When I venture around this great country of ours, I like to check out what the local craft breweries are doing. The last time I was in Virginia, I visited many breweries. Most were good, some were not. I did revisit a couple on this trip so see if there have been any changes. So far on this trip I've tried:
Gordon Biersch (Virginia Beach, VA)--two years ago, a couple of beers on their sampler were infected. This year, all of their beers were very well-made. Some general notes--yes, it's a chain. I do not hold that against them, as a national chain gave me my start in commercial brewing. However, they have a much stronger "chain vibe" than Rock Bottom. There were no references to their Brewmaster on the menus or table tents. There were no local references to their beer names. It felt a little more like a beer factory. On the plus side, they were very busy. They have a large menu. Another interesting note is the ABVs of their beers hovered around the low to mid 5%'s. The top ABV was 7%, and was described a "powerful".
Weeping Radish (Grandy, NC)--Just stopped in for one pint there. Didn't have the sampler. When I was there last time, I took the tour. This place has a pretty cool story. The owner is a German immigrant. He bought a bunch of land just north of the Outer Banks to farm. His brother talked him in to adding a brewery to the project. This working farm/restaurant/brewery is largely self-sustaining. Most of ther food served is grown there. They also have an old-school butcher who processes their livestock and turns them in to some of the best sausages I've ever tried. Oh, and the beer's good, too!
Williamsburg Alewerks (Williamsburg, VA)--Again, this was a return trip. Last time, the Brewmaster had just been replaced, and the new Brewmaster's beers were not on tap yet. The beers were fine, but nothing really stood out. On the revisit, all of the beers I tried were very well-crafted and true to style. I picked up a mixed case to share during our Thanksgiving meal.
Virginia Beach, well Virginia in general has been struggling in the beer scene for quite some time. There is so much opportunity for an up-and-coming brewery/brewpub here, as well as a demand for it that I am shocked that there are so few attempting to invest in this area. Now we do have some new local establishments I hope to show you next time. O’Connor Brewing Company based out of Norfolk, Beach Brewing Company out of Va Beach, and St. George Brewing Company in Hampton are hopefuls, but I still struggle as I try to find a bit of Milwaukee here in Hampton Roads!
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