[Update] – Green Flash Brewing Puts Virginia Brewery Up For Auction
(San Diego, CA) – We’ve been following Green Flash Brewing’s shift in workforce and sales over the past year. In brief, Green Flash Brewing has been met with challenges that required them to withdraw from multiple markets just after launching a second production brewery and tasting room in Virginia in late 2016. Signs pointed to trouble as they began shifting and reducing workforce at their San Diego based headquarters in January 2017.
Today we were tipped off by many members of the beer industry that the Green Flash Brewing facility in Virginia Beach Virginia was up for sale.
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After a quick Google search, we found that Green Flash Brewing is in fact liquidating assets in Virginia. It appears everything is up for auction: facility, bottling line, tasting room, draft system,etc.
Green Flash is conducting this auction via Heritage Global Partners. Here is the link to the auction page: http://www.hgpauction.com/auctions/93763/greenflash/
Here are screenshots in case the page changes.
We were told by someone with knowledge of the situation that this is a move that was made to solidify investments to keep San Diego’s operations above water. We reached out to Green Flash President CEO Mike Hinkley earlier today for confirmation/ comment but he did not return our inquiry as of press time.
Update: 48 hours after we broke this story, our friends to the south at Westcoaster San Diego spoke with Mike Hinkley, Green Flash CEO regarding the closure of Green Flash Virginia Beach. As rumored, Green Flash has put their Virginia Beach brewery and tasting room up for auction in order to secure investment money to keep San Diego’s facility alive. According to Westcoaster, Green Flash Brewing has also pulled out of a few more markets as well. Read more here.
March 28, 2018 @ 5:42 am
Honestly, I haven’t had a beer in there worth a crap. IPAs suck, sorry. I tried to find one beer in there that was any good and made me want to come back…..never happened. Too bad because it would have been cool to have a place like that in that area. IMO, the winter business was off because you couldn’t fit another car in the parking lot during warm days. I drive by it every day coming home from work.
April 5, 2018 @ 12:04 pm
if you cant handle the hop stay out of their IPAs. they may be palette wreckers, but they don’t suck. if that’s not your preference, fine.
March 25, 2018 @ 11:58 am
Why all the hate in IPA’s , I actually love them & Green flash has a few good ones , I think the mistake they made , was not coming up with new ones … as for the kid thing , I’m totally against all these local breweries having kids there , don’t mind the pets though , I just think kids & bars in general send a bad message, & as an adult , I really don’t want kids running around while I’m drinking a beer trying to relax .
March 25, 2018 @ 11:39 am
This is 100% a result of ego, greed, hubris, and an overall bunch of scum bags running that company. The list of mistakes that were made there could fill a book. Allegedly they are shutting the doors tomorrow and laying off all the employees. When you make the beer the 4th or 5th most important thing you are doomed to fail. The owner should be ashamed of himself but he will probably come out ok while fucking over hundreds of great employees who’s only fault was believing his never ending bullshit. Sad day.
March 26, 2018 @ 7:31 am
Hello this is Robert Boyd with 13NewsNow. We are looking to speak with current or former Green Flash employees about the brewery possibly shutting down. If you are interested please give me a call at 757-749-9798. Thanks.
March 25, 2018 @ 4:22 am
You can’t see the green flash on the east coast. Maybe they didn’t know that when first moved here.
March 24, 2018 @ 6:51 pm
It’s an over-saturated market. Everyone and their mother wants to brew beer, and exiting breweries all tried to expand. Here in the Richmond, VA area, we’ve got 20+ of them. I love good beer, but the craft brew phenom jumped the shark several years ago. And now, the inevetable collapse.
March 25, 2018 @ 10:08 am
You hit the nail on the head
March 25, 2018 @ 11:32 am
I too live in Richmond, Va. and my term for the constant newbies opening is that “They are sprouting like mushrooms on mulch”. We started going to, remember this term: Micro Breweries ?, in 1995. Going to a new area on the East Coast was an adventure to find the grass roots of these breweries. Now? Almost on every corner. Also, to me, IPA stands for “I’ll Pass Again”. Over the past two years or so I stated to many of my friends that this craft beer business, with the many openings and the prices they charge will NASCAR themselves. It is happening. One more recession and ………………………..
March 24, 2018 @ 3:45 pm
Too many IPAs these days..
I can’t drink them and many others can’t as well. Too hoppy. Heartburn. Enough already…
March 24, 2018 @ 10:40 am
Not surprised.
Visited the VA Beach location last summer.
Was not impressed.
Huge space, lots of outdoor activities.
But not impressed with any of Green Flashes beers or their collabs.
Too many other very good, truly local breweries and beers…
March 24, 2018 @ 6:15 pm
Well, no wonder this company is failing. You’re not impressed.
March 25, 2018 @ 8:40 am
Shameful for that man to have an opinion. Shall we throw snarky comments at him instead?
March 25, 2018 @ 9:27 am
Way to be a pretentious douche. He’s not the only one who wasn’t impressed. Their beers are mediocre at best, with staff who can’t recommend a beer based on a customers preferences outside of “try this IPA”. Their patronage is Young couple with kids trying to stay hip and relevant.. I say that because I see more unattended young children running around the VB location than anything else.
March 28, 2018 @ 11:11 am
Yo Ben, all of our staff was cicerone certified and did our best to make sure people found a beer they loved. Yes there were a lot of IPAs, there were also..Stouts, wheats, sours, Belgians, blondes, lagers etc. Stick to critiquing the company that just failed us instead of the employees caught in the cross fire.
March 24, 2018 @ 7:17 am
Maybe the cost of operations was too expensive there and that’s why they are opening a location in Lincoln, NE (bought a smaller facility that went out of business, so it should be an easy transition)
March 23, 2018 @ 11:07 pm
Well, that’s what happens when you brew 9 different types of IPA’s (that’s a small exaggeration). I remember seeing then come to the store I worked at asking me if they could sell their ruby red and brown ale.. I said, heck yeah. Fast forward 15 years.. those beers are no longer made.