Right Around the River Blog
BEER-istoric Richmond Visits Beer Caves at Rocketts Landing
Post Date: 11-13-2011
At Rocketts Landing, we're certainly no strangers to history. Not only do we have a few buildings in our community dating back to the 19th century (our residential building Cedar Works, for example), we also have something you may not find anywhere else in Richmond: beer caves. And this past Sunday, we welcomed the 2nd annual BEER-istoric Tour of Richmond to our community to visit the caves and learn about Rocketts' role in local beer history.
As one of the final events in last week's Richmond Beer Week -- a week-long, city-wide celebration of craft beer -- the BEER-istoric Tour was also a fundraiser for local nonprofit To the Bottom and Back (who also provided the day's transportation). Combining beer tastings with Richmond beer history, the tour led nearly 70 people across the city (including our Rocketts Landing representative!) in a seven-hour-long beer event. As both participants and hosts, we sampled Virginia-brewed ales, lagers, stouts and brandywine, as well as food samples from local eateries, at five different locations. And my oh my, what a time we all had!
Beginning our tour at Capital Ale House, we heard about Richmond’s first brewing boom, which started as early as the 1600s and took off thanks largely in part to the many German immigrants making Richmond home. Everyone then made their way down to Rocketts Landing for the second stop on the tour, so we could all explore the history of our beer caves.
Located underground on the riverbank and near our community pool, the caves once stored beer made by the James River Steam Brewery, which D. G. Yuengling Jr. opened in the 1860s. The original brewery no longer exists (having closed in 1879), but the caves remain, revealing the former brewery’s prime commerce position: railroads immediately in front and the river just steps away. (Though the caves are closed to the public, you can peer through the gates to get a glimpse.)
While reveling in history, we all sampled a Kolsch-style ale made by James River Brewers in Scottsville and food provided by local sausage maker SausageCraft. Sunshine poured over the river and city skyline as everyone sampled and chatted, epitomizing a very Rocketts Landing experience. But, the tour had to go on. And so everyone made their way back up to the buses and drove off to our next destinations: Legend Brewery, TJs at The Jefferson Hotel, Gallery 5 and Hardywood Park Craft Brewery.
If you didn’t experience BEER-istoric for yourselves, certainly keep this event in mind for next year. When you spend all day long riding a bus with craft beer enthusiasts while taking in the historical sights and sounds of Richmond, you can only expect to have a great time.
And we were certainly happy to play a part in embracing our role in Richmond Beer History.
