The Veil Brewing Co.

RVA ON TAP: Can Jams & VA Collabs

Caley Sturgill | August 14, 2019

Topics: Ardent craft ales, beer, beer column, Canon and draw brewing, Charlottesville, events, goochland flow arts festival, Hardywood Park Craft Brewery, Lickinghole Creek, RVA On Tap, Steam Bell Beer Works, The Veil Brewing Co., Three Notch’d RVA Collab House, three notchd, Vasen Brewing Company

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, the brewers of Richmond have tons of great releases (and a few drive-worthy events) to keep our glasses full. If you’re looking for a summer weekend trip to get out of town, Three Notch’d has a collab fest with its Charlottesville location that sounds like a great way to spend your Saturday.

This week, Hardywood Park Craft Brewery is doing an awesome throwback on #FreshCanFriday with their can release of Raspberry Short Kate. This brew came out back in the spring, the same week as Center of the Universe’s Southern Food Fest that won my bbq- and waffle-loving heart, and where my ham biscuits won theirs.

On that note, it’s time for me to pay a visit to Capitol Waffle Shop again soon. Those cinnamon-peachy glazed waffles with whipped cream and peach syrup have very literally been on my mind every week for months.

Distracted by waffles. Moving on.

Raspberry Short Kate came out that same week, and it’s *just* as worthy of your trip to the brewery as those waffles were. It’s heading back to the brewery again this Friday, and this Milkshake IPA was brewed with milk sugar (the best!) and tons of wheat and oats, so it brings out a really soft, pillowy feel with a fruity side. It was perfect when we just started to welcome spring, and lord how I wish for those beautiful days again now when it’s too hot to go outside most of the time. This 7% ABV raspberry milkshake was named in honor of Hardywood’s VP of operations, and just like everything Hardywood does, I promise it doesn’t disappoint.

Keeping on with their Hop Pale Ale series, Canon & Draw Brewing Company has a new release heading to its taps this Friday. Their Hop Pale Ale with Azacca and Triple Pearl is exclusively hopped with the two variations that bear its name, and you’ll catch a good amount of tropical fruit from the Azacca mixed with a bit of spice, plus mango, pineapple, and a bit of pine-like tastes.

Triple Pearl hops, on the other hand, are much more bitter-forward with a nice mouth-feel, and it’s got hints of spices like cloves and allspice to compliment its melon and sweet citrus flavors. For Canon & Draw’s brew, you can expect a perfectly-blended combination of the two to bring together the summer fruits with the cold-weather spice.

Steam Bell Beer Works is set to release the next in their Extra Plenty Gose series this Saturday, and it might be my favorite one yet. Their Extra Plenty Ginger Gose comes on the heels of other variations like Extra Plenty Hibiscus Cucumber Gose, which was made with major amounts of hibiscus and locally-sourced cucumbers.

Their cucumber flavor gave off more of a watermelon-candy taste and poured with a pink color while being loved as a light, refreshing beer by many of its drinkers.

I’m extra-excited for the new Ginger Gose Ale release, because like Cucumber Gose, it was brewed with the same pink Himalayan salt that brought in just enough salinity to round out the flavors.

Just like last week, The Veil Brewing Co. had a huge Tuesday night release to bring out the new and the old in both fresh beers and returns.

They brought back Never Give Up³ last night, complete with triple blackberry and passionfruit puree flavors that hits in at 5.3% ABV. This Gose has a deep, dark red color with a bright pink head, and you’ll get strong flavors for the mild ABV content.

Next up, The Veil hosted the return of redmiata, an IPA that’s not just light on the mouth, it’s “luxuriously soft.” Right up my alley. This 6% ABV brew suits its sports-car name and it came along with LVL — a TIPA that was brewed with 100% Galaxy hops to come in at a much higher 11% ABV. LVL is a sibling to Alone and Personvl Space, according to the brewers.

Finally, The Victim (pictured above) made its way to the taps for the first time in its debut, and it’s a brand-new fruited sour DIPA that was brewed with a lot of goodies: wheat, oat malt, and Citra, Galaxy, BRU-1 hops, plus raspberries, blueberries, peaches, and milk sugar. If you’re expecting something special, you’re correct. This 8% ABV brew is super thick in consistency, and its huge red colors boast its flavor.

