Janet Michael sits down with Lauren Fleming, Tap Room Manager for Dividing Creek Beer Co., and Friends of Old Town's Brady Cloven, for a bonus Old Town Winchester conversation about how a brewery became a full-blown community living room.

Lauren shares the winding path that brought her back to Winchester, the chaos of a surprise opening day in the middle of the pandemic, and why she fought (and lost) a battle over a crab on the logo. The three also dig into the tap list — including a purple ube lager and a crab-seasoned summer gose — First Friday plans, and why the best breweries these days are as much about art, trivia, and thrifting as they are about beer.

FIRST FRIDAY EVENT DETAILS

  • DORA in Effect / Sip & Stroll: 5:00–10:00 PM — grab a drink to go from Dividing Creek or other participating spots and walk the mall
  • Community Open Mic Night with The River House: Taylor Pavilion, 5:00–9:00 PM, performers roughly every 15–20 minutes — spoken word, poetry, and singer-songwriter acts
  • Artist Alley: led by Shen Arts, set up on Boscawen; additional vendors from Moon Phased near the south end
  • Friends of Old Town table (Taylor Pavilion): info on The River House nonprofit, kids' arts & activities, new Friends of Old Town shirts, pre-order Dawg Days of Summer shirts (design by Valerie Burgess of Big Fog), and remaining ornaments
  • At Dividing Creek specifically: Lauren will be on-site that evening as the featured local artist, showcasing/selling framed photography, prints, and mixed-media work

LINKS & RESOURCES

  • Dividing Creek Beer Co. - dividingcreekbeerco.com
  • Dividing Creek Beer Co. on Facebook and Instagram
  • Friends of Old Town - friendsofoldtown.org
  • Friends of Old Town on Facebook and Instagram
  • Dawg Days of Summer: Get tickets
  • Wasteland Winchester (Thrift on Tap vintage markets) on Facebook

THE VALLEY TODAY with Janet Michael — A decade of conversations.

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