 13% Double-Maple Imperial Stout (YUM!) and it’s rich, roasty, and sweet with maple flavor. There is nothing I love more than a maple beer, so I definitely want to give this one a try! Lord Whangdoodle (nice) is a unique Imperial Stout with a sappy, sticky-sugary sweetness. It’s got honey, cinnamon, vanilla, liqueur, baklava and candied-orange peel. Maple BA Whangdoodle (that word is never going to not-be funny) and Honey BA Whangdoodle are two more variations, one with layered maple flavor + chocolate character, and the other aged in honey bourbon barrels for over a year.

There are a TON more awesome beers coming up at The Veil on Friday. That’s only the beginning. This sounds like a blast, and most-definitely a much better way to spend Black Friday than out in the cold!

Over at Hardywood, the party continues on Saturday with their Apple Brandy Gingerbread Stout release. Hardywood has been releasing awesome GBS beers all month, and man, I’ve never had a Hardywood beer I didn’t like. Apple Brandy “blends in perfect harmony with the cinnamon-kissed oak staves of the apple brandy barrels,” and has notes of honey, chocolate, and fragrant cinnamon. It’s 10.4%, and it sounds delicious! If tomorrow is Thanksgiving, then Hardywood, I’m thankful for you.

If you need to keep the party flowing even further past the holiday (I don’t blame you), hit up the brewery on Sunday for their post-Thanksgiving dance party with Afro-Zen. Global grooves, cold beer, and good friends — what more could you need?

Ooooooooh, I! Want! This! Center of the Universe always knows how to hit me right in the tastebud feels and they even got the mean humor down this time, too. Mmmmm. This Friday, Shut Up releases and it’s all my favorite things in one — brewed to drink in front of your obnoxious family members over the holidays and give them the little reminder everyone needs: shut your pie hole, and eat some pie. There’s always plenty around at Thanksgiving. Shut Up is aged in Woodford Reserve bourbon barrels with cold brew coffee, then blended together and full of chocolate, coffee, vanilla and bourbon. I am so happy about all these winter beers, I can’t say it enough. Cold weather flavors RULE, y’all!

The Veil wasn’t the only one to get their post-Thanksgiving plans in order the right way this year. Isley Brewing Company is also celebrating the dreaded Black Friday in the most-awesome of ways this year, with their release of Apple Brown Betty. Holy wow, this sounds tasty. The English nut brown ale has an addition of Blue Bee Cider fresh-pressed apple juice (drool), caramel, buttery cinnamon, and mulling spices for an All-American apple pie flavor profile. It’s a rich, dark mahogany color with a cream-tinted head, and this 6.6% beer is 100% on my to-do list.

Over at Three Notch’d RVA Collab House, Masterclass is new at the brewery. It’s a Saison-infused herbal recipe with spiced notes just in time for the holidays. If you didn’t make it out to the release party in time, you can grab a crowler for your family dinner, or “watching the game at home in your stretchy pants” if you go too hard on Thanksgiving.

In more Black-Friday-news, Strangeways is hosting a Black Friday Local Market for all your small business needs. Shop local! Richmond really does a great job of supporting its own people, and here’s your chance to do it and drink some tasty brews at the same time. Head on over to Strangeways this Friday and get a jump on all the holiday shopping (and beat the lines!) with one of our favorite spots.

Kindred Spirit is in the spirit this holiday. For Movember (men’s health awareness month), they’re kicking off some special events to recognize the men growing beards and moustaches to raise awareness. There’ll be live music by Bobby Baine, prizes, giveaways, and a special Movembeer Beer release at the party. It’s going down on Sunday after Thanksgiving, so boys and all beard-growing people, resist the family pressure from Mom to trim that beautiful facial hair this holiday, and go treat yourself with a prize for sticking it out!

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: Winter Brews, 90’s Video Games, Axe-Throwing & Juicy IPAs

Caley Sturgill | November 7, 2018

Topics: ardent, Final Gravity, Hardywood, intermission beer, kindred spirit, Lickinghole Creek, midnight brewery, strangeways, The Answer

If you missed last week’s 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 time we caught up was on Halloween, and even though it’s only been a few days, the holiday season is already upon us (apparently). I’m not ready to let go of fall anytime soon, but three cheers for holiday beers! At least the year’s best month coming to an end means its best eats are on their way.

In new-brew-news, Midnight Brewery skipped Thanksgiving and went straight to the big one: Christmas At Midnight returns this Saturday, ringing in the season at their Rockville spot. The English mild ale is packed with winter’s best Christmas spices, and tastes a lot like “a liquid Snickerdoodle in a cup.”

