Richmond’s craft beer culture is booming these days. The metro area is home to more than 30 breweries. If you’ve had a long day at the beach and the sun has exhausted you, a cold draft beer at one of the many breweries at Richmond is refreshing for your soul.
Many of the breweries have received national recognition and awards. All of them are a convenient drive from anywhere in the region; just explore as you drink your way along the newly expanded Richmond Ale Trail.
If you’re looking for the best one, it really is up to a person’s taste, as all of them offer top-quality beer. Especially now that summer’s here, definitely go ahead and have a draft beer to refresh yourself from the heat.
When done with the ale-ing, dine at some of the best restaurants in Richmond. Besides great beer, Richmond offers amazing food too!
Table of Contents
7 Iconic Richmond Breweries
Väsen Brewing Company
3331 W Moore St // +18045885678
Open for just over two years, Väsen has quickly attained national recognition. Named for the Swedish term for “inner essence,” the brewery reflects the Scandanavian heritage of its founders, who use the Norwegian yeast Kviek to ferment several of its beers. Outside some traditional perennials, the beer rotation at Väsen is “a perpetual cycle of funkiness” with sours, farmhouse ales, and wild beers.
It is a small craft brewery that focuses on making new beers. It also has a guest tap with the best of the season’s breweries – only served on special events like Kveik Fest.
The brewery is only open 6 days a week (No Monday Brewing :(), but that doesn’t mean you can’t sample the goods at your leisure. Just get an Uber and pick up some cans to go. This would be a great starting point for your Richmond brewery tour.
The Answer Brewpub
6008 W Broad St // +18042821248
The Answer Brewpub brings together a unique menu of Vietnamese food and craft beer in a space that takes its design cues from the local industrial warehouses that once housed the many brewing operations that started the Richmond beer scene. Amid its beer tanks and fermenting rooms, founder Mekong An’s family-style cooking is fit for two- or twelve-person groups, whether you’re seeking some pork belly sticky rice with a crisp Hopland IPA or vegetarian Banh mis with a sour Apricot Ale.
Located in the historic Manchester district, The Answer Brewpub is nestled where the James and Appomattox Rivers meet. Here, you can sample a selection of Richmond’s locally-made beers, as well as their own brews. The Answer has been recognized by the New York Times for its world-class hospitality and craft beer.
Three different styles of house-brewed beers are on tap at all times. You’ll also find homemade sandwiches, a few rotating taps, wine by the glass, and a full bar. Along with the made-from-scratch menu, chalk art and local art adorn the walls of this neighborhood joint. The outdoor patio is pet-friendly.
The answer to Richmond’s craft beer craze is here! Located in the historic district of Jackson Ward, The Answer offers an ever-expanding draft and bottled list of craft brews. With over twenty high-top tables and ten booths, there is plenty of seating to enjoy pints, flights, burgers, nachos, and a small plate from their kitchen.
The Veil Brewing Company
1301 Roseneath Rd // +18043555515
Veil’s brewers have gained a wild reputation for their creations, from an Oreo stout to a fried chicken beer. The brewery is built upon teamwork, with brewers rotating on and off of each recipe as every beer demands full collaboration. Stop by to taste the experimental side of Richmond’s thriving brew scene!
Located in an old mattress factory, Richmond’s deceptively large breweries are constantly pumping out sour ales in the three-year-old Funkhaust taproom. Try their locally famous Tigerlily sour ale or the lesser-known Aquaticus, a barrel-aged Berliner Weisse.
At the core of brewer Caity Heger’s beers are nuanced layers of flavor, experimental combinations of unfamiliar ingredients, and love of sour beers. With no flagship beer to her name and a constantly rotating array on tap in the new Funkhaust Cafe just outside the brewery doors, there’s always an exciting new beer to try at this Richmond brewpub.
What do you do after opening your own brewery? You build a sprawling space to showcase all those wild fermentation beers that the laws of supply and demand make impossible to sell anywhere else. Veil Brewing Co. has built an unstoppable juggernaut in Richmond, not just in sales and distribution but also in quality. Its beers are so good that you can even comfortably keep it on your shopping list of breweries to visit while out of state.
Three Notch’d Brewing Company: RVA Collab House
2930 W Broad St // +18045544100
The first beer Three Notch’d ever made was the virgin trend – a copper-colored, German-style altbier that was brewed in collaboration with James Creek Brewing and Starr Hill. This year, after five years of being brewed at the other breweries, Three Notch’d finally have its own space – about four miles away in a renovated warehouse just off Main Street in Richmond.
Featuring multiple Virginia breweries, what’s on tap ranges from the familiar to experimental. “We try to do collaborations with restaurants, bands, or cafés,” says head brewer Bo Hicks, “but even with our own beers, there are always a lot of other people involved.” Currently highlighted is a collaboration with RVA Bike MS that will help contribute money to ending multiple sclerosis. A portion of the proceeds from the Blood Orange, Sweat, and Gears gose (named for components of a bike) go toward this endeavor.