Tomorrow night at Ardent Craft Ales, a custom Omega Yeast blend and traditional German hops come together to bring a brand-new collaboration brew. Ardent and Omega’s Hefeweizen release pours a hazy, pale straw color according to its brewers, and it’s got a high carbonation to suit its true Hefeweizen style. The German beers are unfiltered, and this collab hits in at 4% ABV to keep things light amongst its pear, banana, and vanilla flavors.

I’m a big fan of bananas in food, in smoothies, in beer, and in just about anything, so this one definitely sounds good with the combination of vanilla.

Have you been waiting for me to get to the events? Yeah, I have, too — there aren’t a ton this week while our local brewers are focused on doing their #1 job of bringing us new beers, but here’s one I’m definitely excited about.

The Goochland Flow Arts Festival is on its way throughout this weekend, and it’ll be full of stuff to do. Live music like The Fat Catz, Ryan Hearn Music, Dreaddy Bear, Sunrizen, Magnetite, and Buddagraph Spaceship (those are some truly out-of-this-world band names) will be going on through the festival, plus art workshops and fire spectacles with Komorebi Fire Arts.

You can also catch live art with Her Art, The Love and Light Workshop, and James Wallace on top of awesome food with Silence of the Hams BBQ. I really can’t get enough of the names this week, y’all. Silence of the Hams is so good.

Beer-wise, your faves at Lickinghole Creek Craft Brewery have you covered. The whole festival is being hosted at their brewery, which is on a gorgeous farm with plenty of room to host the happenings.

In more events, Triple Crossing Beer is hosting their summer edition of their Can Jam coming up this Saturday.

This time around, they’re partnering up with Threes Brewing again to bring the Brooklyn festival to the River City. The festival features cans from some of the best and brightest breweries around the entire country, so if you’re looking to get a taste of something you’ve never had before, now’s definitely your chance.

Over the weekend, Väsen Brewing Company dropped Another Otter. If you’re a fan of the Blood Orange San Pellegrino — which I think, honestly, every person in Richmond is — you’ll love this brew.

With generous additions of blood orange and tangerine, Vasen got some intense citrus out of this beer with its dominant flavors. The fruity sour has depth and complexity from its coriander and Motueka hops, according to its brewers, and a good amount of lemon and lime aromas to balance it all out.

For Virginia Craft Beer Month, Three Notch’d RVA Collab House is taking over Charlottesville. The best beers brewed in Richmond are making their way down 64 to the other Three Notch’d location, where you can grab a beer and a bite at the same time in Charlottesville’s Craft Kitchen and Brewery.

Some of the beers heading down the road are Saison Classique, a French Saison collab for the Red Paint beer weekend in town, Summer School, a NEIPA collab with the University of Richmond’s beer brewing students, Cherries Are For Lovers Cherry Gose, and Ocean Echoes, a Caribbean Wit made with coconut and pineapple.

Another one they’re taking down is A Little Dab of Honey, which is my second-favorite Three Notch’d release this summer because of its honey-wheat flavors and collaboration with Black Heath to brew it with 60 lbs of fresh, Virginia-made wildflower honey.

Last, but certainly not least, is my favorite of all — the Lush-ious Maple Brown Ale brewed up recently to celebrate the opening of Lush cupcakes (alcohol-infused desserts right here in Richmond). This brown ale was made with pecans and Grade A maple syrup to mimic a dessert, and also to make me get in my car and drive straight there for a taste because it’s all my favorite things in one beer.

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: The Big Release

Caley Sturgill | August 6, 2019

Topics: Ardent craft ales, beer, beer column, Black Heath Meadery, Blue Bee Cider, breweries, Buskey Cider, courthouse creek cider, events, final gravity brewing co, fine creek brewing, Hardywood Park Craft Brewery, Isley, local beer, Reservoir Distillery, richbrau, RVA On Tap, scotts addition, scotts addition beer, Starr Hill, strangeways, the answer brewpub, the big release, The Veil Brewing Co., three notchd, Väsen

This week, we’ve got some great returns of old favorites, plus a brand-new festival: the Scott’s Addition Big Release. All the brewers in Richmond’s booziest neighborhood are coming together for the first annual collaboration release, so if you’re looking for some new flavors in your life, the beer family of Richmond has you covered.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

