A new brewery has opened its doors in Old Town Fairfax, and it’s bringing with it a wave of inventive craft beers, wood-fired pizza and bar bites, and relaxing beachy vibes.
Commonwealth Brewing Co., a Virginia Beach–based brewery, opened its second location at 10426 Main St., Fairfax, with a soft launch last week. The new spot is an indoor-outdoor space that spans almost 8,000 square feet and has seating for roughly 265 people, according to owner and founder Jeramy Biggie.
Biggie and his wife, Natalie, began the brewery in 2015 in Virginia Beach, setting up shop in a former fire station. Having previously lived in NoVA, the pair turned their eyes north when looking to expand.
“We always thought that it would be wise to open in the Northern Virginia area, where there’s so much density and people that really appreciate good craft beer,” Biggie says.
“We were really struck by the sense of community and just the overall vibe we got from Old Town Fairfax. We really loved the area and thought that it had just a massive amount of potential.”
There are about 28 beers currently on tap at the Fairfax location, in a wide variety of flavors and styles — IPAs, goses, Czech and American lagers — that can satisfy any beer-lover’s tastes. One, dubbed the Pink Fluffy Unicorns in honor of a viral video that caught Biggie’s attention, is a pink guava triple IPA with an alcohol by volume measure of 10 percent.
“We are constantly creating new beers,” Biggie says. “Every week, there’s a new beer that we’ve never made before.”
The menu of specialty beers rotates as some sell out and new ones become available, with a set of flagships that remain on the menu year-round. In general, specials are available for around 30 days, Biggie says, but could sell out faster if they’re in high demand.
A specialty of Commonwealth’s are barrel-aged Belgian sours, which are crafted in repurposed wine barrels, with fruit added during the fermentation process for an end-product that’s sour, fruity, and elegant. While most of the beers are brewed in Virginia Beach, a few batches of these sours are in process in Fairfax.
“Those were the beers that that really got me into wanting to become a craft brewer so many years ago, and so I’m excited to be able to make them there,” he says.
In addition to beer, customers will find an assortment of cider, seltzer, and wine on the menu. Five specialty cocktails are on tap, exclusively at the Fairfax location, including the Bamboo Lounge Mai Thai with rum, almond, lime, and pineapple.
There’s a full dining menu as well, with food crafted in the wood-fire kitchen, including pizza, wings, salads, and sandwiches.
Beyond serving as a place to eat and drink, Commonwealth Brewing Co. will host special events for customers to enjoy. Next week, the brewery will support the annual Fairfax Fall Festival with specials.
“You can count on multiple brewery events from us going forward,” Biggie says.
Feature image courtesy Commonwealth Brewing Co.
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