After a four-year hiatus, Ardent Craft Ales is bringing back its Swine & Brine festival this Saturday.
The event pairs Ardent’s long list of beers with food from a bevy of restaurants, such as Royal Pig, Stanley’s and Rappahannock Oyster Co and includes next door neighbor ZZQ and its newly opened Eazzy Burger.
The brewer first launched the event after it opened in 2014, says Tom Sullivan, co-founder and general manager.
“It was our first big festival, sort of dipping our toe and learning how to throw a big party,” says Sullivan. “And we decided that marrying two of our favorite things, local seafood and, you know, pig, would be a great component to beer and … give people a reason to come out and check us out.”
Sullivan admits that in the early years, the neighborhood of Scott’s Addition looked quite different.
“It was kind of just an industrial neighborhood,” he says. “[It] hadn’t developed quite to the degree that it is today. So, we were kind of trying to give people a reason to come check us out in the middle of this weird neighborhood that no one had heard of.”
The festival ran every year until the pandemic shut it down in 2020.
“We made the decision not only to cancel Swine & Brine, but also we closed our tap room for a while and had to reinvent our business,” recalls Sullivan. “Thankfully, everything worked out. We got assistance from the state and federal government and, like many other local businesses, were able to chart a course through.”
Sullivan says they considered bringing back the event last year, but the timing wasn’t right.
“There was still some variants floating around in Virginia that were serious,” he says. “So, we didn’t feel good about doing it. But this year feels different. It feels like people are a little bit more relaxed and willing to socialize.”
Some of the beers on tap will include IPA X, IPA 14, Mixed Berry Gose, Bohemian Pilsner and their Rye Kolsch. Plus, ciders from Blue Bee and Potter’s will be available.
Sullivan says all the oyster shells are being recycled through the Virginia Commonwealth University Rice Rivers Center Virginia oyster shell recycling program, which supports Chesapeake Bay restoration by building oyster sanctuaries.
Swine & Brine runs on Saturday, April 15 from noon until 8 p.m. at 3200 W. Leigh St. in Scott’s Addition. The event is free and open to the public. Drink tickets cost $7 and each food vendor sets their own costs. Well-behaved, leashed dogs are allowed on the patio only.
Note: Parking may be limited throughout Scott’s Addition, so consider planning alternate transportation.
