Lickinghole Creek Craft Brewery

RVA ON TAP: Fireworks, Pig Roasts, & Beach Parties

Caley Sturgill | July 3, 2019

Topics: beer, beer column, Black Heath Meadery, Castleburg, Center of the Universe, craft beer, garden grove, Lickinghole Creek Craft Brewery, midnight brewery, RVA On Tap, the answer brewpub, Three Notch’d RVA Collab House, Triple Crossing Beer

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, in the spirit of the 4th of July, we have tons of events to keep your holiday week rolling and your glass full. From Richmond to the beach and more, there’s something for everyone regardless of where (or if) you’re traveling.

Whoooooooo doggy! There’s a pig roast comin’ to town. Lickinghole Creek Craft Brewery is hosting the Southern tradition in Richmond with Papa V’s this Thursday for the 4th, and it’s bringing back some memories for this rural girl — both fun and scary.

For some background, the 4th of July in my childhood memories looks something like beautiful days on Smith Mountain Lake, afternoons spent on the boat, nights spent playing Marco Polo in the dark off the dock with a huge family, my dad catching my head on fire when he lit 18 sparklers at once in one hand (big ouch), and the horrifying look on the pig’s slowly-melting face when my granddad literally built a massive smoker in his yard (a year-round fixture, mind you) just to put an entire pig in it for the 4th every summer.

Those days are long gone now, but the memories of running away from a large dead animal on the smoker, eyes burning into my soul, with my screaming cousins will always stick around. And in that spirit, I’ll always get stoked for pig roasts as an adult. Plus, fresh-smoked pork is one of the tastiest foods of all time in my humble opinion — so, worth it.

Lickinghole Creek will be pouring from the taps from 12-6pm, with live music from Bill Roberts during the afternoon. If you’re looking to get your true Virginian ritual on for the holiday, this is the place for you. Have a beer for me and cheers to the first time your family gave you nightmares.

In the spirit of mid-summer days in Richmond heating up too fast, we’re starting off this week’s RVA On Tap with a good reason to take a trip to the beach: The Veil Brewing Co. is excitedly awaiting the official opening of their new Norfolk location, and they’re throwing a pop-up tomorrow to get the rest of us as pumped as they are.

The Veil will be on the pier of Nauticus all day, and you can look forward to drinking their stellar beers inside to beat the heat, or out by the water. Either way, you’ll get to finish your night off with a direct view to the celebration’s fireworks at Waterside. Be sure to grab some drink tickets too, and it’s free to get in otherwise.

If you make it out, you’ll also be able to grab one of these sweet limited edition Veil shirts while you grab pours of Curtains I, a Sour Double IPA with cherries, apricots, and milk sugar — plus more like Cherry-Mang Tastee, a smoothie-style Sour; Never Never Found Found, a double-mango Gose; Dusty Roadz, an American Pale Ale; yellowferrari DIPA, Dirt Nap DIPA, Child Support, Sleeping Forever, and Totebier.

It’ll be the perfect party leading up to The Veil’s brand new Norfolk location, so grab your buds and head down to join the beach crowd with one of our favorite Richmond spots.

While the 4th this year falls on a Thursday, Garden Grove Brewing & Urban Winery is partying all weekend. Catch live music through the weekend with artists like Alice & The Reverie, Jordan Lette of The Folly, and Keith Yetter of Keith Yetter Band, plus Big Daddy Skillet is coming out on Friday to get the weekend started right.

More events continue on through Sunday with The Everafter, Nine Line, Second Suitor, Stereo-Types, Sleave, and more.

Over with our friends at The Answer Brewpub, the return of Summer Showers IPA happened over the weekend. This IPA is packed with flavors like citrus and a cloudburst of melon, and its tastes come from the brewing process with Australian Summer hops. The hazy brew is available now, so make sure to grab a glass while you can!

Coming up on Monday, join The Answer at Belmont Golf Course for their Monday Twilight League. The Answer will be out every Monday for a 10-week season hitting the course to play nine holes — no experience required! Men and women are both invited out to join, keeping their own scores and playing as teams with weekly contest holes and scoring service.

If you want to get in on the fun outside with The Answer, register here with Twilight Golf Association and grab your clubs.

One of the only big complaints I have about the craft beer scene is that the breweries always close too early. If I’m heading out to my favorite place to drink my favorite beer later in the evening after work, it can be a bit heartbreaking to have to cut it short early. Thankfully, Triple Crossing Beer is extending their hours for the holiday and staying open until 10 for the 4th — plus they’re dropping a few new can releases to commemorate the occasion.

If you’re looking for a good place to watch fireworks without all the crowds, Triple Crossing’s got you covered there, too. They’ll be blocking off part of their parking lot to give all their guests a sweet view of the Rocketts Red Glare fireworks that happen annually over the James, which is an extra-special way to view the colors in the sky in Richmond because of their reflection on the water. For anyone who’s heading down near the river for fireworks, Triple Crossing’s party is right up the road and definitely one you won’t want to miss.

