The Best Scott’s Addition Breweries Guide in Richmond, VA

Full disclosure: Scott’s Addition Breweries open more often than we change our underwear.

Just kidding!

But seriously, every time we turn around, another one has seemingly opened. Okay, so they have slowed down recently, but mostly because they are running out of real estate.

The Scott’s Addition neighborhood (and surrounding area) in Richmond, VA, has silently transformed in the last decade to a booze destination in the city. We personally lived in Scott’s Addition for 3 years as the big brewery boom was taking off.

Home to 10 breweries, 2 cideries, 1 meadery, 1 winery, and 3 distilleries, this 8 x 8 block section has a lot to offer to those looking to partake in adult libations. (Not to mention the other bars and restaurants!)

If you are looking for quantity, the most breweries in Richmond, VA are located in Scott’s Addition.

Short on Time? Here are the key takeaways:

• In our opinion, don’t miss these breweries in Scott’s Addition: The Veil and Vasen
• We’ve included 2 breweries nearby Scott’s Addition, but not technically in that neighborhood
• Starr Hill has a great rooftop bar if the weather is nice

Psst:  We have a bunch of guides about Richmond. Browse them all here.

This post was originally published in April 2019, and was updated in October 2024.

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Map of Scott’s Addition Breweries

Click on the interactive map below to see more!

**QUICK NOTE**

To clarify, we are including the area near The Diamond, which is less than 1 mile from the true Scott’s Addition neighborhood.

If you are looking at a solid itinerary for Scott’s Addition breweries, we had to include them on this list since they are so close – and who doesn’t love to go to more breweries?!

We are excluding the cideries, meadery, winery and distilleries from this list, but you can read about the Richmond distilleries here.

>>> Click here for our complete guide on Richmond Breweries <<<

1. Bingo Beer Company

• Hours:
  • Tuesday & Wednesday: 12 PM – 11 PM
  • Thursday: 12 PM – 12 AM
  • Friday & Saturday: 12 PM – 1:30 AM
  • Saturday: 12 PM – 1:30 AM
  • Sunday – 12 PM – 10 PM
  • Monday: Closed
• Food Available: Full bar and Kitchen
• Pet Friendly: Yes, on patio only

Firstly a brewery, secondly an adult arcade (or bar-cade, as they are now known).  Of all the breweries on this list, Bingo Beer will likely have the most things to keep you occupied…other than the beer, of course.

From the pinball machines, skeeball, basketball and much more, this brewery offers a fun atmosphere with good local Richmond beer.

This is also one of the few Scott’s Addition breweries with an in-house restaurant and the food is very good!

While all their food is great, we LOVE their tot-chos (tater tot nachos). They would be a perfect complement to help get you through the grogginess from the night before, aka hangover food and it’s so freaking good!

Their house Free Space IPA is a hazy IPA made with Mosaic and Idaho 7 hops and was quite refreshing and drinkable. Or if you’re just in the mood for a beer that tastes like a beer, try the Bingo Lager, which is defined as a “German-style lager with a modern twist.”

2. Three Notch’d Brewing 

• Hours:
  • Sunday: 12 PM – 8 PM
  • Monday – Thursday: 12 PM – 10 PM
  • Friday & Saturday: 12 PM -11 PM
• Food Available:  Lunch, Dinner and Brunch options
• Pet Friendly: Yes

Hailing from Charlottesville, Three Notch’d provides all the staple beers that you would normally find at the original location in Charlottesville, plus Richmond-centric and collaboration beers.  

The 40-Mile IPA is Chris’s go-to beer, but their collaboration beers are usually pretty good and very relevant to Richmond happenings.  An outdoor patio is usually pretty busy and complements their indoor tasting room.

Three Notch’d recently expanded into two vacant businesses next door to increase their production space.  As part of this expansion, they also acquired a pizza oven to cook up some delicious ‘za to go along with your brews.

3. The Veil Brewing Company 

• Hours:
  • Monday – Wednesday: 11 AM – 10 PM
  • Thursday: 11 AM – 10 PM
  • Friday & Saturday: 11 AM – 11 PM
  • Sunday: 11 AM – 8 PM
• Food Available: Yes, Noko Ribi – a restaurant located on site BUT is limited some days (check their website)
• Pet Friendly: Yes

The Veil Brewing Co opened in 2016 in Scott’s Addition to great fanfare as the head brewer is well-known in the beer world and brews high-quality, and high-gravity, beers.  As of April 2023, they moved to a bigger location just a few blocks away and added a new food concept to their mix.

