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James River Brewery

4.6 (36 reviews)
ModerateBreweries
Open • 12:00 pm - 8:00 PM

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Side of building and view of the beer garden out back.
Abi M.

Our local watering hole, now that we've moved out of Charlottesville city and reside out in the county. I really enjoy James River Brewery. They've got lots of tasty beer, really something for everyone. I had their Liffey River on my most recent visit; it's an Irish Red ale, but it's darker than most red ales and creamy with a sweetness, but not like a porter, and it was really pleasant to drink. I also like their Hefeweizen, but if you're more into IPAs and stuff they've got you covered there, too. They have live music every Friday, Saturday and Sunday and their beer garden is really cool. I didn't even realize it was there the first couple of times we went, probably because it was also a colder season, but if it's a nice day you have to chill out back! There's a bar out there too, and it butts right up against the woods with a little creek, so it's calm and inviting and a good place to meet friends. Definitely a great place to visit if you haven't yet, only about 20 or so minutes from Cville. (Plus, Scottsville is a fun, quick wander if you've never done so, too!) There's street parking, and I've always been able to find a spot, but there's a lot next door at the general store, with a few spots I think JRB customers are free to use, too.

Outdoor bar
Charis M.

Great time, bar tender was wonderful and outdoor fire pit was awesome. Great selection of beers and pet friendly

Someone was excited
Amanda B.

In a small town near the James River is a tiny little brewery that from the front doesn't seem to offer much, that is until you walk inside and spy a ray of sunshine filtering in from the back and a bit of a breeze tempting you out. On a beautiful day, it was easy to bypass the tasting bar and head straight for the back patio where a smaller tasting bar awaits but is open to the sun and birds and the faint sound of a bubbling creek all back up to a huge sloping mountain. It's like a mini-hideout, places to sit all around, a fire pit, a couple of swings, and they are in the midst of building a bridge to cross over the tiny creek to a wooden swing on the other side that back up to the slope of the hill. I can only imagine how popular this place must be in the spring and summer and even fall for hanging out on lazy Sunday afternoon or party hardy on a Friday night. They offer a nice selection of beers at an intimate L-shape natural wood bar with plenty of variety to please almost anyone. (they even have a lemon ginger soda made in-house for your designated drivers) The staff is friendly and accomodating, though they could stand to be a bit more knowledgable on what exactly goes into the beers and the processes that are used. They do not serve food but they have a whole binder full of local restaurants that will deliver and fill your belly. The most unique beer I tried was the green eyed lady which they use pistachios for flavoring... blew my mind, cause I didn't expect it to amount to much but it was a well-rounded Belgian strong ale with hints of those pistachios that just made it darn interesting. And that's not the only unique beer they offer, but I'm going to leave some things a mystery. It's always fun to be pleasantly surprised and this is one of those breweries where I think you will be.

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8 years ago

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6 years ago

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8 years ago

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4 years ago

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4 years ago

Great variety's of beer, quaint space, friendly service. All of this in a cute, unique town of Scottsville.

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9 years ago

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6 years ago

I love them because good beer, good people and uneducated people like Paul don't want to go here anymore.

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11 years ago

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12 years ago

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7 years ago

This is a cute place to visit. Very friendly. staff, Very clean and has gained a lot of popularity in the recent years.

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12 years ago

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8 years ago

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14 years ago

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13 years ago

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8 years ago

Great beer. Was surprised by the quality of taste for this small brewery. A unknown gem for sure. You gotta give it a try.

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11 years ago

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Review Highlights - James River Brewery

“I also like their Hefeweizen, but if you're more into IPAs and stuff they've got you covered there, too.”