Aw, shucks. Nah, Aw, Shmucks. Black Heath Meadery just made the jam-inspired mead we all never knew we needed. This sweet treat for “sitting on the porch enjoying the wonderful lazy days of summer” is coming out just in time for the holiday, so we can celebrate the All-American way.

If you’re out of town this weekend, be sure to swing by Scott’s Addition to get a taste of this one while they last. Their most recent batch of Muse is almost gone, but they’ve got tons of summer recipes on tap right now like Living Reflection — a tangerine mead that’s refreshingly-perfect for the hot days — Lavender Reflection, Pompelmo Reflection (with graprfruit and basil), and Triple Reflection, brewed with hops and topped with a fruity dynamic to keep the bitterness out and the flavor in.

Big cheers for Ellie Quinn: The burlesque queens of Richmond have assembled a team of their most heroic and villainous performers to pay tribute to the Earth’s Mightiest this Saturday at Center of the Universe Brewing.

Diving into what they call the deepest depths of nerdlesque, the dancers at this show will bring out their colorful sides to put together a performance packed with storytelling and tantalizing from their characters. For those of you who’ve never made it out to see burlesque in the River City (you’re missing out) you’ll be in for a night of some serious fun. Some points to remember are to put your phones away — photographers are the only ones doing the photos here — and be as encouraging as ever. And, of course, no touching. But that should go without saying (or at least I’d hope it does in a city like this). There’ll be pasties and tassels galore, so bring your party mood and head out for sweet brews and even sweeter boobs.

Ocean Echoes is making its way into the Three Notch’d RVA Collab House on Friday, and this Caribbean Wit is truly a beach-style beer. Brewed with toasted coconut and organic pineapple purée, this piña colada in a beer is full of all the oceanside tastes you’ll need for a hot day in the sand… or, if you’re in town, to cool off after a hot day on the asphalt.

A tip from us — take a glass down to the river and enjoy it by the echoes of the James. If you’re extra lucky, you’ll even catch a few kayak wipeouts to spruce up the afternoon.

Blood Orange IPAs and Citrus IPAs are on fresh at Midnight Brewery, with the release of Blood Moon Bliss and Luputopia out at the brewery. These perfect summer recipes will be followed up soon by Christmas In July, so for all my folks out there who, like me, are eagerly awaiting the cold weather’s return, hold out a little longer for a taste of winter’s happiest season. This time of year brings travel, tans, and days on the beach for many of us, but there’s nothing like cold air in Virginia and a spiced ale to go with it.

The Star & Beer Spangled Celebration at Castleburg Brewery and Taproom is coming up tomorrow as well, and this one’s right in view of the fireworks! Plus probably the best thing I’ve seen yet: FREE HOT DOGS! Hell yeah. Head over to Castleburg at 1pm and eat your star-spangled hearts out, plus grab paninis and pretzels to go along with Castleburg’s awesome beer. The fireworks at The Diamond will complete the evening around 9:15, so you can head over early to dog it up, or head over late to catch the show. Either way, they’ll have something for everyone throughout the day.

That’s it for this week’s RVA On Tap! As your weekly columnist, I’m here to take all your beer releases, event info, ideas and questions. If you’re a brewer, send me your release info at [email protected], and if you’re a beer enthusiast, drop me a line anytime to talk booze. Catch y’all next week!

RVA ON TAP: Beer, Bourbon & BBQ

Caley Sturgill | June 5, 2019

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

RVA ON TAP: Holidays & A Brand-New Strangeways

Caley Sturgill | May 22, 2019

Topics: beer, beer column, Black Heath Meadery, Canon And Draw, Center of the Universe, final gravity brewing company, Hardywood Park Craft Brewery, Hardywood West Creek, Intermission Beer Company, kindred spirit brewing company, Lickinghole Creek Craft Brewery, parkway brewing company, richmond, RVA On Tap, stone brewing rva, Strangeways Brewing, The Veil Brewing Co., Three Notch'd Brewing, Three Notch’d RVA Collab House, Triple Crossing Beer, woodbridge beer fest

This week, Richmond’s rolling into Memorial Day Weekend with tons of events to occupy your days. Don’t miss the Meet the Candidates event for the upcoming election with Three Notch’d, and the Woodbridge Beer Fest bringing out breweries from across the state.

Three Notch’d RVA Collab House is setting up their Meet the Candidates event tomorrow night for the upcoming election this November. If you’re upset about what’s been going on in the news lately (like myself), this is a good way to get at the next election early and start setting some changes into play before November. All 100 House of Delegates seats and all 40 Senate seats are up for grabs this November, so this election could very literally be life-changing for folks across the Commonwealth. Whether you’re passionate about the environment, LGBTQ rights, women’s rights, change in the justice system, or any other issue that gets your gears going……this can — and will — be a huge one, y’all.

The event focuses on marijuana policies and criminal justice, and is partnered with Virginia NORML, so you’ll be able to learn about every candidate’s stance on that issue, and meet them to ask your own questions as well. Start learning about what’s going on in your state, and start familiarizing yourself with the people fighting for power over it. Here at RVA Magazine we like to say Don’t Sleep — and this is a time to wake up. Big shoutout to Three Notch’d for hosting the candidates, and for setting up a political event with booze. Lord knows we’ll need it this year!