The Veil Brewing Company is very IPA-centric….IPAs, DIPAs, TIPAs, sour IPAs, no-hop IPAs, you name it. 

But they aren’t only IPA’s – they aren’t afraid to take on any style of beer, and excel at sours and barrel-aged varieties.

No growlers, no flights of beer, no TVs.  Just good beer that is highly sought after on the beer-trading market.

I (Samantha), an occasional IPA-drinker, would opt for one of their sour beers or the cold brew coffee on tap, while Chris will find a delicious new IPA every time. They have also started to dabble in brewing some non-alcohol beers if you are pregnant or just need a night off the sauce.

While it may not always be available (as the Veil loves to make new beers), their house DIPA, Crucial Taunt, is a tropical, juicy explosion and just too easy to drink at 8%!  

New England-style IPAs and sour IPAs seem to always be on the draft list, but be on the lookout for any variant of the Hornswoggler chocolate milk stout.  The Oreo Hornswoggler made the internet lose its mind back in 2017.

The Veil is slowly conquering the state of Virginia, opening a location in Norfolk, Virginia, as well as an additional small tasting room in RVA. In their funky and wild barrel-aging spot called the Funkhaüst Café, it’s just a few miles away from their main Scott’s Addition brewery.  However, there are very limited hours at Funkhaüst so plan accordingly.

A second Richmond-area Veil taproom opened recently in the Forest Hill neighborhood.  Same great beer you’d expect from the Veil, but they also have a full restaurant on-site serving up some damn good tacos!

Their Scott’s Addition food concept, Nokoribi, features a Japanese pub style menu that offers high quality food that is “approachable for everyone in the family”. While we haven’t tried it yet, if they produce the same quality of food as their Forest Hill location, you best come hungry!

4. Starr Hill Richmond Beer Hall & Rooftop

• Hours:
  • Monday – Wednesday: 4 PM – 9 PM
  • Thursday: 4 PM – 10 PM
  • Friday & Saturday: 12 PM – 11 PM
  • Sunday: 12 PM – 8 PM
• Food Available: Snacks only, but usually has a food truck onsite
• Pet Friendly: Yes, first floor patio only

Another Charlottesville transplant, Starr Hill Beer Hall & Rooftop opened in late 2019 and offers beer drinkers a fun new addition to the Scott’s Addition brewery lineup.

Complete with a ground-level taproom and an all-season rooftop patio with great views of Richmond, Starr Hill is a great place to grab a beer with friends, listen to some live music, play some trivia, and try some of Richmond’s delicious food trucks.

You can get most of their staple beers in Richmond, like Chris’s tried and true Northern Lights IPA (one of the first IPA’s he ever drank), but they also have a 10-barrel brewing system so you might be able to snag something new to Starr Hill completely.

This is also Starr Hill’s first location dedicated to producing wild ales as they have five American white oak foeders (big wooden vats usually reserved for aging wine) so you can find some limited release batches throughout the year. 

Looking for more rooftop venues? >> The Top 6 Rooftop Bars in Richmond Guide

5. Väsen Brewing 

• Hours:
  • Tuesday – Thursday: 3 PM – 10 PM
  • Friday: 2 PM – 10 PM
  • Saturday: 12 PM – 10 PM
  • Sunday: 12 PM – 8 PM
  • Monday: Closed
• Food Available: Food Truck only
• Pet Friendly: Yes

Väsen Brewing beer combines the experimental spirit that defines American craft beer with the funky flavors of Belgian farmhouse and sour ales.

In addition to the sour and funky beers, the lineup also consists of a variety of saisons, wheat beers, and pale ales.

Brewed with a purpose, Väsen’s mission is to be one of the most sustainable breweries in the country by reducing energy consumption and reusing or recycling 100% of their resources.

Feel awesome about saving the environment while drinking their beer in the outdoorsy-themed bar!

If you see it on tap, be sure to try one of the beers in their Everything Floats series, a juicy and sour beer conditioned on a variety of different fruits.

Also, check out the Imperial Walrus which is a strong dark ale, boldly flavored with dark chocolate and coffee.

While we hate to call out favorites, Vasen is one ours and we highly suggest visiting them.

6. Ardent Craft Ales 

• Hours:
  • Monday – Wednesday: 12 PM – 9 PM
  • Thursday & Friday: 12 PM – 10 PM
  • Saturday: 11 AM – 10 PM
  • Sunday: 12 PM – 8 PM
• Food Available: Yes
• Pet Friendly: Yes, only patio

The second brewery to claim a home in Scott’s Addition, Ardent boasts an extensive rotating draft list which includes: saisons, IPAs, stouts, and goses.

