This video from Craftbeer.com says it better than anything I could type here.
Cheers!
Author Archives for rvabeermeister
American Craft Beer Week RVA 2015: Tap Takeovers
There will be a lot of tap takeovers as Richmond celebrates American Craft Beer Week (May 11 – 17). Here are just a few selections to get you through the week but you should definitely check out Annie Tobey’s take on the week’s celebrations on Richmond.com.
Monday May 11th
Tuesday May 12th
Hardywood TapTakeover & Steal The Glass at Blue Goat — 5PM
Blue Goat will feature four beers from one of their favorite Richmond breweries, Hardywood Park Craft Brewery. Here are the beers they will have pouring starting at 5pm:
Bourbon Cru
The Great Return
Sorachi Ace Dry Hopped Pils
2014 Gingerbread Stout.
Don’t miss this great opportunity to come hang out and drink some great beers with the folks from Hardywood!
The Blue Goat
5710 Grove Ave
Richmond, VA 23226
Wednesday May 13th
Strangeways Takeover At Rappahannock — 4PM
Celebrate the week with Strangeways and Rappahannock. They’ll have some glassware to steal and will be pouring these beers:
Woodbooger. 6%, A Belgian style brown ale brewed with coconut sugar and dark Belgian candi sugar, fermented with Belgian ale yeast and aged with bourbon vanilla beans
Überlin, 4.5%, Berliner Weiss style wheat ale. The taste is refreshing and tart with a lemony-citric fruit sharpness and almost no hop bitterness…
Still life of Peaches, 4.3%, Saison that blends a classic Saison DuPont yeast with yellow peaches added during fermentation. The elixir is then aged in oak barrels to enhance its complexity.
Down a few dozen oysters while you’re at it.
Rappahannock Restaurant
320 E Grace St
Richmond, VA 23219
Thursday May 14th
Ballast Point Takeover at Bucket Trade — 4PM
Make your way down to Chester and enjoy these beers from Ballast Point:
Victory at Sea – Porter w/ Coffee & Vanilla
Even Keel – Session IPA
Habanero Sculpin – Spicy IPA
Grapefruit Sculpin – Grapefruity IPA
Dorado – Double IPA
Grunion – Pale Ale
The Bucket Trade
13131 Rivers Bend Blvd
Chester, VA 23836
Lickinghole Creek Takeover at Pig & Pearl — 4PM
UPDATE: This was originally scheduled for Monday night.
Continue your celebration of Kickoff American Craft Beer Week right with a fine selection of beers from Lickinghole Creek over at The Pig & Pearl.
Here is what they will have on starting at 4pm:
Magic Beaver Belgian Pale Ale
‘Til Sunset Session IPA
Goochland Quad
Illuminatos Rum Barrel Aged Imperial Stout
Fearnought Bourbon Barrel Imperial Brown Ale
Supreme Leader Bourbon Barrel Spiced Imperial Stout
The Pig and Pearl
2053 W Broad St
Richmond, VA 23220
Heavy Seas Takeover at Commercial Taphouse — 4PM
Join the crew at Commercial Taphouse & Grill for an evening of extrAAARGHdinary brews from Heavy Seas Beer! There will be plenty to choose from with some year-round favorites, seasonals, and rarities from the Desert Island series. This will also mark the first tapping of Blackbeard’s Breakfast Bourbon Coffee Porter in Virginia.
Here is what they will be pouring starting at 4pm:
Blackbeard’s Breakfast Bourbon Coffee Porter (VA Debut)
Desert Island Scottish Ale
Desert Island Schwarzbier
Smooth Sail Summer Ale
Double Cannon DIPA
Loose Cannon IPA
Cross Bones Session IPA
Deep Six Robust English Porter
Commercial Taphouse & Grill
111 N Robinson St
Richmond, VA 23220
Saturday May 16th
Strangeways Invades Lickinghole Creek’s Farm Brewery — Noon
Not satisfied with tap takeovers at restaurants, Strangeways will be taking over the taps at Lickinghole Creek with most unique farm-inspired beers:
Still Life With Peaches Saison 4.3% ABV | 15 IBU
Southern Heirloom Candy Roaster Squash Bock 5.5% ABV | 29 IBU
Eternal Youth Bière D’abricot 5.2% ABV | 15 IBU
Gourd Of Thunder Imperial Pumpkin Porter 9.2% ABV | 18 IBU
Read the storied descriptions for these beers here.
