BEER
NEWS

Reaver Beach Opens Norfolk Location
By Jeff Maisey Get ready for some award-winning hoppy and sour beers on North Colley Avenue in Norfolk. Reaver Beach Brewing Company opened its second location on February 19. Operating as Reaver Beach NFK, the brewery is housed in the former Milan Post Office...

Craft Brewers Conference & Awards Moved to September
By Staff The Brewers Association announced the 38th edition of its Craft Brewers Conference and Brew Expo America will be rescheduled and moved from March 29 in San Diego to September 9-12 in Denver. “Shifting to September in Denver provides us with an...

Elation Brewing Adds Bakehouse
By Jeff Maisey Anyone driving on North Colley Avenue at night can’t help but notice Elation Brewing Company with its blue and deep purple glow of theatrical lighting illuminating and reflecting off the large, stainless steel fermenting tanks behind the curved...

So You Wanna Be a Brewer?
By Bridgette Turner Pretty much everyone thinks that being a professional brewer is the coolest job ever. It’s a dream job. Everyone I meet is excited when I tell them that I make beer for a living. It’s soOoOoo awesome. Strangers automatically think I’m super...

James Frazer Feels Good About 2021
(Trapezium brewmaster James Frazer is hardly singing the workingman’s blues.) By Jeff Maisey Legendary soul singer James Brown was famously referred to as the “hardest working man in show business.” I’d like to crown another James — James Frazer — as potentially the...

Stable Craft Winterizes with Cool Igloos
By Jennifer Waldera Situated on a peaceful 20 acres in Waynesboro, Hermitage Hill Farm and Stables is also home to Stable Craft Brewery, a welcoming spot offering craft brews, cider, and a farm to table style menu. While the brewery’s welcome may always be...

Digging Into the IPA Hops
(Bridgette Turner became head brewer at Mustang Sally Brewing Company in late October. Courtesy photo.) By Bridgette Turner Citra, Centennial, El Dorado, Simcoe, Mosaic...IPA lovers and craft beer professionals know these hops better than they know their email...

Daytrippers Bring Record Sales to Hawksbill
(Crowlers in 3-packs have been popular at Hawksbill Brewing Company) By Jeff Maisey Hawksbill Brewing Company in Luray, VA is so busy that they can't keep up with the demand. They are getting a lot of trickle down from folks going to the Shenandoah National Park. “As...

Medals for 16 Virginia Breweries in Denver
By Jeff Maisey Sixteen independent craft breweries from Virginia score medals at the 34th annual Great American Beer Festival in Denver. In total, 1,720 breweries participated during this year’s virtual event and 273 metals were awarded overall. Skipping Rock Beer...

Black Hoof Wins 2020 Virginia Craft Beer Cup
BY JEFF MAISEY Black Hoof Brewing Company became the first brewery from Northern Virginia to win the Virginia Craft Beer Cup when its Muzzle Loader Munich Dunkel was crowned Best in Show as the Virginia Craft Brewers Guild announced the 2020 winners on August 31 at...
BREWERY SPOTLIGHTS

Heavenly Brew at Long Way
(A former church sanctuary serves as the tasting room at Long Way Brewing. Photo courtesy of the brewery.) By Jeff Maisey Anyone hoping for a second craft brewery to open in the tiny college town of Radford literally had their prayers answered late last year when...

The Rebranding of St. George Beer
By Jeff Maisey Knights, castles, dragons — oh my. I’ve always been drawn to the imagery, symbolism and concept of St. George Brewing Company in Hampton. From the prominent red cross on white background crest of St George and the weaponry of Medieval British...

Beer is Food at Loudoun Brewing Company
(A delicious beer to go with any food item. Photo courtesy of Loudoun Brewing Company.) By Michael T. Jarvis The booming success of Loudoun Brewing Company in Leesburg parallels its larger-than-life owner, Phil Fust. Despite very limited experience as a brewer, Fust...

Something’s Always Brewing at COVA
(COVA Brewing Co in the 757’s newest craft brewery. Photo by Diane Catanzaro) By Diane Catanzaro and Chris Jones To brew or not to brew? That is the question. For Scott and Susan Bateman, the answer was “two brew.” Blending the family’s love of craft beer and...

Takeaways from VA Beer Co’s 4th Anniversary
(The Virginia Beer Company crew celebrate curbside. Photo courtesy of the brewery) By Jeff Maisey Virginia Beer Company co-founders Robbie Willey and Chris Smith could never have imagined celebrating the fourth anniversary of their successful Williamsburg brewery by...

Thinking Orange at Iron Pipe Alewerks
(Iron Pipe Alewerks is one of Virginia’s newest breweries and is located in Orange. Photo courtesy of the brewery.) By Jennifer Waldera Small towns in the south rarely have spots open on Sundays, but if you’re lucky enough to stumble through the quaint streets of...

Settle Down Easy to Inspirational Beer
(Co-owner Frank Kuhns behind the bar of the tasting room with tasting room staff Lexi and Angela. Photo by Jefferson Evans.) By Jefferson Evans & Chuck Triplett A truth of life is that the most impactful aspects of a person’s journey often involve a mix of joy...

Aslin Brewing Co: Of Baby Sharks and Bonkers Beer Sales
(Taproom Manager Graham James holding 4-packs of Aslin's Baby Shark beer. Photo by Jefferson Evans.) By Jefferson Evans and Chuck Triplett Every moment is a miracle if you really think about the decisions, random chance and vagaries of fate that all have to go a...

Home-brew Exploration Launched Final Gravity
(Tony Ammendolia enjoys a beer following a run) By Annie Tobey Expectations were high when Tony Ammendolia announced that he would be adding a nano-brewery to Original Gravity, the home brewing and wine making store which he opened in 2011. “Tony was actively,...

Let’s Go to The Garage
(The Garage Brewing owner, Ulyana Gomez) Words by Diane Catanzaro and Chris Jones Photos by Chris Jones Let’s say you are casually lounging around the homestead, trying to come up with something fun to do. Your “sigo” (significant other) suggests “Let’s go to the...
BREWERY
GUIDE

Appalachia
Busted Still Brewing Company 185 Homeplace Drive Gate City 24251 276.210.6038 Lonesome Pine Brewing Company 15 East Main Street Lebanon 276.274.3697 Painted Peak Brewing Company 386 Main Street Tazewell 276.980.7325 paintedpeakbrewing.com Sugar...

Blue Ridge Highlands

Central Virginia

Coastal Virginia

Northern Virginia

Shenandoah Valley

Southern Virginia

Virginia Mountains
Big Lick Brewing Company 135 Salem Ave. Roanoke, VA 24011 540-562-8383 biglickbrewingco.com Callaway Brewing Company 21 Woodwinds Road Callaway 540.267.6733 callawaybrewingco.com Chaos Mountain Brewing Company 3135 Dillons Mill Rd. Callaway 540.334.1600...