An aroma of freshly baked rye bread, the taste of light roasted coffee and scents of tropical fruit. This may sound like a bakery or coffee shop, but it’s actually a description of some of the beers offered at the Stone Silo Brewery in Damascus.
Stone Silo Brewery, located at 28800 Kemptown Road, is a family-owned farm brewery that opened on Jan. 12. The menu offers nine beer options, such as harvest rye, oaten around and bitter mistake, along with a rotating selection of hard seltzers.
Don and Susan Katzenberger own the brewery, and they originally bought their first plot of agricultural land in Damascus in 1992 to build a family home, according to the website.
Don Katzenberger then purchased the farmland next to their property in 2020 as he and his wife had a vision to open a brewery one day, the website stated.
Haley Katzenberger, the social media coordinator for the brewery, explained why her parents decided to open the establishment and how they designed it.
“They wanted to create a space for the community to share their passion for beer, agriculture, and social gatherings,” Haley Katzenberger said in an email. “The design of the taproom is rustic with a modern twist and is intended to provide guests with a warm welcoming. There is ample seating inside and options for outdoor seating as well.”
She also said that the brewery’s name is derived from the silo on the original farm that dates back to 1931. Also, the main taproom of the brewery used to be the farm’s milk house, which would have been part of a dairy barn, according to Hayley Katzenberger.
Katzenberger said that in the future, the brewery will offer canned beers to-go, but for now, staff will fill growlers that customers bring. She also said that the establishment currently sells snacks and has partnered with food trucks for even more variety.
The brewery is open from 2 to 8 p.m. on Thursdays, noon to 9 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sundays, according to the website.