Beer has seen something of a renaissance in recent years, and Suffolk will soon join the party.

Beer drinkers no longer have to choose between imported brews and the basic watered-down American lagers. Today’s connoisseurs have a heady selection of hoppy and malty goodness, and that’s without even having to pick something brewed outside of Hampton Roads.

Suffolk has so far been only a drinking partner in this beer revival, as the city has been slow to join the frothy ranks of communities in Virginia with their own breweries.

But two local guys — one of them a Holland native who has been making homebrewed beer since the age of 15 (!) — intend to put Suffolk on the beer map when they open Brick & Mortar Brewing Co. on East Washington Street in March, if all goes as planned, just in time for that beeriest of holidays — St. Patrick’s Day.

Dave Stacknick and Scott Siebert — the Holland native who was experimenting with beer at 15 years old — already have big plans for the brewery they will set up at 212 E. Washington Street, next door to the Suffolk Police Department’s First Precinct office. There will be specialty ales and lagers, along with a Peanut City Porter that could become the city’s signature brew — right behind coffee, of course, which we imagine will be in even higher demand after late nights enjoying the fare at Bricks and Mortar.

The building will feature a tasting room, a private room for rentals and outdoor seating. Customers will be able to purchase flights and growlers. Selling kegs might also be in the works, although that would come several months after opening.

And with the police right next door, it seems unlikely the party will get too out of hand.

So this economic development announcement is surely something to celebrate. Our glass is empty, but we’ll raise it anyway and say a hearty “Prost!”