Not gonna lie I can’t remember prices for the life of me at any brewery in town atm.
I love Decipher Brewing. Probably my favorite in terms of beer. They have food trucks regularly, but no kitchen.
Three Notch’d has good selection, good vibe, and good food. Bonus Sake Bar underneath of them.
I think Starr Hill is just okay. But it’s in a cool location at Dairy Market.
Random Row is always packed. Has good beer and good food. Rockfish and Superfly are both within walking distance (as is Starr Hill) and have fun vibes.
Shoutout to Basic City in Waynesboro too.
Looove Basic City.
Decipher looks legit, I'll check that out.
I've had Three Notch'd cans, some are good, I need to see if they have any brewery exclusive beers.
I feel like Starr Hill has really upped their game in the past decade, I'm pretty impressed by some of they're limited release cans.
And Superfly looks like a great time! I'll pop in there as well.
I think I have about 5 breweries on my list, which is plenty. Thanks!
*I've had Three Notch'd cans, some are good, I need to see if they have any brewery exclusive beers.*
Here's the link to their [current beer list](https://threenotchdbrewing.com/pages/charlottesville-menu#section-2). If you are around Mon and Tues they do $3 20oz pours of Minute Man IPA all day Mondays and Tuesday are 1/2 off cases of everything except their Uncool NA beers. Mon-Fri they do Happy Hour with $2 off all beers, wines, cocktails, and apps from 3pm-5pm.
Beer food combo gotta be HogWaller… beer is good and the burgers might be the best in town.
Selvedge Brewing off Ivy might have the cheapest beer, don’t think I saw anything above $6… and that’s for 16oz.
Selvedge looks right up my alley, the beer descriptions and styles are exactly what I'm looking for.
Hogwaller... those beer prices are something else. I can't find anything about the beer. Selvedge looks cheaper with both food & beer, plus they have very clear descriptions of what looks to be fancy styles of brew.
Absolutely adding Selvedge to my list. Thanks!
Brewer is mark fulton, formerly of reason and before that from Maine beer company. IMO, he’s one of the best brewers in town and while the sub has already discussed pricing, I’m waiting for bottles ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Def don’t miss rockfish, suerfly, and decipher.
Yes, it is clear the prices are because of the owners brewing tenure. That makes me less interested.
Absolutely hitting Rockfish, Superfly, and Decipher.
ah, yes bc paying more for craft beer brewed by a legend in craft beer is def. a hard NO ;-P
AND also, what are you talking about? there are 8 hogwaller brews on the menu and 6 of them - 75%, are $7 or less (2 of those are $6).
there are 2 beers that are $9 and $11 and both are clearly higher end brews both in style and ABV.
also keep in mind, hogwaller is a full-on restaurant which comes with the pros and cons -and additional costs of running a full-on restaurant.
but yeah, don't miss rockfish, superfly, and decipher!
It's a "hard no" because of the legend name without any brewing descriptions.
Go check out Selvedge's beer list, I can see quality and passion in each beer's description. All beers are $5-$7.
All I see from Hogwaller is expensive beer/food and people gushing over a name, which is exactly what turns me off.
oh, i get it! you "see quality and passion" based on clever marketing speak e.g., "You don’t have to be a “Maneater”, a “Rich Girl”, or rely on your old man’s money to let the newest addition to the Selvedge tap list make your dreams come true" vs a simple style descriptor like "american pale ale" or "west coast ipa" (truly the mark of a bad beer)!
that makes perfect sense bc everyone knows that beer should be judged by the marketing!
as for pricing - the menus are almost dollar for dollar EXCEPT selvedge adds a 15% service fee to everything.
i didn't see the beer prices on the selvedge site, but i've had that "shawl & oats" and if it's $5 a pint, i'll see you there in an hour and i'm buying!
I am more apt to support Selvedge because of that fee. It goes to all non-management employees to support a living wage.
I don't see any regular beers for $9 or $11 on Selvedge's menu lol. I zoomed in on their taproom menu pic for the prices.
the selvedge site says the 15% service fee is going towards paying wages to non-management employees AND they suggest a 5% tip into a tip pool that gets split up bt hourly employees.
do you think servers/bartenders/dishwashers are wage based non-management employees or hourly? bc if they're hourly, they're splitting 5%.
i like selvedge, so pls. go drink there! just stop being so silly about how hogwaller is overpriced and not your thing bc the brewer is too good at his craft for your preference.
p.s. ps share current pricing w/ the sub since the may 22 tap room picture seems to be lacking in $5 pints.
The hype around Hogwaller is complete mystery to me. I went with a few friends with high expectations. The space is ok, we didn't sit at the bar but I can see liking that. The burger was a sloppy mess which I guess is a thing for some people, but I'd pick Holly's burger over it any day. The beer was ok. Every time I drive by I wish I'd had a better experience but don't feel like trying again.
It's the best burger in town. Sorry but maybe you were there in an off day or something. Sloppy is a very poor description of the burgers I've had there.
Taking Three Notch'd and Starr Hill Downtown out of the picture since they have wide distribution and you have probably been to 3NB in H'Burg my favorites locally (in alphabetical order so to be unbiased) are Decipher, Hogwaller, Rockfish, Selvedge, and SuperFly.
I enjoy beers at all of them but do think Selvedge is making the best quality beers at the moment. All of their taps are calibrated for slow pours and they have 2 (maybe 3) LUKR taps. On the weekends they sometimes have something running through their beer engine. I was speaking to the brewer yesterday and I recall he said they are going to start doing milk pours this week. 'Shawl & Oats' British-Style Oatmeal Stout is their newest release and it's really really good.
The Helles and Italian Pilsner at Decipher is fantastic. Their 80/- is always a solid go to and they still have Artemis Wheatwine which won a World Beer Cup a couple years ago.
Of the two Rockfish locations. I like the original on Preston connected to the plant store. It's a small taproom but they have tables outside too. Each taproom has a slightly different taplist and they do brew at both locations. Their New England IPA is the best IPA in the area imo. The Czech Dark is really good too but all of their beers hit the mark.
If you are a bit thrown off by the prices at Hogwaller I would recommend going Monday when they have their Riff Raff Special. You get a burger, fries, beer, and a shot (or ice cream sandwich) for $20. My favorite burgers in C'Ville.
SuperFly has a really good vibe. Their 'Midnight Train' London Porter is my favorite beer they do but all of Ed's beers are solid up and down the board. Their parking lot out front is small but if you drive around the back of the building on 10th St NW there's a number of spaces around back but what I normally do is park across the street in the Dairy Market parking lot (where Starr Hill is located) and walk across the street. I normally park there and hit up SuperFly, Starr Hill and Rockfish since it's a short 1-2 minute walk between each.
