The Veil Brewing Co.

RVA ON TAP: Tommie The Dog Brews & 400-Year-Old Ingredients with Hardywood

Caley Sturgill | October 16, 2019

Topics: Ardent craft ales, beer, beer column, breweries, craft beer, Fine Creek Brewing Company, Hardywood Park Craft Brewery, Intermission Beer Company, Lickinghole Creek Craft Brewery, richmond beer, rva collab house, RVA On Tap, Stone Brewing-Richmond, the answer brewpub, The Veil Brewing Co., three notchd, Triple Crossing Beer

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

If you missed the last column, you can check that out here. Our kegs are overflowing this week with beer releases and festivals, events, and other cool happenings around town, so hold on to your mugs!

This week, we’ll celebrate a big award with The Answer Brewpub, in addition to a 400-year-old-ingredient recipe at Hardywood, Tommie The Dog brews with Three Notch’d RVA Collab House, and a release at Triple Crossing Beer that reminds me of a long-lost favorite song.

Before we dive into new releases and events this week, we’re sending a *big* congratulations to The Answer Brewpub for winning a James Beard Award! These awards are “the Oscars of food world” for those who are lucky enough to participate in them, and cover everything from chefs to restaurants, brewers, wine, and more in the industry — plus more, like books, journalism, and humanitarian achievements across others.

While it’s no secret to us in town that The Answer is something special, it’s well-deserved for them to see more recognition on a national scale. The James Beard Awards are the highest honor in the American dining world, and The Answer owner An Bui is now celebrating his second year being named in the Outstanding Wine, Spirits, or Beer Producer category.

We’re sending all the love and congratulations to our good friends this week for another year well-done. For our readers who are new to Richmond or the beer world here, The Answer is definitely one to put first on your list.

Earlier this week, the craft beer scene came together with the community once again — this time to remember Tommie The Dog, whose heartbreaking story touched the lives of people throughout the River City and beyond. Three Notch’d RVA Collab House brewed up a recipe to support Richmond Animal Care and Control (RACC), the shelter who Tommie spent his last days with.

If you’re not familiar with RACC, they are an exceptional shelter that takes in wildlife and local animals from around the greater Richmond area. These folks are regularly nursing sick animals back to health, taking in strays and surrendered pets, and making a major difference in the lives of our furry friends. They do a wonderful job, and as a local nonprofit, every cent counts toward saving more lives — so if you want to help out, head over here to donate, and don’t miss Tommie’s Beer at Three Notch’d RVA Collab House. They’ve got donations open along with stickers for sale that give 100 percent of their profits to the shelter.

It’s Drink Local Think Global Craft Beer Week! I know most of you are familiar with the water crisis in Flint, MI, and many more people around the world are in the same boat. All around the nation, craft breweries are coming together to help provide clean water to those in need. While 663 million people across the world don’t have access to clean water, 2,000 children are dying every day from diseases caused by the global crisis. For the entire week, craft brewers are teaming up with Drink Local Think Global to engage the craft beer industry to make a difference.

Hundreds will be participating from around the U.S., along with one of our very own here in town. Intermission Beer Company is donating a percentage of their profits all week to the cause, and overall, the week is set to provide an estimated 2,500 people with clean, sustainable sources of drinking water. While it’s a small drop in the greater bucket, brewers around the nation are doing their part right here to help folks in their own backyard.

We’ve been excited for this event for a while now, and it’s finally here. Hardywood Park Craft Brewery is bringing the world of beer together with science and history for 400 Years in the Making: An Homage to the Birth of American Brewing tonight at their Richmond location.

With Jamestown Rediscovery, Hardywood started a project to harvest wild yeast from Jamestown Island to create a new strain for beer. This 400-year-old ingredient was renewed to create Bartmann Ale, made in a traditional style with noble hops and “heaps of persimmons.” The event tonight will host the professors from VCU Engineering and Randolph-Macon College who made the beer possible, isolating the strain of yeast to create the brew. If you make it out, you’ll also get a taste of the brew for your own — so head over to buy your tickets and learn about their process of making a 400-year-old ingredient brand-new.

Another multi-release went down at The Veil Brewing Co. last night, and as usual, they all sound delicious.

Paradise Kooler Tastee (pictured above) is my favorite on the list, because these smoothie-style tastee brews are always unique. The Sour Ale was brewed with milk sugar, peaches, raspberries, and passionfruit to come in at a nice medium 5.5% ABV, and pours in this perfectly-October orange tone.

