The Damascus Brewery

 

We were staying nearby hunting wild ponies at Grayson Highlands and riding the Creeper Trail. We popped in for a few beers in the middle of this dreary Saturday and Adam the owner/ operator/ brewer was very welcoming and accomodating. Helped my daughters get some bar snacks and helped me and my wife pick out some beers to enjoy. There was a group at the bar that we fell in with after we discovered common interests/ background. They gave my girls a whole pizza they had that they couldn't carry back on their motorcycles. Kindness of strangers and all that! Will definitely visit again next time we are in the area!

Stopped by here a couple of times during my latest visit to Damascus.

V - Wooden everything, leather bar stools, and a nicely-sized deck out back. Dual darts setups. Open area for brewing. Inviting locals. Small, but it doesn't need to be big. Food isn't served in-house, but rather via a menu allowing local restaurants to deliver to you at the bar. There's a great selection of board games at the bar, too! Prime mountain vibes.
Q - This is where everything here falls short. During both visits, the best beers I had were overall mediocre, and the worst beers were downright vile. They've shown potential with a handful of beers, but - at least from the selection I had - they seriously need to up their brewing game.
Sr - Although I was only tended to by the same bartender both days I went here, "Tommy" was outstanding in his service. Transparent in ingredients and tap selection processes, and brutally honest with conversation. It seemed to be a small operation, with only one employee per day working the brewery. He was knowledgeable with not just the beers on tap, but the science in general. Very helpful and an expert on the local area - even the places most locals don't know about!
Sl - Tap selection seems to rotate daily, depending on what they've brewed recently. A lot of upsides to this - trying something new every day, you always get to try things from fresh kegs, and (due to the general nature of nanobreweries) batches per-keg could be a wildly different experience! Although they only had one beer - their flagship IPA - in six-packs, I'm sure they'll begin making more of a variety available in the future. I do wish they could time out brewing times to where there's a good style selection on tap. In both my visits they didn't have any "darker" options, "haute" options (like something of age, or an over-the-top... 'something'), or anything that wasn't a pale ale or variety of sour.

 

 

 

Small place a couple of miles from where the Virginia Creeper and Appalachian Trail meet in Damascus Park. Friendly people with fairly typical bar decor. A small area for local live bands to play and a few beers on tap. Did not look like they had any six packs for sale but they do have growlers. Nice place to stop for a couple after a day of hiking or taking a town break while thru/section hiking.