The time for the opening of VK Brewing Company to open is here! The brewery officially opens its new brewery on Tuesday, November 15th at 693 East Lincoln Hwy in Exton.
The veteran-owned brewery will open in The Ship Inn, which was built in 1796 and was host to many famous people, including former presidents George Washington and Andrew Jackson, as well as former first lady Jackie Kennedy.
VK is currently still waiting on its brewery licensing but has a full liquor license, and in the meantime will be offering local guest taps, mixed drinks, and wine.
The building has been a restaurant for many of its years, and in July 2021 was featured on Chef Robert Irvine’s Food Network show “Restaurant: Impossible”. It was also featured on a show called “Ghost Detectives” in 2015.
“We want to respect and acknowledge the history of the building, as well as the decor. It’s been called the Ship Inn since it’s been built, and we want to honor that” – Jason Van Keuren
Read more about the brewery from our conversation this past August with the brewery!
The Inn itself is about 14,000 sq/ft spanning three floors. The brewery and restaurant will utilize the first floor, roughly 6,000 sq/ft. The first floor has seating for approximately 100 and an existing bar with about 16 seats and 10 beer taps.
For food, VK will be adding a new raw bar area with a few seats, that will serve food such as raw oysters and shrimp. The food style will be upscale pub food, as Jason told us, with many items such as burgers, sandwiches, pasta, and freshly baked 10″ pizzas in a stone pizza oven. Co-owner Najib Abiaad will be managing the restaurant and food side of things, adding new specials each week, and incorporating his native Lebanese food as well.
The brewery will be located in a former horse stables garage-type building on the property, that’s right next door. The space is about 1,000 sq/ft and will house a 10 BBL brewhouse with 4 fermenters to start. VK also plans to replace the garage doors with glass panel doors so guests can see the equipment on tours. There is an outdoor patio in the back, with seating for around 40. VK plans to expand this and add more of a beer garden to it.
As Jason told us, they plan to make a lot of the classic styles including IPAs, and many ale styles such as stouts, porters, Belgians-styles, and wheat beers. They will offer growlers to go to start, and eventually add four packs. Since the Inn will have a full retail liquor license, they will offer many craft cocktails and wine in addition to their own beer.
Join them for their opening Tuesday, November 15th, and Keep up with VK Brewing by following them on Facebook and Instagram.
