When a new brewpub opens in Parkesburg on Monday, Nov. 23, it will mark another win for Victory Brewing Company as well as local beer lovers.
Victory at Parkesburg, the third brewpub for the national craft brewer that started in Downingtown and expanded to Kennett Square, has added the restaurant to its 160,000-square-foot facility.
In homage to its rural surroundings, the brewpub features several hitching posts in case members of the nearby Mennonite community care to visit. Area beer fans enjoying the easy access to the Kennett facility may be reluctant to make the long drive to Parkesburg. But anyone interested in understanding – and observing – the beer-making process is not likely to be disappointed.
The Parkesburg facility will feature self-guided tours of its EPA-Green Power Partnership premises, a vast array that includes massive, gleaming stainless steel tanks and intricate bottling and packaging operations. Surveying the scope of the sophisticated equipment provides a stark contrast to the company’s humble beginnings.
In 1985, Bill Covaleski gave his friend Ron Barchet a beer kit for Christmas. Both got hooked, and less than a decade later, they were making plans to launch the Downingtown operation. The pair met on the school bus in fifth grade.
The tour of their Parkesburg facility occurs on the mezzanine level and offers a series of instructional stations. Some are interactive, such as an opportunity to get a waft of hops. All provide a bird’s eye view of the production lines. And if the experience heightens guests’ hunger or thirst, the nearby restaurant and bar beckon.
In addition to a rotating selection of 30 Victory beers on draft, the spacious brewpub, which seats 348, features a double-headed growler machine, a crowler (custom can filling) machine, and a menu inspired by local ingredients. It also boasts a 1,000-pound authentic German stammtisch table – designed for friendly get-togethers – and a second-floor mezzanine outfitted with high-top tables made from reclaimed white oak.
Recently recognized as a 2015 Excellence in Food Safety Award recipient by the Pennsylvania Restaurant and Lodging Association (PRLA), Victory boasts fresh local ingredients, many of which have been grown in the adjacent, outdoor Victory Garden or made from scratch in the kitchen. The menu contains familiar, signature items, such as hand tossed pretzels with Helles Lager beer mustard and mussels steamed in shallots, parsley and Golden Monkey, as well as items specific to that location.
The restaurant, located at 3127 Lower Valley Road in Parkesburg, will be open Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to midnight and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. A retail store adjacent to the brewpub encompasses a dizzying array of Victory merchandise, including its popular ice cream.
The opening marks the company’s continuing commitment to civic engagement. The staff at the new brewpub got to practice this past week at a succession of fundraisers that benefitted area nonprofits, such as the Chester County Food Bank.
“Opening our third brewpub is truly a Victory for Ron and I, and for our fans,”Covaleski, Victory’s president and brewmaster, said in a press release. “As the popularity of craft beer has grown, so has the desire of fans to see where the barley-and-hops magic happens. We are proud to show our fans the great lengths to which we go to give them delicious beer and food made with the highest quality and freshest ingredients. This is what they have come to expect from Victory, this is what they deserve, and this is what we will deliver.”
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