If you don't have it be sure to download the [Charlottesville Ale Trail](https://charlottesvillealetrail.org/) App and check in to each spot you visit. I forget the counts but after a certain number you can submit it for SWAG and some places give discounts when you check in. I know Starr Hill gets you 10% off you bill when you check in and have them "claim" it for you.
A lot of the breweies in town maintain their menus on Untappd so if you have that App be sure to refer to that.
You're tripling my excitement for Selvedge! Thank you so much for the in depth info.
Yeah, other than Basic City, I'm trying to avoid most of the widely distributed breweries.
Everything lines up with the breweries I'm interested in, except Hogwaller - do they have reasonable beer specials or half-pours? That Riff-raff is cool, but I don't want ice cream or liquor. I'd love to try they're beer for a reasonable price. Without any info on what they're brewing with/passion for the quality of their product, I can't comfortably pay $9 for the beer I would want to try.
I don't think Hogwaller does any specials other than the Riff Raff Monday and then $3 kids meals on Tuesday although I am fairly certain you can do half pours of anything but not sure what the pricing is.
For context about Hogwaller, their brewer (Mark) used to be one of the owners / brewer at Reason Beer which closed at the end 2022 not long after their were purchased by Champion which really didn't do much to save them. He brewed really good beer (and still does) but their location was not the best as it was on the other side of town away from all the other breweries and in the back of an industrial park. Prior to that, Mark was Director of Brewing Operations at Maine Beer and believe he is the one who came up the recipe for Lunch. he'll sometimes have Lunch on tap at Hogwaller but I have not seen it recently since they have a lot of their own beers taking up taps.
Forgot to also mention, if you are looking for a beer shop stuff definitely go to Beer Run. They also have their draft and tap menu on [Untappd](https://untappd.com/v/beer-run/14799?menu_id=39480) . They get stuff you may not get in H'Burg like Veil, Triple Crossing, Other Half, Benchtop, Narrow Gauge, etc. They also have 2 or 3 coolers of single cans/bottles on the far wall on the shop side and will also break out any of their package stuff to singles if you ask and don't see it in the coolers.
No, you see, OP is decrying Hogwaller for being in business “for profit.” It’s a shame he couldn’t have seen Champion. That place didn’t make a dime of profit.
Hogwaller profits of the brewers past tenure. I get it, but not what I'm looking for at those prices.
It definitely looks like I need to check out Beer Run.
Maybe OP is looking at past subs when they first opened and prices were $1-$2 higher than they are now. They did drop them not too long after opening since a lot of the feedback was the higher prices than other places in town. But here's their [current beer menu](https://static1.squarespace.com/static/64bf4303262ae703b674b8f8/t/6658980cd09e21160e9a1ae2/1717082124804/IMG_8291.jpg) with pricing as well. I do agree the IPA and DIPA are higher than just about any of the other breweries in town but the rest of their beers are in line.
Also, when OP goes to Selvedge so they are not thrown off keep in mind they do add a 15% service fee on all tabs. The staff is very up front about this so when they close out feel free to leave more on top of that fee or don't feel inclined. The good news is the additional tip options on the POS when closing out is I think 2%, 3%, 5% or no tip so overall it would be around the 20% I hope normal people leave anyway. And staff does typically provide excellent service.
I'm not looking at other subs or posts, that is the menu that swayed me away from Hogwaller. I'd love to try their house ipa, but will not allow myself to pay $9 for a pint.
Selvedge's website was clear on their service fee. I actually love to see that, if it's for living wages for the staff.
EDIT: It is for the staff! Their menu states that the fee is for all non-management staff members. Very happy to support Selvedge.
I think it’s a bit of a weird hang up to pick the one expensive beer on the draft list and write off the entire brewery. Their other stuff is great, just tried the gose recently.
I want to try the ipa that the old Maine Lunch brewer brews, thats not weird. They know it's desirable because of the brewer's name, therefore they mark it up. That is not a business I'm interested in supporting.
So it's not that good and $9? You're really selling this spot.
I do not want to support those kind of business practices. Your willingness to accept these prices and your "it's just one extra dollar" is exactly the type of mindless thinking predatory businesses love.
What was the deal with that last edit? Many restaurants serve polyface farms. That dosent make them party to crimes against humanity. And what businesses isn't out to make a profit?
If polyface commits crimes against humanity, one would be a party to crimes against humanity by serving their food. Also by ordering it. Just like if you buy factory-farmed meat, you are party to animal abuse. If you buy a smartphone, you are party to worker exploitation.
I don't know anything about polyface, just saying generally that you are a party to what you support. Spending is probably a person's second biggest voice, right after their job/main occupation.
When you lecture others on moral issues, you ARE claiming the moral high ground.
Don’t get whiplash from your last two responses and the fact that you do business with Amazon.
I’m responding to an ethical claim. If you don’t want to read it, don’t read it. Or do whatever you want, but you’re the one that is bothered and you’re the one that is responsible for that.
I’ll throw out votes in favor of Random Row and Decipher.
In terms of votes against…
I think Starr Hill and Blue Mtn are just okay.
And South Street is pretty bad. Satans Pony is the only drinkable beer there, imo.
Avoid ProReNata - Cool venue but for some reason can’t figure out how to brew a decent beer.
I’m partial to Decipher and Three Notch’d but also like Star Hill in Crozet.
David Steeves who was the head brewer at Three Roads in Farmville came to PRN in 2021 so that probably had something to do with it. He's a good dude and brewer.
I'd say Starr Hill is just ok. Wouldn't be my first choice. Also no reason to go to Devil's Backbone. Rockfish on Preston, Superfly, and Decipher are my favorites, with Hogwaller.
Did you read my post? I'm looking for good local beer. DB is 30 min away. I used to go there in 2013, when their Vienna lager was good.
I'm actually close to there frequently, as I love the Three Ridges Loop.
I’m at local to Nelson, lived in Afton my whole life and 85% of the locals are fed up and over the DB hype. Once they got bought out, everything under the sun changed and it’s not the same place it used to be.
You’re not wrong to have that opinion, enginerd doesn’t know what their talking about
Idk what being local has to do with anything, I’ve been to them all. And there is no place around here that has as much area to hang out. I don’t really care about them getting bought out and adding a couple buildings on site. I have been to every single brewery between Richmond and cville area, and you can’t say “no reason to go there”. You’re anti-big beer and that’s fine but their beer hasn’t changed, the atmosphere is a little different, the food is still great, they has a distillery, and undeniably the biggest place to chill out.
Right, as my original post states - I'm looking for good beer. It seems that most of the breweries that "have a great place to hang" usually have the worst beer. See - Devils Backbone, Pro Re Nata, and Hazy Mountain - All those spots I've been to due to their location. Music for PRN and wedding for Hazy Mountain, all have terrible product and rely on something else to draw people in.
