James River Brewery

In March 1865, Union forces under Major General Phillip H. Sheridan left Charlottesville with orders to destroy the James River Canal and Virginia Central Railroad. On March 6th, Federal troops burned a Scottsville cloth mill, flour mill, candle factory, machine shop and tobacco warehouse as well as captured several ferry boats loaded with Confederate munitions. In commemoration of those dark days, this brown ale is brewed with a healthy portion of rauch-malt (smoked malt), paired with a low hop bitterness and aroma that lets the flavor of the smokey malt shine through.

A deep garnet tint with sweet biscuits on the nose before turning to a dry finish. The bold mouthfeel begins with graham cracker notes and finish with a slight sweetness.

Black Water IPA, is our Cascadian double IPA. It is a dark ale like a porter but hopped with Centennial and Chinook hops which add a piney, spicy favor to the beer.

This is the first in our series of one-off brews made with local ingredients. The fresh Chinook hops in this beer came from Celestial Farms in Schuyler, VA. Thanks Dale & Wanda Crothers!

A fresh-hopped saison. This beer was made with 20 pounds of wet Chinook hops from Celestial Farm in Schuyler

The First thing you will notice when drinking Das Braun (Lager), is the nice blend of chocolate and roasted notes. After that first sip you get the flavor of caramel and toffee with a slight nutty taste. This medium to low bitterness beer is perfect for the season.

Our Dolla Dolla Pils starts out with a fruity, floral aroma, followed by a sweet malty front end and a crisp bitter finish. The medium bodied beer has a light, golden color that reminds you of spring days and sunshine!

Double Dunk is a darker style Weiss beer with caramel malts that add a sweet malty flavor that pairs well with the banana and clove flavors from the yeast. This big ABV beer helps you feel warm and fuzzy on those cold winter nights.

A refreshing effervescent, gluten free seltzer water with a hint of citrus. Dangerously delicious!

Gold Medal Winner at the 2015 Virginia Craft Brewers Cup, the Fluss (pronounced “floos”, it’s “river” in German) is a traditional, unfiltered Bavarian-Style weissbier (white wheat beer) brewed with Pilsen and Munich malts, white wheat, and Tettnang hops. A light and crisp malty aroma leads to a soft hint of hops hitting your tongue that quickly gives way to the toasted bready malt flavors that dominate this brew.

Brewed and dry-hopped with Galaxy hops, this pale lager will take your palate on a journey through the cosmos of beer flavors. A light nose cleverly masks a punch of bitter hops that hit at the front of each sip. The bitterness quickly gives way to the smooth and easy malt characters of a traditional lager. A refreshing finish that leaves no trace of bitterness nor dryness makes this an ideal summer lager for fans of hops.

A German dark wheat beer. Bavarian style with banana and clove esters from the Weihenstefaner yeast.

Starts with notes of ginger, molasses and cinnamon. After your first sip , you fall for a well -balanced brown. With a sweet start and mild finish. Nothing reminds us more of the holiday then Gingerbread

Starts with notes of ginger, molasses and cinnamon. After your first sip , you fall for a well -balanced brown. With a sweet start and mild finish. Nothing reminds us more of the holiday then Gingerbread

It starts with a hop bitterness and has a slight fruity finish. The citrusy aroma of this golden-colored IPA hints to the flavor about to hit your palate. Dry hopped Columbus, Centennial and Chinook hops create a crisp, well-balanced brew that is equal parts fruity and bitter. The smooth taste and dry finish makes anytime of day a “Great Time of Day.”

Winner of the Bronze Medal for Belgian Strong Ale at the 2015 Virginia Craft Brewers Cup, the Green Eyed Lady was our first flagship ale. Brewed in the Belgian Golden Strong Ale style, this beer is complex with floral, spicy, and fruity notes. The bold spices that hit on the front are a pleasant surprise after the soft floral nose. The floral bouquet hits at the back, and the flavors mingle to leave a fruity and spicy finish.

This American-style Pale Ale was the First Place winner of the 2015 Brewery Challenge. Brewed with Centennial, Cascade and Mosaic hops, this light and crisp APA has a hoppy bouquet that’s especially refreshing after a day outdoors or on the river. The bold hops are balanced throughout, and each sip finishes with a pleasant floral bouquet.

The name says it all for this light and crushable brew, a perfect choice for the dog days of summer. The sunny golden color and bright nose introduce the fresh grain character and hint of malt that cover your palate. The light and bubbly mouthfeel coupled with a smooth, easy finish make for a refreshing lager that is both satisfying and infinitely drinkable.

