Hi everyone on the east coast. I'm heading to Virginia Beach next week for a few months and bringing some great beers with me. I'm hoping to meet up with some locals to share some beers with and fill me in on some go to spots. Any information will be greatly appreciated. Cheers everyone!
Definitely hit up The Birch in Norfolk, its one of the best beer bars you will ever go to. They don't focus on american craft beers, they usually have a good mix of american stuff and international stuff on draft, which means you won't necessarily get 15 taps of Stone, Firestone, Dogfish Head, etc.. Whatever they have on tap will be hand-picked because it is awesome. You will definitely find something you've never heard of that you will love. Their bottle selection is awesome as well. The place is not to be missed. For a more conventional tap list, try Cogan's pizza in Norfolk, they have about 30 taps and while a lot of them are pretty standard, they usually have something to get excited about. Withing walking distance of The Birch is Smartmouth Brewing, a local brewery with a tap room, its worth checking out if you're there when the tap room is open. I really like their Alter Ego saison. Also right around the corner from The Birch is Tortilla West, they have good American-Tex-Mex food and usually some pretty good beers on tap as well. 80/20 Burger Bar in Norfolk has good beers and good burgers, its a good place to check out. Grape and Gourmet is an awesome bottle shop in Virginia Beach. The Total Wine in VB is pretty good too and since you are coming from so far away they will probably have a lot that you can't get at home.
I should add that I'm not local any more, I moved up to Northern VA in September, otherwise I would be happy to show you around.
You can't go wrong with those recommendations . In Va. Beach along with G&G and Total Wine you should check out Whole Foods ( good selection plus cheap pints and growlers ) and Tapped ( fairly new beer bar with live music most nights ) . Both are real close to TW . My favorite bar is Lynnhaven pub . It's a small place but they get some great beers . They had a keg of KBS last weekend . And they sell beers to go out of their cold case and fill growlers too . Will definitely meet up with ya for a beer . Have some good beers to share or trade also.
If you are going to be here for a while, like Grape and Gourmet on Facebook, they post pics of beer as they get it and will gladly hold bottles for you. Also, hit up Young Veterans Brewing and Beach Brewing, both have great beers and they are pretty much right next to each other. The Jet Noise Double IPA from Young Veterans is pretty much my favorite IPA, and they make a pineapple hef that is pretty tasty too. The rest of the breweries in this area have a couple solid beers, but these two are my favorites.
If you make your way up to Richmond, Mekong is a must. And let me know if you do, always down to crack some bottles, especially with people I've traded with before
