Story and Images by Kelsey Thomas
If you’re going to be in the Charlottesville area this fall, you’ve got to check out Selvedge Brewing. This industrial, hipster-vibe brewery is nestled inside The Wool Factory, a historic property that now serves as a collaboration between culinary and beverage elites. The entire structure is the perfect place to go for a great meal, a refreshing craft beer or glass of wine and a coffee to finish it off.
Selvedge Brewing is well known for its unique, small-batch, culinary-inspired beers that are brewed to pair alongside their taproom menu and Josh Skinner, their new Head Brewer, is the perfect addition to keep the tradition alive. Lager being one of Skinner’s favorite beers, he aims to explore and expand Selvedge offerings with different style lagers and IPAs, as well as continue to develop Selvedge’s barrel-aging program. He also uses local and regional ingredients to include in his beer recipes as much as he can, adding the emphasis on local craft beer.
At a recent visit, we got to try some of Skinner’s creations, our favorite being the Linen, a refreshing crisp Kölsh that is perfect for an afternoon breeze and pairs great with the restaurant’s Pimento Cheese appetizer. This beer is a kaleidoscope of flavors that meld perfectly together. Their menu describes it as a “honey-like malt sweetness and slight crackery notes with a subtle aroma reminiscent of pears and a slight floral and spicy aroma from a due of German hops.”
If you’re a Pilsner person, you’ll also love Poplin. This Italian-Style Pilsner has “a crispness that comes from the addition of Hallertau Mittelfrüh, Mandarina Bavaria, and Spalter Select hops during the whirlpool and as a dry hop,” according to their menu. To us, it’s the perfect beer for any occasion.
One thing that can’t go unnoticed is the trendy names that were stitched together to create such a unique beer list that also is an ode to the history behind The Wool Factory. With craft beer names like Denim, Herringbone, Britches Get Stitches and Fleece, amongst others, each beer dedicates itself to a texture or material that is familiar to the craft of making clothing.
Selvedge offers both indoor and outdoor seating, as well as take out and growlers. They are located at 1837 Broadway St. in Charlottesville and the tap room is open from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, from noon to 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and from noon to 9 p.m. on Sundays. Be sure to stop in and try their sips to savor!

Author: Kelsey Thomas