Elinor Reina was bewitched.

Like the rest of us millennials and young Gen Xers, she was on the forefront of the craft beer movement. And her seat was better than most.

“I feel like I’ve been chasing good beer around the country since I was old enough to drink,” says Reina. “Or maybe a little bit before that …”

The New York City native has been first, tasting, then working her way through the craft brewing world from Burlington to Boston, Denver to Portland and, since 2019, the River City. Reina is currently The Veil Brewing’s Richmond taproom manager.

“It was a point of pride for us at the original Veil location in Scott’s Addition that people showed up because they were here for the things we produced,” says Reina. “We didn’t do any weekly programming. We wanted people to show up just for our product.”

Barebones taprooms. A smattering of beer styles on tap. Concrete floors and dogs allowed. Water coolers in the corner. Maybe a food truck. Maybe just a bag of chips.

This was the (mostly) universal description of beloved breweries from days of yore, 10 to 15 years ago. The ones opening on every corner every time a homebrewer decided they were ready to take out a loan. Nothing to lose, a captive audience chomping at the bit.

“I think all of us [breweries] have done a 180,” says Reina.

Rose-colored glasses

In January 2025, my general manager sent me a link to an article I’d already seen making the social media rounds. “Has the Craft Beer Industry’s Keg Finally Kicked?” asked the Grey Lady. The looming query was met with a resounding chorus of “clickbait!” Sure, things weren’t as halcyon as the 2010s, but breweries weren’t going anywhere. Right?

“In general, the craft brewing industry is going through a period of what the trade group, The Brewers Association, refers to as ‘rationalization,’” says James Beard award-winning journalist Dave Infante.

Infante resides in Richmond but covers the (oft wonky) inner workings of the alcohol industry on a national level and has been doing so for years.

Soon after the incendiary New York Times piece came out, Infante addressed the hot take in a “Hop Take” for VinePair, outlining this rationalization or “cooling off” period and highlighting silver linings including: the increased availability of discounted brewery equipment, the weeding out of chaos and, most significantly, the fact that the craft beer industry still has a strong pulse, even while the mirage of craft brewing is dead. Or dying.

It’s difficult to part with rose-colored glasses, though.

“There’s the phenomenon that the industry calls ‘line culture,’” says Infante. People would show up to places like The Veil, which opened its original taproom in 2016, and camp out for releases. “Luckily, they [The Veil] built out a more robust business around their popularity, so it wasn’t just dependent on the hype.”

Other brewers lacked such foresight. In 2024, for the first time since 2010, more breweries nationwide closed than opened.

“It cannot be understated how young the craft brewing industry is,” industry veteran Dr. J Jackson-Beckham points out. A longtime advocate for diversity and inclusion in the craft beer world, Jackson-Beckham is an educator, home brewer, certified cicerone, nonprofit founder and the former Brewers Association director of member resources.

Jackson-Beckham says back in the early 2010s we were seeing “double-digit growth, indescribable growth,” in the craft beer industry. “If you think about that natural maturation of the industry, at some point it was all going to flatten out, and we’d have more stable openings and closings which would mirror other hospitality sectors.”

While in the grand scheme of food and beverage-related businesses, the beer industry numbers don’t seem all that shocking — 189 brew pubs, 98 microbreweries and 232 taprooms closed in 2024 — the loss feels more jarring given the much smaller number of breweries nationwide (just under 10,000 according to the Brewer’s Association) compared to restaurants (more than 700,000 according to the National Restaurant Association).

All the brewers and beer industry folks I chat with are old (and young) enough to remember what that beer boom felt like, when everything was shiny and new and special. And those who waited in line for half a day to get their hands on a limited release or seasonal one-off felt, by association, special too.

(My gateway beer on the path to feeling exceptional was Delirium Tremens. It was 2013. I was 21 and about to graduate college. I’d had Blue Moon with an orange slice! But nothing like the pink elephant-adorned Belgian, strong, slightly sweet and heady with possibility. My world opened and my adoration toward the craft beer industry, still deeply felt, took root.)

“People were as much a fan of the newness and excitement of craft beer — including myself — as they were of the actual beer,” says hospitality industry vet Eric Jackson.

Jackson is the social media and marketing manager for Triple Crossing Beer as well as the brains behind Capsoul Brewing Collective and part of the city’s new, bi-monthly newspaper, The Richmond Seen.

“It was almost like people flooding California to find gold,” says Jackson.

