Norfolk

Discussion in 'Mid-Atlantic' started by HopHeadPaul, Mar 8, 2017.

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  1. HopHeadPaul

    HopHeadPaul Initiate (0) Jan 8, 2015 South Carolina

    I am going to Norfolk this weekend to see Green Day. I am going to try the new Stone Brewery while in the area and hopefully the Green Flash. Can anyone offer any other suggestions?
     
  2. montman

    montman Maven (1,444) Mar 10, 2009 Virginia
    Trader

    You may know this but just in case you don't, Stone is in Richmond, which is roughly 1:45 away from Norfolk w/o traffic. If you are going to drive to RVA, that is a whole other set of recommendations.
    Green Flash is in Virginia Beach, not too far away from downtown Norfolk (25-30) depending on where you are staying. If you do check out GF, which is a nice spot, make sure you stop at Reaver Beach which is close by & definitely one of the best in the area.

    You can also just stay in Norfolk, if you head to Ghent which isn't far from the Ted, you can hit up a nice walkable trifecta of Smartmouth brewing, newcomers Benchtop (I'm a fan so far) and the Birch bar which has won several awards.
    There are plenty of other recommendations but you might want to narrow it down a bit first.
     
    #2 montman, Mar 8, 2017
    Last edited: Mar 8, 2017
  3. HopHeadPaul

    HopHeadPaul Initiate (0) Jan 8, 2015 South Carolina

    Yep, We are driving up from Charlotte Area and plan on going up to Richmond and do a brewery tour and tasting around lunch then slide down to the Norfolk area and stay the night. Green Flash during the day and concert at night.
     
  4. MistaRyte

    MistaRyte Pooh-Bah (2,681) Jan 14, 2008 Virginia
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    Norfolk has the following breweries:
    Smartmouth
    O'Connor
    Coelacanth
    Bold Mariner
    Rip Rap
    Benchtop

    All are within a relatively short distance from one another, as compared to VA Beach. Smartmouth: IMO, they produce the most consistently good beer in Norfolk. I think Notch 9 DIPA is the best thing brewed in Norfolk.
    O' connor: Biggest and oldest brewery in Norfolk. Great Dismal Black IPA and El Guapo Agave IPA are good go-tos. At the brewery they will also blend the two and make "El Swampy"
    Coelacanth: Very atypical brewery. Pro lager and easy drinking beers.
    Bold Mariner: Closest brewery to me. I like the place, and they just started canning. Big fan of Dog Zebra IPA.
    Benchtop: Newest brewery in the area. Right around the corner from Smartmouth and Birch (awesome bar), they make a deadly triangle. Have only been once, tried the DIPA and the coffee porter. Both very good quality.
    Rip Rap: Can't comment, haven't got a chance to go... yet.
     
  5. TomCat11

    TomCat11 Pooh-Bah (2,096) Jul 21, 2012 Virginia
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    A few plugs as you head through Richmond and Hampton Roads.

    Richmond (all but Veil opens pretty early on Fri if you may be coming through that day. Triple Crossing and The Answer at Noon. Final Gravity at like 10am
    - The Answer
    - Triple Crossing
    Double can release happening Friday starting at Noon from their Fulton location (less than 1 minute from Stone). "Surprise Valley" Lupulin Powder DIPA and "Real Recognize Real" DIPA collab with The Answer.
    - Final Gravity
    - The Veil Cans will probably have sold out by the weekend. Be wary of Extra Kreme if they do happen to have cans left. Collab with Trillium but reviews were not good yesterday

    I can't comment much on Hampton Roads area since I've only been down there once but Commonwealth Brewing in Va Beach has been doing some killer stuff lately! They are only about 15-20 mins from Norfolk. If you are into sours then Reaver Beach is a must.
     
  6. montman

    montman Maven (1,444) Mar 10, 2009 Virginia
    Trader

    Just my .02 but with such limited time, I am not sure I would hit up Stone if you are going to RVA, the space is nice, but you are not going to see much you don't have in distro already. You will be really happy at The Answer/Veil/Triple Crossing.

    Reaver beach is minutes from GF and will have multiple sours (plus others) on tap as well as a few bottles to go. GF is a cool place to visit and has almost an overwhelming amount of beers on tap, a lot of which do see distro.
    Tomcatt is right, Commonwealth is another strong brewery making varied styles well, but given your time parameters, isn't really on the way/convenient to anything else when there is plenty to do in Norfolk closer to the Ted.
     
    #6 montman, Mar 8, 2017
    Last edited: Mar 8, 2017
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  7. oldn00b

    oldn00b Initiate (0) Feb 23, 2015 Virginia

    If you're in RVA, do what Tomcat and Monty say. Stone's is the biggest craft facility in the state and the taproom is cool. I'd do the same thing, like lunch at The Answer, grab cans at Triple Crossing, Veil if there's time (probably won't have much on tap there but I would always say check them out).

    Commonwealth has easily become my favorite place on the southside (Virginia Beach/Norfolk etc.). Reaver is very good too.

    In Norfolk I'll echo the Birch as a must, I agree that Notch 9 is probably the best thing brewed in Norfolk so start there and let that be your guide?
     
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