Quick Notes: Catching Up With Chaos Mountain and Parkway Brewing Companies

A couple of Roanoke area breweries, Chaos Mountain Brewing and Parkway Brewing Company, are currently undergoing growth spurts and adding additional brewing equipment. The increased capacity will mean an ability to expand to newer markets, with plans also in the works to likely expand their ability to produce a greater number of limited release beers.

Chaos Mountain will soon be installing two new 30bbl fermentation tanks with still other, larger 60bbl tanks to come soon. The brewery has also invested in a couple of smaller ones to aid in producing more one offs as well. Chaos Mountain debuted in Richmond in the last couple weeks, and with the added growth, the brewery hopes to be above the 2000bbl mark by year’s end. From the looks of things inside the taproom, the brewery is also planning additional barrel aged beers as well (see inset pic).

Salem’s Parkway Brewing is also adding additional fermentation and conditioning tanks, and hopes to expand beyond Virginia both northward and southward in the next year or so. The brewery is also currently working on expanding their barrel aged offerings, having acquired bourbon barrels from West Virginia’s Smooth Ambler Distillery. In the works are a new barrel aged version of their Ravens Roost Porter (“regular” pictured), a barleywine, and also a barrel aged IPA.

Also of note…

Eli’s Provisions in downtown Roanoke has added a four tap growler station and is currently offering pricing on both 32 and 64oz fills. Please note that while I’m sure the beer and wine shop is looking to stock their own growlers in the future, they are currently only filling those you bring in. The folks at Eli’s say they are committed to having predominantly local and regional beers, and of those, ones which are normally found slightly off the beaten path, such as a brewery only release. For example, one of the first beers available at Eli’s is from Devils Backbone, yet it is hardly their Vienna Lager or Eight Point, but a Tripel instead.