The craft, small-batch, and nano-brewery movement has swept the nation over the last decade or so, and there’s been no exception in the great state of Virginia. Truly the state for craft beer lovers, everyone from the most discerning beer experts to the weekend travelers have taken notice. Whether visitors are looking for a guided brewery tour, a craft-beer crawl, or a refreshing pint after a long day of adventure, Virginia’s breweries have them covered.
Caboose Brewing Company
Caboose Brewing Company was originally founded in 2015 by the Greer and McLaughlin families, named in honor of the region's historic Washington and Old Dominion Railroad line. The casual downtown Vienna brewery and tavern is located along the repurposed W&OD line, which serves as a bike and trail path today, and encourages trail riders and walkers to stop in for high-quality brews and craft farm-to-table fare throughout the week. Excellent craft brews served on tap throughout the year include the company's award-winning Vienna, VA Lager and Boxcar Brown Ale, both of which have received gold medals at the Virginia Craft Brewers Cup. Delectable entrees such as fried green tomato sandwiches and signature Thai chili emulsion burgers are served up alongside charcuterie boards and internationally-inspired gastropub appetizers throughout the week. A second location in Fairfax offers a coffee house, outdoor beer garden, and three levels of open seating.
520 Mill St NE, Vienna, VA 22180, Phone: 703-865-8580
Reaver Beach Brewing Co.
Reaver Beach Brewing Co. is the proud parent of the legendary Hoptopus Double IPA, and the creator of award-winning wild and sour ales. Discerning beer drinkers will find this amazing brewery and its passionate team members located in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The brewers are constantly experimenting with unique ingredients and local microflora to produce new and exciting beer selections. The taproom uses old aging barrels as bar-table bases, and also features flat-screen TVs, surfboard draft handles, red and yellow walls, and chalkboard tap lists. From the Throne of Bones to the Fortress of Bones to The Red Messenger, patrons will enjoy several innovative flavors and styles of beer.
1505 Taylor Farm Road, Virginia Beach, VA, Phone: 757-563-2337
The Virginia Beer Company
The Virginia Beer Company is a beer garden, taproom, and brewery located in Williamsburg, Virginia. Two graduates from the nearby William & Mary University, and a brewmaster from Atlanta’s SweetWater Brewing, joined forces and founded the brewery in 2016. The taproom keeps four, year-round beers on draft, complimented by a rotation of seasonal and limited edition beers that include barrel-aged imperial stouts, barrel-fermented Brett Saisons, and experimental IPA’s. On top of the rotating variety of small-batch beers, The Virginia Beer Company features live pop-up entertainment, live music, and food trucks with daily specials. Visitors will enjoy sensational selections that include Saving Daylight, Free Verse, Elbow Patches, and Wrenish Rye.
401 2nd Street, Williamsburg, VA, Phone: 757-378-2903
Big Lick Brewing Company, LLC
Big Lick Brewing Company, LLC was the first nano-brewing company to establish itself in the city of Roanoke, Virginia. Slowly, over time, the brewery has achieved great success developing quality beers with premium ingredients and state-of-the-art equipment. The heart of the brewery is its 15 barrel production system. After the beers leave the boil kettle they go straight to fermentation, are kegged into serving tanks, cold conditioned, and are ready for consumption. No finings or filtering during this process. From the Saison Medusa to the Kera Coconut Brown Ale to the Barbie Juice, visitors will enjoy sensational pints in a modern and industrial taproom setting.
409 Salem Avenue Southwest, Roanoke, VA, Phone: 540-562-8383
Blue Mountain Barrel House
Blue Mountain Barrel House has the distinct privilege of being the first brewery to open in Nelson County, Virginia. This Virginia Green Program brewery opened its doors for the first time in the year of 2007. Since then the brewery has gone on to win medals at both the Great American Beer Festival and World Beer Cup for their 100% brewery-grown Blue Reserve fresh hop ale. With gold medal victories in 2010 and 2011 at the Great American Beer Festival, Blue Mountain Barrel House became the only Virginia brewery to receive the premier honor back-to-back years. Visitors will enjoy the Full Nelson Virginia Pale Ale – the brewery’s flagship pale ale, featuring a balanced malt body, floral, citrusy, and highly session-able.
