NEPA Breweries: Victory Brewing Company

Posted by
Lewith & Freeman Real Estate Inc.

6 years ago

Welcome to NEPA Breweries, a series where we visit breweries in Northeastern PA as well as a few just a short drive away. This month, we’re visiting Victory Brewing Company.

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again—one of the biggest perks of living in this area is that it’s conveniently located. Getting out of town for a day or the weekend is easy with just about anything you can imagine within a few hour’s drive.

Victory Brewing Company in Downingtown, PA is one of those places. This month, we took the drive to enjoy some good beer, good food, and a great atmosphere.

Victory goes way back

According to their website, it all started back in the fifth grade, because that’s when the creators of Victory met. Ron Barchet and Bill Covaleski have known each other since 1973 and are today running a thriving business together.

The bar at Victory in Downingtown, PA.

When just out of college, Bill started using his father’s at-home brewing equipment. As with most, the beginnings of this brewery began with a passion for brewing beer at home. Bill then gave Ron a home brewing kit for Christmas that same year, spreading the love for at-home brewing, and a friendly competition grew between the two. They eventually turned that love into a career and both worked an apprenticeship at Baltimore Brewing Company. Later, Rob studied at the Technical University of Munich at Weihenstephan, and Bill studied at Doemens Institute in Munich, Germany.

After Rob worked as the brewmaster at Old Dominion Brewing Company in Virginia, he moved back to PA with the intention of opening a brewery of his own. Victory opened on Feb. 15, 1996 in a former Pepperidge Farm factory. In 2016, they partnered with Southern Tier Brewing Company to become part of the Artisanal Brewing Ventures holding company.

Their business is more than just a restaurant and brewery though, and that's evident in their environmental projects. Victory for the Environment is a unique aspect of their business that makes up a cross-departmental sustainability committee. They work to find and implement solutions to make a positive impact on the environment. In addition to outside work, all their 12 and 24 packs are made from Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) certified materials and they have been working steadily since 2011 to keep the food waste from their brewpub out of landfills--and that’s just the beginning of what they’ve been doing.

With a strong history as friends and business partners, and steady efforts to do good in the world, you can really feel good about drinking and dining at Ron and Bill's Victory Brewing Company.

Good things are brewing

Victory Brewing Company is home to beers such as Golden Monkey, HopDevil, Storm King, and DirtWolf. They currently distribute to 35 states, plus D.C., and a total of 9 countries carry their beer today.

Today, they are one of a few breweries that use whole hops in their brewing process rather than the more commonly used pelletized hops. This brings a unique and powerful flavor to their beers, as well as a better aroma. Their beers include:

The Downingtown daily menu offers a variety of apps, salads, desserts (some inspired by their beers), and more, as well as specials. They have even partnered with local artisan food brands to create unique, beer-inspired foods including ice cream and beef jerky. Learn more here!

If you happen to find yourself at Victory and aren’t in the mood for beer, they also brew and bottle their own root beer, which is available on draft at the brewery. In addition to their original Downingtown location (take a virtual tour of the Downington pub online), they also have breweries located in Parkesburg and Kenneth Square, PA.