Artillery Brewing Co. Brings Beer, Local History To West Chester

WEST CHESTER, PA — The Artillery Brewing Company is open now in West Chester after its start on a historic farm in Chester County, then a pandemic shutdown.

If you come in for one of its Revolutionary War-themed brews, you'll also learn about the history behind the beer's name. Founders of Artillery Brewing Company Michael Loveless and Paul Zippel plan to celebrate with a September 11 event that honors war veterans.

The Cannonball Run 5K for the Wounded Warrior Project will be held on Sept. 11. It starts at 4 p.m. in West Chester Borough, following "the footpaths of the Battle of Brandywine" that happened on Sept. 11, 1777.

The charity event will be a 5K run or a 1-mile "fun walk" to support the Wounded Warrior Project's life-changing programs that empower, employ, and engage America’s injured veterans.

The brewery brings history to everything it does, including to the Run. A Battle of Brandywine history kiosk and special-release beer introduction at noon will be part of the day's events.

Loveless explained representatives from the Chester County History Center and Valley Forge Park Alliance will be on hand for the anniversary of 9/11. "We're going to bring them in to provide a historic exhibit, to show its impact on the towns around the Brandywine Battlefield." The presentation happens before the race begins, he said.

The Cannonball Run is being held 244 years after the Battle of Brandywine, which was fought across the fields and hills of West Chester and Chadds Ford and was the largest and longest battle of the American Revolution — 11 hours long and involving more than 30,000 troops.

Released at noon will be Artillery's Battle of Brandywine Belgian Dark Strong Ale, fermented with red wine must and Belgian chocolate, and aged in spent red wine barrels. This beer is a part of Artillery’s "Battlefield Series."

The Battlefield Series is a line of beers named for the battlefields of the American Revolution, from which a portion of the sales profit is contributed to supporting the namesake battlefield park, museum, or historic society, Loveless explained. The release of Battle of Brandywine Belgian Dark Strong Ale will be both on draft and in 750-milliliter bottles to go.

Artillery Brewing Company has opened twice: first on a Revolutionary War-era farm, now in West Chester at 333 Granite Alley. The first opening in 2019 was a great success — on the edge of the site of the Battle of Brandywine, the largest and longest battle of the American Revolution. Far more people were coming than the Farm Trust had anticipated, Loveless explained. Next, Artillery Brewing moved to West Chester in February 2020, just in time for a pandemic shutdown.

Loveless and Zippel regrouped and opened again in April 2021. "We have a To-Go window and outdoor dining, so we feel we can survive whatever might happen," Loveless said. Both founders also have other jobs, he said.

He noted that the brewing industry has grown by 50 percent during the coronavirus pandemic.

"At Artillery, we revel in performing ‘historic beer activism’ — using our brewery platform to educate and celebrate the history of the American Revolution while enjoying classic beer styles from the Old World and the New World," Loveless said.

The race, which Loveless said will be an annual event, begins at the intersection of Church and Market Streets in the Borough of West Chester at 4 p.m. All registrants will receive an event T-shirt and a free Artillery pint, redeemable with the race bib anytime from race completion through the end of 2021.

"Whether participating in person or donating remotely, becoming involved in The Cannonball Run contributes to the cause of supporting our nation’s wounded warriors and their families by ensuring they never pay a penny for the critical services provided by the WWP," Loveless added.

For more information, contact Mike Loveless, Co-founder of The Artillery Brewing Company at mloveless@artillerybrewing.com or 610-742-8106.

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