Go enjoy a beer on their large outdoor patio under the large red umbrellas and watch the local pups enjoy their sunshine too.  

Try their Honey Ginger ale – be careful though…this is a sneaky 7.8% beer that goes down smooth!  It’s usually the downfall of Samantha. 

Also, plans are in the works for a new burger restaurant right next to Ardent’s beer which is being headed up by the folks at Ardent and well-known Richmond BBQ restaurant ZZQ.

7. Strangeways Brewing 

• Hours:
  • Monday – Thursday: 2 PM – 9 PM
  • Friday & Saturday: 12 PM – 11 PM
  • Sunday: 12 PM – 8 PM
• Food Available: Yes via BBQ next door
• Pet Friendly: Outside only

The third location in the Strangeways trilogy (original location 2 miles away and a location in Fredericksburg) has many of the regulars you’ll see at the original taproom and brewery as well as some specialty brews that are wood barrel-fermented and keg conditioned onsite.

Something that makes this location unique is its partnership with its neighbor, SMoHK, who is smoking up some real southern BBQ dishes which you can order right from the taproom. 

8. Hardywood Park Craft Brewery – Pizza Kitchen and Taproom 

• Hours:
  • Tuesday – Thursday: 2 PM – 9 PM
  • Friday: 2 PM – 10 PM
  • Saturday: 12 PM – 10 PM
  • Sunday: 12 PM – 8 PM
  • Monday: Closed
• Food Available: Yes, pizza kitchen
• Pet Friendly: Yes

In 2011, Hardywood opened its doors in an industrial neighborhood of Richmond, just north of the Fan and west of Scott’s Addition. While Legend’s Brewery is the oldest, Hardywood sparked the movement for craft breweries in Richmond and being able to buy and drink a beer at a brewery in the state.

It has grown considerably since opening and now boasts three separate locations: the original RVA, a huge expansion just west of town in Goochland, and an outpost further west in Charlottesville.  

Their flagship beer is the Singel, a mellow Belgian Abbey-style blonde ale.  But…during the winter months, their special release brews, the Gingerbread Stout and Christmas Morning among them (or the bourbon barrel varieties of the same), are huge hits!

This location has continuously expanded and now includes indoor event space, outdoor stage and a delicious pizza kitchen. Be sure to check out their facebook page for the most up-to-date events!

9. Main Line Brewery 

• Hours:
  • Tuesday: 4 PM – 9 PM
  • Wednesday – Friday: 4 PM – 10 PM
  • Saturday: 1 PM – 10 PM
  • Sunday: 1 PM – 7 PM
  • Monday: Closed
• Food Available: Food Truck only
• Pet Friendly: Yes

Main Line Brewery is one of the newcomers to the list of Scott’s Addition breweries and comes to us by way of a couple of the former owners of our friends at Cirrus Vodka, which is located right next door. 

With quite a bit of real estate in this little hidden cove of Richmond, Main Line has a large outdoor area with a gazebo-style event space and even life-sized beer pong (think full-sized trash cans and kickballs).  

As its name suggests, Main Line is located within a stone’s throw of railroad tracks and offers up a wide variety of beers, with no specialty or focus in any type.  Olaf’s Revenge is a heavy hazy DIPA at 8.8% while Drink by Night is a yummy salted caramel stout.

With a massive outside area, there is plenty of room for live music and games to keep you busy while you sip some suds. If you have someone in your party who isn’t a friend of beer (ditch them), you can bring them here since Cirrus Vodka serves up delicious cocktails that can also be enjoyed outdoors.

10. Brainstorm Brewhouse

• Hours:
  • Tuesday – Friday: 4 PM – 9 PM
  • Saturday: 1 PM – 9 PM
  • Sunday – 1 PM – 7 PM
  • Closed: Mondays
• Food Available: No
• Pet Friendly: No

Brainstorm Brewhouse is the newest brewery to Scott’s Addition opening in August 2024 which is the brainchild of two beer enthusiasts, Darryl Puller and CM Bryant.

Inspired by local and national breweries, Darryl and CM teamed up with Black Heath Meadery to create a unique taproom experience that blends both beer and mead under one roof.

At the heart of Brainstorm’s offerings are small-batch releases like the Buzz Worthy honey lager, Kiss of Chocolate lager, and Psych Eval double IPA, currently available at Black Heath’s cozy, hive-inspired taproom in Scott’s Addition.

With a solid partnership and a passion for creativity, they’re set to deliver exciting and inventive beers to the Richmond community.

Boozy Tours in Scott’s Addition

If you are looking for a guided brewery tour, Viator has a few options you should consider.

