During Lewisburg First Friday on December 6th, stop in Hill & Holler Bike Shop to taste some free delicious beer by Greenbrier Valley Brewing Co. Samples include American Pale Ale, IPA, Black IPA, and a Brown Ale. While you’re there, you’ll get to meet the brewer, Brian Raymiller, a guy with 17 years brewing experience and winner of 2 international gold medals for his brewing craftsmanship. Raymiller will be accompanied by GVBC owners, David Kucera and Wil Laska. The team is excited to meet you, give you free samples of their beer, and tell you about their plans to open the GVBC microbrewery in Maxwelton, West Virginia in late Spring 2014. Their brewery will be located across the street from the Smooth Ambler Spirits on Airport Road. It will be exactly a “100 yard dash” from the distillery to the brewery.

Once settled in their location, you’ll be able to visit, take tours, buy merchandise, and purchase a variety of craft beers. Signature beers will include a Czech Pilsner and an India Pale ale. The brewery will consistently have 3 rotating taps: a malty tap, lager tap and a whimsy tap for experimentation. They will also package high alcohol beer in 16oz. cans every other month. These cans will be known as the Bunker Series. David Kucera says that “High alcohol beers survive a long time so the bunker series is a good apocolyptic choice.”

If you’re wondering about distribution, brews will not only be available on site but locally and statewide in the near future.

Situated so close to Smooth Ambler, GVBC is planning to work with the distillery on a project or two. One plan in discussion is a barrel aged beer in Smooth Ambler bourbon barrels.

The brewery’s opening day celebrations are in the works and the team is planning for a Mai Fest. This event will include food trucks serving up meals that pair perfectly with their beer, live music on a concert stage (musicians take note), and goat races. Yes, goat races… and the winning goat will be the name of GVBC’s first seasonal Maibock. Bock is a German word for goat. You can regularly see a goat on German bock labels as this has become a visual pun for them since the 17th century. During this time, Munich brewers adapted to a new lager style for brewing and pronounced it “ein Bock” (a billy goat).

Not only is GVBC full of fun ideas but they are also an enviornmentally conscious business. The brewery will have many “green” features. Cleaning water will eventually be recycled thereby saving tens of thousands of gallons a year. The building will be run by solar power and will heat the mask water. Right now, the team is already recycling their spent grains to farmers and other post brew use, including dog biscuits, pellet fuel, and animal feed.

While you’re holiday shopping this December 6th (see page 15 for full list of events at Downtown Lewisburg’s “Festive First Friday,”) be sure to take a few minutes at Hill & Holler Bike Shop on W. Washington Street across from City Hall. You’ll get a chance to meet the team and taste some delicious beers for free. Tell ‘em LBSPY sent you!

For more information on Greenbrier Valley Brewing Company, visit them at facebook.com/GreenbrierValleyBrewingCompany