Milestone 9 devils backbone beer9/4/2023 ![]() ![]() “Obviously, if you want to try to compare the last two years to anything normal, it is impossible to do because the last couple of years have been so crazy,” he said. ![]() “Competition is good but, when this all started, the opening of breweries outpaced the number of new people drinking beer.”Īs the pandemic has waned, the return of customers to Legend Brewing has been “steady,” he said. “It has been a double-edged sword on our side of things because it has increased competition,” Gott said. The explosion in craft breweries “has definitely been very good for beer drinkers and consumers,” said Dave Gott, vice president at Legend Brewing Co., the brewery and restaurant in Richmond’s Manchester area that opened in 1994, long before the current boom in craft beers. Overall, the state today ranks 12th in the nation for total number of craft breweries. Last year, Virginia became the top state in the South for the number of craft breweries per capita. “They gave us a lot of latitude for curbside pickup, delivery and outdoor options, and it saved our bacon.” “Our regulatory agency bent over backwards to find the safest way for these businesses to operate and not go out of business and not jeopardize public health,” he said. ![]() “I have to give credit to our ABC,” said Vassey, referring to Virginia’s Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority. In Virginia, breweries were able to navigate the pandemic through curbside sales, deliveries and focusing on offering outdoor options for customers. “That is remarkable, when you consider that states like Oregon have estimated they lost somewhere north of 20% of their industry because they kept everything locked down.” The brewers guild lost only six breweries during the pandemic, two of which were expansions of existing breweries, Vassey said. On top of that, breweries have had to adjust to the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced many of them to consider new models of selling, including having curbside pickup and delivery. “I personally believe we would have less than 100 breweries if we hadn’t had SB 604,” Vassey said.Īfter 10 years under the regulatory changes, Virginia’s craft beer industry is adjusting to a far more competitive marketplace, with retail shelf space for distributed beers becoming more and more crowded, and with numerous neighborhood breweries competing for customers. “As long as you can attract people and you can retain those customers coming to your tasting room to buy either draft beer or beer-to-go, you can make a decent living that way.” “Being able to sell beer in your own tasting room really changed the math on the cost and benefit of starting up a brewery,” Vassey said. The legislation “fundamentally changed the calculus for being able to start up and operate your own brewery,” said Brett Vassey, president and CEO of the Virginia Craft Brewers Guild and the Virginia Manufacturers Association. Steam Bell, for instance, recently has started its own food truck business. “The food truck business has really exploded, too,” in conjunction with the growth of breweries, Cooper said. The family also owns Canon & Draw Brewery in Richmond’s Fan District. “It’s been amazing how, since that law was passed, there has been an explosion, not just in beer, but the supporting industries, too,” said Brad Cooper, co-founder of Steam Bell Beer Works, a family-owned and -operated craft beer maker in Chesterfield County. More than 40 breweries, cideries and meaderies now operate in the Richmond region, up from just a couple a decade ago. Now, there are close to 300 brewery members of the guild. It passed after a lobbying effort from what was then only about 11 members of the upstart Virginia Craft Brewers Guild. Bob McDonnell, set off a boom in new craft breweries. The legislation, which passed the House of Delegates and the Senate by wide margins and was signed by then-Gov. The 2012 bill undid some Prohibition-era rules in Virginia and allowed breweries to sell beer by the glass at their production facilities. The legislation - Senate Bill 604 - may not be etched in the minds of the general public, but it’s a piece of legislation that most any craft beverage maker knows instantly. It has been a decade since a change in Virginia law that sparked the state’s ongoing boom in craft breweries, cideries and distilleries. This year brings an important milestone in Virginia for craft beer lovers and craft beverage businesses. Still hopping: Craft beer scene in the Richmond region going strong after 10 years despite challenges and competition ![]()
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