We’ve Brewed Up Something BIG for our 90th!

This year is turning out to be a year of big milestones for us!  It’s not only our 90th year in business, but also the year one of Lou Austin’s business pursuits is finally becoming a reality.  Thanks to a partnership with long-time guest and friend, Sam Busey (owner of Lost Barrel Brewing in Middleburg, VA), we are offering a special lager brewed exclusively with Capon Springs Water in honor of our 90th anniversary!

We are extremely grateful to Sam Busey and the folks at Lost Barrel Brewing for helping us make this 89 year-old idea come to fruition! Many may not know this, but in 1933, Capon Co-Founder, Lou Austin, was very interested in creating a Capon brew, or a “Health Brew” as he called it in his business journals.  1933 was the year Prohibition ended and that year Lou Austin held meetings with his attorney and business advisors regarding his interest in brewing beer with Capon Water.  You can learn more about Lou Austin’s aspirations to create a Capon beer and view some of the historical documents here.

The more recent endeavor to brew Capon beer has been several years in the making.  In 2019, Sam Busey approached Jonathan Bellingham (third generation Austin family member) with the idea of brewing beer with Capon Water as he was developing a brewery in Virginia.  That led to many conversations among the Austin family, Board of Directors and Guest Council discussing whether or not this was something we wanted to pursue.  By 2020, serious talks with Sam were underway and Lost Barrel Brewmaster, Patrick Steffens, had sampled and carefully tested Capon Water.  In April of 2021, the Capon management team traveled to Middleburg to tour Lost Barrel Brewing, meet Patrick, and taste the beers (photos below).  Since then, General Manager, Mike Stover, has been working to secure the necessary licenses to sell beer at Capon.

During our 90th anniversary celebration in late April 2022, the Guest Council gathered for their annual retreat and enjoyed a special tasting experience and presentation by Sam Busey and Assistant Brewer Patrick Murphy (photos below).

Fast forward to June 2022, when Sam Busey arrived at Capon with a 550 gallon, custom-made potable water tank to do a trial run carrying Capon Springs Water from Capon to the brewery in Middleburg (photo below). And here is a video that Brewmaster Patrick Steffens filmed of Capon water being pumped into the brewhouse!

On August 4, 2022 after securing all the necessary licenses, Sam Busey packed up his truck and personally brought a delivery of Capon Springs Golden Lager to Capon! That same day we began selling this very special and very delicious beer in the Foodshop.  Capon Springs Golden Lager can be purchased in 4 packs for $17, or in a variety pack with other Lost Barrel products for $16. We are also offering a small assortment of West Virginia beers, wines and hard ciders. The first sale of Capon Springs Golden Lager was to long-time guests Mara and Violet Bishop!

As having alcohol for sale at Capon is a change (and we all know Capon is usually all about staying the same!) we want to assure you that our alcohol policy will remain unchanged. You can enjoy Capon beer and your other favorite alcoholic drinks with family and friends in the privacy of your porch or your room, but not in public places like dining and recreational areas and around the grounds.

We can’t wait for you to taste this delicious beer made with the finest water on earth!

Cheers to this 90th anniversary season!