• Scott’s Addition Booze & Bites Tour: Get the munchies when you drink? (We do too!) This tour price combines breweries and food for up to 5 stops.
• Drink Richmond Craft Brewery Crawl: This guided tour takes you to 5 stops in Scott’s Addition; 3 breweries, 1 cidery and 1 meadery.
• Private Brewery Tour of Richmond, VA: This half-day, private tour takes you to 3 breweries in Scott’s Addition with a behind-the-scenes tour. Enjoy tastings and snacks while learning about the brewing process.

See all Richmond tours here on Viator.

Watch the Adventure on Youtube

Where to stay in Scott’s Addition 

If we are being honest, the majority of hotels closest to Scott’s Addition are sketchy and we wouldn’t put our families there.

Until early 2022, there really wasn’t a good option for Scott’s Addition hotels and there is now only one hotel in the area that is walkable to all the breweries where we feel comfortable suggesting it.

Booking.com probably has the widest selection of budget (and luxury) accommodations in the world. In our experience, they consistently found the cheapest rooms. We also like their easy to use interface and no money down policy. When we book our travel stays, we personally use booking.com.

The only Scott’s Addition hotel we suggest:

Courtyard by Marriott Richmond Scott’s Addition

Opened in 2022, this brand new Courtyard is the best option for a hotel in the area. We lived direct across the interstate from this location and we know it’s relatively safe and walkable. Since it’s new, you can expect all the sleek modern finishes and up-to-date guest rooms and digital check-in too.

>>Click here to check current prices or book your stay

While you’ll see other hotels nearby by on the Boulevard, we don’t recommend staying in that section of town, despite it only being a mile away.

We do also recommend staying in downtown Richmond and Ubering in if you can’t get a room. It’s a quick 10-minute ride and shouldn’t cost too much money.

For downtown recommendations, see below:

Quirk Hotel

Luxury option

Complete with an art gallery on-site, which is fitting considering it’s in the Arts district, Quirk is a boutique hotel that was named one of the south’s best hotels by Southern Living magazine in 2018! 

The rooms are super bright and fun, the seasonal and locally-inspired menus at the Maple and Pine restaurant are delicious, and the Q Rooftop Bar offers some great views of Richmond while soaking up some sun and sucking down some drinks!

>> Click here to book your stay or check current prices

The Graduate

Mid-range option

The Graduate is a newer boutique hotel chain popping up around the country with hotels located in the heart of college towns.  It makes sense then for the Graduate Richmond hotel to be so close to the hub of Virginia Commonwealth University’s (VCU) campus activity. 

With a lobby cafe and bar, game room, fitness room, and a rooftop bar and pool area called The Byrd House, this hotel is a great spot for your Richmond experience.  They even rent bikes to guests free of charge so you can bike around town and enjoy the outdoors. 

>> Click here to book your stay or check current prices

Linden Row Inn

Budget option

This hotel has so much history to it and is centrally located right near Richmond’s restaurant row, just down the road from The Graduate and The Jefferson Hotel. 

Legend has it that Edgar Allan Poe courted his life-long love in the gardens on which the hotel now stands.  Since being restored in the 1980s, Linden Row offers guests all of the modern hotel amenities to go along with that classic Southern hospitality.

>> Click here to book your stay or check current prices

Looking for more RVA options? See all hotels for Richmond, VA here.

We suggest spreading this hopping out among multiple days, but if you think you can do it responsibly (aka you have a designated driver/walker and you pace yourself), then this guide is the route we’d suggest to hit them all.

If you were looking to add in a couple cideries/meadery or visit the winery to this guide (and don’t care about mixing types of alcohol), here is the complete list of alcohol establishments in the Scott’s Addition neighborhood:

1. Hardywood Brewery
2. Main Line Brewing
3. Bingo Beer
4. Three Notch’d Brewing
5. The Veil Brewing
6. Starr Hill Brewing
7. Väsen Brewing
8. Ardent Brewery
9. Strangeways
10. Brainstorm Brewhouse
11. Buskey Cider
12. Black Heath Meadery
13. Brambly Park Winery

We’d also like to mention that both Strangeways Brewery (the original location) and The Answer Brewpub are quick drives and can easily be added to the end or beginning of this hopping adventure. 

Looking for brewery hopping guides outside of Scott’s Addition? See all our guides to Richmond Breweries here or browse the most popular ones below:

• Rooftop Bars in Richmond VA
• 18 Best Breweries In Richmond, VA
• Must Visit Cocktail Bars in Richmond, VA
• A Local’s Guide for fun things to do in Richmond, VA