Smartmouth Brewing Co.

Vast beer selections with many different styles. I had the Goatskull dopple bock and then the Holiday Helper. Both beers were excellent and flavorful. They had two different food trucks outside and some chicken quesadillas hit the spot. There was a small local craft fair going on this day in the larger side room where I picked up some gifts and connected with some new friends. This is a unique big little brewery where it’s hard not to have a good time.

Love Smartmouth!! Bummed the Norfolk location is closing but the Pilot House in VB is great, as well! Pizza is on-site at the Pilot House and the atmosphere is always nice!

Smartmouth has awesome beers and a great atmosphere. They are taking the social distancing seriously with masks requires, hand sanitizer available and spaced out tables indoors and out with open air in the garage. The employees are super nice and very attentive to cleaning. Great location and easy to walk to if you are local. Pups are allowed as well. Same for the little ones. Definitely would recommend!

Great beer and other things on tap. Went for run club and for trivia night. So much fun and they always have events happening. Neat food truck outside too!

Easy to find, parking is a little tricky as the closest lots have scary signs, but we found nearby street parking even though it was busy. Inside space is somewhat limited but it feels cozy with a friendly atmosphere. Friendly staff tasty beer and a good selection. They had a food truck and live music as well.

Fantastic selection of creative brews. Excellent summer raspberry selection of beers. Creative names. Awesome pizza food trucks. This out of towner was pleasantly surprised by the warm hospitality and quality selection!

Great brews from a local brewery on the Elizabeth River Trail. The resident food truck offers a limited menu was but was delicious. I’m not a regular beer drinker but would order the Sunday Morning again and again!

I thought everyone was very courteous. They have a small patio area and a food truck. They don't allow inside seating at the moment but they do provide a tent outside with several benches so if it's cold or rainy, come prepared. They served a seasonal beer that was a nod to a hot toddy. It was the best beer I had in a Virginia brewery.

Came to Norfolk for a wedding and stopped by this brewery for a welcome party. The staff is very friendly and the IPA is good. There were plenty of seating for our group of about 30. They have a burger spot next door and have small bites at the place. I would probably stop by when in town again

Great food! Servers were really nice and it was family friendly! Trivia host was phenomenal keep him . Went for a work outing and thoroughly enjoyed myself!

Always a great selection of beers and friendly people operating the taps. The tap room is large with highboys and benches. The attached warehouse is huge and usually packed on weekends. We stopped in at an early Wednesday and had the place virtually to ourselves until later on. Enjoyable.

I love it here. I always have a good time, whether it's for an event or a weekend yoga class from Bhav. Everyone working here is so pleasant and their beverage selection is incredible. I would like to say there's something for everyone, no matter your taste (unless you're strictly a cider person, then that does not apply to you). I love the spot it's in, parking is easy, navigating is easy, it's overall a super cool spot, and I would like to go every single day of my life, if I could. 5 stars!

We came in around 6:30 and ordered a pizza and some drinks. There was a large group of people already there for a get together/ party of some sort. It was a Tuesday, so not a usually over busy time. It took well over an hour for us to get our pizza, closer to an hour and a half. Very unhappy with the service. No one warned us it would take so long.

Impact: 5/5. Solid beer and pleasant ambiance. Highlights: Yeti Hugs. Mouthwatering Hazy IPA . Bold, citrus flavor profile, done right. Beverages: Flight. Four selections. See picture. All were good, with Yeti Hugs being my favorite. Service: Great. Friendly and laidback. Ambiance: Indoor/Outdoor seating. Good weather. Industrial neighborhood/port vibes.

Great beer. Like, all of the beers were fantastic! (Ok maybe the No Thoughts Just Swings golf lager wasn't my favorite but honestly 1 out of 8 isn't bad!) Great merch, dog friendly indoor and outdoor space, and the staff are kind and helpful. Parking is available on the street, but honestly just Uber here and tie one on cos the beer is that good. 14/10 - come hang.

