Unless you’ve been living under a rock, then you’re aware of the craft beer explosion in Richmond. Since 1994, Legend Brewing Company has been our staple, but it wasn’t until Hardywood Park Craft Brewery came along in 2011 that the local beer scene began to pick up a bit. If you stepped outside in just about any neighborhood, or keep up with my weekly Tapped column, you’ll see that the city’s craft beer industry has grown by leaps and bounds.

Over 30 breweries are open in the area now, and recently, the city’s craft beer scene received a pretty awesome accolade from VinePair, a publication dedicated to wine, beer, and cocktails. The online magazine just released a list of “The World’ Top Beer Destinations for 2018,” and Richmond took the number one spot, beating out places like Beijing, St. Louis, Chicago, and New York.

“From one craft brewery to 22 in less than 10 years, RVA is officially on the map,” VinePair said of our craft beer hub.

Both Hardywood and Legend get mentions of course, but VinePair also gives shout-outs to Mekong, which has won best beer bar in America from a number of publications, along with The Answer Brewpub, as well as Scott’s Additon’s Ardent Craft Ales and The Veil Brewing Co. for its IPAs.

Triple Crossing, which started out downtown on Foushee, but has since expanded with a second, bigger location in Fulton got a mention for their fruity IPAs, and Carytown’s Garden Grove Brewing and Urban Winery was also given some recognition from the publication for their beer-wine hybrids.

Cheers to all of the breweries who received a mention, as well as Richmond’s craft beer scene as a whole, which looks to only continue to be on the rise with Dogtown Brewing in Manchester coming this year, along with Chesterfield’s Steam Beer Beer Works new Fan location Canon & Draw Brewing opening in March, Tabol Brewing opening in Northside, Hardywood’s Goochland spot slated to open its doors to the public in April, You can see the entire top 10 list of brewery cities who made the list here.

Top Photo Credit: Triple Crossing Beer