Cat Cat Boy Boy is on the other end of the spectrum in my favorite things, because this new 8.4% ABV Double IPA was double dry-hopped with Simcoe hops and chewy, raw oats. It was appropriately named after the artist who made its cans, who you can find on Instagram at @catboy_ to check out more of their work.

whiteferrari also made its way back to the taps in a return this week, and this Double IPA was “luxuriously” hopped with only the freshest Galaxy and Citra crops available. It’s a little higher than the first at 8.0% ABV, right in the middle range in true DIPA fashion.

Master Master Shredder Shredder is a Mosaic-forward IPA that was double-dry hopped. It’s also The Veil’s house IPA, and at 5.5% ABV, it’s the perfect easy drinker to name the house brew.

In more news from The Veil: if you loved the Oyster Roast event they threw last month, get ready for round 2. Head over to the brewery this Saturday for another oyster-packed day with raw and grilled oysters, plus oyster stew, with Ruby Salts and The Savory Grain. Dank Eats is also coming out to serve up sandwiches, and The Veil will be putting out a few of their vintage Imperial Stouts (and even a Barleywine!) for the occasion.

Over the weekend, Fine Creek Brewing Company’s Sunday Beer Feature blessed us with this Barrel Aged Wild Ale. The 4.7% ABV collaboration with Reason Beer is lower in alcohol on the craft beer scale, and it’s a great one for drinkers of all types to try. You’ll catch a subtle, but noticeable, character of raspberries through the brew from the barrels it was brewed in previously hosting the fruit. With bright and tart flavors, this brew aged for 11 months to create Wild Ale from ripe red berries, dried apricot, and tastes of berry notes with lemon and a mild earthiness.

Calling all cyclists! One of the favorite events of the year is here with Stone Brewing Richmond for their Bikes and Beers ride this Saturday. Hosted by Bikes & Beers and Bike Walk RVA alongside the brewery, the 15- and 30-mile rides will leave from Stone Brewing and travel throughout the region of the River City.

You can register for the event here, which gives each rider (regardless of 15-mile or 30-mile choices) two free beer tickets for pints, plus a free raffle ticket to enter for several brand new bikes and other goodies, from cycling gear to gift certificates for your favorite food around town. On top of the ride, the event will host live music and food trucks, along with outdoor games to keep the fun rolling through the day. For more info and amping up the ride, you can check out their video here ahead of the event.

Tomorrow night at Ardent Craft Ales, the brewery’s Imperial Milk Stout is making its way to the taps in all the roasty, chocolatey goodness of a classic stout.

Ardent’s recipe was brewed with milk chocolate malt from Murphy & Rude Malting Co., and even came with local ingredients from the folks in Charlottesville. This stout is bold and rich, with residual sweetness from lactose additions to complement the heavier chocolate flavors, and all balanced out with a roasted base. According to Ardent, “this big, dark stout is silky smooth, with none of the boozy burn you might expect from a 10 percent stout.”

*PHOTO: Lickinghole Creek Craft Brewery*

This Saturday, the fine folks of Lickinghole Creek Craft Brewery are joining forces with the Virginia Breast Cancer Foundation to donate sales toward the cause in their fight against breast cancer.

On tap for the event is a classic October-themed brew, Something Spooky, and a new Carrot Cake Imperial Amber Ale that will be both on tap and to-go through the weekend. On top of your beer sales going back to the organization, you’ll also be able to swing by the Virginia Breast Cancer Foundation’s booth at the brewery to donate more directly — and find out more about how you can make a difference in the fight.

I can only hope this delicious beer was named after the song off this long-beloved album of mine (Iron & Wine’s “Cinder and Smoke”). Triple Crossing Beer’s Cinder is a smoked lager, which finally made its return to the brewery “as the season agrees to change for Lager Day.” Agreed there: it took way too long for fall to be in full swing this year.

Cinder is a lager brewed with German Smoked malt, which was fermented with “the most classic” of lager strains, and as cleanly as possible according to its brewers. With its flavors of savory smoke-like campfire tones, plus a coffee-spiced malty body, I can definitely say the tastes of this beer are reminding me perfectly of this song (have a listen if you haven’t before!) — and it couldn’t be better for these chilly fall days. It’s the best time of the year, y’all! At last!

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: Jägerbeers & Big Lebowski Brews

Caley Sturgill | October 9, 2019

Topics: beer, beer column, Center of the Universe, craft beer, final gravity brewing co, Hardywood, RVA On Tap, Stone Brewing-Richmond, strangeways, The Veil Brewing Co., Triple Crossing Beer, Vasen Brewing Company

This week, we’re celebrating the 8th birthday of Hardywood along with some very special releases in town — like Stone Brewing Richmond’s “JägerBastard” and The Big Lebowski-insired El Duderino at Center of the Universe.

