Strangeways Brewing Opening Production Brewery and Taproom in Fredericksburg
Richmond, VA, September 29th, 2016 - Strangeways Brewing, a three year old business based in Richmond, announces today the opening of a second production brewery and taproom at 350 Lansdowne Road, Fredericksburg, VA. The facility is located near the Fredericksburg Fairgrounds.
The 10,100-square foot building sitting on almost 3 acres will feature a 10-barrel brewhouse, a large taproom, live event space, private event space, retail shop, arcade, and outdoor beer garden.
As a native of Virginia who was born and raised in Fredericksburg, it has always been part of owner Neil Burton's plan to expand into his hometown. The chosen location has personal meaning for Burton, a James Monroe High School graduate. "This is the exact same building where we previously headquartered my families’ clothing operation, Burton’s Menswear, which I helped operate for nearly twenty years. That just makes this even more special and personal."
Strangeways was twice rated Virginia’s Best Brewery Taproom by RateBeer.com users, listed by bon appétit magazine as one of “10 New U.S. Breweries to Watch, from D.C. to California”, and noted in Southern Living magazine as one of the “South’s Best Breweries”.
Burton is excited to bring his passion for craft beer and Strangeways’ signature array of beer styles to Fredericksburg. He anticipates the tasting room being a community gathering place for folks to meet and socialize, as well as be a tourist destination.
More than 100,000 Virginians and tourists from around the world visit Strangeways in Richmond each year. The Richmond location opened on May 29, 2013 with two flagship beers that remain on tap today, Albino Monkey Belgian White Ale and Woodbooger Belgian Brown Ale. The brewery quickly grew into a fan favorite with its large variety of options, including Überlin Berliner Weisse Sour, which took a gold medal in the Sour European Ale category at the 2016 Virginia Craft Brewers Cup Awards.
The Fredericksburg taproom plans to feature nearly 50 Strangeways draft beers, making it the production brewery tasting room with the most taps in Virginia. The 10-barrel brewhouse is half the size of the Richmond system, giving the brewery the ability to produce a large variety of smaller batch offerings. In its three years, Strangeways has always been the largest producer of sour and wild beers in the Commonwealth. The Fredericksburg facility will continue this tradition, including aging beers in wooden barrels that previously were used in the production of bourbon, rum, tequila, scotch, gin, red wine, white wine, sherry, grappa, bourbon maple syrup, etc.
“Brown Distributing has done an excellent job of distributing Strangeways beer in Central Virginia,” stated Burton, “and we’ve learned that our tasting room is an integral part of effectively sharing the Strangeways story, which then translates to demand for our products at our retail partner accounts. This is a blueprint we hope to emulate in Fredericksburg.”
The new event space will host happenings such as live music shows, festivals, and holiday celebrations, and the private event space will be available for meetings, receptions, and other special occasions.
Light fare, including snack flights and locally sourced charcuterie will be served, and menus from local restaurants will be available for patrons to order delivery.
The new Fredericksburg location will create 27 new jobs for the local economy. Opening for the new Strangeways facility is anticipated for the first half of 2017.
Needless to say, I'm excited and looking forward to visiting the new taproom next year.
See also this review of a Strangeways event in Fredericksburg a couple years ago.
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