“Having been to their new facility and tasting room, I think it puts Richmond on the map in a lot of ways, especially when you look at how Richmond has been ranked among the top cities for millennials,” he said.

California-based Stone Brewing announced in October 2014 that it had selected Richmond for its East Coast brewery and distribution center.

Construction began last summer on the brewery, which will make beer for distribution east of the Rocky Mountains. The brewery now employs 58 people.

Stone Brewing’s retail store and the tasting room portion of the brewery opened in late February, but until now it has been selling beer brewed at its West Coast plant.

The company decided to tap its first batch of Richmond beer at a local bar and restaurant to give fans a chance to enjoy it, said Juliellen Sarver, the company’s community relations manager.

“There are a whole lot of Stone Brewing fans,” she said. “It’s a really big deal in craft beer to drink fresh beer. You can’t get any fresher than being kegged in the morning and tapped in the evening.”

“Our beer from California is fresh, too, but it has to make it across the country,” Sarver said.