Happy Birthday, Hardywood! Our long-time Richmond loves are celebrating their 8th anniversary this Saturday, and the Totally Boss Anniversary Bash is bringing the 80s back to the River City with their all-day party for the occasion.

For celebratory beer, they’ll be releasing their 8th Anniversary Blend as an eight-barrel mash-up, which brings together a “totally tubular” combination of flavors like sweet cherries, dates, candied apples, and a subtle oak aura. In its finish, the new brew has notes of caramel, leather, and chocolate, leaving a lingering silky-smooth taste. Another special thing to note: in its combination of eight barrels, this beer was aged for a total of 58 months, so it’s bringing out flavors originally from 2015. Can you remember what your favorite things were in 2015? I can, and I can tell you that caramel and apples were definitely on that list.

In entertainment, Hardywood’s hosting DawnStar Games for retro video games, 80s-themed photo booths for the stylin’ and the profilin’, guest taps from breweries all around town, costume contest prizes, retro board games, Virtual Reality experiences with Richmond VR, and of course, live music! The Vertigos, Gambles Hill Gang, and 64 Crayons Band are all coming out to play through the day. So if you’re looking for a new (old) brew or just a reason to get dressed up, Hardywood’s got you covered.

Can we say yum? Or, maybe — for those of you who have had a little too much Jägermeister fun in the past — you’d rather say “no, thanks.” But in this beer column we love licorice, and we’re stoked for the new Stone Brewing release.

The classic Arrogant Bastard Ale is here in a new Jägermeister variation, and like Stone says, these two names both elicit adoration “by a worthy few.” These unapologetic drinks are either a hard yes or a hard no for most of us, and I’m glad to say I’m on the yes side of that equation.

Before what I’m now referring to as JägerBastard, the closest thing we could find in Richmond to a Jäger-infused drink that didn’t feel so liquor-ey is what I call YerbaJäger at Cobra Cabana. Liquor is, across the board, one of my least favorite things, but I can’t deny my love for that dark licorice taste. YerbaJäger is one of my fav drinks at CC, where they take their authentic imported Yerba Mate and mix it with Jäger (and it’s *surprisingly* good).

Now that the JägerBastard is here, I’ve got something new to try. This recipe from Stone Brewing was brewed and imported from their Berlin location, and according to the brewers, it’s perfect for sipping on fall evenings and pairing with a fine meal — or giving as a gift to any “true appreciator of liquid arrogance and independence.”

It definitely takes some arrogance to get this one down the hatch. Godspeed, y’all.

It’s that glorious time of year again when The Big Lebowski somehow makes its way into every facet of Richmond culture, and I’m here for it.

The Dude returns! El Duderino is heading back to Center of the Universe, and this White Russian-inspired Stout is every bit as delicious as the traditional mixed drink. This brew was pulled together from eight different malts, along with vanilla beans to bring out the realest flavors of chocolate and espresso with a tan, creamy, and pillowy head.

El Duderino dropped last year shortly before the Carytown Big Lebowski bar crawl, where I delightfully got to witness a crowd of people walking the streets in their bathrobes and pouring into New York Deli to clear them out of all the El Duderino they could drink. Thankfully, I got a taste of my own just in time — and I can definitely recommend it highly.

It’s lager time! Lager Day is coming to Triple Crossing Beer this Saturday from 12-8pm, full of recipes both old and new. At their spot in Fulton, Triple Crossing is serving up the lager love with brews like Tiny Pils, Pathway Pils, Hiltop, Festbier (in perfect timing for this month!), Czech Dark, and Cinder Rauchbier.

If you remember from last week, Czech Dark just recently dropped in all its late-fall flavored glory, with a toasted, dry, roast-forward finish and hints of red tones to round off this extra-dark brew. It’ll be up on the taps for Lager Day, and all lagers throughout the day will be served in the brewery’s exclusive German glassware that you’ll get to take home with you afterward. On the eats side of things, they’ll have Postbellum’s soft pretzels served with beer mustard and pimento cheese, along with their pizza kitchen menu.

Pour and Pasties is back at Strangeways Brewing, and this one’s always a crowd favorite. Head out to the Dabney Rd location this Friday evening for brewery burlesque and all the beautiful entertainment you can take, with a full evening of performances and a great cast.

