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Category Archives: Beer adventures
Persimmon Beer: From African Roots to Southern Icon
When Ardent Craft Ales in Richmond, Va., used a recipe from a 1700s cookbook to make a batch of persimmon beer in 2014, the effort made international headlines. “A drink brought back from … Continue reading
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Brewery hit buzzsaw supporting historic Black TV show
It’s easy to imagine the pitch that must have been on the table in the boardroom of Milwaukee’s Blatz Brewing Company in 1951. “Look, boss, the world’s most popular radio program is going to this new format—yes, television. They’re switching … Continue reading
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1930s beer ads teach lessons about Black lives that have mattered throughout history
Note: This article was written in July 2020 during the turmoil following the death of George Floyd and in the light of our ongoing struggle to confront racial issues, particularly Richmond’s monuments to the Confederacy. Among the lessons learned during … Continue reading
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Beer and race: a complex history still playing out
More than 80 years ago, Reuben Ray and Grady Jackson, both African-Americans, sat in a bar they co-owned in Detroit and wondered why whites, rather than those of their own race, were delivering beer to black businesses on … Continue reading
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Starr Hill adds bright light to RVA’s constellation of breweries
Pardon me if you sense a bit of sentimentality sprinkled in this account. In September 1999, I drove to Charlottesville to interview Mark Thompson for one of my “Beer Guy” columns in the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Thompson had moved into a spot on … Continue reading
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Roll out the red carpet for top Virginia beers
Old-timers in the Virginia beer community can remember pitching tents in the woods and meadows of Nelson County as part of the annual ritual to taste and toast the best of craft beers in the Old Dominion. The 2019 Virginia … Continue reading
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The Great New York ‘Bier’ Trials; Or, How Lager Changed America
Jacob Haas got out of bed on Tuesday morning, May 18, 1858, and began the day his usual way—with a glass of beer. As he dressed, his routine continued with another glass. And another. And another. By late morning, he … Continue reading
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Peter and James: The Tale of Two Hemingses
Note: I have long been fascinated by the tale of Peter and James Hemings, brothers and slaves of Thomas Jefferson. This was written as a precursor—a rough rough draft—of a possible screenplay, one I doubt will ever be fully fleshed. … Continue reading
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Historic recipes getting new life among craft brewers
John Marshall, fourth chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court and a Richmond resident, was known to favor other drinks over beer, but he would certainly smile on the historic molasses beer brewed at Ardent Craft Ales in collaboration with the … Continue reading
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From Waynesboro to Manchester–Basic City comes to RVA
The vacant Twisted Ales brewery site in Richmond’s Manchester area didn’t last long, as Waynesboro’s Basic City Beer Co. quickly moved to stake out its second location in Virginia. Basic City co-founder Bart Lanman and brewmaster Jacque Landry join Jay Burnham and me for the … Continue reading
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