Swover Creek Farm Brewery opens Nov. 26
November 25, 2014
Swover Creek Farms officially opens its new farm brewery this Wednesday (Nov. 26) from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. The farm is located about six miles west of Edinburg, Virginia in rural Shenandoah County.
On tap will be a Blueberry Wheat and a Dark Cascadian Ale. The Blueberry Wheat features blueberries raised on the farm.
Farm owner Dave St. Clair, who also handles the brewing duties, says they are only able to open with two beers; however, he has more brews in their final conditioning stages, including a Black IPA, that will be available real soon.
The brewery is starting small and has no plans to grow too large.
“We are a farm first,” says St. Clair. “We want people to come out for the enjoyment of the day. It’s not all about the beer.”
And quite a farm they are, raising a variety of fruits, vegetables, and poultry. The farm has a successful pick your own berry operation. In season they offer blueberries, raspberries, and more.
Of interest to home brewers is their pick your own hop yard.
“We planted our first hops two years ago,” says St. Clair, “and we added more this past year. We have Chinook, Columbus, Nugget and Cascade.
“This is the first year we could get our hops tested for alpha acid level. They were analyzed by Virginia Tech last July. It’s a new service they just began this year.”
St. Clair is a member of the Old Dominion Hop Growers Association, which he describes as growing and active.
“I’m brewing on a 10-gallon system,” St. Clair explains. “but I hope to move up to a 5 barrel system next year. I want to brew as many kinds of beer as I can. I don’t plan on having full-time offerings. I want people to come here and try something new.”
As a farm brewery, St. Clair is required to use some locally grown ingredients in much of his product. He’ll be using his hops and fruits to meet that requirement. Next year he even hopes to make a gooseberry ale, which may be a first for a commercial craft brewery here in the Eastern U.S.
Swover Creek Farms Kitchen adds variety
Sausages and beer have a natural affinity, and it’s one that you can explore at Swover Creek Farms. Lynn St. Clair, who runs the farm’s commercial kitchen and store, turns out a wide array of fresh sausages made with locally sourced meats.
The eclectic sausage menu includes both smoked and no-smoked products such as Kielbasa, Andouille, Bologna, Chorizo, Salami, and more. The kitchen also produces breads, cakes, cookies, empanadas, pepperoni rolls, and quiche made with their own duck eggs.
Dave St. Clair says he expects that the tourist traffic brought in by the four wineries, located within about two miles of the farm, will provide a huge synergy and the addition of a brewery to the mix will generate more business for everyone.
Shenandoah County borders Hardy County, West Virginia and the new farm brewery sits only about 24 miles from Lost River Brewing Company in Wardensville, WV. It could make a good option for beer tourists to package these two stops together.
Swover farm brewery grand opening hours will be:
Nov. 26 – 4:00-7:00
Nov. 28 – 3:00-7:00
Nov. 29 & 30 – Noon-7:00
December: Thursdays and Fridays – 3:00-7:00
December: Saturdays and Sundays – Noon-7:00
Contact Info
Swover Creek Farms4176 Swover Creek Rd.
Edinburg, VA 22822
Phone: 540-984-8973
Email: swover (at) shentel.net
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