Performers this time around will include Venessa Chevelle, Nyx Nebulae, Bert Shaffer, Scarlet Starlet, Murphy Lawless, Sally Stardust, and their host Ego Von Hubris. The event is thrown by Strangeways in collaboration with Burlesque Right Meow, which hosts shows all around town with an especially awesome effort for inclusivity. Their feminist-forward principles bring in body types of all identities, shapes, and sizes, and they’re big on celebrating the art of burlesque for everyone to enjoy.

Last night at The Veil Brewing Co., another multi-release went down with four new brews for the people of Richmond.

whitebugatti, pictured above, is a Triple IPA hopped “luxuriously” with Citra and Galaxy hops, brewed with only the freshest available. It hits in at 11% in ABV and 100% in my dreams, and I can only hope I make it to the brewery in time to get a glass of this delicious brew.

The Veil also dropped Mean Everything, a brand-new brew that came together with Citra, Mosaic, Simcoe, and Ekuanot hops in addition to a lot of oats to bring the earthy, fruity flavors all together in a 6% ABV beer. Next came Special Combo #5, and if you’re remembering back to the end of the 90s (and the tunes of my childhood) to the release of “Mambo #5,” you’re not alone. This Double IPA comes in at 9% ABV for a high-but-not-too-high-drink, at least in my book. Push me up to 10% and I need to stop at one brew, so for Special Combo #5, we’ll say cheers to two.

The last release of the night brought Tefnut, an 11% ABV cosmic Imperial Gose that was made as a collaboration with Omnipollo to “reimagine what a fruit beer can be” with new processes and fruit volumes, and plenty of ripe, juicy mango character.

If you haven’t heard the news yet, there’s another opening scheduled for The Veil with another Scott’s Addition addition: a new food hall! They’ll have more than 18 vendors all in one awesome place, with a massive rooftop bar and 25,000 square feet to pack it with all of Richmond’s best — including beer by The Veil, because it wouldn’t truly be a Scott’s Addition collab without them.

Coming up this Friday, Final Gravity Brewing Co. is releasing two new beers inspired by both coasts. The East & West Coast Double Beer Release party goes down all day Friday, with Luminosity and California Dreamin’ both fresh to the taps.

Luminosity is a New England Double IPA (my favorite!) that brings together Multihead, Belma, Cashmere, and Vic Secret hops for a tropical blend that can “brighten your glass like the glow of early morning sun shining through a dewy haze.” With notes of peach, melon, and apricot to top it all off, this one’s right up my alley.

California Dreamin’ is coming back to us in a return; this golden beauty was a crowd favorite that was so loved they decided to bring it back. The 7% ABV beer was made with a combination of Columbus, Simcoe, and Centennial hops to bring out a clean, citrusy flavor with a subtle bite.

A fresh Double IPA is here at Väsen Brewing Company, and like the other DIPAs out this week, it’s a high priority. This dank, fruity brew came out over the weekend at Väsen, and it was appropriately-named Mandarin Galaxy.

The recipe is bold with juicy fruit flavors, brewed with Citra Cyro, Mosaic, Mandarina Bavaria, and Australian Galaxy hops. It’s new in cans and on tap, and it brings Väsen into a bold new universe of hoppy citrus flavors.

RVA ON TAP: Diablo Forever & The Return of Scream Forest

Caley Sturgill | September 4, 2019

Topics: Ardent craft ales, beer, beer column, booze clues, booze clues podcast, clown battle royale, craft beer, diablo forever, final gravity brewing co, fine creek brewing, Halloween, Intermission Beer Company, Kindred Spirit Brewing, mekong, podcast, quy forever, quy pham, RVA On Tap, scream forest, Stone Brewing-Richmond, the answer brewpub, The Veil Brewing Co., Three Notch’d RVA Collab House

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, we’ve got an early announcement for a very special fundraiser to the people of Richmond, plus the return of Scream Forest Blood Orange IPA and more to get your Halloween juices flowing.

This summer, our friends at The Answer Brewpub and across the Richmond community lost a beloved member of The Answer’s family, and a beloved friend to folks all around the city. Quy Pham, a longtime bartender at our favorite brewpub and close friend of the owner An Bui, is memorialized forever now on the building The Answer calls home, in a mural along its main wall.

“Diablo Forever” is the phrase of the summer, and one that will stay endlessly in the minds and hearts of all those Quy touched in his life. Last month saw the release of Quy Forever by The Veil Brewing Co. in his honor, and it was brewed to taste sweet, like all our memories of Quy are.

