What’s happening, craft beer lovers of RVA?! Welcome to this week’s RVA On Tap, RVA Magazine’s weekly column for 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 craft beer, and we’re not riding out this virus without our favorite local brewers… but this time, we’re bringing them home with us. 

This week, things are unusual in the River City. If you’re trying to stay safe from coronavirus but can’t wait to satisfy that local IPA craving, we’ve got you covered! Our favorite Virginia brewers are getting creative, with everything from curbside to-go pickups to home delivery of the best brews in town. You’ll get all the best, in alphabetical order, to find your local favorites easily. Don’t miss out, Richmond, and continue supporting local business! 

We’ve got pickup and delivery services from brewers like The Answer Brewpub, Ardent Craft Ales, Center of the Universe Brewing, Intermission Beer Company, Isley Brewing Company, Final Gravity, Fine Creek Brewing Company, Garden Grove, Hardywood Park Craft Brewery, Lickinghole Creek, Starr Hill, Triple Crossing, Väsen Brewing Company, The Veil Brewing Co. and more. Stay healthy, and drink up. 

The Answer Brewpub

In to-go brews, The Answer Brewpub is first on our list today of local spots that will be doing carry-out purchases. If you want to swing by for a pack of your own, they’ll be open Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday from 12-5pm. 

The Answer will still be releasing fresh recipes during this time, and some great options available are listed below: 

• Rum Passionfruit Double Painkiller (crowlers)
• Black and Blue Double Puffsicle (crowlers)
• JUS: Passionfruit Mango Lemonada (crowlers)
• Strawberry Guava Double Swirlsicle (crowlers)
• Pineapple Double Swirlsicle (crowlers)
• Raspberry Mango Double Tootsicle (crowlers)
• H.U.B.A Brown Ale (crowlers)
• Nicht Trocken Doppelbock (crowlers)
• Dope AF Session IPA in 4-packs, 6.5% ABV. ($15+tax) 
• College Fund DIPA in 4-packs, 8.0% ABV. ($17+tax) 
• Hairy Coconuts Imperial Milk Stout w/ Toasted Coconuts and Oreos in 500ml bottle. ($15+tax) 
• Crowlers of any Joose on tap. ($20/piece) 

To find out more on which brews The Answer currently has on tap, check out their draft list here on Untappd. If you’re planning to stop by for a to-go order, the brewery is encouraging you to please follow CDC safety guidelines. The CDC is providing lots of great information on how to stay safe, and it’s even broken down by public places like local schools, work, events, universities and more. The Answer will be implementing additional sanitization and cleaning procedures, and minimizing risks by all means necessary. They’re doing a great job for customers and the community to keep everyone safe. 

Keep up with The Answer on Facebook and Instagram for updates and more details. 

Ardent Craft Ales 

(Updated) ARDENT HELPS:

Ardent has recently launched a food bank initiative, teamed up with Sysco, The Holli Fund, and Digital Minerva. Ardent Helps is a resource to support restaurant workers during the COVID-19 crisis, and this food bank is free for restaurant staff that have been laid-off, furloughed or are suffering from reduced hours. Impacted people can place orders online at www.ardenthelpsrva.com. 

Orders may be placed seven days a week, with pick-up times at Ardent Craft Ales’ taproom at 3200 West Leigh Street in Scott’s Addition during the brewery’s operating hours of 2-8pm on Tuesday-Sunday. Participants are asked to show their most recent pay stub to confirm eligibility upon pick up. A variety of perishable and non-perishable items donated by Sysco will be available. Ardent is accepting shelf-stable food donations to support the program and monetary donations to directly benefit affected restaurant workers via grants from the Holli Fund.

BEER PICK-UP AND DELIVERY AT ARDENT:

Ardent Craft Ales is offering curbside pick-up options, and they’ve started delivery as well. These orders can all be placed here, and guests are welcome to swing by the taproom for quick to-go orders — but staying on-site afterward is not permitted, so plan to drink these at home. All orders will be open from Monday-Friday 2-8pm, and Saturday and Sunday from 12-6pm. You can also call the taproom at 804-359-1605 to place orders. 

