Quick Fact Sheet
Brewery Opened: November, 2012
Location: New Freedom, PA. (York County). Approximately, 40 miles south of Harrisburg the capital of Pennsylvania, 30 miles north of Baltimore, MD, and 100 miles south west of Philadelphia.
Beer Styles: Authentic Germanstyle Lager beers brewed according to the Reinheitsgebot (German Purity Law of 1516).
Braumeister: Martin Virga who has over 25 years in the brewing business. Formally educated as a brewmaster in Germany at Doemens, one of the oldest brewing schools in the world. Specializes in brewing Germanstyle lagers.
Year Round Beers: Pilsner brewed in the Bavarian “Landpils” or country pilsner style. Delicate balance between malt sweetness and hop bitterness, has a dry feel to the mouth with little to no aftertaste. Dunkel Pronounced "doonnkel," with a short "oo" as in "foot." Our Dunkel or dark lager is brewed in the traditional Bavarian style. For a dark lager, the color might be deceiving because this is not a strong or “heavy” beer. It leans towards the maltier/sweeter side, lightly hopped with coffee and caramel undertones.
Packaging: 12 oz bottles packaged as 6 packs or by the case; 66.5 oz Growlers; 50 liter kegs
Social Media: Facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/GunpowderFallsBrewing Twitter https://twitter.com/GFBrewing Yelp http://www.yelp.com/biz/gunpowderfallsbrewingnewfreedom Instagram https://www.facebook.com/gunpowderfallsbrewing/app_168188869963563 Untapped https://untappd.com/GunpowderFallsBrewing
15556 Elm Drive, New Freedom, PA 17349 (717) 7590330 [email protected]
About Gunpowder Falls Brewing
Gunpowder Falls Brewing is an AmericanGerman craft brewery located in the rolling farm lands at the very southern part of central Pennsylvania in the town of New Freedom. Gunpowder Falls Brewing is dedicated to brewing true, authentic German style lagers. The brewery uses the same pure, natural ingredients and brewing techniques forged by the top German Braumeisters for hundreds of years. In fact, other than the fresh local spring water, most of the raw materials used are imported from special sources in Bavaria which is a key factor contributing to the authenticity of the beer styles produced.
While most American craft breweries these days are attempting to create wild and adventurous ales such as double IPA's and hopped up fruit infused concoctions, Gunpowder Falls Brewing differentiates itself by remaining one of a few “lager” only craft breweries, brewing variations of traditional German style beers. Additionally, Gunpowder Falls Brewing does not brew dozens and dozens of different beers. Gunpowder Falls Brewing has a handful of distinct styles of beers it produces. Each time a new style is introduced it can take several months to over a year before a final recipe is settled upon. Like anything of quality, It takes time to perfect an exceptional beer. This slow meticulous process also ensures that the brewery ultimately can reproduce each style consistently batch after batch so that the consumer gets the same product each and every time.
Staying true to the German theme, all beers produced at Gunpowder Falls Brewing are brewed according to the Reinheitsgebot (German Purity Law of 1516). The Reinheitsgebot states that only water, malt and hops may be used in brewing beer. (Yeast was later added after the discovery of its existence by Louis Pasteur.)
The goal at Gunpowder Falls Brewing is to be known for brewing some of the best Germanstyle beers in America.
15556 Elm Drive, New Freedom, PA 17349 (717) 7590330 [email protected]
History
Gunpowder Falls Brewing (an AmericanGerman craft brewery) was founded in 2012 with the goal of being a “Lager” only brewery; producing authentic Germanstyle lager beers according to the Reinheitsgebot (German Purity Law of 1516).
Gunpowder Falls Brewing began in Germany over two decades ago. Actually, it all began with a family vacation and a tour of the Olympia Brewery in Olympia, Washington in 1974. Martin Virga, owner and head brewmaster, was just a 2nd grader at the time, but that visit to the Olympia brewery made a lasting impression. A visit a few years later to the Coors Brewing Company in Golden, Colorado sealed the desire to brew beer. A decade later in 1988, after graduating from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, CA, Martin headed to Europe to follow his dream to become a brewmaster.
