Vasen Brewing Company

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

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, 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.

*PHOTO: Lickinghole Creek Craft Brewery*

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.

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: 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: Hemp, Hops & Events

Caley Sturgill | July 24, 2019

Topics: Ardent craft ales, beer, beer column, beer history tour, craft beer, Garden Grove Brewing, Hardywood, Intermission Beer Company, Isley Brewing Company, Lickinghole Creek Craft Brewery, richbrau, RVA On Tap, Stone Brewing-Richmond, Three Notch’d RVA Collab House, Triple Crossing Beer, Vasen Brewing Company

Wasn’t it absolutely beautiful out yesterday? I wish every day in RVA could be 75 degrees and cloudy. For those of you who enjoy the heat, though, I’ve got you covered: Richmond’s packed with events this week to get you out of the house and into the sun all through the weekend, with more beers on tap than you can count.

Happy birthday, Väsen! These outdoor enthusiasts are turning two years old, and we’re stoked on their plans. This Saturday, they’re kicking off their anniversary festival with a block party all weekend long. And it ain’t no little get-together, either — they’ll have more than 25 bands out, plus breweries, cideries, and meaderies from all around to celebrate their second trip around the sun together.

They’ll also have food trucks and outdoor activities (in true Väsen fashion) that’ll make it “one of Scott’s Addition’s biggest bashes to date.” With three different levels of tickets, you can swing by for a few bands or come out for the whole thing with awesome drink deals and entertainment throughout the weekend. You’ll catch more than 20 breweries from around the state (including a few of my personal favorites, like Allagash, Hardywood, Trapezium, and Final Gravity, among others). It’ll definitely be one for the books, so if you’re looking for some new flavors in your life, now’s your time to shine.

Hardywood’s 4th Annual HeART and Soul Brew Fest is heading back to our favorite brewers this Saturday, with eight hours of urban art, dope entertainment, soul food, and craft beers to kick start your hearts.

There is a PET LAND (!!) from RACC, plus a VIP Experience from the Virginia Lottery coming out for this one. They’ve also got a Fun Zone with the VMFA — so make sure to bring the kiddos along — and art-lovers galore with the Studio Two Three Art Lounge and Made by RVA’s Creative Vendor Market.

Best of all, the Richmond Black Restaurant Experience group is coming out to provide the whole event with a food court on Ownby Lane, packed with awesome spots from all around the city. If you’re in the market for some good eats, Hardywood’s got you covered bigtime this weekend.

In more event news, Triple Crossing Beer is dropping cans in the nation’s capital this Saturday. If the excitement of Richmond’s events just isn’t enough this week, and you want to get out of town, this’ll be a really fun one to check out. They’ve got two different events happening together — one featuring cans, and one featuring drafts.

For cans at The Bruery Store, you’ll find Dawn Chorus Double IPA, a pineapple and peach-gummy ring beer made with Galaxy and Vic Secret hops. Salinity Gose with Lime will also make an appearance (with pink Himalayan sea salt, with lime zest and juice) along with DDH Falcon Smash IPA made with Falconers Flight, El Dorado and Mosaic hops, and lots of grapefruit and citrus pine character. The Grid DIPA is on the fruitier side, with passionfruit, guava, mango, and peaches (is there a better combination than that?). Bright Lights IPA is another summer brew, with ice cream throwbacks in its orange sherbert and melon. All Neon Like IPA, brewed with Galaxy and Vic Secret hops, leans more on the stone fruit and less on the bitterness than its sister in Dawn Chorus. Last, Night Call Double IPA is Denali-hop focused with deeply-tropical pulpy pineapple, candied citrus, and a bright, mango-like apricot softness.

If you’re more of a draft girl (like myself), you can catch brews at ChurchKey like Less Than Alone Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout with flavors of vanilla — plus Tiny Pils, a 3.8% German Pilsner, Pathway Pilsner, Deep Dark Woods coconut Imperial Stout, Chroma Cerise Barrel-Aged Golden Sour aged on Montmorency Cherries, Bright Lights IPA, Falcon Smash IPA, The Grid Double IPA, and finally, Delta Oak, an aged Golden Sour which was dry-hopped with Nelson Sauvin.

