At Billsburg Brewery, history, community, and craft beer collide.
Dave Baum started home brewing as an after-work hobby in 2008; he loved the way beer brought people together.
In 2017, Baum quit his job working for Lumber Liquidators to open Billsburg Brewery. A short three years later, he died after a sudden heart attack. But on the brewery’s 10 acres overlooking a marina just off of the Colonial Parkway in Williamsburg, his legacy lives on.
“He never met a stranger,” says Eric Williams, who now runs the brewery. “He had the ability to make everybody feel welcome, no matter if you knew him for five seconds, five minutes, or five years.”
Williams wants people to feel the same way when they come to Billsburg.
“We are wide open to visitors,” he says. “You could be new to the area or you could have lived here your whole life, it doesn’t matter.” The brewery was founded on a love of traditional lagers, pilsners, and ales, “and we’re just mere miles from America’s original brewery,” Williams adds.
Billsburg sits across the street from a historic neighbor, the Jamestown Settlement. Visitors to the Virginia’s Historic Triangle can stop in to refuel with seasonal brews, cocktails, slushies, and food truck eats. Billsburg is also right off the Capital Trail, making it a convenient pit stop for bikers.
Williams and his team recognize that not everyone is a beer person. They offer weekly events for the whole family, like live music, bingo, running club, trivia, a cornhole league, open mic nights, and more.
Billsburg is celebrating its five-year anniversary in 2023, continuing a commitment to honoring America’s rich brewing history. Billsburg.com
This article originally appeared in the Best of Virginia 2023 issue.