Also coming up this week is the Woodbridge Beer Fest on Saturday, which is hosting Stone Brewing Richmond along with many statewide favorites like Blue Mountain Brewery, Chaos Mountain, Mustang Sally Brewing Company, and more. The festival is “taking over the main drag of Stonebridge” for the third time, and will also have food, wine, root beer for kids, and plenty to do to keep the whole family entertained. The list of brewers in attendance keeps growing, so check out Woodbridge Beer’s website here to see the updated group of folks coming out.

Hardywood’s jumping into the Memorial Day Weekend celebrations as well, with a can release Friday, a draft release Saturday, and their Jonny Z Fest on Sunday. Leslie the Label Lady is their can release dropping Friday, and this hazy IPA with guava was also brewed as a fundraiser and in honor of Leslie, who creates all of Hardywood’s beautifully-crafted labels. After Leslie’s diagnosis with a brain tumor that was successfully removed, Hardywood brewed this new recipe up to support her and her family as she undergoes chemo and radiation treatment. Come out to drink for a cause, and help in the fight against cancer by donating your time (and taste buds) to the brewery.

The following day, Hardywood’s sending their Cuvee Peach fresh to the taps at both locations. Get a glass of this White Wine Barrel-Aged Belgian Tripel on Saturday and taste its sparkling, refreshing flavors with stone fruit esters and hints of vanilla from its toasted French oak barrels.

On Sunday, head over for the 11th annual Jonny Z Fest, which celebrates the life of the late, much-loved community activist, Jonny Zanin. The festival is packed with art, music, interactive booths, raffles, kids’ projects and play areas, and the Bizarre Market.

We’re sending a HUGE congrats over to our pals at Strangeways Brewing for the Grand Opening of their new Scott’s Addition this Saturday! This is a big week for Strangeways, between new beer releases, festivals, and the grand opening. With more than 30 beers from their tap lineup, Strangeways at Scott’s Addition is opening with a bang — and they’ll have SMoHK out with legendary BBQ and Southern food all day as well. At their new spot, the brewery has a 4,000 square foot facility and a large outdoor patio to welcome their third tasting room in the Commonwealth.

Unlike most brewery locations, SMoHK is stationed all the time to bring you a full menu of wings, pulled pork, brisket, smoked ribeye, plus sandwiches, desserts, and the #1 voted Brunswick Stew in Virginia. Grab a table with a server or hang anywhere and order straight from your phone, and bring your kids and pups along for the fun, too. They’ll be featuring special events in addition to their dog-friendly Biergartens, arcades and more, and I think it’s safe to say I’ve found my new favorite hangout spot for the summer.

In more news this week, they’re dropping their What the Astronauts Drink cans in the next edition of their 4-pack Saturday releases. This Berliner Weisse-infused beer is full of tangy flavor with orange fruits. You can also head over to their original location on Saturday for their Überlin Festival, with six different Berliner Weisse variations to ring in the summer. Drink up, y’all!

This Friday in Fulton, Triple Crossing Beer has Poor Icarus coming out fresh in cans. Its colors match its flavors, with notes of bright, tropical guava and sticky pineapple bringing the fruit into this DIPA. It was hopped with Vic Secret and El Dorado to create the perfect balance, and you can find it this weekend in cans next to its partner, Sight Lines IPA.

Sight Lines is dropping on Friday as well, and it was made to bring the West Coast to Richmond. Kettle- and dry-hopped with Simcoe, Citra, and Chinook, the 6% ABV pale ale has a hazy, yellow pour to compliment its firmly-crisp, pine finish. Citrus, tangerine, and melon flavors are also present to give Sight Lines a dryer, less yeast-focused brew than normal from Triple Crossing, and it branches off “into its own territory” at the brewery.

Yesterday at The Veil Brewing Co., Tefnut hit the taps for the second time in a new variation. If you can’t already tell from the color, this cosmic Imperial Gose was triple fruited with blueberries and blackberries. Each Tefnut recipe is brewed in collaboration with Omnipollo, and different fruits will make their debut in every new release.

To bring Tefnut to life, The Veil put their heads together with the fine folks of Omnipollo “to reimagine what a fruit beer can be,” working with new processes and fruit volumes, and creating some of the most colorful beers I’ve seen in my day. According to the brewers, it’s intense, luscious, and dripping with juicy fruit character — everything you’d expect from these two coming together. And drink with caution. This 11% ABV brew packs a much bigger punch than its pretty colors might suggest. 🔮

There’s Pie? I wish. This new mead came out with our friends at Black Heath Meadery last night, and it’s full of all-and-only the best fruits. Blackberry, blueberry, raspberry, and cherry honey wine all come together in a delicious swirl to bring There’s Pie? to life, and honestly, it sounds better than any pie ever could. This one’s a limited release, so get on it while you can if you’re hoping to get a taste. Only 60 bottles are available, and you’re only allowed one per day to make sure everyone gets their share.

