Bottoms Up: Inside the Beverage Trail Connecting Front Royal and Clarke County

We interviewed Lizi Lewis, Community Development & Tourism Director for the Town of Front Royal, Virginia, about the Bottoms Up Beverage Trail that was founded in 2025.

For someone who’s never explored Clarke County or Front Royal for craft beverages, what’s the Bottoms Up Beverage Trail, and why is it worth the drive? 

The Bottoms Up Beverage Trail is a self-guided journey through 12 craft beverage destinations across Front Royal, Warren County, and Clarke County. Along the way, visitors can enjoy everything from locally crafted beer and wine to cider and mead while experiencing some of the most scenic landscapes in Virginia. What makes it worth the drive is that it isn’t just about the drinks. You’re traveling through the northern Shenandoah Valley, with mountain views, small towns, local history, outdoor recreation, and plenty of opportunities to slow down and explore. The trail gives visitors a reason to discover places they might have otherwise driven right past.

The trail spans breweries, wineries, cideries, and meaderies, which is a pretty wide range. Was that variety intentional, and what does it say about the craft beverage scene in this part of Virginia? 

Absolutely. We wanted the trail to reflect the full story of our craft beverage community rather than focus on just one segment of the industry. The variety shows how creative and entrepreneurial our local producers are. Within a relatively small geographic area, you can find award-winning wines, innovative breweries, traditional cider, and even mead made from local honey. It speaks to the diversity of experiences available here and highlights that our region has become a destination for people who appreciate craftsmanship, local ingredients, and authentic experiences.

The passport description ties the trail to hiking and the outdoors. How do you see people actually using the trail? Is it a day trip, a weekend thing, a stop along a longer adventure? 

Some visitors will make a day trip out of it, especially those coming from Northern Virginia, Maryland, or Washington, D.C. Others will build a weekend around it by pairing the trail with hiking in the Shenandoah Valley, exploring downtown Front Royal, or visiting local attractions. What I love about the trail is that it fits naturally into the way people already travel here. Maybe someone spends the morning in the national park, enjoys lunch downtown, and visits a winery in the afternoon. The passport simply gives them a roadmap to discover more of the region while they’re here.

What’s your personal favorite stop on the trail, the one you always recommend to someone doing it for the first time?  

That’s a little like asking someone to pick a favorite child! What I usually recommend is choosing a stop based on the experience you’re looking for. If you want mountain views, there are great options for that. If you’re interested in trying something unique, our meaderies offer experiences many visitors haven’t had before. If you’re looking for a lively atmosphere with friends, our breweries are fantastic. The real fun of the trail is that every stop has its own personality, and discovering those differences is part of the experience….but if you pin me to an answer, it’s Reitano for those VIEWS in Warren County, and Chilly Hollow for those BREWS in Clarke County!

What was the problem you were trying to solve when you decided to launch a digital passport for the trail? 

One of our biggest goals in tourism is encouraging visitors to stay longer and explore more deeply. We knew people were visiting individual beverage businesses, but many didn’t realize how many great options existed within a short drive. The digital passport helps connect those businesses and creates a reason for visitors to venture beyond a single stop. It also gives us a way to tell a larger regional story. Rather than promoting one destination or one business at a time, we’re showcasing an entire craft beverage ecosystem and encouraging people to experience it as a collection of unique places.

What does a successful first season with LoyalBrew look like for you?

Success starts with awareness. If more people discover the trail and visit businesses they hadn’t previously heard of, that’s a win. Beyond that, I’d love to see visitors engaging with multiple stops, sharing their experiences on social media, and returning to complete the passport if they didn’t finish it on their first trip. The ultimate goal is to create new ambassadors for the region—people who come for a beverage trail experience and leave talking about everything else they discovered along the way. If we can help our local businesses attract new customers while giving visitors a memorable reason to explore Front Royal, Warren County, and Clarke County, then we’ll consider the first season a success.