Getting so bored in the woods that you start throwing axes at stumps: few things are so unapologetically southern. This rural tradition is one of the South’s best, in my humble opinion — and if you’re looking to try your hand at it, head out to Midnight Brewery tonight in Goochland to jump in on their axe-throwing night. It’s harder than it looks.

The event is 21+, which is probably a good thing, as long as you get your slinging-heavy-weapons fix in before your beers. Halloween might be over, but the scare of axes rebounding at crowds post-beer is very real in these games (been there, trust).

I hit up Hardywood again this week and fell for White Out all over again, but the new-news from the brewery is their Bourbon and Port Barrel Gingerbread Stout release this Saturday.

Gingerbread Stout is “freagin’ Christmas in a bottle,” according to BeerAdvocate. The imperial milk stout is drool-worthy like several of last week’s brews, and it’s made with vanilla beans, cinnamon, fresh Casselmonte Farm baby ginger, and Bearer Farms wildflower honey. Mmmmmm. This one matures in Virginia bourbon barrels with oak, caramel, and bourbon undertones, for a rich, chocolately stout that “warms the palate and the soul.” I….need it.

The stout is available aged in bourbon or port barrels, and available at both locations. If you’re looking to hit the downtown spot on Friday, you can also check out their #freshcanfriday release of Citraweisse, a Hefeweizen ale dry-hopped with Citra hops.

Calling all gamers: The Answer Brewpub gets it. Chasing Rings dropped this Sunday, and the 90’s-Sonic homage features “Golden Promise in the grain bill” for deep, golden-ring hues. Its Supersonic amounts (nice) of tropical aromas are made to burst out of the excessively dry-hopped pour, according to its brewers. The Answer is famous for its glasses, and this is one worth getting: especially with this 100% Mosaic DIPA from one of Richmond’s favorite spots to fill it.

Speaking of games, Final Gravity Brewing Co. is bringing back their game-themed Asteroids double IPA this week. On Friday, swing by Lakeside to give it a try for the release. This one will “send you into hyperspace,” with a triple-hit of hops and crowlers for the high score. Its Columbus, Mosaic, and Citra hops are full of stone fruits, florals, and citrus tones to bring this IPA full-circle (and full-flavor). Yum!

Over at Ardent, Dark Rye is returning tomorrow. The American imperial stout is 9.8%, and balances its rye spiciness with roasted notes for a deep black stout with a long-lasting tan head. It’s full bodied with a chocolatey finish, and you can try it out with a side (or three) of Continental Divide tacos in Ardent’s beer garden during the release. Reviewers have noted this one is “pretty dang black” with a nice, subtle aroma of malt, chocolate, hops, and rye — and a hint of licorice and espresso. Dark Rye is on draft and comes in 4-packs of bottles, so you can drink it as you please.

Lickinghole Creek Craft Brewery has been working on their Juicy IPA series for a while now, and this Friday marks number 7 in the bunch. Something Loyal is their newest addition on the farm, with a Huell-Melon hop profile. The release is this Friday, with the Sandtopia food truck to accompany the new brew. Past releases include Something Better, Something Royal, Something Sneaky and more, and tasters have sung the praises of most beers in this series.

If you’re down with The Answer Brewpub’s Chasing Rings gamer-beer, but you didn’t master Sonic in the 90’s, Intermission Beer Co.’s got you covered. The Glen Allen Brewery has board games every Sunday now for us analog-gamers (I’m right there with you), and you can bring your own game or try something new when you get there. No friends needed: Intermission will provide them. Or bring your own of those, too. It’s fine either way. Old friends are the best friends, but new friends also rule. You can never have too many!

Also at Intermission this Friday is Stitch & Bitch, in case you need to vent about your life and want to get creative with it. Every two weeks, you can bring your projects and your woes for Hooks & Hops at the brewery along with your appetite for some delicious beer. Between board games, crafting, and trivia, Intermission is killing it at the fun-game lately.

Along with Gourd of Thunder came Crystalis at Strangeways Brewing Co., and a big congrats to their Fredericksburg head brewer, Brian, because it’s his first official personalized release. This classic American IPA is packed with citrus, pine, dank earth, and subtle floral notes to pull it together with a spicy, earthy flavor. Crystalis is primarily hopped with Columbus, and has supporting tones from Citra and Centennial hops as well. The 7.2% IPA is great for anytime — so drink up!

Strangeways also has a few exciting events coming up next week, so stay tuned for our next go-around for some awesome news.

For everyone feeling generous (btw it’s the holidays, so you should be), head to Kindred Spirit and join in on their goal: to feed 300+ families this year for Thanksgiving. The West End spot is partnering up with Goochland Cares this year to do their part, and it’s a great way to do yours, too. There are plenty of ways to get involved in the Richmond community with so many locals involved, and Kindred Spirit wants to make it easy (and tasty).