For pickups, park in Ardent’s parking lot off Highpoint Avenue, and give the taproom a call to let them know you’re there. They’ll bring your orders out and check your ID at your car, so folks won’t have to get out and come inside at all. These are expected to be available within 30 minutes of the order being placed, so shoot for that time frame, and you’ll receive updates from Ardent if there are any delays due to higher volumes of orders. 

For deliveries, drivers will come to the address provided, and IDs will be checked upon arrival. Be sure to plan for it — if you’re unavailable when they arrive, they’ll bring your order back to the taproom and keep it available for pick-up. Curbside pick-up is free, and so is delivery within Scott’s Addition. Within 5 miles, the delivery fee is $6, and $12 for anything up to 10 miles away. Be sure to tip your drivers to support the taproom crew during the shutdowns! 

Center of the Universe Brewing

UPDATE: Head to cotubrew.square.site for Thursday & Friday delivery of their best recipes. They’ll be offering delivery within a 20 mile radius of the Ashland brewery, and delivery times from 12-7pm. You can place orders at (804) 368-0299, or via the website by checking “Fulfillment Method” and “Delivery” with your address before finishing check-out.

COTU has released their Orange Blossom Honey Ale: A BEEr to BEE Generous to help support their staff during this time.

“Due to the circumstances, this popular seasonal brew will only be available at the brewery and not for distribution, which means we have a lot of it! Rather than dump it down the drain, we are using it for its original purpose: to help others,” says Center of the Universe Brewing Cofounder Phil Ray. 

The BEEr release has been moved up to Friday, March 27, and $30 of every case sold will go directly to the COTU staff relief fund. In addition to the sale of BEEr, Center of the Universe has also been hosting virtual concerts on their Facebook page and asking viewers to tip by contributing to their GoFundMe. They will also be pooling all tips for the staff. 

Center of the Universe is offering to-go sales only, with adjusted taproom hours. Curbside pickup is available as well.

Customers can park alongside the front curb and proceed to the front door. Patrons will stay outside, and COTU team will deliver orders to the front. All tips received will benefit the front staff during closures. 10% off all case purchases and a buy $50 worth of COTU gift cards and get $10 free promotion. Growlers can be filled (only with the purchase of a new growler). Kegs are available, ordering via email at [email protected] for availability and pricing. Gift cards are available here.

Final Gravity Brewing Co. 

Over at Final Gravity Brewing Co., to-go pours are available for every brew you could dream of: all you need to do is grab a Crowler. They’ll be open from Tuesday-Sunday from 2-7pm, plus 12-7 on Saturdays and 12-6 on Sundays. Check out their website here. They’ve got a few awesome brews on tap, listed below: 

• Flagship beers 
• Doppler Effect, IPA 
• Firestation 5, Amber Ale
• James Brown Ale 
• Obelisk Stout 
• Irish Goodbye 
• Hazy Double IPA, weekly release 

Final Gravity will also be processing payments for orders over the phone, so you can call ahead to have your Crowlers ready for pick-up. Keep up with them on Facebook for more updates as we move forward. 

Fine Creek Brewing Company 

Out at Fine Creek Brewing Company, beer delivery is now available, and the taproom will be open from Thursday-Sunday with only to-go orders on beer. Food is available now as well, with great options posted up on their menu online. They’ll be open from Thursday-Saturday from 3-7pm for beer and food preorders only. Here’s a few beers to add to your list that they’ll be featuring: 

• Vitalism IPA, Hazy IPA with papaya, citrus zest, and mild floral notes. 
• Rotbier German Red Lager, with toasted malt, low bitterness, and light caramel. 
• Imperial Stout, bold, roasty, with dark malt and rich molasses character. 

Check out Fine Creek’s website for a full list of beers available for pick-up and delivery, and find them on Facebook for updates and more information. 

