Scenery Hill Brewing closes after nine years restoring historic tavern

Scenery Hill Brewing has closed at the Beck-Ringland Tavern in Scenery Hill, ending a brewery run that grew out of a near-collapse rescue of one of Washington County’s oldest buildings. Brian and Kathy Allen bought the condemned property in April 2014, restored it for nine years, and are now listing the business for sale after deciding to step back.

The tavern itself dates to 1827, when James Beck built it as a stagecoach stop, tavern and inn along the National Road. By the time the Allens took it on, the roof was caving in and the building was on the verge of collapse. Brian Allen said in 2014 that the chimney was starting to fall, a reminder of how close the site came to being lost before the restoration ever turned into a brewery story.

Scenery Hill Brewing opened in the fall of 2023, with the brewing operation housed in a former hardware store next door. Over the years, the Allens added a front parlor room and a rear deck, turning the old tavern into a food, beer and live-music stop that also drew heritage visitors through Scenery Hill’s National Road corridor. Local tourism material described the business as a nano-brewery and small-plate eatery with an outdoor beer garden and stage, along with weekly music and seasonal special events.

The closure lands hard because the business was never a short-term taproom gamble. It was built around saving a federal-style tavern in the Scenery Hill Historic District, which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996 and reflects the development boom tied to the National Road. That district contains 93 buildings, and Beck-Ringland sat among the handful of surviving places that still connect the village to its stagecoach past.

Allen said the brewery closed as of Saturday and that he is listing the business for sale, hoping another operator will carry it forward. He framed the move as a step toward semi-retirement and more family time after years of running the place around the clock. His sons grew up during the life of the project, and he also lost three parents over that span.

For Scenery Hill drinkers, the loss is bigger than one tap list. It means the end of a small-batch brewery, a music venue and a restored landmark that had become part of the village’s weekly rhythm. The building still stands, but the brewery chapter that filled the old tavern with beer and music is over for now.