BUILT TO SPILL

Have you ever thought you could design a growler worthy of being filled with beer and flaunted in front of your peer group? Center of the Universe is giving you about a week to make that dream come true, but only if your design gets enough votes. Together with Artspace Richmond, COTU is calling on artists to design a growler as a fundraiser and a personal fundraising activity in which you can raise yourself $200. You can buy a lot of beer with $200 and then put it in the growler THAT YOU DESIGNED.

BONUS: Catch up on COTU's Big News if you missed it last week!

OKTOBER ALREADY!?

If you missed Oktoberfest at St. Benedict’s last weekend, don’t worry; you’ll have plenty of opportunities to hoist steins between now and the end of Oktoberfest Season.

First up, Oktoberfest 2016 at Metzger Bar & Butchery. I hope you like your schnitzel with a side of pretzels, oysters, and soul music; because that is exactly what you're in for with this family-friendly, rain-or-shine event. Oh, and beer because I'm pretty sure that's the whole point. Metzger's suds line-up includes Hacker Pschorr Oktoberfest-Marzen, Paulaner Oktoberfest, Schlenkerla Marzen, Einbecker Pilsner, and Hardywood's Benny and the Fest; which seems mercifully easy to pronounce by contrast.

Then, on October 11th, it's Oktoberfest at The Cask Cafe with J Frank. No menu details are available at this time, but perhaps all you need to know is that The Cask will also be serving Brauerei Hofstetten beer straight from a barrel! Doesn't get Oktober-ier than that, folks.

And I certainly hope you haven't 'Toberfested yourself out because on October 15th, it's OYStoberfest, which combines our very compatible interests in drinking beer and slurping oysters to fabulous effect at St. Thomas' Church in Ginter Park.

ALTER-NATIVES

Native Selections has really great taste in wine. It's, like, their thing. Specifically, organic, bio-dynamic, and otherwise natural wines that they distribute throughout Virginia and DC. Next week, you can sip for yourself at their Portfolio Tasting at Belmont Food Shop, and let me assure you, there are few better pairings than funky, clever, big, cool wines and the funky, clever, big, cool food of Mike Yavorsky. Get to RSVP'ing!

SIPS TIPS

There are new wines at Saison and new cocktails (in a charming new Adventure-themed notebook) at Rogue Gentleman. And the Three Notch'd RVA RVA Collab House's Grand Opening is on October 1st. Time to log some Uber miles!

COFFEE, COFFEE BUZZBUZZBUZZ!

Crack a can of Confluence Coffee Co's oaked cold brew, and then read up on how the company has put down roots in Manchester since moving to their production facility in March.

This is not a coffee bagel b/c sweet bagels are not my style, but it is a NATE's bagle because those ARE my style.

IF YOU DO NOTHING ELSE...

Guys, this Sunday is fully-loaded. If you don’t end up uncomfortably bloated by 9:00 pm, you may, in fact, have done it wrong. First, start your day with pour-over coffee and bagels at Perk! where Nate’s Bagels will be set up to serve bagels and bagel sandwiches along with Perk’s finest coffee bevs and pour-overs by Blanchard's. Then later, head out to Scotchtown for Beast Feast, where the smoky scent of open-fire cooking awaits you.

Once you’ve had your full four hours of beast-related fun, head back to town where you’ll have the difficult decision between dinner at Nota Bene’s PIZZA NIGHT and Ardent Craft Ales Tap Takeover OR The Jackdaw pop-up at Belle & James. And of course, I feel it’s my duty to point out that you could do both. And if you do, send me a picture of yourself so that I can put it on the wall next to my other heroes: Amy Sedaris, Carrie Brownstein, and Garfield.

SIP: CATOCTIN CREEK 1757 VIRGINIA BRANDY

Virginia Spirits Month is almost over, BUT IT'S NOT, so toast to it with a glass of this historically-inspired brandy. Here's what Catoctin Creek has to say about it: "Catoctin Creek 1757® Virginia Brandy is Virginia's first commercial grape brandy since the establishment of the Commonwealth. Made from the finest locally-grown Virginia wine grapes, it is distilled and aged in premium French Bordeaux oak barrels for at least two years. Catoctin Creek Brandy is a fine sipping brandy unlike run-of-the-mill brandy on the shelves today."

BITE: NATE’S BAGELS’ BLANCHARD’S ICED COFFEE BAGEL

From the people who brought you BAGELS and COFFEE, comes A COFFEE BAGEL! This puppy will be available at the Perk! event mentioned above and to Bagel Club subscribers for a limited time!

GRAM: @MILLIESRVA

To celebrate 27 years in business, Millie's (the first and last restaurant I cooked at in Richmond #memories) is offering a three-course prix fixe menu for a mere $27. That sounds incredibly reasonable! And, likely, delicious.

MOSTLY LIQUID NEWS!