RVA beer

TAPPED: Cheers to Independence at Strangeways, Castleburg’s Prepare to DIePA, & Väsen’s Smoked Blood Peach Sour

RVA Staff | June 27, 2018

Topics: Blue Bee Cider, Castleburg Brewery, Fine Creek Brewing Company, Hardywood, RVA beer, rva beer news, tapped, triple crossing, Vasen Brewing Company

What’s happening craft beer lovers of RVA?! Welcome to this week’s “Tapped,” RVA Magazine’s go to weekly craft beer column where you can find all your craft beer-related events, releases, festivals and all the booze news your little hearts’ desire.

If you missed last week’s beer news, you can check those out here. Our cup is overflowing with news this week from releases to events, and other cool happenings around town, so hold on to your mugs because we’re getting ready to tap this thing!

Breweries all around town are gearing up for Independence Day, and Strangeways Brewing is no exception. This Saturday is their “Cheers to Independence” Beer Release. They’ll be releasing a whopping four beers for the event, starting with the Everlasting Light Lime Kolsch, a light, crisp ale made with Mandarina Bavaria hops and boiled with lime and kaffir lime leaf. They’ll also feature a new IPA, the Work Jorts IPA, a new sour ale, the Comfortably Plum American Sour, and the Cantilever Dark Ale, a hybrid of several beer styles with a malty backbone, some character of hops, and the crispness of a blonde ale.

The event starts 11 a.m. Saturday and lasts all day, and teachers receive 20 percent off all in-house beer.

Tonight, Castleburg Brewery and Taproom will release their latest IPA: You Killed My Father, Prepare to DIePA. An homage to our favorite vengeful Spaniard from the popular film ‘The Princess Bride,’ it’s a beer even Inigo Montoya could enjoy after a long day of sword training. It will slice through your tastebuds with citra, comet, mandaria bavaria, and flavors of nuget–and for the bloodthirsty avenger in you, don’t be surprised to find notes of blood orange.

Back by popular demand, Väsen Brewing will be re-releasing their Smoked Blood Peach Sour brew tonight. The beer’s summery vibes of citrus and peach combine with a light smokiness and hints of toffee make it a fan favorite. Be sure to stop by their Paint Party starting at 6 p.m., as local artist Shay Wilson will guide you through painting on reclaimed wood canvas as you sip away.

Triple Crossing has teamed up with Foam Brewers to create a few new juicy brews, one of which will release this Friday. The Distance DDH IPA perfectly combines the new brewers’ techniques and makes an interesting combination of yeast and hops. Bold notes of ripe mango, key lime pie, orange rind, and pineapple make it a great summer treat, and will be released alongside the Falcon Smash IPA.

Recreating a historical beer that originated in Berlin, Hardywood is releasing Cucumber Berliner Weisse–a light, refreshing, and tart beer that the Germans of old sipped to beat the heat. Hardywood uses traditional German ingredients along with a kettle souring method and will be releasing their newest canned beer this Friday.

Looking for a place to watch the fireworks on the 4th, but don’t want the crowd? Blue Bee Cider has the perfect solution. Join them next Wednesday for the release of their Firecracker New Vintage small batch cider, a ginger-infused eau de vie fortified apple brandy with plenty of pineapple aroma, a rich, smooth sweetness, and ginger zing on the finish. Kids and dogs are welcome, and the event kicks off at 1 p.m.

Submissions or ideas for Tapped can be emailed to Amy at [email protected] Cheers!

Featured Image: Strangeways Brewing

Tapped: Fine Creek Turns 1, Hardywood’s Pint of No Return, & American Craft Beer Week Releases

Amy David | May 16, 2018

Topics: RVA beer, RVA breweries, RVA craft beer, RVA On Tap

If you missed last week’s beer news, you can check those out here. Our cup is overflowing with news this week from releases to events, and other cool happenings around town, so hold on to your mugs because we’re getting ready to tap this thing!