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Tasting Room &Taphouse at Mount Ida Reserve - Outside bar area

Tasting Room &Taphouse at Mount Ida Reserve

4.1(124 reviews)
4.6 mi
•$$

Beautiful setting, ornate yet somewhat rustic indoors with multiple sipping & eating spaces plus…read morethe brewing room & bar area where to-go beer cans were prepped. Flowers in vases, fanciful chairs & tables, a circular staircase going to an upstairs tasting room, chandeliers, mirrors & paintings abound and a very curious video of home interiors & exteriors (homes for sale?) is seen on large screen monitors. Outdoors (this is a 5,000 acre property!), there are also many areas to sit including where heat lamps warm you in the colder months, a fire pit with rocking chairs around it, a space for pizza making classes, a large fireplace & bubbling fountains. All overlooking expansive views of the surrounding mountains & meadows. We came on a day when flights of beer (all were so good!) were half priced. The snack foods we ordered were very large (pretzels, cinnamon bites with caramel & softened goat cheese dip with raisins, honey, olive oil & flatbread for dipping. All were filling & flavorful. Staff is super friendly & welcoming. There is ample parking.

Loved the food, the views, and the Sunday bingo that had great mimosas. We all had the breakfast…read moreburrito and it was really good. I was disappointed; however, with the hostess that sat us: she rolled her eyes because we didn't have a reservation, then sat us at a table with 4 wet chairs and when we said something about it, she said "well this is the only place they are doing to bingo". She didn't offer to grab a rag to wipe the seats or anything so we took it upon ourselves to move all of the chairs and swap them out and then she came back with a rag and rolled her eyes again when we said we already took care of it. That interaction almost soured our whole experience and we wanted to leave, however, we stayed for the bingo and food and were happy we did. The bingo host was very pleasant and did a great job! They also have a little gift shop that we bought some things from because we weren't able to win them at Bingo. Another thing that seemed odd is that there was no decaf coffee available (even though this was a brunch event): that seemed like an oversight to me. Also, I ordered a Diet Coke and it came in a can and I would have thought it would be from a soda machine. I don't mean to sound picky, but after the ride hostess, we were just noticing those small details that were missed but could easily be improved upon.

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Tasting Room &Taphouse at Mount Ida Reserve - Delicious mimosa

Delicious mimosa

Tasting Room &Taphouse at Mount Ida Reserve - Burrata

Burrata

Tasting Room &Taphouse at Mount Ida Reserve - View out back!

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View out back!

Devils Backbone Brewing Company - Backbone Nachos

Devils Backbone Brewing Company

4.1(226 reviews)
49.3 mi
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I wasn't even in the mood for beer, but came here anyways and was shocked…read more I went with a friend for dinner here as the options are super limited in Lexington VA. I was already not in the mood for anymore drinking after spending a weekend in a major tournament in Lynchburg. Anyways, for a Saturday evening, this place was pretty packed both inside and outside. We both ended up getting a flight of beers each and every one was great. The food surprised me as my fish tacos was super fresh. The chips and queso was also great. Overall, a must see - especially for the view of the mountains if you decided to eat outdoors.

Brewery # 445…read more Devil's Backbone is a very large operation it seems. They make beer, the make bourbon, and they make food. They just do them all very slowly or at least they did when I was there. We came here on a Monday evening, and it was somewhat busy but there were visible empty tables and a couple spots at the bar. We went to the bar and waited awhile before the bartender asked what we wanted. I didn't ask for a flight because he seemed too busy. Whatever I wanted they were out of, but I ended up with an Imperial 16-point IPA which was quite tasty. I also got some chicken nachos, but I had to go stand in line to order them. They were adequate but not worth the wait. The place was very disorganized. They had workers always standing by the hostess desk, but the bartender was overwhelmed. Seemed like they should have had more than one, after all it is a brewery. Would have loved to try more beer but we just left and went back into Lexington for another round at another place. I don't know maybe it was just a bad night.

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Devils Backbone Brewing Company - Sour beer

Sour beer

Devils Backbone Brewing Company - Menu

Menu

Devils Backbone Brewing Company - Dining room

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Dining room

James River Brewery - breweries - Updated October 2026

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