Deschutes Brewery is already planning to open a brewery in Roanoke, Virginia, by 2021, but since that’s still a few years off, they announced today their plans to open a tasting room in downtown Roanoke by late summer. They’ve posted some details on their website about the Roanoke brewery and tasting room, and here is the press release:

Deschutes Brewery has unveiled plans to create a tasting room in downtown Roanoke. The Oregon-headquartered brewery, which announced it will be creating an east coast facility in Roanoke last year, is looking forward to sharing beers and interacting with local craft beer fans – as well as those who are visiting Roanoke and want to learn more about what Deschutes is all about – in the new space. The opening is tentatively slated for late August.

“Roanoke is home to us now and we wanted to put down some roots while we plan for breaking ground on our new brewery east of town,” said Nate Brocious, tours and tasting room manager of Deschutes Brewery. “Since we will not be breaking ground on our new brewing facility until 2019, we’re excited to take one of our first steps in becoming part of this awesome community by opening the new tasting room.”

The tasting room will be located at 315 Market St SE close to many local businesses, restaurants and hotels. Plans include more than 15 taps of Deschutes Brewery beers where patrons can share a pint or fill growlers, as well as purchase brewery branded merchandise. Details are still being finalized, but the space will likely include both indoor and outdoor seating and ready-to-eat foods crafted by local restaurants. The brewery will be hiring staff for the new venture in early summer. Once these positions are posted, applications will be accepted at www.deschutesbrewery.com/jobs.

In other area news, Deschutes is bringing its popular Street Pub event back to Roanoke on July 15 to support local nonprofits such as Roanoke Outside, Bradley Free Clinic, Pathfinders for Greenways and the Blue Ridge Land Conservancy. Last year, the event welcomed 22,000 people and raised $81,000 for nonprofit organizations. For more information on the Street Pub, visit www.deschutesbrewery.com/streetpub.

I’d imagine the interest and clamor for the new brewery accelerated these plans somewhat. A tasting room is probably great outreach, though I have to worry a bit about the fact that the beer has to be shipped all the way back east to keep it well-stocked. A good strategy, I would think, would be to host some local guest taps as well.

Here’s a screen capture from Google Streetview for what Google reports is the location:

It’s unclear to me if the building is the shorter “1904” building (where Google places you) or if it’s the corner building right next to it. That corner building would be a no-brainer if it’s available.

Regardless I suspect this tasting room will be hugely popular once it opens up, and would be a must-visit in downtown Roanoke. Good move overall!