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Intermission Brew Company opened in September 2017 and is the only woman-owned brewery in the area. (Photo by Eileen Mellon)
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Courtney, the owner of Intermission, with her husband and sole brewer, Justin (Photo by Eileen Mellon)
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Intermission encourages beer drinkers to stay a while and play board games or watch a movie. (Photo by Eileen Mellon)
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Flights of beer are presented in a movie-style reel. (Photo by Eileen Mellon)
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Intermission offers a "can on demand" system, and guests can get 16-ounce cans filled on site. (Photo by Eileen Mellon)
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The inside of Intermission (Photo by Eileen Mellon)
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Outside Intermission are picnic tables and cornhole boards. (Photo by Eileen Mellon)
Near Virginia Center Commons Mall, tucked away from the main road near a Firestone auto shop, lies the only 100 percent woman-owned brewery in the area. Intermission Beer Company, a hidden gem on the brewing scene, celebrates one year in business in September.
“It’s been a little challenging. We don’t have a name behind us, we're still trying to get the word out,” says owner Courtney White, a Powhatan native, of the brewery's first year.
White and her husband, Justin — the sole brewer — met at VCU as theater majors; hence the name Intermission. During college Justin began to home brew, and 18 years later, he hasn’t stopped.
“We bought a house and built a garage, which never had a chance to have a vehicle in it; we basically turned it into a brewery,” says Justin, laughing. “In the back of my mind I always thought 'brewery.' ”
In 2012, when legislation passed allowing breweries to sell beer for on-site consumption, the Whites took notice.
“We started saying, 'Hey, [owning a brewery] is viable, we could do something here,' ” recalls Justin.
Slowly. Thoughtfully. The Whites began extensive research, and Courtney completed a five-month course on the Business of Craft Brewing through Portland State University. The duo went to auctions, bought equipment piece by piece, asked questions, experimented and took their time.
“We didn’t jump in. We did it the way we wanted to do things,” says Courtney.
But it hasn’t been easy. When the brewery's glycol chiller froze, Justin was up until 4 a.m. with a heat lamp trying to fix it. When Courtney distributed thousands of flyers with a beer coupon in surrounding neighborhoods to promote Intermission, only one person brought a flyer back. As sole proprietors, the Whites carry the entire weight of the business on their shoulders.
“It’s a lot of work and it’s been a process, but it’s our passion,” says Justin.
But sometimes the less beaten path, in this case their Glen Allen location, presents different opportunities. Folks waiting to get their car fixed at Firestone frequently stop in and have a cold one while they wait, and the brewery is surrounded by hotels and retail shops.
The Whites' small-barrel production methods are also beneficial: If a beer isn’t selling, it’s not a huge loss, and when they feel creative they can experiment with new flavors, like a guava pale ale or juicy IPA with mango and passionfruit.
Sometimes doing things differently requires a little more heart, and a lot more dedication. Courtney works a regular day job in IT, serves as the unofficial face of Intermission after, and runs a website dedicated to theater announcements and job openings in her spare time.
Sometimes it’s just plain scary — in a city ranked as the top beer destination in the world in 2018, a city with 29 breweries and growing, where Scott’s Addition is known as the drinking mecca — to stand alone and run a brewery as husband and wife, but the Whites say it's worth it.
“We know our duties and strengths, and we love to have people come and enjoy themselves and have a beer while they’re doing it,” says Courtney. “Meeting people is the best part. We’ve met some awesome people we never would have met otherwise, and a variety of people — pastors, dog trainers, people in IT, people who love beer, and that’s what we all have in common.”
Inside Intermission, red curtains resembling those of a classic theater hang at the top of the windows. The tables, restored finds from the Habitat for Humanity ReStore, are adorned with theater playbills; movie quotes randomly scattered throughout the space read “Show me the money” or “Bond, James Bond”; a refurbished old-school popcorn machine is brought to life on movie nights; prints featuring characters from "The Nightmare Before Christmas," "Deadpool" and other Marvel movies accent the walls; and flights of beer are presented in a wooden movie-style reel.
The brewery is more than a place that serves beer; it’s a spot to hang out.
“If it's fun, it fits. We were going for a coffee shop type of vibe,” says Courtney. “We want people to have a good time, and everything is entertainment-themed.”
Whether it’s playing board games, watching a movie, sitting outside or bringing in a pizza (guests can bring outside food), Intermission is an entertainment oasis where you're encouraged to stay a while.
The brewery hosts themed trivia nights weekly, a book club twice a month, Harley Davidson bike nights, ukulele jams and boot camp classes. They recently hosted a ladies-only Intermission event featuring women makers from across the region.
Typically, Intermission has six beers on tap, and the best seller is their IPA followed by the pale ale. New beers in the works include a honey saison, a traditional pilsner and a brown sugar porter.
Justin says they try to focus on a diverse lineup of beers.
“The first thought when brewing beer is, Does it resemble anything we currently have? Do I think it would do well with regulars, or would it attract new people to come in?” he explains. “Other times if there’s a new trend that sounds interesting, we’ll go for it. We're small-scale, so nothing is permanent.”
Intermission offers the option to “can on demand” in 16-ounce cans. They recently partnered with Pretty Ugly Distribution, a female-owned company out of Chesapeake for independent breweries, to expand keg distribution to restaurants and stores/markets in Richmond and the Hampton Roads area. Hanover Golf Club is the first spot to feature an Intermission beer on tap, and Pelon’s Baja Grill on Dabney Road has expressed interest as well.
The process is happening slowly for the Whites, but they simply want to share their beer and have people make the trip to see them.
“We want to be face to face and interact with people,” says Courtney. “We want to expose people to our brewery and our beer, and every time you come in there’s something different.”
Intermission Beer Company, located at 10089 Brook Road, Unit A, is open Wednesday and Thursday from 5 to 9 p.m., Friday from 4 to 9 p.m., Saturday noon to 9 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 6 p.m.