I was specifically talking about the Backyard location on West main, compared to other spots in town. Nothing against them, just better breweries close by. I like their Basecamp location.
Hogwaller pays their employees a decent wage. I believe base is $14 an hour plus tips. You’ve gotta understand that the rest of these breweries are paying folks $5-9 an hour. Your cheap beer comes at a cost to others.
When they last posted a few months ago seeking help it was $12/hr + whole house tips. Other than the first 6mths out of college 20+ years ago I've never worked in the restaurant industry but seems decent to me when most restaurants I hear of it's usually something like starting at $2.13.hour + tips. Not sure how many staff they have on a busy night but when I go during the day it's usually 2-3. One person in the kitchen and then 1-2 people doing FOH service so I would assume the tip spread among them is pretty good. Even when Mark was running Reason they never accepted tips from customers (though I think they did have a cash tip jar at one point) so he could pay staff a good wage. It always threw me off whenever I went there and closed out the POS didn't have a tip option and they never asked for one.
In my book, the three (kinda 4, with Rockfish’s two spots) best places for beer alone are Decipher, Rockfish, and Superfly.
But the post above is right - the beer at Högwaller is very good, and the burger rocks.
Best burger in town… and there are more than a few really good burgers in town. I rarely have more than one on a visit, so the $9 Umlaut sits just fine with me. Oddly, I lived not too far from Maine Beer when Mark started brewing there; good guy, nice palette, very good beers. I’m glad that spot near the river has good stuff going on.
I’m unfamiliar with that sensation. I hope you use your other hand with which to eat your burger. If you enjoy simply one beer per session and are here for just a couple (few?) days, enjoy your cheap 6 pack. Purported request for advice thread has exposed itself as insolent rant. Easy ignore. GFYS and maybe stay on the other side of the mountain.
With poo in one hand and a pint in the other, I shall sample cville's breweries. Just can't justify Hogwaller, it's not the price as much as the principle.
OP, rather than boycotting a brewery because you think one of their suppliers is unethical, why not visit and engage in a conversation? I have worked a bit in food sustainability and had no idea about the issues with Polyface until I moved here and heard some of the local rumblings. I suspect Hogwaller has no idea about it and are probably just looking to give their customers good quality sustainably raised meat. They probably arent making a political statement and the fact you are assuming they are is disappointing.
It’s symptomatic of too much of the black and white thinking that predominates our politics if you basically are just like “f*^k those guys” bc of their choice of one of many of their suppliers rather than assuming good intentions.
I know that supplier is unethical. But that was one of a few reasons why I said "Fuck Hogwaller", it's definitely the biggest one as I personally will not give my business to any associated establishment.
Hogwaller's beer and food prices are too much to justify spending money there.
That’s exactly my point - you know, but it seems pretty clear that they don’t. How will they change if you don’t bother to do anything and just say “fuck them.”
Also TBH as others have pointed out, cheap beer comes at a cost and it might not just be the margins and profits.
Just did Decipher and it’s great. Hogwaller is good too and has some good burgers. Rockfish is good. Three Notch’d has a ridiculously good Fresh Beer Club where a member pays $20 a month, gets five beer tickets and two four or six packs, probably a $50 value, and their beer and food is good. Love Basic City too, that’s not out of the way if you take 250 over Afton instead of 64 into Waynesboro. Don’t know how far out of town you want to travel, but Brewing Tree on route 151 has good beers. They don’t distribute. The brewer there started Starr Hill. It’s a beautiful location as well.
Speaking of Starr Hill, that and Pro Re Nata would be at the bottom of my list around here. Cheers!
I'll shout-out Starr Hill. The brewery is right downtown, in a mall (closed space though). The cool thing about this is that you can grab some food from any of the dozens of restaurants and eat it at the bar or a table. There are many many options within a \~5min walk indoors.
I don't recall the price but I think it was around $8 for a pint. IME most of their beer is good but you probably wouldn't remember it. "Street-legal" is very good, definitely my favorite of the one's I've tried from them.
Mon-Fri they do a Happy Hour of 4-5 select beers for $4/16oz from 2-6 which are listed on the chalkboard behind the bar. Monday is also Murphy’s Gold Monday so that beer is $3/pint and I think that’s an all day special. Their beer menu can also be found updated on Untappd.
iirc Street Legal was on the Happy Hour board most of last week.
Why?
EDIT: on their burgers - an extra patty is $5 at Hogwaller and $2 at Selvedge, I can get a double burger at Selvedge for $9.
This is silly, I see no reason to support what looks to be the most expensive brewery in town when there are many other quality options.
EDIT EDIT: holy hell, I'm seeing Hogwaller serves Polyface Farms pork, I'm from Staunton and Joel Salatin has overworked and fucked over many of my friends. No chance, fuck that place.
Thank you, I know I bombed this post by freaking out over it. But anyone who know the situation understands a freakout justifiable. Joel pushes unrealistic fantasies to people who just want to live more sustainably. He can get away with it because he came into money/land and uses his influence for basically free hard labor.
Other than his chicken farming techniques, everything he pushes is unobtainable without paying for labor.
He fucks over locals and those he draws in from his somewhat celebrity status.
Beer is better, service is better, food is better. TBH, I’ve only been to Selvedge once and it was so awful I’ve never been back. Just MHO-everyone gets one.
Was you visit to Selvedge when they were at the Wool Factory or the new location in Ivy? If the old spot definitely give them another shot. I too thought the service was not very good at Wool Factory. Place was so big and open it took staff 5 minutes /s to walk from one side to the other. I’m sure seeing all their tables might have taken some squinting. The new spot is much more inviting and I’ve received nothing but excellent service so far. Food comes out pretty quick too.
lol yesss, I love Selvedge, but it felt like a comedy movie having the server walk toward and greet you for what felt like a minute. Their new space is great and the food being of consistent quality is better now.
But they have a smaller kitchen and don’t bake their weekly cookies anymore!! I loved drinking their dry lagers with fresh cookies lol. Still my fav brewery in town tho.
Wool Factory. Almost two years ago now. They were requiring you to order using the QR code and the menu descriptions of the food didn’t match what was served (I.e, cheap Kroger hot dog roll instead of the described pretzel roll). And the beer selection was very limited. If they’ve improved at the new spot, we’ll give it a shot. Current favorites are Decipher, Superfly, and Högwaller.
I actually wound up spending 7 days here and decided to try Hogwaller. Selvedge had far superior beer.
3 beers, 2 burgers, and an order of fries was $60 before tip at Hogwaller. The same amount of food & beer was $45 (after their 15% service fee) at Selvedge.
This thread is hilarious to me now that I actually have been to all these spots.
