2023-12-08 08:54:08
Farm Breweries
The mission of Old 690 Brewing Company is to brew and serve a unique yet balanced variety of fresh craft beers, including several seasonal ales made with fruits and herbs grown on their property. Dirt Farm Brewing on the slopes of the Blue Ridge makes fruit-forward IPAs using peaches, strawberries and cherries from their own orchards. Family-owned Vanish Farmwoods Brewery in Lucketts uses hops from its five-acre hops field in some of its beers. Fresh well water and homegrown grains such as rare heirloom Bloody Butcher corn give the beer at Flying Ace Distillery & Brewery a subtle rustic finish.
Popular local beers
Crisp German-style Kolsch – a light, sparkling hybrid pitched between lager and ale – is a big seller in summer.
Adding fruit, orange peel, pumpkins, squash and even maple syrup or raw wild honey is increasingly common in Loudoun’s Fruited Sour Ales, New England-style IPAs and Saisons.
Light, clear European-style Lagers – pilsners and malt-accented Helles – are increasingly popular with Loudoun brewers.
Beer-heads drive for miles to buy the esoteric and experimental Hazy IPAs, Pastry Stouts and whiskey and brandy-barrel aged porters at the Gothic-styled Adroit Theory Brewing Company in an industrial park in Purcellville.
Award-winning
Loudoun breweries
Loudoun breweries are recognized around the world. Bear Chase Brewing Company secured Gold at the 2023 Great American Beer Festival for their Kodiak Kolsch and Silver at the 2023 World Beer Cup for the same beer. In 2022, Black Hoof Brewing Company won Bronze at the World Beer Cup for their German-style Dominator Dopplebock – beating out more than 100 competitors. Wheatland Spring Farm + Brewery earned glowing praise in 2022 from world-renowned beer critic Jeff Alworth for “reviving farmhouse brewing, growing their own barley, using wild yeast from the land, and brewing it up in a barn.”
Celebrate Virginia Craft Beer Month each August with a flavorful adventure on the LoCo Ale Trail.
Loudoun County's LoCo Ale Trail connects more than 30 craft breweries. Here are some of the top experiences and beer hubs along the trail.
Brews with a View
Harpers Ferry Brewing on a hilltop in western Loudoun has stunning Harpers Ferry and Potomac River panoramas. Harvest Gap Brewery in Hillsboro faces tumbling Blue Ridge Mountains. Bear Chase Brewing Company on the slopes of the Blue Ridge looks down on lush Piedmont from wide wooded lawns.
Brews by Bike
Several breweries are on or near the Washington & Old Dominion cycling trail as it dissects eastern Loudoun. Saddle up to Crooked Run Fermentation in Sterling and The Craft of Brewing and Old Ox Brewery in Ashburn.
Downtown Leesburg
Sample beer from at least five breweries within a few hundred yards including King Street’s Black Walnut Brewery named for the tree in its yard, cozy Dynasty Brewing Company and Loudoun Brewing Company up the hill on Market Street.
Dulles Corridor
Among the data centers and office parks of southeast Loudoun are some of the most innovative breweries on the east coast, among them veteran owned urban beerhall Honor Brewing Company and IPA haven Ocelot Brewing Company.
Follow the LoCo Ale Trail at VisitLoudoun.org
Casa de Avila Tacos: This roaming gourmet taco truck is from the Loudoun-based Avila family from Guadalajara.
Ford’s On The Road: Loudoun’s iconic Ford’s Fish Shack brings lobster rolls to the beer-loving masses with two new food trucks.
Neko Kitchen: Succulent sushi and flavorful ramen from this truck goes down well with crisp lager.
Nomini Bay Oyster Ranch: Fresh Chesapeake Bay oysters are the star here and pair perfectly with cold craft IPAs.
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