But nothing gold can stay. There are myriad reasons for the beer industry cooling off. Infante and Jackson-Beckham point out the rise of rent. Breweries that easily scooped up real estate 10 years ago in up-and-coming areas have had to make some tough decisions when those leases ran out. There’s more competition from other breweries and from “the rise of hard seltzer, hard tea, canned cocktails,” says Infante. “Those all take up space in the grocery store that used to be single serve beer or canned packaging.”

The generation that would sell a kidney for an early days Hardywood Gingerbread Stout now has mortgages, kids and a slower metabolism. They’re still hitting the taproom when they can, but they’re also able to score this beloved seasonal brew at their local Trader Joe’s on the way home from work.

Gen Z is drinking less, or at least, drinking differently. Jackson-Beckham points out that world events — a global pandemic, tariffs on aluminum, the Russian-Ukraine war leading to increased barley prices — have been a rotten icing on top of an already deflating cake.

And then there’s the consumer whose expectations have flown through the roof and into the stratosphere. “The industry is facing a moment where it has to rethink the hospitality experience,” says Jackson-Beckham.

Everything for everyone

“Breweries need to adapt to the changes and the trends,” says Ardent Craft Ales head brewer Tasha Dixon, who has been in her current role since 2024, at Ardent since 2020 and part of the Richmond beer scene for more than a decade. “We’ve got to stay relevant, that’s all anyone can do.”

Today, in addition to their flagship and seasonal brews, Ardent offers N/A options, seltzers, cider and wine, plus a small menu of bites from their kitchen. Hungrier guests can snag a chile relleno burger from neighboring Eazzy Burger to pair with their IPA X.

“I think when people come to any place of business, including a brewery, it’s about experience,” says Dixon. “As soon as you walk in the door, what’s the experience? What’s the vibe? It starts with front of house.”

Did breweries opening a decade ago anticipate that they would have to do more than just brew good (or at least, decent) beer? “Brewing is ultimately like light manufacturing,” says Infante. “Hospitality, front of house stuff, is a lot more high touch. It can be more lucrative, but it’s a different business.”

Ardent Craft Ales’ origin story, like so many of their contemporaries, started with passionate homebrewers experimenting in their garage. When they opened their brick and mortar in 2014, Scott’s Addition was just starting to become the beer hub it is today. Beer —and beer alone — was the main draw.

This was a hot time for breweries all over the Richmond area. An Bui’s The Answer also opened in 2014, as well as California-based brand Stone and Triple Crossing’s first location on Foushee Street. Lakeside’s Final Gravity came shortly after in 2015.

Before this there was Strangeways’ original Dabney Road location (2013), Goochland’s Lickinghole Creek Craft Brewery (2013) and Midnight Brewery (2012), Ashland’s Center of the Universe (2012) and Hardywood (opened 2011, taproom 2012).

There’s a reason this was a particularly flush time for Richmond and Virginia breweries. Thanks to Hardywood founders Eric McKay and Patrick Murtaugh and SB 604, breweries were allowed to not just produce beer, but to also serve it onsite.

The thrill of a taproom cold one could only be a source of revenue for so long, though.

Hardywood has answered the call to relevance with two distinct, expansive locations. The Scott’s Addition address has a pizza oven, cocktails on tap, fire pits and an elevated stage. The West Creek spot, which opened in 2018, is a family and event-centric destination with food trucks, frisbee golf and views aplenty.

On top of this you can find their cans at sports arenas, gas stations, Total Wine, Whole Foods — you name it. And they’re set to open a Hardywood inside the Richmond International Airport by the end of the year.

Over at The Veil’s newish Scott’s Addition location (the Belleville St. address opened in 2023 with food concept, Nokoribi), Reina and crew are continuing to build out the very distinct Veil brand: Moody! Hoppy!

“We were fortunate during the pandemic to expand our wholesale and distribution programs to the point where we’re all over the country now and international,” says Reina.

The Veil’s Norfolk location opened in 2019 with the Forest Hill spot coming close behind in November 2020. All three locations have kitchens — Scott’s Addition just welcomed Remedy Burger this September — plus wine and non-alcoholic options. The Norfolk and SA taprooms also have some solid draft cocktails.

These two breweries have diversified their revenue streams in a big way. But that doesn’t mean all breweries must replicate this model to survive.