Coming up this weekend, Black Heath is releasing a great variety of meads for the season on tap at the meadery, bringing out all the best spring and summertime flavors like Living Reflection and Sour Cherry.

Firepower! Final Gravity Brewing Co.’s Moon Cresta Double IPA delivers “a blast of orange citrus” along with its subtle notes of strawberry and tropical melon from its Belma and Citra hops. This is no normal fruit brew, though, my friends — it’ll take you to the next level with spicy notes to distinguish it from all the rest.

For more out-of-the-ordinary tastes this weekend, Final Gravity is hosting Southern Spud, a new food truck to the Richmond scene that offers up “impossibly-loaded gourmet baked potatoes,” along with fries and mashed potato bowls that serve heavenly combos of sweet, salt, and tang. According to Final Gravity, they became a brewery favorite from the first time they came out, so head on over this Sunday to find your next favorite, as well.

Fun on the farm? You betcha — Lickinghole Creek Craft Brewery has plans this Memorial Day, too, with Jack Ryan Music Live all day on Saturday and Ryan Hearn coming out to play through Sunday. Firesides food truck is coming out to cater a delicious variety of eats along with the fun. If you’re looking to get out of the city this holiday weekend, Lickinghole is a big favorite and always a blast to hang out at.

Homefront IPA is returning to Center of the Universe this Saturday. Brewed with Cascade and Chinook hops, this traditional American IPA adds a bright, crisp citrus zing to the summertime favorite after being brewed with maple bats for a delicious wood flavor in the tank.

100% of all proceeds from this tasty beer go back to the Soldiers’ Angels nonprofit, which protects the nation’s protectors by providing aid and comfort to veterans, soldiers, and their families across the country. The release party for Homefront IPA is being catered by Grandpa Eddie’s Alabama Ribs & BBQ (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!), which is my absolute, total all-time favorite BBQ I’ve ever had in my life, and holy wow, if you haven’t tried them, you’re missing out. Every time I see this name pop up on a brewery event I get twice as excited for it.

Tomorrow night ahead of the weekend festivities, COTU is hosting the start of their Spring Corn Hole season, and you can even win prizes at the end of the league if you sign up to start now. I spent my weeknight evening last week out playing cornhole at Parkway Brewing Company in Salem, and got my throwing arm back in shape for the summer. Whether you’re in the city or the mountains, cornhole is always a solid way to spend your day.

In more events this week, Intermission Beer Company is hosting a Skywatch this Friday with the Richmond Astronomical Society. The society is breaking out the telescopes to hang at the brewery and tell bystanders all about the night sky, answering your questions and letting you take a step to the lens to see closeups of the moon and planets visible around the universe. And if it’s looking cloudy beforehand, fear not — they’ll be setting back up the following night if the Skywatch gets rained out. It’s a great time of year to see some special constellations, even despite the light pollution downtown, so there’s a great show coming if you make it out.

Calling all our comedy fans! Which I’m assuming is everyone, because there’s nothing better than a laugh and a beer. Canon & Draw Brewing Company is starting up their monthly comedy showcase tonight, hosted by Dylan Vattelana and featuring performances from three more comedians this week. Anthony Thompson, Winston Hodges, and Kate Carroll are all hitting the stage tonight at 7, so make your way to the Main Street spot for some good brews and good times. Admission’s free!

If you’re looking to get out of the city but don’t want to go too far, set your eyes on Goochland. Coming up this Saturday is Kindred Spirit Brewing’s Bluegrass Jubilee. It’s free and all-ages, so bring your fam or bring your buds and come out to listen to some good ol’ Virginia tunes. They’ll have catering by River City Wood Fire Pizza — and if you’ve had wood-fired pizza before, you know it’s some of the best. Bands like The Slack Family, Cook Country Bluegrass, and River City Band will be jamming it up while you cool down with Kindred Spirit’s brews out at their spot in Goochland all afternoon and evening.

RVA ON TAP: American Craft Beer Week & History in the River City

Caley Sturgill | May 15, 2019

Topics: American Craft Beer Week, beer, beer column, beeristoric tour, castleburg brewery and taproom, final gravity brewing company, Garden Grove Brewing, Hardywood Park Craft Brewery, Intermission Beer Company, Lickinghole Creek Craft Brewery, RVA On Tap, smartmouth brewing, Stone brewing, Stone Brewing-Richmond, The Veil Brewing Company, Three Notch’d RVA Collab House, three notchd, Triple Crossing Beer, vasen brewing

What’s happening, craft beer lovers of RVA?! Welcome to this week’s RVA On Tap, RVA Magazine’s weekly column for all your craft beer-related events, releases, festivals, and all the booze news your hearts desire.

This week, we’re celebrating American Craft Beer Week and taking tours all around the city to celebrate the great history of beer in Richmond, from brand-new brews releasing to old-school locations from breweries in centuries past.

