Microbreweries have been gaining immense popularity throughout the country since the 1990s. In the past several years, the Northern Neck and Middle Peninsula have seen a surge in vineyards, tap houses and of course, microbreweries.
Microbreweries are defined as a limited-production brewery which typically produces specialty beers. The craft beers formulated by brewers typically hold higher alcohol percentages than mass-produced domestic beers and often offer a more unique taste. Many microbreweries offer a wide variety of beers, including IPAs, stouts, porters, and ales in order to appease almost any palate.
Rather popular among millennials, microbreweries often cater to a niche group who enjoy supporting local businesses as well as traveling to new locations to see what makes one microbrewery different from another.
As the Northern Neck and Middle Peninsula regions continue to add microbreweries to their towns, owners and operators of the small businesses have noticed more and more people coming to the area to try out their craft beers while also maintaining successful relationships with year-round residents.
Gloucester Brewing Company
6788 Main Street, Gloucester
210-1407
Gloucester Brewing Company is the town’s first microbrewery. Co-owner and head brewer, Myron Ware, first began brewing his own beer in 1991 after receiving a mail-order brew kit. Soon after, the operation was moved to co-owner Mike Brewer’s garage.
With both Ware and Brewer hailing from the Gloucester area, the two opened the hometown brewery in December 2018 after having been incorporated for the previous two years.
According to Gloucester native and assistant tap room manager Pete Teagle, the brewery has grown a dedicated following of residents, as well as seen an abundance of visitors stopping by to check out the scene.
Teagle described “GBC” as the community pub where folks come to gather with one another and enjoy an afternoon or evening.
“We want people to come in and feel welcomed. We have a lot of very supportive regulars, quite a few who we see several times throughout the week,” Teagle said.
GBC offers 13 craft beers on tap with five core taps they try to consistently offer while the rest are in a rotation.
According to Teagle, the “John Beere,” a 4.2% ABV cream ale, is the most popular menu item. Because it’s a lighter beer, the brew has a crisp finish and goes down smooth.
Currently the highest percentage beer, “Shucking Good,” is a popular order for many. The oyster stout takes advantage of the area’s popular oysters that derive from the Ware River. The 7.4% ABV stout is created by using the oysters during the entire duration of the boiling process.
“Boiling the oysters extracts calcium, which leads to a softer beer,” Teagle said.
At GBC, recognizing and honoring the surrounding area is a key component to crafting their menu. With a lager named “Mobjack,” a brown ale called “Low Ground,” the red ale titled “Rosewell,” and their “Hills Bay” IPA, the company often pays homage to the surrounding localities by naming menu items after near-by areas and waterways.
The pub offers both indoor and outdoor service and Teagle says the company plans to expand the deck area in the near future in order to accommodate more guests, music and events. The company also plans to eventually expand into distribution.
The continuous strides towards a high quality product paired with friendly and dedicated service is what will allow the business to both sustain and grow its success, according to Teagle.
“If we continue to put out high quality content, we’re confident we will continue to grow and succeed,” he said.
Dragon Run Brewing
1401 Centerville Road, Shacklefords
832-5285
Also in the Middle Peninsula is the family owned and operated beer lab and tap house, Dragon Run Brewing, 1401 Centerville Road, Shacklefords. Dragon Run Brewing Company is owned by Tommy Adkins. His sister, Lindsay, is the head brewer.
Just a few short months after opening the doors in December 2019, like many, the brewery took quite a hit in wake of the pandemic. While operations certainly slowed down, the support of the community was crucial, said Adkins. In the beginning of the pandemic, the Adkins family felt the community support through pick-up orders and delivery services when indoor service was prohibited.
With restrictions becoming less harsh, Adkins said he and his sister look forward to offering music this spring.
The location also hosts trivia nights each Thursday and $5 pint nights on Fridays. Unlike many breweries, Dragon Run offers a food menu which features sandwiches, crab cakes, loaded fries and nachos, and hot loaded soft pretzels, including an option for a crab melt add-on.
The business began after Adkins had started branding his home-brewed beers as Dragon Run Brewing in 2012. His sisters, Lindsay and Meredith, encouraged him to open up a store-front by purchasing pint glasses that Christmas with the name printed on them, followed by “EST: 2018,” as they thought that was an achievable goal.
Between challenges with finding a location and other obligations, the operation took an additional year to take off.
Today, they offer eight different taps all brewed on site. The menu’s most popular item, according to Adkins, is the Mattpo-NeIPA, which is a New England IPA with a ABV of 5.6%.