Lickinghole Creek Craft Brewery
4100 Knolls Point Dr.
Goochland, VA 23063
American Craft Beer Week RVA 2015: Festivals & Parties
Credit: Brewers Association
American Craft Beer Week officially runs from May 11th to 17th but as in years past Richmond will start the party early. Here are some details on festivals and parties happening during the week. Bookmark this page and check back for updates.
Saturday May 9th
Virginia Hops and Barley Fest — Noon – 6PM
The fifth annual Virginia Hops & Barley Festival will feature over 30 Virginia craft beers. Tickets are $20/person in advance or $25/person at door if available and include unlimited sampling of all the beers. VIP tickets are $50/person and include:
Parking
Food
Specialty Collectable Glass
Tented Area
Complimentary Beverages
Private Restrooms
Order tickets here.
Take a look at the beer list:
| Apocalyspe — Forest | Adventure — Fredericksburg |
| Heavy Red Horsemen | Backpack Wheat |
| Devil’s Secret | Expedition IPA |
| Ardent — Richmond | Bold Rock Cider — Nellysford |
| IPA | VA Draft Apple |
| Saison | Pear |
| Brothers Craft (3 Bros) — Harrisonburg | Center of the Universe — Ashland |
| Great Outdoors | Ray Ray’s Pale Ale |
| Hoptimization | Monkey’s Uncle Tripel |
| Chaos Mountain — Callaway | Devils Backbone — Lexington |
| Agents of Chaos | Vienna Lager |
| Cocoborealis | Trail Angel Weiss |
| Isley Brewing — Richmond | Hardywood — Richmond |
| Choosy Mother Peanut Butter Porter | Pils |
| Blueberry Plain Jane | Hoplar |
| Lickinghole Creek — Goochland | Legend — Richmond |
| Nuclear Nugget | Oak Aged Brown |
| Til Sunset | Utebier |
| O’Connor — Norfolk | Midnight — Goochland |
| El Guapo | New Beginning Kolsch |
| Great Dismal Black IPA | Not My Job Brown |
| Starr Hill — Crozet | Rusty Beaver — Ruther Glen |
| Soul Shine | Roy’s Brown |
| King of Hop | Bucktooth IPA |
| Sunken City — Hardy | Strangeways — Richmond |
| Damn Lager | Albino Monkey |
| Crooked Tree Cream Ale | Uberlin |
| Extra Billy’s — Midlothian | Triple Crossing — Richmond |
| Citra Ass Down | Falcon Smash IPA |
Check out the Facebook event here.
Historic Malvern Farm
288 Hugenot Trail
Midlothian, VA 23113
This should be interesting.
They will be featuring craft beers from your favorite breweries including:
Ardent Craft Ales
Bold Rock Hard Cider
Center of the Universe Brewing Company
Hardywood Park Craft Brewery
Lickinghole Creek Craft Brewery
Midnight Brewery
Strangeways Brewing
Triple Crossing Brewing Company
Richmond Beer Lovers 5th Anniversary at Hurley’s Tavern — 5PM
Richmond Beer Lovers will celebrate five years of good times with a nice lineup of beers over at Hurley’s Tavern:
Hardywood- Apple Brandy Milk Stout
Hardywood – Bourbon Cru
Hardywood – Walpurgisnacht
Ardent – Defenestrator
O’Connor – Lil SIPA
Kronenbourg – 1664 Blanc
Blue Mountain – Summer Haze
Brooklyn – Summer Ale
Devils Backbone – Trail Blazer
Sunken City – Crooked Road Cream Ale
Tripel Crossing – Black IPA
Three Brothers – Hoptimization
Alewerks – Drake Tail IPA
Stone – Imperial Russian Stout
Founders – Rubaeus
Lost Rhino – New River Pale Ale
DC Brau – Brau Pilsner
Midnight – Rockville Red
Hurley’s Tavern
4028-J Cox Rd
Glen Allen, VA 23060
Saturday May 16th
Copper Fox Brewfest & Mesquite Challenge at Capital Ale Midlothian — Noon – 5PM
I will get more information on the beers but so far I’m excited by O’Connor’s “South by SouthWit” and Hardywood’s Mesquite Scotch Ale.
