Brewery Moving From Annapolis To Norfolk, Opening Military Tribute Taproom

ANNAPOLIS, MD — A military tribute brewery is moving from Annapolis, Maryland to Norfolk, Virginia.

Armed Forces Brewing Company announced the news Friday. This will be the business's first headquarters, brewhouse and taproom. The company previously contracted out its brewing.

“We are excited to open our flagship brewery and taproom in Norfolk, a great American city with a large population of veterans, active-duty military, and their families,” Armed Forces Brewing Company CEO Alan Beal said in a press release. “Virginia is one of the best states to open a brewing business in. Governor Youngkin called me and encouraged our team to take a close look at what Virginia has to offer, and we did.”

Armed Forces Brewing Company is buying the current facility of O’Connor Brewing Company, which will close on July 23. O’Connor will still brew its beer from a different location, but it will no longer have a public-facing taproom.

Armed Forces Brewing Company will move in soon after to the brewhouse, located at 211 West 24th St.

The brewery can handle 22,000 barrels. The taproom holds 650 customers and includes a covered beer garden.

“We acquired an existing brewery and taproom,” Beal said in a newsletter. “This allows us to be up and running in a few weeks, rather than having to spend months building a facility from the ground up.”

Why Virginia Beat Maryland

Virginia beat out Maryland and Florida for the new headquarters. This will bring 47 jobs to Virginia, Gov. Glenn Youngkin said.

“This is now our home base, and we’re committed to employing veterans and playing a vital part of the patriotic community in Norfolk,” Beal said.

Armed Forces Brewing Company wants at least 70% of its workforce to be veterans.

“We are proud to welcome Armed Forces Brewing Company’s headquarters and first brewing facility to the Commonwealth,” Youngkin said in the release. “Armed Forces recognizes that Virginia’s strategic location, business-friendly climate, and strong military and veteran presence in Hampton Roads will lead to success at its new home in the City of Norfolk, and we look forward to a successful partnership.”

Beal said he also chose Virginia because Norfolk is home to America’s largest naval base and the largest active military population in the U.S. with more than 96,000 active duty personnel.

Armed Forces beer is available in stores in eight states and in 36 states by online and mail order. The company plans to scale up over time. Its beer is already approved for distribution into Military Exchange stores, Walmart, Publix, Winn-Dixie, Fresh Market, H-E-B stores in Texas and will launch into Sam’s Clubs this Fall.

“I'm so proud to have all of this come to fruition,” Beal said. “Our company is growing, maturing and raising its profile. I hope you will join our investor family soon and come along for the ride.”

Related:

• Armed Forces Brewing To Sell Beer In Some Walmart, Sam's Club Stores
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Brewer Sells Its Stock

Armed Forces Brewing Company began selling its stock in July 2021, filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission show. The owners think this offering is helping the business expand.

“When we started our public stock offering on July 4, 2021, we told anyone and everyone who would listen that we were raising capital to grow our brand, increase distribution, and most importantly - to build or buy our own brewery so we would not have to rely on contract brewing,” Beal said. “We did what we promised. And we could not have done it without the generous investments from nearly 8,000 patriotic Americans in our investor family.”

Armed Forces Brewing Company is selling off 750,000 shares, which is 16.19 percent of the business. These shares cost $10 each and are worth a combined $7.5 million. Every investor must buy at least 20 shares, which is $200 in stock.

Investor Opportunities

Armed Forces Brewing Company offers perks to investors. Shareholders get merchandise, a beer discount and at least one ticket to the annual shareholder event. Larger investors are eligible to create their own beer and attend VIP experiences. All those tiered perks are posted here.

The shares, however, do not come with company voting rights and they are not traded on a public stock exchange. That means shareholders may never be able to sell their stock for a profit.

Armed Forces Brewing Company also said it has never paid its shareholders with dividends, which are a slice of the profit. The business does not expect to be able to pay dividends in the near future either.

Interested investors can buy stock at this link.

More information on the company is posted at armedforcesbrewingco.com.

Do you know a business that's opening, expanding or closing in Anne Arundel County? Email [email protected] with the details.

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