The Virginia Beer Company

Visited at the tail end of 2020. First of all, top scores for COVID protocols. Rules were clearly displayed and the staff were doing their best to make everyone feel safe and comfortable. Some renovations going on and the taproom looks brand new. Looks like future work coming to the beer garden too. Pints and flights were available, with 16 different beers on tap. Enjoyed that I could sample a British Bitter along with a DDH DIPA. Nice range! Food truck on-site too. Enjoyed the visit, especially considering the circumstances, and will definitely be back once the renovations are complete to check out the new look and feel of this brewery!

Large place with decent beer selection. They were only doing full pints though during COVID-19, so don't go here to knock off ticks. In fact, most of the stuff here is also available in cans in the VA Beach/Norfolk/Williamsburg area anyway. Had one beer and left, though it would be a good place to hang out if living in the area.

Large, welcoming taproom space. Oversized beer garden with plenty of room to roam (when acceptable). And a very friendly front of house staff! I appreciated the variety of the beers. Of the 16 options, they were IPA heavy for sure (but it's the top selling style in the country, so why not I guess); but also multiple Stouts; a Golden Ale; a Saison series; a fruited Sour; and some other nice surprises. All the beers were very clean and true to style. And some pretty sharp branding too! Plus I'm a sucker for any brewery that gives back and they had two beers available where proceeds benefited diversity and inclusion causes, and a third beer promoting Pride Month and beer for all. I'm all for that!

Nice place. Nice, friendly staff. Video games for kids. Good selection of beers. All of the beers were good. Nothing exceptional, but nothing that would stop us from coming back.

My absolute favorite brewery in the Tidewater region. Use of a re-conditioned building (very Williamsburg in that sense). Big taproom. Big beer garden. Fire pits. Corn hole. Food trucks rotating daily. 16 taps, and 8 rotate regularly. A lot of interesting recipes including Brett beers and local malt from Copper Fox distillery. A really fun IPA series and some nice barrel-aged offerings a couple times a year. What really sets this place off is the staff. Knowledgeable but more important, friendly. I feel very comfortable here and it makes the beer taste that much better!

Virginia Beer Co is a fairly large space in the commercial area of Williamsburg. They have a large parking lot on the side. Outside patio available. Inside is open with a large bar and a number of tables. A variety of beers available, including a barrel aged entry. Relatively few IPA's -- one English/American hybrid on tap and that's about it. Service was friendly. Everything available as sample sized pours. I was having 4G connection trouble here, but they have free wireless with a password posted on the chalkboard. I have heard a lot of good things about this place, but I was not impressed with the three beers I tried; definitionally average in all ways, but at least lacking in major flaws. Maybe I just hit a bad time or made bad choices.

Came here on a sunny Friday with the BF and parents, and boy, was I glad I came. The space itself is larger than I expected, with about 12-15 tables, which is great for larger groups. They have a lot of outdoor seating as well, complete with a fire pit but we (obviously) could not make use of them. The bar area is very rustic meets modern, and plenty of seats for people who want to hang out by the bar. You can see into the actual brewery through huge glass windows, which really makes you feel like you're getting your beer straight from the tank. There were a lot of people playing board games like Jenga, Battleship, and cards - super nostalgic (not sure if they were provided by the brewery or if people brought their own games, but definitely bring a deck of cards if you're planning on staying a while). There is a huge wall in the rear with all the beer options - there were 8 when the BF and I stopped by. Make sure you get the sampler - 8 beers for $15 is a deal you should NOT pass up. They have everything from light ales to dark porters, plus a couple of specialty brews that differ throughout the year. Also, if you get hungry, the brewery allows patrons to bring in their own food and even order directly to the brewery! So if you're looking for somewhere to hang out and grab a few (or 5) beers with friends and family, whether it is in the middle of a hurricane or a beautiful summer day, VA Beer Company is the place to be.

In reading the previous two reviews, I’ll make my review with the understanding that I got a bit lucky. It was saturday evening/afternoon; there was live music; the place was crowded...but the service was fine; most likely because we got lucky and walked up to the bar as soon as other people were getting up. A line formed promptly after right next to us and some people had to wait a lot longer than we did. Staff was very friendly, the sliders truck and prices were good, and the whole atmosphere was really comfortable. I agree that the parking was wholly inadequate, but disagree in that the beer, while decent, was not impressive. I’d definitely go back though.

Like the previous reviewer, I thought all the beers I had here were very, very good. In contrast, during my late Sunday afternoon visit, the service was excellent despite a busy but not crowded venue. With good sized indoor and outdoor areas this place has the potential to host large crowds but I can see how it could very quickly become stretched if a couple of big groups rolled in. Overall I think it was worth a visit because of the quality of the beers.