Cruising for Beer & Wine Along the W&OD Bike Trail: Ashburn to Leesburg

After publishing Cruising for Beer & Wine Along the W&OD Bike Trail: Falls Church to Ashburn, I learned that Old Ox Brewery was planning to open adjacent to the trail in Ashburn, so another trip. This time I started at the W&OD parking lot near mile marker 24 and didn't have to pedal long (or need theCompass Winery Brewery Distillery Locator mobile app) before seeing the Old Ox sign on that trail (between markers 25 & 25.5). The brewery's official opening celebration is Saturday July 19th, but they are open for visitors Thursday and Friday evenings and all day on weekends. The currently plan on having four everyday beers, but at the time of my visit the two choices were a Belgium Golden Ale and IPA Session - both low alcohol and suitable for a bike ride. I chose the session beer and it had a strong citrus aroma and a refreshing tail - nicely done. Old Ox's brewer is an ex Old Dominion brewer - so expect more good beer in the future. For food, Jennifer's Pastries from next door delivers or stop by Carolina Brothers BBQ at mile marker 27.5. 


Heading west, you could turn on Smith Switch Road and head to Lost Rhino Brewing Co. or continue to Leesburg. And practically nine miles from Old Ox near mile marker 34 head up the hill on Harrison Street for the Leesburg beer quad. Ya got craft beer centric restaurants in Tuskies and Fireworks Pizza; German flavor with the Döner Bistro; and a somewhat brewpub - Mud Hound Brewing Company at MacDowell Brew Kitchen. I say a somewhat brewpub because they brew one beer and this day - none was available.But for me, turn left just before Tuskies for Crooked Run Brewing. This is a small operation, excluding the Shadow of Truth - which is brewed at Beltway Brewing Company for a larger distribution. Today, there were five beers on tap; all approachable - with my favorites being the Hopsail Pale Ale and Commando Imperial Classic American Pilsner. The former is lighter - but full of flavor and aromas with a low abv; whereas the Commando is a big beer - tons of flavor balanced nicely with plenty of hops - with neither overwhelming the palette. With such a small operation, available beer styles change often - weekly in fact - and don't miss their one year anniversary, also on July 19th.

Update: I've been asked to include area bike shops available for emergency repairs. In Leesburg, Transition Triathlon is closest to the Trail with Bicycle Outfitters not too far away. The latter also has a store in Ahsburn, but it's not close to the Trail.

Cruising for Beer & Wine Along the W&OD Bike Trail: N. Arlington

I continued my W&OD Trail beer & wine tour with a ride from Falls Church to North Arlington.  This route doesn't include any production wineries or breweries, but does include two cool beer bars and a Maryland import, the Heavy Seas Alehouse in Rosslyn. This restaurant serves all the Heavy Seas Brewing Company brews as well as guest taps from Hardywood Park Craft Brewery and Port City Brewing Company among others. To get to the alehouse from the bike path take Nash Street into Rosslyn right at the Marriott. Turn right on Key street, then an immediate left on Oak Street and Heavy Seas is just up the hill. Get used to the hills. The alehouse has a few beers on cask and I enjoyed the Powder Monkey Pale Ale. 

Heading west, I knew their was a Lost Dog restaurant in the Westover area so I swapped theCompass Winery Brewery Distillery mobile app for the Lost Dog Cafe mobile app. This tapfinder application shows the four Lost Dog locations as well as the beers on tap at each location. The Lost Dog app's integration with my phone's navigation guided me through the Custis Trail between mile marker 3&4, where the bike path crosses under Route 66.  Just before the underpass take a right (or coming from the West cross under RT 66 and take a quick left), a left on 11th and then a quick right on Kenilworth which leads to a bike line on Washington Blvd. Hang a left and after pedaling up and down a hill - you are in Westover with Lost Dog on your left and the Westover Market Beer Garden on your right.

The Lost Dog Cafe maintains a rotating list of excellent craft beer and by setting preferences on their mobile app, you an be alerted when a specific beer or a favorite beer is tapped. Since it's been a while since I sat in the Beer Garden I chose the Westover Market for this trip and at a crowded World Cup watching bar, saw that one of my favorite beers, the Lost Rhino Brewing Co. Zlaty Pils was on tap. This beer was home brewed by a friend and colleague Aaron Hermes, for a Pilsner Urquell homebrew contest. After winning the contest, Lost Rhino offered to brew the recipe commercially. It's fresh, full bodied, slightly hoppy and a solid beer. Cheers and safe travels.