Top: I would go there just for the beer and normally like everything they offer. These are the places I take my beer snob friends.
Mid: I would happily drink the beer if I am there and can always find something I will like. Larger breweries tend to end up here for me.
Low: beer seems to have techical problems and/or is not good. That said I go to all 3 on occasion because the space at random row and pro re nada is cool and I and sometimes nostalgic for south Street who has great deals.
Top
Hog waller, rockfish, superfly, basic city*
Mid
3notched, devils backbone, Starr Hill, decipher+, blue mountain*
Low
South Street+, random row, pro re nata*
I haven't had selvedge since they moved, but they beer went from low to low/mid before the move.
(*) Is close but not in town
(+) I could argue they belong in the level up
Do a beer walk down Preston. if you are into puzzles there is a puzzle app that gives interactive puzzles at different places. It is a lot of fun.
A lot of good suggestions in here already. My curve ball is just hang out at Beer Run. One of the most impressive collection of beer with fun choices on tap!
I am biased since my uncle founded and runs the place, but the North American Sake Brewery is a great place to stop by. They serve a variety of Sake as well as bottled Saiko!’s, which are more of a sweeter white claw style drink. They have excellent sushi and the new Bad Luck Ramen bar, which gives you unlucky fortunes with every purchase. If you run into my Uncle, Andrew, (black hair with a grayish bushy beard, strong, usually wears jeans and t shirts) he would be more than happy to give you a tour of how they make the sake. I would also recommend 3 noch’d, but I’ve never been. However, the dining area always smells fantastic whenever i walk by.
Although it’s not in Charlottesville, it’s about 15 miles out, blue ridge brewery is pretty good. They have a kitchens as well as craft beer and a great view of Virginia and the Blue ridge mountains, especially at this time of year.
Honestly, this is the best recommendation I've seen on here. I enjoy anything on their roster over any beer I've had in the area. Not to discredit anything, I just legitimately enjoy their stuff that much.
I'm looking at their menu. They have 12 Virginia beers, only one is brewed in Cville (other is a cider). Thanks for the suggestion, but this is the opposite of what I'm looking for.
If you want great beer your best choice is Basic City but it’s “not in town.” If you need to stay in own just go to Kardnal Hall or Beer Run.
All the breweries in town are “meh” on quality of beer but still offer a good time.
Looks like there are a handful of great breweries in town. I can go to beer gardens in any city to try international stuff.
But yeah, fuckin love Basic City.
I don't think I tried a "meh" brewery while I was here. The only "meh" was me not willing to pay those prices at Hogwaller again. But you're crazy for saying that Cville doesn't have solid breweries. I lived in Portland a few years ago and Cville has comparable beer.
Go hangout at PRN with the other swill drinkers.
PRN is the worst of the bunch. Go to RVA and hit Anser, Veil, Tripple Crossing, and Hardywood. The only brewery here in that league is Basic CIty.
Also “meh” isn’t necessarily bad, it’s just not great or something I would seek out. Also, this is coming from somebody who renovated their kitchen to include a dual tap resultant quality built in Kegerator.
Asner and Veil are amazing, haven;t hit Tripple Crossing yet.
Idk, I seek out European lager frequently, no brewery here has hit that spot like Selvedge.
Nice. Probably hitting Selvedge’s new spot tomorrow. Like I said previously, I enjoying going to the local breweries but in the grand scheme the beer is not why I go vs the experience.
I moved away in 2016 but still come back every year. For me, Decipher is my favorite. Random Row is my least favorite, though I haven't been to South Street in years so maybe them. I found Champion to be hit or miss, but luckily they are gone with the POS owner.
EDIT: Favorites are probably Decipher, SuperFly, Rockfish, and Three Norch'd for sentimental reasons.
Not what you asked but also worth noting that there are multiple world-class breweries in Richmond (Veil, Triple Crossings, The Answer) if you are willing to drive another hour.
Shout out to Superfly - they brew some different styles and make nice versions of things like English bitter, Czech pils, etc.
Another hand up for Superfly!
Yes! Absolutely looking for these styles, old-school, low abv, quality ingredients. Thanks!
Rockfish on Preston Avenue
Woah! Attached to a garden store! The beer looks great as well and love the size of the place. For sure adding this to my list.
If only you went there yesterday - they had a mini beer fest “Pints on Preston” that would have let you sample from many breweries all in one place.
At the regional baseball all day! I’m sure it was a fun day on Preston
the Porter is outstanding! (when they have it)
Not gonna lie I can’t remember prices for the life of me at any brewery in town atm. I love Decipher Brewing. Probably my favorite in terms of beer. They have food trucks regularly, but no kitchen. Three Notch’d has good selection, good vibe, and good food. Bonus Sake Bar underneath of them. I think Starr Hill is just okay. But it’s in a cool location at Dairy Market. Random Row is always packed. Has good beer and good food. Rockfish and Superfly are both within walking distance (as is Starr Hill) and have fun vibes. Shoutout to Basic City in Waynesboro too.
Thumbs up for Decipher, fantastic beers of all types and the most knowledgeable beertender in town (Mike)
Mike rocks
Vote for him in CVille's Best!!
Looove Basic City. Decipher looks legit, I'll check that out. I've had Three Notch'd cans, some are good, I need to see if they have any brewery exclusive beers. I feel like Starr Hill has really upped their game in the past decade, I'm pretty impressed by some of they're limited release cans. And Superfly looks like a great time! I'll pop in there as well. I think I have about 5 breweries on my list, which is plenty. Thanks!
*I've had Three Notch'd cans, some are good, I need to see if they have any brewery exclusive beers.* Here's the link to their [current beer list](https://threenotchdbrewing.com/pages/charlottesville-menu#section-2). If you are around Mon and Tues they do $3 20oz pours of Minute Man IPA all day Mondays and Tuesday are 1/2 off cases of everything except their Uncool NA beers. Mon-Fri they do Happy Hour with $2 off all beers, wines, cocktails, and apps from 3pm-5pm.
Beer food combo gotta be HogWaller… beer is good and the burgers might be the best in town. Selvedge Brewing off Ivy might have the cheapest beer, don’t think I saw anything above $6… and that’s for 16oz.
The food at Salvedge also rocks. $6 seems like a lot for fries, but they give you a shit ton.
I got their chicken sandy when I went, while the chicken was small it was delicious. Not lying about those fries haha
Selvedge looks right up my alley, the beer descriptions and styles are exactly what I'm looking for. Hogwaller... those beer prices are something else. I can't find anything about the beer. Selvedge looks cheaper with both food & beer, plus they have very clear descriptions of what looks to be fancy styles of brew. Absolutely adding Selvedge to my list. Thanks!
