Rockmill's new tasting room and patio
ROCKMILL BREWERY Writen by Amelia Jeffers / Photography by Madeline Snare
After a particularly busy work weekend, I found myself wrapping up my last call of the day just as I turned off the highway for a meeting with Matt Barbee, owner of Rockmill Brewery. Pulling into the gravel parking lot, I was struck immediately by the festival atmosphere: a patio and grassy area with picnic and bistro tables full of people, dogs and children romping about; a cohort of women in sundresses, wide-brimmed hats, and a beer in hand hiking over a hill (to what I did not yet know); the sounds of music and the smell of pizza wafting through the air. Not quite sure where to go, and already wondering why I had never been here before, I happened upon a table of my friends who were finishing up dinner. Armed with their suggestions about what to eat and see, I approached the bar area to ask for Matt - who I suspected was the rakish guy I had passed as he charmed a group of 20-somethings. A beaming Katie Brewer (General Manager of Rockmill, and yes - that is really her name) greeted me and asked if she could pour me a beer before she 66 slmag.net
grabbed Matt. A few moments later, armed with a Rockmill Lite (I am that person), I asked if she could let him know that I would be exploring the property and available when he was ready. Just steps into the walk, with flashes of my beloved West Virginia mountains in my heart and mind, I breathed out what seemed like a year full of stress and breathed in the fresh country air. Below the tasting room and patio, I happened upon a stunningly cool grotto with time-worn rock exposing fossils and damp, lush foliage surrounding an incredible view of the ravine, and the sounds of happy people and music drifting over the edge of the cliff above. After a few moments of meditative peace, I wandered back toward the main path where I saw Matt and his two beautiful Dutch Shepherds circling him as he approached. With a huge grin and no small amount of obvious pride and joy, he held his arms out as if to embrace the very property itself: “Welcome to Rockmill! What do you think?”