Now, after those mouthfuls and tongue-twisters, I think it’s pretty clear that Triple Crossing isn’t messing around with their D.C. Fest. For those of you who like to change it up, I think you’ve found your spot.

Triple Crossing also just dropped a new recipe over the weekend, a citrus-zest flavored beer called Waveform. This one has a golden sour base with fresh lime zest, so it’s great for a hot summer day (unlike yesterday, which in my opinion, was the best weather we’ve had in months). Blended with oak ferment and from multiple vessels in their wood cellar, Waveform is the newest to the above list of Triple Crossing’s perfectly-balanced recipes.

I don’t know about you guys, but I definitely know a lot of people who appreciate hemp. Lickinghole Creek is on board, too, and they’re throwing a party for it coming up this Saturday. The Virginia Hemp & Hops Festival is going down this weekend at our favorite farmhouse spot with fun for the whole family, like hayrides and slip ‘n slides to keep everyone stoked all day.

The Virginia Industrial Hemp Coalition is coming out, with speakers to talk about the hemp industry in the great Commonwealth in the afternoon. They’ve also got food from Gourmet Hemp Foods, plus live music and partners like Botanaway and First Necessity.

Over at Intermission Beer Company, 50 Years of Love rolls on. In a truly-tropical brew, they’re celebrating the campaign and a half-century of love in the Commonwealth with a new release.

Tropical Thunder IPA is dropping this Saturday at the brewery, and it’s everything we need this summer. With notes of tropical fruit hops, they went the extra mile and added in more flavor with batches of passionfruit, mango, and pineapple — made for a day at the river. It’s gluten-reduced and hits in at 7.2% ABV, so it’s a nice, easy drinker for those days when most IPAs feel too heavy.

In new-brew-news, Ardent Craft Ales is dropping their Berliner Weisse tomorrow night. This low-alcohol beer has a light body with high carbonation to bring out its clean, sour flavors — which are packed with lemon and citrus along with a special addition.

On top of the brew itself, according to Ardent, Berliner Weisse beers are traditionally served with a flavored syrup to spruce things up. For their variation, Ardent partnered up with Richmond’s ZZQ to cook up something new: a smoked pineapple and habanero syrup to give this Weisse a kick. You can only catch the syrup in the taproom, so be sure to swing by and get a taste of the best thing since hot sauce. I recently had the pleasure of tasting a mango habanero beer, and good lord, it was incredible (even for a white girl who’s usually a pretty big baby about spice). I’d definitely recommend you go give this one a try.

Overall, this one’s tart and refreshing, and its pale straw colors and cloudy, effervescent feel is the perfect release for this time of year.

Our favs out at Stone Brewing Richmond are throwing it back tomorrow for a #ThrowbackThursday Tapping. From their Mission Warehouse Series comes The Stone Mission Warehouse Sour, available at the brewery tomorrow in all its Mosaic dry-hop and Lambic style glory.

Stone’s also having Nicky Lee and The Wiz this Saturday from the afternoon to the early evening, so if you can’t make it on Thursday, be sure to drive out to their awesome East End spot for good brews and good jams over the weekend.

Three Notch’d RVA Collab House cooked up something awesome for the adults and not-so-awesome for the kids: Summer School! This New-England style IPA just dropped over the weekend for Tap That Friday, and it was made as a collab with the University of Richmond. College students are no strangers to summer school, so I can understand why they would hop on board to spend some of that classroom time brewing up something to take the edge off from all those exams and late-night study sessions in the middle of vacation season.

This one’s got heavy amounts of Citra hops, along with Amarillo and El Dorado to make sure it “aced the final exam.” If I were them, I’d want to be drinking at school, too.

Hey, Isley! Thanks for curing the too-hot-blues: with their new Summer Sipper, they’ve got one designed for the hottest heat to cool down in July. This Session Hazy IPA just dropped at the brewery and was dry-hopped five times throughout its production to carry the hop flavors of a stronger beer with a low 4.2% ABV. It was created with Jarrylo, Huell Melon, and El Dorado hops, and its bright colors suggest a fruity finish as well. It’s light, approachable, and thirst-quenching, to kick it in the sun no matter how much you love (or don’t love) this time of year.

