In mid-2020, long-time home brewers Steve and Tina Ballantyne were working to find a location and secure funding for their dream of starting a craft brewery. In a stroke of good fortune, a local sewing shop, Pieces, closed their business at a prime location on the north side of the town square in Mount Vernon. With this perfect location secured, they began the arduous journey of finding equipment, building out their new location, and the long, and sometimes frustrating, permit process.
Nearly one year later, on July 2, they opened for business. In the subsequent 4 months, they have already doubled their brewing capacity from a single 10-gallon brewing system to a pair of 10-gallon brewing systems, sufficient to keep their 10 taps busy. While both Steve and Tina were experienced home brewers, Tina manages all the brewing, while Steve takes charge behind the bar. All ten taps are pouring house brews and currently include a Pumpkin Imperial IPA, an Oktoberfest beer, a Christmas beer, a Chocolate Coconut Milk Stout, a Smoked Mac & Cheese Dortmunder, a couple of hard seltzers, and a Whiskey Barrel Stout aged on barrel chips. Full pours are available for $7, half pours for $4, and flights for $8.
The taproom is not large, seating about 20, with an additional small nook overlooking the brewing system. seating another half dozen. While you’re there check out all the art work on the walls. It is all available for sale, done by local artists and very reasonably priced.
Mount Vernon brewing is located at 7 N. Main Street and is open Thursday and Friday from 4-10, Friday from 1-10, and Sunday 1-8.
And if you make the 40-minute drive to Mount Vernon, you might also want to walk over to the other side of the square to Stein Brewing, and then just around the block to Happy Street Brewing. Cheers!
