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Outdoor seating at Fine Creek Brewing (Photo courtesy Fine Creek Brewing Co.)
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Norwegian farmhouse ale with brett (Photo courtesy Fine Creek Brewing Co.)
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Grilled pizza with lemon ricotta and black grapes (Photo courtesy Fine Creek Brewing Co.)
As Richmond’s brewery population continues to grow, it can seem like there’s one on every corner. Even so, it’s worth getting in your car to head west on a scenic 35-minute drive to trade an ordinary Saturday of brewery hopping in Scott’s Addition for a mini adventure.
Could you possibly get stuck behind a tractor on the one-way road in? Perhaps, but isn’t life all about the stories?
What began as a wedding venue, The Mill at Fine Creek, created in rural and rustic Powhatan County by husband-and-wife team Lisa and Tim Benusa in 2004, has blossomed into a full-fledged operation that now includes a thoughtful small-batch brewery with a women-led kitchen, a general store, a skilled pastry chef, cottages for overnight stays and a welcome escape from two-hour parking, food trucks and patiently (or impatiently) waiting in line for libations.
“You’re coming [here] with a purpose,” says Fine Creek Brewing Company co-owner, founder and Powhatan native Mark Benusa, who’s also Lisa and Tim’s son. “We’re definitely a destination brewery.”
Mark Benusa (left) and Brian Mandeville (Photo courtesy Fine Creek Brewing Co.)
Benusa, a 33-year-old Virginia Tech engineering graduate, knew that what Powhatan lacked in size and city vibes, it could make up for and exceed with effortless hospitality. The brewery, which opened in May 2017, urges visitors to slow down and partake in a little R&R, and the experience grants the beer and food the opportunity to shine.
Enjoy a complex apricot-tinged grisette from head brewer Brian Mandeville, a former mead maker turned home brewer who joined the team in March after lengthy stints at O’Connor Brewing in Norfolk and Fullsteam Brewery in Durham, North Carolina, or try a grilled pizza with blackberries, fluffy lemon ricotta and a delicate dusting of edible flowers, a beautiful and curious creation from Chef Sarah Tocco.
Tocco, who runs Fine Creek Brewing’s kitchen with the help of a small, tight-knit crew, is able to flex her culinary creativity based on the season and what local farms such as Adelaide Hills, Broadfork or Shalom are growing. The menu changes weekly. “The freedom is the best part about it,” she says. Prior to landing her position, she and her husband, Pierre Tocco, owner of The Desserterie and The Mill at Fine Creek’s on-site pastry chef, got married at The Mill.
“I found this to be the healthiest atmosphere as far as kitchen work,” says Tocco, who started at The Mill nine years ago before shifting to Fine Creek Brewing in 2017. “To be a woman in the industry was my biggest challenge — I love the support system with the all-female [kitchen] staff here at Fine Creek.”
A visit to Fine Creek Brewing begins with entry into the rustic taproom, where manager Daniel Chiles, a 10-year veteran bartender for The Mill, aims to create an approachable, educational environment. Want to sample four beers and ask a lot of questions before making a decision? It’s encouraged.
“I think most people that come in are sticking around for a few hours or more, and that’s a huge part of how we want to approach things — we don’t want them to be rushed through,” Chiles explains. “We try to take each customer encounter with a lot of care.”
The beers are at the forefront of what makes Fine Creek worth the trip. Brewer Gabe Slagle steered the ship before departing to Firestone Walker Brewing in California, but he established a solid framework for Mandeville, who took over the position in March.
Funky and palate-provoking mixed-fermentation sours, a refreshing brett saison aged on Viognier skins, a “Dad Strength DIPA,” and traditional style brews such as a crisp, doughy helles lager or pilsner all await in Powhatan — a portfolio of offerings you won’t find elsewhere because the brewery does little to no distributing.
“The kind of brewing I’m passionate about is working predominantly with local agriculture,” says Mandeville, who adds that Fine Creek is a good cultural fit. “The [production] scale makes it possible to forage in a sustainable way. It’s also about honoring people and traditions that are bigger and more important than me or beer.”
Mandeville, Chiles, Tocco and Mark Benusa — the latter was busing tables during a busy Wild and Weird Festival weekend in April — all practice the same work model: executing with purpose.
And the rest of the staff, many of whom worked at The Mill or have been working with the Benusas for years, follow suit.
Fine Creek offers more than just a diverse collection of craft beer or a seasonally focused menu; it’s about a liberating, adventurous experience for Powhatan locals, beer geeks, city dwellers and out-of-towners at a brewery rooted in loyalty, family and hospitality.
As Benusa puts it, “You feel like you are a part of something.”
