the birch bar

awesome!. this is the best place ever. the beer selections out of this world. our service was great. staff was very knowledgeable and gave several suggestions so that we all hadbeersthat we would enjoy. we are all planning on coming back.

the birch - craft beer and conversation. the birch made me smile and reminisce.
ben and malia and their hardworking team have achieved an unusual feat: a menu and atmosphere that is about two things: great craft beer and an atmosphere that fosters conversation. much like pubs in ireland and the 1920s speakeasies of nyc, the focus and delivery is really about two things: delicious beer and conversation, plain and simple. the whole experience centers on a beyond huge and comprehensive craft beer selection, great knowledge about thebeersand an atmosphere that invokes a good talk and laugh with friends and neighbors. no posing necessary. come as you are. how refreshing and delicious and simple - but by no means simple to achieve. congratulations to to the owners who had a singular vision and their hard-working staff who help realize it every day. a wonderful and pure experience.
go and enjoy!!!!

the birch is the best beer bar in tidewater - without exception. the selection ofbeersis not only vast, but carefully selected by the owners to provide a quality drinking experience. the atmosphere and lighting is warm and low-key. both ties and t-shirts are welcome and can be seen on any given night. while i am not inclined to post restaurant and bar reviews, i signed up for urbanspoon in order to provide my take on the birch.

i usually go by the bar a couple of times a week and have come to know the owners, ben and malea. i have also come to know the rest of the staff - kate, jordan and mary. i consider them friends. not many young couples have had the courage, particularly in these economic times, to forge ahead and take the chances that ben and malea have undertaken in opening this superlative bar. kate and jordan are friends of the couple and mary is malea's mother. ben's dad can often be found sipping a beer at the end of the bar. i find this setup comfortable and reassuring in a time when most bars are owned and run by faceless people or companies who rarely, if ever, can be found on the premises and typically employ short-timers who direct you to a laminated beer list of seven selections. if you're hell bent on a budweiser, every other bar in town can take care of you. if you're up for something more adventurous, give the birch a try. if you're up for something adventurous but want something like a budweiser, tell one of the staff that you typically drink bud or miller and they'll recommend something that will likely surprise you. my dad falls into this last category. and if it's too crowded and you don't have time to wait, go next door or down the street to one of the other ghent locations and drop in another time.

the world is already full of appleby's, tgif, flingers etc. and, in many cities, they continue to sprout up like weeds next to beige condominiums and parking lots. in norfolk, the birch tells me that the 'local tavern' is off of life-support and willing to offer something better to those who want it.

i finally found a bar i like. this is one of those fantastically hidden away gems that has only been around for a year or so, so if you're like me and feel like you've been missing out, you're not too far behind the curve. these guys serve high class craftbeersthat are unlike any beer from the mainstream distributors. i had an absolutely amazing imperial stout, german wild porter, and fortified cider while i was there, and every single beer had a unique flavor and was more than worth the small draft price.

as far as food goes, they have a cheese selection, which comes with good crackers, and for a small cost, also comes with honey, black and green olives, and delicious sausage. each cheese is delicious.

the bartender is extremely knowledgeable and i essentially took his recommedations for all threebeersand my choice of cheese, and can honestly say it was worth the price.

no live music when i went (wed evening) but quality jazz music playing to match the diamond-in-the-rough atmosphere. if you're not a beer snob, this place will make you one. my only shame is that i found them so late in my time in norfolk, and am leaving the area soon. easily the best bar i've found in the whole 7 cities area.

fantastic beer bar. this place is not for the following:
people who want dinner
people who want to drink cocktails while one person has a bud
people who want cheap beer

this is a beer bar.

go to the birch to experience beer. it is a small establishment with limited seating and an awesome, i repeat, awesome beer menu. there is always light music playing that you can actually talk over. if you do not like craftbeersit may not be a spot you want to visit. this is not a restaurant. there is food but don't go hungry thinking you are going to eat dinner. think of pretzels to cleanse between beers. my favorite part is that they keep the kitchen light off unless someone orders something.

the staff has always been great when we have been, always asking if we need another beer and offering suggestions for our next.

what a beer!. i first heard about birch bar in the oct. veer mag. i live in norfolk, and was surprised to hear about an all beer bar-had to try it. walked in and immediately appreciated the missing tvs!! :) the lighting is subdued, and the atmosphere very comfortable.
ben, the owner, came over, and was very open and forthcoming with an offer to assist in the decision-making process-which is a good thing given that the bottled beer list is 3 pages long. :) there's a floor-to-almost-ceiling board listing thebeersavailable on tap, and a list of eats available as well-although that list is modest in comparison to the other two. but it is all about the beer!
with a little assistance from ben, i settled on the ola dubh 18, and was absolutely smitten. i'm not an 'educated' drinker of beer, although i will always take the smaller, batch-made brews over anything mass-produced, but the od 18 was amazing. now there's only one problem....and it's quite serious....i have been thoroughly and unequivocally spoiled--all my other beer 'favorites' have turned to water in comparison....i've been back once so far....and have yet to get beyond........ola dubh!! :)

a jewel. i love this place. one of my favorite places in all of tidewater. most of thebeersserved here are not served anywhere else in the area and are exquisite. and the atmosphere is simple and well done.

