Just got back from Richmond, and it was fantastic!
First, thank you to everyone who chimed in on this thread. Your help and guidance was invaluable and really made this trip easy and excellent. I already felt when we got there that I was an expert on the scene. I went to at least one of the places that you all had recommended, and we found one to add the list ourselves.
From the airport, we went directly to the Capital Ale House for lunch. It was quiet, nice and comfortable. I struck out on my first order as they were out of Bells Two Hearted Ale. I had never had it; they don't sell it in MA. So, I had a Green Flash Symposium, which was awesome. My wife had a couple of Kolsches, one from Blue Mountain, which she was dissapointed with, and a Killer Kolsch from Champion Brewery, which she liked. She said that neither of them were as good as mine. God love her!
Dinner at Mekong. Really got a kick out of this place. Vietnamese restaurant with a killer tap list; not to be prejudiced in any way, but the two things just don't seem to go together, except that they do. My wife had the Lindeman's Peach Lambic, which she liked, and I had a pair of saisons, one from Goose Island and one from Firestone. Oh, and the food was terrific.
Next day we went to Charlottesville to see Monticello, and we stumbled across an excellent brewpub which no one had mentioned, probably because we asked about Richmond and Monticello is an hour away. South St. is an awesome brewpub with beer that was among the best of the trip and food that is better than anyplace we ate. I had the mac and cheese and the wife had a black bean burger. I started with a Red Belgian Tripel that was heavenly, and brought the meal to a close with an Imperial Red IPA on nitrogen, hop bomb with the latest American hops and a creamy mouthfeel that you can only get with nitro. The wife had her third kolsch of the trip, and, according to her, the best, though not as good as mine; this is why I married her. This place was a real find, excellent!
That night we stopped at a little place called The Cask. Good tap list, nice relaxed atmosphere, but not a real stand out other than that. I had a pint of SN Hop Hunter, which was good.
For dinner we went to Penny Lane Pub. I think this was the one you were talking about, Chumley. Totally British, all Beatles, and had the cuisine to match. I had a Fuller's London Pride along with the Cottage pie. Very British, tut, tut, and cheerio, and very nice. Some great obscure pictures of the fab four. I'd recommend this place, too.
Third day we found ourselves opening Strangeways Brewing's taproom at noon. This place had some exceptional, slightly off kilter beers that took some solid beer styles and raised the bar on them. I started off with their Woodbooger, which is a Belgian Brown that was malty and funky, tasted Belgian and a little bretty, nice. Next, I waded in to one of their more off-beat offerings, Coffee in Bed, a Pecan Dubbel. The pecan was a bit overwhelming in the aroma, but blended nicely in the flavor, a real treat. The wife had a Raspberry Albino, which is a Belgian Wit with Raspberry. She liked it a lot. She followed it up with a Still Life with Peaches which was a saison, with brett and peaches. I don't know which one surprised me, my wife who liked it or the beer which must have been so good as to make her like something which seemed to me to be kind of out of her league.
Later that afternoon, we took a drive out to the Center of the Universe. They have a nice atmosphere, a comfortable little tap room with a variety of seats and reading material and games as well as chips and dips. I had the ScotchTown Scotch ale, and the wife had her fourth kolsch of the trip, still searching for one to beat mine. Well, according to her, COTU's Killer Kolsch wasn't it. So, It seems that I'm still on top of the battle of the kolsches.
Last stop on the trip was for a late dinner at Legends Brewery. The place was packed and the waitstaff was hopping. The live band was playing the Dead, the Beatles, The Band, and the like. The beer menu is very generic: Pale ale, Pilsner, Lager, etc. I had a Hopfest, which was a solid IPA, and the wife had the lager, which she enjoyed. The food was good: I warmed up with a chili and followed it with a gyro. The wife had another burger. The atmosphere here was the best. Everyone, and there were lots of people there, was having a good time. This was a nice place to end the trip.
So, overall, the beercation was a huge success, largely due to the input from you, my fellow AHA bloggers. Probably the biggest surprise for me was how huge the beer scene is in Richmond. I had always thought of Asheville, NC as the beer city, but now I think that Richmond is bigger and better. The selection is certainly more diverse and eclectic, and the quality is top notch. Thanks everyone!
Topic: Beercation to Richmond VA (Read 3811 times)