The Hit n Run APA is dry hopped with Mosaic hops and has a floral, fruity aroma. This golden colored, American Pale Ale has a crisp, clean start and a tart, grapefruity flavor, finishing with a light bitterness that disappears almost instantly.

The Hop-N-Hefe begins with our Fluvanna Fluss recipe, then adding Chinook, Columbus, and Centennial hops to create a brew unlike any other: a super hopped Hefeweizen! If you’re a fan of bitter IPAs, you’ll definitely want to give Hop-N-Hefe a try. The beer leads with a citrus nose that’s balanced by a bitter and dry full-bodied brew. The citrus aroma returns on the back for a fruity finish.

Hoppy Camper is a very refreshing beer brewed with three types of hops. We think this is the perfect beer to drink while sitting around a campfire with friends. Floral and piney hops make their way across your tongue and give you everything you expect from an IPA; a big nose with bitterness that lasts along with a dry hoppy finish that leaves you wanting more.

Hoppy Camper is a very refreshing beer brewed with three types of hops. We think this is the perfect beer to drink while sitting around a campfire with friends. Floral and piney hops make their way across your tongue and give you everything you expect from an IPA; a big nose with bitterness that lasts along with a dry hoppy finish that leaves you wanting more.

Small batch IPA

Small batch IPA

Small batch IPA

Hoppy citrus and floral aromas and dry-finishing malt flavors.

The Indian Summer Red Ale DIPA is Dry Hopped with Galaxy and Glacier hops. You will get a dry bitterness on the front with a slight fruity finish. The perfect beer for those mild Indian Summer days.

To create the James Bean, we use the base malt recipe of the Sherman Stout but add oatmeal and vanilla to the brew, removing the strong coffee flavor that you find in the Sherman. The result is a Porter that is medium brown in color and full in taste. Toasted malts hit on the front and quickly mingle with the vanilla before giving way to hints of oatmeal on the back.

The James Blonde is a balanced, light-bodied ale that is very easy to drink. It is an ideal entry to the world of craft beer, or for the drinker who is not a fan of malty or hoppy beers.

James Brown is our Brown Ale that has a sweet caramel taste with a slight nutty finish. The brown is hopped with Fuggles which gives it a light earthy bitterness.

Light bodied stout – easy drinking dark roast flavors with a dry, malty backbone. Mild but balancing hop profile. Named for Irish immigrant boss who in the 1850s, worked under French engineer Claudius Crozet as they built the 17 mile Blue Ridge Railroad.

Knott Yur Lager is an amber lager that starts out with sweet caramel notes, very light on the tongue with a light bitter finish. Great for those late summer days.

Knott Yur Lager is an amber lager that starts out with sweet caramel notes, very light on the tongue with a light bitter finish. Great for those late summer days.

Our “Lazy Days Pale Ale” starts out with a sweet malty flavor that quickly transitions to the mild bitterness that you’d want in a pale ale. This session pale ale is an all day beer that is packed with flavor. With only a 4.5% ABV, it’s the perfect beer for a lazy day no matter where you are.

This chestnut-colored ale is as pleasing to the eyes as it is on the palate. A crisp malty aroma prepares your taste buds to savor the roasted front and toasty finish of this light and easy beer. With just a touch of bitterness on the front, our smooth Irish Ale is easy on the senses and infinitely drinkable.

The Local Yocal is brewed with pale and carafoam malt and hopped with wet chinook. It is a light bodied blonde ale that is very drinkable and has a dry finish.

Our latest offering in our line of beers made with fresh local ingredients. This seaonsal dunkelweizen features organic roasted pumpkins courtesy of living Culture Farm in Scottsville, VA (Thanks Teddy & Mary!) Roasted pumpkins used in primary and secondary fermentation with just a hint of our own blend of pumpkin pie spice.

We took our classic Reinheit 500 Dunkelweizen, fermented it at a higher temperature than normal, and then rapidly cooled it to trap the lactic acid. The result? Our Queen of Tarts: a Dunkle that is uniquely sour and malty. A puckery aroma fills the nose and immediately kicks your salivary glands into overdrive. The sour taste kicks in the moment the beer hits your tongue and lasts through the finish, when a malty aftertaste is married in.

This ale, toasted amber in color, is the perfect libation for warm days and cool evenings alike. It has very little bitterness, making it approachable and enjoyable for beer drinkers of all preferences. A light malty aroma teases the nose as the toasted malts hit on the front with each sip, finishing with a slightly sweet fruitiness. The bright fizziness of tiny bubbles in the carbonation is the ideal accent for this well-balanced and crisp ale.

