The VB Brewery, Victor

A trip to Europe kick-started Tom Bullinger's homebrewing hobby, but the VB Brewery made that hobby into a career. After almost three decades experimenting, perfecting, and sampling beers, Tom decided to pursue his passion full time by opening the nanobrewery. Truly a labor of love, he spent months renovating the 1,350-square-foot space, hand building the tasting bar and taps and using his 30 years of computer-science experience to equip the brewery with a computerized and temperature-controlled brewing system.

Tom hasn't forgotten his homebrewing roots, though. VB Brewery regularly hosts homebrewing classes, beer-appreciation nights, and community brew nights. And then, of course, there's the beer. The 12 rotating taps feature a wide range of handcrafted brews, such as smooth and malty smoked porter and a spicy, yeasty, Belgian-style dubbel. Inside the gorgeous red-oak and black-walnut tasting area, visitors can sip samples of these brews or fill up growlers to savor at home or scare neighborhood dogs.