Escutcheon Brewing is making delicious and quality craft beer...and they're doing it right here in Winchester, VA!
In Spring 2015, Kysela began a partnership with our new hometown brewery. Escutcheon Brewing Co. was founded by John Hovermale and Art Major, two friends who really, really love good craft beer. John, a master brewer, began at the Siebel Institute in Illinois more than fifteen years ago and has worked for breweries in Vermont, Maryland and Mississippi. John's beer knowledge & experience combined with Art's successful entrepreneurial skills, along with both guys' passion and drive to create good beer, were the perfect ingredients to build Escutcheon Brewing Co. The marine industrial names, the design of their taproom and the company logo (a Plimsoll line) are all a nod to Art's time in the Merchant Marine.
Escutcheon began as a draft-only operation, but in 2016 they also began offering their flagship brews in cans. The brewery's core beers (and canned offerings) are:
- Growler Kölsch - a twist on the classic Kölsch from Cologne, Growler Kölsch has a crisp malty flavor and subtle refreshing notes of German hops. It has the flavor of an ale but with a clean, refreshing lager finish (4.5% ABV).
- Agonic Line Vienna Lager - this is a true-to-style Vienna Lager. Its malty aroma and sweetness are thanks to a combination of domestic and imported malts, with subtle bitterness from noble hop strikes in the kettle (5% ABV).
- 4th and 1 Pilsner - a collaboration with Redskins Hall-of-Famer, Super Bowl MVP & friend of Art Major, John "Riggo" Riggins. A German-style Pilsner brewed with only classic pilsner ingredients (4.4%).
Escutcheon's other draft offerings include:
- Annealed Coffee Stout - heated up with a higher ABV and then slowly cold-infused with locally-roasted, ethically-sourced coffee beans from Winchester, VA's own Hopscotch Coffee. Midnight Wheat allows for a thick, frothy head and deep, dark color (6.5% ABV).
- Blackstrake Stout - dark in color but surprisingly light on the palette, our stout is remarkably complex. Hints of chocolate and caramel with robust flavors of roasted malt (4.5% ABV).
- Bowditch IPA - this American Pale Ale is well balanced by using U.S. malts and hops. The malted barley provides a caramel biscuity aroma and slightly sweet taste, while a combination of three different hops balance the flavor and aroma with smooth bitterness and hints of citrus and pine (5.3% ABV).
- Double Hull IPA - this classic Double IPA has four varieties of West Coast hops, just the right amount of bitterness, and a tanker full of flavor (8.2% ABV).
- Plimsoll IPA - Escutcheon's flagship IPA.ﾠﾠ Foreign and domestic malts build the backbone of this copper-colored elixir while copious additions of three hop varieties leave it with clean, crisp, citrusy aroma (6.7% ABV).
- Reluctant Splice Gose - a salty, sour, aromatic & downright wacky experiment (5% ABV).
- For St. Patty's Day - Kerlogue Irish Red Ale, a traditional red ale (6% ABV).
- NEW! Cheerly Kriek Sour Cherry Ale (750ml bottles) - traditional Belgian-style Kriek. This sour lambic wheat beer was aged in oak sherry barrels for nearly a year before freshly harvested sour cherries were added for several months (6% ABV).
You can also find Esctucheon's beer at retailers, restaurants, bars and venues all over Virginia, Maryland & DC. Locals can also try Escutcheon brews (and fill a growler) at their taproom on West Commercial St.
Oh, and be sure to check out our seasonal beer schedule for a quick glance at Kysela's full craft beer portfolio & seasonal availability.