Coming up on September 14, The Answer Brewpub and Mekong are hosting a celebration of Quy’s life and a fundraising event to benefit his family. They’ll have a special beer and glassware auction for fundraising, with bottles, glassware, and other memorabilia donated by the friends and community of Quy and The Answer. If you’re unable to make it out to the event, you can still do your part and donate to his family’s GoFundMe page, which lists an excellent and heartfelt tribute to the kind of guy Quy was with the folks he loved:

“Quy’s ability to at the same time be the most humble caring human and the most sarcastic outgoing comedian is unparalleled. If you have never seen the TV show Cheers, go watch it right now. If you have, you know that you could easily insert Quy as a main character.

“His innate ability to understand people and make them feel relaxed and at home embodied the best of the RVA craft beer & food community. The truth is, he represented the best of what everyone should aspire to be… an amazing friend to everyone. As soon as you sat down at the bar at Mekong you felt like you were at home. If you passed him walking through The Answer with that smile, it was infectious. Quy was always laughing, smiling and giving the best hugs. He was an amazing father & husband and inspired others to be the same. He was always a source for motivation for whatever you wanted to accomplish. Quy has and will continue to impact countless lives.”

After the tragedy of his loss, friends of Quy around town have come together to help his family during hard times. If you’re able to make it out to the fundraising event, your support would be greatly appreciated by The Answer and its community.

Now that fall is nearing, the local breweries around town are gearing up for all the events and releases it brings. With Halloween just around the corner, Three Notch’d RVA Collab House has partnered up with Creepy Hollow Scream Park again to drop Scream Forest this Friday, a Blood Orange IPA that made waves last year for its awesome flavors… and an awesome photo shoot to accompany it.

Creepy Hollow Scream Park is out in Glen Allen, and it’s filled with spooky scenery to keep the experience going at every turn with realistic illustrations and scary surprises. It’s Richmond’s favorite Halloween destination, and it’s made even better by the blood orange flavors bursting in Scream Forest. This IPA was dry-hopped with Mosaic hops to give the blood orange a nice base, added right before they kegged it to keep the tastes fresh — and it’s “bloody delicious,” according to those who have had the pleasure of drinking this spooky brew.

Join Three Notch’d at their Scott’s Addition spot this Friday for the release, and get your spooky gears turning… we’re only a few short weeks away now from cold nights and the thrills of the season.

Happy birthday, Intermission Beer Company! The Glen Allen brewery is celebrating its second birthday this Friday, and we couldn’t be more excited to congratulate them on two trips around the sun together.

For the occasion, they’ll have two new beers on tap: Levy-goz-ah, a Cranberry-Lime Gose coming out Friday, and Ghost Light Lager on Saturday. With a new brew for each evening, Intermission will be keeping the party going throughout the weekend with some awesome entertainment as well.

On Friday, you’ll catch Firesides Food Truck along with the Richmond Astronomical Society for an awesome show, and dessert with Lil’ Stuff Cookies, which has some delicious galaxy-looking batter that fits the occasion. Saturday night, Haulin’ Balls RVA is coming out with music by Spenser Morgan to jam through the evening and celebrate the 2-year anniversary right.

Our friends at The Veil Brewing Co. are at it again, with another multi-release that just went down last night.

Hornswoggler made its way back last night, and this one’s on the opposite end of the flavor spectrum. The Chocolate Milk Stout is on the heavier side, with a huge percentage of fresh chocolate and caramel malts to complement its milk sugar and actual chocolate additions. It’s a little heavier at 7% ABV, and it comes with a surprise: in a true Willy Wonka-inspired candy fashion, this beer will be coming out with 10x Golden Tokens hidden underneath the 4-pack holders that will win you a free Hornswoggler glass if you find one. The glasses aren’t ever going to be for sale, so if you’ve really got your heart set on this limited-edition swag from The Veil, you’ll want to grab a 4-pack ($18.00/pack) while you can!

Summer Sauce Tastee came out just in time for the end of summer, and this smoothie-style Sour Ale was brewed with oats, milk sugar, and tons of awesome fruits to bring out the warm-weather season’s best. You’ll taste a crazy amount of apricot, guava, and passionfruit, according to the brewers, and this 5.5% ABV brew is perfect for an early evening or the last days by the river of the year.

Now that we’re past Labor Day, I think all of us can describe the last few days with the name of The Veil’s next brew: Sick Weekend. And we mean that in the fun style (though I’m sure after your first two nights of celebrating the holiday, you probably got some of the hungover style, too). This brand-new IPA just made its debut last night, brewed with raw and malted wheat and malted oats, then over-saturated with fresh Galaxy, BRU-1, Motueka, and El Dorado hops, hitting in at 6.5% ABV.