Before we jump into all the stellar brews coming out around town this week, Happy American Craft Beer Week, everybody! Some of our favorite locals at Three Notch’d RVA Collab House will be celebrating the occasion this week with special events across all four of their locations. Here in Richmond, the festivities started off on Monday with a special tapping of an old favorite, Big Poppa Biggie S’mores, and a Sour House tasting last night at the brewery. Tonight, you can catch Music Bingo at 7pm, or head out tomorrow night for their Flagship Thursday Happy Hour. Passion For A Cure drops Friday at the brewery, a Passionfruit-Mango Gose which was collaborated with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, in addition to their 65 Roses Hibiscus Blonde Ale. To close things out on Saturday, they’ll be doing special limited tappings of Cherry Current and American Sour with Apricots all evening, so head on out and drink up!

*PHOTO: Beeristoric Historic Taverns Walking Tour*

Starting off the history theme this week is Richmond’s 10th Annual Beeristoric Historic Taverns Walking Tour. If you remember from last fall, Beeristoric rode around in November, but this weekend’s tour marks the event’s first walking tour around historic tavern sites downtown. Supported by the organization and by An Bui of The Answer Brewpub, they’ll be visiting sites this Saturday like breweries from the American Revolution, 19th-century German immigrant spots, Christopher Newport’s “beer share” with Powhatans on Fulton Hill in 1607, and James River Steam Brewery — built by David G. Yuengling Jr., which is, you guessed it, the OG Yuengling’s son.

Brown Distributing has teamed up with Mike Gorman, a professional historian. “This is a celebration of our city and our scene, and I didn’t want to lose it,” Gorman said. “As long as there are people that want to hear about the past, present and future of Richmond’s beer community, I want to be there for them.”

Our River City is full of history, and this is a great way to be a part of it. If you’re up for the trek, the tour will walk about 1.5 miles in 2 hours (which really isn’t too far, if you’re familiar with walking around town), and will stop by places like Lickinghole Creek’s Shockoe Location and a few pubs along the way. They’ve only got 30 tickets available, so if you’re into it, get ‘em while they’re hot.

On to the next! Richmond Historic Haunts has teamed up with Three Notch’d Brewing, Buskey Cider and Bingo Beer Co. to do a similar walking tour through Scott’s Addition. Richmond Historic Haunts is the company that brought us some of our favorite Halloween events, and they’ve got even more on the books right now for history buffs. They’ve got Uncivil Wards (which finds the city’s lost Civil War hospitals and prisons), Rails & Sails (through the city’s oldest neighborhoods, to see how the James and trains contributed to the city’s rise), and now Brewing In Richmond to highlight over 300 years of fermenting.

Speaking of history, one of our favorite beers from last fall just made it. If you remember Smartmouth Beer’s Saturday Morning release in Norfolk, it was a Lucky Charms-flavored beer meant to recreate those delicious mornings from your childhood in front of the TV watching TV history’s best cartoons. Saturday Morning ended up becoming the most-hyped beer *in craft beer history,* which is a huge deal considering how many brews get the national beer scene pumped every season. They only had 100 cases to sell, and they ended up in the papers and on television even down to Florida — which is pretty impressive for a single beer, to say the least. A big congrats to Smartmouth on this one, and I hope another run comes soon so we get to taste it in Richmond!

Here’s the summer release I’ve been waiting for: Southern Peach Suncrush at Hardywood! If y’all couldn’t tell by my drooling over last week’s peach cobbler beer, I’ve got a soft spot for this fruit. Southern Peach Suncrush is hitting the taps on Saturday, and they’ve got a few can releases this week as well:

Dreamlike and The Original Five Flavors are coming out for #FreshCanFriday, and they’re suited to their names. Dreamlike is pillowy-soft, big-bodied and full of citrus. “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.

The Original Five Flavors is inspired by Lifesavers, and fruited to match the early days of a classic candy: with cherry, orange, lemon, lime, and pineapple. In beer form, it’s a tart ale, and this 5.0% ABV brew hits in pretty low to enjoy any day of the week.

Happy birthday, Castleburg Brewery! These guys are celebrating their third trip around the sun this year, and they’re throwing “one heck of a party” for it. For the occasion, head over to their spot on Ownby Lane this Saturday to eat, drink, and be merry with live music and free stuff! Yep, the first 200 people through the door get a free gift — so happy Castleburg’s birthday to you, if you make it over in time. They’ll have bands like Cashmere Jungle Lords and King Easy jamming throughout the day, with guest taps like Oozlefinch Craft Breweries Dude Blanket New England IPA, and Blue Toad’s Apple Blueberry Cider. Castleburg’s also bringing the return of the Queen to their castle, with The Queen’s Garde, Bier de Garde back to their taproom.

This week we’re also celebrating the 3rd birthday of the Richmond location for one of the nation’s largest craft brewers, Stone Brewing. Stone is not only one of my most favorite beers I’ve ever had, but an American favorite from coast to coast — and like we learned a few weeks ago at their movie release party, even across the Atlantic Ocean at their brewery in Germany (as the first American independent brewery to jump the puddle to Europe). On Saturday, come out and celebrate the awesomeness that is Stone Brewing at their RVA spot with unique variations of your favorite Stone brews, vintage releases, barrel-aged beers and plenty more.

