Hardywood is expanding their reach by heading south today June 13th for a Meet & Greet in Colonial Heights. Head out to Benny’s Tavern from 5 – 8pm to meet the brewers where they will be pouring a cask conditioned pin of “Nick Palmer” — a blend of Singel and Hoplar with spices.
Benny’s Tavern
3631 Boulevard
Colonial Heights, VA 23834
(804) 526-2536
Unfortunately, I did not get the chance to try their food at Broad Appetit but Canal Bistro’s beer dinner on Wednesday June 13th sounds pretty cool. First course of Hardywood Bourbon Cru? So crazy, it may be genius! Dinner starts at 6pm and costs $35/person including tax and tip. Call (804) 225-1918 to RSVP.
I know there’s a Beavis & Butthead joke to be made here. Get it out of your system now.
Done?
Good.
Hardywood will hold their first annual corn hole tournament Saturday June 2nd at 11:30am. Proceeds from this year’s tournament will benefit Area 10 Global’s 2012 Mission Team to Petit Bourg de Borgne, Haiti. First prize in the tournament includes a private tour of Hardywood Park Craft Brewery with the founders for the winning team and eight of their friends.
Team registration ends Friday June 1st. Use promo code “Hardywood” to save 30% on registration here.
Heaed over to the Facebook event for more information.
Homebrewers, how would you like to have one of your beers brewed by Hardywood? Well, here’s your chance. James River Homebrewers have partnered with Hardywood to make the 19th annual Dominion Cup a Pro-Am competition. Hardywood Park will collaborate with the winning homebrewer to scale up and brew their beer on their professional equipment and offer for sale to their distribution area. The brew will also be entered into the 2013 Great American Beer Festival Pro-AM Competition for further consideration. The Dominion Cup will be held on August 11, 2012; entries are due by July 30th at either Hardywood Park, Weekend Brewer, or Original Gravity. Last year’s Dominion Cup saw over 700 entries. The competition will most likely far exceed that number but that should not stop you from entering. Besides you can’t win if you don’t enter. See full competition details here.
Midnight Brewery invites you to their open house this Friday May 11th from 4 – 8pm. One of the beers you get to taste will be their collaboration with Hardywood, Banana Pancake. Watch as RVA Buzz films them talking about brewing this hefeweizen.
Head over to the Facebook event for more information. Welcoming a new brewery to the area sounds like a perfect way to kick off American Craft Beer Week!
After the success of their first beer breakfast, Secco Wine Bar is doing another one Sunday May 6th. This time Beer Breakfast 2.0 will feature a pin of Hardywood Mocha Belgique spiked with a pound of their house blend of Lamplighter coffee. They will have Evil Twin Biscotti Break on hand as well. That’s two great porters to go with Secco’s delicious food. Oh, I had to look up just what Scotch eggs were; hard boiled eggs wrapped with meat (normally pork sausage), coated with bread crumbs and deep fried! Take look at the rest of the menu.
MENU
House-made corned beef and potato hash with a soft egg
Brioche with house-made butter and raspberry preserves
Strata with asparagus, mushrooms, ramps and gruyere
Scotch eggs with red onion confit and whole grain mustard mayonnaise
Rice pudding parfait with fresh strawberries, honey and citrus
Smoked pork belly, stewed beans, roasted tomatillo & poblano pepper salsa, poached egg & grilled Billy Bread
Featured Beers
Hardywood Mocha Beglique (Secco Beer Breakfast version)
chocolate porter brewed with locally-roasted coffee, aged in Virginia whiskey barrels and poured from a 5 gallon pin spiked with a pound of SECCO blend Lamplighter coffee. 7.2% ABV
Evil Twin Biscotti Break
porter made with espresso, vanilla and toasted almonds. 7.5% ABV
This is a non-ticketed event and all items are served a la carte. Seating will be done on a first come, first served basis. Email info@seccowinebar.com or call (804)353-0670 to get reservations for parties of five to eight. Keep in mind that Secco’s size means the smaller your party, the quicker they will be able accommodate you.
Secco Wine Bar
2933 W. Cary St.
Richmond, VA 23221
(804) 353-0670
I had the most amazing birthday dinner of my life on April 27th thanks to Bistro 27 and Bobby Kruger. Bobby made me two birthday beer cocktails just for me. The cocktail pictured above on the left used Allagash White (one of my favorite beers), cardamom crystals, egg white and freshly ground black pepper. This cocktail was the perfect start to the meal prepared by Chef Silva. Choosing from the Restaurant Week Menu, my first course were mussels tossed in marinara sauce; I could not help but use the bread provided to sop up this tasty tomato concoction.