The Brewing in Richmond History Tour is back this weekend! Head over to Scott’s Addition on Saturday to catch the tour — if you’ve never made it out for one before, we definitely recommend it. As they say, today’s bustling beer scene in the River City is only the latest chapter of our city’s history with fermented drinks.

Through the afternoon, they’ll walk you through our booziest neighborhood to talk beer with some great brewers like Three Notch’d, Buskey Cider, and the new Bingo Beer Co. If you’re shying away from the ticket prices, don’t worry. Your beer is included, so jump into the tour and learn something new.

PHOTO: Garden Grove Brewing & Urban Winery

Garden Grove Brewing came back into the Anthem LemonAid challenge again this year. To benefit the Children’s Hospital at VCU, the challenge donates to children undergoing cancer treatment and help fund the society. This year, they released Innocence and Dreams, a light, refreshing Belgian Ale that donates a dollar straight to the hospital for every glass sold.

I’m always stoked to see Richmond brewers finding ways for their customers to drink for a good cause, and this one tastes great, too. Brewed with Lemon Balm from their urban gardens, you’ll get some great citrus flavors in a crisp beer that helps the hospital with each draft.

On the flipside from light lemonade brews, Richbrau has a cookie stout on tap to enjoy some wintery flavors. Keeping it heavy in the middle of summer, they’ve got cold glasses of their 13 O’Clock Randall stout, infused with actual Chips Ahoy! chocolate chip cookies to bring out an opposite for this time of year — and as Richbrau reminds us, “Stout… it’s not just for winter anymore.” I know a lot of heavy beer enthusiasts who will be stoked to see this one pouring right now, so if you’re one of them, go check out Richmond’s newest/oldest brewery down in Shockoe.

RVA ON TAP: Food Fests & 50 Years of Love

Caley Sturgill | July 10, 2019

Topics: beer, beer column, Canon And Draw, Center of the Universe, craft beer, final gravity brewing, fine creek brewing, Hardywood Park Craft Brewery, Intermission Beer Company, RVA On Tap, Stone Brewing-Richmond, Strangeways Brewing, Vasen Brewing Company

This week, we’re keeping with the spirit of summer and all the events that come along with it. From beer classes to food festivals, the local brewers are keeping their schedules (and their glasses) full to keep you busy every night.

I know y’all remember my last visit to a Center of the Universe food festival, because I was stoked after it to present both the best barbecue and waffles I’ve ever had in my life (S/O to Grandpa Eddie’s Alabama Ribs & BBQ and Capitol Waffle Shop) — and also my award-winning ham biscuits that finally got some official recognition winning COTU’s Southern Food Fest after a lifetime of people fighting over them at family gatherings.

They’re bringing back another food festival, and it covers the tastes of the whole nation this time around. The American Food Fest is going down this Saturday, with hot dogs, BBQ, ice cream and more to complement live music and a special beer release. Grandpa Eddie’s will be out again, so don’t miss it this time, along with Mama J’s, Good Dogs RVA, Freekin’ Rican, and some good old fashioned Cold Stone Creamery for dessert. Another important detail to note is COTU’s commentary on their Saturday race:

“Do you like to run? Do you enjoy a nice lather of sweat on a Saturday afternoon? Neither do we!”

Same! In the spirit of laziness and actually enjoying your weekend, their second annual “non-run” is taking place to fundraise for the Ashland Rotary. This perfect event means the only running you’ll do is from the beer trucks to the Freedom Fries after they carry the finish line over your heads. Grab your beer and your lawn chair, because there’s nothing more American than having someone else do the work for you and enjoying the sweet rewards of beer and BBQ.

Does anything make sense? Not really, and Hardywood gets it. Their beloved But Does It Make Sense? IPA is coming back out in cans this week for #FreshCanFriday, complete with live music from Damn Tall Buildings through the evening and Smokie Joe’s BBQ to make sure both your plates stay full as well.

But Does It Make Sense? is a New England-Style Double IPA, brewed with Mosaic, Hallertau Blanc, and Galaxy hops with an 8.5% ABV to kick off the weekend the right way.

Make sure to plan your weekends through the rest of the month, too, because Hardywood’s HeART & Soul Brew Fest is coming up on the 27th to bring Richmond the best dope music, urban art, craft beers, and soul food — is there a better combination than that?

