Dollars to draft lines, if you were to ask most Richmonders who our oldest brewery happens to be, they would say Legend Brewing Co. in Manchester. And they would be right. Celebrating 20 years in business, Legend Brewing has earned its fame in the local craft beer scene. When asked about others in the area, however, the bet stands that most Richmonders would not mention Extra Billy’s, with 13 years of brewing under their belt. It just hasn’t been on anyone’s beer radar.

A few more months and all bets are off. Meet Brandon Tolbert. Tolbert, originally a home brewer, is poised to put the older brewery in its first spotlight position. While he may have little experience in large-format brewing (under a year), Tolbert has gained an impressive following cultivated by the James River Home Brewers Association and his affable, under-the-radar personality. Not to mention, he recently racked up two impressive awards at the Virginia Craft Brewers Festival.

We met with Tolbert (over a beer, of course) to talk about the latest developments in the close-knit, local brewing community. Not surprisingly, Tolbert opted for a local beer: Monkey’s Uncle by Center of the Universe’s Mike Killelea (also an award winner this year). We discussed how he transitioned from print-maker into a large-format brewer and how Extra Billy’s beer is evolving.

“It was a crap shoot, basically,” says Tolbert. “I have been home brewing for about 10 years now and when Extra Billy’s started looking for a new brewer, my name was passed to them.“ Tolbert adds, “I think it was a good transition for both of us. I had to learn the masterboard (a switchboard for making large-format beer) from scratch, which was interesting…I spent a day with another local brewer (Hardywood) and they really extended some help with the process.”

Extra Billy’s, in its Southside location, has four of Tolbert’s beers on tap: Proverbial Porter, a roasty ale with flavor notes of bit- ter dark chocolate; My Only Weiss, a crisp unfiltered weiss beer; Continental Shift, a dry IPA collaboration with another local brewery Lickinghole Creek; and Citra Ass Down, a grapefruity citrahopped IPA.

Next up for Tolbert? A dry-hopped brown ale.

“When I got into this position, my goal was to brew a good IPA and a good ale. Two things that weren’t being done at Extra Billy’s and I think I did it,” says Tolbert. Virginia Craft Brewers agree. Extra Billy’s won a silver medal for his Midlo Pale Ale and a gold for his IPA, Citra Ass Down. “We definitely are seeing more people in the brewery now. Craft beer in Richmond just keeps getting better.”