PHOTO: Fine Creek Brewing and Väsen Brewing Company

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

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

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

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

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

PHOTO: Black Heath Meadery and Buskey Cider

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

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

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

RVA ON TAP: Dry-Hopping & International Craft Beer Weekend in Richmond

Caley Sturgill | July 31, 2019

Topics: Ardent craft ales, beer, beer column, booze clues, Center of the Universe, cotu brewing, Devil's Backbone, fine creek, fine creek brewing, garden grove, geeks under the influence, Hardywood Park Craft Brewery, intermission, Intermission Beer Company, international craft beer weekend, Kindred Spirit Brewing, Midnight Brewing, O'Connor Brewing, red paint rva, RVA On Tap, Starr Hill Brewery, the answer brewpub, The Darkroom, The Veil Brewing Co., three notchd, Väsen, virginia museum of history and culture

This week, we’ve got tons more great events to keep you occupied in the spirit of summer, plus new releases from our favorites like The Answer Brewpub and more. Don’t miss the annual BrewHaHa Festival, the Red Paint International Craft Beer Weekend celebrations in RVA, and an awesome Gose Fest with Center of the Universe. Drink up!

Before we dive into the many events of the week, let’s start with an especially-good new release and some info on its breed. The Answer Brewpub just dropped The War on Glycol last night out at the brewery, and it looks awesome.

Brewed with Amarillo, El Dorado, Citra, and Eureka hops, The War on Glycol is a Double-Dry-Hopped (DDH) Double IPA.

We’ve talked about a lot of DDH releases over the last year or so, but for the non-brewers out there, here’s a bit of info on that: the Double-Dry-Hop process is different everywhere you go. It can either mean brewers went through the hop process, then re-did it a second time to make it a double, or it can mean they added double the amount of hops that they normally would to the first single-processed beer. Either way, you’re in for something hoppy — it just might mean you’ll get a larger amount at some breweries than at others. But you’re also in for more flavor, because the late addition of hops is already where you’ll find a good chunk of your flavor, and the late-late-addition of hops is where your brewer is packing it in for that “explosive” flavor we’ve seen more and more of lately (and trust me, it’s a good thing).

Depending on the specific beer and the brewing process of that beer, the pour in your glass could have began in a barrel with four pounds of hops, six pounds of hops, or even nine pounds of hops. So next time you head to Kroger at 10pm on a Tuesday for a build-your-own six pack because you’re craving some new tastes for your nighttime porch hangs, you’ll know what that DDH on the side of the can means (and why so many people are gravitating to try them).

While you may not find The War on Glycol DIPA DDH at Kroger, you should definitely swing by The Answer for a case of cans to try it: in its true fruity fashion, this brew has big aromas of apricot and pomelo to complement its creamy, refreshing feel. Show The Answer some love and head over to grab one while you can — as we all know, these beloved (and award-winning how many times now?) brewers are known for cooking up recipes that can go quick once they’re out, because everyone wants a taste.

*PHOTO: International Craft Beer Weekend in RVA*

International Craft Beer Weekend is alive in Richmond! This weekend, Red Paint RVA is throwing their first annual event, with a series of contests and beer features around Richmond to celebrate. Some of our favorites like Intermission Beer Company, Vasen Brewing, Fine Creek Brewing Company, Three Notch’d RVA Collab House, Garden Grove Brewing & more will all be out for the occasion, with special beers lined up for enthusiasts like ourselves to vote on our favorites.

Richmond’s brewers are no strangers to the national scene, and the culture around it here is getting its own event to commemorate it. Red Paint themselves are collaborating on a beer with Three Notch’d for the occasion, and we’ll make sure to give that one a try.

Across town, you’ll be able to try the stellar brews that everyone is voting on all week long — and when you’re ready to vote for your favorite, just head over to redpaintva.com, search for the brewery of your choice, and click “like” on their profile to cast your vote. It’s going to be a hard call between all of these for me, but I’m thinking Fine Creek will probably take my vote. We’ll just have to wait and see!

*PHOTO: Booze Clues Podcast with Geeks Under The Influence*

Our favorite local beer podcast is back, and they’re recording their next episode live at The Dark Room this coming Sunday. Booze Clues, the live comedy podcast by Geeks Under The Influence that looks into hilarious recent headlines in the news, has their most recent episode available here, in case you haven’t had a chance to check it out yet.