50 years of love in the Commonwealth: a big reason to celebrate, and all our favorite local breweries are following suit. Head out to Final Gravity Brewing Co. on Sunday to keep the festivities going after their 50-mile bike ride from the Jamestown Settlement back up to the city. Virginia is for Lovers sponsored a shuttle for Final Gravity’s ride with the Cap Trail Bike Shuttle to take bikers from Stone Brewing all the way down to the settlement, then the brewery’s hosting an afterparty all evening with a special beer release and Zorch Pizza in honor of the campaign.

Keeping the love going, Intermission Beer Company is hosting a Home-Grown Comedy Show this Saturday night — and there’s more than one reason to celebrate. With their great lineup of local Virginian stand-up comics, Intermission’s setting the stage to commemorate both the 50th anniversary of Virginia Is For Lovers, and the birthday of the night’s headliner, Winston Hodges.

The show starts at 7pm, and this one’s not for the kids: so make sure to call your babysitter if you need one, and come out for a night of laughs with Winston and Liz Carrnage, Alida Harper, Joshua Sekani French, Heather Joyce and more. It’s never a bad time to wind down and share smiles with strangers, and it’s especially fun to do it with entertainers from our own home.

Canon & Draw Brewing Company has a surprise. If you’ve ever drank the water somewhere cleaner than the city of Richmond, you’ll know that the drips coming from our taps are definitely not the state’s best… and even questionable, in my humble opinion. So in order to bring new (and certainly better) meaning to the phrase “River City Tap Water,” Canon & Draw cooked up something delicious.

River City Tap Water is an American Light Lager that’s got all the crisp coolness of the river and all the drinkable goodness of a solid brew. With bright, bursting flavors, you won’t have to worry about what my friends refer to as the “brain slugs” you’re in for if you take a sip from the James — just tasty, easy drinking and a great way to spend a hot summer day.

Notooooorious! On the 4th of July, Stone Brewing Richmond dropped Notorious P.O.G., a Berliner Weisse. This style is one of Stone’s specialties, and I’m looking forward to getting a taste of it for my own.

Notorious P.O.G., unlike the rap legend of its name inspiration, is real bright and fruity. With flavors of passionfruit, orange, and guava, this brew is set to bring all the best fruits of summertime together for a finished product that’s “Fresh, Tropical, and Damn Tasty.” Damn tasty, like everything Stone does. It’s a tropical Weisse that first came out at their Hop-Con 4.0, an annual release event for “the (in)famous Drew Curtis/Wil Wheaton/Greg Koch Stone Farking Wheaton w00tstout.” According to the brewers, P.O.G. comes from Passion, Orange, and Guava for those unfamiliar with Hawaiian juice lore. Come grab a can here in Richmond, out at the East End brewery (a beautiful spot on its own, even without the beer — so definitely worth a visit).

Our buds at Fine Creek Brewing Company just dropped an awesome Friday Beer Feature over the weekend, a Tart Saison brewed with the nuts and hulls of the shellback hickory tree.

Natural Resonance is a 6.7% ABV beer with spicy birch, woody hickory, minor peppery characters from the Saison yeast, and its birch scion tastes from the wood and roots from sweet birch trees. The flavor starts out sweet, with fruity esters and a stronger apple character. It begins to develop into its spicy and oak-like wood tones as the acidity starts to come out on the taste buds. With a tart ending, this recipe is bright, dry, and a perfect earthy-summer flavor to capture the natural flavors of the area with the tastes of the season as well.

The 6th of July may not be special to some, but it was special to us and to Väsen Brewing Company this year. Thanks to this absolutely delicious release, the weekend of the 4th had an extra reason to get pumped.

Boundless is a complex, hazy Double IPA that was dry-hopped with Sabro, Ekuanot, and Enigma hops. This juicy brew brings out the fruity flavors and enticing aromas of tangerine, mango, and papaya, with an awesome finish of more subtle coconut and raspberry flavors. Its name reflects its taste, meant to ponder the boundless, beautiful summer skies above and pair with an endless summer. Head out to Väsen for a glass on your next breezy weekend day, and look forward to their second anniversary coming up soon… but more on that later.

