From Left to Right: Jeff Kleppin, Nicole Barnett, Rob Gropman, and Keith Weltens

Six years ago, Keith Weltens, Rob Gropman, and Jeff Kleppin were a group of brewing hobbyists that enjoyed sitting around the back yard with their friends, chatting, having a laugh, and drinking their home crafted brews.  After a few years of this camaraderie, talk turned to speculation about what to do after retirement.  It was Weltens who encouraged the others, saying that brewing might be the way to go.
Not only did the trio know something about craft brewing, but they also felt that Radford could use a popular brewery.  Between funding, licenses, certifications, equipment, and supplies, there was a lot to do and a lot to plan for.  The first concern, however, was to find a location.

Beginning around 2008, microbreweries began popping up all over the nation at a booming rate.  It’s one of the newest and fastest growing industries that you don’t have to be a millionaire to start up.  One of the more curious characteristics of microbreweries, however, is how many occupy buildings with a past that few would connect with being transformed into breweries.  Old industrial buildings, factories, warehouses, vintage homes, old retail businesses, bus depots, and even barns.  Breweries across the nation have come to occupy many different kinds of structures.
When Weltens, Gropman, and Kleppin went looking for their perfect location, however, they decided to go all in on a vacant Seventh Day Adventist church that had been empty for several years.  Built in the early 1950’s, the building’s unique charm and architecture lent itself to their vision of creating a welcoming space that could be a community gathering spot.  A place where good brews and good conversation could go hand in hand.
The old church turned out to be a natural, central location.  Blessed with original stained-glass windows, oak floors, and pews, the building had great bones.  It also had plenty of outdoor space that the owners recognized as a perfect area for folks who wanted to be outside.
“We added the upper deck and the lower patio to the building,” says Weltens.  “We wanted plenty of fresh air and outdoor seating once the weather turned warmer.  We’ve seen that our customers really want to be out in the fresh air, so we’ve concentrated on improving that space.”

Shade sails were added to the patio, giving the brewery one of the most unique outside settings.  They also installed several picnic tables and patio sets which can accommodate parties of different sizes.  With everything in place, Long Way Brewing opened its taps in December of 2020.
“I probably wouldn’t recommend opening a brewery in December, in the middle of a pandemic,” jokes Kleppin.  “But we couldn’t be happier with the way our customers have supported us.”
It’s definitely a support that goes both ways, too.  Part of Long Way’s mission is to give back to the community.  All three owners live in Radford and felt the need to make a positive mark on the city.  One way was to form an informal partnership with the Radford Fairlawn Daily Bread.
The RFDB is a non-profit organization that provides meals on wheels, as well as free sit-down lunches for anyone visiting their dining room, Monday through Friday.  RFDB had outgrown their space on the east end of Radford.  Weltens, who is a frequent volunteer, saw an opportunity to better serve the community by upgrading the organization’s space and making them more centrally located.
Radford Fairlawn Daily Bread occupies the lower level of the church, where they now have a new commercial kitchen and a larger dining area.  Along with providing RFDB with a new space, the brewery encourages their customers to round up their tabs to the nearest dollar when closing out.  To date, the loose change, as well as the generosity of customers through the Round Up for Downstairs campaign, has raised over $5,000 to help provide food for those in need.
“Folks have been very open and eager to help,” says Nicole Barnett, Long Way Brewing’s taproom manager.  “Sometimes, our customers remind us when we forget to ask if they want to round up.  We’ve really got a generous group of followers!”
That sense of giving back is an important part of Long Way Brewing’s mission.  They don’t just want to produce great beer, but they also want to make a difference.  They want folks to feel a sense of community as soon as they walk through the doors.
“We opened a brewery in an old church,” says Weltens.  “If that isn’t a daily reminder that we should be finding ways to be charitable and help others, then we’re not paying attention to the opportunities that we’re given.”
Though co-owner and general manager, Jeff Kleppin, received his beer brewer certificate from the Virginia Tech and University of Richmond collaborative program, Kim Pensinger (pictured left) was brought on board for her first professional gig as Head Brewer.  Before joining Long Way, Pensinger was homebrewing with her husband Mike, who is the general manager and Brew Master at Parkway Brewing in Salem.  Her trained palette and knack for combining flavors has been an asset for Mike, and the two have a healthy and unique collaborative relationship.
“We have an agreement that whoever comes up with a recipe idea first and says it out loud gets to keep it,” laughs Kim.  “It’s good to have a resource that has to answer my calls!”
Pensinger and Long Way opened with eight beers on tap, and since then have had as many as thirteen unique brews available at one time.  The Steppin’ Up blonde ale has been the brewery’s mainstay.  It’s what Pensinger likes to call “the beer for folks who really haven’t had craft beer.”
Other beers have proven to be popular also.  Mary, Mary Why You Buggin’ is an English brown ale that is named after the heroine behind Long Way’s back story.
In the summer of 1755, Mary Draper Ingles was captured by the Shawnee and taken through the wilderness, up to Ohio.  After several weeks in captivity, she escaped and made the arduous, six-hundred-mile trek back along the New River to her family home.  The story of her escape and return has been the subject of the book, “Follow the River”.  The saga has also been featured in a long-running outdoor drama called “The Long Way Home”, which has been occasionally performed in Radford over the last several years.
“Finding a local and regional tie-in for the brewery was a must for us,” says Kleppin.  “We wanted our customers, really our friends, to identify with our brewery in a personal way.  We want them to feel like this is their brewery too.”
Many of Long Way’s other popular beers also have names with local ties.  Arnheim, an amber extra special bitter, is named after the historic house built by city founder, Dr. John Blair Radford, in 1838.  Other beers have been named after the Clover Creamery, Wildwood Park, and the New River.
Long Way Brewing also features live music outside on the patio when weather permits, and inside on the stage generally every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.  To go along with the great brews and the great music, Long Way also follows the craft brewery trend of hosting regional food trucks that serve amazing cuisine!
“Food trucks and outdoor music are a natural partnership for us,” says Gropman.  “We’ve tried to make live music on Thursdays a regular event for us.  Our customers come for the beer but being able to pair the music with food trucks just gives our customers one more reason to hang out for another round!”
Food trucks from Wytheville to Roanoke have found that Radford likes good food as much as they enjoy great craft beer.  Cabo Fish Taco from Blacksburg, Salty’s Lobster & Co. out of Roanoke, and Bluegrass BBQ in Pembroke have been some of the regular trucks that have set up shop in the upper parking lot.
When the owners of Long Way Brewing decided to start pouring beer in the middle of a pandemic, some folks thought they didn’t have a prayer.  A fitting statement for a brewery that ended up occupying an abandoned church!   Nearly a year later, after all the beer that has been poured, after all the needy that have been helped, after all the music and all the great food, those three friends that used to sit in Weltens’ back yard talking about the future feel completely vindicated for taking that risk.
Long Way Brewing is open Wednesday and Thursday from 3:00-10:00 PM, Friday and Saturday from noon to 10:00 PM, and on Sunday from 1:00-7:00 PM.  The taproom is available for private events.

Long Way Brewing  •  Keith Weltens, Rob Gropman, and Jeff Kleppin
501 2nd St, Radford, VA  •  540-838-2229
www.LongWayBrewing.com  •  info@LongWayBrewing.com
www.facebook.com/LongWayBrewing/