Big Ugly Brewing

Trivia Night — 1^st Thursday of Every Month — 6PM! Awesome selection of craft beers with the best beertenders in town. Super cool tasting room and always hopping in there. The Summer Blonde Ale is my favorite. Friendly staff with great beer knowledge. It’s worth the drive to Chesapeake no matter where you live in Coastal VA or OBX.

I wanted to enjoy this place. Location wise it’s kinda out of the Way. The beer selection was decent however the flavors were kinda off to me. I tried the blonde and found it to be a rather strange flavor profile, and a dark Belgian style beer that was ok. No actual food menu from what I can’t tell was also rather off putting. Seems like you isolate your audience that way by out sourcing your food to other vendors. Not to sure how they are meeting ABC laws that way either.
The inside was a mix of clutter and tables. The van inside is cool and different. A broken bench outside with no markings or it being there at all was rather strange and not inviting.
I think it has potential but won’t be going out of my way to go here for a while.

I absolutely LOVE Big Ugly Brewing! My first experience here was at a Unilocal event and I knew I had to continue coming back during my four months in Virginia Beach.
The location is a little off the beaten path. The strip mall it’s in is pretty unimpressive/​hidden and it’s very easy to drive right past it. But even though the outside is fairly run of the mill, the décor inside is really cool. There’s a van you can sit in to enjoy some beer, as well as a table with a Triumph motorcycle as a seat!
I’ve had a couple different beer flights here and all of the beer I’ve tried has either been phenomenal or incredibly unique. They have a ghost pepper beer as well as a beer brewed with coffee. However, the saison is definitely my favorite! They don’t have food, but you can order food from a couple of nearby restaurants and enjoy it at the bar.
Although my time in Virginia Beach is over, I’m confident I’ll hear more about Big Ugly in the future. Their beer is high quality and they really care about what they’re doing.

I had a hard time finding this location, but once I did… it was a pleasure!
Such a neato place in a tucked away strip in Chesapeake! Not too sure of how many will venture here outside of the locals in Chesapeake, but if they do I hope they have a DD. If you travel here from cities such as Virginia Beach and Suffolk… have über on speed dial! You may want to stay longer than expected. So much to choose from but…
They do not serve food here… such a bummer — hence the 4 stars! -.5 star for distance and -.5 star for no food.
However, the night I visited, Bella Pizza was the Food Truck on site. And they are — AMAZEBALLS!!!
I learned the term «first flight» — I had no clue of it’s significance. To my surprise it was the flight of beer samples. Let the drinking began…
I am far from a beer drinker, but I sampled the flight without hesitation. I know now I like the lighter beer (Blonde)!
The owner Bim came over to check on us… friendly guy. Of course I gave him my review on the beers. As he saw I wasn’t too fond of the tastes he recommended one for me. So he brought back a sample of Bim’s Magic Berlinerbus… oooohlala!
Now the Magic must of been powerful, because I wanted another glass of that one! Now IMO this wasn’t beer, but more like a fruity drink. So I kinda cheated. But if he said it was beer, then I’m a beer drinker — NOW :)
Such a great night in an awesome venue! The staff, family-​oriented and eager to talk about their business… this makes for a fun time!
The décor is different and definitely makes you feel like you’re in a backyard somewhere. I see this place being a great hang out.
It’s small… so it may fill quickly on a weekend night!
This was my first time at a brewery, therefore I didn’t know what to expect. But next time someone invites you to a brewery — just go! You are sure to find something here that interests you! The staff is friendly enough, so just ask them for recommendations and enjoy the night!
Have fun :)

Word of mouth has spread about Big Ugly and heck even the Unilocal Elites will gather for an event soon. I have been wanting to check them out for several months, but there weekend only schedule did not permit. They recently expanded Wednesday — Sunday and will expand hours again. They are doing it right with the soft type of opening lasting so long to make sure they are ready. The overwhelming crowds and and fans are eager for them to be a 7 day operation.
The location is one reason I am taking part of the 5^th star away. It is remote for most of the area, however those living in Chesapeake will say it’s in their back yard to some extent. Truth be told it sets less than 10 miles from the NC border. No offense to the business, but most of the population resides in Virginia Beach and Norfolk. I wont be able to make it a regular place. I was also disappointed it was in a strip, I had visions of it being in a stand alone joint.
Let’s get to the great stuff that occurred on my first visit. Plenty of parking and the lot was clean. Good s