Family and dog friendly brewery serving craft beer. Food truck right outside. On-site delivery (table service) from Ghost Kitchen staff. Unique, non-alcoholic beverages are also available. Unfortunately, like most breweries like this, the sitting area is very warm. A nice relaxing atmosphere with soft music playing. Check them out!

Great place. Food awesome. Seltzer was really good and they reduced sugar for me. Great service. Family friendly, loved the train going by. Very beautiful and relaxing.

My husband and I hosted our co-ed baby shower and rented the warehouse space for a couple hours. The service was 10/10 fantastic - from the event planning to the bartender services, it was so chill, professional, and great! I will say, to rent the space, i felt like it was initially a little pricey ($350 for the whole warehouse + a bar minimum) but I will admit, the space is huge! We had about 40+ guests attend, and we probably could have fit another 60+ comfortably. We really enjoyed the aspect of being able to bring in our own catered food and non-alcoholic drinks (for the kiddos and for me as the preggo!). Everything was fantastic - I was worried how private it would feel since normally that space would be open to the public, but it was great!

Smartmouth Brewing Company is a large brewery near the water in Norfolk's Chelsea neighborhood near several other breweries and local restaurants in an industrial part of town. Here's why you should go: 1) Beer- It's among the best craft beer in the area. When we went in January 2021, they had 19 beers on tap, giving something for everyone. My wife and housemate ordered three different IPAs and were not disappointed. Liking more sweet and sour drinks, my sour ale was refreshing. They sell beer in 10 ounce or 16 ounce cups. 2) Space- It's huge! The tasting room in the front and the back room are spacious and have plenty of tables for groups. When it's warm, they have an outdoor space too. 3) Service- Staff were very friendly. 4) Amenities- There are restrooms, a few outlets to charge phones and it's dog-friendly (even inside).

Pre-ordered my all time favorite beer!! SATURDAY MORNING! Husband wanted to try the Saturday night. The Sat night is an imperial stout with pizza dough, potato chips and chocolate malt balls....what's not to like?? I was expecting it to be long lines... Long wait. But to my surprise it wasn't! They were well organized and prepared for the event! Just like a restaurant....they took your name down that way when a table was available and cleaned you were up! Loved this concept!..better than going in trying to find your own table!

My husband had a pre order pick up so we stopped in and got a beer as well! They have a cool little location with two sitting areas They did have a food truck. Dog and kid friendly! We also got our dog a collar it's so cute! Definitely a good friend hangout spot! I am not a beer fan but my husband really enjoys all the flavors and has done the pre order two years in a row now. The Saturday morning box package.

This place was ok. Beer (4/5): their Strawberry Lemonade Hard Seltzer was ok, wasn't very memorable. Their IPA was good. Ambiance (3/5): it has a decent sized sitting area. You get to look right into the brewing area while you drink. They had a wedding reception going on in the adjoining seating area and they were LOUD.

This was a fun brewery to visit. Not only are they dog-friendly, but they've got board games for you to play while you're sipping on some great beer! I wish I lived locally, as this would be a regular place to hang out. They also had a food truck to grab a bite.

Stopped in about a month ago Nice place, good brew and food truck parked outside everyday Check it out service ahh, could of been an off day

Smartmouth has become one of my favorite places to visit in Norfolk, and I've been several times in the last month. They've got an amazing selection with something for everyone. If that's not enough, they're coming out with new products seemingly every week including a tropical version of their fan-favorite Sommer Fling hefeweizen (pictured below), a key-lime seltzer, and the Black is Beautiful stout (with proceeds going to local charities) over the past month. In addition to this, they've always got a food truck nearby serving delicious meals. FOOL (Fruits of Our Labor) has been one of the more recent ones, and they've had interesting things such as a buffalo chicken taco with macaroni and cheese. The only issue I've had in the past is when ordering products online. Earlier this summer I purchased a special taco meal through their partner as well as a 4-pack of their new Senorita Vesa Mexican lager and it wasn't ready on time. I received a text saying it was ready for pickup and arrived there approximately 10 minutes later. I was told that it was in fact not ready, and that pickups didn't start until 30 minutes after my confirmed pickup time. After waiting approximately 45 minutes longer, and I was finally able to receive my products. I was in a time crunch due to their inability to provide quality service, and despite making a complaint both in person and on their Facebook posting for the event I never received a response back. I had to rush over to a friend's place at the Oceanfront to make dinner for her before she left for work and would not have purchased this meal otherwise. All in all, Smartmouth is worth checking out. If they can get their customer service together they could even be worthy of 5 stars.

