The “Tapping into Richmond Beer” oral history project captures a snapshot of Richmond’s brewing industry and its community of brewers. Breweries and patrons take pride in their connection to the River City. Richmond’s breweries and brewers are tied to each other, to other local businesses, and to the local farmers whose produce flavor seasonal beers. Richmond has a culture and community that makes its craft beer unique.
“Dr. J” Jackson-Beckham of Crafted for All says,
…Richmond I think has this very specific way of doing its culinary culture….And that’s like we do want to do elevated things from a kind of sensory and aesthetic perspective….But I think we’ve never really gone for the like elite fine dining thing so much in Richmond….And craft beer really fits that identity really well. Beer is—in its way, it’s an everyperson’s beverage. It has always been the kind of agricultural blue collar like laborer beverage throughout history….That ethos, I think, was just perfect for beer to become like a Richmond staple. I think our breweries, if you come to Richmond, reflect this.
Breweries have become a thing in Richmond thanks in no small part to 2012’s Senate Bill 604 being signed into law by then Virginia governor, Bob McDonnell. SB 604 made it legal for breweries to offer retail sales and beer sampling onsite, opening the doors to tap rooms that modern brewery visitors know and love. Breweries like Legend Brewing Company, which opened its doors in 1992, found success by offering food in a brewpub setting. Opening in 2011, Hardywood Park Craft Brewery put much of their effort into pushing for SB 604 and found a loyal following in Richmonders, particularly with their famous Gingerbread Stout. Other beers crafted for Richmond tastes would follow including Hardywood’s flagship brew, Hardywood Singel.
SB 604 laid a foundation eventually for other breweries, like Triple Crossing Brewing and The Answer, to get a foothold in the River City and for Richmond to develop a distinct brewing culture. The connection between place and beer is embodied in the evolution of the Scott’s Addition neighborhood as a home for places like Hardywood, Ardent, The Veil, Starr Hill Brewing, and others. The expansion of this Richmond neighborhood is a complex tale of gentrification following urban blight and it’s a story repeated in cities across the South who are nurturing their own brewing cultures.
From expansive brew houses to homebrewing sheds, explore Richmond’s beer and its brewing community through the voices of the people who are part of it.
Special thanks to Bill Martin, Lee Graves, Annie Tobey, and Paige Newman for their consultation on this project.
Sources:
Graves, Lee. Richmond Beer: A Story of Brewing in the River City. Mount Pleasant: Arcadia Publishing, 2014.