Sunday is Fine Creek Brewing Company’s One Year Anniversary Party and the Powhatan brewery is celebrating big! They will have a limited amount of their Whiskey Barrel Aged Imperial Stout on draught, as well as bottles for sale. Biere de Miel, a farmhouse-style ale brewed with some local Hot Honey will also be flowing in the taproom. Eli Cook and Cook County Bluegrass will be playing all day Sunday. Fill up on burgers and corn out on the grill. Fine Creek’s Game Winner IPA is also back on draught. Head out to the brewery located at 2425 Robert E. Lee Road to help them celebrate!

Isley Brewing returns this Friday with their weekly infusion, this go around its “Isley Goes Nuts,” a peanut butter gose. Sounds a little crazy, but I’m willing to try anything with peanut butter! Hits the taps Friday at 4 pm.

To Celebrate American Craft Beer Week, Lickinghole Creek in Goochland is giving complimentary tours and tastings. Sample their Belgian-Style Ale, Three Chopt Tripel, and all its selected Barrel Aged variants, along with their Premium Barrel Aged Russian Imperial Stout, The Enlightened Despot and all its flavored Variants this Wednesday and Thursday. Tickets here.

On Saturday, Castleburg Brewery will release As You Wish, an English Mild Ale in honor of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Royal Wedding. Queen Elizabeth approved!

Hardywood will release its CRASSEUX, a 6% a Grisette with notes of cantaloupe and honeydew that come alive once you get a taste along with a little spice. Crisp lemon peel and tropical fruits take over in the finish. Available in Richmond, West Creek & Charlottesville. Draft + 4×16 oz. to go ($15). The brewery will also release PINT OF NO RETURN, an American Lager by Hardywood Park Craft Brewery, The Happy Hour Guys, and The Phantom of the Opera on Broadway. This clean and crisp lager pours as black as night and you’ll get hints of toasted pecan, a mild hint of black currant and smoothly roasted undertones. A portion of the sales from Pint of No Return will benefit Musicians On Call, supporting their vision of a world filled with the healing power of music. Proudly brewed in Richmond, Virginia for The Broadway Brews Project. Available in Richmond, West Creek & Charlottesville. Draft + 4×16 oz. to go ($16).

On Monday, Garden Grove Brewery & Urban Winery will host a taproom dinner featuring Chef Jason Alley of Pasture. Five courses of mouth-watering cuisine will be matched with five of GG’s brews. $39 Plus Tax & Tip. Happy Hour Starting at 6:30 PM.

Triple Crossing’s downtown location will have Coconut Night Lands, a 10% Imperial Stout with heaping amounts of toasted coconut with notes of chocolate and caramel. Crowlers starting at noon.

Strangeways Brewing is celebrating with tons of fun activities for American Craft Beer Week. Check out the schedule below.

Final Gravity Brewing Co. is back with its weekly IPA release this Friday. This time, its “Looks Like Another Love TKO Citra IPA. Savor strong citrus and tropical flavors as you lose all thoughts and sense of time.

Twisted Ales Brewing how has Twisted Musketeers, a chocolate milk stout for you to try out. Might seem heavy for this weather, but its chocolate so you can’t go wrong there.

On Saturday, Midnight Brewery has a refreshing beer release to cool you off with its Watermelon Lime Kolsh. Made with fresh watermelons and lime, the subtle juicy flavor is the brewery’s personal twist on their regular New Beginning brew.

Three Notch’d RVA Collab House is going all out for American Craft Beer Week. Today, they’re tapping “Peeled Oak,” a golden sour. From the brain of Sour House Head Brewer Brian Martin comes this deeply complex, tart, barrel-aged golden sour that lives up to its name.

On Thursday, the brewery is releasing Michelle’s White Wedding Belgian Ale. The 5th rendition of this Belgian White Ale is brewed in honor of the anniversary of Three Notch’d RVA Brewmaster Dave Warwick and his wife, Michelle. Pint specials run until 7 PM. Stick around for trivia which starts at 7 pm.

