AARP Hearing Center
![a woman stands with a drink in her hands at a distillery a woman stands with a drink in her hands at a distillery](https://cdn.aarp.net/content/dam/aarpe/en/home/home-family/voices/veterans/info-2022/veteran-owned-breweries-distilleries/_jcr_content/root/container_main/container_body_main/container_body1/container_body_cf/container_image/articlecontentfragment/cfimage.coreimg.50.932.jpeg/content/dam/aarp/home-and-family/voices/veterans/2022/10/1140-vetern-distillery-bear-island.jpg)
Veteran-owned distilleries and breweries are popping up across the U.S. as those who have taken off their uniforms for the last time opt to serve in a different way.
Here are eight establishments where you can raise a glass to our country and those who have fought for it.
![member card Image Alt Attribute](https://cdn.aarp.net/content/dam/experience-fragments/uxdia-folder-structure/en/features/membership/inline-membership-promo/default/master5/_jcr_content/root/responsivegrid/container_copy/container/articleimage.coreimg.75.1140.png/content/dam/uxdia/membership-card-d-and-t.png)
LIMITED TIME OFFER: Labor Day Sale!
Join AARP for just $9 per year with a 5-year membership and get a FREE Gift!
![Veteran-Owned Distilleries and Breweries a man stands behind a bar at honor brewing](https://aarp.widen.net/content/zaj7ekadhk/jpeg/Allen-Cage-Honor-Brewing-Co-91224.jpg?crop=true&anchor=0,0&q=80&color=ffffffff&u=ovnylx&w=1140&h=758)
Honor Brewing
Sterling, Virginia
Allen O. Cage Jr., a 24-year Army veteran, founded Honor Brewing in 2014 with a dual mission: to craft exceptional beer and to make a significant impact on the veteran community.
Partnering with numerous charities, the brewery spreads awareness and raises funds for veterans and first responders. For every standard case equivalent of beer sold through their distribution partner, one dollar is donated to a veteran or first responder organization nominated by the brewery’s retail associates.
One of Honor’s key initiatives, the monthly Charity Tap Line, exemplifies this community commitment. Each month, 10 percent of the proceeds from the brewery’s top-selling Classic Lager is donated to a different organization aligned with Honor’s mission.
The flagship lager is fermented over three weeks, delivering a “crushable and crisp” taste. Close behind in popularity is the Freedom IPA, a clear, pale beer that blends old- and new-school hops, offering a unique take on the West Coast IPA style.
The brewery’s journey began in Chantilly, Virginia, a suburb of the nation’s capital, where its inaugural location now hosts private events. Today Honor Brewing operates a 30,000-square-foot production facility and restaurant in nearby Sterling, Virginia.
Cage’s vision extends beyond beer production; he aims to foster a community hub where people gather, share stories, create memories and build lasting connections.
Honor Brewing beers are available across Washington, D.C., the Outer Banks of North Carolina, Northern Virginia, Virginia’s Tidewater region, and Richmond, Charlottesville and Harrisonburg, Virginia.
American Freedom Distillery
St. Petersburg, Florida
Horse Soldier Bourbon takes its name from the Green Berets who rode into battle in Afghanistan just weeks after 9/11. Among the founders are Mark Nutsch and Bob Pennington, who were horse soldiers in Operational Detachment Alpha (ODA) 595, fighting alongside the CIA’s Team Alpha and Northern Alliance forces to recapture the city of Mazar-e-Sharif in November 2001.
Their story was immortalized in the movie 12 Strong, and the pair recently cowrote a book about their exploits. Along with fellow Special Forces veterans Scott Neil and Rob Schaefer and others, they established American Freedom Distillery and released their first aged spirit in 2018. In addition to their St. Petersburg, Florida, distillery and stillhouse, the team has broken ground on a second stillhouse in Somerset, Kentucky, and has other distilleries in Kentucky and Ohio. Connecting its product with the founders’ military roots, American Freedom Distillery hosts Whiskey and War Stories events.
More From AARP
Veterans Home Modification Benefits Guide
Connecting veterans with programs to modify their homesVeterans Return to Vietnam
Group cycles nearly 400 miles across the Central Highlands in 11 daysGary Sinise Salutes Families of the Fallen
Never forget soldiers killed in action, or the loved ones they left behindRecommended for You