-
Stop lurking! Log in to search, post in our forums, review beers, see fewer ads, and more. — Todd, Founder of BeerAdvocate
The Virginia Beer Company
401 2nd St
Williamsburg, Virginia, 23185-4815
United States
(757) 378-2903 | map
virginiabeerco.com
BEER · PEOPLE · PURPOSE
— — —
Our beers are only as good as the people with whom we share them. That starts with a talented team and extends to our guests, Full-Time Friends Social Club, and the people in our community. Together we’ve worked to create a dynamic environment that welcomes all and reflects the positive spirit of our brewery.
— — —
The Virginia Beer Company was founded with the intention of being a force for good in the form of a brewery. Active philanthropy is at the heart of our business and we strive to support & build up the community in which we live, brew, and play. Whether it be the events we host, the beers we brew, or getting involved in our personal lives...our team and our brewery strive to be a positive part of our community here in Virginia and throughout the world.
— — —
The great variety of recipes available at our Brewery + Taproom + Beer Garden — and throughout Virginia, New York, the UK, Europe, Japan, & South Korea — are made possible by a unique production model: a brewery built within a brewery. The large-scale, 30-bbl production brewing system is fully integrated with a custom built, 5-bbl pilot system that allows creativity and experimentation on a regular basis.
— — —
We look forward to welcoming you to Williamsburg, Virginia for a round of beers & cheers!
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Reviewed by Griffin2 from Virginia
4.15/5 rDev +1.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.25 | service: 4.25 | selection: 4
4.15/5 rDev +1.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.25 | service: 4.25 | selection: 4
I visited the VA Beer Co. on 2/19/2023. They have a pretty nice sized indoor seating area, as well as a pretty large patio out front. The day I visited they had 16 beers on tap. They offered beers for onsite consumption, and quite a few take-home options. They also had a food truck onsite,
Mar 02, 2023
Reviewed by lackenhauser from Maryland
4.72/5 rDev +15.4%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.75 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5
4.72/5 rDev +15.4%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.75 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5
These guys killed it for me when I was there. Open warehouse vibe with plenty of tables outside. Bit of a busy street alongside of the outdoor area but not too much noise etc....the Beast of Burden DIPA simply blew me away from the word go...it was hard to sample anything after that it was so good. Did have an imperial stout and wheatwine that were really good-preferred the RIS, wheatwine was a bit boozy. Later had an excellent oatmeal stout and killer barleywine in cans. Service was great between the 2 bartenders-very laid back and pleasant folks here. Something for everyone-several IPAs of course. But between draft and to go cans they have a great selection....If you have to chose when in town go here and Precarious Beer project in the historic area.
Jun 12, 2021
Reviewed by metter98 from New York
3.85/5 rDev -5.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.75 | service: 4 | selection: 3.75
3.85/5 rDev -5.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.75 | service: 4 | selection: 3.75
Vibe: I visited the brewery on the afternoon of the 4th of July and it was rather crowded, but we were able to snag the last open table. The taproom was very large and had high ceilings so it had an open feeling to it.
Quality: Beers were served in snifter glasses at the proper temperature.
Service: Like AleWerks, the bar had a dedicated area where you would order beers so it was relatively easy and fast to get more beers to bring back to the table.
Selection: About a dozen beers were available on-tap in different sizes. A flight of the first seven beers on the list were also available - you couldn't choose which ones you want but got #1 through #7 on the menu.
Jul 05, 2019Quality: Beers were served in snifter glasses at the proper temperature.
Service: Like AleWerks, the bar had a dedicated area where you would order beers so it was relatively easy and fast to get more beers to bring back to the table.
Selection: About a dozen beers were available on-tap in different sizes. A flight of the first seven beers on the list were also available - you couldn't choose which ones you want but got #1 through #7 on the menu.
