Monthly Archives: November 2014

Center of the Universe Turns Two This Weekend

COTU 2yr party 111414Center of the Universe will celebrate their two year anniversary all weekend long starting today Friday November 14th at 4pm. They will have something special in store each day of their weekend long party.

Maybe Mike will wear the yellow suit?

Friday, November 14th  4 – 9PM

Day one marks the return of “The Richard” aka the happy accident of a double IPA during COTU’s first brew.

This aggressive Imperial IPA keeps getting bigger as our brewers keep pumping more and more grain and hops into this monster.  This year, the brew will be clocking in at a whopping 9.0%  As is always the case with this delicious libation, we will be filling growlers!  So, grab a friend, a relative, or your dancing shoes and come out to see what all the fuss is about.  LONG LIVE THE RICHARD!

Saturday, November 15th  1 – 9PM

They are still revealing beers but day two will feature guest taps from their Homefront IPA partner breweries.

Sunday, November 16th  1 – 9PM

Day three sounds like so much fun I’ll just let COTU tell you about their Stout Fest and beer, chocolate, and cheese pairings.

It’s always Sunday Funday at COTU, but today, you know because we are 2, we are going to be doing something amazing. We will be doing our first event STOUT FEST and BEER CHOCOLATE, and CHEESE PAIRINGS!  Enjoy these two events along with our amazing beer lineup, live music from Something Shiny, and food trucks!

STOUT FEST

For the first time ever, we will be pouring 5 different stouts here at the brewery. These are extremely limited edition stouts and include the elusive, provocative, dream making, Shut Up.  To go along with Shut Up, we will be featuring El Duderino, The Dude, Unseasonable Stout, and a Coffee Imperial Stout. Don’t miss this chance to try the full line up of the darkness!

BEER, CHOCOLATE, and CHEESE PAIRING

Picture this: 6 4 oz. pours of COTU brews, 3 different artisan cheeses, and 3 different hand made chocolate truffles all mixing in your mouth and creating some of the most unique, smooth, and delectable flavors you have ever experienced. Oh yeah, its only $20 per person and includes an expert in each field to lead you on this culinary journey. This portion of the party is ticketed and advanced tickets can be purchased at the brewery for the following time slots: 3pm & 5pm. 20-25 person max per session.  Tickets can be purchased the day of, if slots are still available.

Chocolates: Chocolates by Kelly: Chocolate is not a luxury, it’s a way of life, at least for Kelly Walker and her ardent followers it is. Her family tree is chocolate dipped and she continues and grows the tradition by crafting each of her lovelies by hand. Salted caramels, cranberry vodka cordials and many many more confections are awaiting you. Check her out here.

Cheeses: The Caboose Wine and Cheese: The Caboose Wine & Cheese has been providing the Hanover and greater Richmond area the finest selection of wine, beer and specialty foods since 1997. Located on the railroad tracks of historic Ashland, Virginia, we offer the friendly service you’d expect from a small town, and a selection that is sure to surprise and delight. Check them out here.

Get Stung By Virginia Stingo At Strangeways This Weekend

This has to be the strangest video for a beer release yet.

How did Strangeways come up with the name Virginia Stingo?

The name Stingo, derived from a fashionable slang word in the 1700’s for a strong or old English ale, likely comes from the sharp or “stinging” flavor arising from this barrel-aged style of beer. Gigantic amounts of malt were split between two separate mashes, and then blended back into the kettle to provide an extremely solid backbone into which dark candi syrup and coconut sugar were intertwined. Virginia Stingo then spent nine months maturing in oak barrels that originally housed red wine from Virginia’s Horton Vineyards. The result is a big, boozy, yet balanced ale, meant to be sipped and savored like a fine red wine.

You can get stung by this British invasion starting today Friday November 14th starting at noon.  Check out the Facebook event for more information and updates.

Joe’s Inn Turn Their Hardywood Taps To Twenty Four Today

Credit: Hardywood

Credit: Hardywood

In what is looking to be an annual event, Joe’s Inn in the Fan will change all twenty four of their taps to Hardywood today Wednesday November 12th.  They have upped their GBS variants to four from last year’s takeover and included Hardywood’s Third Anniversary Ale and Trickery.  Several beers aged from last year will be on tap including Rum Pumpkin. Oh and they have the 2014 GABF gold medal winning Raspberry Stout on as well.

