Third annual Swine & Brine Festival takes over Ardent Craft Ales this Saturday

Ardent Craft Ales in Scott’s Addition is hosting their third annual Swine & Brine Festival this Saturday, April 8th. This annual celebration of craft beer and local food will be held from noon until 6:00 PM.

Two Virginia oyster companies and six Richmond restaurants will smoke, steam, roast, and grill a killer lineup of oysters, pork dishes, and homemade sides, including:

• Rappahannock River Oysters, LLC – Crab cakes, fried oysters, and raw Rappahannock oysters
• Northern Neck Oysters – Tangier oysters raw on the half shell with three kinds of homemade mignonette
• ZZQ – Pulled pork shoulder sandwiches, pork spare ribs, bone-in pork belly, jalapeño mac n cheese, buttermilk potato salad, and Terlingua coleslaw
• The Roosevelt – Pork shoulder tacos with tomatillo salsa verde, chipotle hot sauce, cumin crema, pickled onions, and lettuce
• Amuse Restaurant @ VMFA – Kung pao pork and cellophane noodle salad
• Saison – Grilled porchetta sandwich with arugula verde and pepper relish
• Sabai – Pork belly, pork skewers, and papaya salad
• Nightingale Ice Cream Sandwiches – Chocolate brownie cookie with malt ice cream and Ardent Dark Rye swirl, and blonde brownie with blueberry ice cream and Sugar Shack blueberry cake donut

Ardent’s full lineup of beers, as well as prosecco and local cider, will be on tap, including Company Man pilsner, New England IPA, Honey Ginger, Saison, IPA 14, IPA 29, Defenestrator, and Dark Rye. Rotating features will include Blue Bee Cider, Hopsap Shandy, Mill Race Bramble, and Harrison Zardetto Prosecco USA Prosecco.

This event is open to the public, free to enter, and will be held rain or shine. Guests must be 21 or older to attend; ID will be required upon entry. Food and drink tickets will be available for purchase by cash or card at festival check-in and inside the event. Tickets are $6 each. One ticket can be exchanged for one beverage or one dish. Some larger dishes will cost two tickets.

All oyster shells are being recycled through VCU Rice Rivers Center‘s Virginia Oyster Shell Recycling Program in support of Chesapeake Bay restoration, building oyster sanctuaries.