Luray, Va is a small town about 80 miles to the west of Washington, DC. Mostly know for the caverns – the Luray Caverns, the town can be a good draw for tourists. The Shenandoah River is nearby as is the Shenandoah National Park. The town is also home to the Mimslyn Inn and a struggling Main street/historic area.
But it does boast a great little brewery – the Hawksbill Brewery. I very much want this brewery to survive the pandemic because they brew some really good beers. Their Haymaker Cream Ale is their most popular and it is a clean refreshing beer that is perfect on a hot day or following a hike. In September 2020 they made a watermelon wheat beer that was the best wheat beer I ever drank. It was clean and crisp with a light body and was very drinkable. The two beers I tend to order most are the IPAs – The Hooray for Luray and the Citrus Mistress. There is a slight difference between the two in taste profile but they are both solid efforts. They drink a lot like a Sierra Nevada Torpedo IPA.
The also generally have a Red Ale, a Brown ale, a stout and/or porter and a pale ale on tap. All of their beers tend to be representative of the style claimed, which is far too rare these days. Having great, fresh beer available locally is a nice luxury.
All of the beers run around $6.50 after tax for a pint pour and I don’t mind paying this if it helps keep the lights on, but that works out to about $25 for 3 beers after tax and tip. $100 a week for 4 visits can make a person pause. However they do have a gift card that can be purchased for roughly $28 that is good for 6 beers. That works out much better.
I’ve been there and totally agree!