RICHMOND, Va. – Only nine months after Isley Brewing Company tapped its first kegs on Summit Avenue, Scott’s Addition has another brewery. Ardent Craft Ales will open its 9,000-square-foot brewery and 2,000-square-foot patio at 1300 W. Leigh St. today, becoming the second brewery to open up shop in the North Boulevard neighborhood in the last nine months. 
For the first few weeks, Ardent will sell almost exclusively in-house with three staple offerings: an IPA, a saison and a honey ginger beer. Kevin O’Leary, Ardent’s head brewer, said while he would like to eventually work on some more experimental beers, Ardent will establish its flagship, more approachable blends from the start. “I don’t want to do anything boring. We want to be exciting, but we want a balance,” he said. “My IPA isn’t going to be overly bitter, my sour isn’t going to be too sour.”
We are ready to see you tomorrow Richmond!
Ardent Craft Ales is about four years in the making. O’Leary and co-founders Paul Karns and Tom Sullivan began brewing together in a Church Hill garage about four years ago. O’Leary had recently moved to Richmond from Boston, where he worked for Cambridge Brewing Company. Click here to read more about Ardent Craft Ales on RichmondBizSense.com.
