Tag: Deschutes Brewery

Categories
Living

Deschutes, now pouring in Virginia

Rejoice, craft beer lovers, because one of the best in the West is heading out East. That’s right—Deschutes beer is now available in stores and on tap in Virginia.

Since their modest beginnings in 1988 as a small public house in Bend, Oregon, Deschutes Brewery has been making some of the tastiest craft beers out west. The family and employee-owned brewery first came to prominence with their acclaimed Black Butte Porter, and has been brewing amazing, award-winning beers since.

Now, after nearly 30 years of commitment in Oregon to brewing delicious beer, maintaining sustainable and environmentally-conscious facilities, and having an all-around great time engaging with the community, Deschutes is opening a new chapter—and a new brewery—here in Virginia. They plan on bringing the same standards, sense of community and, most importantly, the same delicious beer, to their new facilities being built in Roanoke.

And until the doors open for tours and tastings, you can find Deschutes beer on tap and on shelves across Virginia. From their mouthwateringly juicy Fresh Squeezed IPA and quintessentially Northwest Pale Ale, Mirror Pond, to their tasty seasonals like Hop Slice and Armory XPA, Deschutes has a brew for every type of beer lover.

Sponsored post

Categories
Living

Valley Road Vineyards opens on Nelson’s 151

Valley Road Vineyards CEO and co-founder Stan Joynes says he and his wife, Barbara, were pleasantly surprised when they opened the first bottle from their collection—a merlot-based rosé. The 2014 meritage, a blend of merlot, cabernet franc, petit verdot and cabernet sauvignon, “is really special,” he says. Photo by Ryan Jones

One of the most surprising things Stan Joynes learned after entering the local wine business is how much camaraderie there is among vineyard owners and winemakers. It’s not a “zero-sum game,” he says—when one business is successful, they all benefit.

About two years ago, Joynes started thinking it was time to do something different. He had helped found Richmond law firm LeClairRyan, and although he was passionate about his work, he knew he needed a change. He and his wife, Barbara, had a second home in Wintergreen and visited many of the local wineries while here.

They started looking for land in both Albemarle and Nelson counties, and heard that the former amFOG Farms property on Route 151 in Nelson County was for sale. They bought it the same day they saw it last fall, and started their winery, Valley Road Vineyards, with four other couples from Charlottesville and Richmond.

Joynes says he received lots of guidance from locals in the industry, including Ellen King, co-owner of King Family Vineyards. Because it takes two to three years for grapes to mature (Valley Road planted one acre each of sauvignon blanc, cabernet franc, chardonnay and petit verdot grapes in April), King suggested they consult with her winemaker, Matthieu Finot, on sourcing surplus grapes for their first bottling.

With Finot at the helm, Valley Road has bottled 2,000 cases of six wines: viognier, chardonnay, Destana (viognier, chardonnay and petit manseng blend), rosé, merlot and a 2014 meritage, which will be available during the vineyard’s grand opening weekend August 19-21. Other wines from the vineyard include a pinot gris, a second viognier, a petit verdot, a viognier-based sparkling wine and a red “spaghetti wine” in the fall.

The property’s previous life as a farm is still evident—the “industrial chic” tasting room has concrete floors and distressed wood walls, and the patina tin covering the front of the bar was part of an equipment shed on the property. In addition, the vineyard is hosting a weekly farmers market from 3-7pm on Thursdays as a way to showcase local vendors and bring the community together.

“(Agriculture) is the ultimate sustainable activity because the community helps each other,” Joynes says. “I think that is very true in the wine business for most people—there’s an abundance mentality. …It’s just instinctively part of the culture here. It’s great to be a part of.”

Something’s brewing

Deschutes Brewery and Blue Ridge Beverage Company held a launch party celebrating the brewery’s Roanoke brewery (projected to open in 2021) July 28 at Second Street Gallery. Deschutes beers started hitting taps and stores in western Virginia August 1. On tap at the event were some of the beers you can find in our area, including the Mirror Pond Pale Ale, Black Butte Porter, Fresh Squeezed IPA and Pinedrops IPA, as well as samples of more rare beers, including Mirror Mirror barley wine ale, Smoked Gose, The Dissident (Belgian-style brown ale) and Green Monster (a sour beer with dried fruit notes).

