BEDFORD, Va. – It's something that doesn't happen often: Bedford is getting two new downtown businesses in the same week. Both have a focus in the beer industry.
Bedford's first all-in-one brewery, taproom and restaurant will open to the public this weekend. Beale's Brewery invited the media for a preview of the brewery Thursday afternoon ahead of a private soft-opening to sample some of the food on the menu.
In the works since 2015, Beale's will feature eight different beers on opening night and four of them including their flagship beer: Beale's Gold.
Beale's will make the first Virginia-made beer packaged in an 8-pack. The kitchen will also serve up Barbeque cooked on smokers manufactured in Bedford.
"A lot of breweries around uskind of food trucks installations or call out for a pizza. So it's kind of nice to be able to install a restaurant from the ground up and really make it fit with the Beale's brand," said Jared Srsic, director of hospitality.
"I want to anchor Bedford with this brand. And I want them to come here and come have fun with us," said James Frazer, brewmaster.
Not far from Beale's is Tap 102. It's another new taproom connected to Happy Coffee in downtown Bedford. They'll offer beer and wine and feature live music.
Beale's Brewery will officially open to the public Saturday at noon.