ALEXANDRIA / ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA

Visited two worthwhile brewpubs in these northeast Virginia-based Washington DC suburbs post-X-mas ‘04. Firstly, historic Alexandria’s quaint downtown section boasted FOUNDERS RESTAURANT & BREWING, with its beautiful turn-of-the-century ‘Old Town’ murals, wooden interior, modest loft area, and generous cuisine (great burgers and barbecue nachos). Though the pub lost its license and operations ceased, December ‘05, established brewer Bill Madden’s front-windowed copper kettles supplied admirably varied brews and non-alcoholic honeyed sugar maple bark-bitten Root Beer. Politely dry orange-lemony acidic Dick’s Kolsch and Belgian-styled sour berry-prominent/ unripe plantain-tangerine-nectar-backed Raspberry Blonde suited lightweights. Bitter-hopped citric-deep American Pale Ale, buttery caramel malt-y chocolate-draped Scotch Ale, snazzy pumpkin pie-spiced blueberry-embittered Punkin Ale, and nut-tinged creamy cappuccino Stout satiated heartier thirsts.

If you like this, try:

1. HARPER’S RESTAURANT & BREWPUB
2. THE TAP RESTAURANT & BREWERY
3. STARR HILL RESTAURANT & BREWERY
4. CAPITOL CITY BREWING
5. FLOSSMOOR STATION RESTAURANT & BREWPUB
6. CALLY’S RESTAURANT & BREWERY
7. BENT RIVER BREWING
8. DU CLAW BREWING
9. KUHNHENN BREWING
10. TRIUMPH BREWING – PRINCETON