Things are really hopping at Richmond’s Big River Brew Pub at Riverport.
The only pub in our city that brews their own beers has new operators under president Tom Orange’s leadership. There is a new brewing team with a new line of delicious craft beers. “We have changed over the beer recipes to the Fuggles and Warlock Craftworks line, but we have kept two of our house beers to assist in the gradual transition,” says Orange.
Dan Colyer, aka Fuggles, is the brains behind the recipes, the vision for brewing, and the branding. Most of the names for the new brews are centered around geek and pop culture, with video gaming and movie references.
“A lot of the beer nerds are into that scene,” adds Orange.
Tony Iaci, who is affectionately known as Warlock, is the other brewer and the GM of the restaurant. Mike Stewart, the former brewer, is head of production and brings the eclectic recipes to life. And Orange, a former importer of craft beers, is the man who brought them all together and injected new life into Big River.
I recently joined Orange at Big River Brew Pub for a taste of the new lineup. We began our tasting with the two top sellers. Orange says they are very popular with the clients of the Zone Bowling Centre next door and the SilverCity movie theatre across the road.
First was the Koln Lager, originally made in Cologne, Germany.
“We brew it Kolsch-style as an ale, but it drinks like a lager. It’s a crisp, easy drinking style, a gateway beer into craft beer,” Orange said.
It was a tasty, dry brew that had a tasty kick of West Coast hops.
The second beer was Padewan Hoptropix Pale Ale.
“A lot of our beers are very hoppy. We wanted to cut down on the bittering but have a big aromatic presence in the hops, very tropical passion fruit papaya from the Australian hops.”
It was very accessible to the average beer drinker who wants a gentle introduction to craft beer.
Then we got into the “fun stuff” as Orange calls it. The Shiva Session White IPA is the best-selling beer in local bars, such as Sportstown, O’Hares, and Hogshack. Session beers have no more than five per cent alcohol and are well balanced with their malt and hop characters. This combination allows the beer drinker to enjoy several glasses, savouring the brew within a reasonable time or session without overwhelming the senses.
Orchard describes how they took an IPA Sessional recipe to a higher level.
“We love the concept, but a lot of them are thin in body. You get your hop fix but there ain’t a lot of anything else going on,” he said. “We brewed a session white IPA, using a Belgian Wit yeast. The yeast comes through in the flavour character and body. We add wheat for mouth feel. We purposely hopped the crap out of it with 65 IBUs (International Bitter Units). It’s like an India Pale ale hopped, but it’s got heavier aromatics like grapefruit from the Amarillo and Australian hops.”
In short, a real IPA lover’s session beer.
I would suggest that when you visit Big River, you try the Taster’s Rack. Find your hoppiness!
Enjoy four, five-ounce glasses of fresh craft beer. You choose...they pour. Or you can sip an 18-ounce ‘pint’ for about $6. And for even more tasting enjoyment, purchase a 1 L or 2 L Growler to take home and enjoy on home turf.
Big River Brew Pub is located at 180-14200 Entertainment Blvd. in the Riverport Entertainment Park.
Eric Hanson is a local retired teacher and wine educator.
