Drink Your Dinner

Boffo Beer Bars

By  Warren Rojas / Photography by  Anastasia Chernyavsky

“Buy you a beer?”

A familiar phrase most often directed at single women, sullen buddies or, sometimes, absolute strangers, a cold brew beats a sweaty handshake for preferred greeting in our book.

Like-minded brethren should get acquainted with the local microbreweries and beer bars featured within—respites where the beer flows like water (carbonated, alcoholic water, mind you). Several of the beer havens have even received national acclaim at the annual Great American Beer Festival (www.beertown.org/events/gabf/index.htm), snagging all manner of medals with their prize-winning libations.

We’ll drink to that.

Vintage 50
Leesburg; 703-777-2169; www.vintage50.com
Average entree: $13 to $20 ($$). Open for lunch and dinner, Tuesday through Sunday; Sunday brunch.

Launching a new brewery is hard work. Of course, it never hurts to have a seasoned brewer, a carefully groomed clientele and some of the best bar munchies around.

Vintage 50 arrived in Leesburg last winter and has been building a loyal fan base ever since. The Y-shaped establishment features a main lounge to the left with a semi-private dining room to the right. A raised seating area to the rear of the main dining area is perfect for quiet dinners, while an outdoor patio covered with comfy sofas draws crowds on sunny afternoons.

Veteran brew master Bill Madden claims to have approximately 30-40 beer recipes in his brewing arsenal, but is always experimenting with new flavors and techniques. The restaurant offers up to 10 beers on tap, including their core beers—Catoctin Kolsch (mustard yellow with a hoppy kick), Point of Rocks Pale Ale (solid brew), their Extra Special Bitter, Red Ale (full-bodied beer) and a porter, dry stout or schwarzbier—various seasonal offerings and at least one cask-conditioned selection (rotates regularly).

Local favorites include the hefeweizen, Catoctin Kolsch, Point of Rocks Pale Ale and the Wee Heavy Ale (muddy brown with a mildly sweet flavor). Madden also plans to unveil a Keller bier (traditional German recipe) produced in conjunction with another local brewer later this year.

An order of pan-fried pierogies brings potato dumplings smothered with caramelized onions and scallions and a frosty sour cream-and-chive spread. Paninis always hit the spot, including a bold N.Y.-style turkey-bacon-Swiss creation (terrific) and a sun-dried tomato-portobello mushroom pairing. A monstrous Thai salad features cubed chicken, starchy lotus root slices and crunchy cellophane noodles piled atop greens hiding a well of savory peanut sauce (delicious).

Rock Bottom Brewery
Ballston; 703-516-7688; www.rockbottom.com
Average entree: $13 to $20 ($$). Open for lunch, dinner and late-night dining daily.

Butch and Sundance. Yin and yang. Beer and shopping.

That last one may seem like a stretch to some of you. But after umpteen hours of window-shopping for “the perfect—”, a cold beer is often a relationship saver.

Rock Bottom brew master Chris Rafferty says they regularly offer six house beers—the full RB beer catalog includes the house standards, a dozen seasonal drafts (routinely unveiled the third Thursday of every month) and a handful of porter/stout clones—on tap, plus the seasonals and at least one cask-conditioned selection (served warm, sans carbonation; manually pumped out via a beer engine).

At full capacity, Rafferty says they could produce about 3,000 barrels per year, though he says they produced closer to 2,000 in 2006. Rafferty brews anywhere from four to six batches per week in their eight-barrel brew house (1 barrel = 31 gallons = 2 half kegs). He lists Mother Martha’s Kolsch (traditional, easy-drinking light beer) as the biggest mover, with the El Jefe Hefeweizen, Blue Line Pale Ale (bronze bomber with some spicy-fruit undertones) and Radio Towers Red (classic ale) coming in a close second.

“Folks are getting savvy to craft beers … but the majority of people’s tastes remained geared toward lighter beers,” he says of his clientele, adding, “We have a very diverse drinking crowd here.”

Solid nourishment can be had via the brawny bourbonzola burger, a deluxe patty covered with crumbled Gorgonzola (wakes your whole mouth up), batter-fried onion straws and a side of Jim Beam marinade. The brewer’s club shows the softer side of the traditional triple-decker by layering the now familiar ham-turkey-bacon creation between buttery halves of warm ciabbata bread. Or lose yourself in a sea of pasta shells mixed with melted cheddar, shredded chicken and a baked-on Parmesan crust (home-style heaven).

Tuscarora Mill
Leesburg; 703-771-9300; www.tuskies.com
Average entree: $21 to $30 ($$$). Open for lunch and dinner daily; Sunday brunch.

There never appears to be a shortage of exotic beers or familiar faces at Tuscarora Mill, a Leesburg dining landmark that prides itself on its gourmet brews and innovative cuisine.

