How a Side Project Sparked the Charlottesville Ale Trail

I never set out to help start a nonprofit when I launched Storyware, but a small side project ended up changing that. A few years ago, my colleague Page Wood and I decided to build a website that pulled together all the events at craft breweries and cideries in Central Virginia, mostly because we loved craft beer and couldn’t find one place online that listed everything. That little website became the spark for what is now the Charlottesville Ale Trail.

Yesterday I finally created a LinkedIn page for the Charlottesville Ale Trail. If you or your organization are interested in partnering with us, go follow it 😊

The creation of the Ale Trail was a collective effort, but it got it’s spark over the 2017 holiday season when Page Wood and I decided to release a website that promoted all of the events at the craft breweries in Central Virginia. The site was first and foremost for us. We loved craft beer and couldn’t find one place online that listed all of the events at the local breweries and cideries, so we built one!

In the spring of 2018, Jason Ness, who was working for the Charlottesville Office of Economic Development at the time, noticed the website and connected Page and I with the craft breweries located in downtown Charlottesville to launch the trail. Three Notch’d Brewing, South Street Brewery, and Random Row Brewing Company are the three remaining original members. Without them, the Ale Trail never would have gotten off the ground.

In September of 2018, the Charlottesville Ale Trail held it’s first official event to celebrate the launch of the trail and in the winter of 2019, the Charlottesville Ale Trail officially became a 501(c)(6) nonprofit organization.

I certainly didn’t envision being involved in the creation of a nonprofit organization when I started Storyware 20 years ago, but wow what a blessing.

Six years later, the Charlottesville Albemarle Convention & Visitors Bureau and Albemarle County Economic Development are now involved and I’m still helping the trail because I love the people I get to work with. Of course, it gets me off the computer and I will always enjoy craft beverages. 🙂

Our primary objective is simple: to promote our member breweries, cideries, distilleries, and meaderies in Charlottesville and Albemarle County, Virginia. We help these local businesses through our marketing efforts and events.

Last, but not least, we aim to donate a portion of our revenue each year to charitable organizations from our community. Last year we were able to make donations to the International Rescue Committee and PACEM.

It’s been a great ride that couldn’t have happened without the people and organizations mentioned above and wouldn’t have grown without the help of Wyndsor Hug, Chris Engel, Trish Carpenter, Collean Laney, Peter McMindes, Allison Rowell, Bradley Kipp, Kevin McElroy, Ashley Perry Hernandorena, Matt Johnson, Chris Ridder, Nate Winston, Lydia Kellams … and of course, that little website that Page and I created in 2017 gets a little credit too, one more example of how Storyware’s work on the web can ripple out into the community in ways I never expected. 🍻