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As breweries become known for more than their craft beers, food becomes a distinct attraction that enriches the entire experience. Beale’s is no exception.
John Park
In 1818, 30 Virginia huntsmen, led by the charming but mysterious Thomas J. Beale, were on expedition to the vast western plains of Texas. Quite by accident they discovered veins of gold and silver somewhere in the Rocky Mountains.
The men abandoned their hunt and spent the next many years mining and hauling their loot home, burying it somewhere in the mountains surrounding Bedford, Virginia. Beale created three ciphers pinpointing the treasure’s location, and entrusted the ciphers to Mr. Robert Morris, an inn-keeper in Lynchburg. Beale promised to send the key for decoding the ciphers, then left once again for the untamed west. He was never heard from again, leaving in his wake a mystery that continues today.
Fast forward nearly two centuries. A different kind of treasure hunter, Dave McCormack, stumbles upon the sleepy town of Bedford. McCormack—a New Jersey native with a physics degree from Virginia Tech, who is a writer by trade and real estate developer by practice—is always looking for creative ways to help hollowed out small towns thrive again. McCormack recognized Bedford’s potential by—of all things—its location in the middle of nowhere. “Because Bedford is situated where it is, ‘local’ ends up including Bedford County, Lynchburg, Amherst County and Roanoke,” says McCormack.
McCormack bought the factory that is now Beale’s in 2007. Then he waited for the right time and people to help him creatively imagine the space within the context of its town. He found one right person in Jared Srsic. Srsic and his wife own two restaurants in the Bedford area: Millstone Tea Room and Town Kitchen. When McCormack saw Srsic was offering upscale epicurean fare on his menus and it was selling, his natural curiosities were alerted. “There is an interesting intellectual undercurrent going on,” says McCormack. “This is how I knew [Bedford] would be a cool place to do something like Beale’s.”
McCormack and Srsic joined forces, and along with James Frazer, master brewer at Trapezium Brewery in Petersburg (another of McCormack’s small town entrepreneurial projects) they created Beale’s Brewery: a family-friendly, community gathering hole, combining great traditional beers and delicious Texas-style barbeque. Oh, and the mystery of the Beale’s Treasure story woven through.
Srsic has elevated the diner’s experience at Beale’s from standard bar fare to masterful culinary experience. “People are going to breweries to get really good food,” he says of a new trend in the American craft brewery experience. “No matter the type of food … people expect a certain quality. They aren’t treating the brewery as a brewery.”
Srsic’s way of threading the treasure story into Beale’s food was to create a Texas-style barbeque menu. From meat to snacks to sides, Beale’s food reflects the Lone Star State. Srsic also created a barbeque market similar to those in an old-fashioned Texas meat market. At a large counter, customers order meats and sides by the half-pound or the pound, then watch as their meat is hand-carved and wrapped in classic Texas peach paper.
As for bar snacks, Srsic wanted simple, classic offerings to satisfy a variety of taste buds: spicy, sweet, savory, salty. Beale’s snacks include giant pretzels “the size of Texas,” pickled eggs, beef jerky and jalapeno cashews. When my husband and I dined there, we noshed on a generous serving of Beer Cheese and Chips while sipping some of Beale’s classic brews: Silver (a Hefeweizen) for me, and Gold (Munich Helles style lager) for my husband. The beer cheese was creamy and flavorful; and true to Frazer’s intent, the beer was classically traditional: smooth, well-balanced, downright satisfying.
Beale’s four sandwiches are named after main characters in the story. I chose the Mr. Buford: chopped pork with sweet brown sauce (made with Cola and meant as a riff on Kansas City style), pickles and onions. The meat was smoky and tender. The sauce complemented perfectly, bringing out the flavor of the meat rather than hiding or masking it. My husband had the Mr. Morris: chopped pork with tangy red sauce (a Virginia sauce adapted from a free slave-turned-restaurateur in Richmond), slaw and pickles. Tasting his sandwich, I was hit with different flavors, but same result: a delicious sandwich full of smokiness and zip.
Beale’s sandwiches are delightful, but if you want the full power of Srsic’s brilliance in barbeque, have the brisket. It is a taste to savor—over and again. Add Srsic’s version of classic sides: unfussy beans with smoked meat mixed in, crisp and tangy coleslaw, buttermilk potato salad unlike any I’ve ever tasted: creamy, loaded with fresh dill and other herbs, wonderful. All of it made from scratch. Every single day. My one cautionary word is this: if you want a particular item, go early. It’s not uncommon for them to run out, especially on weekends.
“All [small towns] have their own unique identity, but after the manufacturing jobs went, things faded away,” says McCormack. “Now it’s time for that second wave of life to come back to these areas. All these towns have something to give. That’s what Beale’s is about. It’s not just a brewery. It’s about an entire place and what it has to offer.”
Is Beale’s Treasure buried somewhere in Bedford County? Or is it all a giant hoax? Who cares? The real treasure is this gem of a place called Beale’s, and its hip small town of Bedford.
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