Ever wanted to learn more about the history of craft beer in our region? Yeah, you and me both! Thanks to Strangeways and VCU, we’re in for a treat. They’re co-hosting a course on The Essentials of Craft Beer out at the brewery, a two-part evening class on July 16 and July 23 with Lee Graves (the RVA Beer Guy!) to get a better understanding of both the types and styles of craft beer and the history of each. You’ll get a new understanding and love for craft beer, plus a lot of great knowledge on the regional history of the industry in our area. Head over here to sign up, and remember that it’s 21+ for attendees.

RVA ON TAP: Sunflowers & Tongue-Twisters

Caley Sturgill | June 26, 2019

Topics: beer, beer column, craft beer, Hardywood, Legend Brewing Company, Lickinghole Creek, richmond brewers ball, RVA On Tap, Steam Bell Beer Works, Stone Brewing-Richmond, The Veil, Three Notch’d RVA Collab House, Triple Crossing Beer, Vasen Brewing Company

This week, we’re diving in with some brand-new brews and tons of awesome events, all to keep your summer rolling and your hot days refreshed.

Before we get started into the local brewery news, here’s something awesome: there’s a new podcast in town called Booze Clues by the Geeks Under the Influence Media Network, and they record live in front of an audience each month. Their most recent episode’s audio was just released, and you can find it here to listen to local comedians, podcasters, and entertainers investigating the world’s most bizarre and “spirited” headlines from the last month. It’s a really unique idea to bring to the table (or the bar) in the beer world around here, so check it out and give these guys a listen!

The Veil Brewing Co. is known for its collabs with Sweden’s Omnipollo to an extent already, but they’re throwing a party to make sure no one forgets. This Saturday, Omnipolloscope is going down at The Veil, the “biggest and baddest collab ever.”

They’re holding an official global release of all five of their collab beers, after more than two years, many miles traveled, and the joint efforts of some of the best in the industry, according to the brewers. The Stockholm brewery has been working with The Veil for quite some time now, and the product of all their hard work is finally here, all at once, for us to drink up.

The beers dropping at the release this weekend are numbered from one to five, starting with a Raspberried/Blueberried/Blackberried Wood Aged Sour Jam. Up next is a Superstition Strawberry Bourbon, and a German Jesus Choclorelei Waffle Neapolitan Ice Cream Cheesecake Scoooooooop (wow, that’s a mouthful). They’ve also got a Never Miami Thunder Lemon Meringue Milkshake Raspberry Blackberry Double Ice Cream Lassi Gose (y’all these names are LONG) and… Christ… a Fatamosaicddhdreamatomicdobishredder IIIIPA (oh my GOD).

Ok, I’m never typing that word again. How y’all gonna do that to me? Your poor local beer writer?

Lucky for you, you don’t have to spell it — you just have to drink it. Go get one, and get me one too for the headache. The Veil is lucky their beer is so damn good. I still love you, I promise.

Y’all, this is one of my most-favorite events of the year and it’s back this weekend! The Sunflower Festival has its opening weekend at Lickinghole Creek Craft Brewery starting on Saturday, and it’s nothing short of beautiful out on the farm this time of year.

Since the field of yellow is subject to the weather, Lickinghole Creek is hosting the festival over three weekends this summer — so if you can’t make it this time, check back with their Facebook page to see when the flowers open up. Bring your basket and a set of shears to take a bundle home, or my personal favorite, grab a camera and take the opportunity to get a beautiful batch of photos.

My first-most-favorite event of the year is always visiting farms in the fall, when all the hayrides and pumpkin patches complete the season. We’re still a few months out from that for now, but the Sunflower Festival is as close as it gets in warm weather. To bring some of that charm to the sunny days, Lickinghole Creek is hosting hayrides and a slip and slide for some extra outdoor fun, plus a 4th of July Pig Roast with Papa V’s coming up next week.

They’ll have plenty of food trucks and summer brews alongside live music from artists like Billy Groux and Rocky Ford, Bill Roberts, Sean Liverman and more over the course of the month’s weekends. Of all the events that come in and out of Richmond this time of year, if you like getting outside, this is one you won’t want to miss.

Bringing Pride Month to a close, Hardywood Park Craft Brewery is throwing a Thirst fundraiser tonight. They’ll be slinging glasses of Tropic Like It’s Hot — which, if you remember from last week, is their good-times brew that they brought out for their Pride party celebrating the anniversary of the Supreme Court ruling on marriage equality.

