USA, VA: Wasserhund Brewing Co. finishing capacity expansion works

Wasserhund Brewing Co. opened in Virginia Beach less than a year ago, making German beer with a two-barrel system, The Virginian-Pilot reported on July 22.

But the owners quickly discovered they couldn’t keep up with the demand for their popular Pilsners and Hefeweizens.

Last week, they were finishing installing a 15-barrel brewhouse in a former storage room at 1805 Laskin Road, behind Conte’s Bike Shop. The expansion will allow them to distribute their beers in Hampton Roads restaurants and growler shops.

Aaron and Christine Holley, along with their brother-in-law, Craig Lubinski, have invested a quarter of a million dollars to expand their dream.

Aaron and Christine Holley are Kellam High School and Virginia Tech graduates with degrees in chemical engineering. Aaron Holley earned a master’s in mechanical engineering. They started homebrewing in 2010 while living in a small apartment in Northern Virginia and working 9-to-5 jobs. They visited Germany for Oktoberfest in 2012, and Aaron Holley began creating lagers.

Soon after, they quit their jobs and moved home to open a brewery with Lubinski.

There are more than a dozen breweries in Hampton Roads, and the number continues to grow. San Diego-based Green Flash will open on General Booth Boulevard with 100,000 barrels, and one is planned at an old farmhouse in Kempsville.

Wasserhund’s owners entered the market last August with the desire to go big. But they are cautious.

“We were coming out of five years of employment,” Christine Holley said. “We wanted to gauge the market before we made a $250,000 investment.”

Within months, they needed to hire additional employees to keep up with a growing customer base that couldn’t get enough of their brews, pizzas and bratwursts. Six months ago, they wrote a business plan to expand.

When the first set of brewing equipment was scheduled to arrive one day last week, Aaron Holley woke up feeling like a kid on Christmas morning.

He’s excited about Wasserhund appearing on local restaurant menus soon. The brewery will continue supporting local causes through a percentage of sales, and has already donated $30,000 to charities since opening.

“It has been a whirlwind adventure in our first year,” Christine Holley said. “With 27 employees, amazing and loyal customers, and focus on making great beer and excellent pizza, we have built the dream that Aaron and I started talking about in 2012 sitting in the tents at Munich’s Oktoberfest.”

24 July, 2016