On Friday, Three Notch’d is keeping the American Craft Beer Week celebration going with its Bee Student release, a honey bourbon barrel imperial milk stout brewed in partnership with the University of Richmond. The official release will be happening in mid-June, but head to the brewery this Friday for a sneak preview!

Saturday will culminate ACBW at Three Notch’d will their big celebration. Some of the Three Notch’d favorites are making their brief return on tap (tappings to be announced at the end of the week), Live Music by Planet Hunting Methods at 7 pm and wood-fired pizza in the city from our friends at Pizza Nostra RVA from 3-8pm.

On Friday, Petersburg’s Trapezium Brewing Company will release its Strawberry Blonde Ale. This beer took home a Gold medal at last year’s Virginia Craft Brewers’ Guild Awards. It was the favorite beer of our the brewery’s friend, Cecil Martin, who passed away. For this release, the brewery is teaming up with his family this year to celebrate Cecil and raise funds for Comfort Zone Camp, which serves children who have lost parents or primary caregivers. $1 from each Strawberry Blonde pint sold will go towards the organization.

Make sure you head out to Intermission Beer Company this weekend as well because the Glen Allen brewery has a quite a diverse lineup in its taproom including a pale ale, smoky wheat, milk stout, Vienna cream, an IPA, and an Irish Red Ale.

Tomorrow is Third Thursday at The Veil Brewing Co. which means between 5 and 8 PM, 15 percent of proceeds will be donated to a local charity. This time, its Celebrate RVA, a local non-profit organization which works to give disadvantaged children a memorable birthday celebration in a safe and fun environment. Bunsik Dumplings will be serving the most delicious dumplings so go out for beer and delicious food for a good cause!

Submissions or ideas for Tapped can be emailed to Amy at [email protected] Cheers!

Top Photo By: Fine Creek Brewing Company

Tapped: Ardent’s IPL, Lickinghole’s Bourbon Barrel Tripel, & COTU’s Summer Moon Release

Amy David | April 25, 2018

Topics: craft beer, RVA beer, RVA breweries, RVA craft beer, RVA On Tap

This Sunday, Strangeways Brewing will host its annual Bow Wow Luau, an event benefiting Richmond Animal Care and Control Foundation. In year’s past, they’ve donated over $45K to animal organizations.

Beers, dogs, food trucks, pet vendors, live entertainment, prizes and more. The free event is dog-friendly and will have Adoptable Dogs on site, 36 Beers On Tap, Pet Contests, a Silent Auction, and more. See link for full lineup of entertainment, food, and details. $5 suggested donation to give towards RACC to help them keep saving lives for dogs and cats in Richmond!

Looks like a delicious Sunday Brunch at Triple Crossing’s Fulton location this weekend. Beermosas, Nitro Cold Brew Coffee, breakfast pizzas, and more!

Ardent Craft Ales will release its IPL (India Pale Lager) this Thursday. Tropical fruits and citrus abound in this crisp and light brew. They’ll have Freekin’ Rican – Puerto Rican Food Carts & Catering cooking in the beer garden, plus one more surprise beer release to announce!

This Thursday, Three Notch’d RVA Collab House returns with its weekly collaboration. This time, its “Conch,” a Caribbean Wit with Pineapple and Coconut made in partnership with Rocketts Landing restaurant, Conch Republic. Pint specials run till 7 PM. Stick around for trivia which starts at 7 pm.

On Saturday, Lickinghole Creek will release its Three Chopt Bourbon Barrel Tripel. Food Truck Eastern Star will be serving up good eats, and there will be live music by 3rd Wave.

Head out to any Hardywood location this Friday or some sweet can releases of “Brian’s Typos”, a hazy IPA that offers juicy hop forward flavors and Pineapple Upside Down Cake Berliner Weisse (contains lactose) available on draft and for growler fills only. Biran’s Tpyos will be available for the first time in 4/16oz cans to go for $16

This Sunday, Garden Grove Brewing & Urban Winery will release cider, adding to its diverse beer and lineup. There will be a rotating selection of ciders released throughout 2018. The initial offering New World Dry Cider 8% ABV is a dry cider crafted from Gold Rush Apples. New World Dry Cider is a collaboration Cider with Blue Bee Cider.

