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While it’s always great to hear about a brewery opening, it’s even better when you can see a true passion and commitment to the art of brewing shine in every aspect of a new business. Such is the case with Ashland’s newest brewery, Center of the Universe Brewing Company (COTU). Owners and brothers Chris and Phil Ray began searching for the right spot for their own brewery three years ago, and this past November, they opened their doors to an eager community of craft beer fans and haven’t looked back since.
“When we started this three years ago, Virginia was number 12 in the country for craft beer consumption, and 35th in craft breweries, so there was a huge opportunity there,” Phil explained. “Since then, three breweries besides us have opened up in the area, and there are eight more in planning. The reception has been great and our beers have been very well-received.”
The homebrewing duo have always had their hearts in the right place. While playing for the Seattle Mariners two years ago, Major League relief pitcher Chris collaborated with Washington’s Fremont Brewing Company to brew a charity beer called Homefront IPA to benefit Operation Homefront, a nonprofit that provides assistance to families of deployed soldiers and veterans. Afterwards, the brothers started Hops for Heroes to annually produce the IPA in collaboration with other breweries.
Phil and Chris wanted to bring that community spirit to Ashland, and the brothers’ emphasis on building a neighborhood brewery can be felt and seen throughout their space. The brewery’s name pays homage to a statement made by the mayor of Ashland in the 1950s, when he dubbed the city “the center of the universe” (fun fact: there are apparently two other municipalities in the country who make the same claim – Wallace, ID and Epping, NH). The walls are decked out with the works of local artists, all for sale. And, for now, the brewery is reserving its distribution for Hanover County and Richmond to ensure local accounts stay well-supplied.
Not only did the community embrace COTU with open arms, but the cards kept falling in the right places as the brewery began to take shape. After a two-and-a-half year search, the pair happened upon the perfect location the day before Chris went back to spring training – a former Herald-Progress newspaper building with the right zoning for alcohol production. When searching for a head brewer, the duo contacted Mike Killelea, current chairman of the Virginia Craft Brewers Guild and craft brewer for six years at the venerable Legend Brewery in Richmond, to see if he could help with their search. It just so happens that Mike was looking for a new brewing opportunity and soon after joined the COTU team. And, the summer before they opened, an old law was overturned so that Virginia breweries no longer needed a restaurant on-premise to sell and serve their beers in a tasting room. No longer limited to just a package/production facility, the brothers changed their plans to open a sizable tasting room that allows them to interact more effectively with customers and to get instantaneous feedback about their brews.
After learning about the brewery’s background, I was excited to sample some of their flagship offerings. When considering their first brew, the brothers knew they wanted to steer clear, at least initially, of big boozy beers in favor of lighter beers to show the community that craft beer doesn’t have to be super hoppy or heavy. But, as “hop heads” themselves, Phil and Chris found they were often disappointed with the local selection of hop-forward IPAs. Appropriately, the first beer they produced was an unfiltered West Coast-style IPA they named Pocahoptas. When their first batch of Pocahoptas came out too heavy as a Double IPA, they decided to add it into their line-up as the “angry uncle” of Pocahoptas, which they now call the Richard. For those who may not be onboard the hop train, the brewery offers a great German Alt-style beer – Main St. Virginia Ale – with just the right ratio of toasted malt to bitter hops. And for those who may still need a gateway beer, their light-bodied Kolsch offers a sessionable alternative with enough flavor to make anyone a craft beer fan.
Even though the brewery has only been open a few months, they’ve already got their sights set on expanding. The eventual goal, according to Phil, is to brew 24 different beers a year, with most of them being one-offs instead of seasonal selections. The brothers are also experimenting with growing their own hops on a nearby farm owned by Chris’s in-laws – if all goes well, they’ll be using Virginia-grown hops for a wet-hopped beer in the future. According to Phil, Virginia used to be the hop capital of the country, back before tobacco was king.
They also plan on pushing their beer experimentations. This year, they’ll put out a strong Scotch ale – half of which they’ve bourbon barrel-aged. Paying homage to Chris’s baseball career, they’ve experimented with using unfinished Louisville Slugger baseball bats in the aging process. And don’t be surprised if you see a tomato beer (yes, tomatoes – the fruit that everyone considers a vegetable) from COTU this year (pending pilot taste tests, of course).
Even with new and exciting growth opportunities, the brothers will ensure that the brewery keeps its roots firmly planted in the community, as staying local is one of their main priorities.
“We wanted to get back to neighborhood breweries, where people know their brewer and where the ingredients come from,” Phil said. “We like knowing our neighbors, and we think it’s important to be a part of your community, not just a beer factory. We want to grow slowly so our brewery can always have a community feel.”
