G34.3 Brewing Company
After disappointing results from a homebrewing kit, friends Tom Donovan and Nick Kalenich bought professional equipment and engineered one from scratch. Successful experiments led to a brewery named for Pink Floyd, but rebranded after a cease-and-desist letter from the band. G34.3 is the name of a cosmic cloud 1,000 times the diameter of our solar system containing enough ethanol to supply 300,000 pints of beer daily to every person on earth for the next billion years. Today, its expanding space-themed Lorton facility strives for the vibe of a neighborhood bar. // 8532 Terminal Road, Unit L, Lorton
Aslin Beer Company
Minimalist Scandinavian design, can designs interpreted into splashy murals by local artist Mike van Hall and 40-foot floor-to-ceiling windows looking into the brewery floor form the backdrop here. There’s no better setting to taste a rotating tap list of 15 to 20 offerings from this producer, which first opened in 2014 in a Herndon industrial park garage. A food truck piques palates with a rotating menu of locally curated dishes like a kimchi-topped Korean Spicy Chicken Sandwich, washed down with Reis, a rice lager brewed with jasmine tea, green tea and yuzu or Doch, a smooth amber lager. // 847 S. Pickett St., Alexandria
Rocket Frog Brewing Company
This Sterling brewery gained its whimsical name after co-founder Richard Hartogs heard the incredible story of a frog propelled into the air by a Minotaur V rocket at NASA’s Wallops Island Flight Facility on Virginia’s Eastern Shore. Head Brewer Russell Carpenter, who earned a Ph.D. in biochemistry from Auburn University, takes a scientific approach, including studying the effects of water pH levels. That know-how goes into signature brews like Wallops Island Brown Ale and seasonal goses, blonde ales and barrel-aged styles. It also hosts weekly trivia nights and has plans to install a deck. // 22560 Glenn Drive, Unit 103, Sterling
Vanish Farmwoods Brewery
Driving north on Route 15 just past Leesburg, you can’t miss the hanging-trellis-trained hops bushes of Black Hops Farm, an operation to provide hops to Virginia’s beverage industry, which led to this 63-acre, family-owned brewery compound. Sure, it’s been around a few years, but its distinction of being one of the fastest-growing craft breweries in the country warrants a (repeat) visit. Inside the massive tasting room you’ll find 20 beers on tap, hickory-smoked barbecue and wood-fired pizzas. Outside are artisan vendors, live music and tons of space to spread out while sipping a Juicy Tangerine Sour or Fat Boys IPA. // 42264 Black Hops Lane, Leesburg
Flying Ace Farm
Co-founder Hadi Akkad named this combination brewery, farm, distillery and restaurant in Loudoun as an homage to American flying aces—including his grandfather, an aviator in World War II and the Korean War. Sixty acres of Virginia heirloom Bloody Butcher corn go into Flying Ace’s bourbon and beer and an open-viewing tasting room in the red pole barn gives visitors a peek at the production process. The main gambrel barn houses the restaurant and full-service bar, over which hangs a model of the U.S. Navy’s F4U Corsair. Separate outdoor playgrounds appeal to kids and dogs and a stage draws in local performers. (At press time, the team was anticipating an August opening.) // 40950 Flyine Ace Lane, Lovettsville
This post originally appeared in our August 2020 print issue. For more beer coverage, subscribe to our Food newsletter.