Reviewed by Lucular from Maryland
4.14/5 rDev +1.2%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.25
4.14/5 rDev +1.2%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.25
Visited on a Saturday afternoon. Not very busy but the bartender was helpful. I appreciate that you can get any beer in a 4 oz size served in a mini snifter although the price ($2 to $3.50) was a little bit steep. The three beers I had were all enjoyable but not necessarily memorable.
Aug 06, 2018
Reviewed by BillRoth from Maryland
4.39/5 rDev +7.3%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4.25 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5
4.39/5 rDev +7.3%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4.25 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5
Really glad I stopped by VBC. 1st time and was happy to see a great mixed crowd age wise including kids/families; couples; groups and solo acts like me. Excellent vibe; good food/ food truck. Very nice broad selection of their beers on tap. Had a special release barrel aged bottle only saison for in-house drinking. Many of their beers in waxed bombers; 4pks and 6 pks. All very reasonably priced. Lots of swag. Lots of fun. People were really awesome super friendly and helpful. Expect to be back whenever in area. Great place.
Apr 22, 2018
Reviewed by PapaGoose03 from Michigan
3.75/5 rDev -8.3%
vibe: 3.75 | quality: 3.75 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5
3.75/5 rDev -8.3%
vibe: 3.75 | quality: 3.75 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5
My wife and I stopped here during our beercation to try their beers. The property is located along a busy street that is part commercial and part light-industrial such as which houses the brewery. The tap room is in the front section of the building just off the side parking lot. The interior seems spacious with its high ceiling, but there are not that many tables to make it look filled. The bar has 12+ stools. The day that we were there a tent occupied the patio at the front of the building, and I was told that an Octoberfest dinner was to be held there the next day or so. Normally that patio would be overflow seating in good weather. Beers are ordered at the bar.
There were 8 beers on tap, so we chose a sampler flight of all of them for evaluation. All of them were brewed correctly to their respective style, and a few of them notably exceeded the typical style characteristics. The most notable one was the Rob Your Head Imperial Red Ale, but there were 4 others close behind that we liked very well.
No food is served here, although a rotation of food trucks is available at times. The brewery sells beer to go in growlers, bottles and cans. We enjoyed this pub and recommend it as a worthy visit.
Sep 27, 2017There were 8 beers on tap, so we chose a sampler flight of all of them for evaluation. All of them were brewed correctly to their respective style, and a few of them notably exceeded the typical style characteristics. The most notable one was the Rob Your Head Imperial Red Ale, but there were 4 others close behind that we liked very well.
No food is served here, although a rotation of food trucks is available at times. The brewery sells beer to go in growlers, bottles and cans. We enjoyed this pub and recommend it as a worthy visit.
Reviewed by cjgiant from District of Columbia
3.91/5 rDev -4.4%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 3.75 | service: 4 | selection: 3.75
3.91/5 rDev -4.4%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 3.75 | service: 4 | selection: 3.75
Seems like a very nice place to enjoy a few pints with friends and maybe even family.
The beers (8 on tap this visit) are solid, but when I was there, they were almost all pale in nature, thought there was a saison and an oatmeal stout. The rest were basically pale bitter ales, varying from bitter leaning to decently bitter. Nothing was poorly made, in my opinion. Only one beer really stood out to me, though.
The staff was friendly and fairly attentive, as we took our time sipping and talking. They seem to struggle slightly with a nice little rush at one point, but within the bounds of handling a rush. They have snacks for sale and have a food truck (single but rotating, I believe) out front for a more substantial bite.
Overall, this seems like a nice destination for an enjoyable evening with good beer. It's not a beer geek haven nor just a place to go that happens to make beer. It's a good balance of both.
May 08, 2016The beers (8 on tap this visit) are solid, but when I was there, they were almost all pale in nature, thought there was a saison and an oatmeal stout. The rest were basically pale bitter ales, varying from bitter leaning to decently bitter. Nothing was poorly made, in my opinion. Only one beer really stood out to me, though.