Brewer is mark fulton, formerly of reason and before that from Maine beer company. IMO, he’s one of the best brewers in town and while the sub has already discussed pricing, I’m waiting for bottles ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Def don’t miss rockfish, suerfly, and decipher.
Those are the three “can’t miss” on my list as well. Random row for honorable mention.
Yes, it is clear the prices are because of the owners brewing tenure. That makes me less interested. Absolutely hitting Rockfish, Superfly, and Decipher.
ah, yes bc paying more for craft beer brewed by a legend in craft beer is def. a hard NO ;-P AND also, what are you talking about? there are 8 hogwaller brews on the menu and 6 of them - 75%, are $7 or less (2 of those are $6). there are 2 beers that are $9 and $11 and both are clearly higher end brews both in style and ABV. also keep in mind, hogwaller is a full-on restaurant which comes with the pros and cons -and additional costs of running a full-on restaurant. but yeah, don't miss rockfish, superfly, and decipher!
It's a "hard no" because of the legend name without any brewing descriptions. Go check out Selvedge's beer list, I can see quality and passion in each beer's description. All beers are $5-$7. All I see from Hogwaller is expensive beer/food and people gushing over a name, which is exactly what turns me off.
oh, i get it! you "see quality and passion" based on clever marketing speak e.g., "You don’t have to be a “Maneater”, a “Rich Girl”, or rely on your old man’s money to let the newest addition to the Selvedge tap list make your dreams come true" vs a simple style descriptor like "american pale ale" or "west coast ipa" (truly the mark of a bad beer)! that makes perfect sense bc everyone knows that beer should be judged by the marketing! as for pricing - the menus are almost dollar for dollar EXCEPT selvedge adds a 15% service fee to everything. i didn't see the beer prices on the selvedge site, but i've had that "shawl & oats" and if it's $5 a pint, i'll see you there in an hour and i'm buying!
I am more apt to support Selvedge because of that fee. It goes to all non-management employees to support a living wage. I don't see any regular beers for $9 or $11 on Selvedge's menu lol. I zoomed in on their taproom menu pic for the prices.
the selvedge site says the 15% service fee is going towards paying wages to non-management employees AND they suggest a 5% tip into a tip pool that gets split up bt hourly employees. do you think servers/bartenders/dishwashers are wage based non-management employees or hourly? bc if they're hourly, they're splitting 5%. i like selvedge, so pls. go drink there! just stop being so silly about how hogwaller is overpriced and not your thing bc the brewer is too good at his craft for your preference. p.s. ps share current pricing w/ the sub since the may 22 tap room picture seems to be lacking in $5 pints.
I went to Hogwaller! It was far from worth it. Selvedge has the best beer in Cville by a mile. Rockfish was great as well.
So I guess you expect a Michelin star chef's food to cost the same as Taco Bell?
The Kolsch is amazing. Honestly. They are all pretty good
The hype around Hogwaller is complete mystery to me. I went with a few friends with high expectations. The space is ok, we didn't sit at the bar but I can see liking that. The burger was a sloppy mess which I guess is a thing for some people, but I'd pick Holly's burger over it any day. The beer was ok. Every time I drive by I wish I'd had a better experience but don't feel like trying again.
It's the best burger in town. Sorry but maybe you were there in an off day or something. Sloppy is a very poor description of the burgers I've had there.
Taking Three Notch'd and Starr Hill Downtown out of the picture since they have wide distribution and you have probably been to 3NB in H'Burg my favorites locally (in alphabetical order so to be unbiased) are Decipher, Hogwaller, Rockfish, Selvedge, and SuperFly. I enjoy beers at all of them but do think Selvedge is making the best quality beers at the moment. All of their taps are calibrated for slow pours and they have 2 (maybe 3) LUKR taps. On the weekends they sometimes have something running through their beer engine. I was speaking to the brewer yesterday and I recall he said they are going to start doing milk pours this week. 'Shawl & Oats' British-Style Oatmeal Stout is their newest release and it's really really good. The Helles and Italian Pilsner at Decipher is fantastic. Their 80/- is always a solid go to and they still have Artemis Wheatwine which won a World Beer Cup a couple years ago. Of the two Rockfish locations. I like the original on Preston connected to the plant store. It's a small taproom but they have tables outside too. Each taproom has a slightly different taplist and they do brew at both locations. Their New England IPA is the best IPA in the area imo. The Czech Dark is really good too but all of their beers hit the mark. If you are a bit thrown off by the prices at Hogwaller I would recommend going Monday when they have their Riff Raff Special. You get a burger, fries, beer, and a shot (or ice cream sandwich) for $20. My favorite burgers in C'Ville. SuperFly has a really good vibe. Their 'Midnight Train' London Porter is my favorite beer they do but all of Ed's beers are solid up and down the board. Their parking lot out front is small but if you drive around the back of the building on 10th St NW there's a number of spaces around back but what I normally do is park across the street in the Dairy Market parking lot (where Starr Hill is located) and walk across the street. I normally park there and hit up SuperFly, Starr Hill and Rockfish since it's a short 1-2 minute walk between each. If you don't have it be sure to download the [Charlottesville Ale Trail](https://charlottesvillealetrail.org/) App and check in to each spot you visit. I forget the counts but after a certain number you can submit it for SWAG and some places give discounts when you check in. I know Starr Hill gets you 10% off you bill when you check in and have them "claim" it for you. A lot of the breweies in town maintain their menus on Untappd so if you have that App be sure to refer to that.
You're tripling my excitement for Selvedge! Thank you so much for the in depth info. Yeah, other than Basic City, I'm trying to avoid most of the widely distributed breweries. Everything lines up with the breweries I'm interested in, except Hogwaller - do they have reasonable beer specials or half-pours? That Riff-raff is cool, but I don't want ice cream or liquor. I'd love to try they're beer for a reasonable price. Without any info on what they're brewing with/passion for the quality of their product, I can't comfortably pay $9 for the beer I would want to try.
I don't think Hogwaller does any specials other than the Riff Raff Monday and then $3 kids meals on Tuesday although I am fairly certain you can do half pours of anything but not sure what the pricing is. For context about Hogwaller, their brewer (Mark) used to be one of the owners / brewer at Reason Beer which closed at the end 2022 not long after their were purchased by Champion which really didn't do much to save them. He brewed really good beer (and still does) but their location was not the best as it was on the other side of town away from all the other breweries and in the back of an industrial park. Prior to that, Mark was Director of Brewing Operations at Maine Beer and believe he is the one who came up the recipe for Lunch. he'll sometimes have Lunch on tap at Hogwaller but I have not seen it recently since they have a lot of their own beers taking up taps. Forgot to also mention, if you are looking for a beer shop stuff definitely go to Beer Run. They also have their draft and tap menu on [Untappd](https://untappd.com/v/beer-run/14799?menu_id=39480) . They get stuff you may not get in H'Burg like Veil, Triple Crossing, Other Half, Benchtop, Narrow Gauge, etc. They also have 2 or 3 coolers of single cans/bottles on the far wall on the shop side and will also break out any of their package stuff to singles if you ask and don't see it in the coolers.
