When opening Isley Brewing in 2013, he told Richmond beer writer Lee Graves, “‘I’m in a business where I sell products that people don’t really want to buy,’ he said about plumbing. Mike Isley’s background is not brewing, but in running Winter Plumbing and Heating, his family business. In addition, he says, “We have signed a contract with a company that will be taking us into the Outer Banks about the same time we open the doors in Virginia Beach,” initially on draft only.įielding requests from his distributors, Brown and Virginia Craft Distribution, “We will be adding a lot of packaged products in 2018 once we up the size of our equipment,” he says. The 3-barrel system and 7-barrel fermenters from Richmond will make their way to Virginia Beach, replaced by a larger system for Richmond. To compensate, Mike Isley plans on offering winter classes on commercial brewing, hoping to partner with universities.īesides a second location, this new space represents another growth point for Isley Brewing. We’re really loving our kettle sours and goses.”ĭespite the prospect of plenty of visitors during peak season, resort markets slow down off-season. “Fifty percent will be the same, giving us the opportunity to try different things as well. “We’ll have a different line-up in Virginia Beach,” says Isley. Virginia law allows breweries to transfer beers between their locations. Josh Stamps, brewmaster at Isley Brewing since the early days, will oversee opening up the new location-setting the equipment up, getting it running and making tweaks. In 2016, Virginia Beach hosted 15.2 million visitors (7.1 million overnight visitors and 8.1 million day visitors) with average visitor spending of $1,955. “I’m hoping we don’t miss much of the summer window.” “I’m pushing to open by Memorial Day weekend,” he says. Isley’s new digs are in the 300 block of Virginia Beach Boulevard, a short stroll to the Boardwalk and Atlantic Ocean. Virginia Beach “seemed like the right fit.” He was offered a building at William & Mary but was more intrigued by the resort market.
In choosing Virginia Beach for his second location, Isley rode several currents, considering several markets, before settling on a destination. Isley promotes beer blending, too, like the Choosy Mother with Plain Jane Blueberry to make a PB&J. Besides the ever-popular Choosy Mother, noteworthy Isley beers include The Bribe, a flagship oatmeal porter Plain Jane blonde ale Raspberry Razzle gose and creative experiments such as Root of All Evil ginger golden ale and Drunken Uncle hard root beer, now retired. The brewery has gained a loyal following since opening. To the rugged but comfortable tasting room with coffeehouse feel, Isley has added a deck and patio behind the brewery, accommodating larger crowds and al fresco imbibing. It always amazes me how much people like it.” However, he admits, “The public dictates what you do.”Īs the beer scene has grown over the past four years, so has Isley Brewing.
“It’s a great novelty beer,” he says of the brewery’s best seller, “just not one of my favorites. Among Isley Brewing’s opening day line-up, the Choosy Mother would certainly be a one-and-done. Mike Isley’s first wave came with the peanut butter porter. opened in October 2013 in Richmond’s Scott’s Addition (before Scott’s Addition was the cool neighborhood for breweries, cideries, a distillery and other hip spots). Mike Isley has mastered the art of riding the waves with his eponymous brewery, so it’s only fitting that his second brewery will open in Virginia Beach. (Isley Brewing Company settled on the Virginia Beach Oceanfront resort area for its satellite location.
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