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Museum Bubbles Over With Virginia Beer
Museum Bubbles Over With Virginia Beer
By Bill Cauley
No other state can claim as lengthy a history of brewing and beer consumption as Virginia. The Virginia Beer Museum tells the story of beer through artifacts, displays, and an interactive tasting tour.
David Downes, a practicing defense attorney in Front Royal, has always been a beer enthusiast. When it comes to locally-brewed beers, he’s paid special attention.
Downes said he felt more needed to be done to promote the history of beers brewed in Virginia. Back in 1994, there was only one brewery in the state. During Prohibition, Virginia was extremely resistant to the law, which was repealed Dec. 5, 1933 by the 21st Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
With that in mind, Downes sought out some of the best authorities on Virginia-brewed beers. Once he took care of that, all he needed was a place where people from all walks of life, and beer tastes, could come and view (and sample) Virginia’s storied beer past.
“I had a vacant building next to my law office,” he said. “I felt it could be a good place to fix up and turn into some sort of museum depicting just how far the brewing of beer has come over the many years.”
Thus was born the Virginia Beer Museum. The Front Royal building now offers a glimpse into the evolution of beer brewing in the state, not to mention 20 different taps all around for a taste of a wide variety of brews. This year, the museum celebrates its eighth anniversary.
“I’m very pleased with how this has taken off,” said Downes, the museum’s founder. “So far, we’ve gotten some good responses.”
Downes recalled how he and his wife, snowbound in Washington, D. C. some eight years ago, with no place to go, did a little brainstorming regarding the history of Virginia-based beer brewing and how it could be better publicized. He said he envisioned a location in the Winchester area, something easy to reach, some place where folks could come to see the local history of beer brewing, and get a little taste of the local brew.
Downes didn’t pick out just anyone to consult as he launched this venture. His friend, Purcellville orthodontist Kurt Pierce, a former University of Virginia football player who lives near Middleburg, said, “we had talked about the possibility (of a museum) and I was with him when he decided to do it.”
Pierce is on its board of directors, and several board members are well-versed in the field of beer brewing. Neil Burton hails from Strangeways Breweries, with facilities in Fredericksburg and Richmond. Jason Connolly is the founder of Winchester’s 50/50 Taphouse. John Lesko is president of Toastmasters International.
Pierce, who said he prefers lager to higher alcohol percentage beer, is a frequent visitor, often bringing along old football pals from his days at UVA and stints with several NFL teams. He’s particularly enamored with a downstairs room in the three-story building set up as an 1800s saloon from back in the day when Front Royal was also called “Hell Town.”
“Back then,” Pierce added, “people would come down from the mountains into town and just drink and fight.”
Putting things together for this major venture was no easy task. Downes spent countless hours traveling around seeking historic artifacts and just about anything related to the brewing of beer, especially in Virginia.
“It got a little crazy,” he admitted. “But it was worth it.”
Downes is also a history buff, enjoying re-enactments. During live events at the museum, staffers are dressed in historic, colonial garb, depicting the early days of brewing beer.
“We want people to come here, take a look at what we have to offer, sample some of the beer and just have some fun,” Downes said.
The museum is located in the Historic District at 16 Chester Street, Front Royal (the oldest street in Front Royal). Once known as “The Board House”, it was built in 1900, on property formerly owned by a cousin of President Andrew Jackson.
