By David Hunter
There's a certain kind of brewer who never really stops brewing — even when they walk away from the kettle. Greg Fleehart is that kind of brewer.
With roots stretching back to Seattle's legendary coffee culture and a brewing career that spans Commonwealth Brewing Company in Virginia Beach, Precarious Beer Project in Williamsburg, and most recently Old Rappahannock Brewing Company in Warsaw, Greg has spent the better part of two decades chasing flavor. Now, he's chasing it in a different vessel entirely — the coffee roaster.
Greg got his start in brewing in 2009 in the Seattle area before making his way to Virginia to help launch Commonwealth Brewing Company with co-founder Jeramy Biggie. From there he landed at Precarious Beer Project, a smaller pub-style operation that he describes as a creative playground. "The cool thing about Precarious was just the amount of ingredients I got to use," he told me. "We had this amazing kitchen and these great suppliers, so I was able to throw all these crazy fun ingredients in and make really culinary inspired beers." It was there that Greg sharpened what he calls his "creative prototyping skill set" — a phrase that tells you everything about how his mind works.
After a stint selling malt and two years with Old Rappahannock Brewing Company, Greg recently made another move — this time to Wine & Beer Supply in Ashland, where he'll serve as Director of Brewery Sales. His goal: to be a connector, a collaborator, someone who helps bring the Virginia craft beer community back together through cooperation and win-win partnerships. But that's only part of the story.
The other part is Fleehart Roasters.
Greg launched his micro-roasting operation — find him at fleehartroasters.com — out of a desire to keep developing flavors without the physical demands of production brewing. A lifelong coffee lover who grew up walking distance from multiple roasteries in Seattle, he found himself drawn to the science of coffee fermentation. "There are people doing really interesting co-fermentations with fruit, carbonic macerations like they do with Beaujolais — there's this incredible fermentation lane inside of coffee," he explained. For a brewer, that's catnip.
Think of Greg less as a coffee roaster and more as a flavor scientist who happens to use coffee beans as his medium. He describes his approach using the language of brewing and music simultaneously — and as a musician myself, that analogy rang completely true. "It's like tracking a song — you've got bass, drums, everything that needs to fit into the mix. You're playing with the faders when you blend." Each roast is intentional, purposeful, built for a specific flavor experience. He's not chasing volume or mass appeal. "If you're running to Starbucks every morning for a venti iced mocha, this probably isn't the coffee for you," he said with a laugh. "But if you want to enjoy the flavor more than just the result of the beverage — kind of like choosing a Saison DuPont over a Shandy — then this is exactly for you."
The bridge between his two worlds came naturally. Greg recently collaborated with brewer Jeff Metz of Starr Hill Beer Hall & Rooftop in Richmond on a blonde ale using a lightly roasted Java bean — a project born from a conversation at an NBAA meeting in West Virginia where Greg was pouring samples of his coffee. The result was a beer that honored both crafts. He hopes to do more of it, and with his new role at Wine & Beer Supply giving him access to breweries across the mid-Atlantic and into the Northeast, the opportunity is there.
As for where to find Fleehart Roasters coffee, Greg keeps it personal and local — available through fleehartroasters.com and showing up at spots like Rise & Set Provisions in Warsaw, Act XII Wine and Provisions in Tappahannock, and The Tiny Tailgate in Colonial Beach.
Greg Fleehart isn't trying to build the next big coffee brand. He's doing what he's always done — building relationships, chasing flavor, and finding the next interesting thing to put in someone's glass. Or mug.
David Hunter leads Fans of Virginia Craft Breweries, the Commonwealth's largest Facebook Group dedicated to supporting the Virginia Craft Brewing Community.