Through a series of fortuitous occurrences and the help of many generous people, Martin secured an apprenticeship at a large Bavarian brewery, Kaiser Bräu in Neuhaus an der Pegnitz, Germany (http://www.kaiserbraeu.de). In addition to learning the brewing process, the apprenticeship allowed Martin time to perfect his German, including reading and writing, so that he could attend brewing school which was taught exclusively in German.
After his apprenticeship and successfully becoming fluent in German, Martin began his studies to become a Braumeister (brewmaster) at Doemens in Munich. Doemens was founded in 1895 and is one of the oldest brewing schools in the world. (https://www.doemens.org)
Upon returning to the U.S., Martin landed in Baltimore, MD, with no job, little to no money, a wife, twin boys on the way and a simple dream of owning his own brewery. He settled for a job working in the lab at G. Heileman Brewing Company, a large regional East Coast brewery.
In the interim, serendipity struck and Martin was hired to help start the brewing operations at Capitol City Brewing Company in Washington D.C. (http://capcitybrew.com/). Capitol City Brewing was the first brewpub in our nation’s capital.
15556 Elm Drive, New Freedom, PA 17349 (717) 7590330 [email protected]
Moving on from Capitol City, Martin raised some outside capital and started Ellicott Mills Brewing Company with the beer brand Alpenhof, in Ellicott City, Maryland. In the end, Martin’s dream of expanding into a production brewery was in conflict with his partners vision of remaining a local niche brew pub and in 2004, Martin sold his interest in Ellicott Mills Brewing (http://www.ellicottmillsbrewing.com/).
The desire to brew beer and own his own brewery certainly did not die. After taking a necessary break from the brewing world for several years to raise his children, reprioritize his life and rejuvenate the passion he once had to brew beer, Martin was ready start brewing again. In November 2012 Gunpowder Falls Brewing officially opened.
Thankfully, Martin is living his dream and once again sharing his great old world beers with the rest of us, all the while bringing a little taste of Germany here to America.
15556 Elm Drive, New Freedom, PA 17349 (717) 7590330 [email protected]
The Brewery
Gunpowder Falls Brewing brews all of its lagers in its 3,200 square foot production brewery in New Freedom, Pennsylvania. The brewery can produce over 3,000 Liters of beer per week.
Beer is available as follows: 12 oz bottles packaged in six packs or cases
66.5 oz growlers 50 Liter kegs
There is a small 800 sqft tasting room on premise where visitors can purchase fresh draft beer on tap or purchase packaged six packs and cases to go. While the tasting room is small, it has plenty of “Gemütlichkeit”. A faithful group local regulars make the tasting room a very inviting and welcome place for first timers and individuals alike.
15556 Elm Drive, New Freedom, PA 17349 (717) 7590330 [email protected]
The Beers
Year Round Beers
Pilsner Our Pilsner is brewed in the Bavarian “Landpils” or country pilsner style, from the finest malt and Hallertau noble hops to give this beer an unmistakable hop aroma. Balanced in taste for a delicate play between the malt sweetness and mild, fine hop bitterness on the tongue.
ABV: 5%
Food Pairings: German, Italian, Mexican, Thai, Seafood, Burgers, Pork
Dunkel – Pronounced "doonnkel," with a short "oo" as in "foot." Dunkel was the first beer to be regulated by the Bavarian Beer Purity Law of 1516. Our Dunkel or dark lager is brewed in the traditional Bavarian style. With its pronounced, warm Aroma, malty taste and a finish reminiscent of fine coffee, this beer will please the senses – even for the most generic beer drinker. Don’t let the color fool you. This is not a strong or “heavy” beer. The Gunpowder Falls Dunkel is brewed with five different malt types and is lightly hopped.
ABV: 5 %
Food Pairings: German, Irish, Roasted Poultry, Venison, Sausages, Ham, Mushrooms, Risotto
15556 Elm Drive, New Freedom, PA 17349 (717) 7590330 [email protected]
Seasonal Beers
Export Hell The Export Hell derives its name from the period of time when this beer style was brewed to have more alcohol than the Helles, as the higher alcohol helped preserve the beer from spoiling during "Export" to distant destinations. This fullbodied, smooth straw colored lager has little to no hop aroma. The balance of Hallertau hops and a slight maltysweet finish will leave you wanting another! Our Export Hell, like all of our beers, is naturally carbonated. This beer can be enjoyed for it's subtle complexities, or mindlessly consumed during great conversation with old and new friends.
