Bottlecraft, a boutique beer shop and tasting room with California roots, will open soon in Virginia Beach’s Hilltop East Shopping Center.
The shop will have 24 beers on tap and somewhere between 400 to 500 selections on retail, including “some of the beers you won’t find anywhere else,” said Alex Wolcott, a Beach resident and co-owner of the new location. They will also fill growlers, take keg orders, serve food and let customers bring their own eats. Drafts on-site will be available in 4-, 8- and 16-ounce sizes.
“I think a lot of beer lovers will be excited about it,” Wolcott said.
He and fellow Beach resident Chase Pittman will own the store under a licensing deal with Bottlecraft’s founder, Brian Jensen, Wolcott said. The local partners have leased 1,575-square-feet of retail space at Hilltop East and hope to open by July 1.
Jensen started Bottlecraft in 2011 in San Diego, where there are now three shops under the name. The Hilltop spot will be the store’s first expansion beyond that city.
What brought it to Virginia Beach? The idea came from Pittman, who is a friend of Jensen’s from college, Wolcott said.
