Three days after Thanksgiving is Small Brewery Sunday – November 29, 2020. This Brewers Association initiative encourages beer drinkers to support their local breweries, tap rooms and brewpubs.
Do I have to go on a long-winded treatise about supporting craft beer? Probably not! Fresh, full-flavored beer is enough for many people, but it’s also supports your community.
Craft beer has been economic champion
As reported in 2018, craft breweries are the happiest economic story of recent times, especially in Virginia. As of 2017, craft breweries were responsible for 28,000 jobs in the commonwealth alone. Even if that cut in half, that’s still an impressive number. Just think, before 2011, there were no packaging breweries inside the Beltway. Now, there are dozens!
Some of my favorite craft breweries in Northern Virginia and DC
Port City Brewing Co. – Alexandria
It’s faster for me to ride my bike to Port City Brewing Co. than to drive. Port City opened in 2011. I enjoy Optimal Wit and Porter, but also their lager series. I annually purchase a case of their Oktoberfest.
READ MORE: Port City Brewing Co.
Caboose Brewing – Vienna
My old hometown’s brewery is right up on the W&OD Bike Trail. My favorite is their Vienna, Va Lager which I have also purchased in Total Wine in Alexandria.
READ MORE: Caboose Brewing Co.
Beltway Brewing – Sterling
Heading ten miles west on the W&OD is Beltway Brewing Co. It turns out that the proprietor was a classmate of mine in elementary school.
I really like the District of Champions red lager (formerly Batting 1.000) and was pleased to see it in Total Wine recently. Sten Sellier told me to expect more distribution in Alexandria soon.
Powers Farm Brewery – Midland
One day you answering Blue White Roundtable questions with other bloggers and then you find, ten years got behind you and one of those panelists has a farm brewery.
Fellow Penn State alums Kevin Powers and his wife Melody are growing hops, vegetables and making beer in the Piedmont. I am eager to make my third trip to Powers Farm Brewery someday. I still think they need to brew a “Faquirer County schools closed” themed beer.
So many other locations
Craft breweries are now ubiquitous across this land. You can locate them on this handy map from craftbeer.com.
It’s a happy coincidence that there are so many craft breweries along the W&OD Trail and other bike trails. bikeablebrews.com has more details.
Hype video
Twitter list
Party like it’s 2014 with this twitter list of D.C. area craft beer
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