Let’s just say it, right up front: The craft beer scene in Hampton Roads, in a word, sucks.

One of only a few local brews. And she's a beauty.

Steamship. Alt Platz. Hilltop. Chesbay. The list of defunct Hampton Roads breweries goes on. Despite the large number of various eateries in our seven cities, it’s nigh impossible to order from a decent beer selection, much less an actual locally produced beer. This makes little sense, particularly considering our community’s penchant for eating out. We’re swimming in a sea of mass-produced swill, with only a few islands a craft beer enthusiast can find refuge. But why?

It seems our choice of beverage actually reflects the tone of Hampton Roads in general. On one  hand, you have a number of people who still see the region as a sleepy southern town at the end of an I-95 cul-de-sac, where rednecks watch NASCAR and pro wrestling whilst swilling Miller Lite, Coors Light or some Bud variant. On the other, you have a crowd that wants to believe we live in a vibrant, progressive urban area, who are more likely to be sipping a trendy wine, because, you know, it’s sophisticated and stuff.

While the true makeup of Hampton Roads is likely somewhere in between, where does this leave the craft beer crowd? Unfortunately, pretty much out of luck. Still, we have a few places in each city who “get it”. Most people know The Bier Garden in Portsmouth, a High Street staple for over a decade. The Taphouse in Ghent (and, more recently, on Queensway in Hampton) has been serving up beer delicacies for years, too. Grape & Gourmet has been a godsend to beer enthusiasts in Virginia Beach, just as Bon Vivant Market has in Smithfield. St. George Brewing in Hampton makes top notch beers, as does Williamsburg AleWerks, a short drive up I-64 west. Even your local Total Wine has a decent selection of beer not made by a major conglomerate. Craft beer is available if you’re looking for it.

So here is my challenge for you AltDaily readers: the next time you’re considering having a drink, choose a craft beer. Try a local, or at least a Virginia made beer (no, a Bud from Williamsburg does NOT count). St. George Brewing makes a neat six pack of their five staple beers and a seasonal. Williamsburg AleWerks and Legend (from Richmond) both make 22 oz bottles that are pretty reasonably priced. Throw away your preconceived notions about what a beer is supposed to be. Pay attention to what you’re drinking (it never ceases to amaze me how little attention some people pay to something they are putting in their mouth). If it’s not on tap, pour it into a glass. Hold it up to the light and see what it looks like. Get your nose in the glass and get a good whiff of the aroma. Take a few sips and try to identify flavors you are familiar with. Maybe you’ll like it, maybe not, but one thing is for sure – you’ll never look at a Corona the same way again.

NEW AND NOTABLE:

• St. George Brewing from Hampton, VA has released their Russian Imperial Stout in 22 oz bottles. This is a repackage of their highly regarded Winter Stout, previously available in 12 oz bottles.
• Troeg’s Nugget Nectar from Pennsylvania recently hit shelves in 12 and 22 oz bottles. This is one of my favorite seasonal beers, and a hop head’s dream.
• I dropped in on O’Connor Brewing, a microbrewery under construction in the Park Place section of Norfolk. Construction seems to be moving right along, and if things go well maybe we’ll see O’Connor brews on tap this summer. Look for an interview with the folks from O’Connor in this space soon!