495 Cooperative Way, Arrington, VA, Phone: 434-263-4002
Crooked Run Brewing
Getting its start in 2013, Crooked Run Brewing is a nano-brewery that offers traditional ale recipes using locally sourced ingredients, located in Leesburg, Virginia. Starting humbly with just two beers on draft, Crooked Brewing now offers up to 12 unique brews on tap at any time. The brewery has a lovely outdoor patio area that’s surrounded by a beautiful garden with hops and berries. The patio provides the perfect, intimate setting for family, friends, and couples that want to enjoy a little quality time over a refreshing pint. If hunger strikes, the brewery does offer a few small plates. The Razzz Sour Ale is a crowd pleaser – a very berry flavor with a bit of tartness and a crisp finish.
205 Harrison Street Southeast, Leesburg, VA, Phone: 571-918-4446
Heritage Brewing Co.
Heritage Brewing Co. has a mission of crafting beer with pride, serving fellow countrymen, and giving back to community whenever possible. Established in 2013, the brewery started off with 12 different beers; since then Heritage has produced over 400 varieties of craft beer, and has distributed 20 different kinds of packaged beer all throughout the eastern seaboard. The Manassas, Virginia, location is the original location, as well as Heritage’s headquarters. The taproom features industrial design elements, exposed wood around the base of the bar, large works of modern art, and stainless-steel brewing tanks on display. Visitors will enjoy tasty pints that include the Force Multiplier Double IPA, Civil Works Honey Lager, and Kings Mountain Scotch Ale.
9436 Center Point Lane, Manassas, VA, Phone: 571-208-1355
Pleasure House Brewing
Pleasure House Brewing is Shore Drive’s first brewery, and is located a block from the shimmering Chesapeake Bay in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The brewery is very passionate about a couple of things: making the highest quality of beer and serving the community. A few of the brewery’s award-winning beers include OB’s Wattleseed Stout, Rudee Inlet DIPA, and Glo Belgian Blond. In addition to the core brews on draft, Pleasure House rotates through familiar and new recipes that feature 2 seasonal, 2 malty selections, 2 Belgian-style ales, 2 hoppy choices, a kettle-soured ale, and a Saison. Visitors will enjoy their pints in a taproom equipped with foosball, darts, flat-screen TVs, and great music.
2032 Pleasure House Rd, Virginia Beach, VA 23455, Phone: 757-496-0916
Backroom Brewery
Backroom Brewery is a charming boutique farm brewery situated at the center of the Shenandoah Valley, in the small town of Middletown, Virginia. What began as a farm growing mostly medicinal and culinary herbs, grew to include a field dedicated to the production of hops for the farm’s new brewery venture. The hops field got it first bountiful harvest in the fall of 2013, and the construction of the brewery finished up in the summer of 2014. During the warmer months, the farm brings in lots of visitors for the beautiful scenery, the labyrinth, chalkboards, and corn hole. A few of the favorites include the Backroom Blonde Ale, Festival Wheat Beer, and Lemon Basil Wheat Beer.
150 Ridgemont Road, Middletown, VA, Phone: 540-869-8482
Rising Silo Brewery
Rising Silo Brewery is the creation of Pat Bixler, Jess Zielske, Greg Zielske Jr. (Brewer), and the community of Glade Road in Blacksburg, Virginia. This ground-up movement and its shared farm space provide a sense of collaboration, productivity, and creativity. Rising Solo aims to create fermented refreshments that overflow with thought, authenticity, and taste, while using the freshest and very best ingredients available. They also want to foster an environment where community members from near and far can gather to celebrate, connect, dream, and relax. Patrons can enjoy draft-list favorites in the brewery’s rustic taproom that include the Treerider IPA, Leggy Blonde, and the Blue Heifer. The Sasquash Ale is an excellent choice during the fall, especially around Halloween.
2351 Glade Road, Blacksburg, VA, Phone: 540-750-0796
Smartmouth Brewing Co.
From 2012, Smartmouth Brewing Co. has been a part of shaping the craft-beer scene in the Hampton Roads region of Norfolk, Virginia. With no gimmicks or funny business, the brewery creates recipes using the finest ingredients, choosing flavor over flash. The brewery produces three seasonal styles, five year-round beers, and a wide variety of limited-edition brews that will keep the patrons spirits high. Part of the Virginia Green Program, Smartmouth’s improved environmental impact efforts include energy conservation, water efficiency, minimizing the use of disposable food products, and recycling. From the Murphy’s Law Amber to the Notch 9 Double IPA to the Alter Ego Saison, visitors will enjoy experimental, unique, very tasty, well-crafted beer.