Garden Grove Brewing & Urban Winery 

Garden Grove will be open for limited hours during the shutdowns, from 12-8pm Monday through Friday and 12-9pm on weekends with curbside pickup and delivery. They’ll also be joining the safety precautions of focusing on to-go cans and bottles. This is an especially awesome place to support right now, because they’ll be taking a portion of to-go sales to support the taproom staff that’s unable to work during this time. For service industry workers, this is an extremely hard time to get by, so please do what you can to support local business as the city gets through this health crisis. 

Along with carry-out orders, they’ve also started curbside pick-up for all their best brews. With your favorites like EarthTone, you’ll be able to order beers here and pick them up from your car to keep things safe. They’ve just tapped a few new ones, as well: 

• BOMB beers 
• Give ‘Em Helles 
• Berserker 

They’re keeping things safe, and encouraging folks to use curbside pickup to limit the number of customers in the taproom at any given time on to-go orders. Keep up with them on Facebook for updates. 

Hardywood Park Craft Brewery 

Hardywood Park Craft Brewery was originally closed, but with a great update, they’ve started offering to-go service for beers!

For all us Hardywood enthusiasts, head over to https://hardywood.com/to-go-beer/ and place your order online. Now that everything’s set up, you can grab packs of your favorite Hardywood brews like Richmond Lager, Hardywood Singel and more. They’ll be offering awesome new beer releases and fun online events like virtual beer tasting panels, so be sure to stay updated with them going forward.

Hours of operation for to-go service are Tuesday through Friday from 2-7pm, and Saturday & Sunday from 11am-4pm.

Keep up with Hardywood on Instagram and Facebook for more updates, and make your way out to support!

Intermission Beer Company 

Intermission Beer Company has introduced delivery! Delivery hours are from 4-9pm Wednesday through Friday, 3-9pm Saturdays, and 3-7pm Sundays. They’ll deliver within a 5 mile radius of Intermission, and reserve the right to cancel any orders further than 5 miles away. You can check here to see if your address is within their range. Place orders here, and expect a text from their delivery driver when they’re on the way. Be sure to have your ID ready when they arrive, too! If you are unavailable at the address provided when our delivery driver arrives, your order will be returned and made available for Curbside Pick-Up at Intermission. Any delivery orders placed after 3pm will be delivered the next day.

The taproom is closed, but while events are postponed or cancelled, the taps are still flowing. They’ll be open Wednesday-Saturday from 3-7pm, and closing at 6pm on Sunday. To grab a curbside pickup order, call or text Intermission at 804-585-0405 and they’ll deliver it straight to your car when you arrive. Here’s some of their favorites that will be available for single cans and Growler fills: 

• Work Spouse IPA 
• Conjured Darkness Milk Stout 
• Ovation Hard Seltzer 

The list goes on! Check with Intermission on Facebook for updates as things go on, and catch up with them to find out more about brews on tap. 

Isley Brewing Company 

To-go cans are available at Isley Brewing Company, and hours out at the brewery will be Tuesday-Friday from 2-6pm, and Saturday and Sunday from 12-4pm. The tasting room will be closed, but all 13 of their beers on tap will be available for pickup. Here’s a few of their favorites: 

• Choosy Mother, 4-packs of 16oz cans. ($13+tax) 
• Blueberry Plain Jane, 4-packs of 16oz cans. ($13+tax) 
• Rhizome Sun IPA, 4-packs of 16oz cans. ($13+tax) 

Delivery service also started at the brewery from 2-8pm, and to participate, just text your order to 804-449-0721. Be sure to include your name, address, email, and what you’d like to order in four-packs, then let them know when you’re there. There’s a minimum purchase of two four-packs per order, and delivery charges will apply. A big plus with Isley: they deliver up to 10 miles away from the brewery — so if you’re located further out, it’s no problem! Check their post here for more information on ordering, and keep up with Isley on Facebook for updates. 