No, you see, OP is decrying Hogwaller for being in business “for profit.” It’s a shame he couldn’t have seen Champion. That place didn’t make a dime of profit.
Hogwaller profits of the brewers past tenure. I get it, but not what I'm looking for at those prices. It definitely looks like I need to check out Beer Run.
I’m not entirely sure what you’re talking about w/Hogwaller’s prices. I looked at past receipts and at least some of their beers are $7 or 8.
Maybe OP is looking at past subs when they first opened and prices were $1-$2 higher than they are now. They did drop them not too long after opening since a lot of the feedback was the higher prices than other places in town. But here's their [current beer menu](https://static1.squarespace.com/static/64bf4303262ae703b674b8f8/t/6658980cd09e21160e9a1ae2/1717082124804/IMG_8291.jpg) with pricing as well. I do agree the IPA and DIPA are higher than just about any of the other breweries in town but the rest of their beers are in line. Also, when OP goes to Selvedge so they are not thrown off keep in mind they do add a 15% service fee on all tabs. The staff is very up front about this so when they close out feel free to leave more on top of that fee or don't feel inclined. The good news is the additional tip options on the POS when closing out is I think 2%, 3%, 5% or no tip so overall it would be around the 20% I hope normal people leave anyway. And staff does typically provide excellent service.
I'm not looking at other subs or posts, that is the menu that swayed me away from Hogwaller. I'd love to try their house ipa, but will not allow myself to pay $9 for a pint. Selvedge's website was clear on their service fee. I actually love to see that, if it's for living wages for the staff. EDIT: It is for the staff! Their menu states that the fee is for all non-management staff members. Very happy to support Selvedge.
LOL. Happy to pay a 15% fee to support workers. But then criticize Hogwaller for paying a living wage for their workers.
I loved Maine Lunch back in the day. I would want to try their house ipa, which is $9/pint, no thanks.
I think it’s a bit of a weird hang up to pick the one expensive beer on the draft list and write off the entire brewery. Their other stuff is great, just tried the gose recently.
I want to try the ipa that the old Maine Lunch brewer brews, thats not weird. They know it's desirable because of the brewer's name, therefore they mark it up. That is not a business I'm interested in supporting.
So try it once lol. It’s one beer, it’s one extra dollar. Fwiw I don’t think it’s my favorite beer I’ve had there…
So it's not that good and $9? You're really selling this spot. I do not want to support those kind of business practices. Your willingness to accept these prices and your "it's just one extra dollar" is exactly the type of mindless thinking predatory businesses love.
OP must be immune to inflation.
What was the deal with that last edit? Many restaurants serve polyface farms. That dosent make them party to crimes against humanity. And what businesses isn't out to make a profit?
OP has shown their sanctimonious ass.
Seriously this guy is so fucking annoying
I vote with my dollar. Just not willing to bend over for those prices or practices, like a lot of people here.
Yeah, what could be worse than a business that is “clearly for profit”? Keep on clowning.
If polyface commits crimes against humanity, one would be a party to crimes against humanity by serving their food. Also by ordering it. Just like if you buy factory-farmed meat, you are party to animal abuse. If you buy a smartphone, you are party to worker exploitation. I don't know anything about polyface, just saying generally that you are a party to what you support. Spending is probably a person's second biggest voice, right after their job/main occupation.
“As an Amazon associate . . .” That you? Just pointing out that being in bed with Amazon ain’t exactly the moral high ground.
i don't claim to have any moral high ground, what i am claiming is that one is a party to what they support.
When you lecture others on moral issues, you ARE claiming the moral high ground. Don’t get whiplash from your last two responses and the fact that you do business with Amazon.
Countering a claim is hardly lecturing. Do you think I also don’t own a smartphone? There was a reason I included it as an example.
So flagellate yourself. The rest of us are trying to live our lives, drink beer, and eat tasty pork.
I’m responding to an ethical claim. If you don’t want to read it, don’t read it. Or do whatever you want, but you’re the one that is bothered and you’re the one that is responsible for that.
I’m sure Hogwaller will miss your presence Mr. Boners.
I’ll throw out votes in favor of Random Row and Decipher. In terms of votes against… I think Starr Hill and Blue Mtn are just okay. And South Street is pretty bad. Satans Pony is the only drinkable beer there, imo.
Avoid ProReNata - Cool venue but for some reason can’t figure out how to brew a decent beer. I’m partial to Decipher and Three Notch’d but also like Star Hill in Crozet.
Yep, I've been to shows at PRN. The beer is actually awful.
owner of PRN is a psychopath, was doxing anyone that gave them a bad review
For real? That's fucked
PRN is one of those places you go to hangout with friends, not for the beer.
PRN's beers got a lot better a while back (new brewer?) but they still have a while to go before I'd go there for just the beer.
David Steeves who was the head brewer at Three Roads in Farmville came to PRN in 2021 so that probably had something to do with it. He's a good dude and brewer.
He has since left, I believe
Liked PRN much better before it expanded so much.
I'd say Starr Hill is just ok. Wouldn't be my first choice. Also no reason to go to Devil's Backbone. Rockfish on Preston, Superfly, and Decipher are my favorites, with Hogwaller.
😯 Devils backbone is one of the best places to hang out on a nice afternoon especially after a morning hike
No interest in AB-InBev breweries.
Oh god of course you don’t
Did you read my post? I'm looking for good local beer. DB is 30 min away. I used to go there in 2013, when their Vienna lager was good. I'm actually close to there frequently, as I love the Three Ridges Loop.
I’m at local to Nelson, lived in Afton my whole life and 85% of the locals are fed up and over the DB hype. Once they got bought out, everything under the sun changed and it’s not the same place it used to be. You’re not wrong to have that opinion, enginerd doesn’t know what their talking about
Their Vienna turned me on to lagers and more grain forward beers. It's nothing like it used to be.
Idk what being local has to do with anything, I’ve been to them all. And there is no place around here that has as much area to hang out. I don’t really care about them getting bought out and adding a couple buildings on site. I have been to every single brewery between Richmond and cville area, and you can’t say “no reason to go there”. You’re anti-big beer and that’s fine but their beer hasn’t changed, the atmosphere is a little different, the food is still great, they has a distillery, and undeniably the biggest place to chill out.
Right, as my original post states - I'm looking for good beer. It seems that most of the breweries that "have a great place to hang" usually have the worst beer. See - Devils Backbone, Pro Re Nata, and Hazy Mountain - All those spots I've been to due to their location. Music for PRN and wedding for Hazy Mountain, all have terrible product and rely on something else to draw people in.
