The Answer Brewpub (Richmond, Va)

I went today. Ended up being a 3 hour 15ish minute drive each way. Brutal on 4 hours sleep. Took forever to get crowlers. Was an extremely busy day.

Are Andal stouts considered pastry stouts? never had a pastry stout, but seems like it. I tried the 4 scoops.

 

Yes, the Andall stouts are definitely pastry stouts. I’m surprised you’ve never had one, it seems like every brewery is doing them, even big national breweries.

 

Hit this spot Tuesday, it was okay. Their sours and stouts were too sweet for me.

 

Hit this spot Tuesday, it was okay. Their sours and stouts were too sweet for me.

 

I agree with that. I’m usually a fan of their hoppy beers though.

 

They also should have a separate line for people who want crowlers on glass release days.

 

You can order them anywhere I think. It all goes into the same queue I believe.

 

wut?

 

You’re paying for someone else’s product to go through a randall with some adjuncts. I’m surprised they are even allowed to be listed on BA.

 

I understand your point but one is a finished product in a keg being altered and sold as an entirely different beer. That’s the fancy equivalent of coffee pressing adjuncts. That’s why this brewery has an inflated rating, it’s not fair to other breweries who actually brew all of their beer.

 

IPAs are brewed in house and a few other offerings, someone correct me but I believe they brewed a stout once or twice. Otherwise, it’s kegs ran through randall. Even their glasses are one cease and desist letter away from loosing their hype.

 

what The Answer does is nothing like what those breweries are doing. The Answer takes a base gose or berliner and blends it with fruit puree as its being poured in their draft system. They used to use 100% commercial product (Anderson Valley, etc.) but I think they have recently started having the base beers contract brewed by Beltway.

It grates me a little when people refer to them as “sours”, they aren’t barrel-aged or spontaneous fermented, they’re kettle sours with a shitload of fruit juice added. There is no brewing skill involved, its just a novel idea done well thanks to a unique draft system that they created.

I’m not trying to bash The Answer, I like the place, but people need to understand what they are and what they actually do. They are a restaurant with a great beer list that expanded by brewing small-batch IPAs and putting a unique spin on commercial kegs (Andalls). They do occasionally brew stouts and those have been very good, but most of what is on tap is not brewed by them.

And for the most part, all of their Andall beers are extremely sweet and overloaded with adjuncts. There is no subtlety or blending magic happening, its just hit you over the head with sugary stuff. Its “beer” for people who would rather be drinking kool aid and eating ice cream, and it blows my mind that people pay $20 for crowlers of “joose”.

 

^^^^^^ Whew! I stopped by there Sunday and thought it was just me......but I was extremely under impressed with their stouts.....way too sweet, lots of people seem to like them and they get high reviews on untappd.....just not my thing.

 

If the answer is using, let’s say AVBC gose, and adding a ton of juice to it that makes them nothing like the other sour beer producers. Places like rare barrel, casey, etc. are blending different barrels and ages of beer. Yes, none of them are brewing but the real sour beer producers aren’t using someone else’s actual beer that’s available in stores. They are hiring contract brewers to brew a certain recipe. I think that’s a big difference.

I’m not sure if the answer is using someone else’s beer or contract brewing but I do think there’s a huge difference between them and the sour beer producers around the country.