Join us on Saturday, May 16 as we host the Copper Fox Brewfest & Mesquite Challenge!
Nine Virgina breweries teamed up with Copper Fox Distillery to create nine new beers EXCLUSIVELY for the event. This beer isn’t just any beer, though. Each brewery created their beer using a special ingredient: Copper Fox’s Mesquite Smoked barley malt. The exciting new brews range in styles from Wit to Doppelbock, to Pale, Brown, and Porter and can’t be found anywhere else!
The event will be held from 12 pm – 5 pm in the spacious parking lot at Capital Ale House Midlothian. Live music will be provided by Notch 9, a Richmond based bluegrass and folk band. There will also be homemade BBQ and other fare to pair with the smoky ales.
For guests 21 and over, tickets are $20 and include the following:
– Entrance into the event
– A commemorative Copper Fox glass
– 9 taster tickets to sample every brew
– Opportunity to try some of Copper Fox’s whiskies and gins
– Live entertainment
– Opportunity to vote for your favorite brew with the chance to win a Barrel Kit from Copper Fox that you can use to age your own whiskyFor guests under 21, non-taster tickets will be available for $5 and include entrance and live entertainment. Children 12 and under must be accompanied by an adult and entrance is free.
The Brewfest celebrates Virginia agriculture, Virginia brewers, and Virginia ingenuity, and highlights Copper Fox Distillery as one of America’s original modern-day craft maltsters. Come on out and support our local breweries!
Participating breweries include:
Adroit Theory Brewing Company
AleWerks Brewing Company
Center of the Universe Brewing
Hardywood Park Craft Brewery
Isley Brewing Company
Lickinghole Creek Craft Brewery
Midnight Brewery
O’Connor Brewing Co.
StGeorge BrewingCo
Three Notch’d Brewing Company
Midnight Brewery 3rd Anniversary — Noon – 10PM
Midnight will celebrate their anniversary by releasing Man Overboard! Belgian Tripel.
May The Fourth Be With The Answer Brewpub
Happy Star Wars Day Richmond! If you’re looking to celebrate Star Wars and craft beer, The Answer Brewpub is the perfect place to do so. Why The Answer?
Brandon Tolbert has affectionately named every vessel in the brew house after Stars Wars characters or locations. Take a look inside.
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- Jabba the Hutt (Mashtun/Lauter) & Sarlacc Pit (Boil Kettle)
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- Fermentors: Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Chewbacca & Princess Leia
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- Fermentors: Yoda, Darth Vader, Obi-Wan Kenobi
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- Brite Tanks: C-3PO & R2D2
Smuggler that he is, I think Han Solo would be pleased to drink beers with names like Petty and Grand Larceny. So get yourself over to The Answer where it is also RVA Appreciation Night where you will find beers for $5 each.
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.
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
Consider The Mystery Of Jimmy’s Black Box At Foo Dog Today
Head over to Foo Dog today April 23rd at 4pm to try the result of Chris Staples’ time at Sierra Nevada’s Beer Camp.
Foo Dog: Asian Street Food
1537 West Main 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
Strangeways Explicit Liquid With Cigar City And The Answer Brewpub Coming Soon
Check out that label!
Richmond Beermeister 