USA, VA: Ober Brewing Co. signs lease to open as Salem’s third brewery

A couple has signed a lease to open a new brewery in Salem, the Roanoke Times reported on May 15.

Dave and Jennifer Ober are planning to launch Ober Brewing Co. in a former warehouse property at 1443 Lakeside Circle, just off Kessler Mill Road. Dave Ober studied brewing at the Siebel Institute of Technology in Chicago and has been homebrewing for about a decade.

He's worked as a paramedic for more than 20 years but wanted to change things up. He plans to install a 3.5-barrel brewing system in the space, which is about 3,200 square feet. He will use about 2,000 square feet for the taproom and plans to have some music, but no TVs.

"I wanted people to look into each other's face and talk to each other," he said. He also plans to start a beer club for patrons who visit frequently. Ober Brewing is expected to offer a traditional variety of craft beers, but Ober wants to spice some of the selections up. He particularly wants to have more barrel-aged beers than many places offer.

The company signed a lease for the property on Tuesday, May 52, and Ober doesn't expect to open until January.

This will be the third brewery to hit Salem. Parkway Brewing Co., the largest brewery currently in the Roanoke Valley, opened in 2013 on Kessler Mill Road. A second brewery, Olde Salem Brewing Co., is in the process of opening downtown before the end of the year.