![]() Six years later, he opened Ruhlman Brewing Co. Like so many brewers, Henry Ruhlman started brewing with a store-bought home beer brewing kit- a gift from his sons. “We want to be conscious of the environment,” he said. Mindful to be good stewards of the land, Old 690 uses less than 250 gallons of water each week because of how its learned to recycle water. All their beer is sold on site, but early planning is in the works to expand capacity and begin distributing beer around the region, Gryniuk said. beer system, Old 690 often has 10 different beers on tap. “People feel comfortable coming out here and it’s a big draw for families.” On their 7 bbl. “It feels like being out in the country and sitting out in someone’s backyard or at a resort out in the mountains,” he said. Sitting outside the brewery, guests can see the Shenandoah Mountains just over the ridge. Gryniuk, who works in software sales, said they use their own small hop farm to supplement hops bought from the Northwest. All still have their day jobs but their passion in craft beer. Old 690 is the work of two families - Darren and Tammi Gryniuk and Mark and Ronda Powell and master brewer and co-owner Bob Lundberg. The tasting room - a converted barn- has a large bar with several folks waiting to pour pints and samples. On 10 acres, just outside Purcellville, Old 690 quickly became a destination spot with its varied homemade beers, live music and food trucks. With their own hops, barley and local water and work beginning creating their own special yeast with a local microbiologist, Zurschmeide hopes by end of the year to create a beer that is totally made with ingredients from the family farm.Ī few miles from Dirt Farm Brewing is Old 690 Brewing, the first farm brewery to open in Virginia. That includes Dirt Farm’s strawberry wheat brew, a peach beer and a pumpkin beer. “Being able to grow stuff right on our property and take produce and covert into beer…gives us another value add to our agriculture.” “The law created an opportunity for more businesses and farms to be part of this growing craft beer trend,” Zurschmeide said. After two years, their bill was approved in 2014 and Dirt Farm Brewery opened in 2015 at the top of dirt road. “It’s all fermentation,” he said.īut first they had to help change the state law that would give them permission to sell beer in the rural area. Many of the skills making wine could be helpful in making beer, they figured. “We loved the vibe and the atmosphere and we thought we could do that here,” Bruce Zurschmeide, 45, said. Bruce and his wife, Janelle, conceived the idea of a brewery after a trip to Delaware that included a stop at Dogfish Head Brewery in Milton, Delaware. In 2007, they moved into wine making, opening Bluemont Vineyards. The Zurschmeide family has owned the farm since 1993 and has grown all types of produce including asparagus, pumpkins, and strawberries. But instead of looking out at rows of grapevines and tasting rieslings and cabernet sauvignons, customers at farm breweries admire hop vines that grow as tall as telephone poles and enjoy IPAs and porters. The farm breweries in many ways are similar to the dozens of wineries that have become popular weekend destinations around Northern Virginia and Maryland. ![]() ![]() Both states approved the new farm brewery licenses in the past few years as a way to help farmers and grow agri-tourism. Maryland has about a dozen farm breweries and more on the way. These rural breweries take the beer making process to another level as by state laws they must cultivate some of their own ingredients on the brewery grounds.ĭirt Farm is one of 10 farm brewers in Virginia. ![]() It’s an early spring Saturday just after noon, and already the rustic tap room is mostly filled with guests enjoying brews, some tasty pizza and views of the countryside on the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.Īs craft brewing explodes nationally and particularly in the Mid-Atlantic states, farm brewing has become one of the hottest trends seeking to satisfy thirsts of beer lovers. “You can taste the farm fresh ingredients,” he said holding a glass of his Tarte 31, a cherry ale made with cherries grown on the 400-acre farm just outside in Bluemont, Va, about 50 miles west of Washington D.C. Bruce Zurschmeide stands on the expansive stone deck outside his Dirt Farm Brewing tap room and points to the acres of hops and barley plants below.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |