The holidays are a fun time gathering around with family, celebrating with delicious food and drink and making sure you have that special gift for someone, but sometimes with the stress of all the planning, it can be hard to get into and stay in the holiday spirit. RVA Mag has compiled a list of delicious local craft brews that are bound to put some holiday cheer back in your life this season.



The holidays are a fun time gathering around with family, celebrating with delicious food and drink and making sure you have that special gift for someone, but sometimes with the stress of all the planning, it can be hard to get into and stay in the holiday spirit. RVA Mag has compiled a list of delicious local craft brews that are bound to put some holiday cheer back in your life this season.

Hardywood Park Craft Brewery: Gingerbread Stout, Christmas Morning

These seem like obvious choices, but they are two of the brewery’s best recipes. Hardywood actually has quite a few holiday cheery brews depending what you like from the ever-popular Gingerbread Stout brewed with baby ginger from Casselmonte Farm and wildflower honey from Bearer Farms, the stout’s flavors of milk chocolate and vanilla to honeycomb and cinnamon to a snap of ginger make it a perfect holiday drink for any time of day or any gathering and its variants, rum and bourbon barrel, take it a step further making the beer even better.

The Christmas Morning, is a another variant on the gingerbread stout, but made with locally roasted Mexican Chiapas coffee beans from Black Hand Coffee Company. Christmas in a glass, what more can you ask for?

Strangeways Brewing:Tirami’zu Brew Rum Barrel Aged Porter, Ape Armageddon Brandy Barrel Aged Imperial Stout:

Anytime sweets are involved, its a hit. The first beer up is Strangeways’ collaboration with local restaurteurs behind Mamma ‘Zu, edo’s squid, Dinamo & 8 1/2.This porter was aged in rum barrels with cocoa nibs, vanilla beans, and coffee from local roaster Black Hand. The infusion of the rum with notes of vanilla and cocoa to bring out the tiramisu is just begging to be paired with a big slice or (three) of any dessert that’s handy, preferably tiramisu.

The Ape Armageddon Brandy Barrel Aged Imperial Stout has so much going on and there’s brandy in the title so you know that’s something that will be good to drink around a cozy fire as you reminisce on old times, or argue over politics with your crazy uncle. It’s 11$ so watch yourself.

Legend Brewing Company: Winter White

This is a classic Belgian Witbier (white beer) blending Belgian malts and wheats with spicy hops, coriander and orange peel. Crisp, tangy and great for a cold winter day.

Also, for the Legend beer fans, today through Dec. 26 is Bourbon Beer Week and the brewery will be tapping and rotating their beers aged in A. Smith Bowman Barrels the entire week. Enjoy specials on Bourbon Barrel Barleywine, Bourbon Barrel Imperial Hopfest, Bourbon Barrel Imperial Brown, and the return of their award-winning Bourbon Barrel Brown!

The Answer Brewpub: Hazelnut Elrod (Andall) Stout – Imperial Oatmeal

This 9% stout is made with Tyler Elrod Hazelnuts and toasted coconut and provides the warmth you need this chilly holiday season paired with a touch of sweet and nuttiness.

Final Gravity: Funky Drummer

This fun beer is the brewery’s James Brown ale infused with coffee, vanilla beans, and cacao nibs so its sure to get you feeling all warm and toasty inside.

Triple Crossing: Udderly Beautiful W/ Coffee And Vanilla Stout

This is a sweet 5% milk stout and good for the coffee, dark beer lovers. If you’re not into the darker beers, I say go for the brewery’s Waxing Poetic Berliner Weisse with cherry and apricot.



Isley Brewing: Boozy Mother Bourbon Barrel Peanut Butter Porter

Sometimes you need to indulge yourself a little around the holidays, or treat someone else, it is the season of giving after all. The brewery’s Boozy Mother Bourbon Barrel Peanut Butter Porter is the perfect brew for that with its hints of chocolate, peanut butter, and oats and clocking in at 9.5% its just perfect to have one or two with some holiday treats and get your buzz going. Bourbon and peanut butter what more do I need to say?

Steam Bell Beer Works: Southern Salan

All sorts of spices are abundant in holiday cooking so its only fitting to have a beer that can measure up. Steam Bell’s Southern Salan is just that. The Southern Salan is 6.5% amber ale fermented over fresh sweet potatoes, Virginia made sorghum syrup and curry spices.

Castleburg Brewery: Dark Ages Imperial Maple Brown Ale

Around the holidays I usually like to have a big breakfast filled with sweets and savory treats and a beer that can complement some syrupy fluffy pancakes, waffles or a souffle is what’s in need.

Made with their award Winning Bishop’s Brown Ale, but with some Vermont maple syrup and cinnamon thrown in, Castleburg Brewery’s Dark Ages is the perfect pairing for a sweet breakfast on a cold winter’s morning. 8.7% ABV

Ardent Craft Ales: Barrel-Aged Honey Ginger

Normally a great summer beer, when aged in Buffalo Trace barrels, Ardent Craft Ales’ barrel-aged Honey Ginger is an excellent choice for this holiday season. Whether you’re preparing to go see in-laws or just need one to unwind after all the time spent with family, this is a great one for that. The spiciness of the ginger and the smoothness of the honey, vanilla notes and the bourbon are the perfect combo. And at 11.5% it is sure to do the trick.

Garden Grove Brewing Company: Triple Threat & the Funkadelic 5 Belgian Dubbel

This whopper of a beer seems to have all the holiday cheer thrown into one big beer, and I like it. This 7% Belgian Dubbel is fermented in red wine barrels and crafted with three distinct yeast strains and Aronia berries, blueberries, figs, raisins, & currants to hit all of your tastebuds.

The Veil Brewing: Never Never Again Again

I haven’t tried this one yet, but the brewery is releasing this double raspberry Gose tomorrow and it looks delicious!! I mean look at the color. I’m drooling already. In addition to this beer, the brewery will open from 11 am to 4 pm Christmas Eve to host Crowlers for Christmas! This is the perfect opportunity to get some last minute gifts for friends or family. The Veil will have limited pre-filled crowlers available to go and all merchandise from their tasting room will be 15% off for the day.

Center of the Universe: Orange is the New Stout

Remember those orange-flavored and shaped chocolates you got sometimes when you were little around the holidays? I do. What if someone took those flavors, put it into a beer and made it 10 times better. That’s what COTU has done with Orange is the New Stout. imperial chocolate stout is crafted using fresh oranges and sea salt creating a truffle like flavor clocking in at 10.5% abv which will keep your spirits warm and bright all winter long.

Three Notch’d Brewing Company RVA Collab House: East Coast Local-Porter

If you’re looking for a holiday beer, you won’t find one that comes close to incorporating all of its elements more than Three Notch’d Brewing’s East Coast Local. The 5.6% porter is a collaboration with guys over at the “Geeks Under the Influence” podcast. This beer is packed with molasses, cinnamon and vanilla to make up a malty porter with a moderate roasty character from chocolate malt and roasted barley. Everything you’re looking for in a good porter to take with you to the holiday family gathering!

Lickinghole Creek: Bourbon Barrel German Chocolate Cake-aged Lager

I couldn’t resist putting this deliciousness on here. It’s got everything. Bourbon. Cake. Itz boozy, clocking in at 10%, this brew is everything you need for the holidays. Brewed with German Specialty Grains and German Hops, LCCB aged it in Kentucky Bourbon Barrels and cold conditioned it on coconut, pecans, coco nibs and vanilla.

Midnight Brewery: Midnight Granite