“Our scale is so different even from Vasen, certainly from Hardywood,” says Fine Creek Brewing Company owner Mark Benusa. “We’re only brewing 300 barrels a year. I think sometimes the brewing industry gets lumped together by the average consumer. It used to just be big guys and craft beer. Now, there is so much in between.”

Fine Creek opened in Powhatan in spring 2017 with a full kitchen and a very specific vision. “My wife and I found ourselves driving all the way from Carytown out to Nelson or Charlottesville to go to breweries,” says Benusa. “We felt this area could use something like that.”

Where other breweries opened with beer first, vibes to come, Fine Creek married the two from the word go. From the wrap-around-porch to the firepits and raised herb beds down the hill, Fine Creek is a destination brewery that really isn’t all that far away.

Hospitality is at the fore. The bartenders are affable and knowledgeable, ready to answer any questions about the Virginia wine for sale by the glass and bottle or the beers, from funky, barrel-aged sours to traditional lagers and crispy IPAs. They also boast a formidable food menu — instead of microwaved hot dogs, you’ll find colorful cheese boards alongside seasonal salads and hearty sandwiches.

When I visit Fine Creek on a sweltering, mid-summer afternoon I expect the place to be empty. But a throng of older regulars (one donning a crown) soon fills up the taproom.

“That’s our usual Thursday night group,” says Benusa. “They are, quite frankly, not here because we forage paw paws or use local wheat. They’re here because the food is good and we offer Virginia wine.”

For the love of beer

As breweries adapt to changing tastes and expectations, at what point do these places become more of a restaurant or event venue? Do we give them a new name altogether?

“That question strikes me as more semantic than substantive,” says Infante.

And he’s right, the nomenclature is just details. The question, Infante says, is whether brewers are ready to accept their new hospitality roles while also producing the quality beer that made them popular in the first place. It’s a fine balance — and a lot of work.

“From a production standpoint, one thing I’m really proud of about our crew is, over the years, we’ve changed drastically in terms of our offerings,” says Vasen brewer Stefan McFayden.

“We may not want to brew a certain list of things but if people want to come here and drink these types, we’re going to try it,” says McFayden. “It allows some opportunities to learn more about producing different offerings, so I find that kind of exciting.”

Vasen opened its Scott’s Addition taproom and production facility in 2017. Founders Joey Darragh and Tony Giordano named the brewery to honor their Scandinavian heritage —  the brewery’s Swedish namesake translates to one’s inner essence. A little heady, but that’s on brand for Vasen, which is known for its dedication to environmental stewardship and community building.

“I think a big thing for us is partnering with people in the community and doing collaborations with groups like Keep Virginia Cozy and the SPCA,” says Vasen general manager Erin Miller. “A reason we picked Forest Hill [for our second location] is because we are big outdoors people; there are hiking and biking trails and the river community,” says Miller.

Vasen is currently building out location number two on Forest Hill Avenue (next to The Locker Room and across from The Veil) which will feature a full kitchen with food from Korean barbecue fusion pop-up, Kobop. They’re slated to open this fall. “We won’t ever completely change and drop our values,” says McFayden. “It’s just meeting in the middle.”

This summer, Vasen partnered with Nature Conservancy Virginia, harvesting eel grass to make its salty and tart Barrier Island gose. Like the team over at Fine Creek, employees at Vasen respect that, at its core, beer is an agricultural product.

“We are under the department of agriculture,” says Fine Creek head brewer Brian Mandeville. “I think today there’s a divide between industrial versus agricultural that has been bad for the industry … To me, it’s important that we stay true to the roots of beer as an agricultural product.”

Beer, like wine, can be traced to a place and its environs.

“Traditionally, each region made beer that reflected what grew in their area,” says Mandeville. “The Norwegian farmhouse was using juniper, brewers in Scotland were famously using heather or lavender. Brewers in the Middle East often used fruit or spices.”

Here in Virginia, Mandeville says there is some “phenomenal” grain that the brewery sources from partners in Powhatan and Charlottesville. They’ll also forage the native, tropical paw paw fruit for limited release beers, like ones you can try at their annual Wild and Weird fest.

While IPAs have had, and continue to have, their time in the spotlight, hops, “don’t grow well here and never will,” says Mandeville. Thanks to the world wide web, though, brewers can smartly source any hop variety they may need.

A boon and a difference between the making of wine and beer: Brewers have more autonomy when it comes to the final product.

