In January of 2012, after an Army tour of duty in Iraq, Raymond got together with his friend Alan in a little garage in rural Fluvanna County to learn the art of brewing beer. After producing their first batch, they wondered what to call it; inspiration struck when they looked back on the photos of brew day – Raymond’s old dog, Roscoe, a faithful friend, sleeping in the background. Their first beer, a Cream Ale, was christened “Roscoe’s Nap”. Other brews were produced under the sleepy gaze of Roscoe, up until the last night of his life when they produced a Whiskey Barrel Stout that would forever be known as “Peaceful Journey”. The next day, and with a heavy heart, Raymond took his old friend on a final ride to the vet in “Ol’ Red”, Roscoe’s favorite truck, and saw him off. A final resting place for Roscoe was chosen near the brewery. A week later, a small package arrived from the vet’s office containing a mold of Roscoe’s paw print. An army buddy of Raymond’s turned it into the company logo, and to this day, paw prints retrace Roscoe’s steps to his favorite napping spot, where his bowl sits.

There have been many changes through the years, but some things stayed the same. Dogs remain a key part of Antioch Brewing Company, with Luke and Leia taking over the reins from Roscoe and Meeko to keep a watchful eye over the business. Friends and Family are a vital part of who we are, and Roscoe’s picture watches over us as a reminder that beer is best enjoyed with a good friend.

In 2017, Antioch Brewing Company became a Limited (farm) Brewery in the state of Virginia. Opening as a production-only brewery and selling locally, future plans will involve relocating to a site close by that offers more room – for a tasting room, for growth, and for an opportunity to share our beer with you.

We start with water pulled from a well deep under our little country brewery. Most of our flavoring and aroma hops are grown organically within feet of the brewery. We take pride in brewing beer in our small single barrel system using traditional methods that are more time-consuming than modern methods, but produce a superior product. Our beers are bottle conditioned (naturally carbonated in the bottle), a process that takes longer – but we believe good things take time. Note that craft beer is a living product that should never be exposed to high temperatures and if kept stable, like a fine wine, it will continue to improve with age. Our hope is to continue to grow and blend old world brewing techniques with modern sanitization.