My second course was Steak au Poivre. This classic French dish was absolutely delish but don’t take my word for it. Have a look at this pic; I barely stopped myself long enough to snap it.
My meal would have ended with the decadent dark chocolate torte for dessert but Bobby was not done with me yet. He created a mocha float using Hardywood Mocha Belgique with a charred chocolate marshmallow on top and with a kick from a bit of mole syrup. Once again guys, thanks for the superb meal!
I attended the first Virginia Cask Festival this past Saturday, April 21st. Arriving a bit late, the crowd was noticeably thin but buzzing excitement. Everyone in the room was there for beer. I started out light with Devils Backbone’s Wit Bier then dived head first into Hardywood’s Bourbon Cru. By all accounts, Hardywood’s Cru was a crowd favorite. In addition to the Cru, Mad Fox’s Wee Heavy and Williamsburg Alewerk’s Choca-Latte were a malt lovers dream in a room of IPAs. I had the pleasure of meeting Bill Madden of Mad Fox for the first time and thanked him for bringing one of my personal favorites from the Falls Church brewery. I will say the only beer I was disappointed with was O’Connor’s Great Dismal Black IPA. Normally, a favorite of mine, something about the addition of coffee did not work for me. On the other hand, I found Starr Hill’s Double Platinum quite enjoyable and balanced as it is normally too hoppy for me.
Turning thoughts to next year’s festival, there are a couple items that I think would make next year’s festival even better.
More Breweries
With only eleven breweries in attendance, it may have been difficult for people to justify the price of admission. The festival was a fundraiser for the Virginia Craft Brewers Guild; breweries who were not guild members were rightfully not allowed to participate. So in order to grow the festival, more Virginia breweries need to join the guild. VCBG has done a great job promoting craft beer in Virginia, most notably the passing of SB 604 which will allow breweries(member or not) to sell pints without having to server food.
Location
If we are able to increase the number of breweries at the festival, it would most likely necessitate a larger venue. Capital Ale House’s Music Hall was the perfect size for this years festival but add another five or ten breweries in the mix and the room could feel cramped. I think Kanawha Plaza would be a nice step up from the Music Hall plus Richmond loves an outdoor festival.
How can you help? Next time you visit a Virginia brewery ask if they are VCBG members. If they say no, ask them why not. If they say yes, thank them for making great beer here at home.
You may have seen this photo from Hardywood about the arrival of their new fermenters that will double their capacity. What you may not know is that they have been supplying their spent grain to Russell Bell (@FarmerRussell) of Ringer Farms LLC (@RingerFarmsLLC). Russell, a fellow beer nut, has been using the grains as compost material for his crops. Through Ringer Farms, Russell provides local produce to local chefs. In order utilize the additional spent grains produced by Hardywood, Russell has started a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for a new trailer, shade cloths, and rain barrels. If you love local beer and local food, consider donating to the campaign here. If I could swing it, I’d love the personal garden consultation.
Hard to believe it’s been almost a year since I started this little blog. I’ve had a lot of fun meeting the multifaceted people who are responsible for bringing craft beer to the River City. These people range from distribution reps, brewery owners and staff, and restaurants. I especially love when I meet readers of the site. Here are just a few things that caught my eye this week.
Tuesday April 24th
Goose Island Steal the Glass Night at Capital Ale House
I’ve enjoyed every Goose Island beer I’ve had since it first hit town at Weezie’s Kitchen. I’m not going to miss my chance to get a glass. I suggest you don’t either.
Friday April 27th
This being my actual birth day will make deciding what to do especially difficult because it’s not as if there isn’t just one choice. Restaurant Week has had me going back and forth on where to dine this night. Right now, I’m thinking Bistro 27. I know you’re thinking that’s perfect. I was reading over Bobby Kruger’s Libation Nation today and thought it’d be awesome to have him make me a signature beer cocktail for the night.
After dinner, I will be seeing the Blue Man group for the first time. I really hope they’re worth the hype.
An after show drink location is still to be determined. I’m open to suggestions.
Saturday April 28th
Hardywood’s timing could not be more perfect. They are throwing a Spring Frolics party to celebrate the release of their first Barrel Series beer, Bourbon Grand Cru. This will also mark their sixth month anniversary. I will definitely be there to get my allotment. Get more info at the Facebook event here.
Oh before I forget, there will be cake. I’m still working out all the details but I will be bringing my birthday cake to the party. Right now it is going to be a Beeramisu cake using Hardywood Mocha Belgique.
Richmond Beermeister 