Ballad Brewing

By Vickie Holt

For a hundred years, Danville Virginia was home to the biggest textile firm in the South. Union interference and the import of foreign products, however, began sending Dan River Mills into decline as early as the 1960’s. Eventually, in 2004, the company went into Chapter 11 bankruptcy and the unemployed workers began abandoning the residential areas. Danville itself fell into decline, becoming more and more deserted. Even the former tobacco industry buildings were left vacant.

But thanks to property developers Garrett Shifflett, Ross Fickenscher, and their team, Danville is getting a new breath of life. Director and Ownership Team Member, Aly Fickenscher, tells us that many of the old tobacco warehouses were still in very good shape. They were structurally solid and ripe for renovation. The team’s first project was to convert a former tobacco storage building into the Pemberton Lofts.

They also bought an historic tobacco-drying building and began converting it into another residential location; the Continental Lofts. With all these great new places to live in the heart of Danville, Shifflett and Fickenscher turned their thoughts toward community development. It was time to create commercial properties that would give people a reason to come back.

Aly says the whole team have always appreciated craft beers, and they’d been fortunate enough to see how craft breweries had created family communities wherever they’d popped up. They all agreed it would be just the thing Danville needed to get back on its feet. The idea was to convert the bottom level of the Continental Lofts. Being property developers, however, none of the team had a background in brewing. The first thought was to create the space then find a brewing tenant to occupy it. Eventually, however, they decided to do it themselves. Unlike the genesis stories behind many other breweries, however, this story does not begin with Shifflett and Fickenscher leaving their careers behind to become brewers.

With high-standard business savvy as their guide, the team launched a talent search that led them to Dr. John Andorfer. Dr. Andorfer holds a PhD in Plant Physiology with Post- Doctoral work in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry. After his dream of an exciting career in science soured under a mountain of grant-writing and the search for funding, Dr. Andorfer turned to the curious alchemy of craft brewing.

“Brewing”, says Andorfer, “satisfies my scientific curiosity while at the same time allowing me to indulge in creativity. It’s a blend of science and art. Brewing beer can be both detailed and free-flowing. The background in science is really helpful in the process.”

Andorfer has a small laboratory on premises where he creates the ever-evolving, delicious recipes along with Assistant Brewer, Chris Myers. They like to keep it fun with frequent variety…like the current most popular brew on tap, the Lime Ginger Sour! Another current favorite is Cash Crop; a full-bodied, citrusy-spicy-sweet Belgian farmhouse ale. Andorfer tells us that there are a few flagship beers that remain on tap, but they like to change things up with seasonal brews and special new recipes.

Having worked previously in a large production house where he created the beers but never interacted with the customer, Andorfer finds it gratifying to be able to connect with people, talk about the beers, and get immediate feedback. He also spends a lot of time educating the staff about the beers and how they’re made. The team meets regularly to do mock tastings. They discuss and analyze each brew thoroughly so that every staff member in the tap room becomes and expert. This allows everyone to suggest beers tailored to the taste of the customer. Dr. John feels this discerning approach to be better than the “pick one” method, and more often results in customers getting something they like, every time.

Once Shifflett and Fickenscher had Andorfer in place as their Head Brewer and Director of Brewery Operations, they needed to find an equally talented Business Operations Manager. Tim Meyers was working at a brewery in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania when he saw the ad for the position in Danville. Already a Tap Room Manager, Tim replied and was welcomed into the fold. He’s very proud to be part of the Ballad team, and is a wealth of information regarding the beers, the brewery, the area, and its history.

Tim told us about how Ballad Brewing is named after the old folk song, “Ballad of the Old 97”. It was first commercially recorded in Virginia in 1924 by musicians G. B. Grayson and

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Henry Whitter, but has since been re-recorded by such greats as The Statler Brothers, Flatt and Scruggs, Woody Guthrie, Johnny Cash, Hank Williams III, Roy Acuff, and Boxcar Willie. The song rivaled “Casey Jones” as the number one railroad song of all time and was about a tragic train derailment that killed eleven men and injured seven others at the Stillhouse Trestle near Danville in 1903. It was a mail train officially known as the “Fast Mail”, and its legacy lives on in the awardwinning Fast Mail Mild Ale on tap at Ballad. Fast Mail won a Gold Medal in the category of British and Scottish Ales during the 2018 Virginia Craft Beer Cup event held by the Virginia Craft Brewers Guild this past June.

Tim is also very proud of how everyone on his team is a vital and intrinsic component in the operations at Ballad. The bartenders – or “beer advocates” as they are called – are educated (thanks to Dr. John) and very enthusiastic. The tap room staff are trained to give tours that include information about the building, its design, and the history, as well as how the beer is made. They are all happy to be selling a product that they’re proud of and believe in.

Tim also tells us that Ballad’s core belief is to be community focused and community oriented. They like to get together and host as many events as possible, including inviting area businesses to use the brewery for meetings. They hold events for charities every month for such causes as the National Fallen Firefighters Association. Whatever the charity, 10% of the day’s proceeds are donated.

Though the Shifflett and Fickenscher team is in Richmond, Aly Fickenscher visits the brewery every two weeks for business operations planning and strategy. She says there was a lot of learning for everyone involved, and a massive bringing together of talents to launch Danville’s second brewery. Like Tim, Aly also expresses pride for her crew. She has a lot of trust and faith in John, Tim, and the whole team.

Aly says the reception in Danville has been far better than expected. The next city is fortyfive minutes away and they were unsure of how well craft brewing would be accepted, but people have proven to be curious and eager to experiment. All the brewing education offered at Ballad has helped not only to build clientele, but it’s also changing the habits of the people in Danville.

Located on the ground floor of 600 Craighead Street, Ballad Brewing feels like history with its brick walls and wooden floors. Visitors enjoy lots of seating and lots of space to mingle in the rustic-industrial tap room.

In addition to sampling all of Dr. John’s fabulous inventions, folks can have a great time every Monday night for Open Mic! Monday nights are also when participants can compete in Ballad’s Dart League. On Wednesday nights, visitors can feed their spirits as well as their bodies with weekly yoga and pizza! And of course, stop by every Saturday for great live music! Check out the events page on the

website at http://www.balladbrewing.com for more fun, such as monthly Trivia and charity events!

On August 18, stop by Ballad for “19th Amendment Day” - Celebrating the 19th Amendment with Girls Pint Out.

On August 10, they will be hosting an event called “Ballad Brewniversity with Dr. John”. With the kids headed back to school, Ballad is offering a fun, in-depth brewing tour and class for the adults! There will even be a test at the end with cool prizes up for grabs!

And finally, as summer winds down, join everyone at Ballad on August 25 for “Ballad on the Bayou!”

In addition to the web page for information and hours, you can also find Ballad Brewing on Facebook. But in the end, you’ll want to find them at 600 Craighead Street in Danville on your next night out!

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Ballad Brewing