Each bottle is unique, with pieces of artwork created by local artists and contributors. The artwork will tell the story of Soul Blis’s creation, as each piece shares memories from the creative process. Each label has been hand-numbered out of 100 total.
Triple Crossing
113 S Foushee St // +18044951955
With six beers on tap, including a rotating beer-of-the-month, Triple Crossing’s focus is on creating excellent beers. They’ve got roots in Belgian styles, but they aren’t afraid to throw American hops into the brew – or even barrel-age their product to make it extra tasty. With a great beer garden that opens at 4 p.m. daily and features live music most weekends, Triple Crossing is an excellent stop in Richmond’s Scott’s Addition neighborhood.
With three production breweries, each with its own distinct features and brews, it’s no secret that Triple Crossing is a destination for beer lovers. The brewery itself is a place you can grab a pint or a flight, while in RVA, you’ll want to check out the menu at the attached restaurant ––the Neapolitan-style pizzas are made in the pizza ovens you see behind the bar. And if you’re visiting the brewery in Covington, enjoy our lager program and dozens of barrel-aged rarities.
Brewed in the “smash beer” style of “one beer, one hop,” Falcon Smash comes with a big aroma and a 7.0 percent ABV. The IPA features delicious Falconers Flight hops and the expressive house yeast. It’s tropical and piney, with a hint of orange marmalade. “I never feel more like a pilot than when I’m drinking one of these,” says brewer Jesse Houck.
This is a can’t miss Richmond brewery. You’ll never be double-crossed at Triple Cross.
Hardywood Park Craft Brewery – Richmond
2410 Ownby Ln, Richmond // +1 804-420-2420
Hardywood has live music every Friday and Saturday night and plans more regular festivals featuring local and regional performers. They’ve also been hosting occasional pre-parties for area festivals such as Brewgrass or the more recent Virginia Beer Festival. It’s building a reputation based on a constantly evolving selection of beers that change with the seasons.
Richmond has always been a brewery town, and it’s just now becoming the beer city that it is destined to be. And Richmond was brewing their own beer back in the 1700s. The result of their labors is a production brewery with an inviting tasting room that feels like home, and Hardywood has come a long way in the past three years in quantity, quality, and place in the industry.
The barrels brew serious beer, including Hardywood’s signature cream stout with hints of coffee and chocolate and its summer seasonal, Raspberry Tart wheat ale. The new brewing floor also includes a French oak foeder fermenter, which will allow the brewery to make wild ales using wild yeast strains from West Coast breweries.
Stone Brewing Tap Room – Richmond
4300 Williamsburg Ave // +18044895902
Stone Brewing Co.’s East Coast distribution center and brewery quietly opened on a Friday afternoon in 2016. The California-based company began selling its beer through distributors. Enough beer is being produced to supply distribution in nine states (Colorado, Florida, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Virginia) as well as wholesales for the company’s retail operations in Richmond.
The bistro features wood-fired brick ovens and locally sourced ingredients for a farm-to-table culinary experience. The Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens has a capacity to employ about 150 people and serve more than 450 patrons.
Stone Brewing, the 10th-largest craft brewer in the country, has a 24-tap bar, which is housed in an 8,000-square-foot warehouse with huge indoor and outdoor seating areas. The Richmond brewery location offers more than 50 types of Stone beers on tap at one time.
Conclusion
Richmond is a place that will take you on a selection of brewery tours so you can drink the freshest, most wondrous beer you’ve ever had. On your tour, you will see what goes into making your beer and then get to drink it straight from the tap.
Whether you are from Richmond or were just passing through, people leave very happy after a visit to the Richmond area’s breweries. You’ll find everything from an amazing Black IPA to DIPA’s and English bitters inside their walls, and they won’t disappoint. Help yourself plan your next adventure to these spots with my review.
While in Richmond don’t miss out on activities that will help immerse yourself with the city (hurry while they’re hot!):
- Richmond: Church Hill Food Tour
- Richmond: Trendy Carytown Food Tour
- Richmond: Arts District Walking Food Tour
- Amazing Scavenger Hunt Adventure in Richmond
Visiting other destinations in Virginia? Check out our other delicious guides:
- 7 Best Must Try Stafford Restaurants
- 10 Fun Things To Do In Williamsburg VA
- 10 Awesome Things To Do In Fredericksburg VA
- 20 Fun Things To Do In Richmond VA
- 6 Best Mexican Restaurants In Fredericksburg, VA
- 11 Must-Try Pizza Places In Fredericksburg
- 5 Must-Try Fredericksburg Chinese Restaurants
- The 8 Best Downtown Fredericksburg Restaurants
- 7 Must-Try Chesapeake Restaurants
Igor Jovanovski is an aspiring digital nomad, travel blogger and graphic designer who really loves food. He also has a creative side, and he works as a freelance graphic designer in his spare time. He has traveled across Europe quite a few times since he was young and recently started his mission to visit every country in the world! Igor’s favorite thing about traveling is the way he gets to know new people, food, places and cultures.
This exciting experience helps him create his own stories and make memories that will last forever