“It’s always about the beer!”
St. George was born out of a BOP (brew on-premise) operation in VA Beach back in 1998. The now President, Bill Spence, retired from the military and he and his partners at the time decided to take that BOP and turn it into one of the first micro-breweries in VA.
St. George opened as a brewery in Hampton in the Kecoughtan area in 1998. Andy Rathmann (now retired), Master brewer, came on board at the same time and the legend of St. George in beer form was born! Andy has studied across England and Germany, as well as getting a degree in brewing from UC Davis, so he was well-qualified to create the traditional English and German-style beers we have become famous for. Unfortunately, there was a fire on Christmas Eve of 2000.
Our beloved first brewery burned to the ground. Some suggest it was payback – as you see, our namesake is said to have slain a fire-breathing dragon back in the 10th century! Now, we don’t happen to go in for that kind of karmic irony, heck, we just brew beer. But, burn it did.
After some scrambling to keep good beers coming to people with the help of many, we found our new current home in Hampton, VA in 2001 near NASA and Langley. As VA laws would have it back then, tasting rooms and the ability to sell a pint to a customer did not exist. It was not until the laws changed in 2012 that we were able to start creating the space we now call home.
Old tap-room
Coming to visit us at St. George means becoming part of the family. We pride ourselves on creating an environment that makes you want to pull up a chair and stay for a while. Our regulars are the backbone of our business, and we love making a new regular every day!
Join us in our taproom space, our interior brewery seating that keeps you up close to the action, and our multiple outdoor seating areas- including a patio tented space that is open year-round!
Lots of things make us unique, from our longevity in this community to our onsite apiary. We are honored to do our part to save the bees. It’s good for the environment and good for the beer! When you visit us, you can also visit the hives and walk the bee-friendly plants that are growing out in our field. This field not only houses our amazing bees but is home to some pretty awesome events like our Beerlympics and Lawnmower Beer Festival. We hope to see you soon!
While we stay true to our roots of English and German-style beers and all that makes them great- we do like to have some fun and branch out on occasion. Our passion and dedication to creating high-quality beers made the right way with no shortcuts, carries over into any new adventure we choose to take on.
We offer 20 beers on tap, dog and family-friendly spaces, live music, a permanent food truck, private events, yoga, trivia, and so much more! Come visit us so you can become part of the St. George family!