Dissecting the most spirited headlines of drunken debauchery around the world, our host, Mike “Hobbit” Bickett, along with a group of comedians, podcasters, and performers, will dive into the most ridiculous things people have been caught doing after a good night of boozing. It’s free, so if you’re looking for something to spice up your Sunday night, they’ve got you covered.

The Answer isn’t the only local spot that had a killer release last night: The Veil Brewing Co. just dropped their new Soft Block DIPA brew.

The Veil has recently taken part in a lot of great collaborations. This is likely due to their reputation growing ever bigger and ever better across the beer scene, and drawing in other eager brewers to team up and create something awesome together. Soft Block DIPA is the creation of the hands of The Veil and Other Half Brewing Company, and it has the awesome creamy, orange color I’m always looking for. Can you tell I have a type? Yeah, that’s 1000000% it.

This delicious beer is a Double IPA, brewed with raw wheat, malted oats, milk sugar (!!), vanilla freeze-dried ice cream (!!!!!), oranges, vanilla, and Mosaic hops. Wow. I absolutely need it. If anyone’s in the market to treat ya girl this week, you know what to do.

Soft Block DIPA also hits in at 8% ABV, so a few will go a long way when you sit down to hang at the brewery — but get those Ubers ready, y’all, because you’re going to want more than one.

It’s Gose season in the beer world, and Center of the Universe is here to celebrate it. With another great event coming up this week, our buds at COTU are hosting Gose Fest this Saturday, and they’ve got plenty of entertainment to keep you going.

They’ll be releasing There Gose Summer, a traditional German-style Sour Ale brewed with “heaps of tangerine” and a dash of salt to make the perfect Gose. This one is slightly tart, according to the brewers, and a refreshing brew that will make “the agony of a diminishing summer” a little less dreadful, and a little more flavorful.

There Gose Summer is also being released with seven different variants to cater to all flavor profiles, so we’re sure there’s one for you. Check out COTU’s homage to summer at the brewery over the weekend, and if you make it out on Saturday, you’ll get to pair it with awesome eats from Freekin’ Rican and live music from Flashlight Tag.

Over at Intermission Beer Company, a real beast of a beer is brewing, and it’s our favorite mythical creature.

Centaur Bard is a West-Coast style IPA that was created with some really dank hops, like Simcoe, Cascade, Chinook, and Amarillo, before its dry-hopping process to really boost out the flavor. It was hopped over a 90-minute boil, and you’ll catch some great citrus flavors in this one.

“If you crave hops, the Bard obliges,” they say. “Ney, the Bard delivers!”

In more events this week, BrewHaHa is back at the Virginia Museum of History & Culture on Saturday. This year is their 3rd annual festival celebrating Virginia Craft Beer Month, and it’s going to be full of our favorite local brewers.

Catch places like Starr Hill Brewery (one of my personal favorites — have you tried their maple beer?! Be on the lookout for it this fall), O’Connor Brewing Co., Hardywood Park Craft Brewery, Blue Bee Cider, Ardent, Devil’s Backbone (my first love of craft beer), Midnight Brewery, Isley Brewing Company, and Kindred Spirit Brewing.

Head over here for tickets, and get ready for a day of live music, food, and a popular VIP portion called Battle of the Brews: showcasing local Virginia brewers’ renditions of a historic beer recipe from the museum’s collections. And as the museum says, you won’t want to miss this chance to “sip history.”

Highpoint DIPA has returned to Ardent Craft Ales, and the cans look as good as it tastes. This is one of Ardent’s newest DIPAs, and through its triple-dry-hop process, you can expect big hoppiness and big flavor out of this one.

Galaxy, Citra, and El Dorado hops made this brew come to life, and its house yeast blend finishes clean to allow the hops to shine, according to the brewers. You’ll catch flavors of tropical fruits, plus pear and citrus, in this new recipe made for the hazy DIPA lovers (like myself) out there.

Yuuuum, Fine Creek Brewing served up something special over the weekend. This Belgian Wit with Elderflower & Chamomile hits in at a soft 5.7% for easy drinking, and it’s the product of teamwork on the farm.

