Gloucester Brewing Company quietly celebrated its fourth year being open on December 1st. The inspiration for a brewery in Gloucester started when Mike Brewer read an article in the Gazette Journal in
early 2016 that stated Gloucester Main Street would benefit from a microbrewery. Given he and his wife, Laura, enjoyed going to microbreweries, he wanted to jump on the opportunity to bring a microbrewery to
Gloucester Main Street. Mike saw the potential in a small, 1930s era, brick building along Main Street (formerly Southern States small engine repair and tire shop) that he thought would fit the bill and pitched the brewery idea to his wife who promptly told him “You don't know how to brew beer." Not to be deterred, Mike reached out to a good friend, Myron Ware, who had been a homebrewer for over 20 years, and coerced Myron into teaching him how to brew beer and convinced Myron and wife Liz to join the adventure. Repurposing the building began soon after signing the lease in early 2017 and took about 18 months to complete. Since opening on December 1, 2018, the brewery has grown its staff from three part-time employees to two full time (a head brewer and taproom manager) and six part-time employees. They have also grown their beer choices from five core beers to more than 10 different beer styles on tap. They managed to weather the COVID storm thanks to strong community support and by providing safe outdoor space. This led to a permanent expansion of their outdoor space to include a second level deck which covered the original deck and an additional lower deck, expanding their customer space. This expanded deck space is perfect for viewing Main Street parades and offers a comfortable space to bring your friendly pet. Gloucester Brewing Company, fondly referred to as the “Cheers of Gloucester”, and has won awards for three of their beers (DeadRYEz, Mobjack, and Shucking Good) at the annual Virginia Craft Beer Cup competition. GBC prides itself in offering a variety of beer styles on tap where customers can usually find something they like. GBC doesn’t serve food, but has a variety of food trucks that routinely set up at the brewery. The next new beer coming out will be a Mexican Chocolate Stout brewed in collaboration with 1700 Brewing of Newport News. Customers typically can’t wait for the Chocolate Cherry Stout called “Better Than Roses” that is only brewed once a year for Valentine’s Day. GBC is open Thursday through Monday with live music every Thursday and Trivia every Monday. In 2023, you can look forward to more music and other events on Fridays or Saturdays.