Here is what Joe’s will be tapping starting this morning except for all GBS variants and Trickery, which will be tapped at 6pm:

Bourbon Gingerbread Stout 2013 — tapping at 6PM
Nitro Gingerbread Stout 2014 — tapping at 6PM
Gingerbread Stout 2014 — tapping at 6PM
Xmas Morning Gingerbread Stout (cask conditioned pin) — tapping at 6PM
Trickery — Imperial Milk Stout aged in Apple Brandy barrels — tapping at 6PM
Black Forest Stout
Forbidden – Belgian Wit with Dragon Fruit
Rum Saison
Brian’s Barrel Blend #4
Virginia Blackberry
Hibiscus Saison
Great Return
Third Anniversary Berliner Weisse
Pils (German)
Rye Pumpkin
Hazelnut Stout
Farmhouse Pumpkin 2014
Bourbon Barleywine 2014
Rum Pumpkin 2013
Bourbon Cru 2013
Farmhouse Pumpkin 2013
Bourbon DIPA 2014
Sidamo 2014
Bourbon Sidamo 2014
Raspberry Stout 2014 — 2014 GABF gold medal winner

205 N. Shields Ave
Richmond, VA 23220

Show Strangeways Your CANable To Win SOLD OUT Richmond Beeristoric Tour Tickets

Remember how I told you the Richmond Beeristoric would sell out? Well Strangeways is giving you a chance to get on board.

Introducing RVA’s newest beer can..the giant 32oz CanAble crowler (can+growler)! Fill with your choice of 30+ unique Strangeways beers on tap this week for your chance to win a pair of Beeristoric tickets and a $50.00 Strangeways Gift Certificate! Can You Dig It!

Here’s how it works:

1. Stop by Strangeways to pick out your favorite beer (might we suggest filling it with one of this week’s Gingerbread Curiosities?), and get your CanAble filled up.
2. Think strange! Take a unique photo with your CanAble and post it to Twitter, Instagram, or the Contest Facebook Event Page with the #CanAble and tag us in it! (FB: Strangeways Brewing. Twitter and Instagram: StrangewaysRVA)
3. Enlist the help of your friends, family, neighbors, coworkers…our Facebook winner will be chosen by the number of “likes” the photo receives! The Instagram/Twitter winner will be chosen by Strangeways staff, so be clever!
4. Win! Entries must be received by 4PM Saturday, and winners will be posted to this event page at 5PM.

Prizes:
-Facebook winner: A Pair of Beeristoric Tour Tickets and a $50.00 Strangeways Gift Certificate
-Instagram/Twitter winner: A Pair of Beeristoric Tour Tickets and $50.00 Strangeways Gift Certificate

Contest rules:
Must be 21+ to enter. Participants may enter on all social media platforms with one photo per platform. Must be prepared to show photo ID to claim prize. Contest runs from Monday, Nov. 3 to Saturday, Nov. 8 at 4PM Winners will be posted Saturday, Nov. 8 at 5PM.

Head over to their Facebook event for more information and updates. Good luck!

RVA Beer Week 2014: Tap Takeovers, Pub Crawls & Tappings

Join in on the yearly celebration of Richmond’s craft beer scene during RVA Beer Week (November 1 – 9).

All Week

The Cask Cafe Turns 1!

Join Cask in celebrating a phenomenal first year. Draft and growler specials, rare beer tappings, pub crawls, tap invasions and more!

Monday Nov 3rd — Brewer’s Parade 
Hardywood Rye Pumpkin
Ardent Craft Ales  VA Common
Strangeways Soledad
Triple Crossing Liberty or Death Porter
Lickinghole Creek Gentleman Farmer
Legend Winter White Ale

Tuesday. Nov 4
Tapping BFM Grand Cru aged in French Champaign Barrels!

Wednesday, Nov 5 — Brews Cruise
https://www.facebook.com/events/1499286323681709/?ref_dashboard_filter=upcoming

Thursday, Nov 6 — Lickinghole Creek Tap Invasion
VA Black Bear
Rosemary Saison
Goochland Quad

Monday November 3rd

RVA Brewers Parade — 5:30PM
Richmond’s local breweries have united in a show of support for restaurants in the Fan and Carytown for the second annual RVA Brewers Parade.  Want to join them? Meet up with the crew from Hardywood, LCCB, Midnight, Triple Crossing, and Extra Billy’s in the Fan starting at Postbellum. Meanwhile COTU, Ardent, Rusty Beaver, Strangeways, Isley, and Legend will hit the streets of Carytown starting at Weezie’s Kitchen. Each group will get started around 5:30 and stay at each location for about 30 minutes.

