There will be beer.

A compromise struck between the owners of Shooting Creek Farm Brewery and neighbors opposed to its licensing has finally opened the taps for Floyd County's first commercial microbrewing operation.

If all goes as planned, brewing will begin in a week or so, and the first two original recipe beers could be ready for sale by March, co-owner Brett Nichols said.

The Buffalo brew will be "a malty, high-alcohol, hopped-up American-style brown ale," Nichols said.

The Rebel, an amber ale with a hint of rye, will feature a Confederate soldier on the label and is meant to appeal to the Southern beer enthusiast, Nichols said.

Eventually, Nichols said he and his partners -- Johanna Nichols, Ray Jones and Christine Blackburn -- plan to make and distribute up to seven brands of American farmhouse ale to select restaurants and stores in Floyd, Blacksburg, Christiansburg and Roanoke.

In the first year, they plan to brew and sell about 1,000 gallons a month. Home delivery service similar to mail-order beer-of-the-month clubs may eventually be available in some areas, Nichols said.

A public tasting room and events originally planned at the brewery have, however, been nixed under a contract struck privately between the owners and neighbors Jean and Paul Lacoste and David Elliott.

For months, the neighbors and a Baptist minister from nearby Check fought the licensing of the brewery by the Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control.

The Rev. Warren Brown has said he and some others went door to door to discuss perceived negative effects from the brewery. The protracted conflict strained relationships in the rural community around Thomas Farm Road near the Blue Ridge Parkway.

The voluntary removal of the tasting room from the brewery license was meant to allay fears that the business would increase traffic, drunken driving and noise in the neighborhood. In return, the opposition has agreed to drop its appeal, Nichols said.

Calls seeking comment from Elliott and the Lacostes were not immediately returned Friday.

The opening of Shooting Creek Farm Brewery will bring to two the number of local microbreweries in the New River Valley.

Bull & Bones Brewhaus and Grill opened on New Year's Eve in Blacksburg and features a line of specialty brews ranging from Belgian-style wheat beer to Irish-style stout.

A microbrewing license for The River Company Restaurant in Fairlawn is pending.

On the Net: shootingcreekbrewery.com