Merciless was the fourth release of the night, another fresh recipe from The Veil with some of my most favorite flavors. This Double IPA was brewed with raw wheat, malted wheat, oats, and “piles” of fresh Citra, Galaxy, Simcoe, and Vic Secret hops — plus some extra Citra and Simcoe LP for an extra boost of hop saturation and flavor without the bitterness. Like most Double IPAs, its higher in ABV at 8%, and it’s smooth straight out of the tap.

Check back with us next week for more of The Veil’s delicious releases, and hopefully (fingers crossed) another week of several dropping all at once.

It must be the week of multi-releases, because we’ve got an awesome one coming from Final Gravity Brewing Co. too.

This Friday, Final Gravity’s returning a few fan favorites and bringing out something brand-new. If you’re part of the Final Gravity fan club like we are, you’re gonna be really pumped on a few of these coming back: like Morning Glory New England DIPA, made with Cashmere and Azacca hops.

Also this week is the return of Satellite of Love Berliner Weisse with mango, lime, tangerine, and pineapple-passionfruit flavors — plus the new California Dreamin’ West Coast IPA that blasts flavor with bold hop bitterness, and just a hint of pine for a clean, easy drinkability.

DaddyG PopUp is also heading out to the brewery for the release, and you’ll only be able to get Satellite of Love to drink on site, so make sure to swing by and get a few favorite tastes while they’re here!

Over the weekend at Fine Creek Brewing, Vitalism came out for their Friday Beer Feature. This 7% ABV Hazy IPA brings out a sweet aroma of bright tropical fruit from its Kohatu and Mosaic hop combinations, and notes of papaya and pineapple from its fresh-cut fruit.

It was also brewed with earlier additions of Idaho 7 and German Amarillo hops, so you’ll catch even more fruity tropical tastes like blackberry tea, citrus zest, and mild bits of floral in this beer. Fine Creek sits on a gorgeous farm outside of town in Powhatan, so if you haven’t made it out yet, this beer is a great reason to go enjoy the outdoors on the last of our warm days before fall makes its way in.

Labor Day Weekend brought another great new release with Ardent’s Mixed Berry Gose.

This is Ardent’s most-fruited gose ever, and at a low 4.4% ABV, it’s great for any time of the week — so if you’re still reminiscing of easy nights and fun over the weekend, this is a great one to sip on during the week to ease up those back-to-work blues.

Mixed Berry Gose is packed with raspberry, blackberry, boysenberry, and black currant to pour with a distinct purple color and a sweet, jammy flavor that balances out the tart acidity of the gose style. It’s full of flavor while staying on the refreshing side, and it’s one you won’t want to miss.

Out at Stone Brewing Richmond, a national release got an early debut just for the beer-lovers of Richmond to taste first.

Stone Buenaveza Lime & Sea Salt Lager just came out at the East End brewery, and it was inspired by the area Stone originally called home: Southern California, just minutes from the border. According to Stone, many of their flavors have been influenced and enriched by our Southern neighbors, and this Buenaveza was inspired by one in particular. Stone Xocoveza, an imperial stout released back in 2014, brought all of the rich and complex flavors of Mexican hot chocolate into a beer.

This Stone style is back again now with Buenaveza that follows that same take on a classic lager, and you can get it now in Richmond — which you’ll want to do soon, because it won’t be back in distribution until next year, when it’ll come out on a national scale.

Our favorite local beer podcast is out with a new episode again, and it’s as great as ever. Booze Clues just released a new episode and hosted another live recording, and you can catch the latest episode here: called Clown Battle Royale.

Booze Clues takes national headlines of all things drunkenly-inspired from around the globe, with the world’s most “spirited” headlines… which are always hilarious, and often include the nation’s mysterious residents like Florida Man, who is somehow always getting into the worst shenanigans. Make sure to check out their latest comedy episode and subscribe, both to make fun of the world’s drunks and to feel a little better about your own Saturday night drunken shames. We all know we’ve had them.

A new beer is on tap now at Kindred Spirit Brewing, and it’s “dangerously drinkable” at 9.3% ABV (lord help me, because these are always the first to get me). Imperial Red is full of malty goodness, with a resiny-hop finish to keep the flavor as high as the alcohol percentage.

It’s been described by some drinkers as “The best Red I have ever had,” with its smooth, easy flavor that makes the high ABV surprising. It was out back in the spring of last year, and this new brew of the old variation is just as delicious as ever.

RVA ON TAP: Festivals Galore!

