A little over 15 years ago, the seed was planted for Roanoke Railhouse Brewing Company in the form of a simple idea. Like many great ideas, this one took time, effort, and great determination to grow into fruition.

It all started with a USA Today article published on June 10, 1994 titled: "Suds up! Colorado breweries roll out the barrels."

The article inspired Matthew Machtay to take a trip out west for some in-depth research. Yes, lots of taste-testing was involved. By January 1995, Roanoke Brewing Company was incorporated and working towards opening for business. But after 4 years of effort, the idea took a sabbatical.

In 2006, the vision resurfaced and by January 2008 the doors finally opened for Roanoke Railhouse Brewing Company.

One of the original supporters of the old brewery project and local realtor, Steve Davidson, was asked if he could find a tenant to occupy the space which previously operated as the Dr. Pepper Bottling plant. After previewing the workspace Steve was re-inspired by the original brewery idea. Steve, now founder and President of RRBC, set out on a mission to breathe life into the first full-fledge microbrewery in Roanoke, Virginia.

January 2011 marks RRBC's two-year anniversary of our opening. Fall 2010 saw plenty of change and growth for the brewery. The changes brought an exciting young Brew Master, a new local distributor, and 22oz bottles for our signature beer — Track 1.

Brew Master Ryan Worthington joined the RRBC team in the summer of 2010. After diligent guidance under Ryan, Mike 'Keno" Snyder was later promoted to Head Brewer. With the recent graduation of our young intern under these skilled professionals, the measure of quality brewers at RRBC continues to grow stronger.

Our new distributor, Layman Food Services, offers RRBC a wide-reaching system to deliver our beer across southwest Virginia in multiple capacities. Layman's fleet of 11 refrigerated trucks and territories from New Market to Bristol and Lynchburg to Covington enables RRBC to reach more craft-beer drinkers than ever. Further, we burst into the Lynchburg market late in October 2010 at The Depot Grille where our Imperial Lager, Loose Caboose, has become a big hit with customers.

Late November 2010 marked another milestone. RRBC started bottling 22oz 'Bombers' of our signature amber lager, Track 1. Today, Track 1 bottles are available in over 60 Stop-In Food Stores across the area.

As we march towards our 500th brew, we look forward to 2011 proving to be our most exciting year yet. This January marks the return of our original idea man, Matthew Machtay. He rejoins founder and President Steve Davidson as an active member of the RRBC team where he will focus his efforts on the sales and marketing direction of the company.

With ideas for a third everyday beer, several seasonal specials, more bottle options, and opening new markets, 2011 will be a very busy and transformative year for our brewery.

All of us at Roanoke Railhouse Brewing Company thank you for the continued support as we strive to deliver superior local craft beers.

Roanoke Railhouse. Ask for it.