Decent beer selection. Nothing really blew me away but the beers I sampled were all good. Great atmosphere with a knowledgeable and friendly staff.

Great brewery to visit if you are in the area. It definitely has that all is welcomed local vibe. Parking was a bit tough, but that could have been due to Smarthmouth's trivia night. While my visit was pretty short, I hope to visit again.

The vibes here are great but unfortunately, I expected more from the beer taste. I'd rate it a 3.5 for the overall beer quality. The service is good and they have games too. I'd recommend the DIPAs higher than others.

I'm not a big beer drinker so I'm not heading to Smartmouth for a new brew or whatever cool lingo that beer crowd loves to use. I frequent Smartmouth at least once a month for their jazz brunch! You read that right. They host a jazz brunch! CoVa has a ton of breweries now. I'm sure they are all great. Personally, a brewery becomes an invaluable asset to the community when they're lifting up other businesses while finding new ways to bring people together. I'm the type of person that enjoys having something to DO instead of just going out to eat and then going home. Smartmouth gives me an experience. They support local musicians, coffee shops, AND food joints by bringing one of each together on the second Sunday of the month. While I'm waiting for my food or coffee I can peruse the records and art tent that is always posted up near the entrance. They have socially distanced seating and ample open air space. It's a great way to spend a few hours on a Sunday and an event I'll keep coming back to as long as they have it.

So this is really a review of Ghost Kitchen, not the brewery. I ordered a falafel and got... this, which tasted like a bland chickpea burger that was slightly undercooked and not crispy. Fries are bomb. Other things have been great, but the falafel was just... disappointing.

Clean, spacious "tasting room" in Norfolk's Chelsea section of Ghent offering quality beer with front row views and tours of their brewery. The owners are approachable, community minded people that ditched successful law careers to follow their brewpub dream, thus some of their cleverly marketed beer names: rule G ipa, Murphy's law amber ale, alter ego saison. As a Hefeweizen enthusiast, Sommer Fling is among my seasonal favorites, available April - August. Adding Pete's Pub Trivia every Wednesday from 6-8p just enhances my need to visit. Lots of tables, chairs and counter spots exist indoors but do fill fast during popular events (like trivia, new beer launch parties, pro-bono cause nights, etc). They don't make food in-house BUT book rotating food trucks from the area to setup outside the entrance every day, near the picnic tables and corn hole boards. Check their website/facebook page for vendor calendar details. Unlike other Ghent spots, there's a fairly large parking lot earmarked for patrons located 1 block away. The counter staff are generally helpful and do offer tastes; you can run a tab or pay per glass at each counter visit. Clean restrooms exist for customers but there's only 2 total, 1 for each gender. I'm not gonna lie, I used the ladies restroom because it was vacant and I just had to go. Of course I lifted the seat!!

Great customer service and excellent beer selection! Live music and atmosphere is always so fun

Came here after work one evening with our dogs for some beers and food. We got there a little before the crowd so got to grab some seats outside on the patio. Some of our favorite beers that evening: Game On IPA and Underestimated Power IPA Excited to head back and try some more!

I have been drinking Smartmouth beers since their inception. Hands down they are my favorite craft brewery in Hampton Roads (actually, until you get to Asheville). Smartmouth's new Holiday Red Ale is absolutely the best beer they have made. The Holiday Ale has a Belgium Trappist taste (note: there is something "Special," as spoken by the Dana Carvey Church Lady character about this beer), but it has American IPA hops and formula.) Very unique!

Great local brewery in Norfolk!! Inside you can find tables and games. Outside there are also tables and you can find different food trucks if you get hungry. The food trucks vary by day so check their schedule. Nice chill spot to have a cold beer! The staff is very friendly and help you decide on the beers. They can also give you a lil sample if you are having trouble deciding.

