Tuesday, November 28, 2023

This brewery is expanding in Virginia Beach

VIRGINIA BEACH — Aaron and Christine Holley grew up here, attended Kellam High School and Virginia Tech before Aaron went on to serve in the Navy and Christine became an engineer in the semiconductor manufacturing industry.

They were beer-brewing hobbyists until a 2012 trip to Germany led the couple to move back from Northern Virginia and establish the Wasserhund Brewing Company at 1805 Laskin Road.

According to a news release from the city, Wasserhund is a specialty brewery focusing on bringing German beer culture to Virginia Beach and the business is set to expand for the second time since its 2015 inception.

The Virginia Beach Economic Development Authority approved a $10,000 Economic Development Investment Program grant to assist with costs of expansion and equipment purchases.

“We saw an opportunity in this competitive industry to bring high-quality German-style brewing here and give it a Beach kick,” Christine Holley said. “The response has been incredibly gratifying. This grant is enabling us to continue to grow our business on several fronts: manufacturing, distribution, retail brewery and restaurant.”

The company expanded its manufacturing capacity last year and began distributing to restaurants, grocery stores, bottle shops, military package stores and venues like the Virginia Beach Amphitheater, according to the news release.

It currently has placements in Food Lion, Total Wine, 7-Eleven and some Kroger stores.

The city said the next phase of expansion will allow the business to increase taproom space for customers, create an outdoor area that allows patrons to bring dogs and increase brewing capabilities (barrel aging and sour program) and beer offerings.

“Wasserhund is the kind of business the EDIP was designed to assist,” said Economic Development Business Development Manager Letitia Langaster. “The City Council put the program in place 25 years ago to help qualifying companies with their growth needs. Wasserhund has demonstrated its ability to expand while maintaining its unique style and high-quality products.”

For more information about the EDIP, click here.

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