Remember the anti-“woke” beer company that Glenn Youngkin helped lure to Norfolk a couple of years back with $300,000 in tax incentives?
Yeah, it’s closing its doors, not because of market forces – it was “a woke mob.”
“Unfortunately, our ability to profitably operate in Norfolk was severely affected by the local woke mob – a few individuals in the area who have no love for the traditional American values we hold as a company,” Armed Forces Brewing CEO Alan Beal said on Thursday, as he announced that the company will be selling its Norfolk taproom “while we look for a new home and headquarters in a friendlier environment.”
No way anybody didn’t see this one coming.
A story in the conservative bro online publication Outkick published as the company was making its big move into the Norfolk market in 2023 highlighted increased sales resulting from “Bud Light’s stupidity with Dylan Mulvaney,” referencing the generated outrage from the far right over the brief brand sponsorship deal between the nation’s #1 light beer and Mulvaney, a trans influencer with millions of followers on social media.
ICYMI
Beal told Outkick that sales of its beer increased six-fold in the immediate aftermath of the fake controversy.
The telling line in that story is this quote from Beal: “Communists obviously won’t like our beer or company values, but who doesn’t want to tribute a service member?”
Apparently, enough people in the Norfolk area for this guy to stay in business.
Youngkin, the MAGA Virginia governor, used $300,000 of our state taxpayer money to lure this guy from Maryland, where it had been based.
Let’s revisit the victory-lap quote from the governor from the press release from 2023 announcing the big pick-up for the state.
“We are proud to welcome Armed Forces Brewing Company’s headquarters and first brewing facility to the Commonwealth,” Youngkin said then. “Armed Forces recognizes that Virginia’s strategic location, business-friendly climate, and strong military and veteran presence in Hampton Roads will lead to success at its new home in the City of Norfolk, and we look forward to a successful partnership.”
Youngkin has been mum on the announcement from Beal about the decision to shutter the business.
Jackie Hope Glass, who represents Norfolk in the Virginia House of Delegates, wants the governor to weigh in on the news.
In a statement to WAVY-10 on Friday, Glass said “the company was already financially unstable before moving, and their recent filings confirm they’re sinking fast. Armed Forces Brewing lost $1.7 million despite tripling revenue in the first half of 2024. By June 30, they were down to just $12,000 in cash. Multiple companies are suing them in Norfolk, Portsmouth and Henrico for unpaid debts.
“The governor gambled taxpayer dollars on a marketing stunt, a brewery that doesn’t actually brew beer, hoping to cash in on anti-Bud Light sentiment. Instead of securing a thriving business, Virginia subsidized a failing one, and the only return we’ve gotten so far is bad beer and unpaid bills,” Hope Glass said.
“I’d love to hear the governor’s answer: What’s the plan now? Will he admit this was a shoddy investment or keep pretending this was a win for Virginia?” Hope Glass said.
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Chris Graham