We stopped in for a quick flight. Smaller brewery but has a large selection of beers (permanent and seasonals)and sambuca. No food available but food trucks are there often. Concerts are often on site. There are two branches; Norfolf and Virginia Beach. We went to the Norfolk one.

Pretty decent brewery here in Norfolk. There's great drinks available and awesome beers on tap. There's no food here though, so you better no get hungry. There is a poke bowl food truck that was outside which helped because after 3 beers I was starving. I just wish they could have some snacks or kitchen available to offer. You can have a sampler beer tray when you get to pick 4 beers and have a taste of each one. Honestly this is so cheep you can probably do this all night and get drunk off it alone. There's also so many good beers on tap there's no way you can just choose one. Pretty cool place it was just missing the great stuff that makes a cool bar place the best.

Dog lovers... they have outdoor seating, a food truck and large garage doors on some of their indoor seating. I've only had one beer and love this place. Walkable area and near several other venues. However, the food truck and Smartmouth beers are worth hanging out.

I loved stopping by the Smartmouth brewery. My boyfriend and I went on a Saturday afternoon. The place was packed but it was for a good reason. I enjoyed a flight of the gose, an ipa, and two stouts. One thing I wish they had was an explanation of each beer because I ordered the farmhouse stout and it was very licorice-y. Good for people who like it but not so good for those like me who can't stand it! The overall atmosphere was enjoyable and there were a few games to play as well.

So sorry!! I meant to review the Smartmouth Tasting Room in VB. Love the Norfolk location too, but live in VB and frequent that venue much more often!

I love smartmouth brewing. It's a no-nonsense brewery location, serving up beer and beer. They host food trucks often, and they have patio seating, so you can still have a good time without any frills. I really like their beer, especially their saison, and I love that I'm seeing their cans around more and more now. Seeing/drinking Smartmouth makes me nostalgic for my first year of marriage when we lived in Ghent and would walk to Smartmouth on the weekends, by ourselves or with friends, to grab a beer before or after walking to get food somewhere else/do errands by foot. Ah, city life. Keep doing your thang Smartmouth, love to see these Virginia breweries doing so well! The brewery is kind of tucked back away from the action at the edge of West Ghent, (but now there's a bunch going on over there in that corner of West Ghent, it's become it's own little hip neighborhood.) There's street parking, but there's plenty of it within the few surrounding blocks.

Smartmouth is one of my favorite breweries in Norfolk (and there are a lot to choose from). The brewery itself offers a relaxed atmosphere and unique rotating chalk art. One of my favorite additions is the board games they have for guests to use and play with their friends over a cold beer. Some of their beers are great, Cow Catcher and their Sommer Fling Hef are two of my favorite. But overall, I think some of the other breweries in the area offer more variety. I would recommend visiting Smartmouth if you're in Norfolk and looking for a relaxing beer or two. If you are a craft beer veteran, I would encourage you to explore some of the newer breweries popping up around Norfolk.

I'm in town for an interview with EVMS and a local recommended I come to Smartmouth as it is their favorite local brewery. I was not disappointed at all! Staff was friendly and the taproom was charming. Before getting a flight, they let me have small tastes of different beers to kind of figure out what kind of their beers I would like. I eventually settled on their stout, saison, Pilsner, hefe, and doppelbock. All were incredible! I bought a 6 pack of the saison to bring home with me as my husband loves saisons. I especially loved the stout - my personal favorite! I was there solo, but they had plenty of games to play if you came with a group of friends. The staff there had tons of suggestions for me of places to eat for dinner and offered friendly conversation to pass the time. All in all a great time and if I end up moving to Norfolk, I'll definitely be a regular at Smartmouth!

