RVA Beer Explorer
RVA Beer Explorer Weekly Picks
Another exciting week of beer and related activities in which to partake.
GO DO THIS
Drag Diva Bingo & Brews – Castleburg Brewing, Wednesday
This is not your Grandma’s bingo parlor, or perhaps it is. Either way, it’ll be a good time.
Tickets are $25 in advance, $40 CASH only, at the door! Proceeds will be going in support of Friends of Side by Side.
Your hostess for the evening is Alvion Arnell Davenport. You’ll be given some bingo cards for free but you can buy a few extra. On the line will be cash prizes and a promise of something special.
Quane’dra Mason will be DJ and she’ll be spinning the hottest in Hip-Hop, Rap, Reggae, House, Bounce, Old School Hip-Hop and Rap, and Techno.
Richmond Folk Festival – Brown’s Island & Tredegar Iron Works, Friday – Sunday
Wait for a second, Mr. Beer Writer guy I come here for beer stuff, not folk stuff. First, even if there weren’t a drop of beer at this Festival I’d be urging you to go. Musicians from all around the world gather in Richmond for three days of free music that you’re not likely to hear just randomly spinning the radio dial.
This, however, is a beer column so here’s what you need to know. There will be three main beer trucks, which will have a fine selection of beers including Folk FestivALE brewed by Champion specifically for this event. This is a taste Oktoberfest style beer and you can’t go wrong drinking it down. However, if you want to get crazy with your craft beers you need to find The Craft Beer Tent at the Richmond Folk Festival.
This is where you’ll find the good stuff. On top of a bunch of tasty beers, every hour they’ll be tapping something even more special. That list of special tappings is below.
River City Barn Dance – Hardywood, Friday
Three great bands are coming together to play for free at Hardywood. If that doesn’t get you dancing I’m not sure what will.
Outdoor Horror Movie Viewing – Veil Brewing Co., Friday
This Friday it’s 28 Days Later, two words for you, fast zombies.
NEWS
AMERICA’S BEST UNDER-THE-RADAR BEER DESTINATIONS – IMBIDE Magazine
Spots that you’d expect to see such as Burlington, Vermont and Charleston, South Carolina made the list and so did little ole’ Richmond, Virginia.
Here’s a taste of what they had to say, hit the link above to read it all and make your list for upcoming beercations.
About three Fridays a month, Triple Crossing Brewing releases canned Berliner-style beers and IPAs like resinous Falcon Smash and berry-scented Clever Girl, the parking lot packed with plates from North Carolina, Washington, D.C., Maryland and even Pennsylvania. “Richmond has become the beer destination we always hoped it would be,” says co-founder Adam Worcester. Stone’s arrival may seem like the tipping point, but the artsy, outdoorsy city—the James River whitewater rapids course through downtown—has been on a beer path since An Bui first served Belgian ales at strip-mall Vietnamese restaurant Mekong in 1997.
DRINK THIS
Power Release, Thursday & Vaulted Vanilla Milk Stout, Saturday – Ardent
Power is a Belgian Strong Ale brewed in collaboration with our friends from De Struise Brouwers in Belgium. This big, boozy beer balances malty sweetness with a roasty backbone thanks to a healthy dose of coffee from local favorites Lamplighter Coffee Roasters. Power clocks in at 11% ABV, so remember: with great Power comes great responsibility.
This beer was brewed using Madagascar Bourbon vanilla extract, aged for over 40 years in the Sauer’s vault. A small batch is being released exclusively for this collab in honor of the company’s 130th anniversary, and 100% of proceeds will go to FeedMore. We will also be handing out free cookies from Sugar + Twine bakeshop!
Crazy Bet Imperial Red Ale – Center of the Universe, Saturday
Crazy Bet has returned! This time, the variation was brewed at Origin Beer Lab with our top point Satellite, Bridgette Kelly. Crazy Bet is an Imperial Red Ale clock in at 7.8% ABV. It is brewed with Nugget hops giving it a nice sticky fruity character to the beer.
12 Parsecs Double IPA – Final Gravity, Friday
You’ve never heard of Falconers Flight? They’re the hops that made this new DIPA burst with citrus and pine aroma while tasting ever so smooth. How fast this 8% DIPA will go is hard to say…but it will definitely go quickly. Get your hands on some crowlers before it’s gone.
BEERSTAGRAM
GO DO THIS
Stout Month at Starr Hill Richmond Beer
I’m late to the stout party here but there is still a week left to get your stout at Starr Hill
Love is in the air – AND on tap! 💘 Starr Hill is sharing the love all month long with the perfect pair: beer + chocolate 🍫 Enjoy our Stout Month flight with a special box of chocolate candy—buy one, get one flight HALF OFF only on Tues. Feb. 14th for Valentine’s Day!
