YORK — A popular local brewery will open a second location in a York County brewpub that’s been under construction for nearly six years.
York County officials announced Tuesday that the owners of The Virginia Beer Company have signed a lease for a brewpub built and owned by Petersburg-based Waukeshaw Development and originally slated to be a satellite of Beale’s Beer. The county and The Virginia Beer Co. anticipate a grand opening for the brewpub, located at 7120 George Washington Memorial Highway, in the first quarter of 2025.
The Virginia Beer Co. has operated a craft brewery just outside Williamsburg city limits in York County since 2016. Founded by William & Mary alumni Chris Smith and Robby Willey, the brewery has been a fixture at local social and charitable events and is an anchor in The Edge District, a commercial corridor where James City County, York County and Williamsburg converge.
At its second location, The Virginia Beer Co. will venture for the first time into food service, aiming to create a menu that will include everything from pub fare to locally sourced and inspired dishes.
Smith said that he and Willey have been scoping out potential locations for an expansion for three or four years.
“We just haven’t found what we felt was right and authentic until this came along,” he said.
According to Smith, he and his colleagues are open to expanding into food because they’ve noticed that patrons’ expectations have evolved.
“We’ve recognized in the industry that it’s not 2016 anymore,” he said. “Consumers are looking for a fuller experience.”
In addition to a kitchen, the new space has a 10-barrel brewing system. Smith said that plans call for moving some beer from the Williamsburg location to the brewpub as the law allows, but also having a robust brewing operation at the new spot, including some beers brewed exclusively on-site.
Waukeshaw President Dave McCormack said that The Virginia Beer Co. was the best choice for the space because of the team’s energy, desire to grow their business and enthusiasm about using the kitchen to add food to their offerings.
The 7,440-square-foot structure incorporates clear span construction with an open floor plan, a patio for outdoor seating and space for bands to play. McCormack said that the building is more-or-less complete, and aside from paving the parking lot, the brewpub needs a few finishing touches, such as furniture, fixtures and equipment, and adding The Virginia Beer Co.’s branding and color scheme.
In May, Waukeshaw announced that it would not proceed with its original plans to open the brewpub as a satellite of Bedford-based Beale’s. Waukeshaw is the parent company of Beale’s Beer as well as Petersburg’s Trapezium Brewing Company.
At the time, McCormack cited bad timing and the toll that the pandemic had taken on the craft beer industry as reasons the company was not able to proceed.
Waukeshaw will remain the owner of the brewpub in York County and The Virginia Beer Co. will be the lessee.
The county offered generous subsidies to Waukeshaw to construct the brewpub, a deal that some citizens in York County have scrutinized after development plans did not unfold as expected.
Community activist Sid Holloway said that while some members of an online forum he’s part of called Concerned Citizens of York County are pleased that the move brings the brewpub deal to a resolution, “many of us are concerned about what was involved in getting to this point.”
In an effort to spur commercial investment along that stretch of Route 17, York County’s Economic Development Authority spent $512,350 on the purchase of the 1.25-acre property, demolition of old structures and sitework.
In 2018, York County’s Economic Development Authority sold the property to Waukeshaw for $400,000, with the purchase agreement stipulating that $350,000 of the purchase price would be forgiven in phases as the developer reached specific milestones and commenced operation of a brewpub.
The board of the county’s Economic Development Authority believes that county funds have been used in this case in a “responsible and successful” manner, the body asserted in a statement through county spokeswoman Gail Whittaker.
Demolishing the property’s old, dilapidated structures generated interest immediately, and the redevelopment has resulted in an “important addition” to Route 17 and a “new lifestyle choice” for county citizens, the board said in its statement.
“None of that would have happened without the impetus from the EDA creating an incentive for redevelopment,” the statement said.
The EDA has monitored the redevelopment closely to ensure compliance with the provisions of the sales agreement, “while recognizing that the project was taking much longer than originally anticipated,” according to the statement. The developer and the EDA have “concentrated on finding a path to complete the project and deliver the end goal, a new quality restaurant operating on Rt. 17.”
McCormack said that the new arrangement with The Virginia Beer Co. is a win for all parties.
“There’s been no change to the incentive model,” he said. “Everyone gets a really good outcome. Anyone griping about the incentives just generally doesn’t understand what was signed.”
Smith, of The Virginia Beer Co., said that while he and his team are always on the lookout for new opportunities, they are going to make sure they’re concentrating on the success of this venture before making any new major business decisions.
“This is our first foray into full food, so we are going to make sure we get this right before we go further,” Smith said. “But we’re not planning for this to be the end.”
Ben Swenson, ben.swenson05@gmail.com