Tonight’s fundraiser is taking us off of the brewery grounds and up to the clouds on Quirk Hotel’s rooftop, overlooking the city and its beautiful views to eat, drink, and be merry while raising money for Richmond’s Side By Side, an organization that supports LGBTQ youth in Virginia.

The forecast looks great so far, with temps hitting the low 90’s (lord help us all, will we make it through August?) and a cloudy sky to bring down the heat. Thankfully, the sun won’t be blazing too hard this time around, but all bets are off for the rest of the summer in Richmond. This is just about the annual time when I recede to the AC in my house unless I’m leaving it directly for a pool. Godspeed to us all.

Do you remember the Virginia Craft Brewers Guild last week? We do. And if you don’t, check our site here for some stellar coverage of this year’s winners in the Old Dominion from Lee Graves, a local beer enthusiast and fellow writer on the brewing world’s happenings.

Stone Brewing took home an award (no surprise) for first place in the American Porter and Stout category this year. There’s something special in the tanks at Stone, as far as I’m concerned, because they seem to be incapable of making a bad beer. Their Espresso Totalitarian Imperial Russian Stout was the prize winner for the dark brews, and this dark, roasty stout made a name for the brewery once again.

Not to say that Stone is our only star, either — tons of our local favorites from Center of the Universe to Lickinghole Creek, Strangeways, Garden Grove and more took home first- and second-place awards in all sorts of categories this year. What it comes down to is that Richmond is really earning its place as the East Coast beer hub, and people all around the country are noticing it.

⟁ Out at Triple Crossing Beer, another weekend multi-release is in order. This Friday in Fulton, grab a glass of Mosaic Triangles, a bright and soft tropical orange-rind melon-citrus brew that’s “deeply encased” within their preferred 6% ABV range. Triple Crossing says they paired this one to bring the strongest shape in nature together with one of their most beloved hops of all time, Mosaic.

Pathway Pils is also making its way to Fulton this weekend, a 100 percent German Pils malt that was blended with the most notable varietals of hops. You’ll find flavors of floral, lemon, hay-like sweet honey straw, and a zesty, dry-but-soft lager. This one’s set to be the brewery’s house Pilsner, so make sure to grab a taste of the one that stands out so much to its brewers. ⟁

More double releases are coming up this weekend, with Väsen Brewing Company’s Triple Berry Sour and Mexican Lager can releases. Triple Berry Sour comes from their favorite saison, which they’ve soured and conditioned on hundreds of pounds of blackberry, blueberry, and boysenberry to create the “shockingly-purple, delightfully-sour” brew.

If you’re looking for color in your summer, this is the beer for you. Its purple body is topped with a bright pink head to create a big taste in this Belgian fruit bomb.

Thanks to a team in Richmond, Virginia Is For Lovers has defined the Commonwealth for decades now. Three Notch’d RVA Collab House has the perfect offshoot of our beloved state anthem to add to the mix: Cherries Are For Lovers, a Cherry Gose that keeps the summer colors going and brings a tasty side to the 50 Years of Love Campaign this year.

Cherries Are For Lovers is on tap now at Three Notch’d in Scott’s Addition, in the heart of the city’s favorite beer neighborhood (Beerborhood? Neighbeerhood? Neighborbeer? All of the above). It’s as bright as the days outside lately, and it’s a perfect weekend brew to cool down with after a long week in the sun.

Friday nights on the patio: Richmond’s favorite pastime, and especially when it’s the patio at Legend Brewing Company. Legend’s outdoor space is one of the best, by far, in town, and this weekend the Mike Lucci Band is coming out to make it even better.

If you’re a fan of rock and the blues, this is your time to shine. Get a glass of one of Legend’s delicious craft brews and grab a seat outside for a full evening of music, river views, and great eats with our longtime friends at Legend. And if the summer rain comes, don’t worry — they’ve got plenty of room inside to keep the music and the beers rolling on.

The month of multiple releases must truly be upon us, because we had more than I could count on one hand last week and we’ve got several running this week already. Steam Bell Beer Works is next up with Crooked Smile and Farmer’s Daughter this Friday, and both bring something unique to the table.

