Thursday, March 28, 2024

This brewery’s been making ‘beer we like to drink’ for 20 years, and it’s not about to stop

William Spence Jr. drinks a beer at the taproom of St George Brewery. (Troy Jefferson/HNNDaily)
William Spence Jr. drinks a beer at the taproom of St George Brewery. (Troy Jefferson/HNNDaily)

HAMPTON — After 20 years in business, St. George Brewery is sticking to the fundamentals as destination breweries pop up around Hampton Roads.

“We’re not going to change. We’re going to continue to make drinkable beer,” said William Spence Jr., director of drinking operations at the brewery.

Spence has worked at the brewery for the last 17 years alongside his father, who has owned for it for the better part of the last two decades.

During Spence’s tenure, the brewery has prided itself on being a family destination with a tasteful product.

“We’re a lot of people’s go-to beer,” Spence said. “We don’t do big, bold in your face IPAs on a regular basis. We have a couple but we go for session beers. We make beer we like to drink.”

“We” is the theme at St. George Brewery, which has a total staff of 10 employees.

The family atmosphere is evident by the picnic tables that sit outside of the taproom alongside a playground set.

St. George Brewery hosts of a variety of events to bring the community together, including Taco Tuesday, a trivia night, comic book days and even wedding engagements.

“Beer is communal. It has a social and community aspect,” Spence said.

In total, the brewery has 28 beer variations.

Musicians who perform at the brewery can’t play beyond 85 decibels because Spence said he doesn’t want the music to drown out conversation.

Despite changing times, St George Brewery will remain true to its mission of serving a consistent beer and as a place of conversation.

“We’re going to grow, get a little more modern, more efficient but we’re not going to change,” Spence said. “We strive for that precision. We want the first taste of a beer you had here to taste the same as the last time you had it.”

St. George Brewery is located at 204 Challenger Way and is open Monday noon to 6 p.m., Tuesday-Friday from noon to 8 p.m.  and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

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