Secluded in a hollow of the Blue Ridge mountains, the Flying Mouse Brewery brings a new craft beer experience to Botetourt County, Virginia. Our brewery is focused on the experience and enjoyment of craft beer as part of an active outdoor lifestyle, whether it be a cold draft after a long hike or a pint over conversation at dinner after a day of cycling. Join us in celebrating Virginia’s spirit of invention and the thirst for adventure. Go beer!
Frank Moeller
OWNER BREWMASTER
Debbie Moeller
FINANCE DIRECTOR
Chris Moeller
CREATIVE DIRECTOR
John Garrett
MARKETING DIRECTOR
Jim Trexel
PROCESS ADVISOR
“Anything one man can imagine, other men can make real”
- Jules Verne, Around the World in Eighty Days
Three quintessential brews to taunt your tastebuds, and a limited edition brew that changes with the season. Like it light and crisp? Or prefer yours dark and sultry? Our beers – Flying Mouse 3, Flying Mouse 5 and Flying Mouse 8, light to dark – use a unique numbering system to help guide your selection. We are constantly adding to our list of brews and invite you to try them all!
Golden, fresh… and simply delicious. Lighter in color, but not in taste, the Flying Mouse 3 is your go-to brew for the trail or backyard BBQ.
Bartleby's brew of choice. The Flying Mouse 5 has a tint of crimson to it, not quite an amber or red, but something all of its own. The perfect companion to watch the world go by.
Dark and moody. The Flying Mouse 8 is full flavor in a stormy package. A little darker and a little bolder, this brew will get the gears turning with each sip.
"The only think standing between dreams and reality is action.
So grab a nice pint of beer to get you motivated and get going.
~ Bartleby Hopsworth
Meet Bartleby Hopsworth, the official mascot of the Flying Mouse Brewery.
Bartleby is the mouse who dreamed of flight. An inventor and adventurer, when Bartleby saw a bat flying overhead one night he pondered flight and all its possibilities. Determined to make his dream a reality, he took up the challenge of inventing his own wings, drawing inspiration from the owner of the house in which he lived: Jules Verne.
One fateful sunny weekend Bartleby tagged along as his landlord paid a visit to his friend H.G. Wells. Bartleby overhead Mr. Wells speaking of a time machine of his own creation and this sparked his journey to flight. While the two men continued their dinner discussion, Bartleby made his way to H.G. Well’s study and took the time machine for a spin, traveling back in time to visit Leonardo Da Vinci to seek his wisdom on manned flight. This conversation gave birth to his wing pack, as well as a thirst for further time-traveling escapades. And thus began the many adventures of Bartleby Hopsworth, the flying mouse!
“I’ve always had a thing for bats (a “flying mouse” as it is called in other languages), and we initially selected a bat as the character around which the brand of the brewery would be developed.” Brewmaster and brewery owner Frank Moeller explains. “As the idea of the brewery grew, along with our thoughts of linking the brewery with the “steampunk” design concepts born out of the books of H.G. Wells and Jules Verne, it was decided that the character should be an example of the spirit of invention, and actually be a mouse that invents a set of mechanical wings in order to fly. The idea of a small mouse wanting to become something so much more than it is also embodies the idea we have for the brewery experience, and how a small brewery can be about more than just making beer.”
“I love the idea of this swashbuckling mouse adventurer and wanted to bring Bartleby to life in all his steampunk glory.” Creative Director Chris Moeller says of the mascot. “And it’s not just Bartleby, there is a whole mythology of characters and stories surrounding him. We want the story of Bartleby and his world to be part of the brewery experience.”
Stay tuned for more of Bartleby’s adventures in the pages of our Flying Mouse Blog, but for now enjoy these sketches of Bartleby Hopsworth in action…
"It's all about the spirit of invention and
the taste for adventure!"
~ Bartleby Hopsworth
Our tasting room is open Friday 4:00pm – 6:00pm, Saturday 2:00-6:00pm and Sunday 1:00pm – 4:00pm. Join us in the Mouse Trap (tasting bar) and Beer Garden for a cold one. Our beers will be available for take away in our Flying Mouse Bullet growlers and packable beer pouches.
AT Hikers, our brewery is easily accessible from the Appalachian Trial (a short distance up the road), so come down off the trail and relax with a pint.
Bicyclists, The TransAmerica 76 Bicycle route rolls just by our driveway, so pedal off the trail and come relax with a cold draft fresh from the kegs.
221 Precast Way
Troutville, VA
"Some people wanted champagne and caviar
when they should have had beer and hot dogs."
~ Dwight D. Eisenhower
The Flying Mouse team met up with the Botetourt View to discuss their upcoming opening plans. Read all about it here.
The Flying Mouse team is working feverishly to get the brewery ready for opening in late summer 2013. Recently the building got a facelift, in true steampunk colors!
"He was a wise man who invented beer."
-Plato