On Saturday, the inaugural Wonder City Craft Brew Fest kicks off in Hopewell. 30+ craft brews from over 15 local & regional craft breweries, music by Magnolia and Zack Artis, arts & crafts vendors, food trucks, and more! Tickets are $10-$50 and can be purchased here. 12-6 pm. 403 Appomattox St. More details here.

Blue Bee Cider will host their annual spring festival this Saturday, the Virginia Cider Jam, which will focus on berry ciders. The event will open with brunch from 12-3pm with berry-inspired eats from Mean Bird (12-3pm). Agriberry CSA and Farm will also offer fresh fruit for sale.The cidery will offer two flights featuring eight berry-infused ciders and six guest cideries, including…

Big Fish Cider, Co. – Church Hill Blush (Raspberry)
Courthouse Creek Cider – Bella Vita (Ginger & Raspberry)
Mt. Defiance Cidery and Distillery – Blush (Blueberry)
Old Hill Cider – Virginia Strawberry
Potter‘s Craft Cider – Strawberry Ginger
Winchester Ciderworks – 522 Blackcurrant

Today, Vasen Brewing Company will release its Golden Sauvin, a smooth golden strong ale with notes of white wine from a generous dry hopping of Nelson Sauvin hops.

On Friday, Final Gravity Brewing Co. will release its Magnificant 7 DIPA, an 8% brew with tastes of apricot, red grapefruit, and papaya with notes of pine and black tea that willl have you sailing into the weekend.

Center of the Universe will release its Summer Moon Imperial Wheat Ale brew on Saturday. Summer Moon Raspberry Lemonade Imperial Wheat Ale is brewed with 5 cases worth of fresh lemon zest and over 300 pounds of raspberries! Summer Moon pays homage to the 5th Annual Summer Moon Music Festival which takes place every Memorial Day weekend, so mark your calendars for May 26th & 27th!

Fine Creek Brewing in Powhatan will have a Bluegrass Jam this Thursday, and will be donating a portion of proceeds to FeedMore. The brewery will also release a Zwickel Pilsner, a light dry pilsner with a slight haze.

Submissions or ideas for Tapped can be emailed to Amy at [email protected] Cheers!

Top Photo By: Center of the Universe Brewing

Tapped: RVA Mag/Tom Tom Kickoff Party, Twisted Ales’ Sleight of Hand, & Fine Creek’s Citra Mosaic IPA

Amy David | February 28, 2018

Topics: RVA beer, RVA breweries, RVA craft beer, RVA On Tap

Some of the coolest news is that RVA Mag will be partnering with Charlottesville’s Tom Tom Founders Fest this spring. The week-long fest will have over 100 events, 300 speakers, and 70 bands. Tom Tom is the largest gathering of “innovators, visionaries, and artists who are shaping small cities,” in the Commonwealth. Like any great event, the festival will bring together musicians, artists, civic innovators, and social entrepreneurs across a series of panels, roundtables, mixers and immersive talks. Keynote speakers include Dan Rather, Bill Kristol, and John Clease. RVA Mag Editorial Director Landon Shroder will be speaking on the After August 12: Freedom of Speech and Domestic Terror panel. Anyway, the Richmond kickoff event to celebrate our partnership with Tom Tom is going down at Hardywood this Thursday from 6 to 8 pm. Come have a beer with us and the people of Tom Tom and learn about the festival!

This week at Fine Creek Brewing, they will have the return of their Citra Mosaic IPA, with a massive amount of whirlpool and dry hops to create tons of citrus and tropical fruit flavors.

Triple Crossing will have bottles of Raspberry Sliced and Green Dreams DIPA at both locations this weekend and Downtown they will have Fierce Abandon IPA. This 5.5% IPA is jammed packed with notes of crazy juicy fruit apricots, ruby red grapefruit and clementine oranges. Hops we featured are Citra, Mosaic, and Simcoe. This will be available Downtown tomorrow at noon in Crowler format.

