Author
Corey Hoffman
Founder of Neon Culture Brewing
The result is a nice malt character giving you tastes of caramel and toasted bread without being overly bitter. Plus, this beer won gold in the 'Amber Ale' category at the 2025 Virginia Craft Beer Cup, so you know it's a winner! Head to Rockfish Brewing and try it yourself -- they've got two locations: one on the Downtown Mall and one on Preston Ave! Both have delicious food options to accompany your brew.
Ramble On is their answer to the “Haze Craze” that’s taken the IPA world by storm over the last few years. This beer explodes forward with tropical fruit flavors and juicy citrus aromas. With low bitterness and full flavor, this is the pour for those that aren’t sold on the more bitter taste of West Coast IPAs. Head over to Starr Hill, located at the Dairy Market on Preston Ave, to try it yourself. While you're there, be sure to try their Stupid Sexy Flanders Sour, which won gold in the 'European Sour' category at the 2025 Virginia Craft Beer Cup!
However, there is one that always remains a constant, Minute Man IPA. Three Notch’d was brewing this juicy IPA before the Haze Craze swept the craft beer world. This beer is loaded with so much orange, you’d swear there’s fruit in it. However, it’s all coming from the hops! Strata, Mosaic, and Idaho 7 hops pack this IPA full of orange flavor goodness. Stop into their brewpub at Ix Art Park next time you're in town -- they've got a full-service craft kitchen and $3 draft pours and $25 cases of Minute Man IPA every Monday!
Made with Passionfruit, Orange, and Guava, this wheat beer explodes with tropical flavors. However, the fruit never overpowers -- another sign that this is a fruit beer made the right way. Now go convert your holdout friends into craft beer drinkers. Bonus: be sure to try their Mosaic Pale Ale too -- it won bronze in the 'Pale Ale' category at the 2025 Virginia Craft Beer Cup!
Stripping the style down to a single hop variety and a single malt variety really allowed them to discover the features and nuances of newly cultivated varieties. Originally imagined as an internal test batch process, Högwaller has been pleasantly surprised by their guests' reactions and enjoy bringing each limited batch to the Högwaller draft lines! Stop by this summer to try the SMaSH Series and while you're there, be sure to try their rotating burger specials and get a pour from their NEW outdoor Tap Shack!
Superfly Brewing Co. is the newest addition to the robust Charlottesville brewing scene. Owner and Brewer, Ed Liversidge, a UK native, carves his niche by brewing great English inspired beers along with classic styles. One of these beers, Midnight Train, a London Porter is not to be missed. Porters like stouts are dark beers. The differences between a stout and a porter are debatable. What is not debatable is that this porter is one of, if not the best in VA. This is evidenced by the bronze medal it won in the 'Porter' category at the 2025 Virginia Craft Beer Cup!
7. Selvedge Brewing
We can't end this list without mentioning Selvedge Brewing and their small-batch, culinary-inspired beers that expertly weave together old and new styles. Their new taproom, located in the recently renovated Bellair Place on the west side of Charlottesville is an excellent spot to gather, with plenty of room, stellar beer, and food menus.
When you visit, we recommend trying the Threadenator Smoked Beer, Linen Kolsch, and Denim Lager, which received silver, bronze, and honorable mention, respectively, at the 2025 Virginia Craft Beer Cup!