❤️❤️❤️ FEATURED BEERS
❤️ Why Wait Snickers Stout
❤️ Ever Given Foreign Export Stout
❤️ You Oatta Know Oatmeal Stout
❤️ Chonkyfire Cherry Cordial Stout
🍫 Stout Month Flight 🍫
feat. each of the above beers paired with a special chocolate:
🍫 Oatmeal Stout with a maple buttercream
🍫 Foreign Export Stout with a coffee caramel
🍫 Snickers Stout with a peanut cluster
🍫 Cherry Cordial Stout with a chocolate-covered cherry
Ownby Lane Beer Crawl for Feedmore! at Castleburg and Hardywood
February 26th
Two breweries does not a crawl make but it’s for a great case so I’m posting about it. Get some beers and help out some folks.
Don’t have Sunday plans? Not sure what to do after brunch?
Come on over to Hardywood and Castleburg for a beer! Just a five minute walk apart, we’ll both be serving snacks and beer hopefully with weather good enough to hang outside!
We’ll be donating 10% of the day to FeedMore
Pizza Palace – Triple Crossing Downtown
February 26th
Talking with some of the folk that work here and they say it should be awesome. A great way to deal with a Sunday.
And the best pizza around is back. Welcome to Pizza Palace!!
On Sunday, February 26th, Triple Crossing – Downtown will be re-imagined as your go to by the Slice NY Style pizza palace.
Menu is as follows.
$4 House Salad
$4 Garlic Knots
$5 Cheese Slice
$6 Pepperoni Slice
-add Hot Honey for $1
48oz Pitchers:
$15 Falcon Smash
$12 Pathway Pils
Pizza Palace will be open from 12p – 8p.
All are welcomed.
Cheers!
BEER NEWS
Shamrock the Block is on the move. I avoid this festival but for those that enjoy you’ll be enjoying in a new spot over on Leigh Street between Movie Land and the Bon Secours Training facility. They’ve also announced the bands.
BEERSTAGRAM
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RVA Beer Explorer
PHOTOS & GAME SUMMARY: Rams Knockdown Fordham
VCU forced 22 turnovers and outscored Fordham 29-15 off miscues. The Black and Gold also owned a 42-20 scoring advantage in the paint.
Official VCU Game Summary
Score: VCU 80, Fordham 61
Location: Richmond, Va. (Stuart C. Siegel Center)
Records: VCU 20-7 (11-3 Atlantic 10), Fordham 21-6 (9-5)
Attendance: 7,637 (Fourth consecutive sellout)
The short story: Sophomore Nick Kern Jr. poured in a career-high 17 points and VCU forced 22 Fordham turnovers on the way to a Senior Day victory Saturday at the Siegel Center.
OPENING TIP
- Kern scored eight of VCU’s first 11 points and finished 8-of-9 from the field
- Junior guard Ace Baldwin Jr. scored 13 points and dished out 10 assists to record his second career double-double. He also grabbed six steals and four rebounds
- Sophomore forward Jalen Deloach and redshirt sophomore guard Jamir Watkins added 11 and 10 points, respectively, for the Black and Gold
- Will Richardson supplied Fordham with 21 points on 6-of-10 shootin from three
THE DIFFERENCE
- VCU forced 22 turnovers and outscored Fordham 29-15 off miscues. The Black and Gold also owned a 42-20 scoring advantage in the paint
- VCU shot 51 percent (26-of-51) from the floor. Meanwhile, it also limited Fordham to 34 percent shooting (20-of-59) in the game
- Kern keyed a 13-4 VCU run to start the game with a fast break layup and a dunk on the first two possessions of the contest
- VCU held Fordham to 7-of-23 shooting in the first half on the way to a 37-24 halftime lead. Fordham never led and the lone tie came at 20-20 with 7:07 left in the first half. VCU would lead by as many as 24
- VCU’s bench contributed 28 points
NOTABLE
- With six steals today and 170 in his career, Baldwin Jr. tied Doug Brooks for eighth all-time in VCU’s history Saturday
- Baldwin’s 10 assists tied a career-high. It’s the third time he’s recorded double-digit assists in his career and the first time this season
UP NEXT
The Rams hit the road for a matchup against Saint Joseph’s in Philadelphia, Pa. on Tuesday, Feb. 21 at 7 p.m. That game will be streamed on ESPN+.
Community
RVA Beer Explorer: Queens of Pain and Three VD Markets
We took a little break but we’re back, cheers my fellow beer heads.
GO DO THIS
Starr Hill Spirit Night Queens of Pain at Starr Hill
February, 8th
Roller derby is cool and drinking beer while supporting local roller derby is the coolest.
Starr Hill and River City Roller Derby present…. QUEENS OF PAIN.
Join RCRD for an evening at Starr Hill Richmond Beer Hall & Rooftop. $1 from every pint sold between 4pm and 9pm will be donated to the league. Non-alcoholic beverages are available for our sober friends and supporters.
7pm we will showing the documentary Queens of Pain on Starr Hill’s big ole projector.
Since this event is leading up to Valentine’s Day, we will have an opportunity for electronic donations in exchange for a Valentine from your friendly neighborhood derby team
Buzzzzz Market at 2004 Dabney Rd
February, 11th
The event will be showing off local makers of the craft and beer/mead variety. The first description is from Capsoul Collective and obviously focused on the beers they’ll be slinging. The second is from the official event page, linked above.
