Monthly Archives: April 2015

Ardent And Southbound Present: Cuatro de Mayo Beer Dinner

Get ready for a dinner out on one of the best patios in Richmond as Ardent Craft Ales and Southbound team up to present a “Cuatro de Mayo” Beer Dinner Monday May 4th starting at 6pm.  This festive 5 course dinner will be Ardent’s first collaborative dinner served at the brewery.  Take a look at the menu.

Ardent Southbound dinner 050415-2

All inclusive tickets for the dinner are $70/person and can be purchased here. If Monday’s forecast holds and I really hope it does, it will be a beautiful day for dinner outside. The dinner will be moved inside the brewery in the event of rain.

Ardent Craft Ales
3200 West Leigh St
Richmond, VA 23230

Birthday Beer Dinner Dilemmas: Lickinghole Creek At The Betty On Davis Or Strangeways At Fat Dragon

Embed from Getty Images

My birthday is coming up this Monday and I know what I’m doing that day: Brown Distributing’s trade show! I’m mean how could I not. But what about a special dinner? That’s where my dilemma comes in. Of course, I could go anywhere that night but why not wait until Tuesday April 28th when I could choose between two beer dinners?

Lickinghole Creek at The Betty On Davis — 6PM

LCCB and Betty on Davis have teamed up for a dinner to raise money for the Richmond SPCA. Take a look at Chef Trevor Knotts’ menu.

MENU

Poached Pear Crostini with Goat cheese, candied almond cardamom, sesame, cracked pepper, lemon zest
Sunset IPA

House Made Sausage with Roasted peppers, onions and fennel, Polenta crouton, Nugget Nectar gastrique
Nuclear Nugget Imperial IPA

Bitter Lettuces, watermelon, orange, pomegranate, pumpkin seed
Short Pump Saison

Goochland Belgian Quad Braised Pork Butt, risotto, ramps and figs
Goochland Belgian Quad

Buratta, heirloom tomatoes, balsamic, basil granita and micro basil
Magic Beaver Belgian Pale

Chocolate Stout Pudding, shortbread, and cocoa nibs
Virginia Black Bear Imperial Stout

Tickets for the dinner are $75.15/person and include a 10% donation to the SPCA. You can purchase your tickets online here.

The Betty on Davis
805 N Davis Ave
Richmond, VA 23220

Strangeways at Fat Dragon — 6PM

Chef Zhao will be cooking up five courses of Strangeways. Check out this menu.

MENU

Crispy Hawaii Roll
Martian Spring Biere de mars

Chicken & Corn Westlake soup
Cruel Summer Banana Runts Sour

Braised Short Ribs
Vatos Muertos Tequila Barrel Aged Stout with Ghost Peppers

Sesame Glazed Shrimp & Scallops
GWAR Blood Red Ale

Szechuan Pepper Rubbed Crispy Fish
Legalize It Tosh.OG IPA

The cost for the dinner is $50/person plus tax and gratuity. Reserve your spot by calling the restaurant at 804-354-9888 or emailing Pedro@eatrestaurantpartners.com.

Fat Dragon Chinese Kitchen & Bar
1200 N Boulevard
Richmond, VA 23230

What do you guys think of these choices? What would you do?

Tap Takeovers Return To Mekong With Firestone Walker Tonight

Maybe you’ve noticed or maybe you haven’t but it has been awhile since there was a beer event at Mekong. This was to be expected with the opening of The Answer Brewpub. Now that The Answer will be debuting their beers for first time next week, it is the perfect time for a return to where everything started. For this return, Mekong will host a tap takeover of Firestone Walker beers tonight Friday April 24th starting at 4pm.

Here is what will be on tap starting at 4pm:

Pivo Pils – Hoppy Pilsner
Pale 31 – Dry Hopped Pale Ale
Double Barrel Ale – British Pale Ale
Easy Jack – Session IPA
Union Jack IPA
Double Jack Double IPA
Wookey Jack – Black Rye IPA
Opal – Dry Hopped Saison
Stickee Monkee – Barrel Aged Quad
Parabola
Sucaba – Barrel Aged Barleywine
Helldorado (2014) – Barrel Aged Blonde Barleywine
Bretta Weisse – Wild/Funky Berliner Weisse

Head over to the Facebook event for more details and updates.