As the coalescence of the Fine Creek team’s hard work, this beer had hands from elderflower gatherers to the garden team growing, hanging, and drying its chamomile, and off to the brewers who cooked it all up in the end. You’ll catch flavors from Virginia Pils and Soft Winter Wheat malts from the Murphy & Rude Malting Co., plus water-cracker notes and a creamy body.

The elderflower is dominant on the nose, Fine Creek says, and the chamomile comes out in its taste. This beer’s soft, floral character melts into its citrusy tastes to complement both halves of its flavor profile.

RVA ON TAP: Jurassic Jeeps & Yappy Hours

Caley Sturgill | May 29, 2019

Topics: beer, beer column, Black Heath Meadery, Center of the Universe, craft beer, Final Gravity, Hardywood, Intermission Beer Company, Isley Brewing Company, RVA On Tap, Steam Bell Beer Works, Strangeways Brewing, The Veil Brewing Co., Three Notch'd Brewing, vasen brewing

Now that the holiday weekend has come and gone, summertime is here for real, and with it comes all of Richmond’s great events that make the River City so fun every year. Whether you want to stay in town or take a day trip, Virginia’s breweries have something for just about everyone.

Did you have fun over Memorial Day weekend? We did, and we hope you did, too. If you made it down to the beach to celebrate, we’ve got some exciting news about your new favorite spot there: The Veil Brewing Co. is opening a brewery in Norfolk, and they’ll be slinging beers this weekend at the Norfolk Street Museum party ahead of the occasion. The street party is happening in the Studio Colab parking lot at Toast in Norfolk, with live music all day, murals, eats, and beer.

The Lazy Dangers, NFK Nightmares, and Tired All The Time (I feel that) will be providing the jams throughout the event, plus food from Handsome Biscuit and Pendulum Fine Meats. The Veil will be out with all their stellar beers that have made them so Richmond-famous, and I can’t wait to see how quickly they take off down in Norfolk — I have no doubt they’ll be a fast favorite for the beach crowd. Tim Skirven is debuting a brand-new mural during the party, too, so rest assured you’ll have plenty of reasons to have a good time if you make it down.

Calling all car (and dinosaur) enthusiasts! Intermission Beer Company is hosting their Jurassic Jeeps event this Friday, and whether or not you’re usually into cars, I think we can all agree that Jurassic Park cars are awesome. Bring out your dinosaur costumes and don’t hold back on the free dinosaur temporary tattoos (after all, Richmond is one of the most tattooed cities on the coast. Pile ‘em on, y’all). Grab some grub from Haulin’ Balls RVA and a pint from the bar to enjoy the movie-themed Jeeps and dinosaurs everywhere. I personally know plenty of Jeep lovers and a few friends with dino costumes, so come out and get pumped.

I spent many a childhood day laying in the soft grass in the mountains, watching the clouds go by. Hardywood gets it, and they’ve themed their newest can release after the pictures in the sky: Cloud Shapes debuts this Friday at Hardywood Richmond, a New England-style DIPA that packs a higher alcohol content than its light, fluffy name might suggest. At 8%, Cloud Shapes is best enjoyed “with a picnic blanket and a buddy to go cloud chasing with,” and its large-bodied flavor is complemented with a sweet finish. You’ll catch notes of mango, orange, grapefruit, and lemon in this hoppy brew. The Flavor Project is coming out to jam for the occasion along with Smokie Joe’s BBQ.

Peaches and Cream — is there a better flavor for a summer day? Not in my book. Our friends at Three Notch’d RVA Collab House are releasing their Peaches and Cream Ale this Friday as a collab with Endeavor RVA, a local fine art studio and gallery, and damned if it doesn’t sound delicious. With lactose, vanilla, and peaches, it’s one of the brewery’s most experimental beers despite its simplistic nature, according to its creators. They say it’s “deceptively thick” and as sweet as a creamsicle, which means it’s right up my alley, and a taste that’ll stick with you throughout the summertime.

Final Gravity fans: one of your favorites is on its way back to the taps this Friday. 3 Mile Double IPA was brewed originally as a tribute to Final Gravity’s running club, so if you’re in the market for something to cool you off after a hot day outdoors, this is the one. Brewed with Jarrylo, Falconer’s Flight, and Citra hops, 3 Mile Double IPA is available in a glass or a Crowler, and will refresh your day with grapefruit, pear, and passionfruit. Be sure to check out Final Gravity for their Bluegrass Jam next week, and to learn how to brew mead with Black Heath Meadery (which we’ll talk more about in a bit).