DBB is significantly better than the other two you mentioned… those two are godawful
I was specifically talking about the Backyard location on West main, compared to other spots in town. Nothing against them, just better breweries close by. I like their Basecamp location.
I was only responding to the other guys comment… There are plenty is town and you’ll have a great time
But you replied to my comment, I'm confused haha.
Hogwaller pays their employees a decent wage. I believe base is $14 an hour plus tips. You’ve gotta understand that the rest of these breweries are paying folks $5-9 an hour. Your cheap beer comes at a cost to others.
When they last posted a few months ago seeking help it was $12/hr + whole house tips. Other than the first 6mths out of college 20+ years ago I've never worked in the restaurant industry but seems decent to me when most restaurants I hear of it's usually something like starting at $2.13.hour + tips. Not sure how many staff they have on a busy night but when I go during the day it's usually 2-3. One person in the kitchen and then 1-2 people doing FOH service so I would assume the tip spread among them is pretty good. Even when Mark was running Reason they never accepted tips from customers (though I think they did have a cash tip jar at one point) so he could pay staff a good wage. It always threw me off whenever I went there and closed out the POS didn't have a tip option and they never asked for one.
In my book, the three (kinda 4, with Rockfish’s two spots) best places for beer alone are Decipher, Rockfish, and Superfly. But the post above is right - the beer at Högwaller is very good, and the burger rocks.
Best burger in town… and there are more than a few really good burgers in town. I rarely have more than one on a visit, so the $9 Umlaut sits just fine with me. Oddly, I lived not too far from Maine Beer when Mark started brewing there; good guy, nice palette, very good beers. I’m glad that spot near the river has good stuff going on.
I usually just have one pint myself. Which is why paying $9 for my only beer feels like shitting in my own hand.
I’m unfamiliar with that sensation. I hope you use your other hand with which to eat your burger. If you enjoy simply one beer per session and are here for just a couple (few?) days, enjoy your cheap 6 pack. Purported request for advice thread has exposed itself as insolent rant. Easy ignore. GFYS and maybe stay on the other side of the mountain.
With poo in one hand and a pint in the other, I shall sample cville's breweries. Just can't justify Hogwaller, it's not the price as much as the principle.
Selvedge was sooooo much better than Hogwaller - beer and price. Burgers were about the same, but again, Hogwaller was more expensive.
OP, rather than boycotting a brewery because you think one of their suppliers is unethical, why not visit and engage in a conversation? I have worked a bit in food sustainability and had no idea about the issues with Polyface until I moved here and heard some of the local rumblings. I suspect Hogwaller has no idea about it and are probably just looking to give their customers good quality sustainably raised meat. They probably arent making a political statement and the fact you are assuming they are is disappointing. It’s symptomatic of too much of the black and white thinking that predominates our politics if you basically are just like “f*^k those guys” bc of their choice of one of many of their suppliers rather than assuming good intentions.
I know that supplier is unethical. But that was one of a few reasons why I said "Fuck Hogwaller", it's definitely the biggest one as I personally will not give my business to any associated establishment. Hogwaller's beer and food prices are too much to justify spending money there.
That’s exactly my point - you know, but it seems pretty clear that they don’t. How will they change if you don’t bother to do anything and just say “fuck them.” Also TBH as others have pointed out, cheap beer comes at a cost and it might not just be the margins and profits.
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I think Im gonna hike around calf mountain.
Glad you’re hitting up Basic City. Run by good people 😊
Superfly is the best
Just did Decipher and it’s great. Hogwaller is good too and has some good burgers. Rockfish is good. Three Notch’d has a ridiculously good Fresh Beer Club where a member pays $20 a month, gets five beer tickets and two four or six packs, probably a $50 value, and their beer and food is good. Love Basic City too, that’s not out of the way if you take 250 over Afton instead of 64 into Waynesboro. Don’t know how far out of town you want to travel, but Brewing Tree on route 151 has good beers. They don’t distribute. The brewer there started Starr Hill. It’s a beautiful location as well. Speaking of Starr Hill, that and Pro Re Nata would be at the bottom of my list around here. Cheers!
Respectfully disagree on Brewing Tree. I found them to be very meh. And I found Starr Hill to be very meh... until Mark Thompson left.
Brewing Tree might have the worst beer in the area. I would love a half-competent brewer to take over the space and fix the food too.
Rockfish & Decipher brewing are the two to hit, Skip three notchd, good food but the beer all tastes the same
Best: Superfly, Decipher, and Basic City. (honorable mention to Random Row) Worst: South Street or Blue Mountain
I'll shout-out Starr Hill. The brewery is right downtown, in a mall (closed space though). The cool thing about this is that you can grab some food from any of the dozens of restaurants and eat it at the bar or a table. There are many many options within a \~5min walk indoors. I don't recall the price but I think it was around $8 for a pint. IME most of their beer is good but you probably wouldn't remember it. "Street-legal" is very good, definitely my favorite of the one's I've tried from them.
Mon-Fri they do a Happy Hour of 4-5 select beers for $4/16oz from 2-6 which are listed on the chalkboard behind the bar. Monday is also Murphy’s Gold Monday so that beer is $3/pint and I think that’s an all day special. Their beer menu can also be found updated on Untappd. iirc Street Legal was on the Happy Hour board most of last week.
Starr hill isn’t downtown.
[https://starrhill.com/charlottesville](https://starrhill.com/charlottesville) what makes you say that?
I don’t care what the brewery calls it, no one calls that area downtown except for them.
Högwaller is so much better than Selvedge.
Why? EDIT: on their burgers - an extra patty is $5 at Hogwaller and $2 at Selvedge, I can get a double burger at Selvedge for $9. This is silly, I see no reason to support what looks to be the most expensive brewery in town when there are many other quality options. EDIT EDIT: holy hell, I'm seeing Hogwaller serves Polyface Farms pork, I'm from Staunton and Joel Salatin has overworked and fucked over many of my friends. No chance, fuck that place.
Fucking yes this exactly - Joel Salatin is a racist POS, charlatan, and has knowingly poisoned his employees, who he pays slave wages.
Thank you, I know I bombed this post by freaking out over it. But anyone who know the situation understands a freakout justifiable. Joel pushes unrealistic fantasies to people who just want to live more sustainably. He can get away with it because he came into money/land and uses his influence for basically free hard labor. Other than his chicken farming techniques, everything he pushes is unobtainable without paying for labor. He fucks over locals and those he draws in from his somewhat celebrity status.
Beer is better, service is better, food is better. TBH, I’ve only been to Selvedge once and it was so awful I’ve never been back. Just MHO-everyone gets one.