Lickinghole Creek Craft Brewery 

Multi-state shipping and drive-thru pickup now available! Get your brews online with Lickinghole Creek Craft Brewery. Here’s a few great recipes from the brewers: 

• German Chocolate Cake Lager, 9% ABV.
• Sunflower Saison, 7% ABV.
• Juicy #19 and French Toast coming soon!
• Something Chill, #18 Juicy Series, New England IPA. Huell melon, Amarillo, and Samba. Notes of citrus, cantaloupe, grapefruit, and tropical melon. 
• Swish Swish, Tripel Brut, 11.0% ABV. 
• Virginia Black Bear, Russian Imperial Stout. 9.3% ABV. 
• Nuclear, Imperial Honey IPA, 10% ABV. 
• Rosemary Saison, Virginia Farmhouse Ale, 6.8% ABV. 
• Three Chopt Tripel Ale, Tripel Ale, 9.3% ABV. 

And there are *plenty* more (check here for a full list). Head over here to their website for more information on policies regarding COVID-19, and as Lickinghole Creek notes, their Shockoe location will offer only scheduled pick-ups of pre-orders. You can send them a message online for pre-orders, and out at the farm, sales will be limited to the outdoors only. We’re all doing our best to stop this spread as soon as possible so we can get back to normal! Catch up with them on Facebook here. 

Starr Hill Richmond Beer Hall & Rooftop 

Starr Hill is also keeping things safe, with to-go beer sales taking place during abbreviated business hours. Order online here, as they’re doing online orders only. All of their year-round beers will be available, in addition to some special favorites from the brewery. Be sure to catch up with them for a full list, and here’s a good group to get you started: 

• Air Drummer New England Style IPA. Ripe with Citra and Galaxy hops, giving it a passion fruit character with hints of pineapple.
• Looking Glass IPA. This juicy IPA packs notes of pineapple, mango, and passion fruit without the backside bitterness.
• Spring Tour Variety Pack combines a few of the best. The box includes seasonal fan-favorite, Looking Glass IPA, the wildly popular Roxanne Raspberry Sour from our Say It Ain’t Sour Lineup, and, tried and true classics… The Love Wheat Beer and Grateful Pale Ale.
• Ramble On Juicy IPA, 7.0% ABV, 4-packs of 16oz cans. Lush, tropical fruit aromas of juicy grapefruit and pineapple. Expect a soft and silky mouthfeel with low bitterness. 
• Stay Forever Espresso Stout, 7.3% ABV, 4-packs of 16oz cans. Robust espresso stout with a hint of chocolate and roasty notes, plus a smooth body, brewed with coffee from Crozet Coffee Co. This beer is part of Starr Hill’s Artist Series, and as such, its can artwork was designed by one of their employees: Marta Huckstep, GM of the Crozet Tap Room. 
• Currant Affairs Blackberry Currant Sour, 6.3% ABV, 4-packs of 16oz cans. Smoothie-style sour ale, packed with sweet blackberries and rich black currants. Deep purple hues and a velvety mouthfeel balance its tart and refreshing flavor.
• Northern Lights IPA, year-round 
• The Love Hefeweizen, year-round 
• Grateful Pale Ale, year-round 

Keep up with them on Facebook for updates on hours and information, and check their website here for news on their COVID-19 precautions being implemented at the brewery. 

Strangeways Brewing

Our pals at Strangeways Brewing are dropping some special releases this month, coming together in a triple release called Covid-19 SUX. The triple brews include:

• Gnar Shredder New England DIPA
• Martian Spring Biere de Mars (hoppy ale)
• Playday Pils

They’re also coming with a bonus Wampus Cat Triple IPA in four-packs. The brewery is open at all three tasting room locations for delivery, curbside pick-up, and to-go orders with happy hour deals, “Steal the Vessel,” and “Steal the 4-Pack of Cans” on special.