The multi-story restaurant features a horseshoe-shaped bar with an adjoining lounge for those most interested in liquid refreshment, while traditional diners are accommodated in the dining rooms sprinkled throughout the renovated mill.

General manager Sean Mallone says they offer over 20 craft beers on tap—with new beers rotated semimonthly—and almost another three dozen bottled selections. Some of the most popular sellers include: Allagash White (corn-yellow appearance, creamy texture), Fuller’s London Pride (loaded with hoppy vigor), Lagunitas Censored Ale or just about anything from Pennsylvania’s Victory Brewing Company. Local brands include the house Tuskies’ Ale (flavorful brew with some residual sweetness), which is produced by neighboring Old Dominion Brewing Company (see page 109 for full review) and Olde Richmond Red (full-bodied flavor) produced by the St. George Brewing Company in Hampton.

Meanwhile, servers share their beer acumen freely. During one visit, a bartender paused to scour the current beer roster before handing over the menu to ensure it was up to date, while another waiter offered customers recommendations based on similar tastes (“if you like Miller Lite, try…”) another.

Much like the beer list, the menu seems to hop all over the globe. Beef tenderloin fondue summons tender sirloin tips escorted by a frothy batch of melted Gorgonzola (fabulous). The salmon club brings compact cubes of grilled and smoked salmon interspersed with avocado, lobster mayonnaise and ripe tomatoes. Barbecue empanadas are a golden brown bridge between two cultures, rolling zesty beef into a fried flour shell surrounded by a thrilling chipotle cream sauce, with soothing coleslaw on one side and pico de gallo on the other.

Capitol City Brewing Company
Shirlington; 703-578-3888; www.capcitybrew.com
Average entree: $13 to $20 ($$).  Open for lunch and dinner daily; weekend brunch.

What’s beer without fun? So seems to be the philosophy behind Capitol City Brewing Company, a local microbrewery best known for its cheeky brand names and novel drink recipes.

The first thing you notice upon entering the Shirlington outpost are the gleaming copper tanks propped up behind the main bar. Director of brewing operations Mike McCarthy says they typically feature between five and eight beers on tap, including four standards—Capitol Kolsch (pleasantly bitter, light-style beer), Amber Waves Ale (caramel-colored workhorse; silver medal—2006 GABF), Pale Rider Ale (brassy introduction, spicy finish) and Prohibition Porter are available at every Cap City—plus various seasonal drafts. Notable specialty pours include Fuel (a surprisingly sweet, caffeine-powered porter; gold medal—2006 GABF) and “10” (stellar but potent anniversary trippel-double).

McCarthy says seasonal beers are changed almost weekly, adding that most selections are exhausted within two weeks at the latest. He estimates they produced roughly 2,400 barrels in 2006, or about 400 kegs per month—half of which are shared with one of their D.C. siblings. According to McCarthy, the top sellers include: Capitol Kolsch, Amber Waves and the various hefewiezens. Meanwhile, McCarthy recently rolled out an experimental weiss bier pils—a marriage of pilsner (53 percent) and hefeweizen (47 percent) that is supposed to yield a hoppy brew with fruity undertones—just because he was looking for a challenge.

The menu, however, sticks with more traditional flavors. A complimentary bowl of soft pretzels with snappy horseradish mustard gets your attention immediately. The roadhouse barbecue plate brings meaty bones of spicy-sweet pork ribs (thick, with plenty of flavor and fatty underbelly) flanked by a grilled chicken breast, fries and a corn bread muffin. Soft flour tortillas filled with shredded, Cuban-style pork, grilled onions and peppers, fresh cilantro and a great mojo-mayonnaise shake things up a bit.

Sweetwater Tavern
Multiple NoVa locations; www.greatamericanrestaurants.com
Average entree: $13 to $20 ($$).  Open daily for lunch and dinner.

In terms of enduring popularity, the Great American Restaurant group could easily change its name to “Guaranteed Afternoon Revenue” without missing a beat.

The powerhouse dining chain seems to have a restaurant for just about every occasion, including the multiplying Sweetwater Tavern microbreweries (currently in Centreville, Falls Church and Sterling). According to GAR head brewer Nick Funnell, each Sweetwater Tavern always has at least five beers on tap—including a light (Naked River Low Carb Light is slightly bitter, yet still refreshing), a pale ale (Great American Pale Ale delivers rich fruity flavor) and three seasonal drafts (Pale Face Wheat has a bright banana glow and a pinch of spice, while the Giddy Up Stout could give Starbucks a run for its money).

Funnell said at full capacity, each restaurant could produce roughly 3,000 barrels, but notes that due to the variety of beers and the disparate brewing times for each—from two weeks for the ales to eight weeks for others—they average about 1,400 barrels annually. He listed the Great American Restaurants Octoberfest (set for release in September), Ghost Town Pumpkin Ale (poised for a mid-October debut) and High Desert Imperial Stout as big-ticket specialty brews. Meanwhile, their Wits End Ale (silver), Wild West Fest Lager (bronze) and Iron Horse Lager (bronze) were all big winners at the 2006 GABF.