Update I: I've been asked to include area bike shops available for emergency repairs. In Falls Church - N Arlington, Tri 360 is on the Trail at Lee Highway. The where Lee Highway intersects the trail again look for  Big Wheel Bikes.

Cruising for Beer & Wine Along the W&OD Bike Trail: Falls Church to Ashburn

With the harsh spring and winter, I've been hitting the bike trail any chance I get and taking every opportunity on the trail to enjoy craft beer and wine - via our theCompass Winery Brewery Distillery mobile app. My most frequent rides along the W&OD Trail present opportunities to visit three local breweries: Mad Fox Brewing Company, Beltway Brewing Company, and Lost Rhino Brewing Co. There are also a couple nice beer/wine bars to mention if you can't reach ant of these.

Mad Fox Brewing Company is about a half mile off the trail in Falls Church. Between mile markers 6 & 6.5, hop on Great Falls Road, and then take an immediate right onto Pennsylvania Avenue. Just before you get to W. Broad Street (Route 7) turn left into the plaza.  MyJoogTV has a nice presentation on the brewery's background and this weekend I stayed long enough for their Kellerbier Kolsch and Kirsche Weisse - both light and low in abv. The former is an unfiltered version of their Great American Beer Festival Gold medal winning Kolsh and is a clean, piney, slightly citrus, hoppy, and refreshing ale. The cherry weisse is even more refreshing - tart and sour - but not overwhelmingly so. There's also plenty of food options at Mad Fox - so eat up.

Moving westward into Vienna (mile maker 11), the Vienna Inn and Whole Foods are right off the trail. The Vienna Inn has expanded their beer menu - but still heavy centric on the big guys - Boston Beer Company, New Belgium Brewing Company, and Dogfish Head Craft Brewery - but usually have two Virginia breweries ontap - Devils Backbone Brewing Company & Starr Hill Brewing. I frequent Whole Foods more often, primarily because of their more expansive craft beer offerings as well as their decent wine selections - all offered at their Pub which now provides outdoor seating. The best part of this store is that if you don't see a beer or wine that you like at the Pub, just purchase a single or six-pack in the store's general beer or wine section and they will open it for you at the Pub. Nice.

Just after or before mile marker 18, there are several restaurants in the Reston Town Center with decent wine and beer options - but my recommendation - the World of Beer. The name says it all.

The most convenient brewery on this route is Beltway Brewing Company (Sterling), which backs up to the trail around mile marker 22 - near Sterling Blvd. The inconvenient truth is that the brewery is a contract operation so is seldom open on the weekends with standard hours Thursday and Friday evenings from 4-7 pm. You never know what's on tap - kegs depend on contract schedule - but a stop is recommended.

Lost Rhino Brewing Co (Ashburn) is the furthest off the trail, about 2.5 miles west of Beltway Brewing. Turn onto Smith Switch Road towards Ashburn and proceed about a mile (cross over Waxpool Road) and take a right onto Red Rum Drive. The brewery is located in the second set of warehouses 921730 Red Rum Drive) - just look for the silo. Lost Rhino will have several beers available to quench your thirst as well as a local Virginia wine. On my last biking visit, I once again chose lower abv beers: Steam Punk & Smokey & the Rhino. The later was my clear favorite - just a hint of mesquite smoke, unique and refreshing. For those less adventurist, their Rhino Chasers Pilsner should do the trick. And don't worry about leaving hungry.

My next trip will feature wineries and breweries between Leesburg and Purcellville. Cheers and safe travels.

Update: I was just reminded that Caboose Brewing Company will be opening in August just steps off the W&OD Trail in Vienna at mile marker 12. I also should mention Jimmy's Old Town Tavern in Herndon (Eldon Street), located a very short distance off mile marker 20. The have a similar beer list and character as the Vienna Inn.

Update II: Old Ox Brewery opens June 26th in Ashburn; after turning on Smith Switch Road from the bike path take a left on Guilford Drive.

Update III: I've been asked to include area bike shops available for emergency repairs. In Falls Church, Tri 360 is closest to the Trail with Bikenetic, LLC on Route 7. In Vienna, both Spoke, Etc and bikes@vienna are yards off the trail. In Reston, Performance Bicycle and The Bike Lane (in the town center) are available for repair services; in Herndon, Green Lizard Cycling is steps from the trail.

Update IV: Check out Bikeable Brews in the comments section below for another resource for beer along the W&OD.

Cruising Ocean City Breweries with #theCompassApp

This past weekend I had some house keeping chores in Ocean City Maryland so I decided to utilize our theCompass Winery Brewery Distillery Locator mobile app to navigate to as many breweries along the Route 50 corridor as possible.

