ROANOKE COUNTY, Va. – A Roanoke County brewery is coming to Explore Park. It’s the latest step in the efforts to revitalize the area.
Twin Creeks Brewing plans to add a second location by moving into the historic Brugh Tavern in the fall, bringing back to life a building that was first built in the late 1700s.
Adding the micro brewery to the outdoors culture is a natural fit considering earlier this week the region continued to push those elements in its branding.
“We’re unbelievably excited,” said Twin Creeks Brewing Company co-owner Andy Bishop. “It's mountain biking, the hiking, the kayaking, the zip lines and camping, horseback riding. We realized that those folks are really our clientele.”
The owners are bringing many of their award-winning beers from Vinton and making a few unique ones, like farmhouse ales, on-site.
County leaders say plans for Explore Park are ahead of schedule.
“We're real excited to have an existing Roanoke County business expanding to Explore Park and the owners of Twin Creek Brewing Company -- they're quality folks,” said Doug Blount, the Roanoke County Parks, Recreation and Tourism department director.
The county is still looking for more business partners.
Brugh Tavern is scheduled to open in the fall, as long as a final vote on the sale goes through, which will likely be on May 14.
The tavern was built sometime around the late 1700s. There are two main floors and a basement, which has stone walls and floors, and which will be a wine and cider bar in the future.
Twin Creeks Brewing will have food trucks on-site initially, and plan on serving its own food a few months down the road.
The owners plan to clean, paint and re-decorate but do not plan on renovating.
“We don't want to do much,” Bishop said. “We want it to be a historic, rustic tavern experience.”
There are some modern amenities that have been added, including a full kitchen, an elevator and a bathroom.
There will be a an outdoor fire pit and live music and campers can take beer back to their campsite.
Bishop says the brewery is doing well and Twin Creeks may expand its Vinton location in the future.