Downtown
Triple Crossing, Team Work makes The Craft Work
Welcome to a new feature of RVAHub, the long-form article.
On a chilly Friday morning, even the sun seems to struggle to wake. Employees at SB Cox Demolition receive their assignments and the engines begin to hum. Across Hatcher Street, all seems very quiet at Triple Crossing Brewery from the outside. It is quite different on the inside.
I am greeted by brewer Jay Mouton and we enter the spotless greenhouse. There is no odor of lingering brew, hops, or anything. It just smells clean. Jay’s first action after turning on the lights and unlocking the doors is to check the numbers and data that have been transmitted from the tanks while the city slept the night before. There is a quiet bubbling sound that comes from the blue buckets that sit beside 4 of the giant 40 barrel fermentation tanks. A hose is connected from the tanks to these buckets of water; the bubbling is CO2 being released. Why there are only 4 buckets being used when there are 8 40 barrel tanks will be covered in a bit.
Testing PH in the beaker and CO2 being released on the right in the blue bucket.
We are joined by another brewer, Tyler Wert, who informs us that it’s Prism brewing day. Prism is one of Triple Crossing’s New England style IPAs. Tyler’s first step is to get 5 bags of wheat flakes from the warehouse. This proves no easy task as the forklift is needed to shift a pallet of grain before a dolly can be placed underneath the shelf where the flakes are stored. And even then, wrangling each 50-pound bag of flakes is awkward. Imagine trying hoist a 50-pound pillow.
Once they are stacked on the dolly, the flakes are wheeled over to the three tanks where the brewing process is initiated. A measured amount of salt and phosphoric acid has been placed on top of the first tank. These ingredients will be added slowly to the steaming water in different increments to balance pH. Then each bag of flakes is hauled up the seven steps. The bag is cut and the flakes are carefully poured into the tank to ensure even distribution. Meanwhile, the grain is shot into the tank from a manifold that holds the grain in the warehouse. Once all the ingredients are in, the mixture will sit in the initial tank for an hour, then transferred to two more before fermentation. The warehouse begins to smell of fresh mash.
Wheat slowly poured in to ensure consistency.
Arriving next in his Triple Crossing Prism shirt is Anthony Chiaverella. He walks me through the CIP (Clean in Place) process. This is how each 40 barrel tank is thoroughly cleaned. A caustic solution and then an acid wash is used with 170° water and then they are rinsed again to ensure cleanliness and sanitation. As you can see, cleanliness is a huge part of the operation at the brewery. The tanks need to be cleaned quickly though as they hold precious cargo: at any time, 4 of the 8 40 barrel tanks hold Triple Crossing’s flagship beer, Falcon Smash.
Anthony Chiaverella initiates the CIP (clean in place) process.
Falcon Smash has been around since the beginning of Triple Crossing in 2015 and remains their most popular beer. An American IPA, it is served at many different popular bars and restaurants around Richmond as well at both Triple Crossing locations (Fulton and Foushee).
Consider these numbers: a barrel as a beer measurement is equivalent to 31 gallons of beer. So one 40 barrel tank contains about 1,240 gallons of Falcon Smash. According to the brewers, one tank lasts Richmond… A week. Furthermore, I asked how many kegs are returned per week on average, that number varies from 150-180. This is why 4 40 barrel tanks are needed at one time, just of Falcon Smash. Richmond sure is thirsty.
The tanks that Falcon Smash call home.
I was fortunate enough to catch up with Adam Worcester, one of three owners of Triple Crossing. He acknowledges the success of Falcon Smash and the other IPAs that have made the brewery a favorite around Richmond and the east coast. With other offerings such as lagers, pilsners, and stouts, Worcester states “we’re no one-trick pony.” Variations of their Deep Dark Woods will be offered soon.
How are the beers named? As the admitted “nerd” of the group, Adam admits most of his naming ideas from movies or games are scrapped but some have stuck. Some of the references are obvious like Clever Girl (Jurassic Park) and Falcon Smash (Super Smash Brothers) where some are more obscure, like Battle Creek (Aliens).
Clever Girl!!! – R.I.P. Muldoon
90% of Triple Crossing’s product can be found in and around Richmond but there is the other 10% that is shipped to specialty markets in New York, Philly, and DC every quarter. Even though the beer is in demand all around Richmond, there are no plans to add additional tanks at the moment. The local market is thirsty but satisfied.
