VK Brewing has purchased the Ship Inn, located at 693 East Lincoln Hwy in Exton, PA. Their ETA to open is Fall 2022.
The veteran-owned brewery had originally planned to open at a location in Glen Mills, but that fell through. The team pivoted and purchased the Inn in Exton instead. We spoke with co-owner Jason Van Keuren to learn more about the building, and the space they plan to open very soon.
The Ship Inn 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.
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” back in 2015.
The Inn itself is about 14,000 sq/ft spanning three floors. The brewery and restaurant will utilize the first floor which is roughly 6,000 sq/ft. The first floor has seating for roughly 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 fresh 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.
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.
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.
“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
The brewery is currently in the middle of an investment campaign through Mainvest. You can find out more information about it here.
We will follow up once VK Brewing is ready to open. For now, make sure to follow them on Facebook and Instagram.
