What's good in Richmond, VA?

Richmond is a great beer town, you'll have lots of options. Do a quick search in this forum, there have been plenty of threads on it. Enjoy!

 

Mekong / The Answer Brewpub should be on your list of stops if you can make it. Both in the same building on West Broad St. The Answer and Triple Crossing have probably the best IPAs in RVA. Strangeways is also an interesting place with lots of interesting beers. Their newest right now is their seasonal "Gourd of Thunder" Imperial Pumpkin Porter and is nlooked forward to my many every year. That released a couple weeks ago and they released their 1st variant this past weekend with 2 more coming up over the next 2 weekends. These are in bottles and can be found at bottle shops in RVA. What part of RVA will you be in? That may help direct a little more.

 

Defintely find your way to the Answer, you can eat dinner there if that makes it easier. I like Hardywood but I'd guess most of thier stuff out now you can just get at a good bottlshop. As mentioned Strangeways/Triple Crossing/Ardent are all pretty good imo, but it sort of depends on where you will be.

 

https://trinkin.com/ is your friend. It is widely used in Richmond and can help you find beers both on tap and in bottle shops.

 

Final Gravity finally opened a few weeks ago and some of their beers are fantastic (their Station 5 red is probably the only red I've ever liked outside of Surly Furious)

 

Great beer was my favorite when I visited. Easily best Red in VA.

 

Another really good source for info is the FB group Fans of Virginia Craft Beer. Did a weekend in RVA this summer. You really can't go wrong. Good beer can be found all over the city. The majority of breweries tend to be just north of downtown. Mekong/Answer, Strangeways, Ardent, Isley, Hardywood. Downtown we hit up Triple Crossing and Legend. Also hit up Capital Ale House and Southern Railway Taphouse. RVA has a lot going on.

 

Fans of VA Craft Beer may have some useful info from time to time but I wouldn't take advice on what beers to seek out from that group. They rate every local beer 4 & 5 Stars.

 

yeah, they are horrible homers

 

just to add to the consensus, my priority list would be:

1. Mekong/Answer
2. Strangeways
3. Triple Crossing
4. Garden Grove

 

you out-of-staters must find something redeeming about Garden Grove that us RVAers don't... most of us think it's one of the worst breweries in the area

 

Blue Bee Cider.

 

I'll chime in. Breweries:

1. The Answer
2. Triple Cross
3. Lickinghole (bit of a destination)
4. Ardent

Bottle shops:

1. Once Upon a vine
2. Corks n Kegs
3. Strawberry St Market
4. De Fles Winkle (west end)

 

My advice is always the same and logistically sound (from my point of view at least!) Hardywood, Strangeways, Answer / Mekong. And in either order depending on food placement (Mekong) but stick to that order because you can take back roads , or at least stay off Broad and the interstates by doing so, if you wish. These locations offer what is in my opinion, a very good snapshot of the area's finest. Not saying other places aren't worthy, just saying build from here. If time is a crunch but you want to sneak just one more place in, Center of the Universe is almost literally right off I-95 from exit 89. 15 -20 minute quick strike off the interstate to grab growlers if the spirit so moves you. If time permits and/or you have several days, a dinner at any Capital Ale House would be a decent idea. I've always enjoyed their food, plus you can have a smattering of several of the area's beers where you didn't get to visit their brewery.

As always, my $.02, but above all else, I hope you have a great time and enjoy what we have to offer

 

They maybe horrible homers, and I don't agree with everything they say but they do have a good pulse on what is going on around RVA. This coming from a NoVa advocate.

 

I'd place Hardywood above the others but Mekong/Answer would be a close second. Strangeways was decent, probably worth a stop at least.