BrewBQ was HOT!!

We went to the BrewBQ at the 17th street farmers market in Richmond on Sunday and experienced the BBQ and beer the capital had to offer. Virginia was offering it's signature heat, but it was bearable with cold, delicious beer in hand. With a load of options for food and drink, we had to try a little bit of everything. Here are our favorites.

The Draft Doctors were around

The first beer sampled was the Cocoborealis by Chaos Mountain Brewing. Dubbed a triple chocolate stout, this brew has serious chocolate notes. There is a depth to the chocolate here that is easily appreciated due to its medium body. Coffee and malt round out this very good and drinkable stout. The main difference from other chocolate stouts is the body and sweetness not getting in the way of the main attraction: chocolate. It pours very dark and has a crisp bitter after taste.

Also, Chaos Mountain has some of the coolest labels we've seen. Wendy Hallock told me they added foil accents to some of the labels and I can only imagine how awesome that looks (particularly the chrome on the Mad Hopper label).

Although we've had it many times before, it was impossible to walk by Strangeways without grabbing a pint of Gwar Blood. The delicious Red Ale comes in at 5.5% ABV, and was a lifesaver in the heat. Gwar fan or not (who's not?), you are missing out if you don't give this a try. We also took the opportunity to talk to Lars! Never pass this up.

We saw Lars from Strangeways!

We were pleasantly surprised by the growing amount of merchandise featured at the brewers tents. Notable standouts include the new hat designs from Isley, Strangeways, and Triple Crossing.  Several brewers were also handing out free branded koozies (thanks Strangeways and Chaos Mountain!). Strangeways' koozie is made for a beer glass and is great for a long sipping beer that might get warm. We've used ours multiple times since. Grab one if you see it!

Lots of people!

So many people were at BrewBQ. The event gets larger every year and the vendors get more diverse every year. We were happy to share in the craft beer and BBQ in the state capital. The music, food, and especially the beer were good. The weather was clear and hot, and the people were happy and patient. Until next year!