RAISING UP A GLASS TO BRASS

Army vet to open 60-draft Brass Tap beer bar in Williamsburg this month

After two years of planning and construction, a 60-tap craft beer bar is opening in the Williamsburg area.

Army veteran Franklin Herring plans to open the first Virginia location of The Brass Tap, a fast-growing Tampa-based chain with more than 40 locations in 16 states.

A Mississippi native, Herring moved to Hampton Roads in 2017 to scout locations. He was familiar with the area already after receiving his Army training at Fort Eustis. The project, first announced two years ago, has been a long time coming.

“We had some problems, I tell you that now. It had its demons,” Herring said. “But we’re finally at the point we’re opening the doors up.”

Herring said the business passed its health inspection in June and plans a July 21 opening in the sprawling New Town development in James City County.

Herring said that in addition to 150 cans and bottles, The Brass Tap will pour from 60 taps, including four nitro taps and two ciders, and a selection that veers from national craft brands to international beers from Belgium, Germany and England.

“About 35 taps will be locals, and those will change,” he said. “Some of the locals have constant taps, but most of it is seasonal. They only make so much of each beer, and a lot of it is negotiation. I’ll ask somebody for five kegs, and they’ll say they’ve only got four.”

He might have been ready to open even earlier, he said, but the coronavirus pandemic made for an interesting complication: Many local breweries had shifted their production from kegs to

COURTESY OF FRANKLIN HERRING When the beer arrives, The Brass Tap in Williamsburg plans to pour 58 beers and two ciders, with about 35 taps devoted to local breweries. Others will feature international beers.

COURTESY OF FRANKLIN HERRING At full steam, The Brass Tap in Williamsburg can seat 100, but franchisee Franklin Herring says he expects to have more limited capacity during Phase 3 coronavirus restrictions when the bar opens July 21.