Matt W.
Yelp
Hardywood has always been a favorite spot to hit up of mine, even now as a "visitor" vs a resident.
This location has changed a lot from when I last lived in the area a few short 4 years ago. They've revamped their space and I'll have to say, huge kudos to them. From a parking standpoint they have more spaces than ever (you may likely still need to parallel street park, it's maybe 20 spots?), an upgrade nonetheless. They have a pizza kitchen with standard and gluten free options. They smelled and looked solid but I didn't partake on this visit. Their new space also has a massive set of indoor and outdoor dedicated seating. Huge win for them as I remember what they started with.
In terms of beer offerings because why else visit a brewery aside from chill vibe and atmosphere, good food, ample seating and a solid staff:
- Hardywood itself offers a broad range of tasty styles. They have several Belgian styles which fit with the theme of the more established "seasoned" rva breweries, a series of stouts they generally drop for Christmas and late winter, and a host of other traditional and hype styles such as lagers and ipas.
On this particular occasion I did a series of small pours starting with the one that started it all for me:
-the Singel - Blonde Ale. Crisp, refreshing, with almost a hint of banana, it gets the job done every time.
-second I did the Tropication - hazy ipa. Crisp and floral with a bit of citrus.
-sheepshot - stout conditioned on coffee, caramel, and vanilla. Big caramel nose, pretty standard in flavor for a non barrel aged/low Abv stout with coffee standing out.
-Bourbon Cru - Belgian Quad. Big rich flavor and smooth as pie. These styles are where hardywood shine. I'd have this over and over again.
Also tried:
-Cuvée Peach - fits with my review of Bourbon Cru. Another example of where they shine, delicious, smooth, and peachy.
Always a solid place for a chill time and great all around beer in rVa