The Reinheit is similar to a hefeweizen with complex malts and a low balancing bitterness, with a thick head that presents caramel and malt notes. A touch of clove and banana characters are present, and a hint of banana bread becomes more prominent with each sip while still maintaining an easy malty aftertaste. Reinheit 500 was brewed to commemorate the 500th Anniversary of the German Beer Laws (the 'reinheitsgebot').

River Rat is a very refreshing and easy drinking dry hopped beer brewed with Mosaic and Falconer hops. Like the river rats that travel down the James River, floral and piney hops glide over your palate throughout this well-balanced, golden brown hued IPA. The bitter hops hit first, but the piney finish leaves you thirsty for your next sip.

Gold Medal Winner AND Best of Show Winner at the 2016 Virginia Craft Brewers Cup! Don’t let the name fool you: ESBs really aren’t bitter. Brewed with pale and crystal malts, as well as British Fuggle hops, River Runner is our take on a traditional English-Style Pale Ale. Its medium copper color and ultra-mild hops are perfectly balanced by bold malts. Light and smooth with a mild malty aftertaste, you definitely don’t want to miss out on this award-winning ESB.

Easy drinking with a mild hop finish.

The perfect beer for a warm early spring day or in the heat of summer. Great during or after tubing or fishing on the James River, while watching your favorite sporting event or a refreshing reward after mowing the lawn. Light malty body, clean hop finish.

Local hops IPA

In honor of the 1st Annual Scottsville Pollinator Celebration in 2017, we partnered with Scottsville Supply Company to brew a blonde ale with honey exclusively sourced from bees right here in Scottsville, VA. A hint of sweetness hits the nose but quickly gives way to a light and refreshing, balanced brew. A crisp finish with minimal aftertaste makes this Honey Blonde something to buzz about.

Although dark in color, the roasted malts add to the dry, drinkable nature of this English-style sweet stout. An aroma of chocolate and coffee dance through the nose to bring a strong coffee flavor on the front and back, and a mild chocolatey finish, with a very low level of bitterness. The thick texture and roasted malt notes round out this heady stout.

This refreshing wheat beer is typical of a style that was brewed in Belgium for centuries. Our recipe features low-alfa Czech hops with a healthy addition of coriander and orange-zest at flame out. The esters of the Belgian yeast produce a spicy, fruity and crisp finish..

The second offering in our line of beers made with fresh, local ingredients. It is made with freshly harvested Cascade hops from Split Rail Hops Farm in Churchville, VA (thanks Hunter Crosby!) then dry-hopped for a week on some more freshly harvested Cascade from Celestial Hops Farm.

The spiciness on the nose may surprise some, but one sip reveals its' medium-bodied smoothness on the palate with pumpkin flavors playing along in the background. This beer also has subtle notes of nutmeg, cloves, and cinnamon you'd expect from a pumpkin pie, without getting in the way of the flavor of the beer. Not surprisingly, this makes it a great choice for your Halloween party or fall tailgate!

Named for one of the batteau boats that participate in the James River Batteau Festival each year commemorating James River history, this brew has a giant malt bill and is balanced with a liberal, late addition of Centennial hops.

Tuber is a very refreshing and easy drinking dry hopped beer brewed with Mosaic and Falconer hops. Like the tubers that travel down the James River, floral and piney hops glide over your palate throughout this well-balanced, golden brown hued IPA. The bitter hops hit first, but the piney finish leaves you thirsty for your next sip.

Seasonal. Brewed with the same grain and hop bill as our staple Packet Boat Porter, we instead used a neutral finishing American Ale yeast, which accentuates the dark chocolate and roast coffee flavors. After primary fermentation, this batch of porter was aged over fresh organic vanilla beans that pair well with the residual malty flavors. We hope our loyal drinkers of Packet Boat Porter will enjoy this fresh taste on an old classic. For those who prefer the original recipe, it will be back soon.

Although little on the nose, the Wet & Wild has a fresh fruity start with a nice bitter bite at the end. The late hop entry gives it a smooth bitterness that doesn't linger. From the fresh cascade hops accompanied with the dry falconer flight you get an earth piney finish.

Although little on the nose, the Wet & Wild has a fresh fruity start with a nice bitter bite at the end. The late hop entry gives it a smooth bitterness that doesn't linger. From the fresh cascade hops accompanied with the dry falconer flight you get an earth piney finish.