The menu also offers a milk stout, a blood orange seltzer and several lagers and ales.
Looking forward, the Adkins plan to expand while still perfecting their recipes and continuing to create more brews.
“We are looking for an additional spot located in the Middle Peninsula,” said Adkins.
Old Rapp Taphouse
130 Main Street, Warsaw
250-2021
Across the river in the heart of the Northern Neck, the Old Rapp Taphouse is owned by Andrew Beale of Newport News and managed by head chef Kay Campbell of Warsaw.
After opening in August of this past year, the tap house has gained a steady local following as well as serving as a destination for those in surrounding areas.
While the tap house has yet to sell any beer brewed in its own store, they offer 12 different beers on tap, including several IPAs, sour ales, lagers and red ales.
In-house brewing and production is coming to the tap house, according to Campbell. She said by January of next year guests should be able to come and enjoy original beer made in-house.
Beyond craft beer, an extensive wine list and cocktail menu is also available, including signature drinks like “The Deadrise,” which is composed of tequila, vodka, white rum, triple sec and grapefruit juice.
Despite operations beginning in the middle of COVID-19, Campbell saw the business’ start date as an unexpected blessing.
“Since we were a new business, we didn’t know how we’d operate outside of the pandemic, so we were able to start off immediately in the habit with the guidelines instead of having to adjust to something new,” she said.
While the pandemic has slowed down many, Campbell said business has been booming since their opening.
“Nearly every night we are totally slammed,” she said.
A key component to the success of Old Rapp Taphouse is their dynamic and continuously changing food menu. As a seasoned chef, Campbell knows that providing a quality food experience with the freshest ingredients will continuously have people curious to see what the kitchen will whip up next.
From sushi nights to smoked barbecue, the menu provides options to satisfy all taste buds.
Callao Brewing Company
129 Northumberland Highway
529-1042
Callao Brewing Company is just a short ride down the road.
Bringing some night life to Callao, owners James Adams and Roger Hale provide a fun atmosphere for folks to enjoy one of their 16 beers on tap.
Callao Brewing Company hosts beer and bingo nights each Friday and music most Saturdays, as well as beer pong tournaments some weekends, too.
Adams and Hale combined their talents and interests into creating the brewing company which opened in June of last year.
Adams had previously been producing his own homemade wine while Hale would brew beers at home before the two combined forces to create the company.
Providing fresh craft beer to their customers is a priority for the duo, which often comes at the cost of very long days on top of already working other jobs.
Adams, who works for a plumbing service throughout the week, takes Mondays off to begin the brewing process while Hale typically starts brewing on Thursdays.
According to Adams, a brew day typically will last up to 10 hours. It takes 8-10 hours to make the beer, and an additional 3-7 days for the beer to ferment.
“When I brew on Mondays, that beer will be kegged the following Monday and will then be ready to go on tap by Thursdays when we open,” Adams said.
Some of the company’s most popular brews include their New England style IPA, “This is the Way,” which has an 8.0% ABV as well as the Ingram Bay IPA, which also has an 8.0% ABV and a dryer taste.
Adams’ favorite, “I’m Blonde, James Blonde,” is a blonde ale with no hop bitterness.
With the summer season rapidly approaching and more visitors beginning to frequent the area and businesses, Adams said the biggest challenge the business is currently facing is finding reliable and consistent employees.
Despite all of the hardships the pandemic has waged on business owners, Adams said the company is excited to celebrate their one year anniversary in June. They plan to celebrate their success of the past year as well as continued success to come.
More on tap
The Kilmarnock Brewhaus, 44 West Church Street, Kilmarnock, opened in spring 2018 and offers 14 beers on tap along with several options for wine. The Brewhaus also offers steamed crabs, oysters, hot dogs, pizza and pretzels to pair with drinks. 436-6207
That Damn Mary Brewing Company, 5036B George Washington Memorial Highway, Hayes, opened in July 2018. They offer 13 beers on tap and host open mic nights every Wednesday. 792-5500
The Montross Brewery and Beer Garden, 15381 Kings Highway, Montross, opened in 2015 making them the first brewery to come to the Northern Neck. The brewery offers 18 home-brewed beers on tap as well as their homemade old fashioned ginger ale. Weekends at the brewery are filled with music, vendors and a variety of other events. 729-9991
Colonial Beach Brewing Company, l215C Washington Avenue, Colonial Beach, specializes in small batch, hand crafted ales made with fresh ingredients in-house. The brewery often hosts music and other events. 540-760-5661