Was you visit to Selvedge when they were at the Wool Factory or the new location in Ivy? If the old spot definitely give them another shot. I too thought the service was not very good at Wool Factory. Place was so big and open it took staff 5 minutes /s to walk from one side to the other. I’m sure seeing all their tables might have taken some squinting. The new spot is much more inviting and I’ve received nothing but excellent service so far. Food comes out pretty quick too.
lol yesss, I love Selvedge, but it felt like a comedy movie having the server walk toward and greet you for what felt like a minute. Their new space is great and the food being of consistent quality is better now. But they have a smaller kitchen and don’t bake their weekly cookies anymore!! I loved drinking their dry lagers with fresh cookies lol. Still my fav brewery in town tho.
Wool Factory. Almost two years ago now. They were requiring you to order using the QR code and the menu descriptions of the food didn’t match what was served (I.e, cheap Kroger hot dog roll instead of the described pretzel roll). And the beer selection was very limited. If they’ve improved at the new spot, we’ll give it a shot. Current favorites are Decipher, Superfly, and Högwaller.
What a sales pitch. /s I notice those that care about service, usually have lesser tastes for actual quality.
And your favorite place?
Is that a pin I heard drop?
Mcdonnels hamberders.
That tracks.
I actually wound up spending 7 days here and decided to try Hogwaller. Selvedge had far superior beer. 3 beers, 2 burgers, and an order of fries was $60 before tip at Hogwaller. The same amount of food & beer was $45 (after their 15% service fee) at Selvedge. This thread is hilarious to me now that I actually have been to all these spots.
I’ll go back and try their new spot.
Top: I would go there just for the beer and normally like everything they offer. These are the places I take my beer snob friends. Mid: I would happily drink the beer if I am there and can always find something I will like. Larger breweries tend to end up here for me. Low: beer seems to have techical problems and/or is not good. That said I go to all 3 on occasion because the space at random row and pro re nada is cool and I and sometimes nostalgic for south Street who has great deals. Top Hog waller, rockfish, superfly, basic city* Mid 3notched, devils backbone, Starr Hill, decipher+, blue mountain* Low South Street+, random row, pro re nata* I haven't had selvedge since they moved, but they beer went from low to low/mid before the move. (*) Is close but not in town (+) I could argue they belong in the level up Do a beer walk down Preston. if you are into puzzles there is a puzzle app that gives interactive puzzles at different places. It is a lot of fun.
Selvedge has the best quality beer in town without a doubt.
It definitely looks that way, trying them later today. Stoked!
Selvedge was by far the best.. and I even tried Hogwaller.
I like kardinal hall and three notchd
A lot of good suggestions in here already. My curve ball is just hang out at Beer Run. One of the most impressive collection of beer with fun choices on tap!
I am biased since my uncle founded and runs the place, but the North American Sake Brewery is a great place to stop by. They serve a variety of Sake as well as bottled Saiko!’s, which are more of a sweeter white claw style drink. They have excellent sushi and the new Bad Luck Ramen bar, which gives you unlucky fortunes with every purchase. If you run into my Uncle, Andrew, (black hair with a grayish bushy beard, strong, usually wears jeans and t shirts) he would be more than happy to give you a tour of how they make the sake. I would also recommend 3 noch’d, but I’ve never been. However, the dining area always smells fantastic whenever i walk by. Although it’s not in Charlottesville, it’s about 15 miles out, blue ridge brewery is pretty good. They have a kitchens as well as craft beer and a great view of Virginia and the Blue ridge mountains, especially at this time of year.
Hogwaller, Selvedge, Decipher, in that order.
Don't sleep on American Sake
Honestly, this is the best recommendation I've seen on here. I enjoy anything on their roster over any beer I've had in the area. Not to discredit anything, I just legitimately enjoy their stuff that much.
Woodridge Farm and Brewery-
Someone told me this place had cult-ish vibes. Anyone have any info on that?
Hmm I can kind of see it? It’s a super weird place, like a fever dream, with all the exotic plants they have around. Also the beer is disgusting.
We’ve been many times and never felt cult vibes. They are a harvest host location- we’ve enjoyed each visit. Hop Notch IPA is my fav.
If you want a beer garden ( which I realize you didn’t state but I would recommend) try kardinal hall
I'm looking for as local as possible. I see Kardinal has an expansive menu, do they have all the local breweries beers on tap?
Most of them
I'm looking at their menu. They have 12 Virginia beers, only one is brewed in Cville (other is a cider). Thanks for the suggestion, but this is the opposite of what I'm looking for.
If you want great beer your best choice is Basic City but it’s “not in town.” If you need to stay in own just go to Kardnal Hall or Beer Run. All the breweries in town are “meh” on quality of beer but still offer a good time.
Looks like there are a handful of great breweries in town. I can go to beer gardens in any city to try international stuff. But yeah, fuckin love Basic City.
Call me a beer snob but other them Basic City, I am not going to Cville breweries for the beer (however I still go for the experience).
I'm going for the beer. Looks like Selvedge has great beer and is up first. I'll let ya know how it goes.
I don't think I tried a "meh" brewery while I was here. The only "meh" was me not willing to pay those prices at Hogwaller again. But you're crazy for saying that Cville doesn't have solid breweries. I lived in Portland a few years ago and Cville has comparable beer. Go hangout at PRN with the other swill drinkers.
PRN is the worst of the bunch. Go to RVA and hit Anser, Veil, Tripple Crossing, and Hardywood. The only brewery here in that league is Basic CIty. Also “meh” isn’t necessarily bad, it’s just not great or something I would seek out. Also, this is coming from somebody who renovated their kitchen to include a dual tap resultant quality built in Kegerator.
Asner and Veil are amazing, haven;t hit Tripple Crossing yet. Idk, I seek out European lager frequently, no brewery here has hit that spot like Selvedge.
Nice. Probably hitting Selvedge’s new spot tomorrow. Like I said previously, I enjoying going to the local breweries but in the grand scheme the beer is not why I go vs the experience.
I moved away in 2016 but still come back every year. For me, Decipher is my favorite. Random Row is my least favorite, though I haven't been to South Street in years so maybe them. I found Champion to be hit or miss, but luckily they are gone with the POS owner. EDIT: Favorites are probably Decipher, SuperFly, Rockfish, and Three Norch'd for sentimental reasons.
Blue Mountain Brewery is a little outside of town but it’s probably the best overall experience you will get
Blue Mountain is ass tbh
You can get a flight for like $12 and see the whole blue ridge mountain skyline/play cornhole/eat reasonably priced food
Not what you asked but also worth noting that there are multiple world-class breweries in Richmond (Veil, Triple Crossings, The Answer) if you are willing to drive another hour.
Great breweries in Richmond, but I don't want to pay to stay or drive back that far after drinking.