The staff was friendly and fairly attentive, as we took our time sipping and talking. They seem to struggle slightly with a nice little rush at one point, but within the bounds of handling a rush. They have snacks for sale and have a food truck (single but rotating, I believe) out front for a more substantial bite.
Overall, this seems like a nice destination for an enjoyable evening with good beer. It's not a beer geek haven nor just a place to go that happens to make beer. It's a good balance of both.
Reviewed by clayrock81 from Florida
3.85/5 rDev -5.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.75 | service: 4 | selection: 3.75
3.85/5 rDev -5.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.75 | service: 4 | selection: 3.75
Located right outside the colonial section AKA the tourist trap area and not a bad location at all. Pretty busy on a weekend afternoon but the servers are knowledgeable and the service itself is steady if not speedy. Everyone is chill and there are no TV's so don't count on tube watching (kinda a detraction when you want to watch a game), but plenty of indoor and outdoor seating so no problems. They have eight of their own eight beers on tap and I wasn't wowed at all by them but they were all good, and overall I think this place is worth the stop, especially if you're a tourist.
Apr 17, 2016
Reviewed by duff96 from New York
4.86/5 rDev +18.8%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 4.75 | selection: 4.75
4.86/5 rDev +18.8%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 4.75 | selection: 4.75
Thank you Virginia beer co. for a great experience and ... even greater beer!! You have a fresh new come have a great time while enjoying f*#&ing amazing beer place and if you are in the area and have a chance to go...DO IT!!! They won't dissappint and you'll have a great time going...there beer is A+ and would reccomend trying anything you can from them...my top 3 from them would be the deadbolt... the free verse and the wrenish rye...all three would and will get rated at 90 or better over time...my speculation is this place will be in top 5 breweries of va within a year..if not top three or number one...a must see and go...do it!!
Apr 01, 2016
Reviewed by oldn00b from Virginia
4.58/5 rDev +12%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.75 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5
4.58/5 rDev +12%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.75 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5
New guys in town come out right.
There are 8 brews on tap - 4 year rounds, 2 small batch saisons, 2 other small batch brews (recently they've been a single hop Mosaic, DIPA, and Smoked Pecan Porter).
All of the beers are clean and well made. There is something for most everyone - not much on the high abv front yet.
Vibe is pretty great. They're new but it's one of the best breweries around for grabbing a pint on a nice day. They have a pretty huge beer garden with fire pits, cornhole, picnic tables etc. and roll up the big garage door so nice fresh air in the sizeable taproom as well. Definitely a family friendly vibe, sure to please the tourists. The rotating small batch brews will keep the locals coming back. No TVs - that's a plus for me in a taproom. Can't wait to watch them grow.
Edit: Updated quality rating based on the new Rob Your Head imp Red ale - world class and delicious. I think easily the best of the 15 or so beers I've tried from them.
Mar 30, 2016There are 8 brews on tap - 4 year rounds, 2 small batch saisons, 2 other small batch brews (recently they've been a single hop Mosaic, DIPA, and Smoked Pecan Porter).
All of the beers are clean and well made. There is something for most everyone - not much on the high abv front yet.
Vibe is pretty great. They're new but it's one of the best breweries around for grabbing a pint on a nice day. They have a pretty huge beer garden with fire pits, cornhole, picnic tables etc. and roll up the big garage door so nice fresh air in the sizeable taproom as well. Definitely a family friendly vibe, sure to please the tourists. The rotating small batch brews will keep the locals coming back. No TVs - that's a plus for me in a taproom. Can't wait to watch them grow.
Edit: Updated quality rating based on the new Rob Your Head imp Red ale - world class and delicious. I think easily the best of the 15 or so beers I've tried from them.
The Virginia Beer Company in Williamsburg, VA
Brewery rating:
3.96 out of
5 with
520 ratings
We love reviews (150 characters or more)! You don't need to get fancy. Drop some thoughts on the place's attributes plus your overall impression. Something that backs up your rating and helps others. Thanks!