After months of anticipation, the Gloucester Brewing Company officially opened on Saturday. Brewers/owners Mike Brewer of Coke and Myron Ware of Newport News said it all began with a friendship that started in the early 1990s. Now, the two men are excited to provide a friendly atmosphere and quality, local beers that will keep people returning time and time again.
The two men, who worked for NASA at the time, played on the same intramural volleyball team. They both enjoyed good beer and Myron began experimenting with some home brews in his apartment’s kitchen.
As time went on, and he purchased a home, his operation expanded to his garage.
In early 2016, the two men came across an article in the Gazette-Journal where the Gloucester Main Street Preservation Trust and the Gloucester Main Street Association were searching for ideas on how to bring people to Main Street.
Mike had always thought the building that housed the former Southern States small engine repair operation would make a nice brewery.
When he began seriously considering it, his wife told him, “You can’t open a brewery until you know how to brew beer.”
That’s when he asked Myron to teach him. So, the two began their Brown Ale on a couple of Bunsen burners. “It kept getting better and better,” Mike said.
By late October 2016, they purchased their half-barrel pallet system and established their LLC in December of that year.
They began leasing the former Southern States building in May 2017 and immediately started renovating the interior. “It was a dirty, gritty mess,” Mike said. “We took it down to the bricks and bones.”
The renovations were completed in September of this year by Bill Baxter Building. Since that time, the owners held several soft openings to get acclimated before officially opening their seven-barrel brew house.
“We want this to me an inviting, local, you’ll-see-your-friend type of experience,” Mike said. “And we have beers you won’t taste anywhere else—locally brewed and made on site.”
So far, four of their beers are on tap. These include the “Low Ground,” which is their Brown Ale, and most popular; the “Pre-Dawn,” which is a Coffee Porter; the “Hills Bay,” their IPA, and the “Farmhouse,” their Apricot Wheat.
Instead of flights, the brewery offers “floats,” since all four of these are placed in a specially-designed “boat” modeled after the brewery’s deadrise workboat logo, for customers to try. Gloucester Brewing Company also offers tastings and some simple snacks. The owners are also trying to line up food trucks to be present onsite during busy times.
Stickers, magnets, T-shirts and sweatshirts are also for sale. People can also purchase growlers to fill or bring their own growlers.
During times of good weather, the brewery has both a deck and a patio for people to enjoy their products.
Currently, the brewery plans to be open Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays from 4-9 p.m.; Saturdays from noon until 9 p.m. and Sundays from noon until 7 p.m. The hours will be adjusted based on demand.