Here are the routes they will be taking before meeting back up at Cask to head over to Commercial Taphouse together:

The Fan
Postbellum
Bellytimber
Joe’s Inn
Social 52

Carytown
Weezie’s Kitchen
Can Can Brasserie
Mellow Mushroom
Daily Kitchen & Bar

Tuesday November 4th

Devils Backbone Takeover at Portrait House — 4PM
Portait House hosts a total tap takeover with Devils Backbone. They have helped change the landscape for Virginia beers since their opening in 2008. Each of Portrait’s 24 taps will be pouring a unique offering. Go sample some familiar beers, as well as ones not seen often in Richmond.

Vienna Lager
Gold Leaf Lager
Pear Lager
Schwartz Bier
8 Point IPA
Striped Bass Pale Ale
Pumpkin Hunter
Azrael Golden Strong Ale
Kilt Flasher Wee Heavy
Dark Abby
Turbo Cougar
Ofest
Trail Angel
Spider Bite
Marsedon Quad
Dead Bear
1887 Stout
Ginger Lager
Skull Crushing Ape
Smokehaus Lager
Pilot Brau Pils
Ale of Fergus
3 Ridges Triple
Brew Ridge Hop Revival

They’ll also have 4 tickets to give away to the showing of The Big Lebowski at the Byrd Theater on Friday, November 7th hosted by Center of the Universe.

Portrait House
2907 W Cary St
Richmond, VA 23221

Wednesday November 5th

Honey Ginger Farewell Party at Ardent Craft Ales — 4PM

Get your Honey Ginger while you still can…

Brews Bike Cruise — 5:30PM

Join Hardywood Park Craft Brewery, Legend Brewing Company, andSTRANGEWAYS BREWING for a Brews Cruise through Carytown and The Fan!

At 5:30pm, pick up a map at Agee’s Bicycles and cruise right over to Portrait House. Beers start pouring at 6:00pm.

6:30pm: Bike to 821 Cafe
7:15pm: Bike to Postbellum
8:00pm: Hit the last stop, Cask Cafe, for a chance to win some exclusive brewery swag!

Bike reflectors are required!

Biking Brews Cruise RVA Beer Week 2014-1

 

Thursday November 6th

Legend & Starr Hill Collaboration Celebration — 5:30PM

Legend Brewing Company & Starr Hill Brewing Company come together to release a collaboration beer called HooVale!

The beer gets its name from the urban legend that argues Charlottesville was the inspiration for Dr. Seuss’s children’s book, “How the Grinch Stole Christmas.”

Continental Divide Richmond will be cooking up some great and well paired specials as well as the classics.

Part of Legend’s “Urban Legend Series,” HooVale is a Spiced Holiday Ale. Also on Tap:
Legend Winter White
Legend Brown
Starr Hill Gava Joe Belgian Espresso Stout
Starr Hill Grateful Pale Ale

Continental Divide Richmond
2501 W Main St
Richmond, VA 23220

AW Shucks Country Store Third Anniverary  with Three Brothers & Triple Crossing — 6PM

 

Friday November 7th

The Big LeBYRDski by Center of the Universe  at The Byrd — 7PM
Center of the Universe and The Byrd Theater Foundation present “The Big LeBRYDski.” There are a lot of ins, a lot of outs, and a lot of what have yous but all proceeds will benefit The Urban Achievers The Byrd Theater Foundation.

Will you watch The Big Lebowski at the Byrd Theater? Yes.
While having a beverage? El Duderino and other COTU brews.
Will the money you spend go to The Byrd Theater foundation? 100% – this is no ringer dudes.

The Big LeBYRDski

Date: November 7th
Time: Doors Open at 7:00pm
Movie starts at 8:00pm

Tickets
$10 + applicable fees in advance through eventbrite here.
Advanced ticket sales will end at 12:00am on November 6.
$15 at the door starting at 7:00pm on November 6.

*Ticket includes admission into the theater as well a 1 beer token to be redeemed for a glass of El Duderino.

THIS IS NOT NAM. THERE ARE RULES.

  • This is a 21 and up event. Only those with a VALID ID will be permitted into the building. No 8 year olds, dude. This goes for advance ticket sales as well. NO EXCEPTIONS.
  • Only a token can be redeemed for a glass of El Duderino. No cash sales. Other COTU beers will be available for purchase from the concession area.
  • No outside food or alcohol permitted.
  • The Byrd Theater only accepts cash. There is a cash machine in the building.
  • No refunds. No re-entry.
  • The Byrd Theater reserves the right to not serve intoxicated patrons. The Byrd Theater also reserves the right to remove from the premise any person who is causing a disturbance, without a refund.

Saturday November 8th

IPA All Day! at Ardent Craft Ales — Noon

Gingerbread Stout 2014 Release at Hardywood — 2PM

And now you can get it in a can…

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