The Best Brewery Hops in Northern Virginia: Fredericksburg
September 17, 2018
America’s undergoing a craft beer explosion, and Virginia is attempting to stake its claim as the Craft King of the South. They have a 468% increase in breweries and cideries since 2012, and they’ve recently passed North Carolina to become the southern state with the most breweries within its borders. Beer aficionados recognize Richmond as a noteworthy craft beer hub, but Northern Virginia is swiftly becoming a brewery destination in and of itself. We’re personally fond of Fredericksburg, as Russell taught high school right outside of Fredericksburg for a few years– our first movie date was in Fredericksburg!– so the area holds some importance to us. Russell recently went back to visit and was able to make time for brewery hopping while he was there. For those between DC and Richmond, take the time to swing by Fredericksburg to enjoy some of Russell’s favorite brewery hops.
3. 6 Bears and a Goat Brewing Company
This isn’t a hop, obviously, but I was told by friends who live nearby that 6 Bears and a Goat Brewing Company is one of two places that any sour beer aficionado should hit in Fredericksburg, so naturally I made it a point to visit. A quick note to any visitors: GPS positioning can be a *bit* wonky in this area from time to time, so if you’re only looking down at your phone and not out for signs, you could end up in a wrong parking lot. When you turn down International Parkway, wait til you see signs on your left or you’ll wind up in an industrial complex. Once at 6 Bears and a Goat, you’ll find a decent brewpub setup with a nautical theme laced throughout. There are games behind the bar, but it’s definitely more of a restaurant set-up than a “sit and play games all day” place. The food, however, is quite tasty– not many breweries in Virginia with poutine on hand, but 6 Bears has you covered, and I heard nothing but good things about the burgers. The beer options are varied and mostly good. My recommendations: the Seas the Day is a crushable, summery white IPA that would pair well with most anything on the menu, and of the options in their GOSE series, my personal favorite was the Boysenberry, a juicy concoction with considerable pucker.
2. Maltese Brewing –> Adventure Brewing –> Strangeways Brewing
This isn’t really a walkable hop for most, as you’d cover nearly three miles by the end of it– but by Northern Virginia standards, three breweries in three miles is a good enough ratio. Start at the farthest one, Maltese Brewing. It’s a large brewery with a firefighter theme, with jackets, hats, and memorabilia galore adorning the walls. This definitely qualifies as a “sit and play games all day” brewery, and they’ve got a large selection of games to accommodate. A decent collection of beers sits on tap, including a hard sweet tea for those not into beer and some flavored carbonated water to serve to your designated driver. My recommendations: the Maltese LAGAH is a crisp and easy pilsner, and the Bank Down Vanilla Brown is a sweet and malty brown for those looking to satisfy their sweet tooth.
From there, head north to Adventure Brewing on Dill Smith Drive, what their website calls “Adventure South.” I came here at the end of the night with several friends, which was perfect, considering how large the space was and how many games they had on hand. They even had several arcade games near the entrance. The staff was terrifically friendly– multiple groups, mine included, were allowed to stay and hang out well past last call. Roughly a dozen beers sit on tap, and they have a full food menu, the only one on this hop. My recommendations: the Stonewall Stout is dry and malty, good for those looking to go with an old-school stout flavor. However, my favorite went the opposite direction: the Triple Berry Blast, a juicy fruit beer packed with raspberry, blackberry, and blueberry goodness.
