Basic City’s been operating in Richmond since 2018. (Mike Platania photo)
Basic City Beer Co.’s Manchester taproom is changing its business model after changing hands.
The satellite outpost at 212 W. Sixth St., opened by the Waynesboro-based brewery in 2018, was sold last month to a group led by longtime employee Curtis Lee for an undisclosed amount.
The deal closed Jan. 20 and will transition the taproom away from technically being a brewery. The new operation under Lee will carry the Basic City name and serve its beer, but no longer brew on the premises or be classified as a brewery.
“We’ll still be serving Basic City beer, but we will now have guest taps. I love beer more than anything on Earth, so I’m going to get the best guest taps we can get,” Lee said.
Lee was one of Basic City’s first Richmond employees when it opened in Manchester five years ago by acquiring the assets of Twisted Ales brewery. Lee now owns the taproom with his wife, Sara Nass, and a third silent partner. Lee said he’d previously invested in Basic City’s Waynesboro operations, and that Basic City founder Bart Lanman retained a small stake of the Richmond location.
Curtis Lee and Sara Nass
Lanman wasn’t available for comment by press time. Lee said it’s his understanding that Lanman was looking to sell because he was often busy at the Waynesboro location.
“(Bart) knew that if I took it over, I could really put the passion in it that it deserves,” Lee said. “The Basic City in Waynesboro is so beautiful and so huge. His plate was just really, really full with that.”
Under the new ownership, Basic City will operate more as a restaurant and bar, complete with a new food operation led by a chef who Lee said previously worked at Oregon Hill Italian restaurant Mamma Zu. The new menu hasn’t been released yet, but Lee said they’ll serve “picture-worthy, great, affordable food.”
“It’s not fine dining, but close,” Lee said. “A neighborhood spot is what we’re hoping to fine-tune it towards.”
Lee and his group are also planning some physical changes to the space, including adding more restrooms, redoing the floors and adding a sound system for live music.
A slight name change is also part of the transition. Lee said they’re now referring to the establishment as Basic City RVA.
“It’s not a rebrand per se, but we really want to emphasize the ‘RVA,’” he said. “We’re still Basic City through and through.”
Prior to housing Basic City and Twisted Ales, the Manchester spot was home to Blue Bee Cider.
Basic City’s taproom has also been home to Billy Pie, the local frozen pizza business run by Billy Fallen.
Fallen said he’s now in the process of moving his operation out of Basic City in favor of a new home base in Chesterfield that’ll act as Billy Pie’s nerve center as he looks to expand the pizza business’s distribution outside of Virginia.
Basic City’s shift away from being a brewery marks the fourth time in recent months that a Richmond-area brewery stopped brewing beer.
Late last year, Castleburg Brewery and Isley Brewing Co. both closed, though Castleburg’s space near The Diamond is being taken over by Goochland’s Kindred Spirit Brewing and Isley sold the recipe to its most popular beer to a Northern Neck brewery. The third brewery to recently close was Lickinghole Creek Craft Brewery, which has temporarily ceased operations while owner Lisa Reynolds Brotherton attends to health concerns.
Basic City’s been operating in Richmond since 2018. (Mike Platania photo)
Basic City Beer Co.’s Manchester taproom is changing its business model after changing hands.
The satellite outpost at 212 W. Sixth St., opened by the Waynesboro-based brewery in 2018, was sold last month to a group led by longtime employee Curtis Lee for an undisclosed amount.
The deal closed Jan. 20 and will transition the taproom away from technically being a brewery. The new operation under Lee will carry the Basic City name and serve its beer, but no longer brew on the premises or be classified as a brewery.
“We’ll still be serving Basic City beer, but we will now have guest taps. I love beer more than anything on Earth, so I’m going to get the best guest taps we can get,” Lee said.
Lee was one of Basic City’s first Richmond employees when it opened in Manchester five years ago by acquiring the assets of Twisted Ales brewery. Lee now owns the taproom with his wife, Sara Nass, and a third silent partner. Lee said he’d previously invested in Basic City’s Waynesboro operations, and that Basic City founder Bart Lanman retained a small stake of the Richmond location.
Curtis Lee and Sara Nass
Lanman wasn’t available for comment by press time. Lee said it’s his understanding that Lanman was looking to sell because he was often busy at the Waynesboro location.
“(Bart) knew that if I took it over, I could really put the passion in it that it deserves,” Lee said. “The Basic City in Waynesboro is so beautiful and so huge. His plate was just really, really full with that.”
Under the new ownership, Basic City will operate more as a restaurant and bar, complete with a new food operation led by a chef who Lee said previously worked at Oregon Hill Italian restaurant Mamma Zu. The new menu hasn’t been released yet, but Lee said they’ll serve “picture-worthy, great, affordable food.”
“It’s not fine dining, but close,” Lee said. “A neighborhood spot is what we’re hoping to fine-tune it towards.”
Lee and his group are also planning some physical changes to the space, including adding more restrooms, redoing the floors and adding a sound system for live music.
A slight name change is also part of the transition. Lee said they’re now referring to the establishment as Basic City RVA.
“It’s not a rebrand per se, but we really want to emphasize the ‘RVA,’” he said. “We’re still Basic City through and through.”
Prior to housing Basic City and Twisted Ales, the Manchester spot was home to Blue Bee Cider.
Basic City’s taproom has also been home to Billy Pie, the local frozen pizza business run by Billy Fallen.
Fallen said he’s now in the process of moving his operation out of Basic City in favor of a new home base in Chesterfield that’ll act as Billy Pie’s nerve center as he looks to expand the pizza business’s distribution outside of Virginia.
Basic City’s shift away from being a brewery marks the fourth time in recent months that a Richmond-area brewery stopped brewing beer.
Late last year, Castleburg Brewery and Isley Brewing Co. both closed, though Castleburg’s space near The Diamond is being taken over by Goochland’s Kindred Spirit Brewing and Isley sold the recipe to its most popular beer to a Northern Neck brewery. The third brewery to recently close was Lickinghole Creek Craft Brewery, which has temporarily ceased operations while owner Lisa Reynolds Brotherton attends to health concerns.
The beer business nationally has taken a big hit in sales recently. It appears that the new generation of adults is taking seriously the health warnings of alcohol use. (It’s too late for my gen!) However, the other issue is that the number of micros has sliced up the remaining market. Curtis has the right idea to bring in the best available beers, and he has a huge market of customers surrounding his location.
Don’t underestimate the role legalized cannabis is playing in the decline of alcohol consumption. Purely anecdotal but I’m aware of multiple individuals who essentially gave up drinking almost entirely in favor of cannabis. I also read an article recently that discussed the same trend amongst younger Millennials and Gen Z.
I am the CEO of Gasket Guy Richmond LLC. We maintain all refrigeration equipment. I would be happy to service any of these business at a 20% (or at cost) discount to insure they stay afloat. This is my hometown and I have enjoyed suds at all of these locations.
Splendid idea. Manchester needs more restaurants.
Amen to that! And, I am thrilled that it will still be Basic City “through and through”!