Mekong Restaurant
6004 W Broad St
Richmond, VA 23230

Where Can You Find Waldo in Richmond? Whole Foods Short Pump Is The Place.

Whole Foods Short Pump is the place to be at 4:20 if you desire to have one of Lagunitas Brewing’s most sought after beers. Only released at select bars across the country, Waldo is described as the “dankest  and hoppiest beer ever brewed at Lagunitas.”

The last time this beer was tapped in Richmond was Strange Matter in 2012.

Whole Foods Short Pump
11173 W Broad St
Glen Allen, VA 23060

Allagash Tap Attack At The Answer Brewpub Tonight

Allagash corkAllagash Brewing is one of my favorite craft breweries around.  Even if it it just something as simple as Allagash White, I can’t really say there is a beer from them that I haven’t enjoyed. So you know I will be heading to The Answer Brewpub tonight Thursday April 16th as they tap a few year round favorite Allagash beers as well as some new rarities.

Here are the beers that will be on starting at 4pm:

White – Witbier
Curieux – Bourbon Barrel-Aged Tripel
James Bean – Curieux with Cold Pressed Coffee Added
Currant Affair – Sour Dark Ale brewed with Currants
Golden Brett – American Wild Ale
Monmouth Red – Sour Red in Apple Brandy Barrels
Odyssey – Oak Aged Dark Wheat
Century Ale – Aged Brett Saison

Head over to the Facebook event for more details and updates.

The Answer Brewpub
6008 W Broad St
Richmond, VA 23230

Get Ready For Sunny Days With Hardywood Berliner Weisse And Strangeways Zitrone Totally Tubular Radler

Hardywood Berliner Weisse & Strangewasy Zitrone Radler 041115Even though it may be thunder and rain outside, sunny days are on the way. Hardywood and Strangeways each have their own ways to help you beat the heat. Check out their releases tomorrow Saturday April 11th.

Hardywood Berliner Weisse + Sweet Cherry Berliner Weisse Release — 11AM

We’re bringing back our third anniversary Berliner Weisse for the sunny days ahead! Hardywood Berliner Weisse will enliven your palate with tart complexities found in this German-style sour beer. Bright, dry, and refreshing, our Berliner Weisse has a strikingly tart start and prickly finish. Straw-like color and natural haze due to an abundance of wheat intensifies the rustic feel of this beer. Tart citrus notes explode on your palate, while the dry finish leaves you wanting more.
4% ABV, 2 IBU

Starting at 11AM with the Richmond Craft Mafia‘s Spring Bada-Bing 2015!show! This annual indie craft show presents over 50 of the best local, regional, and national indie artists and runs until 5pm.

Hardywood Berliner Weisse pours all day on draft! We’re starting the season featuring a special Sweet Cherry Berliner Weisse variant (no grower fills on Cherry) and 3 bespoke syrups from An Bui’s team:

>> Mekong Restaurant: pineapple, mango + habanero
>> Commercial Taphouse & Grill: watermelon, lime + cilantro
>> The Answer Brewpub: pomegranate + lime zest

Live music from Nervous Ticks, Nelly Kate, Dave Watkins and Gull at Hardywood at 5pm.

Hardywood
2408-2410 Ownby Ln
Richmond, VA 23220

Strangeways Totally Tubular Zitrone (Lemon) Radler Rolls Out — Noon

Invented in the roaring twenties by Franz Xaver Kugler who had to think quick when 13,000 cyclist descended on his small town, Strangeways is introducing the first in a series of three thirst quenching beers to honor the 2015 UCI Road World Championship. Cruise in on your bicycle this Saturday to enjoy Radler specials and live the dream.