Canning runs 2-3 times a week.
As for the Prism mentioned before, look for it in about 3 weeks at both Fulton and Foushee.
Cheers!!!!!
Community
Richmond Folk Festival Announces First Set of Performers
You’ll notice a well-known local band in the list performing at the best festival in the state of Virginia.
The Richmond Folk Festival returns October 13-15, 2023, and celebrates its 19th anniversary, having become one of Virginia’s largest events. The beloved festival draws fans each year to downtown Richmond’s riverfront to celebrate the roots, richness, and variety of American culture through music, dance, traditional crafts, storytelling, and food.
The free event hosts 200,000 people over a three-day weekend. Featuring six stages and showcasing music and dance from more than 30 performing groups from around the nation and the world, the Richmond Folk Festival today announces the first eight artists of what will once again make up a culturally diverse and artistically excellent program.
“We are looking forward to showcasing downtown Richmond’s ever-changing riverfront once again for a beautiful weekend of music, dance, food, and crafts with the James River and our city skyline as the perfect backdrop,” said Stephen Lecky, director of events at Venture Richmond. “This is the 19th year of the festival, and we couldn’t be more proud of its legacy in Richmond and across Virginia.”
The Richmond Folk Festival is presented by Venture Richmond Events in partnership with the National Council for the Traditional Arts (NCTA), Virginia Humanities, Center for Cultural Vibrancy, Children’s Museum, and the City of Richmond.
Artists to be featured at the 2023 Richmond Folk Festival include:
- Baba Commandant & the Mandingo Band (Mandinka)
Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso- Bio Ritmo (salsa)
Richmond, Virginia- Chuck Mead (rockabilly and honky-tonk)
Nashville, Tennessee- Genticorum (Québécois)
Montreal, Québec- Hālau ‘O Lilinoe (traditional Hawai’ian hula)
Carson, California- Kala Ramnath (Hindustani violin)
San Francisco, California- Melody Angel (Chicago blues)
Chicago, Illinois- Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper (bluegrass)
Charlestown, Indiana
Community
Activation Capital Announces Plans for Development of Innovation Center – A New Life Sciences Center at Bio+Tech Park
Activation Capital, an innovation ecosystem development organization, announced plans to develop the 102,000-square foot Innovation Center in the Bio+Tech Park in Richmond, Virginia.
The 34-acre Bio+Tech Park is a commercial life sciences hub in downtown Richmond adjacent to the VCU Medical Center at Virginia Commonwealth University and is home to over 70 companies, research institutes, and state/federal laboratories. Activation Capital recently announced Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin awarded Activation Capital a $15 million portion of a total $66.7 million in grant funding for life sciences projects in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Amy J. Broderick and Kate Hosko of Cushman & Wakefield | Thalhimer, along with David Thomann of Cushman & Wakefield’s Life Science Group in Boston, MA, have been awarded the exclusive leasing representation for the Innovation Center. Planned for delivery in late 2025, the center will feature approximately 35,000+ square feet of trophy class lab and creative office space for a lead tenant. Approximately 45,000 sf will be dedicated to an incubator operated by Activation Capital and will include shared labs, private offices, and community gathering spaces. The new building will be located at the corner of 8th Street and Jackson Street.
“As part of our strategic plan to create a thriving ecosystem, Activation Capital will build an Innovation Center that anchors downtown Richmond’s innovation hub and serves as a magnet for innovators to build and grow deep tech companies. Once complete, the Innovation Center will catalyze downtown redevelopment around wealth-creating jobs, boost entrepreneurial growth, strengthen the region’s end-to-end pharmaceutical manufacturing cluster, and act as a platform for upskilling community members with STEM programming,” said Chandra Briggman, President and CEO of Activation Capital
“In addition to their strong commercial real estate brokerage experience and national life science expertise, Cushman & Wakefield | Thalhimer was selected due to their alignment with Activation Capital’s values of agility, collaboration, entrepreneurial thinking, future-focus, impact, and inclusion,” said Kipton Currier, Vice President of Operations at Activation Capital. “The teams selected for the Innovation Center understand our commitment to the community, our excellence in execution focus, and our dedication to creating a nationally renowned life science innovation center for the benefit of future generations.”