Finally, stroll about a mile to Strangeways Brewing, and call everyone you know to meet you there. I’ve been to a lot of tap rooms in my life, and if I were to make a list of the best tap rooms for large parties I’ve ever seen, Strangeways would be near the very top. Here’s how enormous their space is: they have a full arcade and gaming area, an art gallery and lounge, a performance stage, two huge private event spaces, a massive outdoor biergarten… and I haven’t even mentioned yet the hundred-foot-long bar and sizable seating area for those just looking for a drink. I’d say they have everything but the kitchen sink, but I’m confident they have one of those too. They also have easily over 30 beers on tap, including goses and berliner weisses that number in the double figures, so sour aficionados in the area need to take note. My recommendations: IPA fans will enjoy their cedar-fermented Radagast, which balances a light Citra and Amarillo-hopped flavor with some earthy aroma and aftertaste. As for the sours, plenty of fruit options, so mileage may vary depending on your preference– but I need to give a special shoutout to Lucky Charms, a berliner that, you guessed it, smells and tastes like Lucky Charms marshmallows. I was drawn in by the combination of tartness and marshmallowiness (new word I just invented). It may not be for everyone, but it’s a unique experience worth a try.
1. Spencer Devon Brewing –> Red Dragon Brewery
You can find the best walkability, the best food, and the best beer in Fredericksburg on this two-stop hop, making this the easy choice for the top slot on this list. Start at Spencer Devon Brewing. They have a nice brewpub with the usual trappings– games, trivia nights, etc.– but several things left me unusually impressed. First, the bartender, Tim, was one of the better ones I’ve encountered as of late. He ran down the beer options in detailed fashion and pointed out to me that he started working at Spencer Devon solely because he loved going there. Conversations between bartenders and customers invited other customers to join in, creating a real community atmosphere. The food at Spencer Devon is fantastic: everything I saw looked delicious, but I had the happy hour steak tacos, and they were *so* much better than brewpub tacos have any business being. Finally, Spencer Devon’s beer focuses more on balanced, often lighter flavors than the usual hop, malt, and acid bombs that are popular on Untappd and in beer drinking communities. Consider that when ordering. My recommendations: their 3-4-5 Pilsner ranks among the best pilsners I had in the state, and the Sunken Road was the best blonde ale I had on my visit. For those looking for something a little bolder, the Weisse Wedding with Jalapeno is a spicy tart beer, definitely something that falls perfectly within my wheelhouse.
It’s a half-mile walk from there to Red Dragon Brewery, and that walk is worth every step. From the tap room to many of the selections on tap, it exudes a very Irish/Welsh vibe, but don’t mistake this for your typical pub with darts on the wall, soccer on the TV, and standard pints on draft. Red Dragon sits comfortably at a 4.24 on Untappd, ranking it higher than such craft beer destinations at Monkish, Other Half, and Great Notion. This is the perfect place to sit and savor your beer, either with a friend or alone after a hard day at work. They don’t serve flights, only generous half-pours– all the better, as a taster would hardly be enough. The only downside to my visit was that their sour had kicked, a tragic footnote to an otherwise exemplary experience. My recommendations: Oat Life is as fine a hazy IPA as you’ll find in the DMV area. I also strongly recommend their trademark stout, St. Bridget’s, and any of its exceptional variants. I was lucky enough to try their cinnamon and vanilla St. Bridget’s– so many cinnamon stouts feel overloaded and so many vanilla stouts are absurdly sweet, but you’ll never find such amateur mistakes at Red Dragon.
BEST PLACE FOR IPAS:
Red Dragon (Runners-up: Strangeways, 6 Bears and a Goat)
BEST PLACE FOR SOURS:
Strangeways (Runner-up: 6 Bears and a Goat)
BEST PLACE FOR STOUTS:
Red Dragon (Runner-up: Maltese Brewing)
BEST PLACE TO PLAY GAMES:
Strangeways (Runners-up: Adventure Brewing, Maltese Brewing)
BEST PLACE FOR A LARGE GROUP:
Strangeways (Runners-up: Maltese Brewing)
BEST PLACE FOR A SMALL, QUIET DRINK:
Red Dragon (Runners-up: Spencer Devon)
BEST PLACE TO EAT:
Spencer Devon (Runner-up: 6 Bears and a Goat)
Which is your favorite of these brewery hops? Please shout them out in the comments below! Also, please come back in the next couple of weeks to read our upcoming beer travel guides for the DMV area, including guides to Richmond, Washington DC, and Loudoun County!