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Gravel Hole Brewing

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Fauquier County, VA
Gravel Hole Brewing

A guy, some equipment, some grain, lots of water, and some yeast hanging out trying to make good beer

06/02/2026

Ready or not, El Bastardo is here. Rest easy…for now. We plan to keep him hidden away for a few months, but confinement will only sharpened his anger. The longer he remains unseen, the hotter the flames grow. His return is inevitable, and when he emerges, he will come with a fury fed by every day spent in the shadows.

05/24/2026

Campbell’s Innocence Unfiltered has gone out in style. This was the first beer we ever had serious doubts on it making it to the ranks of “kicked”. In the last mug we found what we knew it could have been all along. Creamy chocolate with a creamy finish that is completely complemented with the natural coffee flavors this beer was always intended for. While it is kicked for now we have vowed to remake it without all the drama this time. It’s in the rotation for the fall because we also believe it could use some conditioning before tapping but was rushed to tap too early. Now onto the Summer rotation of beers.

05/09/2026

Once every year, when the moon rots black and the wind forgets how to whisper, the bells begin to ring on their own. Not church bells. Warning bells.

The oceans pull backward from the shores. Dogs choke and hide beneath floorboards. Fires burn green. And somewhere beyond the hills, something ancient drags iron across stone.

Then he arrives. El Bastardo.

No army marches beside him because armies do not survive him. The ground caves beneath every step as though the earth itself is trying to flee. His cloak is stitched from the shadows of the dead, trailing behind him like a storm given flesh. Horns twist from his skull like broken crowns, and his eyes glow with the slow fury of dying suns.

People do not scream when they see him. They forget how. The sky splits open with thunder as he walks through the city gates without touching them. Towers collapse from the pressure of his presence alone. Rivers boil. Statues kneel. Every weapon raised against him rusts to dust before it can strike.

He says nothing. He ever has. Because El Bastardo does not come to conquer. He comes to remind the world that it can be destroyed.

And for one terrible night every year…it belongs to him. This is El Bastardo de Virginia 2026.

03/14/2026

We’re a bit behind in posting but we’ll catch you up quickly. The Backroad Batch #8 is wrapping up conditioning and will be on tap soon. BB8 is a Summer Wheat that if everything turns out well will be promoted to the rotation for a mid-Summer full batch. There were several staged additions of lemon and orange to make it a fruit forward wheat ale. We really want the citrus to pop so we will not settle until that happens. The ABV is 4.5% which is exactly what we wanted. We will let you know if it is ready to graduate or will be attending recipe remediation later this summer. BREW ON!

02/22/2026

How do you start a good day? You brew early, have no issues, and grab a beer before you watch beat Canada in hockey. We got the smoked Irish Red Ale, named Engine 31 Responding, into the fermentation cycle so it is ready for St Patrick’s Day. Using cherrywood smoked malt it brings a sweet smoke flavor that compliments the malty base of this beer. It’s also rare to have all three fermenters full simultaneously. Now, crank up the Freebird as it’s time to consume some Canadian tears! USA! USA! USA!🇺🇸 BREW ON!

02/16/2026

9:12am Beer is off to fermentation. Just another rendition of our light Blonde Ale but using Comet hops this time. We’ve told this story before but our 9am Beer series is just a way for us to continue to evolve an already good beer. Designed to be an all day drinking beer, because you can’t drink all day if you don’t start in the morning, it is light, refreshing, and just darn good. It also is light enough in flavor profile that every change can be tracked. We added some oats and Comet hops for the 13th variant of this recipe (every change gets a new minute). Brewery ran efficiently this morning as well with even some downtime to catch the Olympics. OG was right on the mark. So honestly….it was an uneventful brew day. Brew On!

02/08/2026

Backroad Batch #8 is in the fermenter after an early morning brew. This is a new run on an attempt to make a Summer Wheat that stands on its own as an all day drinker. Previous attempts have produced a solid wheat beer but was lacking the citrus level we desire. We scrapped the old recipe and started fresh for this one. Adding Lemondrop hops into the mix should help but we are also doing a staged addition of lemon and orange. Some lemon was added into the boil with a tincture addition of orange and lemon before kegging. Honestly the brew day went super smoothly which is always good when working with wheat. Also, huge shoutout to the team at for helping to resolve my pump issue and getting us back on track. We have a few brews coming up: a Golden Ale with Comet hops (9:12am), our annual Strong Ale (El Bastardo de Virginia), and a Smoked Irish Red ale (Engine 31 Responding) that will keep the kegs full…for now. Brew On!

01/17/2026

After a solid 19 days of pure darkness we kegged the beer that almost wasn’t. Introducing Campbell’s Innocence. A 5.25% Oatmeal Stout that went through the wildest road to get to your glass. Unlike its namesake Alexander Campbell, a suspected Molly Maguire (look it up if you want to know more), this beer has been spared from the gallows. It is going to leave a lasting legacy though just like his handprint. We’re going to let this condition for a week or two then get it flowing from the taps. Brew On!

12/31/2025

Not all brew days are easy…or fun. Our last brew of 2025 was the “if 2025 were a brew day” story. Everything was going smoothly (mostly) until it was time to transfer the hot wort to the fermenter. The pump failed. It would run, try to pump, but just didn’t have the necessary strength to plow through. This meant finding alternative methods to lower the boiling wort down to a temperature the yeast could endure. In hindsight sight better choices could have been made but we finally got the temperature down. Nervous about infection, the stressed yeast, equipment, made for a longer day than wanted. After pitching the yeast, waiting 24 hours, we are a bit relieved to see the airlock chugging away. We tend to be over cautious on sanitizing which gives us some slight hope that we may survive this beer. In no way are we out of the woods yet but hopefully it finishes strong. If not, this will be the first batch we’ve ever had to dump. Not a bad run…but we want to not collect that badge. Brewing isn’t always easy. While initially discouraged we are looking to get back in the saddle for 2026 soon. Thank you all for following our journey. It really is amazing to see everything you all have accomplished and we are just thankful for the opportunity to be a small part of this craft. Brew On!
#2025

12/28/2025

17 years ago, in a rented house, over a rundown stove, we started with a simple brew in a bag recipe, a pot, and no real idea what we were doing. While the recipe has long been lost in time we have had a wild journey over the years. Many friends have been made over a pint or two with stories that will last a lifetime. So thank you to every one of you. Not just for being a part of our journey but inspiring us to be better. Year 18 is going to bring us new brews and exciting adventures. We’re blessed to have you on the journey with us! Cheers!

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