Center of the Universe will release its Chic Saison brew this Saturday. The Ashland brewery brewed this French Farmhouse Saison brewed with Mangosteens which are grown in Southeast Asia and contribute a tart and tropical fruit punch that pairs perfectly with the spicy qualities of the French Saison. The beer clocks in at 6.1% and offers the perfect way to welcome in Spring!

This Friday, Final Gravity Brewing Co. will release Rites of Spring, a smooth 5.5% lager brewed with ginger and honey. And they will release a new Double IPA, Cipher which brings the haze and the hops including Loral, Falconer’s Flight, Galaxy, and Citra. Both available in Growlers and Crowlers.

Twisted Ales has come out with an experimental IPA called Sleight of Hand. It was fermented with wild yeast captured outside of our brewery. It is not your typical IPA. Blood orange and mango flavors, 7% ABV.

On Saturday, Vasen Brewing will release its American Pale Saison, their version of an IPA that’s a double dry-hopped golden saison with moderate bitterness with flavors and aromas of ripe peaches and grapefruit from Citra hops.

On Thursday, Three Notch’d RVA Collab House returns with its weekly collaboration. This time, its “Tapped Potential”, a saison made with the Frontier Project. The Frontier Project leaves their mark by working with businesses to facilitate positive change in their company’s culture. Expect fruity and early flavors from this Belgian saison. Pint specials!

Screens n’ Suds’ Beer and Arts Festival returns to RVA this Saturday, this time at Studio Two Three. There are three different ticket options for this fest, ones for the casual beer drinker up to one for the hardcore craft beer lover. Tickets, depending on price, get you samples, a commemorative glass, early access, and more. Details on what’s included with VIP, GA, and the free ticket option can be found at the link above. Screens: A brand new print series created specifically for the event will be released at the event at noon. Check out the lineup of artists vending on the Facebook event. Suds: Your VIP or Suds ticket will include hand-picked beverages for the event during the hours of your selection. Noon-6pm for VIP Tickets and 2pm-6pm for Suds Tickets! List of breweries participating can also be found on the event page. Tickets are $50 for VIP and $33 for a Suds ticket which can be found here. All proceeds from this event will go to National MS Society Virginia-West Virginia Chapter, Gallery5, and Studio Two Three.

Tonight, Chef Mike Ledesma, who will open his Scott’s Addition restaurant Perch soon, will take over the menu at Matchbox Short Pump, pairing his cuisine with Blue Bee Cider’s ciders and Vasen Brewing beers. He will create several a la carte items. You can click the link for the menu. 5-9 PM. And if you need another reason to go besides delicious good, cider, and beer, ten percent of proceeds from Mike’s menu benefit Holton Elementary so go eat and drink for a good cause.

Today, Buskey Cider is doing an experimental hops collaboration event with Yakima Valley Hops. Team Buskey flew out to Yakima, Washington, where some of the world’s best hops are grown. Yakima Valley Hops picked out eight varieties that they highly recommended for dry hopping in ciders. $15 gets you a sampling of our 8 experimental hopped ciders and the opportunity to chat with our production team. You’ll also be entered into a raffle for some cool cider and hop related items.

Submissions or ideas for Tapped can be emailed to Amy at [email protected] Cheers!

Top Photo By: Twisted Ales

RVA #31: Väsen Brewing Company Owners Talk Beginnings, Sours, & Future Plans

John Reinhold | January 11, 2018

Topics: craft beer, RVA beer, RVA breweries, RVA craft beer, RVA On Tap, Scott's Addition, Vasen Brewing Company

There weren’t any local breweries pouring an IPA-free menu when Väsen Brewing Company opened with its mix of farmhouse ales, sours, and Flemish reds. The Scandinavian-inspired brewery is a novel development in Scott’s Addition’s burgeoning beer scene. RVA Mag President John Reinhold sat down with the founders, cousins Tony Giordano and Joey Darragh, to learn how they got their start, what they do differently, and what they plan for the future.