Caley Sturgill | August 21, 2019

Topics: 18th Street, ‪3 Sons‬, ‪American Solera, ‪Anchorage‬, Angry Chair, ardent, Ardent craft ales, beer, beer column, Bellwoods, Benefit, Bissell Brothers, Black Heath Meadery, Blue Bee Cider, Buskey Cider, ‪Cantillon, Casey Brewing, Center of the Universe, Cloudwater‬, courthouse creek cider, Drie Fonteinen‬, Final Gravity, fine creek brewing, ‪Fonta Flora‬, ‪Half Acre‬, Hardywood, ‪Hill Farmstead‬, ‪Holy Mountain‬, ‪Hudson Valley‬, Isley Brewing Company, James River Association, ‪Jester King‬, lab rescue, Lickinghole Creek, ‪Monkish‬, nonprofit, ‪Notch‬, ‪Ocelot‬, ‪Omnipollo‬, ‪Other Half‬, outrva, ‪Oxbow‬, Reservoir Distillery, Richmond Triangle Players, RVA On Tap, ‪Sante Adarius‬, ‪SideProject‬, ‪Suarez Family, ‪The Answer, The Veil, ‪The Veil, The Veil Brewing Co., three notchd, ‪Threes, ‪Tired Hands, Trillium‬, TRVE‬, va pride, Vasen Brewing Company, weldwerks

This week, Richmond’s brewers are at it again with *tons* of awesome events. You’ll find some great new beer releases, in addition to lots of benefits to help out the nonprofits and organizations we all know and love, so save your weekly restaurant budget for the weekend, because we’ve got a lot of great reasons to come and support.

Big news at Hardywood! The James River Jubilee is coming up this Sunday, so make sure you don’t go too hard on Saturday so you can make it out. Our buds at Hardywood partnered up with the James River Association to create this special first-ever James River celebration to honor the biggest and best part of our city: the river that runs through it.

All of our river-goers know how important the James is to Richmond and its history, and the James River Park System is one of the best in the state for hiking, fishing, picnics, and swimming all summer long. There’s nothing like getting out of the hustle and bustle of downtown to escape into the trails along the river, and take a vacation from the city without ever having to leave it. The James River Association maintains our beautiful environment and keeps it in tip-top shape for us to enjoy year-round, so take this Sunday to come together with us to appreciate the river and the people who protect it.

All day long at Hardywood, food trucks and beers galore will be around along with interactive vendors and jubilant music to commemorate Richmond’s greatest asset, and the wildlife that surrounds it.

Hardywood’s also got some great can releases this week, with None Of This Makes Sense coming out on Friday in cans along with Cloud Shapes, a dreamy fruit Double IPA dropping in cans that day as well.

Calling all dog lovers! National Dog Day is around the corner, and our friends at Isley Brewing Company have brewed up something special to commemorate it.

This Saturday, head over to Isley for the release of Rescue Red Ale, a red that reflects its name in its deep, cherry color. It’s brewed with Jarrylo and Mosaic hops that balance out its malty, sweet backbone with a bit of a hoppy kick. with a good amount of hops but a still-approachable 5.2% ABV and 34 IBU to keep the bitterness at bay.

Along with great beer, you’ll find everything from treats to doggie pools and homemade ice cream for your pups, and giveaways and raffles to treat their humans, too. The beer benefits the Lab Rescue of Greater Richmond and the Lab Rescue LRCP, so drink happy knowing you’re helping some sweet babies find homes.

Another bonus: if you’re a dog lover who has yet to find their dog to love, the event will be hosting adoptions of some great pups in need of forever homes. Come to Isley for the beer, and come home with your newest (and favorite) family member.

Tomorrow night, swing by Ardent Craft Ales for some sweet earthy flavors in their latest brew. Barrel Aged Honey Ginger is making its way back to the taps, and this new version of a fan favorite is only available once a year — so make sure you don’t miss out, and get your taste before it’s gone.

Layered with bourbon and vanilla notes, this honey-ginger beer was aged for more than a year in bourbon barrels to add to its sweet honey tastes and spices with ginger. If you loved last year’s version, you’re sure to enjoy this one with its bourbon barrel additions of flavor. Coming in at a high 11.5% ABV, you’ll also only need one, unless you’re in that small class of folks I know who can grab a six pack and enjoy bourbon brews all night long.

If you’re wanting a taste without a weeknight evening at the brewery, you can also head over to grab some in bottles to enjoy anytime. They’re also hosting the release alongside one of our most-favorite foods with The Return of the Mac food truck out in the beer garden, so you won’t want to miss it.

Are you holding on to summer with all your might? You’re not alone. The Veil Brewing Co. feels your pain, and they’re hosting a banger for all the summer-lovers in the River City.

