Beer News: Do you brew?

Board-gaming under the influence, blood beers, and experienced brewmasters tasting the fruit of your basement labors (assuming you make beer in your basement. We don’t want to know what other laboring you do down there).

January 30, 2015; 6:00 AM • by Ross Catrow

Hello gender-unspecific beer brethren! Let this week’s beer news wash over you, gently dulling any reality-based concerns that may have stacked up over the previous week. Just kidding you guys, definitely deal with any pressing reality issues before pouring a beer.

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Hey man, do you brew? Like, in your home? If so, I encourage you to submit your homebrew creation to the very first RVA Brewcraft Brewing Competition hosted by Triple Crossing Brewing. Winners will get the oppourtunity to brew their recipe on Triple Crossing’s system and have it served to unsuspecting civilians in the tasting room. What have you got to lose!

Full disclosure: I dabble a bit in the homebrewing, and although there is literally nothing to lose, I would totally understand if anxiety about Real Brewers sampling your half-assed creations prevented you from entering. The deadline to submit your recipe, should you choose to overcome the crushing anxiety, is February 22nd.

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Speaking of how awesome Triple Crossing is, every Tuesday from 4:00 – 9:00 PM, they host a Boards and Beers game night. We’re talking true, real-deal board and card games like Catan, Carcassonne, and Dominion.

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The GRTC’s planned BRT route (that’s Greater Richmond Transit Company and Bus Rapid Transit, respectively) has had a slight change of course to loop in the planned Stone Brewing Co. site. So many things planned for the future! Anchored on one end by Mekong and on the other by Stone Brewing Co., we’ve got quite the Beer Rapid Transit line brewing.

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Richmonders have long(ish) known that Center of the Universe Brewing makes some of the highest quality beers in the area. Now folks from The Beach–or Norfolk or whatever–can know that as well. AND KNOW IT THEY WILL as Hoffman Distributing will begin to distribute COTU to that area. Especially rad is that 100% of the proceeds of their Homefront IPA benefit military families, many of which call The Beach home.

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Stone Brewing Co.’s not the only West Coast brewery to set up shop in the Commonwealth–Green Flash Brewing Co broke ground on their Virginia Beach location back in October. To celebrate the steady march of progress, starting in February, Green Flash will offer San Diego prices and selections to regular Virginians like you and me. Expect prices to drop 20%, expanded West-Coast-only draft selections at your favorite bars, and to see Green Flash in 6-packs (something you won’t find anywhere else on the East Coast).

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Unfortunately you are one day too late to enter to win this totally incredible GWAR chalice via Strangeways Brewing. There’s plenty of time, however, to click on the link and feel some slight jealousy and light anger. Suck it up, you can play Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots while drowning your sorrows.

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Truth Brewing Company is maybe a thing that exists.

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National News…

The New Yorker looks at how small businesses in certain industries, at one time chewed and spat out by big business, have flourished through a “true differentiation” strategy. Craft beer is one of those industries, going after “an enormous blind spot for the big breweries–namely, flavor.”

The Wall Street Journal has picked up the kerfuffle (I guess?) between Stone Brewing Co. and Richmond’s other restaurants that haven’t received millions of dollars in government funding.

Takeovers & releases

• To go with the above-mentioned GWAR chalice, Strangeways will release GWAR Blood today, January 30th. Which, I think, is a beer and not the actual blood of a member of GWAR–although with both parties involved…can you be certain?
• Saturday, January 31st, Center of the Universe will host a wee get-together celebrating the release of Scotchtown, their Strong Scotch Ale.
• Also on Saturday, Hardywood debuts their Bourbon Barleywine, a serious beer for serious livers (it clocks in at 13.3%).
• The Cask will tap nine Devils Backbone beers on Tuesday, February 3rd. So many beers, so little room in my body to fit them all! I’m especially interested in this Pilot Brau, a single-hop pilsner.
• Southern Railways Taphouse hosts a Goose Island flight night this coming Thursday, February 5th. But it’s not just any ol’ Goose Island brews. Nay! These are the venerable Bourbon County Brand beers, which, according to Beer Advocate, are some seriously good beers. They’ll have the 2013 and 2014 versions of their stout and barleywine, which will give you a chance to compare and contrast like a true beer professional.

January 30, 2015 6:00 AM · in East End Daily, North Richmond News, and more 1