Originally printed in RVA #31 WINTER 2017, you can check out the issue HERE or pick it up around Richmond now.

What gave you the idea to start a brewery?

Tony Giordano: This whole thing started eight years ago, on a day with our grandfather, drinking some Oskar Blues from a can. We were like, “Dude, we could totally open a brewery.” It took us this long to get it up and rolling and learn everything we actually needed to know.

You grew up together in Northern Virginia, but then you went out to Boulder to get your feet wet with big beer production, right?

TG: Yeah, [Boulder Beer is] still a craft brewery because it’s under a certain number of barrels, but I was out there to cover all the bases, learn the machinery, bottling lines, canning, keg lines.

What did you two do before this?

TG: I was a U.S. Army Ranger from 2003 to 2007. I got out, got accepted to University of Colorado for a degree in environmental science. I went out there and just fell in love with the craft scene; it was booming. I got to meet a whole lot of people from the industry, and started working on a bottling line for like, $9 an hour.

What about you, Joey? What’s your background?

JD: Around the same time he moved to Colorado I moved to California to go to grad school at Stanford for mechanical engineering. After I graduated, I got a job at Tesla.

That’s a dream job. Why’d you leave?

JD: Well, I was there for six years. At the time I started they had just started developing the Model S, and that was my main project. Lots of testing and tool development.

When I started, the company was about 500 people. When I left, it was over 15,000. It had transformed a lot while I was there and my interest is in smaller companies, startups. To wear a lot of hats and just do a lot of experiments, make mistakes, learn along the way.

Why did you come to Richmond?

TG: We decided it would be best to head home; we have all our family here. And Virginia hadn’t been represented by a strong sour or farmhouse presence yet. Northern Virginia is great, but we wanted somewhere that was a little laid back.

My brother was at VCU at the time. He was like, “Come check out Richmond.” [We looked here and] Charlottesville, and we were like, we want to be in Richmond.

It’s a great beer scene, but people outside the industry sometimes think there’s almost too much. Is that a real concern?

JD: No, not coming from Boulder, Denver, and the San Francisco Bay. Even though Richmond is kind of unique, a smaller city, and actual density of breweries per capita is high, the overall numbers are still relatively low given that there’s a lot of tourism here and surrounding counties outside of Richmond.

TG: We’re still not even relatively close to other metropolitan areas.

What brought you to Scott’s Addition?

JD: It was in our top three neighborhoods, but it was this building. We had very specific needs, like tall ceilings for these tanks. They had to be at least 20 feet tall.

TG: Because this building is so large, it had sat on the market for two and a half years. It was just such a huge space. We were the first ones to rent here. We walked in and I just saw this long, beautiful hallway, with all this natural light.

What were your biggest challenges?

JD: Fundraising and legal red tape. We had a seed to start with, but when it came time to put our money where our mouth is and start buying equipment, we had to look into loans. It was a slog.

TG: Beer-wise, it was trying to get people in Richmond, a really IPA-heavy town, to come to our place, where we had no IPAs on the menu. We’re trying to change people’s palates. Strangeways had sours, but we do our sours in a different manner. The response we’ve seen so far has been super positive.

Image may contain: drink — Guava Gose 7 Session Saison

It’s harder to make a sour, right? What’s the turnaround difference?

TG: A lot harder. It takes five weeks. For an IPA, we do three or two weeks.

JD: Our beers are more dependent on yeast and bacteria, which is a lot harder to control. They are living creatures, you have to understand how to keep them happy.

What’s your growth goal? Are there plans to expand out of state?

TG: At max capacity, we’ll be able to produce 16,000 barrels of beer a year, and that doesn’t include our sours. So we’ll be able to cover the entire state of Virginia and parts of D.C. probably. We don’t want to leave the state.

Where did your different beer styles come from?

TG: At Boulder Beer, we made a lot of traditional beers, ales, IPAs, porters, stouts, a lot of cask beer on a large scale. But [that] wasn’t the type of beer we wanted to make. So we traveled to Germany, Belgium, England, and finally Sweden, looking for traditional styles of beer that we could make here.

