Beer Buzz: Richmond’s Beer Caves, Brexit Beer Buzzkill In Spain

American Craft Beer|August 28th, 2019|

(Courtesy the Virginia Department of Historic Resources)

Beer Cave Gets Official Marker (Richmond, VA) – Back in the day, before the advent of refrigeration, American breweries built caves deep in the ground below their operations so they could store and ferment their beer. And now according to Richmond Times-Dispatch, a nonprofit group that hosts beer tours in the area, has succeeded in getting a historical marker Virginia Route 5, for the 19th-century James River Steam Brewery and the remains of its beer caves.

The James River Steam Brewery was founded by the son of D.G. Yuengling, who started the legendary Pennsylvania brewery. Built in 1866 by David G. Yuengling Jr, Richmond’s first large-scale brewery towered five stories above the James River and ran on steam generated by the water (which clearly explains its name).

The James River Steam Brewery went down in flames in 1891. But the caves below the brewery, which could store and ferment up to 6,000 barrels of beer, survived the fire and can still be seen near the banks of river in southeastern Richmond. But unfortunately a chain link fence blocks its entrance

Words To Drink By (Washington, DC) “What do you mean we can’t go into the beer cave? What’s up with that?” Tom Bobak / American Craft Beer

Brexit Buzzkill In Spain’s Tourist Hotspots (España) – Beer isn’t booming like it used to in Spain’s tourist meccas and Brexit is part of the problem. “Tourists from the UK and elsewhere drink around 25% of the beer consumed in Spain annually,” reports Yahoo Finance.

And according to Jacobo Olalla head of Spanish brewers’ association Cerveceros de Espana, “the fall in the pound affects their spending power in Spain.”

What We’ve Been Drinking Lately (Shiner, TX) – It’s Oktoberfest season and we’ll be celebrating this weekend with something festive from the Spoetzl Brewery. Returning annually since 1996, Shiner Oktoberfest is an award-winning 5.7% ABV Märzen Lager that was crafted in the German Hallertau tradition.