Zitrone (Lemon) Totally Tubular Radler
3.2% ABV~20 IBU
Migration Series

This is the first in a series of three thirst quenching concoctions brewed in honor of the 2015 UCI Road World Championships taking place in our own Richmond, Virginia. The Radler style was invented in the Roaring 20’s by Bavarian Franz Xaver Kugler. The story goes that Kugler had arranged for the construction of a twelve mile bike trail through the forest from Munich straight to his establishment, in an attempt to improve business by catering to a post WWI emerging movement of recreational cycling amongst the working class. A good problem/bad problem arose when 13,000 cyclists descended upon his beer garden on a fine Saturday in June of 1922. While Kugler counted heads, he quickly surmised that he did not have enough beer to quench the thirst of all his patrons. Being a sharp businessman, the quick-thinking entrepreneur remembered he had several thousand cases of lemon soda in his cellar, a beverage that had proven a tough sell to the beer-loving Bavarian public. To save the day, while at the same time liquidate some virtually useless inventory, Kugler mixed his lager beer with the lemon soda. To further entice the cyclists to try his new creation, he dubbed the drink the Radler, which is Bavarian dialect for the German word Radfahrer, or cyclist in English. He whimsically told his customers he had developed the mixture to keep them upright on their bikes during their journey back to the city. Needless to say, it became a lasting tradition that carries on to this day in Germany. Prost and ride on!

Strangeways Brewing
2277A Dabney Rd
Richmond, VA 23230

Triple Crossing’s First Anniversary Weekend Celebration Starts Friday

Comedy Coalition Prom at Triple CrossingTriple Crossing will celebrate their first anniversary with a weekend full of events and a special beer starting Friday April 10th. Here are all the details as detailed on their blog:

It’s been a year since we opened our doors to RVA and to say it’s been great is an understatement for sure.  We have been incredibly well supported and watched our vision and goal for this brewery take shape and become an actual thing.  Pretty surreal honestly.

Anyway, our 1st Anniversary weekend is upon us.

For Friday April 10th, the tasting room will run pretty much as it usually does with one double winged taloned exception:

Open at 4pm with Propane BBQ Food Truck and the Cary Street Ramblers taking the stage at 7pm – Double Falcon Smash Release – the love for our first ever raptor continues with this double IPA that follows the blueprint of Falcon Smash IPA– slightly more malt, lots more dextrose, topped off with an obscene poundage of double dry hops, and potently fresh.  8% ABV,  90IBU draft and growler fills only.

Saturday April 11th 12pm-10pm – Nectar and Knife DIPA 22oz bottles and draft.  1st Anniversary Ale – Saison Brett bottle only release, and a seperate Brett Saison – single hop draft only tapping at 2pm.  Cultured Swine and Sausage Fest will be serving up food.  Boxwave plays at 7pm.

Some direction on how we plan to serve you throughout the day on Saturday:

  • Wrist bands – all patrons over 21 wanting to consume onsite beer (no bottles, no growlers) will be greeted at our front door on Foushee Street to have their ID checked and wrist band issued.
  • Beer Tickets and Bottle Sales Table – as you enter our building after receiving your wristband, you’ll see a table to the left of the bar staffed by dedicated TCB team members:
  • Drink Tickets – one draft pour per ticket
  • Bottles – Nectar and Knife DIPA, Liberty or Death Porter, and Saison Brett bottles will only be sold at this table starting at 12PM.  Each bottle type has a strict 4 bottle per variety per person limit.

After your drink tickets have been secured, move to the bar and one of our skilled beer servers will pour your selection after taking your ticket. Some other noted restrictions we have added only in an attempt to get everyone beer as quickly as we can:

  • No sales of any kind at the bar – beer tickets exchanged for draft pours only.
  • No growler fills on Saturday only
  • No tasting samples or flights either, as this significantly slows down our ability to serve everyone. The whole objective of this post and the Anniversary Party is to make the experience rule as much as possible, and to make it as efficient as possible for you great people to get a beer.

A  note about our first ever bottled, brett conditioned Saison –

This beer has been in the bottle for ~ 8 weeks.   While the brett character is beginning to show itself in the flavor, aroma, and slightly increased carbonation levels – this particular beer will continue to evolve over the course of several more months depending on what level of brett character you enjoy.  More time at room temp will draw out more of that signature brett charm as it goes through fermentation under the stress of bottle conditioning.

Can’t wait to see you all next weekend and thank you for all of the support.

TCB