Forever Summer Fest is going down this Saturday at The Veil to benefit ChildSavers. This is an awesome way to give back, so don’t let the high ticket price scare you off if you’re able to swing it — all proceeds are going back to the nonprofit, so you can rest easy knowing those dollars are well-spent.

The event is taking place over three sessions throughout the day from morning to night, which lets you pick whichever time works best. Grab your tickets here for any session you please, and get tastes from tons of awesome breweries you won’t find around here… plus your local favorites like The Answer Brewpub who will be there pouring.

Here’s a full list of the brewers, many we don’t normally get to try at home, who are coming out:

18th Street, Angry Chair, ‪American Solera, ‪Anchorage‬, Bellwoods, Bissell Brothers, ‪Cantillon, Casey Brewing, Cloudwater‬, Drie Fonteinen‬, ‪Fonta Flora‬, ‪Half Acre‬, ‪Hill Farmstead‬, ‪Holy Mountain‬, ‪Hudson Valley‬, ‪Jester King‬, ‪Monkish‬, ‪Notch‬, ‪Ocelot‬, ‪Omnipollo‬, ‪Other Half‬, ‪Oxbow‬, ‪Sante Adarius‬, ‪SideProject‬, ‪Suarez Family, ‪The Answer, ‪The Veil, ‪Threes, ‪3 Sons‬, ‪Tired Hands, Trillium‬, TRVE‬, and ‪Weldwerks‬.

Returning to Final Gravity Brewing Co. this week is Cassiopeia, a Double IPA brewed in honor of the beautiful Greek Cassiopeia in mythology. Head over to Final Gravity this Friday for a taste of melon, coconut, pine, peach, and “whispers of pineapple” in this easy drinker.

Cassiopeia was brewed with Cashmere and Mosaic hops to come together in this heavenly congregation, as the brewers say, of radiant flavors with a smooth bitterness that brings out its lemon and tangerine flavors.

Out on the farm at Lickinghole Creek Craft Brewery, our brewers are at it again with a brand-new brew coming out this Friday. Juicy #14 is the latest in Lickinghole Creek’s Juicy Series, dry-hopped with a massive amount of Eureka hops — and only Eureka hops.

A pale, hazy beauty according to Lickinghole Creek, Juicy #14 is full of tropical citrus, stone fruit, and blackberry flavors which all come together with a fluffy, wheat-based mash bill. You’ll love the low bitterness that comes with its big hop flavors from being rounded out with their house English Ale yeast to make this perfectly-dank and resinous beer.

Grab your wagons if you’ve got ‘em (wheelbarrows and station wagons are acceptable for those of us who live in the actual city) because Center of the Universe has a festival for you.

The 3rd Annual Circle the Wagons BBQ Cook-off and Concert is coming up this Saturday to benefit Circles Ashland, a nonprofit that works to reduce poverty in Ashland. This benefit is going down in the brand-new Green Top Hunt Fish with tons of entertainment, from music for parents to a 40ft inflatable obstacle course for the kids.

If you’re a big BBQ fan like myself, this event is definitely for you. A panel of 10 judges is going to be tasting one meat and one side from each of the vendors in attendance, which includes Saucy’s BBQ, The Salty Pig Smokehouse Co., Jake’s Place, Virginia BBQ Ashland, The UFO Truck, and my *all-time favorite* Grandpa Eddie’s Alabama Ribs & BBQ. You can bet your sweet bippy that I will be coming out if only for a massive plate of Grandpa Eddie’s just to take home and eat by myself in bliss.

They’ve also got amateur competitions that you can enter if you please, so get cookin’ and bring out your best recipes to take home the name of best cornbread in the state from the festival. All-around, this is going to be a day of bigtime good food, so bring your appetite and fast for food that morning if you have to. Lord knows I probably will.

Out at Fine Creek Brewing, a new Lemon Wheat came out over the weekend that sounds delicious. Already a favorite among fans, this American Wheat Ale brew hits in at 5.2% ABV and brings out all the refreshment you need for these hot summer days. It was brewed with Callista, Saphir, and Nugget hops in addition to its fresh lemon peel additions, and you can grab it to-go as well in Growlers and Crowlers.

They’ve also got their beloved Turf & Twig Brown Ale back on tap, which has just the right amount of sweetness to complement this dark-style Brown Ale. You’ll catch dessert flavors like nutty coffee, baker’s cocoa, and pumpernickel bread to bring out its rich maltiness, and a clean finish with just that hint of sweetness to round it out.

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

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.

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.