When Jason Best visited a small beer fest in western Pennsylvania, his gears started turning. As a member of the Lititz AMBUCS – a chapter in a national organization with a mission to inspire and provide mobility and independence for everyone – he knew there was a need for a greater inflow of cash to fund philanthropic projects. A few weeks later he visited another festival and the beer fan knew he had to bring the idea to Lititz.
The first breweries in Pennsylvania opened in 1683 when the nation was still a series of English colonies, although it was an influx of German immigrants who buoyed beer brewing in the state. By 1794, because of its lager brewing prowess, the small city of Lancaster, PA was dubbed an equal of Munich, Germany. The most recognizable name in PA brewing is Yuengling, which dubs itself as “America’s Oldest Brewery” and relies on its massively popular, hometown Lager beer.
Virginia’s brewing scene is growing rapidly in popularity. Annually, the commonwealth produces almost two gallons of beer for every adult, but it is not just Virginians enjoying the suds explosion as travelers seek out breweries in Virginia’s major cities and rural countryside. Here are seven destination breweries in Virginia worth visiting.
Roanoke, Virginia, has blasted onto the American beer scene. Some locals even call the city of 96,000 nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia the “new Asheville,” a nod to the well-established beer city of Asheville, North Carolina. It’s a worthy comparison. With over 20 breweries in the Roanoke region, Virginia’s “Magic City” has blossomed into a destination for craft beer fans.
Destination weddings have been a popular idea for a long time. For most, the idea of a destination wedding conjures the idea of exotic locations of surf and sand.
But extensive travel is not always on a wedding party’s ideal to-do list, and the idea of being far from home may be the last thing a bride and groom want on their wedding day.
For those couples minding their travel budget, there is a state south of the Mason-Dixon Line which has embraced the idea of love. Virginia is for lovers, and naturally, weddings. Two destinations – one in the east and the other in the west – offer unique experiences steeped in tradition and allow for the entire family and wedding party to be included in the special day, or days.
enise and Bob Harter stumbled upon a dream. The idea — open and run a bed-and-breakfast with an on-premise brewery — sprang into Denise Harter’s mind as she sat on a porch swing at a bed-and-breakfast in Clarion, Pennsylvania.
Stepping into Kurt Fichthorn’s home is a treat in itself. The circa-1841 farmhouse is like a local historical preserve. Once an active horse farm owned by Kurt’s great-uncle Dan, the property, tucked away amid new development in East Cocalico Township, was once a bustling apparatus of early community, drawing neighbors to its harness-racing track.
The first German immigrants to Lancaster County settled Conestoga (1709), the fourth such settlement in Pennsylvania. They brought with them hope for religious tolerance, a yearning for a better life and specific, unique tastes for food and drink. As German families began to flood the area, a new demand was created. German-Americans wanted beer!
For years, inventive cooks have been trying to marry food with drink.
The expansion of the micro- and craft-brew market has opened the eyes – and taste buds – of the thirsty and hungry.
Sure, foodies have been using beer as a recipe ingredient for some time. But the days of beer-butt chicken on the grill or just sloshing a Budweiser over sizzling burgers are in the past.