 After talking to the folks at Evolution Craft Brewing Company at SAVOR, I started my trip to the beach with a slight detour in Salisbury to visit their Public House for dinner. While listening to Reggae music and a burger, I enjoyed their Special 608 Belgian Amber, that was made originally brewed for the Craft Brewers Conference but seems to have found a stable home. It is sweet and spicy (brewed with honey, lemon peel, orange peel, and coriander) with dark fruit flavors balanced nicely with a slight bitter finish. Next time I need to bring a designated driver so I can sample through their portfolio.

The next day, after several hours of painting, I hopped on my bicycle and pedaled south towards the boardwalk. I passed Ocean City Brewing Company which hopes to be brewing at their 55th Street location this month.  My first stop was at Backshore Brewing Company, between 9th & 10th streets on the boardwalk next to Hammerheads.You may have heard of the brewery as Shorebilly, but because of trade marks have re-branded themselves. They also feature a new brewmaster and signs look bright as I savored their Four-Ten Kolsch and Hop Solo IPA. You can judge a brewery based on their lightest beer, since there's few places to hide faults and their Kolsch was smooth, clean, and refreshing. Perfect for a bike ride. The Hop Solo isn't a west-coast IPA, meaning lighter on the hops, but still exuding a nice flora aroma and clean finish. The brewery has several beers aging in used Jack Daniels barrels as well as a spiced-ale infused with an Old Bay equivalent just in time for summer. I'll be back.

One place I probably won't be back is Fin City Brewing Company, located in Hooper's Crab House just over the inlet bridge on Route 50.  Whereas the restaurant provides nice seafood and perfect views of the bay and inlet, the Fin City Sneaky Wheat was quite under-whelming.  It seemed to try to imitate a Belgium Wit with the coriander and orange peel, but it also appears they may have used Bavarian Weizen yeast so there's also a Banana character that doesn't mesh with the orange flavor.

From Fin City, I rode seven miles to Berlin and Burley Oak Brewing Company. While biking, stay in the bike line on Route 50 and then follow the bike signs for detours to access roads. I've visited the brewery in the past and have enjoyed some of their beers in Ocean City, so knew what to expect - high quality. That started with their Kolsch - Just The Tip. Clean grainy, and refreshing - spot on for quenching a thirst. Trying to stay within lower abv's I then had their Sour Trip Berliner-Weisse checking in at 3.3% abv. Slightly sour after being fermented with lactobacillus bacteria, it is also refreshing and begging to be consumed quickly. For a change of pace, ask for the raspberry puree which enhances the sourness and adds a nice fruit flavor.  Now, time to bike 13 miles back.

The next day I started my return trip stopping by Tall Tales Brewing Co, in Parsonsburg, just a few miles East of Salisbury. Over bratwurst, I sampled six beers starting with a really cool Apple ale - the Johnny Appleseed. Light and fruity, but not sweet, there is great acidity with the subtle hops to make this a nice beer. I sampled two other lighter beers, their Some Beach Island Ale and the Calamity Jane - both Blonde ales with the Some Beach have just a little extra hops to make it more interesting. Next was the Excalibur, an IPA with citrus aromas and a caramel malty palette balanced with a shore bitter finish. Their best seller is the Red Headed Step Child, a sweeter red ale with less of a hoppy feel than your tradition red ale. The final sample was the Sasquatch - an Imperial American Stout that was right on, chocolate and coffee flavors merge into a bitter finish. Nicely done.

On a tip, I headed north on Route 13 to Delmar, Delaware to visit  3rd Wave Brewing Co. who occupy the space once used by Evolution Craft Brewing Company. Unfortunately I didn't use the advice I always give for people to call ahead for hours, and the brewery was a couple away from opening. Delmar is only a few miles north of the Salibury bi-pass, so a side trip will be better planned next time.

The last short pit stop occurred in historic downtown Cambridge where Realerevival Brewing set up shop. The brewery looks like they have equipment for a decent brewing capacity but this day they had only one of their beers on tap: the Bucktown Brown. This brown ale was quite tasty, having a full, malty body with a touch of sweet chocolate followed by a light hop flavor. They also carry beers from several other craft breweries, so plenty of options for consumers. And the food looks good - from sliders to sushi.

There you go, plenty of beer options when taking Route 50 to the shore. More photos are available at out Facebook album: Eastern Shore Brewery Tour. And for those that take the back roads to Delaware, 16 Mile Brewing Company, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, and Mispillion River Brewing are within easy reach. Cheers.

Update: I forgot to mention de Lazy Lizard Brew Pub, which is located just north of the Route 50 bridge. The brewpub was closed when I visited. Hopefully next visit.