Starting off the first day of June right, Center of the Universe is dropping Monkey’s Uncle Lemongrass Tripel on Saturday, a classic Belgian style created with Pilsner malt. You’ll catch notes of German Munich and Vienna malts that bring out its color and sweetness to pair with its light, crisp body and straw-colored pour. Lemongrass fills its aroma with fresh herbs from the local Village Garden added in its boil. It sounds like the perfect light brew to go with the Puerto Rican food it’ll be served up with by Freekin’ Rican all day out at the Ashland spot.

I can never get enough dog events around town, and Strangeways never fails me. Yappy Hour is happening tonight (!!) at their spot on Dabney Road, and the brewery’s inviting you to bring your pups out and support the Richmond Animal League. There’ll be more Yappy Hours to come this summer, so fear not if you can’t make it on short notice — but if you’re able to go, Strangeways has plenty of treats for your furry pals and dog pools to keep them cool. A portion of beer sales from the event will go back to the Richmond Animal League, too, to let attendees drink for a cause.

Looking to get out of town? Väsen Brewing Company wants you to come out to Rock the River FXBG festival in Fredericksburg on Saturday. The festival will be packed with awesome vendors like Two Tree Outfitters, the Virginia Outdoor Center and more, plus our favorite outdoor-enthusiast brewery. Väsen’s known for getting Virginians outside for hikes, kayak trips, bike trips, and everything else that our beautiful state makes possible, and they’re excited for the celebration of it all this weekend in Fredericksburg. Jackass Flats and Kyle Davis will be providing the jams, and there’ll be plenty of great food from pizza to Martina’s Cantina. If you don’t want to get outdoors in town, get out of town and enjoy the weather with our neighbors to the north.

Honey wine, honey wine. It’s been a while since we’ve had the chance to learn how to brew mead with Black Heath Meadery, and I’m stoked to see the opportunity coming back around. Next Monday, head over to Final Gravity in Lakeside to join Black Heath’s Mead Mavericks, Bill Cavender and Mike Palese, to learn the basics of fermenting mead and the history of honey. If you’ve ever wanted to know what the process is like behind all your favorite brewers creating your favorites, this is a great chance to see it specialized for meads and get a feel for the chemistry behind it all. It’s not as hard as you think, either — you’ll get to see how simple the equipment is that you’ll need “to begin a lifelong relationship with flowers, bees, yeast, and alcohol,” according to the brewers.

Over at Isley Brewing Company, don’t miss special summer flavors on tap right now… like Piña Colada Honey Bock and Peach Ginger Golden Ale. It’s hard to drink a Piña Colada without wanting to drink 10 because they’re just too good to put down, and I expect that the flavors blended with beer will have an extremely similar effect. Isley’s also got a spiced cola out at the brewery, so swing by and grab a taste from the awesome varieties they’ve got on deck this month.

In case you haven’t made it out to one yet, be sure to check out all the awesome live music at Steam Bell Beer Works all season. You can catch Commonwealth Bluegrass this Friday, plus tons more on the calendar soon like Mama Juana, Pat Russell, and LeeStreet to start June off right. Their 3rd anniversary is coming up soon, too, so stop by your favorite Midlothian brew spot and show them some love for all the great beer and entertainment they keep dishing out.

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.

*PHOTO: Lickinghole Creek Craft Brewery*

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: 25 Legendary Years, Beer Fests at NASCAR, and the Wild & Weird

Caley Sturgill | April 10, 2019

Topics: beer, beer column, Castleburg Brewery, Center Of The Universe Brewing, Final Gravity, Fine Creek Brewing Company, Hardywood Park Craft Brewery, Jack Ryan Music Festival, Legend Brewing, richmond raceway, RVA beer, Safety Team Brewing, The Answer, The Veil Brewing Co., 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.

Get ready to get out of the house, because there are so many good events this week you’re not gonna want to go home.

