USA, VA: Hidden Wit Brewing Co. opens in Chesterfield County

Chesterfield County’s newest brewery has opened in the Moseley section the county after being in the works for about half a decade, the Richmond BizSense reported on November 24.

Hidden Wit Brewing Co. made its debut this week at 21110 Hull Street Road, where it operates in a 10,000-square-foot building with a tap room, dining area, full kitchen and event space.

The brewery’s 10-acre site also features a patio and turf lawn. Plans are in the works for a stage for live musical performances as well as a gazebo.

It uses a 20-barrel brewing system and has room for 18 beers on tap.

The brewery’s majority owners are Butch and Kim Taylor, who also own Titan Auto & Tire in Chesterfield. Among Hidden Wit’s other owners are Brad and Andrea Cooper (who also own Steam Bell Beer Works in Midlothian) as well as Jessica and Chad Ritter, who is Hidden Wit’s head brewer.

Dave Butler and Stephan Parry of Parry Restaurant Group are also co-owners and investors in the brewery venture. Their restaurant group operates Q Barbeque among other restaurants in Virginia and North Carolina as well as hotels and a winery.

Hidden Wit held a ribbon-cutting ceremony the day before Thanksgiving, which followed a soft open a few days prior. Butch Taylor said the concept has already been well received by residents in the area.

“It was standing room only, and (the soft opening) was unannounced. And Saturday was absolutely crazy,” he said. “It’s mostly been community folks, and that’s why we opened it.”

Hidden Wit’s full-service restaurant offers panini sandwiches and burgers priced at $15 to $17 and dinner entrees, such as short ribs and New York strip poutine, priced at $17 to $29. The menu also includes shareable snacks that range in price from $9 to $24, and include offerings such as pastrami-spiced fries and a lump-crab-and-apple focaccia.

Taylor said the ownership group is banking on the restaurant element as an added draw beyond the beer offerings.

“I wanted people to be wowed when they walk in the door,” Taylor said.

Hidden Wit’s beers include We Should Open A Brewery (Irish Dry Stout), Moseley Sands (New England Hazy IPA), the Inner Vixen (Blonde Ale with strawberry) and the Reginhart (Schwarzbier), among others.

Taylor said the ownership group isn’t actively pursuing distribution for the brewery at this time, but would be open to distributing to local restaurants.

“Our main focus is small business and keeping the community happy. I have zero interest in being on Publix’s shelves,” Taylor said.

During Hidden Wit’s ribbon-cutting ceremony, Chesterfield Supervisor Kevin Carroll applauded its opening as a new amenity in a part of the county where entertainment options are sparse.

“This venue really is going to be amazing for the western part of the Matoaca District,” said Carroll, who represents Matoaca. “For everybody who lives out here, the big change is instead of people pulling out of Magnolia Green or Harpers Mill (subdivisions) and going east, now they’re all going to go west and come out here.”

The project’s general contractor was Titan Construction Group, which is unrelated to the Taylors’ auto business. The brewery was designed by Glavé & Holmes (where Hidden Wit co-owner Jessica Ritter is a designer). Campfire & Co. handled Hidden Wit’s branding.

Hidden Wit had been about six years in the making, which the owners have attributed to delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Taylors bought the property in 2019 but didn’t break ground on the brewery until March 2022. The $5.2 million project was previously estimated to cost $3.5 million.

Its opening came several weeks after Isley Brewing Co. shuttered in Scott’s Addition. Isley recently sold the rights to its Choosy Mother Peanut Butter Porter to Callao Brewing Co. in the Northern Neck.

Castleburg Brewery and Taproom in Richmond also shuttered this month, according to a recent company Facebook post, which was earlier than the brewery originally planned. WayGone Brewery recently opened in the Canterbury Shopping Center in western Henrico.

24 November, 2023