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Benchtop Brewing Company
1129 Boissevain Ave
Norfolk, Virginia, 23507
United States
(757) 321-9482 | map
benchtopbrewing.com
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Boone757:
Rated by Boone757 from Virginia
4.08/5 rDev -6.4%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.25 | service: 4 | selection: 4
May 17, 2017
4.08/5 rDev -6.4%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.25 | service: 4 | selection: 4
May 17, 2017
More User Ratings:
Reviewed by stevoj from Idaho
3.75/5 rDev -14%
vibe: 3.75 | quality: 3.75 | service: 3.75 | selection: 3.75
3.75/5 rDev -14%
vibe: 3.75 | quality: 3.75 | service: 3.75 | selection: 3.75
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.
Jan 27, 2023Reviewed by VeganUndead from Virginia
4.37/5 rDev +0.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.25
4.37/5 rDev +0.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.25
Cool little spot you can tell it's popular and growing quickly. Beer quality is fantastic, knowledgeable staff, checkout if you're into IPAs, also offering Gose's and dark brews
Apr 16, 2018Reviewed by krbrevard from Virginia
3.92/5 rDev -10.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.75 | service: 4 | selection: 4
3.92/5 rDev -10.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.75 | service: 4 | selection: 4
Jack of all trades, but master of none. The sours were ok as mentioned by my buddy who is a sour guy and the IPAs were pretty good but not mind blowing. Still, the beer is very clean and the environment is nice.
Sep 08, 2017Reviewed by NeroFiddled from Pennsylvania
4.23/5 rDev -3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.25 | selection: 4
4.23/5 rDev -3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.25 | selection: 4
Benchtop Brewing was one of the top three stops on my recent week long beer excursion to Virginia. The main reason for that is the beer, and although I'll admit I prefer Commonwealth Brewing in Virginia Beach in general, Benchtop is right up there.
It's a nice looking, highly polished but very basic woody-looking tasting room that's within walking distance of Smartmouth Brewing, and also not too far from Bold Mariner and Coelacanth. It's very comfortable and warm inside, and if you're interested you can look right into the brewery.
There's no food, but there are food trucks, or you can bring it in. What I saw looked very good, and I thought it a little odd, but there was a family eating there that hadn't ordered any beers, they were just there for the food truck. The bar staff didn't say anything about it, which I thought was nice - whether they'd be as welcoming if it had been busier I don't know. It's good to be nice to your neighbors though, right?
On to the beers, which is the best and biggest part, they offer eight beers on tap. A lot of them are IPAs, but they also offer sour beers, saisons, hoppy pale ales, and a porter and Kölsch-style beer or something like that (maybe a wheat) so it's fairly nicely spread out. Could it be more diversified? Absolutely. Would that sell as well? Absolutely - not. So there! I'm kidding, in addition to their IPAs I really enjoyed their Elegant Ego Saison, as well as their Chocolate Smokehouse Porter, and their Harmonious Cream Kolsch. All were really nicely done and polished.
Service seems to be the last factor, and I can say that although service seems to be generally very good in the whole Norfolk/Virginia Beach area in general, I thought it was very good here. I was impressed, and if it was my business I'd want their staff supporting me. Kudos!
Jul 07, 2017It's a nice looking, highly polished but very basic woody-looking tasting room that's within walking distance of Smartmouth Brewing, and also not too far from Bold Mariner and Coelacanth. It's very comfortable and warm inside, and if you're interested you can look right into the brewery.
There's no food, but there are food trucks, or you can bring it in. What I saw looked very good, and I thought it a little odd, but there was a family eating there that hadn't ordered any beers, they were just there for the food truck. The bar staff didn't say anything about it, which I thought was nice - whether they'd be as welcoming if it had been busier I don't know. It's good to be nice to your neighbors though, right?
On to the beers, which is the best and biggest part, they offer eight beers on tap. A lot of them are IPAs, but they also offer sour beers, saisons, hoppy pale ales, and a porter and Kölsch-style beer or something like that (maybe a wheat) so it's fairly nicely spread out. Could it be more diversified? Absolutely. Would that sell as well? Absolutely - not. So there! I'm kidding, in addition to their IPAs I really enjoyed their Elegant Ego Saison, as well as their Chocolate Smokehouse Porter, and their Harmonious Cream Kolsch. All were really nicely done and polished.
Service seems to be the last factor, and I can say that although service seems to be generally very good in the whole Norfolk/Virginia Beach area in general, I thought it was very good here. I was impressed, and if it was my business I'd want their staff supporting me. Kudos!
Reviewed by clayrock81 from Florida
3.92/5 rDev -10.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.75 | service: 4.25 | selection: 3.75
3.92/5 rDev -10.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.75 | service: 4.25 | selection: 3.75
Maybe this review is atypical b/c not only did I go on a Sunday afternoon but went on NYD (1/1) so a very subdued crowd (week 17 football doesn't help). Laid back place that is small but looks like a nice chill spot and the service is top-notch and friendly so no complaints. Not too much of a selection quantity wise (5 beers w/ two IPAs) but they're new and the stuff I had was pretty good. Worth checking out soon and another good brewery here in the 757.
Jan 03, 2017
Benchtop Brewing Company in Norfolk, VA
Brewery rating:
3.84 out of
5 with
528 ratings
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