USA, VA: Smartmouth Brewing Company scheduled to start construction in Norfolk in April 2017

By next year, Oceanfront beachgoers will be able to finish the day with a Smartmouth brew poured fresh from the source. No driving to Norfolk necessary, the Virginian-Pilot reported on December 21.

Smartmouth Brewing Company will take over an old U.S. post office building at 313 32nd St. in the resort area. The brewery and tasting room is scheduled to start construction in April and open in the summer, Smartmouth founder Porter Hardy IV said.

A gym, called Evofit, and another business, First Data, currently operate out of the building, which is owned by The Runnymede Corp. Evofit is leasing the space. Mike Fine, a commercial property manager with Runnymede, and Hardy both confirmed that Smartmouth will be leasing the building.

The Virginia Beach Development Authority voted on December 20 to award Smartmouth a $20,000 Economic Development Investment Program grant for its expansion. All grants from the Development Authority are performance-based. Smartmouth will receive the grant money for its capital investment in the project.

The company, which opened the Norfolk brewery in 2012, plans to keep its headquarters there. Some investments for that location will come down the line in the next few months, Hardy said. The brewing staff in Virginia Beach will be shared with the Norfolk location, but employees will be hired for the taproom, Hardy said.

Smartmouth produces 4,400 barrels of beer annually in Norfolk. The 9,457-square-foot Oceanfront location is expected to roll out an additional 600 to 800 barrels per year, Hardy said. Opening a second brewery is a trend several breweries in the Old Dominion are doing right now. Smartmouth already distributes its beer throughout the state, most recently in Northern Virginia.

Hardy said they don’t consider themselves just a Norfolk brewery but a regional one.

“Having footprints in two cities here will really expand us and double down our investment in the Hampton Roads community,” Hardy said.

In Virginia Beach, “The Smartmouth Pilot House” will have a seven- or 10-barrel system – smaller than the Norfolk one, that will allow for more experimentation. It’s a nod to both the name for an experimental batch of beer, which is called a pilot batch, and the nautical and military roots of the area, Hardy said.

“It’s our playground, our experimental station,” Hardy said. “This will give us flexibility to just have an idea, let our brewers experiment more and try a variety of styles or twists on styles that we haven’t ever made before,” he said.

19 December, 2016