Three Notch’d Brewing coming to Town Center in Virginia Beach

One of Virginia’s biggest and most popular breweries has signed a lease for a brewpub space in Hampton Roads.

Charlottesville-based Three Notch’d Brewing Company is a powerhouse in Virginia craft beer, one of the largest five craft breweries in the state by volume, with four brewpubs spanning much of the state — in Charlottesville, Roanoke, Harrisonburg and Richmond.

It seems we will soon be able to add Virginia Beach to that list.

Three Notch’d Craft Kitchen and Brewery has signed a lease at the former Gordon Biersch brewery location in Virginia Beach Town Center at 4561 Virginia Beach Blvd., realty company Divaris confirms. Gordon Biersch had closed its Virginia Beach location in March after 14 years there, as part of a raft of nationwide closures for the chain brewery. Divaris cited a projected opening date of Spring 2021 for the new Three Notch’d project.

“It’s fair to say that we are excited and will have a few surprises in store for our fans in Southeast Virginia,” wrote Three Notch’d CEO and co-founder Goerge Kastendike in an email. He declined to expound on the brewery’s plans for the space.

But if details on the Virginia Beach location are scarce, Three Notch’d is far from an unknown quantity in Virginia, founded in 2013 by partners Kastendike, Scott Roth and Derek Naughton.

The brewery is named after a road near Charlottesville best known as the Revolutionary War route of Jack Jouett, the “Paul Revere of the South,” who rode 40 miles to prevent Thomas Jefferson from being taken captive by British forces. Many of the brewery’s beers, including their 40 Mile IPA, carry historical names.

Three Notch’d is best known for its hoppy flagships, its Great American Beer Festival medal-winning Hydraulion Red, and its broad array of fruited sours. Other brewpubs in its stable include ax throwing and collaboration beers with local bands and nonprofits, and all have included local-only beer releases. Locations with kitchens offer beer-friendly menus of burgers, sliders and brats.

The former Gordon Biersch location in Virginia Beach is a nearly 8,000-square-foot space and was home to a fully equipped kitchen. The space is more than 5 miles from the next nearest brewery, Pleasure House.

Three Notch’d president and co-founder Scott Roth said the brewery is still crafting a launch and public relations strategy for “our newest project.” Fans of the brewery should stay tuned for more details in early 2021, wrote Roth in an email.

Matthew Korfhage, 757-446-2318, matthew.korfhage@pilotonline.com