I’m excited to report that Green Flash Brewing will be opening a new brewery in Virginia Beach VA in 2015. Details from Hamptonroads:
In Virginia Beach, Green Flash will sit a couple of miles south of Oceana Naval Air Station, home to a fleet of roaring F/A-18s.
Construction of the $20 million facility will begin in 2014 on 9 acres in the Corporate Landing Business Park. Green Flash will buy the land from the Virginia Beach Development Authority for $1.35 million.
The craft brewer will hire 41 full-time employees who will earn, on average, $33,000 a year.
The Hinkleys wanted to build a brewery in the mid-Atlantic so they could deliver fresh beer to about two-thirds of the U.S. population. About a third of Green Flash's beer is sold on the East Coast.
The Virginia Beach site will include a tasting room, an event center, a store, a pavilion and a nearly 1-acre beer garden. Food trucks and caterers will be invited to sell to customers, but the brewery will not operate a restaurant.
The facility will be capable of producing as much beer as the San Diego location: about 100,000 barrels annually.
Hinkley said the company plans to begin brewing about 40,000 barrels a year in Virginia Beach. At the same time, it will cut back production by the same amount in San Diego.
(Virginia Beach, VA) – Today, Mike and Lisa Hinkley, co-founders of Green Flash Brewing Co. along with Brewmaster Chuck Silva, attended the Annual State of the City address in Virginia Beach, VA where Mayor William Sessoms Jr. formally announced that Virginia Beach is the location for Green Flash’s 2nd brewery. After the Mayor’s speech, Green Flash hosted local press and officials for an official ground-staking ceremony on the 9-acre industrial plot located on the northwest corner of General Booth Blvd and Corporate Landing Pkwy—their new East Coast home.
The 58,000 sq ft Virginia Beach facility will employ 40-plus Virginians and utilize $20 million of invested capital. From a production standpoint, the new brewery will replicate the state-of-the-art production capabilities of the Green Flash San Diego headquarters, which were commissioned in 2010 when the brewery upgraded from a smaller facility in Vista, CA. To best duplicate the operations of their West Coast brewery, all brew house and fermentation cellar equipment will once again be manufactured by Paul Mueller Company of Springfield, Missouri. Ultimate production capacity will be 100,000 annual barrels. Plans are to break ground later this year, and to be open for business in 2015.
As part of their forward-thinking strategy, Green Flash is investing in production capacity ahead of demand to provide distributors, retailers and consumers with confidence that there will be adequate supply of West Coast IPA, Hop Head Red and other favorites as the company grows in popularity. In addition to increased production capacity, the new facility will provide freight efficiencies and fresher beer for East Coast consumers. An expansive public Tasting Room, outdoor Beer Garden, retail store, extensive brewery tour program and large event space will provide customers with many opportunities to glean the great passion and commitment to quality that goes into the creation of Green Flash brews and to share in the Green Flash experience first-hand.
“The Mid-Atlantic region provided logistical advantages,” says Lisa Hinkley of Green Flash.
“Virginia is a great place to do business, has a developing craft beer culture, and Virginia Beach felt like home.” Like San Diego, Virginia Beach is historically a military town and is celebrated for a vibrant local beach culture. Both cities are also thriving tourist destinations—Virginia Beach draws over 5.5 million people during the peak summer season. While San Diego is known as a leading city in the craft beer movement, Virginia has a growing community of craft breweries and a developing craft beer culture.
“The Virginia Beach business environment proves to be a strategic advantage for companies looking for an East Coast location, states Mayor William D. Sessoms, Jr., “We are proud Green Flash chose to invest in our community. A craft brewery of this stature will be a great asset and further diversify the many attractions enjoyed by our residents and visitors alike.”
Green Flash Brewmaster Chuck Silva is committed to fostering camaraderie among his new local brewing comrades. “It is very important to be a positive contributor to the community of brewers and the beers produced in Virginia. As a San Diego brewer for over fifteen years, I have observed how the city developed into a great beer town. Local brewers working together to improve each other’s products and advise on business acumen was a key contributor, and I will bring that spirit of teamwork with me to Virginia.”
Green Flash has established a $10,000 credit with White Labs of San Diego for the Virginia Brewer’s Guild. The credit was created as a resource for Virginia’s newer breweries to engage in product testing. This important quality control step is costly for emerging breweries, but vital to their long-term success. All members of the Virginia Brewer’s Guild are welcome to begin using the credits immediately. Green Flash will also invite Virginia-based brewers the use of an in-house product laboratory they plan incorporate into the Virginia Beach brewery.
As a pioneering brewery in its 11th year, Green Flash is known for breaking boundaries and taking risks. Its beers are an adventure and discovery into what craft beer can be. If asked about Green Flash’s plans to build two relatively small breweries on opposite coasts, Mike Hinkley replies, “I have great confidence in Chuck and our team to duplicate the great quality and consistency of our ales on both coasts, and look forward to being closer to market to provide all of our fans fresher ale. I suppose, if we run out of capacity on both the West and East Coasts that we will build another small brewery in the middle of the country.”
About Green Flash Brewing Co. – Green Flash Brewing Co. is located in San Diego, California, and was founded in 2002 by Mike and Lisa Hinkley. Brewmaster Chuck Silva leads brewing operations. Green Flash is an award-winning brewer of fine hand-crafted ales, and specializes in brewing assertive and distinctive beers, such as the nationally acclaimed West Coast IPA—an award-winning beer whose wide acceptance has helped define a category. Green Flash brews ten styles of beer regularly, on draught and in bottles, as well as a growing lineup of seasonal and special offerings, including several barrel-aged beers, throughout the year.
Please visit the Green Flash website for more information: greenflashbrew.com
East Coast Brewery Location: The 2nd Brewery for Green Flash Brewing Co. will be located in Virginia Beach, VA. Located on a 9-acre industrial plot of land on the corner of Corporate Landing and General Booth Blvd—15 minutes from the beach by car
Size of Site: 9 acres
Brewery Specs: 58,000 sq ft
Key Brewery Features: Closely replicates San Diego Brewery: same state-of-the-art equipment and brewery footprint, onsite lab for beer analysis, brewery tours, tasting room and vast outdoor beer garden, space for private events and educational experiences, offices for staff and ample parking for guests
Brewing Capacity: 100,000 BBLS
Expected New Hires in Virginia: 40+ upon opening
Groundstaking Date: March 14, 2013
Groundbreaking Date: Late 2013 TBD
Expected Opening: 2015 TBD
Invested Capital: $20 Million
Community Programs: Establishing credits with White Labs in San Diego for all members of the Virginia Brewer’s Guild to submit beers for analysis, will offer the Green Flash Lab to other breweries to use upon completion, Green Flash will develop Virginia Beach local beer series and plan to support Virginia Beach charities.
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