Author: timandjohnna

After filling up on fair food, we decided to hit a brewery in town before making our way back to camp. This place is pretty straight forward with typical microbrewery decor: modern industrial with a hint of chic. We were a little disappointed with the beer selection hoping for something light but having to resort to an Oktoberfest and a Momentum Coffee Blonde.

So technically, we aren’t at the actual brewery but we are drinking their Boone Creek Blonde and their Down South Lager here at the Carolina Classic Fair. Boone is another hour drive west from here and two hours from camp so it would be quite the drive. Instead, we are sitting in the beer garden enjoying this beautiful Sunday afternoon before venturing out for some “fair food”.

This is probably the swankiest (if that is even a word) tap room we have ever visited. Leather bar stools and rich deco make you want to light up a cigar. We enjoyed the tasty Vienna Lager and German Pants Oktoberfest while sitting out on the patio watching the night set in.

This place is crazy busy! Located downtown along with other small businesses, this area is buzzing with activities on a Saturday afternoon. We drank the Ales for ALS american IPA and Certain Circles helles lager which were a good compliment to the food truck tacos and quesadilla.

After a flight in from Tampa, we stopped to have a tasty craft beer before heading back home to the tour bus. While the weather was perfect for a little day-drinking, the beers didn’t quite get the job done. The Mash Pit Lager was okay but the Top Singley Pub Ale was a wee bit disappointing and really lack depth for an English Amber.

Another milestone has been reached: #450! With little fanfair other than an autographed hat by the beertenders, we ordered up a Czech Pilsner and a Choosy Mother peanut butter stout to wrap up our weekend mini-tour in Richmond. The service & beers were awesome and we even made a few friends along the way.

Barbeque, brews and live music – it doesn’t get any better than that on a Friday night. Just a 4 minute walk from the last brewery, this tap room was recommended by many people we have talked to while in town. We drank the Playday Pils and the Lucky Charm Marshmellow berliner weisse. The Lucky Charm actually had the marshmellows in it! I wonder if it would be good for breakfast?

There is one thing about Richmond that any brewery hopper would love: there is a whole group of tap rooms within a 10 minute walk. Our 3rd stop on this Friday afternoon “brewery crawl” brings us to a community-focus brewery serving up great beers with a mission. Their Calendar Of Events is filled with fundraisers and food trucks serving the needs of the local community. Tomorrow’s event is raising funds for Afgan refugees moving to Richmond to escape the atrocities of their homeland. We raised a glass to their courage and toasted with a Fest Bier Marzen and the house Lager. Fi sihatik!

Our first impression upon walking in and seeing the beer menu was, whoa! The descriptions of their beers were a bit intimidating until we spent a few moments reading what ingredients went in to each beer. Turns out, we really didn’t need to know what hops or barley was used, only if the beer danced on our tongues. Mr. Shredder IPA and Brave Noise IPA both did the Electric Slide!

The rains finally stopped and the sun came out allowing us to hang out on the rooftop deck to enjoy our Jomo Vienna Lager and Drift Down Kolsch. What a beautiful way to start the race weekend!