the owner is actually quite personable and helpful--as are the others, though i don't doubt that he'll try to make space for paying customers over those just tagging along for conversation.

as to food, this is not a restaurant. it is a beer bar. yes, they'll make you a sandwich, but that's not their raison d'etre. the best food is the cheese board. they have a phenomenal cheese board (i recommend stilton, cocoa cadonna & shepherd's blend).

not sure i understand the comment about no music. there is always music--good music--but i guess they keep the volume at a level that does not interfere with conversation.

don't go there with 12 people; go with 3 or 4 friends, talk with the staff about the beers, and the people next to you.

cool atmosphere that was ruined by the rudeness of the staff. this place has greatbeerstonoffer however when i went here with a group of 12 people they asked the 2 people who did not order drinks to stand bc they needed the chairs for another party who was about to arrive. when the 2 took a nearby seat at the bar they were again asked to get up... what type or establishment treats their customers like this? we stayed for 1 drink and got the checks bc of their awful and very rude attitudes. because of this we will never go back.

the birch: it's not a tree. this is a beer bar plain and simple, and in that regard you will be hard pressed to find a better beer bar in the city/state/region. it truly is a beer lover's paradise. the draft and bottle list are ever changing and there isn't a bad beer in the bunch. we are talking world classbeerson a regular basis. that being said, if you have a problem paying more than $5 for a beer this is not the place for you. sorry.

not only will you find knowledgeable staff eager to guide you in your selection, the unconventional look and feel of the venue add to the distinct vibe you wil find only at the birch. be it fellow patrons commenting on your beer selection, invigorating conversations with complete strangers, helping a lost soul staring helplessly at the list of 21 unique drafts, or just frothing at the mouth for one of the vintage bottles newly added to the bottle list... the birch provides a truly unique experience. i drive from williamsburg on a regular basis just to get my fix. that's a helluva endorsement considering fuel prices at the moment.

for those miffed about being turned away at the door... that is to protect the integrity of what makes the birch so great: it's atmosphere. ben would rather provide a memorable evening of individual attention and comfortable seating then cram the space like a cattle cart and make you wade through a sea of bodies to grab your next brew. it's a tiny place with a massive regional footprint in terms of buzz. i implore you to give it another chance and you'll see why.

over the top.... i have a feeling my fellow reviewer's aren't going to like what i have to say about this place, but i have to call it like i see it.

first things first. do they have great beer here? yes. do they have great atmosphere? yes. is it all over the top. absolutely.

the birch bar is the latest hipster trendy place to arrive on the norfolk scene. i'm not sure if that was by design or not, but that's what it's turned into. the beer selection is awesome and it's also way over priced even for downtown norfolk. food here is sparse. you can get a grilled cheese sandwich for $9.00 (cough) or one their cheese boards. they also have some little finger snacks like popcorn and beer nuts for $3.00 each and that's it for the menu.

they play no music and i like this concept as it invokes conversation. however you wouldn't have been able to hear the music, or much less the person next to you, without screaming the night i visited.

thebeersare many and varied and the assortment is always changing. no matter your poison, the pint or goblet you order is going to run you on average about $8.00 per beer. we were definitely having trouble getting a waitress to serve us so we ended up getting ourbeersfrom the bar.

i'm going to wait a bit and let the hype die down before my next visit. personally i wish they were open on sundays so you could experience the joint with a non nightlife environment. maybe they'll do that next year by the time football season has started.

great beer. the birch is one of my favorite places in hr. the beer selection is amazing and the policy of replacing an empty keg with a new beer is perfect! i try 3-4 newbeersa week here. the cheese's they have on the menu are fantastic, i havent tried the sammy's but i hear they're decent. the servers are amazingly knowledgeable when it comes to beer and are always willing to help you make a decision. the only real complaint i have is that service at the bar can be painfully slow.

if you're thinking of trying the birch definitely try the "steal the pint night" on wednesday's, just make sure you get there early so the special keg of the night doesnt run out, or the glasses.

good beer, horrible staff. the owner of the birch bar is the most pretentious prick i have ever encountered. we called a week ahead of time to make a reservation for a party of 12 which they would not do. we arrived early to ensure we had seats and they would not let us move tables together unless everyone in the seat was drinking. they would not separate checks but did not warn us ahead of time. i believe our waiter was owner boy and he did not want to take any time to explain or recommend any of thebeerson a rather extensive menu.

