Strangeways to open Fredericksburg brewery

Henrico County-based Strangeways Brewing announced Thursday plans to open a new brewery in Fredericksburg. The company will invest more than $2.5 million in the project over the next three years, which is expected to create 27 new jobs.

“As a Virginia born native raised in Fredericksburg, early on it was in our plans to expand into my hometown,” Strangeways’ owner, Neil Burton, said in a statement. “We are extremely excited and honored to join the area’s craft breweries, who have really produced a great scene.”

Strangeways, which opened in Henrico in 2013, said the Fredericksburg brewery will include a tasting room, arcade and beer garden. The new facility also will allow Strangeways to increase production capacity, enabling it to meet existing demand and enter new markets. Strangeways currently distributes its beers throughout Central Virginia.

Gov. Terry McAuliffe approved a $150,000 grant from the Governor’s Agriculture and Forestry Industries Development Fund for the project, which Fredericksburg will match with local funds.

Strangeways’ Henrico location welcomes more than 100,000 visitors each year. It has been listed by Bon Appétit Magazine as one of “10 New U.S. Breweries to Watch, from D.C. to California”, and noted in Southern Living magazine as one of the “South’s Best Breweries.”

Virginia competed against North Carolina for the project.