Hardywood is Richmond Va.'s newest brewery

Yes, Virginia, there is a new brewery in Richmond. From the Richmond Times-Dispatch:

Hardywood Park Craft Brewery started brewing its first major batch of ale Wednesday, a Belgian abbey-style blond ale expected to hit some local [Richmond] restaurants and stores in October. <...>

The company's flagship brew, Hardywood Singel, is expected to be available locally in October. The brewery also plans a series of reserve ales, the first being Farmhouse Ale, a seasonal brew spiced with locally grown pumpkins, and cinnamon, brown sugar and ginger supplied locally. <...>

The Hardywood Park name comes from a sheep station in New South Wales where [co-owners] Eric McKay and Patrick Murtaugh first tasted an amber ale home-brewed by the Crawford family that owned the station. <...>

The brewery also plans a series of reserve ales, the first being Farmhouse Ale, a seasonal brew spiced with locally grown pumpkins, and cinnamon, brown sugar and ginger supplied locally."We will always focus on using local ingredients whenever we can," McKay said.

The brewery had originally announced plans to open in June. Starting any business, let alone a brewery, is difficult. Missing the deadline by only a few months is a testament to good business skills. McKay, an MBA, previously worked for a craft beer distributor; Murtaugh studied brewing at the Siebel Institute in Chicago.

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Tip of the hat to Edmond Medina at Virginia Craft Beer.com, whose Tweet alerted me to this good news.