Staff was friendly and knowledgeable. I've had Smartmouth beer before, but really enjoyed the variety. We are before we got there, but the food at "ghost kitchen" parked out front looked amazing

I finally had the pleasure of visiting Smartmouth Brewery this weekend during its Poses N Pints event - a yoga session held inside the brewery followed by drinks. Smartmouth makes one of my favorite beers, Alter Ego, a Saison ale with a distinct Jarlsberg cheese taste, making it my favorite beer for pairing with crackers and cheese boards. The yoga event itself was rigorous and enjoyable (not to mention free); the instructor was helpful and taught the class at a consistent pace. While I'm a yoga novice, her directions were clear enough to keep up with with some degree of accuracy on my part. The interior of the brewery, from the bar area to the distillery, was immaculate and covered in signs for upcoming local events - a nice touch for a beer with its roots in the Norfolk community. The bar also sold some cool Smartmouth merchandise, from t-shirts to ball caps. On tap was a combination of the mainstay beers and some "limited" selections like the excellent Dancing Star IPA, which is what I had. For a laid back local brewery that sponsors community events and makes kickass beer, I can't recommend Smartmouth highly enough.

Fun brewery! Packed as usual. Some freebies on the counter lika sticker, fresh figs. Nice live music. Biggish beer flight. Friendly stuff. Street parking. So many good things here. Their business is glowing unbelievably. I wish they had my favorite Hefeweizen. That's why I give 4 stars.

Cold beer. Dog friendly. Chris's trivia is nice. Bathroom selfie potential 5/10- clean but needs a full length mirror and lacks aesthetic.

A place all about beer? Count me in... That's pretty much my motto on any of these breweries around the area. I was really interested to check this place out because I can walk there from my apartment using the Elizabeth River Trail. Located in the Chelsea area of Norfolk, this brewery is somewhat tucked away so it wasn't completely flooded with people on a Saturday afternoon. We took the pups with us and my wife stood on the patio with them while I walked in to check out their selection. The selection consisted of around 9 or 10 beers. The bartender asked me what type of beer I like, then proceeded to pour me about 6 or 7 samples one after the other. I tried a few and ultimately settled with The Princess (Seasonal) for me and the Safety Dance Pilsner for my wife. The Princess was interesting. It was slightly darker than the Pilsner, and had a richer taste with hints of caramel in it. It had a slight bite to it as well, which is what I like. My wife didn't care for the Pilsner as much. I didn't either once it got a bit warmer. Overall I wish they had a few other choices, or something sweeter for my wife. The outside seating consisted of a patio with 2 long standing-tables and a railing around the patio. The railing had leash hooks for dogs so you can tie your dog while you drink your beer. They had 3 or 4 bowls of water for the pups to drink from on the patio as well. In addition to the patio, they had a few picnic tables with umbrellas (about 6) and a few corn hole boards in the grass. The inside was standard brewery style with a few long tables to sit at, and glass between the seating area and the actual brewery site. Overall. I'd say we will be back, maybe with a pizza from The Bakehouse at Chelsea next time! I think they do free delivery as well, as it's only a few blocks away. I wish they had a bit more of a selection, but they do have some solid beers. Thanks for the good time, Smartmouth!

I came here the first time right after they first introduced their gluten-free beer. I love how people can bring their dogs outside while they sip on their beers. The people serving were also very nice and helpful. The gluten-free beer that they served reminded me of a blue moon taste but more fresh. It had an orange on the side and honestly was great priced.

I recently attended a "Celebration of Life Ceremony" for Jim Dierstien set up in the back room of Smartmouth. The facility was a perfect send off for my long time friend and his family. Thanks to them I discovered what a great place this is and will return to celebrate more pleasant day to day life. I appreciate their attention to their drink selection letting you try before you fill a glass you would be unhappy with... the staff are informative and very friendly. I will be back ;-)

LOVE their selection of beers! They have awesome seasonal brews as well as the OG beers, which are always appetizing. They offer growlers on all their basic beers (not sure about the seaonal). I ordered the flight and I liked that each beer tasted differently. I order their gluten free, "Crowdsource" and LOVED it. It had a hint of passionfruit which was super delish. They have plenty of seating inside and outside and a little teeny tiny field next to their brewery if you wanna bring your pups or want the kids to play.

