Loudoun Crafted

Where to Sip

Fri, 29 Mar 2024 05:53:09 +0000

A Town-by-Town Guide to Loudoun Wine, Beer, Spirits & Other Craft Drinks

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Coffee Culture

Thu, 14 Dec 2023 10:33:10 +0000

Coffee Shops & Local Roasters

Loudoun knows its Java. Craft coffee shops and hyper-cool espresso bars are in all corners of the county, offering skilled baristas and coffee connoisseurship usually only found in big cities. Sprawling Ridgetop Coffee & Tea in Sterling doubles as an event space while Ashburn’s Blend Coffee Bar is a hip community hub. Purcellville’s Doppio Bunny keeps Purcellville latte hounds buzzed while Lovettsville’s popular Back Street Brews Coffee & Tea House does excellent espressos out of a historic log cabin. Middleburg’s Washington Street is home to Common Grounds and Cuppa Giddy Up; Leesburg is home to the Coffee Corridor

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The Local Bounty

Wed, 13 Dec 2023 05:28:01 +0000

Loudoun is a rich tapestry of family farms embracing sustainable agriculture and ethical grazing and growing practices that nourish the soil – and the soul. At Long Stone Farm in Lovettsville, the Wisch family’s grass-based, pesticide-free grazing operation produces beef, pork, lamb, chicken and eggs for local markets and restaurants. The Zurschmeides, owners of Great Country Farms in Bluemont, operate “full circle” farming, growing fruit and veg on a nutrient-rich orchard floor that is used to feed their sheep, cows and chickens, and then invite visitors to “pick-your-own” or buy produce from their farm market.

At Georges Mill Farm Artisan Cheese in Lovettsville, the Kroiz family makes artisanal goat cheese from free ranging Alpine goats, while Locksley Farmstead Cheese in Middleburg, part of The Ag District, produces eight superb European-style cow cheeses sold on site and in local shops. Got a sweet tooth? Brookfield Dairy Farm near Leesburg sells farm-made ice cream on site.

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Wine Time: Get the Local Lowdown

Wed, 13 Dec 2023 05:27:36 +0000

Varied topography, limestone soils, unpredictable weather and a range of well-drained ridges deliver terroir suited to a variety of grapes and styles, while winemakers constantly innovate and experiment.

Grapes are harvested early fall when new reds are released and rosés come online in spring. Add in talks, tours, pairings, picnics, concerts and spectacular views and small wonder Travel + Leisure and Southern Living hail Loudoun as a must-visit destination.

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Welcome to DC's Wine Country

Wed, 13 Dec 2023 05:27:02 +0000

Twenty-five miles and a world away from Washington, DC, Loudoun County – DC’s Wine Country® – is a gorgeous epicurean destination with a world-class wine and beer scene, scores of distilleries, cideries, tea rooms and artisanal coffee shops and a rich farming history. Craft yourself a taste-filled getaway.

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Craft Beer Worth Craving

Fri, 08 Dec 2023 08:54:08 +0000

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.

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Cheers to your Epicurean Journey

Fri, 08 Dec 2023 08:52:59 +0000

With so much fertile farmland and access to abundant seasonal ingredients, Loudoun is a celebrated culinary destination. But this bounty of fresh produce also makes it one of the most exciting wine and craft beverage destinations in the US.

Our hills and valleys are crossed with vines, farm fields ripple with hops, corn and barley and orchards are ripe with apples, pears, plums, peaches and berries to flavor everything from cider and beer to spirits and mead. There’s even tea being grown in Loudoun’s rich soil.

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Spirited Sips

Fri, 08 Dec 2023 07:59:24 +0000

Distilleries

Catoctin Creek Distilling Company – Loudoun’s first distillery since Prohibition when it opened in Purcellville in 2009 – produces hand-crafted brandy, gin and award-winning organic rye sold in bars from Malibu to Manhattan. Enjoy flights and specialty cocktails in the tasting room and take home bottles of the flagship Roundstone Rye. Mt. Defiance Cidery & Distillery in Middleburg is on a quest to bring back “lost spirits” – liquors that fell out of fashion in post-Prohibition America. Distiller Peter Ahlf, a former NASA rocket scientist, makes a superb 140 proof verte (green) Absinthe Supérieure based on a 19th century French recipe, and an 80 proof twice-distilled Apple Brandy aged in whiskey barrels. You’ll also find a Virginia Bourbon, white rum, tequila and cassis. Flying Ace Distillery & Brewery on a farm near Lovettsville makes a cask-strength Blended Bourbon that has hints of honey and spice. Its versatile Silver Rum is great in cocktails and the White Dog whiskey is made with heirloom corn farmed on premises.

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