How will you leave your mark?
This is a question Three Notch’d Brewing Co. asks its customers who flock to the local Valley Collab House just off East Market Street in Harrisonburg. Originally opened in Charlottesville in 2013, Three Notch’d left its mark in Harrisonburg one year later in 2014 when it opened its second location just blocks away from City Hall. It’s been a staple of the community’s growing downtown ever since.
To Head Bartender Andrew Shelley, Harrisonburg’s location will reflect the Friendly City, just like how the flagship location reflects its city.
“This brewery needs to not represent Charlottesville,” Shelley said. “The way that was done was [by] hiring people here who represent Harrisonburg.” With craft beers on tap in several of the town’s local restaurants, Three Notch’d has become a go-to for some of the Valley’s craft beer enthusiasts. Aside from its various beers on tap, Harrisonburg’s Three Notch’d also has one distinction over every other brewery in Virginia.
“What made this unique is this was the first satellite brewery in the state,” Shelley said. “What that means is, essentially, you have the main brewery and then they open a secondary location in another spot – this was the first one in Virginia to do that.”
Its spot on the Shenandoah Beerwerks Trail has brought further business into the local brewery. Shelley acknowledges that while the different craft beers sold to the public are a great motivation to get out and travel, to him, the local businesses and those behind them are what the Trail is all about.
“I’ve been drinking in town before the beer trail was even a thing,” Shelley said. “I wouldn’t say it’s necessarily the Trail that keeps me going — for me, it’s really about the people and supporting this community.”
Special events also keep Three Notch’d going here in Harrisonburg, as well. In the past, the brewery has hosted cycling tournaments on stationary bikes, weekly poetry readings during Pride Month and numerous JMU-related events. The state’s first satellite brewery, something Shelley called “revolutionary” for the time in Virginia, is always ready to open its doors and welcome in thirsty Trail-goers and Harrisonburg residents alike.
“This is almost like a foundational piece to Virginia beer,” said Shelley, smiling and manning the bar.