by Kathy Johnson
The economy may still be struggling, but area breweries are growing. A new one is set to open in November and two others are planning expanded bottling operations.
Wild Wolf Brewery in Nellysford will host the grand opening of their new brewery and restaurant Nov. 11 at 11 a.m. Since it first began operations in a storefront space, Wolf and her son Danny, the brewer, have had their eyes on opening a combined brewery and restaurant.
Further down the road at Devil’s Backbone Brewery, manager Chris Trotter is talking about their new “outpost brewery,” located in Lexington. The new 15,000-square-foot facility should open soon, helping the popular restaurant and brewery to stay ahead of demand.
At Blue Mountain Brewery in Afton, their recently opened new restaurant and brew pub are busy inside and on the patio (weather permitting). Not ones to rest on their laurels, a ground-breaking was held in October for their new 10,000-square-foot production-only facility, the Blue Mountain Barrel House and Organic Brewery near Lovingston. A second facility, a large production brewery (40,000 to 60,000 square feet), is already in the planning stages and will allow them to produce 50,000 barrels annually.
The Blue Toad, a nearby pub, recently opened their new indoor seating in the old D’Ambola’s Restaurant, offering comfort food and beer in a family setting. Guinness stew, shepherd’s pie, clam chowder and tasty burgers are offered with daily specials.
