The first pour of Virginia’s brand-new Secretariat-themed craft beer will take place at The Meadow Event Park, the Caroline County birthplace of the 1973 Triple Crown champion, during the Virginia Horse Festival’s Secretariat birthday celebration March 24-26.
Produced by Lickinghole Creek Craft Brewery of Goochland County, the limited-edition beer has been named Secretariat’s Meadow in honor of Meadow Stable, where the great champion was born and raised. The beer will be previewed March 24 during a special event called Barn Appetit, a farm-to-fork dinner showcasing local foods and beverages. Guests can lift a glass along with members of the Secretariat racing team, who will be on hand for many of the weekend festivities.
Secretariat’s Meadow is an Imperial Red India Pale Ale with a color reminiscent of the champion’s rich chestnut coat and his nickname, “Big Red.” It will be the first in a series of Secretariat beers produced by Lickinghole Creek; the three remaining beers will be released individually during 2017. Public sales of Secretariat’s Meadow beer will begin March 26 at Lickinghole Creek’s official launch party at the brewery.
“The Secretariat beer is not only an important addition to our offerings at the brewery, but it also brings my family’s horse racing legacy full circle,” said Lisa Pumphrey, co-founder of Lickinghole Creek. Her grandfather, David P. Reynolds, won the Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes in 1994 with Tabasco Cat, who was sired by Storm Cat, a grandson of Secretariat.
“Lickinghole’s modern-day tribute to Secretariat as a Virginia favorite son is an honor for my family and me,” said Penny Chenery, Secretariat’s owner. “The beer is a delightful way to celebrate The Meadow’s glory days but, more importantly, the area’s rich and storied agricultural heritage.”
Lickinghole Creek is named for the creek that meanders through the rolling hills of the 290-acre farm where the brewery grows hops and barley to produce its award-winning beers. The brewery has won honors at the World Beer Cup, Great American Beer Festival and the Virginia Craft Brewer’s Cup. Eight of Lickinghole Creek’s beers are listed on Beeradvocate magazine’s “Top Rated Beers of Virginia.” Their Great Commander Imperial Stout was just named RateBeer’s “Best Beer by Subregion” for 2016.
Pumphrey will share more information about the Secretariat beer series at the Barn Appetit event. Special guests will include Charlie Davis, Secretariat’s exercise rider; Otto Thorwarth, jockey and actor who portrayed jockey Ron Turcotte in the Disney film Secretariat; and Kate Chenery Tweedy, daughter of Penny Chenery. Tweedy and Leeanne Meadows Ladin, the Secretariat tourism manager at The Meadow, co-wrote the book Secretariat’s Meadow —The Land, The Family, The Legend.
The Barn Appetit series is a collaboration of The Meadow Event Park, chef Jason Alley of Pasture restaurant and Richmond magazine. Each dinner will offer a unique thematic tasting experience along with a narrated tour of Secretariat’s birthplace, now a historic landmark. Proceeds from Barn Appetit will go toward restoration of the original 1930s barns where Secretariat was born and raised.
Tickets for the March 24 Barn Appetit are available at VirginiaHorseFestival.com.
The Virginia Horse Festival celebrates horses and riding disciplines of all types. Fans can enjoy three days of clinics and demonstrations with top trainers; a parade of breeds; 60,000 square feet of indoor shopping for all horse lovers; and much more.
Tours of Secretariat’s birthplace are available year-round and may be booked at MeadowEventPark.com. The official online source for the 1973 Triple Crown winner is Secretariat.com. For more information on Lickinghole Creek Craft Brewery, visit Lickingholecreek.com.
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Chris Graham