Their hours are from 2-7pm Monday through Friday, 12-7pm on Saturday, and 2-6pm on Sunday. Here are a few extra promotions to get you going before you order:

1. Get ANY of their beers in a 32oz Crowler/Can•able for only $8 (Can is FREE with Steal the Vessel/no minimums with this promotion)
2. Buy ANY three 4-packs of 16oz Canned beer, and your fourth 4-pack is FREE (Steal the 4-pack of Cans/no minimums with this promotion)
3. All 6-pack bottles only $9.99
4. For Curbside Pick-up or To-Go Only, get ANY of their beers in a 32oz glass Grunt for only $8 or in a 64oz glass Growler for only $15 (brand new glass containers are FREE with Steal the Vessel/no minimums with this promotion)

Be sure to catch up with Strangeways on their website for a full list of beers, and for the most-updated brews available.

Triple Crossing Beer 

Triple Crossing Beer has started their to-go service offered only with can and Crowler pickups. If you’re feeling hungry, they’ve also got food to-go, which is a great unique note for these brewers in particular. To-go service will be offered daily from 12-8pm. Here’s a few releases coming out this week that are available to-go: 

• Tiny Pils
• Hilltop Franconian Kellerbier
• Baby Falcon, 12oz cans 
• Space Falcon IPA
• DDH Falcon Smash IPA 
• Falcon Smash IPA 
• Falcon Heavy DIPA 

Triple Crossing is also offering delivery options, and thanks to a high demand, they’re able to keep supporting their staff while the taproom is closed. Be sure to tip your delivery drivers well, and help service industry folks get through these shutdowns. Head here to order downtown pick-up orders, and here for Fulton pick-up orders. Keep up with Triple Crossing on Facebook here. 

Väsen Brewing Company 

Väsen Brewing Company will be providing to-go sales only, with hours from 12-7pm. Order by 2pm for same-day delivery. There could be changes to their hours and days of operation, so be sure to catch up with them on Facebook for the most current updates. Here’s a list of their available beers packaged to-go: 

• The Velvet Walrus on Raspberry, Milk Stout.  
• The Velvet Walrus on Vanilla, Coffee & Cinnamon, Milk Stout.  
• The Velvet Walrus on Vanilla & Mint, Milk Stout.  
• Norse, DIPA. 
• Cashmere Secrets, DIPA.  
• Hyperborean Galaxy, DIPA. 
• Guava Passion Sour, Sour Ale. 
• Radapils, Pilsner. 
• Hane, Brett Beer, available in bottles. 

They’ll be doing Crowler fills of any beers available on draft that aren’t already in 4-packs to-go, and an ordering station will be set up outside the main entrance so folks can order and pay without coming inside. This will help limit the spread of the virus, and ensure that nothing inside the taproom is touched by anything that’s not sterilized. 

Check here for a full list of their beers available in packaging on the brewery’s Untappd page. 

The Veil Brewing Co.

The Veil Brewing Co. will be doing outdoor to-go sales from both locations. Cans will be sold directly outside of the main entrance of our taproom under a tent in the parking lot side of both locations. All draft and on-site consumption will be temporarily unavailable. For to-go and delivery, email The Veil at [email protected] (Scott’s Addition) or [email protected] (Norfolk) to get brews delivered to your house within a 12 mile radius. Be sure to include your name, number, and delivery address along with your requested order in your email!

Can releases are still going down, so be sure to catch up with The Veil on Facebook to see what’s coming out each week! In addition to Triple Barrel Maple Syrup and Double Barrel Aged Maple Syruphis available on their website, releases include:

• Sticky Toffee Pudding Hornswoggler
• Tefnut
• Never Never Call Me Call Me
• Xo
• The Weapon
• Melancholia
• Child Support  
• Sincere
• Special Combo #5
• Broz Day Off³
• Throne

Bonus: Barrel Thief Wine Shop & Cafe 

For our wine drinkers, Barrel Thief Wine Shop & Cafe is also offering pickup and free delivery (within the local area) for orders. 

If you’re interested in grabbing a bottle, they’ll be open from 12-6pm daily for the retail shop — but the cafe will be closed during this time. Give them a ring at 804-612-9232 to place orders, and catch up with them on Facebook here in the meantime until things return to normal. 

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!