A JMU Alum Founded a Brewery and is Hosting a JMU vs. Richmond Watch Party

Kevin McElroy is a JMU graduate from the Class of 2003. He is also the co-founder of a fantastic new brewery, Random Row Brewing in Charlottesville. And, because practically nothing pairs better with a good craft beer better than rootin’ for Dukes, Random Row is going to host JMU watch parties. The first one is for the big game against Richmond this Saturday. If you’re ticketless and anywhere near Charlottesville, we recommend you support your fellow Duke and Virginia’s craft beer scene by attending the watch party. Kevin will be offering a brewery tour at 3:00, followed by plenty of good brews and rootin’ at 3:30 as you watch the game on 65″ televisions. As fierce supporters of  craft beer, particularly craft beer with JMU connections, we’d love to see a huge turnout for this event.

Y’all already know about what makes the Dukes so great, so let’s focus a little bit on Random Row. Kevin got his start as a homebrewer a few years back. After a podium finish in the 2013 Dominion Cup, he, not to mention friends and fans of his beer, started to wonder if he could turn his hobby into a career. In 2015 he decided to go for it and raised enough money to kickstart things through a fundraiser featuring 4 of his brews. He was off and running. Now Kevin, his co-founder, and fellow investors are the proud owner of a craft brewery on Preston Avenue.

For Saturday’s watch party, there will be 11 beers on tap, including Random Row’s top seller Method IPA. It’s a classic West Coast style brewed with falconers flight 7Cs hops. With a commitment to local businesses and a focus on producing excellent beers, Random Row is a great addition to the Commonwealth’s craft beer scene.

Definitely swing by for a beer if you’re in the area and be sure to check out the watch party on Saturday. There will be plenty of parking and the brewery is kid friendly. Todd and I are working on a plan to make the trip to Charlottesville to spend some time with Kevin tasting his beers. We can’t wait to get down there and are thrilled to have an another awesome watch party location for rootin!

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