Heading to Richmond

Definitely Mekong for both the food and the beer. The Answer (brewery next door) is just ok. Capital Alehouse downtown is great. Hardywood is worth the visit. My favorite though is Lickinghole Creek in Goochland.

Tons of other options within a 2 hour drive if you have time to hit Western VA (Brothers in Harrisonburg, Devil's Backbone in Lexington, Champion - Charlottesville) or Norfolk (Young Veterans, Smartmouth, O'Connor, and The Birch (bar)).

RVA and VA are underrated as a beer city and state.

 

What?! Every beer I had from the Answer was amazing. Add that to the fact that they also carry other breweries' beers, and it is a must hit for RVA. Cap Alehouse just isn't what it used to be. For me, that time is better spent at Commercial Tap House and Cask Cafe.

 

Fair enough, raverjames. The few Answer's I've had were so-so. Take the true local's opinion over mine.

 

I think we're bottle sharing at Mekong Saturday sept 5 if you guys are down for some adjunct stouts and eggrolls

 

Agree 100%

Answer is the bomb. Lots of times I don't even bother walking around to Mekong. The food menu has expanded, the beers are killer and it just feels like a brewpub should. If this bottle share gains some traction you could possibly even use the private, upstairs lounge.

 

I am not a local anymore.
I am not sure what they were like when the first opened, but they have been brewing world class IPAs the last month or so.

 

Definitely Strangeways, Mekong and Ardent.

 

"West end off of I-64" is pretty broad ... and, in fact, Broad Street runs out that way. Mekong/The Answer are along Broad Street, just south of the interstate.

Everything that everyone has said above is still on the table for you. The only thing I'd add is that if you're on the west-west end of town (as in, the Short Pump area), there is a Capital Ale House out that way as well as a Whole Foods. The Whole Foods has a nice beer selection as well as a growler-fill station from which you can also buy pints to drink while shopping or eating.

I wouldn't replace anything mentioned above with these two places but they are really nice options at the end of a day if you're staying out that way. Cheers!

 

Well, do your a favor and travel to The Old North State. The deep synergy between North Carolina and Virginia far predates any self-importance any modern "Nova" boy harbors. I love Virginia. I hate what has happened at Smith Mountain Lake this morning. And good day to you.

 

Did a weekend in RVA in early July. Hit the northside of downtown stopping at Mekong/Answer, Strangeways, Ardent, Isley and Hardywood. Next day went downtown and hit Cap Ale House, Triple Crossing, Southern Railyway Taphouse and Legend. You really can't go wrong, solid beers all over the city.

 

Headed up this weekend to RVA from VA beach to visit some friends/family, planning to stop by the answer at some point, as sadly I seem to miss it every time I'm in the area. It seems from their website they do growlers/crowlers, any suggestions on one or two of thier own IPA's to grab, if thier website is accurate they have quite a few.

 

You must try the "An-dalled" (named after the owner, An) beers at Mekong. There are typically 4 beers running through a randall at a time, and they are almost always outstanding.

Strangeways definitely has my favorite atmosphere/vibe of any beer spot in Richmond.

The Answer's (D)IPAs are all pretty tasty. They typically have several on at a time. I've heard their new one, Hard in the Paint, is pretty awesome.

Enjoy!

 

If you're west-west end, De Fles Winkle also is a great beer shop too, not too far from Whole Foods. And I pimp it a lot--no affiliation--but if you're on the go and need to find a good place close to where you are, Trinkin is great.

 

Strangeways always leaves me SMH. 25-ish taps and $60+ for flights of mediocre or downright bad beer. The weird atmosphere can't make up for the lousy beer. 1 out of every 5-6 beers are usually solid, but the rest are bad. If you like to "tick" beer this is your place and that's about it. Otherwise, spend your money elsewhere in the RVA.

 

Strangeways Word & Otis were really good but I think they have both been retired. Why I dunno.

 

Tom seems to think that OTIS will be brewed again this fall after they tweak the original recipe. I'm at a loss as to why they wouldn't brew Word again- it was one of the better sours (even the Word variants were solid IIRC)

 

Blueberry Word may still be my all time fav VA beer