Crooked Smile starts off Steam Bell’s releases at 8.9% ABV, so it’ll be the perfect way to kick off your Friday night. This pillowy-soft Double IPA is packed with tropical fruit tastes and an “in your face” fruit punch, brewed with late-kettle additions to keep the bitterness small and the flavors huge. It’s been dry-hopped with two rounds of Azacca and Mosaic hops, and its English base malts are complemented with just the right amount of specialty malts to bring out a rich orange color.

Farmer’s Daughter follows up a bit lower at 6.4% ABV, and the Belgian Saison has an herbal aroma with a crisp, peppery dryness. Brewed with traditional malts and hops, this batch was made in white wine barrels and aged with second-use fruit to bring out the sour.

Celebrating Richmond’s finest: the 2019 Richmond Brewer’s Ball is happening tomorrow night at Historic Tredegar. Beer lovers are invited to come out and try hand-crafted beers from all of the city’s best (which, to be real, is too many to count with all the great brewers around here), with views, music, and prizes in both live and silent auctions. The event benefits the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, and honors 25 of the city’s leaders in the fight to find a cure.

RVA ON TAP: Drinks With Your Dog

Caley Sturgill | May 1, 2019

Topics: beer, beer column, craft beer, final gravity brewing co, Garden Grove Brewing, Hardywood, Isley Brewing Company, mariners craft beer fest, richmond beer, RVA On Tap, Steam Bell Beer Works, strangeways, Three Notch'd Brewing, Triple Crossing Beer, 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.

This is an extra-special week because it’s both my 25th birthday week (happy bday to me!!!) and it’s the week of more dog beer events (!!!) These couldn’t have come at a better time. Hope to see you there!

We’re set up for all the good dog-lover events, with Lickinghole Creek Craft Brewery’s Rescue Dog Olympics on Saturday after the Strangeways event started the pup themes last weekend. Lickinghole Creek is inviting the entire community out to celebrate the joy that rescue dogs have brought to their lives — my rescue pup included — in a competition that lets all pups participate, no Westminster required.

They’ll also have dogs for adoption looking for homes, so if you’re looking for a new addition to your family, now’s your time to shine. With a costume contest plus more like Best Kisser, Best Trick, Simon Says, Fido Fetch, and a Frosty Paws eating contest, the brewery will keep you busy… and for the less-talented pets like my own, they’ve even got a goofiest photo contest. You’ll probably catch my Bagel in a top hat in there.

Keeping with the theme, Ardent Craft Ales is hosting Barkitecture on Saturday. In their third year, they’re raising money for animals in need in a day of paws and pints. Instead of a pup competition, this one has humans competing in who can build the coolest custom dog houses and kitty condos. They’re all built by your favorite local creators, so make sure to vote for your favorite Richmonders at the event.

With proceeds going to local animal shelters, you’ll get to drink happy and hit up the pet photo booth, face painting, games, raffles, and more.

Our favorite people over at Hardywood have a special week coming up, too — with three days of releases all weekend! They’re starting off on Friday with their Pineapple Great Return can release, and it’s “incomparably bright,” according to the brewers. The 7.8% ABV brew is a West Coast-style IPA, blending the citrus and the tropical in a perfect summery harmony.

The next day, they’re dropping their Belgian-style Peach Tripel, an 8.2% ABV that’s packed with yellow peaches and apricots to complement smaller notes of honeysuckle and white pepper. Finishing out the weekend on Sunday is a different flavor profile with their Cream Ale with Salt & Lime can release. I’ve never had a Hardywood beer I didn’t love, so the smart money says that this whole trio will be delicious.

If you missed Fine Creek’s Wild & Weird Festival, you can hit up Strangeways this weekend for a similar gig. Their Sour & Wild Beer Festival is happening this Saturday, filled with over *twelve* new Strangeways beer releases, plus some oldies but goodies. The new brews on deck are consistently huge crowd favorites, according to the brewers, and the festival is set to be the unique-beer drinker’s wildest dream. Cheers!

At Final Gravity on Friday, Aurora Double IPA is returning to the brewery. This citrusy-pineapple beer has a hazy glow and a fruity aroma, and it’ll “transform your most hectic days into blissful ones.” Who doesn’t love the sound of that?

