Re-Tours at Dominion

There's been a lot of local tsk-tsking on the web about recent events at the Old Dominion Brewing Company.

And here at YFGF.us, I too can be wistful about the older days of local beer ... but wistful doesn't pay salaries or provide livelihoods to the folks who make the beer we enjoy.

So all of us, including YFGF.us, need to take a sip, reflect a moment, and remember that Old Dominion Brewing Company is still a local brewery producing beers brewed and sold by local people. A brewery is a business first, a beer 'geekery' second.

In that regard, I talked recently with Casey Hollingsworth, VP Sales & Marketing at Coastal Brewing —Dominion's local parent company— about the suspension of tours at Dominion.

And that's the key, he assures me: it's a suspension, a short suspension, until alcohol code legalities are worked out. (As someone who sells beer and wine in Virginia, I personally must deal with a confusing raft of differing regulations about selling, sampling, and representing beer and wine. Failure to comply can result in hefty fines or revocation of a license.)

And when these legal logistics are resolved, Casey tells me, not only will Dominion's tours resume but so will brewery open houses and special events. Good news indeed!

[UPDATE 2008.10.21: Dominion to be closed in early 2009.]