BenchTop Brewing Company

Cruising through Norfolk and we stopped in here. Small and cozy, right on the sidewalk, fairly low key vibe. Modern decor, dimly lit. Emphasis was on their foeders and sours. Not a large tap list. Good service.

Second stop of the evening with Neil; walked over from his place. He claimed this was the best brewery in Norfolk, but I was skeptical. After six rates I am convinced. Holy hell they are firing on all cylinders, across a number of styles. This could be another one of those "big things" soon - keep your eyes on it. Service was very good. Fairly busy on a Tuesday night with a large wooden bar and a number of tables around. Flights of four available, as well as single samplers. They are also canning and had a couple/three four pack options when we were there.

A nice outdoor patio lots of seating indoors, food is good and service is good. Their beers are good with a few that are better than average.

In a very well-redone space in the same little ’hood as Smartmouth and The Birch, up rises BenchTop Brewing. Slightly more wood than metal here, but otherwise pretty similar in feel to Smartmouth ... maybe a little more and greener outdoor space. They serve all their beers, regardless of style, in long stem glasses, which adds a little bit to a bit of a pretentious atmosphere. We only had a couple beers, which were good. But being in the ’hood means you gotta save some liver capacity to hit the other two very good beer destinations nearby, too. I’ll be back. Brewery #796.