The RVABooze roundup

With RVANews Live #005: RVABooze just a couple of weeks away, let’s recap what we’ve discussed so far about the business of both making alcohol and serving it cheerfully to the public.

November 18, 2015; 2:45 PM • by Susan Howson

RVANews Live will be distilling all sorts of information on December 2nd at Coalition Theater (8 W. Broad Street) at 5:00 PM (programming starts promptly at 5:30). The makers will have samples to share, as well as what Coalition’s got on tap for you, plus a full selection of far too many snacks, thanks to Relay Foods.

Here’s more information on the event.

Buy tickets today!

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Panel 1: Secret of the Booze

Join Matt Shofner from Hardywood Park Craft Brewery, Courtney Mailey from Blue Bee Cider, and Dwight Chew from James River Distillery as they reveal what we always suspected: Their places of work involve giant vats of alcohol that they all sit in like hot tubs and toast each other’s success. 

Panel 2: Booze Control

Bartenders who are also mixologists have some of the weirdest jobs. Think about it: They make these wonderful things, they serve them, they have to make sure the people they serve them to aren’t too blotto from the drinks they’ve been serving them, and then they have to do everything within the constraints of some pretty weird and antiquated laws. Hear all about it from T. Leggett (The Roosevelt), Mattias Hagglund (Heritage), and Beth Dixon (Pasture).

Suggested reading from our most popular booze coverage!

Richmond, Virginia: The original beer can testing ground

Jamison Davis knows a lot about beer cans and the intersection its history has with Richmond, Virginia! The humble can isn’t really that humble–cans are, to many, the best way to drink a thing. A beer enthusiast who has the privilege of raiding the Virginia Historical Society’s reading material on the regular, Jamison knows his stuff.

Crowlers! Crowlers! Crowlers!

A year ago, we learned a lot about the big can that people can (usually) use to get a freshly tapped quantity of beer, throw it in a bag, and take it home, where it will stay fresh for a lot longer than a traditional glass growler would. Plus, no breakable materials to harsh your pool or river buzz. As with everything alcohol-related, there was some really complex controversy, but, not to worry, all seemed to be going well when we checked back in. This article gives you the history of The Crowler™ and some nice insight into the canning process. Please note Matt Shofner, who will be similarly enthusiastic at our panel!

Triple Crossing taps into the gluten-removed space

Triple Crossing Brewery, reported Hayley DeRoche, made it a priority to get a gluten-removed beer out there. While there’s some differing opinions over whether or not the >0% beer is safe for people with serious issues, like celiac disease, the process itself is fascinating.

Blue Bee Cider: A biased interview

Delicious, golden, dry cider is my alcohol of choice, and I’m seriously confused why it isn’t everyone’s. Have you guys tasted beer? What on earth! I interviewed Courtney Mailey (another RVANews Live participant!), and she KNOWS SO MUCH ABOUT APPLES. Fun fact: cidering is actually the same process as winemaking. 

James River Distillery: Local gins are the new local everything else

Poor Kristi Croxton! She shlepped over a bunch of bottles of James River Distillery’s delicious local gins, and then we proceeded to drink them during a taste test between those three types and office favorite, Hendrick’s. That in itself isn’t really anything to feel bad about, it’s the fact that we kept drinking the gin and got really annoying. But we learned so much about running a distillery, and with JRD distiller Dwight Chew at RVANews Live, you will too!

Virginia Wine, by the numbers

There’s not a whole lot of real-deal winemaking in Richmond, but if you expand your sights to include the whole of the commonwealth, there is a plethora! We wanted to reflect on the numbers of this past year versus years prior and what trends we saw reflected within them. The results are enough to make you very thirsty.

Be a Richmond beer explorer

Page Hayes found the right personality fit for local breweries. We’re split between the Window Shopper, the Artiste, the Good Ol’ Boy, and the Suburban Warrior over here. Which one are you?

Pasture’s Beth Dixon on cocktail trends and daily inspiration

Beth Dixon is one of our all-time favorite bartenders (along with her fellow panelists T. Leggett and Mattias Hagglund), and we are always amazed that she just comes up with new cocktails every day. Every DAY. We can barely come up with new ways to write headlines every day! And she just scans her garden, grabs something that looks good, and invents. Bah! Why are you so cool, Beth? You even made us our own cocktail!

November 18, 2015 2:45 PM 0