1309 Raleigh Avenue, Suite 300, Norfolk, VA, Phone: 757-624-3939
Starr Hill Brewery
Born in a music hall in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 1999, Starr Hill Brewery was created out of a strong passion for live music and great beer. With 22 World Beer Cup, Great British Beer Festival, and Great American Beer Festival medals, Starr Hill is one of the East Coast’s top, award-winning craft breweries. The brewery’s sensational beer creations are distributed all throughout the Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions. Visitors can enjoy open-mic night on Mondays, jazz night on Wednesdays, and regular live musical performances throughout the year. Patrons will be delighted by the wide range of selections, they’ll enjoy year-round favorites that include The Love Wheat Beer, the Grateful Pale Ale, and the Northern Lights IPA.
5391 Three Notched Road, Crozet, VA, Phone: 434-823-5671
Strangeways Brewing
Strangeways Brewing is an 8,400 square-foot, one-of-a-kind production brewery located in Richmond, Virginia. Visitors will appreciate the brewery’s wonderfully-peculiar main bar, the funky local-artisan décor on display, and the laid-back, casual atmosphere. The brewery has over 36 unique beers on draft on any given day. One of the tasting rooms provides visitors with views of the brewing equipment and a backdrop of more than 200 wine and spirit barrels. Strangeways is equipped with an outdoor Biergarten; the perfect setting for grabbing some grub from the rotating food trucks, playing cornhole, or relaxing with the pooches. Patrons will taste the passion that goes into every beer, especially the fan-favorite, Hop Howler IPA.
2277 Dabney Road, Richmond, VA, Phone: 804-303-4336
The Damascus Brewery
Founded by homebrewer Adam Woodson, The Damascus Brewery is a small-batch brewery with a tasting room located in Damascus, Virginia. The brewery has over 45 different recipes of beer that are brewed at different times throughout the year, maintaining plenty of variety for its patrons. The taproom has eight draft lines, meaning anyone of the brewery’s many beer selections could be on draft any given night. From The Dankness Monster Imperial Red Ale to the Beaver Rage IPA to the Bimbo Blonde Ale, visitors will appreciate the diverse range of styles and flavors. The Honey Mango Sour’s pleasant combination of tart and fruitiness has made it a fan-favorite among returning patrons.
32173 Government Road, Damascus, VA, Phone: 276-469-1069
Triple Crossing Beer
Triple Crossing Beer is a craft brewery with a rotating list of draft beers and a laid-back vibe in downtown Richmond, Virginia. This charming yet unassuming looking bricked building provides the ideal setting for an after-work pint or weekend hangout with friends. Dog owners can enjoy a refreshing beer with their furry little friends on the brewery’s outside patio. Triple Crossing offers a small food menu that includes cheese straws, chips and salsa, gourmet grilled-cheese sandwiches, and ice-cream sandwiches. Visitors are also allowed to bring their own outside food onto the property. From the Battle Creek IPA to the Salinity Sour Gose to the Loral Lager, patrons will enjoy a diverse selection of sensational craft beers.
113 South Foushee Street, Richmond, VA, Phone: 804-495-1955
Wasserhund Brewing Company
Meaning “water dog” in German, Wasserhund Brewing Company was born from an unceasing love for dogs, the beach, and German beer. Wasserhund aims to foster an environment where strangers, friends, and family can enjoy the highest quality German lagers and ales. The exceptional quality of beers produced here are matched only by the sensational artisan pizzas that come out of the custom-built, woodfired brick oven. To show their appreciation for the community around them, every month the brewery donates 5% of its revenue to customer-chosen causes and charities. Visitors will enjoy refreshing favorites that include the Doggy Paddle IPA, the Purebred Pilsner, and Oktoberfest. They’ll also like the Jumbo Beer Pretzel – served with Wasserhund’s Beer Cheese or Mustard.
1805 Laskin Road, Suite 102, Virginia Beach, VA, Phone: 757-351-1326