HAPPY 25TH, LEGEND! We’ve been waiting for this day for *months* and it’s finally here. Legend Brewing Company, Richmond’s OG craft brewery, is celebrating their quarter-century in trips around the sun with a huge banger this Saturday. Starting at noon and running all day, with free admission (so more money for beer!) you can head over to the Manchester brewery for live music, food, and brews. Bring your kids, bring your pups, and enjoy the day in the beer garden and looking over the James with one of our all-time faves here in town. For music, catch performances by The Remnants, Greater Richmond Pipes and Drums, Wade Reynolds, and Suggesting Rhythm. All food and beer is in-house from Legend, and it’s so good you won’t want to miss it. We’ll see you there!

*PHOTO: Richmond Raceway Craft Beer Fest*

If you like beer and cars, boy do I have the event for you (and me, especially me). This Saturday before the big Toyota Owners 400 night race under the lights, Richmond Raceway’s hosting their Craft Beer Fest to bring fans a taste of the city. There’s a lot going on at the track that day — like the beer fest, which is open to the public regardless of race tickets, as well as live mural painting, and tons more you’ll want to swing by early to catch.

Over at the fest, Richmond Raceway has partnered up with the Virginia Craft Brewers Guild to let fans try the flagship beers of breweries all across the state. The best part: unlimited tastes! RVA Magazine will be out doing live coverage from the race that day, so be sure to keep up with us on social media during the fun (@rvamag on Instagram and Facebook). I’ll make sure to tell you all our favorite brews from the fest when we come back for next week’s column, but I can tell you one thing now — knowing myself at a beer fest, it’s pretty hard to pick just one.

Happy birthday, Triple Crossing! Our Fulton Hill favorites are celebrating half a decade in business all weekend, and if we know anything about Triple Crossing, it’s that they’re one of the best. These guys are known for their perfectly-balanced brews packed with just the right amount of every flavor, and they’ve got five releases to commend their first five years.

Pabst is Prologue is first on the list. This mixed-culture Golden Ale measures at 5% ABV, full of white peaches and fruit to ring in the springtime for good (finally). Their special 5th anniversary lager, Jubilee Jubilaums Bier, is making its debut at the party. They’ve also got Just to Get a Rep DIPA, Space Falcon IPA, DDH Anniversary Falcon Smash IPA, and a few more TBA.

The releases start on Friday, and the party continues on into Saturday with ZZQ and one of my home bars, Cobra Cabana. BTW — if you haven’t tried Cobra’s food yet, you’re missing out. They’ve also got yerba mate (yeah, the real kind) that can pair with your favorite mixers, and y’all, Yerbajäger might just kill me this summer. TBA on that, too.

I meant it when I told you it’d be hard to pick your plans this weekend. Fine Creek Brewing Company’s Wild & Weird Festival is heading back to your favorite farm spot for their 2nd anniversary. Wild & Weird brings out the sour, the funky, and the best mixed-fermentation beers from around Virginia, from both breweries and cideries. A few names participating that you’ll recognize: Väsen Brewing Company, Steam Bell Beer Works, Ardent Craft Ales, Triple Crossing, Champion Brewing Company, Strangeways, and my loves at Hardywood Park Craft Brewery.

Head out to the festival from 1-5pm this Saturday to get tastes of gems like Hardywood’s Berlinner with Pine Needles & Rose Hips, Ardent’s Understanding of Bonds American White DSSOLVR Collab, and plenty more to get your tastebuds going.

Would you believe it if I told you The Answer Brewpub won ANOTHER award this year? Of course you would, because The Answer’s the best! Like Legend, The Answer has had a lot to do with building the craft beer scene in Richmond that is now recognized across the nation — and this brewery is no stranger to awards of its own. From being named one of the best breweries in the country to making one of Craft Beer and Brewing Magazine’s favorite beers of 2018, if you want to know where to get a good brew, everyone knows the answer is The Answer.

This time around, The Answer was named USA Today’s best brewery in America… and they won by a lot. In its bracket for the gold, our River City hometown brewers were chosen by 71 percent of voters over their rival.

We would never expect anything less. Congrats again, guys, and I know we’ll be saying congrats for all the awards coming in 2019. Keep being awesome!

