RVA Beer Explorer: Sunflowers, Bunnies, Style, Career Goals

A weekly column highlighting some of the wonderful beer offerings in the area.

July 27, 2016; 1:18 PM • by Richard Hayes

You are my sunshine

Sunflowers are impressively tall flowers that aren’t too shabby to look at. A field of sunflowers are awe-inspiring.

The field above is at Lickinghole Creek Brewery and this weekend they’re sharing their sunflowers with the masses. They’re hosting their All You Can Pick Sunflower Weekend this weekend (7/29 – 7/31). Stop by the Farm during Tasting Room Hours (Fridays 5-9, Saturdays & Sundays 12-8) and pick sunflowers free of charge. This is a real life farm field so dress appropriately in long pants and closed toe shoes. But that’s not all they’ll also be hosting their Batchelor’s Delight Release & Pirate Party II on Saturday which means after picking flowers you can pick yourself a nice rum barrel aged Belgian quad and hopefully you won’t have to pick yourself up off the floor.

Bunnies on my beer

I’ll be perfectly frank the only reason I’m posting this is that the label has bunny rabbits hopping around on it. The beer sounds tasty as well so it’ll be a win/win for those that head over to Ardent for their summer release of their “super limited, hoppy, fruity, farmhouse-style ale made with New Zealand Nelson Sauvin hops“. Beer starts pouring in the taproom at noon so hop on over.

Beer Style

We’re just a little beer column trying to get by the best we can. Style Weekly is the big kid on the block and they’re devoting nearly all of this week’s issue to beer. If you’re only going to read one article may I humbly suggest you sit down with and with Gov. McAuliffe because he Sees No End in Sight for Virginia Beer.

Best line:

How’s your goal of visiting all of Virginia’s breweries coming?

McAuliffe: They’re opening so fast, it’s making it hard even for an Irishman like me to get it done!

Best job ever

I really can’t argue with the Washingtonian Headline, Best Job Ever: The Smithsonian Is Hiring a Craft Beer Historian. With all the beer and self proclaimed beer experts in Richmond a local has to be a shoe-in right. It was nice knowing y’all I’ll write from my office in the Smithsonian Castle.

In other words, the Smithsonian needs a beer connoisseur whom they will PAY to travel and conduct “archival and field research.” The listing doesn’t say that one will be drinking copious amounts of delicious craft brews, but we can read between the lines.