Downtown
VCU Massey Cancer Center achieves comprehensive status from the National Cancer Institute
Massey’s receipt of the highest level of recognition from the NCI places it among an elite group of cancer centers influencing a new standard of care through research, education and community engagement.
VCU Massey Cancer Center has been designated a Comprehensive Cancer Center by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), the nation’s principal authority on cancer research and training. Massey’s receipt of the highest level of recognition from the NCI places it among an elite group of cancer centers influencing a new standard of care through research, education and community engagement.
Massey’s director, Robert A. Winn, M.D., is the first African American to lead a cancer center to comprehensive status. Under Winn’s leadership, Massey has effectively championed a community-centered approach, recognizing community members as equal experts and strategic partners in its research efforts.
“We are so proud to reach this milestone, and to be leading the charge not just in research but in building trust and breaking down barriers between medical institutions and communities,” said Winn, who also holds the Lipman Chair in Oncology at Massey. “We are truly the first of a new generation of community-focused cancer centers, where world-class science and research is informed by the people we serve, and accessible for all.”
Since beginning his tenure as director of Massey in December 2019, Winn has focused on taking Massey’s mission into the 66 contiguous localities in central, eastern and southern Virginia comprising Massey’s catchment area. With the community’s involvement, Massey has successfully increased clinical trial enrollment, expanded its transdisciplinary research collaboration and strengthened its cancer research training activities.
The NCI commended Massey for its significant strengths in the full spectrum of cancer research, robust pathway for cancer research training and education and plans to further enhance the diversity of its trainees and faculty.
The renewal of its Cancer Center Support Grant (CCSG) provides Massey with funding for its cancer research programs over five years and makes the cancer center eligible for additional information-sharing and resources reserved for the top institutions that demonstrate superior research capabilities.
The road to comprehensive status
Massey was one of the earliest cancer centers designated by the NCI in 1975, just four years after the NCI Cancer Centers Program was created as part of the National Cancer Act of 1971. The comprehensive designation is earned through a peer-review process demonstrating excellence in laboratory research, population science and clinical research.
NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers must conduct transdisciplinary research that bridges those three scientific areas, show that they are effective in addressing cancer concerns in their catchment area through effective community outreach and engagement, and that they integrate cancer training and education of biomedical scientists and community health care professionals.
“This important national designation reflects our mission and our commitment to the highest levels of treatment, research, prevention and control as we focus on improving and saving even more people’s lives,” said VCU and VCU Health President Michael Rao, Ph.D. “VCU and Richmond were among the first in the country to establish an NCI-designated Cancer Center, and I have pursued this comprehensive status for Massey soon after I came to VCU. During that time, we have taken our efforts to extraordinary levels to benefit all patients in need and the many communities we serve throughout our diverse Commonwealth. This comprehensive designation demonstrates that we put the needs of patients and our communities first. I am particularly grateful to my dear colleague, Rob Winn, for his extraordinary work in the last few years that catalyzed our ability to achieve this pinnacle level with the National Cancer Institute.”
Reducing the cancer burden in Virginia
With Massey’s new comprehensive status, those living in its catchment area are promised even greater access to life-saving cancer screenings and clinical trials offering leading-edge treatments, more resources for critical education about cancer risk and prevention, and care informed by the top scientific minds brought to Massey through recruitment as well as its training of the next generation of physician-scientists.
“This is an incredibly exciting moment for Massey and VCU Health, and for the patients and families who come through our doors,” said Paula Fracasso, M.D., Ph.D., FACP, deputy director of Massey and senior vice president of the cancer service line at VCU Health. “With the increased funding from our CCSG, we will have additional research dollars to extend our reach into the forefront of science and translational work, that will provide better ways to predict, prevent, diagnose and treat our patients with cancer.”
“We celebrate Massey’s achievement as a huge win for our entire institution, and one that will help us continue to raise the bar for excellence at VCU Health,” said Marlon Levy, M.D., FACS, interim senior vice president of VCU Health Sciences and CEO of VCU Health. “The dedication to innovative research and education and to advancing health equity is a clear reflection of our health system’s core values.”
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
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