Last night, The Veil Brewing Co. brought back Dub Razz Tastee. This extra-special release from our favorite Scott’s Addition folks is a smoothie-style sour ale, and even the color itself is enticing enough for me to want to go grab a glass of it myself. It was flavored with double raspberry in its creation, and it shows. If you’re in the market for a taste, head on out to The Veil while it’s still around, and grab a 4-pack while you’re at it.

Are you a lover of Hanover’s Strawberry Festival? Growing up, my hometown had a major-awesome strawberry festival every year, and some of my favorite days were spent there as a kid. For all of us Richmonders, the Hanover Vegetable Farms 4th Annual Strawberry and Wine Festival is coming up this weekend, and Intermission Beer Company brewed up something special for it. Strawberry Blonde is coming out on Saturday along with the festival, so grab a glass of this American Wheat Ale while you can — it’s got a light body, low bitterness, “and of course: Strawberries!”

Out on our favorite farm, Lickinghole Creek Craft Brewery is putting the ass in glass with this donkey-painted brew. Juicy #11 is fermented “hot and fast” with Kveik isolated from the Horrinfal region of Norway, according to its brewers, and its intense-hopping process with El Dorado, Lemondrop, and Idaho Gem hops push out a strong taste. Look forward to full-flavored notes of pineapple, fresh-squeezed lemons, and a bit of pithiniess in this one. You can grab one out on their beautiful 300-acre farm this Friday and sit back with live music and great grub as well.

Our friends at Strangeways Brewing have their second can release dropping this Saturday, the Vegan Vampyre. This 4.8% ABV Gose with raspberries and lactose pours from the vampire-esque can with a slight pink tint, and according to its brewers, it’s fruity, tart, and refreshing with “just enough sweetness from the addition of lactose to balance out the pucker.” In its creation, it’s made with white wheat soured in a kettle before being boiled with sea salt, Huell Melon hops and the additions of lactose with coriander. You can grab a pack this weekend, and they’ve got more on the way in the series coming up.

*PHOTO: Garden Grove Brewing & Urban Winery*

In darker (and delicious) news, DEATH is coming to Garden Grove Brewing & Urban Winery this Saturday. No, not real death — if it was, I wouldn’t sound so excited about it. Garden Grove’s Belgian Quadrupel, promptly called DEATH in the 10% ABV beer, is being resurrected into the taproom after its start in their brewery “on a cold Winter’s day” more than a year ago. This one’s for the heavy beer fans, with ripe and dark fruit flavors aged over 14 months in Cabernet Sauvignon barrels. DEATH is also a double-medal winner, with awards taken home in both the 2016 and 2017 Virginia Craft Beer Cups.

Blast Off! Gyrus Double IPA is heading straight through the Earth’s solar system this Friday at Final Gravity Brewing Company.

“The force field is strong,” they say, “and your defenses are weak against this one.”

Brewed with Loral, Calypso, and Amarillo hops, this recipe is packed with floral, grapefruit, tropical, and apple-pear tastes. Catch it this weekend, and head over to Final Gravity tonight for Dart Night if you’re looking good on the board and looking for prizes. Come one, come all, because teams don’t matter: your teammate will be drawn randomly, which means single players are invited to come try their hand as well. And if you’re really into it, you can even bring your own darts. Game on!

Väsen Brewing Company’s got a secret. This Saturday’s can release is a not-so-well-kept secret they let out on purpose, because it’s too good to keep to themselves. Cashmere Secrets is a velvety-smooth DIPA made with Cashmere, Vic Secret, and Mosaic hops and packed with flavors like pineapple, peach, raspberry, and smaller hits of coconut and pine. It’s dry-hopped and ready to make its debut into your mouth, available in cases as well.

RVA ON TAP: Pre-Spring Events & Anti-Valentine’s

Caley Sturgill | February 13, 2019

Topics: Center of the Universe Brewing Company, Hardywood Park Craft Brewery, Lickinghole Creek Craft Brewery, Pajamarama Bar Crawl, River City Spirits Festival, RVA On Tap, Strangeways Brewing, the answer brewpub, The Veil Brewing Co., Triple Crossing Beer

This week, our early spring (as predicted by our groundhog pal Punxsutawney Phil recently) might feel freezing, but it’s opening up some events and releases to get us out of the house after a chilly season of hibernation for the River City.

To start bridging that “I’m freezing and tired but I really want to go out” gap that plagues us all this time of year, Citymixr is hosting the RVA Pajama-Rama Pub Crawl this Saturday… so if you’re debating whether to leave the house because putting on jeans feels like too much work, here’s your ticket to freedom. The crawl will hit six spots throughout the city, starting with Phase 1 at District 5, then moving into Shiplock Brewing and Southern Railway Taphouse for Phase 2. Then it’s off to Cha Chas, AGAVE, and Sine Irish Pub to finish off the evening.

