A tasting at Blue Mountain Brewery in Nelson County, Virginia, is about more than the beer. It’s about comfort, relaxing, ensuring you have the right fit for your dining and drinking pleasure. It’s more like a lesson in how to do life right.
Not to build up hopes or anything, but that’s the kind of experience we had while touring the brewing company, which is in the heart of Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains. Credit goes to President and Brewmaster Taylor Smack for setting the tone. He, along with partner Matt Nucci, founded what’s been dubbed just “Mountain” back in 2007—making them a pioneer of Virginia’s rural brewery scene.
They set the example well, since there are now several more breweries, plus distributors, gathered in Virginia’s “Alcohol Alley.” Smack says, “All of us have banded together to do charity work and so on,” meaning it’s not about competition. Each is distinctive. So, back to Mountain, now in its 16th year.
“Basically, I had a dream I shared with my wife and my business partner Matt,” says Smack. “I had gotten into the corporate world and hated it. I started skipping work and visiting [surprise!] a brewery. I threw myself into it and went to brewing school in Chicago.”
He soon decided to take his new knowledge and skills back to his home state. He says, “I love Virginia and wanted to come back and be part of the craft renewal that was happening.” They established themselves in a place “where life is a little slower and a lot more fun.”
Smack adds, “The whole idea we had was to create traditional or experimental beers using great ingredients.” They focus on working with suppliers who have mission-oriented stories—grown organically, grown privately, locally-based.
“We aren’t sponsoring the Super Bowl so we can concentrate on trying new things,” he says. “We wanted to bring all that excitement back to Virginia and get craft beer out of the urban environment and mindset.” He adds, “After all, when you think wine, you think beautiful orchids and land. Why not the same for beer?”
As he thinks back to the early days, he says, “I just happen to like beer more than wine. Beer is really an agricultural product, and I thought, “why couldn’t we do the same thing with beer.” They started with what he describes as, “a tiny kitchen in a hayfield in the middle of Nelson County. It seemed cool to me!”
It grew, as dreams do. They continued to innovate, becoming the “first crafter to can in the state in 2009.” The facilities now include not only multiple breweries but a restaurant and an inn which is booked solid on weekends. Pre-pandemic, they had about 200 employed, and while it’s a bit lower now, it continues to build back. Smack grins as he says, “It’s been a ride and now we have so many good people in place it’s easier. There were high schoolers making more than I made in our first few years!”
At the time, laws were unformed around offering tastings, and Smack says, “We, by force, became a restaurant. Locals gave us a shot and it evolved—and now the restaurant is booked more often than the brewery!”
Then, in 2012, “our brewers guild helped change the law and it allowed for the explosion of breweries in Virginia.” There are now more than 300 in the state. “Now you don’t have to be a restaurant and can just serve beer,” he explains. Across three brewery locations they brew and bottle for on-site and what he calls “a little bit of distribution.”
The most popular beer at Blue Mountain is called the “Full Nelson,” and it’s become known throughout the state. As for the restaurant menu, it’s the “Date Night Pizza,” which really has to be tasted to be understood—and is definitely craveable. Since the menu changes periodically, also watch for the Apple Bratwurst Pizza, the Hummus Wrap, or the popular Fish Tacos served on Tuesdays.
Thinking back to the bent toward agriculture, it should be noted that they grow hops on site, keeping products close to their original dream.
Flights are served lightest to darkest, all the way from a Classic Lager to a Dark Hollow Ale (100 days in a bourbon barrel). On that, Smack says, “we are reinventing barrel-aged beer to get the flavor from the barrel.”
It takes a lot of energy to run a brewery, a restaurant, and an inn—all while continuing to innovate. Good thing Smack exudes energy, along with the love of brewing craft beer that brought him back to Virginia, gave him enthusiasm for work, and opened up an area that delights the locals. It’s doing life right.
About This Series
The Shenandoah Valley is nestled between the Blue Ridge and Appalachian Mountains in historic and scenic west-central Virginia. It has the transportation infrastructure and connection to markets in every direction. One of their major areas of focus is the food processing taking place in the region. The Food Channel recently had the opportunity to work with the Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP) to tour some of the up and coming places, and to talk with entrepreneurs as well as established business people eager to tell the Virginia story.
Some accommodations for these stories were provided by the Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP).
About the Shenandoah Valley
The Shenandoah Valley is nestled between the Blue Ridge and Appalachian Mountains in historic and scenic west-central Virginia. Interstates 81 and 64 traverse the region, providing an excellent transportation infrastructure and connection to markets in every direction. The area is plentiful in natural resources and boasts a powerful cluster of employers rooted in manufacturing, agriculture, and logistics. Food and beverage production is at the heart of the manufacturing sector, representing four times the national average and employing more than 5% of the Valley’s labor force of over 175,000 people at major companies. The Shenandoah Valley is also the No.1 region in Virginia for the total value of agricultural products sold.
Photos by Paul K. Logsdon