Scott’s Addition is getting a castle. Well, not really, but it will be in the name of a brewery slated to go in the area by the end of the year.
Scott’s Addition is getting a castle. Well, not really, but it will be in the name of a brewery slated to go in the area by the end of the year.
Former IT professional Karl Homburg plans to open Castleburg Brewery, a two-barrel system in Scott’s Addition with a taproom by the end of the year.
Homburg, who’s been working for Draper, Aden & Associates the last 14 years and in IT for the last 20 years was tired of the cubicle life and wanted to take his home-brewing skills to the next level.
“I started brewing about five years ago when my girlfriend bought me a home-brew kit and it kind of released the monster,” Homburg said. “Basically it went from there.”
Awards from local and national competitions such as the Battle of Fredericksburg Homebrew competition, and the 2014 National Homebrew Competition for his recipes didn’t hurt either.
Homburg had been stirring up the idea for about two years on the project, and now, working with Cushman & Wakefield | Thalhimer, he’s set to nail down a 4,000-square-foot space for his nano-brewery.
The 49-year-old has about $100,000 which he said is his minimum to launch his venture. He also launched a kickstarter campaign and managed to raise just over $9,000 with 79 backers.
“I did a fundraiser through equity shares and just hit my mark for that so now I got the money to get going,” he said.
Backers were rewarded with pint glasses, stickers, decals and growlers.
And although he hasn’t found a space, Homburg said his recipes are ready to go.
“Right now im going to have three taps that are flagship beers and three taps that rotate,” he said. “I’m looking at my flagship beers being a cream ale, its not very hoppy its not very bold
and then I’ve got a black IPA that I’ve been tweaking for about four years now.”
Homburg said the third beer will either be a brown ale or a porter.
His Kickstarter page touts eight brews he’s working to churn out including a Battering Ram Roggenbier, Bishop’s Brown Ale, Castleburg Cream Ale, Chocolate Raspberry Stout, Court Jester Porter, mOatmeal Stout, Queen’s Garde – Biere de Garde and The Keep – a Scottish Wee Heavy.
Most of these recipes are right up Homburg’s alley.
“The black IPA is my all time favorite,” he said. “I’ve got probably about 75 brews under my belt and I’ve got eight recipes that are award-winning recipes that will be coming out.”
Scott’s Addition is already home to Hardywood Park Craft Brewery, Isley Brewing and Ardent Craft Ales, but Homburg said he’s not worried about the competition.
“Everybody brews differently,” he said. “I get the feeling it’s going to end up being something like Asheville where they’ve got six or seven breweries all within walking distnace and they’ve got walking tours.”
Homburg will sell out of the taproom for the first year and is optimistic about his production once he’s up and running.
“Im hoping to produce about 75 barrels total,” he said, with an aim to start distribution in the second year.
Homburg plans to open by the end of 2015, but he said it could possibly be by spring time next year.
As for the name? Homburg had his reasons.
“The name is a play on my last time,” he said. “If you go back to the German roots my last name “Hom” means high and “Burg” means a fortified city, what is a high fortified city but a castle?”
