Three Notch'd RVA Collab House releases Bee Student beer in collaboration with UR
On June 14, Three Notch’d RVA Collab House releases Bee Student, a honey bourbon-barrel imperial milk stout brewed in collaboration with the University of Richmond.
The brewers in this collaboration were Stefan McFayden, Head Brewer at Three Notch’d RVA Collab House, and Bobby Faithful, Program Specialist for the Brewing Education Program at the University of Richmond School of Professional & Continuing Studies (SPCS). Assisting in the brewing collaboration were Garrett Stern, Senior Program Manager for Professional Education at SPCS, and Vivian Marcoccio, Graphic Designer on the SPCS Marketing Team and a graduate of the Beer Brewer Professional Certificate program.
Marcoccio also designed the beer’s label, excerpted above.
The idea for the collaboration originated in the University of Richmond Office of Sustainability’s efforts to bring beehives onto campus and provide beekeeping instruction. Although UR beehives did not provide the honey for the brew, the beer’s name, Bee Student, reflects its inspiration in UR’s honeybees.
The campus beehives themselves are a complex collaborative effort, involving University Facilities, the Department of Biology, the Office for Sustainability, Dining Services, Public Safety, faculty bee experts, and SPCS.
Bee Student, like the collaboration that created it, is a complex brew. It’s a honey bourbon-barrel imperial milk stout with a kick at 10.8% ABV. In its description, the brewers write that “our stout uses oats, lactose and honey to complement the notes of coffee and chocolate from the dark, roasted grain for an extremely smooth, creamy body and bold flavor.”
Additional complexity comes from aging in bourbon barrels: “After fermentation, it spent several months in bourbon barrels which lent a rich bourbon and oak character.”
The release party is Thursday, June 14, starting at 4 p.m. at Three Notch’d RVA Collab House, 2930 West Broad Street in Scott’s Addition. The event is free and open to the public, with no registration required. Draft specials of the release are available from 4-7 p.m.