our intent was a night out at a new place. the staff sucked and none of us will ever return. if the place goes out of business, owner boy know it was you. you are a jerk.

a good start, but needs to get better. i have been a micro-brew fan for over two decades and the birch just opened up on my neighborhood. my first visit was disappointing. the beer selection is very good. they had a bit over 20 drafts and a bottle list of over 100 beers. the place is very small so if you go you may want to go right after it opens in mid-afternoon. the "movie popcorn" for three dollars appears to be microwave. the cheese plate is tiny. thebeersare expensive but not extreme. my wife had a cola and i had two beers. we had a cheese plate with two cheeses and the crackers/olive/honey/salami side. with tip, we walked out 40 bucks lighter. my second beer came in a round glass and the head was super thick and well below the top of the glass. so when it settled, i had about half a beer. our waitress was friendly. they sell no wine or other alcohol so if you have friends who don't like to drink beer, they won't be able to get an alcoholic beverage other than a hard cider. they had no ice tea and no lemons. lemons are good in a side glass of water, but also good in some varieties of beer. i think this place is can get better and i hope it will. it needs to improve its food and make the inside more pub-like and comfortable. i black concrete floor with small rickety tables does not cut it. my guess is, the owner was on a budget and just wanted to open. let's hope profits go into the bar/pub and that the food and atmosphere improve. cheers, ayerdan

horrible service, poor management overshadow extensive beer selection. a craft beer bar is not simply defined by the beer selection. it's defined by the entire experience, which includes service, meeting expectations, and delivering on advertised or portrayed overall product. this place started to earn a buzz through facebook and twitter months before they opened. and they continue to portray one image through social media but deliver an entirely different experience.

my friends and i arrived at 830, not really the busiest time to visit a bar on a friday night. the "door guy" greeted us as we walked up and said "sorry, we're at capacity right now. i can't let you in until some people leave." i looked over his should and saw that while all the tables were full, it certainly wasn't "bar full." but then the guy tells us we can wait on the porch area and someone would come by to serve us out there while we wait. my friends and i thought we'd give it a try. after all, i had been waiting to go to this place for a while.

we stood in the porch area for 15-20 minutes before we saw a waitress. she handed us a food menu but no beer menu. "can we see a beer list. that's why we're here....it's a craft 'beer' bar," we told her and she said she'd try to find one for us. another 5-10 minutes go by and a waiter walks by. "can we get a beer list" we asked him. he replies "man they're all the over the place. i don't think we have any more." um, what? how are we supposed to order beer without a list? the guy finally comes back with a bottled craft beer list. awesome list, but one problem....it doesn't list thebeerson tap! apparently that is on a board on the inside.

so i went to the doorman to ask if we could go inside to look at the board to see what crafts they have on tap. we were told no. at that same time, 6 people walk out and i ask if me and my friends can enter now. "no, we were actually over capacity so you'll have to wait out here longer." ok, but i'd really like to see what you have on tap. can you at least take my droid phone inside and take a picture of the board for me so me and my friends can order a beer after waiting out here for another 30 minutes? "i don't think so, let me ask my boss."

after waiting another 10 minutes we ended up leaving. given some of the other negative reviews, the birch really needs to start understanding that an impressive beer list is just a start. the other 75% of the experience is service. waiting 30+ minutes and not even getting the opportunity to see what specialtybeersare on tap is insane. this place is run so poorly the beer list is overshadowed by horrible management, poor planning, and the inability to see that running a craft beer bar is more than saying you have a craft beer bar.

mostly like it. summary of what i would say this to people who have never been:

1. be prepared for amazing beers!
2. be prepared for higher prices. (you are paying for imports not pbr in a can)
3. be prepared to ask your server for recommendations and information onbeersyou are unfamiliar with or better yet check out the beer list online and do some research before you head out.
4. be prepared to wait for a seat. this place is small but they do have tables outside for warmer weather days.
5. know that this is not a "bar" where you go to get drunk. this is a place you go to actually enjoy the beer you are drinking.

my experience:
i was very excited to finally try the birch. (we were there last week) i am not a big drinker but i love local businesses and was intrigued by the idea of a craft beer bar. :-)

i do like it, but i do agree that the service is some what lacking. we did not encounter anyone rude...everyone was nice, but you had to grab a server while you could (no one checked in on us.)

we didn't have any real food so i can not comment on that but we did have a bowl of popcorn. it was good! :-)

on a side note, i was the dd so i only had one beer. i would have to refer to the menu again to see what options they have for the non drinkers (i mean someone has to drive home) but when i asked for a glass of water it was warm tap water...warm water is bleck (i didnt mind the fact that is was out f the tap)