And your sour program is amazing.

TG: I don’t want to call them all sours, they cover a wide gamut. Right now we’ve got a golden sour, a Flemish red, a Bière de Garde, even a Bière de Miel that we made with Bill from Blackheath. And the farmhouse beer! Everybody made the jump from IPAs to sours but there’s this awesome middle ground, and that’s going to be our biggest push in bottles. We’re bottle conditioning to start releasing in January or February.

How do you set yourself apart, outside of your beers?

JD: It’s important to us to engage with the broader Richmond community, the outdoors, the environment, non-profits. We’ve met athletes, non-profits that are doing things like clean-ups. We’re trying to support them through time and money, but also in getting them together to build a bigger community.

What’s the long-term goal? Start-up, build, then sell?

TG: No way. We made this to start a family business. We consider John [our lab guy] family, my brother might start working here, and honestly, I think the days of those deals are done anyway. For us, we’re just going to build out on our own.

Photo Credits: Vasen Brewing Company

RVA #31: Fine Creek Winter Releases, Lickinghole Creek Expands, & Triple Crossing 2018 Brews

RVA Staff | December 28, 2017

Topics: Canon & Draw Brewing Co., Fine Creek Brewing C ompany, Garden Grove Brewrry & Urban Winery, Hardywood, Legend Brewery, Lickinghole Goodwater, RVA beer, RVA craft beer, RVA On Tap, Steam Bell, triple crossing

These blurbs originally appeared in the RVA ON TAP section of RVA #31 WINTER 2017. You can check out the issue HERE or pick it up around Richmond now.

Canon & Draw Brings Steam Bell To A New Neighborhood Under A New Name

Chesterfield’s Steam Bell Beer Works is expanding into the Fan, albeit under a different name: Canon & Draw Brewing Company. Although the brewery was originally scheduled to open in late summer or early fall of 2017, construction did not begin until mid-October. Canon & Draw is now scheduled to open down the street from Foo Dog and Heritage in January of 2018, and will launch with ten different beers, as well as a variety of craft sodas also produced by Steam Bell. Steam Bell’s Trussings Craft Fizz craft soda brand, which produces intriguingly flavored fizzes like Berry Basil and Apple Sage, recently received a Made in Virginia award from Virginia Living magazine. The brewery has plans to begin canning the sodas in early 2018 and distributing them to local grocery stores and other retail locations.

On the Steam Bell beer side of things, the brewery has some exciting releases planned for the early part of next year as well. Tiramisu Stout, one of the brewery’s flagships, recently saw a bottle release. The coffee- and vanilla bean-aged imperial milk stout proved quite popular, selling out on release day. While the brewery already bottled two variants in November, one with coconut, and one aged in rum barrels, there are still plans to keep releasing variants in the early part of 2018, although details on those variants haven’t been hashed out quite yet. Also, be sure to keep an eye out for Elliebell, Steam Bell’s collaboration with Ellwood Thompson’s. Elliebell is a light-bodied saison made with local red beets, which lend an earthy sweetness to the beer; and local turmeric, which adds a zesty bite.

Garden Grove Adds Wine To Their Already-Impressive Brew Offerings

Richmond’s first winery opened on Oct. 21, when the rebranded Garden Grove Brewing & Urban Winery launched in the Carytown neighborhood. Joining their diverse beer selection are a wide range of wines, from the traditional Chardonnay and Petit Verdot to sparkling and still honey wines and even pyments, a grape and honey hybrid. Some of the wines will be available in bottles, but most will be served by the glass, an approach shared with their beer offerings.

If the move seems unusual, it’s worth noting that co-owner Mike Brandt is a studied viticulturist and winemaker, who previously worked at Naked Mountain and Linden Vineyards before starting Garden Grove with Ryan Mitchell three years ago. The grapes are grown on a half acre leased from Arterra Wines in Fauquier County before they use them for wine — and the occasional beer, such as Death, a Belgian-Style Quad made with Petit Verdot grapes.