Hardywood’s releasing their Capital Trail Pale Ale for #FreshCanFriday this week, brewed with Falconer’s Flight, Willamette, and Mandarina Bavaria hops. This palate-invigorating recipe starts off with refreshing citrus flavors and finishes “pleasantly dry,” and it’s good for the environment, too. Every purchase of a Capital Trail Pale Ale supports the link between Richmond and Jamestown, preserving and enhancing our state’s 52-mile long walking and biking path. Raise your can in honor of the foundation, Hardywood says, and in honor of your next adventure.

Hey! Remember when I made my mountain-famous ham biscuits for the Southern Food Fest at Center of the Universe? Well, I won! And not only did I get a super sweet shirt that you’ll see me rocking all summer, I also got to eat some of the best damn food I have ever tasted. And I really, really mean that.

Y’all, I got a half pound of pulled pork from Grandpa Eddie’s Alabama Ribbs & BBQ and that stuff was so good I inhaled it in about a minute. I have never tasted better BBQ in all my days in Virginia. Go get some. Or else. I also finally got to try Capitol Waffle Shop, and you know what it’s like when you go to grandma’s house for Thanksgiving and those fall-spiced, warm baked apples are making you drool over the smell from the living room? Capitol Waffle shop basically did that with fucking peaches, dude. It was incredible. Capitol Waffle Shop literally put sliced-up, warm, cinnamon-ey glazey peaches on a waffle with whipped cream and syrup, and it’s been three weeks and I can’t stop thinking about it. It should be a crime for anybody who hasn’t had it to go another week without trying this place.

*Anyway,* there’s more good stuff happening at Center of the Universe this week. They’re dropping their Crazy Bet Imperial Red Ale this Saturday, and this variation was brewed over at Origin Beer Lab. It’s got a balanced bitterness and intense aroma from its Nugget and caramel malts. Crazy Bet is named after the Crazy Bet herself, Richmond’s Elizabeth Van Lew, the 1800s abolitionist and philanthropist, who both “built and operated an extensive spy ring for the Union Army during the Civil War.” Do yourself a favor and read more about this gal, and do us all a favor and give her beer a try this weekend.

Friends and fans of Greek Mythology, Final Gravity Brewing Co. has the brew for you. Cassiopeia is fresh to the taps this Friday, and she is absolutely *made* for this weather. With delicate-but-strong aromas of melon, coconut, pine, peach, and whispers of pineapple, according to the brewers, this gal goes down the hatch with a smooth bitterness. You’ll also catch flavors of lemongrass and tangerine to accompany this “heavenly congregation” of radiant flavors to captivate your senses — and let’s be real, who doesn’t love a goddess?

The Veil Brewing Co. dropped Grape Berry Tastee last night, a smoothie-style sour ale. This delicious dessert in a can was brewed with milk sugar (yum!), concord grapes, and blackberries to bring you the creamy-goodness of a berry shake to top off a perfect summer day. I can taste this just thinking about it. Be sure to swing by soon, because we all know The Veil is a local treasure, and everyone will be looking for a taste!

The 2nd Annual Jack Ryan Music Festival is also coming up this Saturday, with several local favorites from Richmond heading out to serve up brews. Look forward to seeing Intermission Beer Company, Kindred Spirit Brewing, Lickinghole Creek Craft Brewery, and Steam Bell Beer Works — and lots of great bands like Old Dogs, New Tricks Bluegrass Band, Timber Revival, Josh Lief, The Steel Tips, and Jack Ryan & His Band.

If you’ve had your hopes up for Safety Team Brewing Company to open up in Northside, we’re sorry to report that they won’t be going through with the new spot. Opening something as large-scale as a brewery is no easy feat, and after getting into the ins and outs of construction planning, it looks like the location is a no-go for now. Brookland Park will stay a little bit dryer for a little bit longer, and the old Quick Splash Car Wash will be vacant until further notice.

Even more releases are on their way this Friday, with Castleburg’s Kingslayer TIPA. This triple-banger is sure to make you hazy, and at 10% ABV, I think it’s fair to say it’ll slay most people that drink it. Kingslayer started off with a “massive amount of Irish pale malt” and flaked wheat, then treated to an “absurd amount of El Dorado hops.” This guy was conditioned over 20lbs per barrel with pineapple puree to bring out the natural fruity flavors in these hops, and it is a seriously-powerful brew.

“The king is dead, long live the Kingslayer!”