Heavy-duty snackers enjoy fried tortillas filled with chicken, corn and beans, all accompanied by creamy guacamole. A grilled chicken and havarti sandwich plies the snappy duo with fresh basil, vinaigrette and buttery icebox bread. The ale-soaked drunken rib eye summons a terrifically marbled cut of beef—chargrilled steak is melt-in-your-mouth good, with a pleasantly salty-caramelized veneer and big, beefy flavor in every bite—flanked by a fully loaded baked potato and a mound of sauteed mushrooms.

Rustico
Del Ray; 703-224-5051; www.rusticorestaurant.com
Average entree: $13 to $20 ($$). Open for lunch, Tuesday through Sunday, dinner daily.

Au revoir, sommeliers?

Wine stewards may not yet be cowering. But if other chefs embrace beer-based cooking as passionately as Rustico’s Frank Morales, the noble grapes may one day have to yield to fermented grains.
The barley-and-hops branch of the local Neighborhood Restaurant Group collective, Rustico features about 30 draft beers, 300 bottles and at least one cask ale selection at any given time. “We’re definitely building a niche for ourselves,” general manager Chris Schaller claims, touting their epic beer selection as “the driving force—the reputation—of the place.”

While Schaller says many locals remain devoted to mainstream beers like Pabst Blue Ribbon or Miller Lite, the restaurant has plenty to whet your whistle. Noteworthy selections include: Harviestoun Bitter & Twisted (golden hue, easy drinking flavor), Gouden Carolus D’or (muddy complexion, cinnamony character) and Heavy Seas Small Craft Warning (rich red brew with plenty of character).

Morales said he thoroughly enjoyed his crash course in beer upon arriving at the restaurant from D.C.’s Zola. He noted that staff is taught to inquire about patrons’ beer tastes and then offer a traditional recommendation as well as a “bold” suggestion. “We’re trying to engage guests and explore,” he said.

That sense of exploration has helped fuel the success of Morales’ signature mosaic trios, themed dining medleys (all under $20) that can be upgraded with corresponding beer pairings (all under $10). Yeasty calzones come filled with ricotta and marjoram (ultra cheesy), fennel-spiked lamb sausage (robust flavor) and salmon with cream cheese and chives (grand). A delightful sliders combo rolls out bacon-wrapped veal (tres juicy), lamb meatloaf (melts in your mouth) and a playful shrimp burger (good).

Morales is already plotting eight-course mosaic tasting menus—featuring trios of spontaneous seasonal creations—to be served at the restaurant’s kitchen-front counter. “That’s the fun we’ll have there,” he pledges.

Old Dominion Brewing Company
Ashburn; 703-724-9100; www.olddominion.com
Average entree: $13 to $20 ($$). Open for lunch and dinner daily.

Though the business recently changed hands, staff at the Old Dominion Brewpub remain confident their most successful craft beers will survive the current corporate shake-up.

An exurban beer mecca nestled firmly in the Verizon-AOL corridor, Old Dominion was absorbed earlier this spring by Anheuser-Busch and Fordham Brewing Company to become part of their joint Coastal Brewing Company venture. Management remains tight-lipped about the future of the Old Dominion beer catalog. But brewpub personnel seemed pretty sure many of their signature brews will still be around once the re-organizational dust settles.

Till then, patrons can sample the homemade beers at the brewpub’s giant, horseshoe-shaped bar or in the laid-back main dining room. The brewpub offers circa two dozen homemade lagers, ales and specialty brews available as 12-ounce drafts, 16-ounce “true pints” or in sampler flights. Noteworthy selections include: Millennium Ale (actually a fabulously aggressive barley wine; released each spring), Dominion Porter (shoe leather-brown with hints of sweet chocolate), Hard Times Lager (clean, refreshing flavor that lends itself to endurance drinking; brewed for the eponymous local chili parlors) and the Dominion Ale (slightly hoppy but mostly smooth).

Naturally, the diverse beers complement many of the featured foodstuffs.

The meatacular Dominion Lager chili combines ground beef seasoned to just below scalding—heat doesn’t stop till a few minutes after you drop the spoon—with chopped onions and shredded cheddar (a scoop of sour cream would be most beneficial in this case). Irish nachos summon thick-cut spuds caked with melted cheese, giant bits of bacon and diced scallions; add any leftover chili (if you dare). A respectable chicken fajita cheese steak is chock full of savory chicken, sliced peppers, onions and cheese (tasty), although the turkey-cheddar melt on grilled, buttered sourdough gets the nod thanks to a bonus swab of chutney (sweet, but far too scant).

(September 2007)

Tags: bars, beer, breweries, Food & Wine