ABV: 5.6%
Food Pairings: Pizza, Kielbasa and Sauerkraut, Wings, Spicy foods like Thai and Mexican, Italian, and of course: German!
Availability: March May
Märzen Märzen, the German word for "March" was historically the last beer brewed in the spring. Traditionally, Märzenbier is a pale lager that originated in Bavaria before the 16th century and was consumed throughout Oktoberfest at the end of September. Our Märzen is a vibrant orange color. You will get caramel and biscuit aromas leading to a malty, mellow, and mild taste. Enjoy this seasonal while it lasts.
ABV: 5.4%
Food Pairings: Pierogies, Schweinshaxe, Pork, Venison, and anything else from the grill
Availability: September November
15556 Elm Drive, New Freedom, PA 17349 (717) 7590330 [email protected]
Schwarzbier Schwarzbier is a German dark lager beer brewed using dark roasted malts. It's origins go back to the Middle Ages (14th century) and is considered the oldest known black beer style. Our Schwarzbier has an initial smooth creaminess leading to a well balanced coffeelike bitterness and a subtle hint of chocolate. The roasted warming qualities of this lager make it a perfect beer for the winter. Drink it slightly warm to release the aroma and full flavor profile from the malts. As always, this beer is brewed according to the Reinheitsgebot.
ABV: 5.5%
Food Pairings: German, Irish, Pot Roast, Chocolate, French Toast
Availability: December February
(Please visit our website for a current list of available beers both year round and seasonal)
15556 Elm Drive, New Freedom, PA 17349 (717) 7590330 [email protected]
Management Team
Martin Virga Owner and Head Brewmaster Martin Virga, owner/founder and head brewmaster.
Education: Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles ‘98 with a major in Business Administration.
19881989 Apprenticeship at Kaiser Bräu in Neuhaus an der Pegnitz, Germany. 19891992 Attended Doemens Brewing School in Munich. (Doemens was founded in 1895 and is one of the oldest brewing schools in the world.) 19921994 Worked in the lab at G. Heileman Brewing Company. 19941997 Head Brewmaster Capitol City Brewing Company in Washington D.C. 19972004 Started Ellicott Mills Brewing Company with the beer brand Alpenhof, in Ellicott City, Maryland. 20042005 Went back to school to take prerequisite classes for a degree in Accounting 2005 Passed the CPA exam on the first try 20052012 Worked as the controller for a private medical practice in Maryland 2012 Gunpowder Falls Brewing opened its doors and began brewing beer
2012Present Martin now has no life outside the brewery. He sleeps eats and spends every last hour at the brewery from early in the morning to late in the evening.
Putting in long hours is not all that difficult when you are doing what you love but lets be honest, building a brewery from the ground up is hard thankless work. Cleaning tanks, bottling beer, hauling trash, cleaning floors and equipment, lugging grains and supplies around and making sure all the bills get paid is just a small sampling of the endless list of things that need to get done on a daily basis and keep the brewery going.
15556 Elm Drive, New Freedom, PA 17349 (717) 7590330 [email protected]
Robert Virga Information Technology & Sales Robert M. Virga, is an investor in the brewery. Robert is in charge of technology and supports the breweries back office systems, including its production management software and brewery website. Mr. Virga also heads up direct sales initiatives for the brewery including the implementation of a proprietary brewery sales process and development of the breweries custom CRM system.
Education: Santa Clara University, ‘91 with a bachelor of science major in accounting
19911995 Senior Accountant with Kenneth Leventhal & Company Public Accounting firm which later merged with Ernst & Young in 1995. 19951998 Consulting Manager of Haskell & White CPA’s heading up their IT consulting practice, focusing on implementing ERP accounting systems such as Microsoft Dynamics GP and Sage Timberline Office. 19982001 IT consultant with Idysys Consulting implementing mid range ERP system for the construction industry. 20012007 Owner/founder of Accounting Software 411 a consulting and advisory firm focusing on implementing accounting systems, writing custom software and helping companies automate business processes 2007Present Owner/founder Ei Dynamics a software company that develops Business Process Management software to help companies reduce or eliminate manual and repetitive business processes and activities.
15556 Elm Drive, New Freedom, PA 17349 (717) 7590330 [email protected]