Powhatan’s Fine Creek Brewing Company

In the last few years, Richmond has seen breweries crop up and flourish beyond its city limits. Goochland’s farm brewery Lickinghole Creek, fellow Goochlanders Kindred Spirit Brewing, Midnight Brewery in Rockville, and Steam Bell Beer Works in Chesterfield County, just to name a few, have made a name for themselves with unique beers, drawing the craft beer lover out of their comfort zone. One that’s managed to fly under the radar a bit is Fine Creek Brewing Company, Powhatan’s first brewery.

Located off Huguenot Trail, the brewery is operated by the folks that own The Mill at Fine Creek, a Southern wedding venue that opened in 2004. Co-owner/manager Mark Benusa and his family, along with Head Brewer Gabe Slagle, decided to expand with a farmhouse brewery, taproom, and beer garden on a separate five-acre property back in May.

Fine Creek launched with a solid lineup of brews like Tractor Juice, a DIPA fermented with Fine Creek’s house saison; a tart farmhouse ale Grisette; a Pale Ale; and Tiger Yum Yum, a Thai Tea Milk Stout which blends flavors of a creamy Thai iced tea with roasted chocolate and vanilla notes. They’ve quickly expanded with their weekly beer releases, regular live music, and a seasonal, locally-sourced menu including the new addition of brunch, gaining support and appealing to local residents as well as city dwellers.

The brewery has eight beers constantly rotating, and their most recent draft lift included the Sweet Potato Old Ale, made with sweet potatoes grown on their property; Fresh Pots! Breakfast Stout, made with Blanchard’s Dark As Dark Cold-Brew Coffee; the Turf and Twig Brown Ale; and Game Winner, a juicy, hazy IPA made with Citra and Amarillo hops.

And don’t sleep on them this winter because Fine Creek is stocked to go with new brews, as well as more releases in the coming months. The Powhatan brewery has added some darker styles and more IPAs to its diverse lineup including a dark saison, brewed with dates. Their Imperial version of Tiger Yum Yum Thai Tea Milk Stout (pictured up top) and Powhatan Mimosa, a Belgian beer with Citra hops and orange juice, made their debuts recently, and be on the lookout for an imperial peated porter and an imperial stout made with molasses, both aged in whiskey barrels, which are slated to drop soon.

Plans are also in the works this winter to start bottling some of their sour and wild ales, along with the whiskey barrel stouts and porters. Expect to see a limited amount of each on draft each weekend starting in the late winter and early spring.

Lickinghole Creek Craft Brewery is celebrating Black Friday with the opening of their Goodwater Brewpub in Shockoe Bottom. Unlike Lickinghole Creek, which is known for saisons and big beers, Goodwater is serving up more accessible, lower-ABV beers, such as the Maidens Blonde Ale, Scarlet Honey hoppy red, and 9 Mile Goodwater IPA.

Across town in Newtowne West, Hardywood is heading into the holiday season with multiple variations on their popular Gingerbread Stout. The first two variations are Christmas Morning, a coffee-conditioned version, and Rye Whiskey Barrel-Aged GBS. On Dec. 9 they’ll release Kentucky Christmas, a Kentucky Whiskey barrel-aged version of Christmas Morning, followed by Double Barrel GBS, a mix of rum barrel- and bourbon barrel-aged Gingerbread Stout, on Dec. 16. This last release is timed to coincide with a public art project where visitors will be invited to paint on four barrels.

The winter seasonal at Legend Brewing Company is an English-Style Amber, named Ember Ale. They also have a limited variant of their flagship Brown Ale for Jan. 16.

In keeping with the name, Triple Crossing Brewing Company is issuing three releases for the beginning of 2018. The line-up consists of Interstellar Burst Double IPA, Clever Girl IPA, and a new fruited variant of their Waxing Poetic Berliner Weisse. This will be the first appearance of Interstellar Burst since it was awarded second place in Paste Magazine’s taste test of 176 IPAs from 170 different breweries.

Blurbs by Cody Endres and Amy David