#rvabeerweek
It's coming. RVA Beer Week is great reason to celebrate locally made beer, and to be sure, this is a year Richmond should be proud of. No one spelled it out better than Lee Graves in his article in this week's Richmond Times-Dispatch where he pointed out all the great new local beer and events. After being happy spectators for many years, we're excited to now be part of #rvacraftbeer week. Let the hashtagging begin.
This year, we'll be hosting a few of our own celebrations. Beginning Wednesday, November 5 at 4 p.m., we'll raise a glass one last time to our summer seasonal, the Honey Ginger, who some could argue has already overstayed its season. Tonight will mark the Honey Ginger's last stand until next summer, and for the occasion, we'll open up pins of different versions including one spiked with extra ginger and others aged in different whiskey barrels. Free to join this bittersweet farewell.
Then, on Saturday, November 8 starting at Noon sharp, it's all IPA, all day. We've accumulated quite a collection of our different IPA batches and squirreled a few away for just this reason. We'll pour no less than five different kinds of IPA until 10 p.m. (or until we run out) including our versions brewed with Mosaic & Citra, Belma, Crosby Hops Farm, and Falconer's Flight hops. This event is also free with tasters and full pours available all day.
Fifty Percent More
There's nothing like the thrill of seeing brand new, shiny tanks roll into your brewery. It was pretty surreal the first time, and the second time was just as awesome. Two new 30 bbl tanks and a 60 bbl bright tank were delivered to us this week, and they are now upright, in place, and waiting to be fully installed. By the beginning of November, we plan to move beer from these tanks into kegs.
All in all, our new tanks give us 50 percent more capacity. More brewing. More beer. All that good stuff! But what it really means it we're able to expand, just a little bit, and at the pace that feels right to us. It means we can offer our beer to a few more restaurants, bars and businesses around town, participate in more local events, and make sure there's always enough to go around. And, most importantly, it means we will be able to brew more styles.
Next time you come by, peek inside and take a look. There's a whole lot more stainless steel!
Thank You Richmond.
What a weekend. To the Richmond beer community: we can't thank you enough. Our opening days were a long time coming and you made them unforgettable. After two days of dry runs with family and friends, last Friday, we opened our doors and welcomed so many supportive locals who had been following us for years or just dropping by to check Ardent out for the first time. It was a celebratory night, right down to the cheers when we flipped the switch on our canopy of patio lights.
We appreciate your patience as we worked through crowds and beer tickets over the weekend. Thanks to you, we have our feet under us and look forward to welcoming many again in the coming weeks. Ahead are new beer releases, events, growler fills, tasting flights and the introduction of a small menu of bar snacks. Stay tuned. Sign up up for our mailing list to keep up with it all. But more importantly, know that we are grateful for a great opening weekend and the support you've shown us... and so many brewers in Richmond.
We thank friend and talented photographer Michael Lee for the shots from Friday.
All photos courtesy Michael Lee
Keg Time
For a couple weeks, our stacks of shiny new kegs sat quietly in the brewery. No stickers, labels, scratches, dings or dents on them. Just wrapped neatly in sheets of plastic. Those days are long gone. Over this past weekend, foregoing the usual Memorial Day festivities, we camped out at the brewery to move our first batches of beer into the kegs.
First, the entire team pitched in to ready the kegs. We chose to stencil the words "Ardent" on each keg, which turned out bright, durable, and, well, just the right price. Kevin led the transfer operations, making certain every tube and hook-up from tank to keg was perfect. The Saison went first, then the IPA and Honey Ginger. As expected, this first run presented us with opportunities to learn and make adjustments to our process. Sure, we are all a bit sleep-deprived, but nevermind that. Seeing those kegs filled was nothing short of invigorating.
Some of the Saison is headed to Broad Appetit this Sunday. We hope to see you out there supporting great local food and beer.
The Garage, The Beginning
Kevin at the Sabco in Brickman's Garage
A few days ago, we closed the door of Brickman's garage for the last time. We had brewed in the garage since 2010 when, after purchasing the Sabco, we talked with our friend, Tom Brickman, who agreed to rent us the space on Jefferson Avenue in Church Hill. The garage had water and electric, but was in need of some repair. With the help of Brickman, we breathed new life into what was once his wife's art studio.
Tom and co-op member
We bought a couple of refrigerators off Craigslist (Harvest Gold!), and brought in lumber, a few thermostats, an old air-conditioning unit, and a space heater. Although we had a tricky time building the fermentation room in a space that had no right angles or even a level floor, we made it work. In the summer, our antique of an air-conditioner strained the garage's meager electrical supply. When the breakers flipped, we scrambled. In the winter, the cold water turned our hands blue as we sanitized bottles. But we brewed most every Sunday, testing new recipes and techniques. We researched and read as much about brewing history as we could lay our hands on and put it to use in the garage. Eventually, we produced a number of beers we felt we could call our own.
On those Sundays, we threw open the garage door and first co-op members came, and then fellow brewers and beer lovers, and then members of the Church Hill community. We were overwhelmed by the support offered to us by so many. We will always feel a little sad when we think of Sundays in the garage, but we hope that the folks who joined us there will join us at our new home in Scott's Addition.
Thank you, Church Hill.
...And We're Brewing!
On Friday, April 25, we began brewing on our DME 15-barrel system, housed in our new home on West Leigh St. The process was exciting and hectic, but it went incredibly well and we are already learning the nuances of the new system. As our first batches of the Virginia Common, IPA, Saison, and Honey Ginger are now in the tank, we are pushing ever closer to opening day. We hope you will check out a few snapshots of our first brew days.