“As a brewer we get to play with a much wider range of flavors than most beverages,” says Mandeville. A brewer’s playground becomes a consumer’s hard-earned pint at the end of a long day. There are beer snobs in this world, but most beer lovers can come together over a perfectly frothy mug.

As the industry flattens out, competitors feel more like colleagues. “The craft beverage community in general is all so supportive of one another,” says Reina. “No matter what day of the week, if someone comes in and they’re like ‘Where else should we go?’ we just rattle off everything else, places that aren’t even in the neighborhood.”

During the pandemic, Reina says breweries were “borrowing ingredients from each other.”

“When everything opened up, things got a little competitive,” admits Dixon. “But then when COVID happened, we all came together and we all had to lean on each other, it forced you to take away your egos, we were all struggling to keep the lights on. So, thanks COVID for that,” she laughs.

Dixon and Reina are friendly competitors and friends, too. They’re co-leaders of The Pink Boots Society’s (PBS) Richmond chapter and host monthly get-togethers at local breweries with their 30+ members. The meetings can be a place to vent and work through specific brewery-related issues with like-minded folks; they may involve meeting and learning from other PBS chapters. or they may have an educational focus, such as LUKR side-pull faucets.

“I had been pretty involved in Boston so when I moved to Richmond it was one of the first things I looked up,” says Reina. PBS hosts a bi-annual national conference and offers scholarship opportunities for those in the fermented beverage world — both Reina and Dixon have been recipients.

“It’s a way to find community when you’re a femme person or just not a person that is a cis, white straight man,” says Reina. “It’s meant a lot to a lot of us … we’ve tried hard to make it last.”

The path forward

According to the Brewers Association, Virginia ranks 11th in the country for number of breweries, clocking in at 345 total. The Richmond area is currently home to more than two dozen breweries, from whimsical farm sites to cool, urban enclaves.

There have been tough closings — Isley, Garden Grove — but there have been new births, too. Like Brainstorm Brewhouse, which started operating inside of Black Heath Meadery in summer 2024 and is set to launch their brewery operations alongside Mike Lindsey’s newest venture, Bolo’s Eatery, which just soft opened in Manchester.

There are stalwarts who continue to draw locals and tourists, like Legend, Richmond’s oldest continuously operating brewery since 1995, and Starr Hill, which only opened their RVA outpost six years ago, but has been brewing in Charlottesville since 1999.

And, of course, there’s An Bui’s The Answer, a veritable petri dish for craft beer innovation. Bui opened The Answer in 2014, but he’s been a force in Richmond’s craft beer world for far longer.

Bui opened Vietnamese restaurant Mekong in 1995, a spot that soon became known for its rare and international beer selection. “People around town are doing seltzers and THC drinks that appeal to the younger crowd,” says Bui. “We haven’t tapped into that yet, for us here we’re still small, just a five-barrel system.”

Bui notes that while the buzz around craft beer has died down in the past few years, out-of-towners are still making the trip to The Answer for their flavorful stouts and fruit-forward beer. They continue to have a wide range of options, not all brewed in-house. There are both international and domestic selections, plus homegrown collabs, including a recent beer with Brainstorm, Cryo Fog on the Range.

For Bui, beer is always “the answer,” but so is trivia, Halo gaming parties and perhaps more lagers on tap than they’ve had before. “I think, ironically, that this industry was founded on a lot of creativity and ingenuity and I think we got comfortable,” says Mandeville. “You need to be vigilant, be prepared to change, be adaptable.”

Even if the number of breweries closing continues to rise — and likely, it will — everyone I talk to assures me: craft beer is going nowhere fast. In 2024, the U.S. craft beer market brought in $28.8 billion dollars.

“Worldwide, beer is the second or third most consumed beverage per capita after coffee and milk,” says Jackson-Beckham. “It’s a cultural institution. We may see ebbs and flows, but it’s not going anywhere.”

My dad has a rusty old bottle opener attached to the frame of the barn out behind our house: “Beauty is in the eye of the beer-holder.” You can barely make out the words now.

There are many ways to interpret this (other than the “Ha! I get it”way). We’ve waxed poetic about it on the basketball court next to the barn any given night — after a few beers, of course.

But it’s also a tool, and it will make quick work of a bottle cap on my favorite non-local IPA, Bell’s Two Hearted.

The beer industry may not possess the same allure it once did, but it’s still working. Day in, day out.

“The novelty of a new brewery is gone,” says Benusa. “But in some ways, I don’t know that that novelty should carry so much weight.”