Henrico Small Business Spotlight: Small Batch Brewing

Dan Jablow believes the right drink can bring people together.

Small Batch Brewing is his way of making that happen for people all over Virginia.

As a kid, Jablow was hooked on all the cooking television shows. He always knew he wanted to pursue a career in the culinary field, but it took some time for Small Batch Brewing to come to fruition.

His career path included time as a burned-out Wall Street finance professional and a culinary school graduate-turned smoked meats catering company entrepreneur before he took an interest in the craft brewing scene.

“Because I was such a big craft brewing nerd and because I was so into DIY stuff, it was only a matter of time before I started brewing for myself,” Jablow said. 

Home brewing in the duplex he shared with his wife got Jablow thinking about brewing on a super small scale.

“I started brewing like single gallon batches at a time when most people were brewing five gallon and 10 gallon batches,” Jablow said. 

Those experiments in 2018 led to the unofficial launch of Small Batch Brewing in 2020. Eventually, Jablow earned a beer brewer professional certificate from the University of Richmond’s School of Professional & Continuing Studies in 2022 and began seriously thinking about a career change.

“When I finished the program and earned my certificate, I turned it right back around and I went to university and I said, ‘You guys should let me run this program. It needs a dedicated person. . . and I'm the guy to do it,’” Jablow said.

The school was all for it, and Jablow, 51, has been working with the University of Richmond as its brewing program specialist ever since. But it wasn’t until early spring of 2025 that Small Batch Brewing officially launched as a licensed nano-brewery that ditches the brick-and-morter tap room to specialize in events.

“I'm always the kind of person who's looking for ways to do things that other people aren't,” Jablow said.

'We bring the brewery to you'

Today, Jablow operates his small production brewery at his home and caters a variety of events including beer festivals, corporate parties and weddings. His catering services have recently been bolstered with the addition of Monty – a vintage 1993 Land Rover Defender 110 that's outfitted with six taps.

“My slogan's always been we bring the brewery to you,” Jablow said. “I'd always been obsessed with Land Rover Defenders. . . and I was like, the business should get one; Small Batch Brewing should have a mobile tap truck that we can take to events that will serve as our public-facing tap room.”

Jablow drives Monty to private and public events alike. Delivery is free within a 30 mile radius of his home, but he’s willing to go farther to Northern Virginia, Lynchburg and the Tidewater region, to name a few other areas. 

Monty’s “capabilities and capacities have yet to fully reveal themselves,” Jablow says, but one thing is certain: He is quite a conversation starter.

“I'll show off the truck to anybody, I don't care,” Jablow said. “You want to look inside? You want to look under the hood? That's no problem.”

Even if you don’t want the full Monty experience, you can still hire Jablow to fulfill orders as small as one sixtel, or just more than five gallons of beer. 

“I do get customers that order kegs for me to use for various events,” Jablow said. “For example. . . I brewed a hazy IPA for a woman who wanted to surprise her fiancé on his bachelor trip.”

Jablow has a few beers he’s grown particularly fond of brewing – one being his flagship German lager.

“That one basically comes with me everywhere I go,” Jablow said. “I like lighter style beers in general. . . I want things that are drinkable.”

A firm believer that “every season is stout season,” Jablow has also perfected a Mexican hot chocolate stout that’s become a standout product.

But his nano-brewery goes beyond beer. Jablow started crafting hard seltzer after meeting a local company that uses real fruit, organic sugar “and all the good stuff” in their handmade syrups.

“The first one I did was the jalapeno lime seltzer, and that was shockingly good,” Jablow said. “Almost everybody goes crazy for it. . . You taste the jalapeno, but it's not necessarily spicy; some people do pick up like a little bit of warmth, but it's definitely not a spicy drink.”

Creativity mixed with custom brews

Small Batch Brewing has given Jablow everything he wants in a business. His job is fun, social and hard work – and his knack for creativity takes center stage with custom brews.

Just a couple months ago, for instance, a customer requested a beer for his tailgate party that required some experimentation and field research.

“He asked me if I've ever made a blueberry wheat before, and I said, ‘Look, I'll be honest; I've made wheat beers before. . . but I've never made a blueberry wheat,” Jablow said. “I've actually never even tried a blueberry wheat. But if you trust me, I'll definitely make [it].”

Jablow enjoys working with customers on specific requests. Whether it be a holiday themed stout, custom bride and groom beers for a wedding, a non-alcoholic beer or a gluten-reduced brew, he is happy to oblige. He does ask, however, that you reach out at least six to eight weeks in advance for custom orders. That way, he can have some time to research.

“I'd even like some time to do a trial batch before I send them out with something if it's really far out there for me,” Jablow said.

Outside of booking the company for your own events, you can also find Jablow’s brews on tap at local restaurants including Blue Atlas Restaurant & Market, The Smoky Mug and Hanover Tavern. In addition, you will have many opportunities to see Small Batch Brewing at public events.

On Oct. 3, for instance, Small Batch Brewing will make an appearance at the RVA Craft Beer Fest at City Stadium for the Richmond Kickers home game.

If you have any questions about Jablow’s services or events, you can call him at (804) 482-0294, email him at hello@smallbatchbrewing.co or fill out the contact form on his website. And if you want to see what Jablow and Monty are up to, check out the Small Batch Brewing pages on Instagram and Facebook.

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