Pull up with Capsoul THIS Saturday, 2/11, for the re-up only we could provide. We’ll be at the Buzzz Market with @blackheathmeadery from 12p – 5p serving up two new releases.
Imprint 🗿
Dry hopped with a heavy dose of El Dorado, Cashmere and Exp 158, Imprint, our Double IPA boasts impressions of soft stone fruit with a finishing indentation of intense citrus and dank pineapple. The nose is like diced pineapples 👌
Night is Dark 🌌
Drinking as easy as, well, the Night is Dark, this 5.5% dark lager gives impressions of lightly roasted coffee beans with a beautiful milk sweetness, all of this is rounded out by notes of bitter, dark chocolate. Night is Dark finishes very light.
📍Buzzzz Market/ 2004 Dabney Rd
Crafts
Inaugural RVA focused crafters market. Let’s promote our wares in a chill space, with mead for sale during the event.
Vendors include:
Boho Bota – https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100080906312310
Capsoul Collective
Colin Plouffe – https://instagram.com/plouffe.rva.art
Davideatin – https://www.davideatin.com
Diego Cusano – https://www.facebook.com/theamatista
Down By The Creek LLC – https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100071838500984
Jayne Heffner – crochet
Jenny Jones – Resting Bear Holistic Solutions
Natasha Crawford – Healing Hope Urban Gardens
Nick Vaughan – https://www.facebook.com/Erraticsmith
Rayna Liddell (Wyld Faebles) – https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100086255299702
Thomas Glazier – https://www.instagram.com/glazedanddyed/
TJ Krivanec – Woodworking, Furniture, Glass
Tre Artz – https://www.facebook.com/tre.artz
Valentines Weekend Brunch & Market at Triple Crossing (Midlothian)
February, 11th
We don’t celebrate Valentine’s Day in this house but we do drink beer and eat so we’re down with this event.
On February 11th, 2023, Triple Crossing Midlothian will host another outdoor market, weather permitting, as well as a special Brunch menu.
The market will be from 12p to 4p, with Brunch being served from 11a to 3p.Brunch Menu ⬇️
Sun dried Tomato Frittata with spinach & feta plated with a wild berry parfait, hashbrowns and a biscuit.
Maple Sausage Frittata with cheddar cheese plated with your choice of bacon or sausage, hashbrowns, and a biscuit.
Avocado Toast with everything bagel seasoning & sprouts
Brunch Pizza, egg based, topped with sausage, bacon, caramelized onions and spinach.
Biscuits and Sausage Gravy
Cinnamon Rolls
Cheer
Valentine’s Day Market at Veil (Forest Hill Ave)
February, 11th
Love and beer are in the air south of the river.
Ooh la la Veil-entines Day is approaching y’all, come out to our Valentine’s Day market February 11th from 12-4pm in Forest Hill.💓
💋 Mimosas will be served, @ytumama.mx will be firing up some 🌮 and the beer will be juicy!😘
💖Shop with these sweet vendors:💞
@nodicevintagerva
@Mon.der_official
@Thecuriofairy
@Fairyhausrva
@Daheim.goods
@_fivesistersboutique_
@sillycowgirlvintage
@shh_secretflowers
@teresa__justis
@candleobject
@kitcolorshow_
@moody___cc
@shannon_studio
@richmondspca
See ya there! 😍
BEER NEWS
It’s nice to get the background on one of the local brew master powerhouses and the creation of Gingerbread Stout
FROM VIRGINIA TECH HOMEBREW TO HARDYWOOD: A CHAT WITH BREWMASTER BRIAN NELSON – RVA Mag
In 2011, I created the RVA IPA using local hops and that recipe went into our Farmhouse Pumpkin beer, which is still a staple today. We then moved on to our base single and experimented with batches that incorporated cocoa, coffee, and vanilla. Suddenly, Bill Cox from Castleman Farms came in with a big bunch of ginger and asked if we could do anything with it. He was trying to find restaurants in Richmond that could use it. This ginger had big green stalks that were four feet tall, and the root has “hands” that were in the ground. It was baby ginger, meaning the translucent flesh was edible without peeling the outer skin. So he presented this to us and we were grinding our gears when Eric McKay came up with this idea, how do we integrate gingerbread? There wasn’t a gingerbread stout out there in the market — it had never been done before and we still consider our gingerbread stout, the original gingerbread stout.
BEERSTAGRAM
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Richmond Folk Festival Announces First Set of Performers
Activation Capital Announces Plans for Development of Innovation Center – A New Life Sciences Center at Bio+Tech Park
Photo of the Day: Tiny Turtle
Photos and Game Summary: Kickers Get Sweet Revenge on Chattanooga, Barely
Photo of the Day: Petersburg
Virginia’s medical cannabis program has ‘improved’ but more needed to meet expectations
Richmond Needs This: Surfing
Renderings: James River Association breaks ground on James A. Buzzard River Education Center
Science Museum of Virginia offering special $10 admission days on 10 separate dates this year