Also this weekend, Final Gravity’s throwing their Cinco de Mayo fiesta on Sunday with authentic Mexican street tacos, tortas, gingas, and more with homemade tortillas and sauces. Come out and celebrate the right way, with cold beer and the best tacos in town.

Have you been missing the amazing deck at The Answer Brewpub? We have, too, and it’s the perfect time of year to get back outside and drink with one of the nation’s favorite breweries. This week at The Answer, you can catch new releases like I’m Rich Years Old, a Helles Lager, and Drinking Out of Cups IPA which hit in at 5.25% ABV and 6.0% ABV, respectively, and are already available. By tomorrow night, you can also catch their new Work Friends DIPA (8.0% ABV), a collaboration with Dancing Gnome, and on Saturday they’re dropping Is It Chill If I Chill Here IPA (5.6% ABV) — and if you haven’t seen the video this is referencing, good lord, please go watch it. It’s the best I’ve seen this year, imho. The Answer’s got a solid sense of humor, y’all!

Happy May! Väsen Brewing Company is kicking off their Saison month today with rustic beers and delicious varieties to start the season right. They’ve got four beers to release, starting with Vårsol, a barrel-aged brett Saison that’s dry-hopped with Vic Secret and Motueka hops.

Next up is Gidá, a barrel-aged sour recipe to go with Celeia, their rye Saison made with Motueka and Styrian Celeia. Last but not least is Solbaer Blackcurrant Saison, brewed special with Spelt and then conditioned over hundreds of pounds of Blackcurrant fruit. Can you say yum?

Isley Brewing Company’s spicing things up. If you’re a fan of the heat, they’ve got you covered — this jalapeño-infused Pilsner was created for Cinco de Mayo and brings some non-traditional flavors together for the holiday. I’m big on the peppers for eats (if you haven’t tried Jack Brown’s jalapeño-cream-cheese burgers, you need to get on it) but have never seen them used in a brew before. I’m all for this spice, so I’ll definitely be giving this guy a try when the opportunity presents itself.

Toward the end of last week, Garden Grove Brewing & Urban Winery released their Superstitious Sour. This 5.8% ABV Belgian Sour has some *seriously* awesome flavors, like Lemon Verbena (my absolute fav) and Lemongrass. Its “delicious, citrusy tartness” is preceded by a mellow, bready beginning before its big-flavored finish. Head out to Garden Grove’s patio to soak in the beautiful weather with them and give this unique recipe a taste.

Another special release happened over the weekend, with our friends over at Triple Crossing Beer. Less than Alone was brewed with Ethopian Yirgacheffe Boji coffee from Blanchard’s Coffee Roasting Co. to create this 100% barrel-aged vanilla stout. It’s also layered with dark chocolate, apricot, and lemongrass flavors imparted from the whole bean coffee. It only came out in Fulton, so to my East End friends, go get one while you can!

Did you make it out to Something In The Water last weekend? If you didn’t get a trip to the beach but you’re still itching to get out of town, head over to the Mariner’s Craft Beer Festival in Newport News this weekend to get tastes of great brewers from around the state. Some of my personal faves on the list, and names we don’t hear as much in RVA: Devil’s Backbone (my very first craft beer love), Alewerks, New Belgium, Starr Hill, and Larry’s Lemonade. By the way, if you’ve never tried Larry’s Lemonade before, you are Missing. Out. Bigtime. We got the pleasure of trying these guys out at the NASCAR race recently, and it’s ridiculously good — I recommend mixing their 2 main ones together. Trust me, it rules.

Three Notch’d is hosting a collab with The Byrd Theatre and Science Matters next Tuesday with the Film & Fermentation Beerfest. The event is set up to teach drinkers the ins and outs of the beer-making process, and all the science that goes into it as well. They’ve also brewed a special beer for the theater’s 90th anniversary so we can all celebrate our favorite movie spot in town. Long live the Byrd!

This weekend at Castleburg Brewery and Taproom, the winner gets the booty in the war. You’re the winner this time around, and the booty is To the Victor Gose the Spoils, a strawberry-lime gose that was inspired by Cinco De Mayo. Head over Friday evening to get a taste of the gold.