Victory Brewpub in Downingtown, PA Is Winning Over The Locals and The Nation With Sustainability

I grew up on the streets of Downingtown, I attended the high school (both of them actually, I navigated the halls and the challenges during the renovation process), I walked to Rita’s Water ice after school, and I sat on the grass at Kerr Park to watch Fireworks on the 4th of July’s of my childhood.

As I grew older, a new staple surfaced and that was the Victory Brewing Company. Anyone who is familiar with D-town, and increasingly those who are simply familiar with good beer, knows of this unpretentious, classy restaurant that happens to make delicious beer. But what the average beer drinker may not know is how dedicated the owners of Victory are to making their brewery ground breaking in beer as well as a sustainably responsible establishment.

Since their start in 1996, Victory has expanded from a small town in Pennsylvania to one of the top brewers of craft beer in the country. They distribute their beer all over the nation, and in just the first few months of 2011 their sales are up 40% from the same time in 2010. Like West Chester who’s claim to fame is Bam Margera, or Scranton where the popular NBC television show The Office is based, we in Downingtown have a reason to proudly say that we hail from a small suburb about an hour outside of Philadelphia.

But Victory beer has a lot to be proud of, and we loyal followers can sip their suds and stouts with vigor because not only do they create original, unique and delicious beers, but they give back to the community and to the environment as well.

Owners Bill Covaleski and Ron Barchet began their love affair with beer and socially responsible decisions by renovating the old Pepperidge Farm factory into what is now their beloved restaurant, instead of building from scratch which uses more materials and resources. Over the years, they have consistently renovated the building to continue down an environmentally friendly path. In 2004 they installed an energy preservation system that reuses up to one third of the natural gas needed to make Victory beer, a huge savings for themselves as well as in CO2 emissions.

Earlier this year they continued those efforts by partnering with SunPower Builders, a solar company in Collegeville PA who helped design and install a solar panel system to create energy for the restaurant using the energy from the sun. Their new PV system compliments and powers 12 energy efficient fermenters installed in 2009 and 2010 which helps keep the environmental impact of their nationwide manufacturing low. The system was completed in February, 2011 and since then with sun angles improving and spring finally upon us, the amount of energy generated by the panels is continually on the rise. Co-Founder Ron Barchet says “We have been very pleased with the increasing amount of energy our solar system has generated. This will undoubtedly help us achieve our goals of creating a sustainable business respectful of its environmental impact.”

But the strides towards an environmentally friendly building and brewing process are not the only ways that Victory is making Mother Earth a top priority. Another wonderful way that Victory is giving back to its home of Downingtown is the Headwater Grant, funded by sales of a new beer, Headwater Pale Ale. Bill and Ron created this unique beer specifically for the purpose of helping keep clean water available, as they’ve enjoyed the clean water of the Brandywine Creek for 15 years and credit at least part of their lasting success to its fresh, pure taste. Any average brewer knows that it’s tough to create a quality beer without quality ingredients, and clean water is one of those essential pieces to the complicated brewing puzzle. Of course, clean water is also an essential piece to healthy living, and unfortunately this piece is becoming more and more difficult to find.

The Headwater Grant was founded to help keep watersheds operational so that they can continue to provide clean water to their surrounding communities. The grant is Victory’s way of honoring the Brandywine Watershed whose efforts keep Brandywine water pure and therefore, keep Victory beers delicious. With each bottle of Headwaters Pale Ale sold, Victory donates one penny to the grant, and in just a few short months has raised over $2,500 towards its first recipient, The Guardians of Brandywine.

With so many loyal followers in their hometown of Downingtown, and spreading to beer drinkers across the country, Victory has indeed given us reason to be proud. Plus, with all of these initiatives to help make their business successful and environmentally conscious, does this mean that by drinking Victory beer you are doing your part for the environment and becoming a sustainably responsible ecologist? We’d like to think so.
www.victorybeer.com
www.sunpowerbuilders.com