Side note — Citymixr is on its way into RVA with cheap beer prices for groups of friends. I would very much like to get discounted alcohol for bringing a few buds along. More on this soon!

While we’re in the spirit of events, the River City Spirits Festival is also headed to town this Saturday. This one is big news: more than 20(!!) Virginia breweries and cideries are all coming together in harmony out at Stony Point to pour alongside one another. From Richmond: Intermission Beer Company, Steam Bell Beer Works, Ardent Craft Ales, and our friends at Strangeways. We’ve got more on the list from town with James River Cellars, Bell Isle Moonshine and more, plus plenty of awesome distilleries and wineries around the state. Don’t miss out on this one! Tickets are available here.

In new brews this week, Triple Crossing is hosting a Can Jam! First on the list of their triple-whammy can release this Friday is Space Falcon, a 7% Falcon Smash IPA made with Galaxy hops. This one hails from its Falcon forefather, taking the original recipe and dry-hopping with an “exorbitant” amount of Australian Galaxy. The process brings in a large flavor of pineapple and citrus, layered on with Falcon’s dark marmalade-orange character. Head out to Fulton to pregame your weekend with our favorite East-Enders.

#FreshCanFriday keeps up the can releases over at Hardywood this weekend, with Wyldflower hitting the taps and 16oz cans of the 8.8% ABV Double IPA brew. Wyldflower’s made with Wildflower Honey, Denali, Cascade, and Idaho 7 hops, ready to jump-start your days off with a perfect natural-tasting combo.

If you’re looking for fun with a bit more of a learning experience, head out to Hardywood West Creek this Saturday & Sunday for an open-house tour of their beautiful West End farmhouse spot, letting you meet the production team and get behind-the-scenes inside their massive brew room.

Wow, I can’t really think of anything better than this. The Answer Brewpub has a special this week for Valentine’s Day — an Imperial Milk Stout with Oreos and French Vanilla Coffee!!! !! In teeny tiny 8oz cans! Ennol Angus is my dream come true. I know I’m heavy on the dessert beer excitement whenever they come out, but bear with me. This rules.

More Valentine’s specials are on the way with Castleburg Brewery, who are releasing their The Seige Chocolate Raspberry Stout on V-Day itself. This sweet milk stout is brewed with cacao nibs to give the perfect “melting moments of chocolate” to complement its subtle hints of raspberry.

At their Valentine’s Day Market this Sunday, Strangeways dropped an Under The Rose Wild Rosehip Saison made with these very rosehips, found up on their property in Fredericksburg. The addition of these little plants brings in a Saison tea-like flavor, which is complemented by its lemon peel with malty, subtle brandy notes.

Bitter? Alone? Sweet, us too. Center of the Universe has just the fix this Valentine’s Day. Head on over to hang with our buds at COTU and have plenty of beer, live music, food, and “a bunch of like-minded people who want to enjoy a Saturday without getting bombarded by stupid Cupid’s arrows.”

Thank god. Lonely hearts unite!

If you’re unlike the former and you do have someone to celebrate this V-Day, make your way over to Lickinghole Creek Craft Brewery for a nice beer pairing dinner this Thursday out at their spot in Goochland. The Farm is ready to go and stocked with plenty of brews, like their West-End special Three Chopt Tripel — and my personal favorite, Redneck High Society. They’ve also got a Blueberry Obsession Imperial Stout with graham cracker-crusted cheesecake (mother of god, yum), and Something Loyal. Get out of the city and have some fun on the farm with your honey this week.

If you’re looking to completely ditch Richmond this weekend and hard-avoid bumping into your ex in public again, check your tires and fill up your tank, ‘cause The Veil Brewing Co. has a road trip for you! Head down to Norfolk this coming Sunday for a meetup with their head brewer, Matt Tarpey, and hit up “Table Manners.” They’ll be hosting a close dinner with their chef and brewer with five courses and beer pairings down near the beach.

RVA ON TAP: Snow Law, Winter Warmers & Furry Fundraisers

Caley Sturgill | December 12, 2018

Topics: ardent, Final Gravity, Hardywood, Isley Brewing Company, Lickinghole Creek Craft Brewery, RVA On Tap, strangeways, The Answer, three notchd

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!

Snow week! I hope you’re all staying warm out there, and I’m sure a good bit of you are participating in Richmond’s honorary Snow Law tradition: Which means, in effect, that snow means no rules and we all pause the city to hang (and drink) at home. It’s the perfect opportunity to whip out that special-occasion craft brew you’ve been saving.

Another triple release is coming up this Saturday at Strangeways, and girl, do they look good. Atoms for Peace, a 6.5% India Pale Lager, is named for a speech: The original Atoms for Peace program was set by Eisenhower to show the public how scientific endeavors could be used for peace. Ditch the war, hello to peace. This lager got its name for taking its regular process and turning it into something new, as well — Atoms for Peace utilizes some of the traditional techniques from macro breweries and shows how they can be used in craft brewing. With that comes a crisp, refreshing lager made with Strata Hops, one of Indie Hops’ newest varieties.