Of all the local breweries, I find Smartmouth's to be of the best quality beer in the area. I've partaken in several of their beers at a number local establishments but finally made it to the brewery with the hubs. I can say with certainty that it will not be our last visit! The parking situation is a bit odd and the tasting room that day was super crowded, but we expected it. Despite the crowd, both staff and patrons were in very good spirits and really friendly. We had some great conversations and laughs with people we'd never even met, which is a plus when visiting a place for the first time. The hubs and I both got flights followed by a couple of pints of the Sommer Fling. My one suggestion for their flights would be to get a better tote. The trays are fine, but not terribly stable. Other breweries in the area have some pretty snazzy carriers (see Young Veterans) that hold the small glasses well ad look pretty awesome to boot. Before we left, we snagged a stainless steel growler and had it filled with the Sommer Fling. It was a bit pricy in comparison to the glass growlers, but it's a badass growler! Perhaps a design to go off of for some nifty flight totes? No doubt we will be back to partake in more awesome beer, live music and good food truck eats!

My husband and I really enjoy coming to Smartmouth. It's walking distance from our apartment and dog friendly. The outdoor patio area is a decent size. There are picnic tables with umbrellas, stand alone tables, and several areas set up with cornhole. My husband could go on and on about their beer, but I'm more interested in the atmosphere! My husband and I attended their 5 year birthday bash event over the weekend. I had a blast with live music, food, and plenty of beer! During the event, I tasted a cider and pumpkin ale beer-wasn't a huge fan of the pumpkin. Each beer ticket cost $6 and people drinking were given a plastic Smartmouth cup to take home. I also enjoyed one of their food trucks during my visit. Pendulum Meats was serving pulled pork sandwiches for $5 bucks-what a steal! My husband and I will definitely be back to Smartmouth. I really enjoy the atmosphere and the staff are very friendly. Be on the lookout for their Virginia Beach location opening soon!

Ghost kitchen is amazing! Beer is good, pretty decent selection. Wish they had NA options. Servers are always nice, friendly and helpful.

Very cool place tucked in the cut of the Chelsea district. Friendly staff, tasty beers (flights available), lots of room to spread out and hang, games to play, and the food truck (Ghost Kitchen) is great! I recommend the chicken smash burger... So juicy and packed with flavor!

We love Smartmouth! This brewery is my top choice in the area for a number of reasons. There's always something new and interesting on the menu, and they have a large selection of options catering to a variety of different tastes. Whether I want something light, something malty, something rich, or something sour, I feel like I can always get what I'm thirsty for at Smartmouth. On top of that, the staff is great. Extremely friendly and knowledgeable about the beer selection! We've met the founders and head brewer before and they all seemed like nice, genuine people. I also love the location. Chelsea is a fun area and Smartmouth is a great size, with plenty of space indoors, a porch-like area, and then a lawn with yard games and standing tables in the spring and summer. While they don't have in-house food, there's almost always a food truck parked outside, or you can walk to one of the restaurants down the block in short order. They host a number of events throughout the year, from street parties to concerts and more. There always seems to be something interesting coming up on the calendar! Picking a favorite is difficult for me as I love so many of the breweries in Hampton Roads, but Smartmouth will always have a special place in my heart!

One thing I like about this place is they make 11 beers. A lot of places have more, but since this place makes a few less, it gives me confidence that they know what they're doing with that they make. I got a flight of 8 beers for $14. I was fine with pretty much every beer they had. I tend to like IPA's and they had three on tap, so it was already up my alley. The Notch 9 was probably my favorite, since it was still full of flavors, but had a crisp finish to it. The big disappointment for me was the Murphy's Law, the amber ale. I usually am drawn to those kinds of beers, but this one was had a pretty strong malt flavor to it that I didn't really take to. The Safety Dance was a fine pilsner too, it had a good blend of drinkability with just a touch of bitterness on it. I usually never drink really dark beers, but their dark lager, the Cargo, was still very smooth and enjoyable. It's not the easiest place for me to get to, coming from Newport News. But this is a fine brewery and I'm sure I'll be drinking more of their beers in the future.