Cheers to the Corcorans for brewing up an innovative space

by Morgan Hensley

Loudoun’s landscape has changed greatly in recent years, with sprawling suburbs sprouting up through the tilled fields. Recently, a new crop has taken root: breweries. Corcoran Brewing Co. in Purcellville is one of them, and yet the family-run vineyard, cidery and brewery maintains an “Old Loudoun” feel without sacrificing innovation.

Husband and wife Jim and Lori Corcoran founded Corcoran Vineyards (formerly Waterford Winery) in 2004. For years, the winery thrived, and continues to do so. Sensing a change in consumers’ tastes, the couple toyed with the idea of adding an on-site brewery. Though experienced vintners, they were unfamiliar with beer production. Luckily for them, Kevin Bills, a fellow member of the congregation at St. Francis de Sales Church, possessed the know-how to take their idea to the next level.

Bills, the brewmaster and general manager of Corcoran Brewing Co., was a seasoned home-brewing veteran by the time he was approached by the Corcorans.

“I’ve always loved cooking and I love beer,” Bills said. “I was talking with a friend at a Christmas party who had started home brewing. I bought the equipment work. That was 16 years ago.”

Bills taught himself to brew, bottle and keg beers. Perseverance and teamwork led to the opening of Corcoran Brewing Co. in July 2011, the first combination brewery and winery in the Commonwealth.

The endeavor was an immediate success. Nearly 1,000 guests attended the grand opening, and many stayed for the rustic ambiance well after the kegs were emptied. The fledgling nano-brewery tapped out the following weekend as well. As selling beer on site was forbidden by state law, the crafty team sold peanuts with a complimentary beer to avoid legal repercussions. This did not dissuade curious imbibers, who flocked to the brewery, then only open on Saturdays, as demand proved too great for supply to keep up.

An expansion was necessary. Bills and the Corcorans scouted numerous potential locations before settling on the current facility, a medical building five miles from the original location. Production increased from a half-barrel production to a 7-barrel system that allows for not only greater quantity, but quality assurance as well.

The new location was unveiled with a ribbon cutting ceremony with then-Mayor of Purcellville Bob Lazaro.

“The brewery has taken on a life of its own,” Bills said. “It’s not just part of the winery anymore.”

The increased floorspace has many advantages. The brewery is open five days a week instead of only Saturdays. Trivia nights, Irish musicians, beer-themed art classes and even yoga classes attract visitors.

“And we don’t have to worry about bothering the neighbors anymore,” Bills said.

Shelves store personalized ceramic mugs for regulars who are part of the “Mug Club,” a loyalty program that also includes discounts, a T-shirt, and advance tastings. “The beer crowd is a good group—very mellow,” Bills said. “They may disagree on politics, but that doesn’t matter here.”

With all of the benefits the new location affords him, Bills remains focused on brewing great, sometimes experimental, beers. The pillars of great beer remain the same.

“Quality, consistency, variety,” Bills said.

The signature and most popular beer is the LoCo I.P.A., a West Coast-style India pale ale. Although initially reluctant to brew an I.P.A., because he didn’t want Corcoran to become “the 2,500th brewery making the 3,500th I.P.A.,” Bills has warmed to the idea. He’s experimented with alcoholic root beers, a sour Gose that recently took home the bronze medal at the annual Virginia Craft Brewers Festival, and even the gluten-reduced Trail Pale Lager for celiacs.

For the fall, Bills is brewing a Padawan Pumpkin Ale, which incorporates longneck pumpkins from Great Country Farms in Bluemont. He has fun with the naming process, too, and draws inspiration from Loudoun’s history and landmarks, such as Berlin Turnpike (a lager) and Dutchman’s Creek
(a Hefewizen).

Barn doors, corrugated sheetsand tables made out of barrels lend an industrial farmhouse vibe to the tasting room. There’s also a peculiar popcorn machine, the type you see at an old movie theater. The red paint is reminiscent of those old Loudoun County barns where tools were put up for the day and, in 2011, Corcoran Brewing Co. began.