Shuttered Norfolk brewery at center of ‘woke mob’ controversy needs nearly $2 million in 20 days

Armed Forces Brewing on the brink of bankruptcy, according to SEC filing

BY: JIM MORRISON - APRIL 11, 2025 3:15 PM

Armed Forces Brewing Company, the lightning-rod military tribute beer company that closed operations in Norfolk last month, is teetering on the brink of survival.

In an April 4 Securities and Exchange Commission filing and in emails to investors, Chief Executive Officer Alan Beal reported that the company was $1.7 million in debt, despite raising millions in recent years, and needs $2 million of investment by April 29 or it may permanently cease operations or file for bankruptcy.

The brewery closed its taproom last month a year after opening. That followed a controversial launch after hundreds of community members opposed what they said was a divisive business whose marketing glorified violence, threatened LGBTQ people, and said those with different views don’t love America. … Today, Armed Forces is a brewing company unable to make and distribute beer.

The April 4 filing reveals a company in freefall. Norfolk’s City Treasurer padlocked its brewing facility for failure to pay taxes. Its contract brewing partner in Florida stopped production last summer after it failed to pay its bills. Three of the four board members who remained after an earlier purge have resigned, leaving only Beal. A growing number of creditors are suing or threatening legal action. The building, owned by a company controlled by New Jersey entrepreneurs (Armed Forces owns 28%), is on the market for $5.45 million, $2 million more than the 2023 purchase price, according to city records. Now, some who have invested money into the venture are rebelling.

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JIM MORRISON
Jim Morrison has been a freelance writer since 1990. His stories have appeared in Smithsonian, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Wired, and many other outlets. He won the 2021 Excellence in Reporting award from the American Society of Journalists and Authors and was a finalist for best feature story in the 2021 Covering Climate Now Awards administered by the Columbia Journalism Review. Prior to freelancing, he was a staff writer at The Virginian-Pilot. He lives in Norfolk. Contact him at jimmorrison721@gmail.com.