Beale’s Beer crafts beer and barbecue.
Legend has it, a buried treasure lies hidden in the Blue Ridge near Bedford. The loot was mined by Thomas J. Beale who struck gold in Colorado in the early 1800s. After hiding his treasure, Beale vanished without leaving a map. Rumored to be worth $65 million today, Beale’s booty turned Bedford into a magnet for those hoping to find it.
You’ll have better luck locating Beale’s Beer—the name is a wink to Bedford’s hapless prospector—in the town’s former woolen mill. Come hungry: Beale’s pitmaster Matt Hovey wood-smokes his spectacular pulled pork, brisket, ribs, and chicken on-site. Get yours on a potato bun, stuffed in a taco, or by the pint, along with house-brined fire and ice pickles, slaw, and all the fixings, at the in-house BBQ Market.
The brewers at Beale’s take pride in their smooth-drinking, approachable beer. Start with Beale’s Gold, a full-bodied helles lager with a crisp finish, then taste Beale’s smooth lineup of stouts and IPAs. For a taste of sun tea and raspberries, try Razzle Dazzle, one of their blonde ale brews.
And Beale’s dishes up plenty of sass in their beer batches. Consider Your Manager is B*tch. The name, swiped from an email pinned by a disgruntled customer, was Beale’s sly way of ensuring the bully won’t be back.
Coming this spring, Beale’s is heading east with a new Beale’s set to open in Yorktown soon. With locally-sourced seafood and American fare on the menu, Beale’s Yorktown will offer pet-friendly patio seating and a draft list that includes Beale’s flagship flavors, along with small-batch, Yorktown-only releases. BealesBeer.com
in the April 2023 issue.