Related links

Remember when Deschutes wanted to come here?

Categories
News

Deschutes Brewery announces Roanoke location

Governor Terry McAuliffe in Charlottesville. File photo.

After expressing interest in an Albemarle County location last fall, Oregon-based Deschutes Brewery has announced that its first expansion into the East Coast will take place in the Star City, instead.

Governor Terry McAuliffe announced March 22 that the brewery will invest $85 million in its Roanoke location, creating 108 new jobs.

“This is another high-profile win that shines a spotlight on the commonwealth and reinforces that we are a leading state in the craft beer industry,” McAuliffe said.

Deschutes was founded as a brew pub on the banks of the Deschutes River in Bend, Oregon, in 1988. Although it’s still family and employee owned, the brewery now ships beers to more than 28 states and is known for brews including the Fresh Squeezed IPA, Black Butte Porter and Mirror Pond Pale Ale.

Michael LaLonde, president of Deschutes, said the company is excited to be heading to Roanoke. “We love the region and everyone we’ve had the opportunity to meet and work with during this process has been incredible,” he said. “We have absolutely been blown away with how the community rallied around bringing us here and has given us such a warm welcome.”

“The fact that the CEO of Deschutes specifically used the term ‘welcoming’ implies that Roanoke was welcoming and other spots were less welcoming,” Timothy Hulbert, president of the Charlottesville Regional Chamber of Commerce, says. “We would be one of those other spots.”

In September, the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors voted to approve zoning 35 acres plus 16 acres of green space for the brewery, instead of the 85 acres with 138 for a park and green area that were originally proposed.

If the brewery had come to Albemarle, Hulbert says an extra $800,000 per year would have been initially generated by property tax, and with incentives, eventually $1 million per year. He calls it “a million dollars a year that Albemarle County doesn’t have for schools or other projects.”

“Lesson learned?” Hulbert signed an e-mail after Deschutes announced its Roanoke location. “Hope so.”

Categories
News

‘Baby step’ boundary adjustment could deter brewery

Supervisor Liz Palmer led the charge for a much smaller addition to the growth area than originally proposed. Photo: Submitted

The Albemarle Board of Supervisors snatched victory from the jaws of a 223-acre growth area expansion and approved the addition of only 35 acres south of the Interstate 64/U.S. 29 interchange to the comprehensive plan’s development area at a September 23 special meeting.

When the supes last met September 9, it looked like they were ready to add to the growth area land that Deschutes Brewery in Bend, Oregon, had allegedly expressed interest in. But when they came back to hammer out the details, the Samuel Miller District’s Liz Palmer, the most vocally opposed to the amendment, managed a “rear guard victory,” according to Scottsville District candidate Rick Randolph, and swayed three other supervisors to vote for adding the much smaller 35 acres plus 16 acres for green space instead of the 85 acres for light industrial with 138 for park and green area originally proposed.

“An engineer said it would be very, very challenging to build any type of facility on the land we approved,” says Supervisor Ken Boyd, who admits he’s “disappointed” with the way the board went and the likely loss of around 100 “good, middle-class” jobs.

“It’s truly a baby step,” he says. “We need to grow up a little if we’re going to have a vibrant economy.”

Opponents to the amendment like Randolph, a planning commissioner who joined that body’s unanimous vote against the expansion in August, applauded the baby step.

Christine Davis, who gathered signatures on a petition against the amendment, is concerned about the precedent this decision makes. “If land will be added piecemeal to the development area,” she says, the board needs to publicly acknowledge that policy.

Rio District Supervisor Brad Sheffield moved that the board not consider any other comp plan amendments until the economic development office provided an inventory of land designated light industrial in the county.

Faith McClintic, the county’s economic development director, says, “The fact that the board did anything is progress. We still have a long way to go.”

According to Boyd, following Governor Terry McAuliffe’s visit to September 14 visit to Deschutes in Bend, the company will pay another site visit to Virginia. “They’re going to Roanoke,” says Boyd, “not here.”