Another Craft Brewer Sets Its Sights On The Valley

Olde Salem Brewing Company opened in November on Main Street in Salem; before that Big Lick Brewing reopened in a larger space on Salem Avenue and Starr Hill launched its tasting room and pilot brewery on South Jefferson Street. Several more craft breweries may be in the works, including another one in Salem.

Now Charlottesville-based Three Notch’d is coming to downtown Roanoke, sometime in late spring or early summer according to founder and president Scott Roth. This will be the fifth location for Three Notch’d in Virginia, to be located where Cornerstone Bar and Grill has been at the corner of Campbell Avenue and Wall Street for the past 15 years.

Once Cornerstone moves out at the end of the year the landlord will undertake what Roth calls “extensive” renovations before Three Notch’d moves in. Roth says his firm is a craft brewer “that really prides itself on collaborations, an opportunity to work with individuals from each community and come up with something new.”

That could mean brewing up a special batch of beer where proceeds from sales goes to a local nonprofit or a specific cause. It could also mean a beer crafted for a local restaurant, perhaps for a special food pairing or event.  “It’s quite normal for us in all of our locations to release a new beer every single week. It all depends on what group we’re working with that week.” Those beers may have never existed before “and may never be brewed again,” adds Roth. “It offers a ton of variety with the local clientele.”

There are also Three Notch’d locations in Harrisonburg and Richmond, besides two in Charlottesville. The production facility was moved to the second larger location in Charlottesville, which now includes a full service restaurant. The Roanoke location will also include a restaurant, featuring local ingredients in many cases. They’ve already hired an executive chef from Northern Virginia. “We’re really excited about it,” adds Roth.

It seems like there is already a plethora of tap rooms and craft breweries in the Roanoke Valley, but Roth seems nonplussed by the competition. He wants to spread the word about Three Notch’d throughout the Commonwealth. “We think the way to do that is to pick these great cities like Roanoke, [which] has really established itself in the food and beverage industry as an up and coming area. We love that we are going to be able for people in the Roanoke area to be able to come in and experience Three Notch’d. The whole experience is going to be shaped by people who live and play in Roanoke.”

That’s what happens notes Roth in all of the markets they have entered so far – the Three Notch’d vibe in that location is influenced by its setting. Distributing more beer throughout the Commonwealth is another goal aided by having outposts he adds.

Some Three Notch’d beers can already be found in cans at venues like Barrel Chest on Electric Road in southwest Roanoke County. “Leave your mark” is the company’s tag line notes Roth. “We love to tell people stories [through beer].”

Gene Marrano

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