Sing With Dier is next for this weekend’s release, a milk stout that starts with the same base as Sing With Animals but brings in Dier House Coffee Roasters’ Tobosi coffee instead. It shares the graham cracker, molasses, coffee, and baker’s chocolate background of its predecessor, but brings in some milk chocolate notes with almond and raspberry. Pyrus drops this Saturday as well, and this Foraged Pear Saison gets its name from the pears that were foraged directly from Strangeways’ brewery grounds in Fredericksburg. How much more authentic can you get? This one’s got a dry but round body, delivered by Virginia malted wheat and with a touch of fruity notes.

If you’re in the market for events this week, be sure to check out the Strangeways Gingerbread House Competition tomorrow night. Bring your creativity, and tacky Christmas sweaters are strongly encouraged!

Ardent is championing the chilly-weather brews this week, with Winter Warmer fresh at the brewery. Winter Warmer dropped over last weekend, and this perfectly-spiced beer is truly made for the season. With nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and honey malt with brown sugar, it couldn’t be more “December.” The sweetness from the spices is balanced out with the addition of East Kent Golding, an English hop, and it comes in at 7.5% ABV. According to its brewers, it tastes like Christmas in a glass — and you’ll definitely find it on my to-try list this holiday.

Let the shopping continue! Craft shows in December are the best — full of all the best handmade goods from makers around the region. The tradition continues at Lickinghole Creek Craft Brewery this Saturday, and the festivities will be rolling all day at the farm. It’ll be catered by Wooded’s Pulled Pork Plus (one of my all-time favorites), and you can catch live music by Pat Russell in the afternoon. Swing by the farm to see their giant Keg Christmas Tree and see how big it really is.

Out at the brewery, Eric stands about 6’6” next to this monster keg tree… so my best guess is I’d come up about halfway short. If you make it out, drop your photos with the keg tree in the comments on this article — I’d love to see how you all measure up!

Our friends at Hardywood have jumped in this week on the national trend of helping Butte County’s Camp Fire fund, with 100 percent of the profits from their Resilience IPA releasing this Friday going toward the fund. We first learned about this one in a previous column, and since it’s coming up this week, it’s time to get excited! Go use the opportunity to drink for a good cause, and enjoy Hardywood’s craft IPA while knowing you’re helping out the Sierra Nevada Camp Fire Relief Fund.

Following up on Saturday, Hardywood’s releasing their Double Barrel GBS + Mega GBS. The Gingerbread Stout season is one of Richmond’s favorites with Hardywood, and it feels like all over Virginia, these beers are in the fridge when I travel. Who doesn’t love a Hardywood GBS? The season is coming to an end with a bang this week, with a double release of two latest variations. Their Double Barrel GBS is aged in Bowman’s bourbon barrels for “eight glorious months,” then in grape brandy for a few more to top it off. Mega GBS is a perfect blend of ginger, honey, cinnamon, and vanilla all wrapped up into one tasty milk stout to make those cold winter nights a little more cozy.

Oooooh, Final Gravity Brewing Co. has something good up their sleeves. The Return of 12 Parsecs is back and as spacey as ever, with this Star-Wars inspired brew. This one’s a fan favorite, according to the brewers, and it’s made with the hops from Falconers Flight to make this DIPA “burst with citrus and pine aroma, while tasting ever-so-smooth.” It sounds like the perfect weekend blend, and it’ll be ready just in time for this week’s when it debuts on Friday. It’s available in Crowlers, and they’re expecting it to go fast… so get your hands on it while you can!

For this week’s Tap That Friday, Three Notch’d Brewing Company is coming out with their Lip Service New England IPA, at 6.3% AMV and collaborated with David Hunter and friends. It’s named after the “epic lip-sync battle that took place after the first keg was tapped,” and wow, I wish we had a video to accompany it. According to the brewers, it’s a little more bitter with less ABV than a typical NEIPA, so it’s more approachable, and lets you pack that deep taste in without such a high alcohol content. It’s still got the super-smooth feel going down the hatch that “regular NEIPA-drinkers have fallen in love with,” and with its Amarillo and Mosaic hops, it’s perfect for providing a nice fruity finish with a blend of citrus, melon, and tropical flavors. It sounds like a nice break from the holiday brews (which, no shade, we all know they’re my *favorite*), and a good way to get some of those all-year flavors in your fridge.

Healthier pets, happier people, better world. If you’re looking to show your support for your four-legged friends, check out Isley Brewing Company’s Furry Fundraiser this Saturday to raise money for local animals in need of homes. A percentage of sales all day will benefit the sweet residents of the Richmond SPCA, and even has a tacky sweater contest for your pups! What more could you want? Every year, the Richmond SPCA saves more than 4,000 pets, and with its life-saving programs in adoptions and through the SPCA’s Susan M. Markel Veterinary Hospital affordable healthcare, the Richmond SPCA truly does do its part — and as a former resident herself, my pup can vouch for that 100 percent.

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!