Drink Local! Northern Virginia is ripe with wineries, cideries, breweries, and distilleries. Here’s a look at some of our favorite tasting rooms and taprooms — and what to pick up when you visit.
If you’re like many beer fans, you want to wash down your pint with more than just a couple of pretzel rods or a bowl of mixed nuts. Luckily, breweries in the area understand the assignment, stationing food trucks and whipping up bites at onsite kitchens.
At Ono Brewing Company in Chantilly, part of the menu from Odd BBQ, located in the same spot, includes “mixed plates” inspired by those served all over Hawaii — a nod to husband-and-wife founders Scott and Cyndi Hoffman, who have family ties on Oahu and spent the first years of their marriage there. Select from pulled smoked pork shoulder, spicy pork belly, ribs, or dry-rubbed chicken thighs, with traditional sides including mac and cheese, ginger sesame slaw, baked beans, or furikake-seasoned rice. Kimchi pimiento cheese with Ritz crackers is a fun shareable, and larger family platters will feed your brood. For sipping, try the Truman, a stout aged in bourbon barrels. 4520 Daly Dr., Ste. 102, Chantilly
Part of the draw at winery-brewery Quattro Goombas in Aldie is the wildly popular Sicilian pizza, made with a recipe that has been handed down for generations. It regularly sells out. Order it by the full tray, half tray, or slice with toppings including pepperoni, banana hot peppers, or white or Margherita style. (You can also order pizza kits to take home and bake.) Also on the menu are housemade subs; try the Philly steak and cheese or meatballs and red sauce on an Italian roll, or the Camdini, with thinly sliced rotisserie chicken, melted mozzarella, sweet peppers, lettuce, onions, tomato, and mayo. Pair any of these good eats with Bright Light, an American light lager, or Black Widow Schwarzbier. 22860 James Monroe Hwy., Aldie
Crooked Run Fermentation focuses on creative beers including coolship sours crafted with native yeast and Virginia-grown wheat and malted barley. There are two NoVA locations, Leesburg and Sterling, but the Sterling location has more expansive seating and food options. Southern-meets-West-Coast options from Daybreak Kitchen & Biscuit include a flaky biscuit topped with Nashville hot chicken, bacon jam, caramelized onions, and sausage gravy, and a Belgian waffle topped with a fried egg and gravy and served with Parmesan fries. Or opt for an order of spicy beef empanadas or chicken tinga, al pastor, or chorizo Mexican street tacos from Señor Ramon. Don’t miss the Cuvee, a coolship red ale that was fermented and aged in oak barrels several years. It has light minerality and jammy raspberry flavors. 22455 Davis Dr., Sterling
There’s always a bustling scene at 2 Silos Brewing Co. on the campus of Farm Brew LIVE at Innovation Park in Manassas, with lots of space to spread out at a table inside or around the fire pits. At Pour House, select Buffalo chicken tots, Cobb salad, or the 2 Silos pizza, with ground beef, jalapeños, green onions, and ranch. Share avocado-stuffed egg rolls and a crispy half chicken with spicy cilantro jalapeño sauce at La Gringa, or barbecue and banh mi hot dogs at The Pit BBQ. Nibble on an ear of elotes or an order of short rib tacos with cilantro and red onions at Papi Chulo washed down with Red Rooster Amber Ale and indulge in a milkshake or Turtled Brownie sundae at 2nd Stop. 9925 Discovery Blvd., Manassas
Feature image courtesy Crooked Run Fermentation
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This story originally ran in our December issue. For more stories like this, subscribe to Northern Virginia Magazine.
