I am pleased to note that we have two new eating/drinking establishments in my area: Vintage 51 South Riding and Dogfish Head Ale House.
Vintage 51, hereafter known as V51SR, is an extension of Vintage 50, hereafter known as V50, in Leesburg. V51SR’s website is supposed to be www.vintage51sr.com but is still not up and running, which is stupid in my estimation. The restaurant has been open for at least three weeks now but in truth it is still not up and running. The menu is still not complete, prices are up in the air (a bit too high), but the beer selection is awesome.
V50 Leesburg brews some awesome beers in my estimation and I can get growlers there which is a major bonus. However the drive to V50, 30 to 40 minutes, diminishes the value of the brew. V51SR, less than 15 minutes away, has a nice selection of craft beers on tap from Ales, Pale Ales, IPA’s, Kolsches, Hefe-Weisens, Stouts, Lagers, etc, well as quite a selection of bottled beers. Don’t expect to get a Coors, Bud, or Miller Lite there though.
They are supposed to be pouring growlers. My initial impression is that they won’t be able to do so profitably, since they would be pouring growlers of beers purchased from distributors rather than those produced in house. That impression has nearly been confirmed by at least one of their bartenders. The initial pricing projections are way beyond what even the most devoted micro brew aficionado would spring for.
V51SR is in a weird spot. First of all let me say that the Virginia booze laws are wacked. V50 in Leesburg brews their own beer on site. They can’t sell their own beer at another one of their own restaurants without selling it to a distributor and then buying their beer back from the distributor. So V51SR would have to sell beer produced by the the same company that runs V50 and V51SR at a higher price than V50 sells it for. WTF?
If you are half-way serious about craft beers, you will be familiar with Dogfish Head. Their 60 Minute IPA is fairly widely distributed. The 60 Minute IPA is a a great beer…it is the anchor of their product line for those of us who like ales. Unfortunately, for one, they don’t sell growlers. I think if they brewed the beer on site they could sell growlers. Secondly, the beer selection is good but also a bit exotic, particularly on the flavoring side.
Most people will like their Lawnmower Light and then have to do some tasting of the other beers to find what they might like. The Aprihop is a good beer but I am not likely to have more than one at a time. I recently had the “Festina Peche,” which I now remember, after finding reference to it on the web, was sour tasting, not as in bad but as in citrusy sour. Like the Aprihop, I am not likely to have more than one at a time which could be a good thing.
Please don’t ask me about the food at either Dogfish Head or V51SR. I eat at home. I visit these places only to check out the beers and the talent. I do know that both of the “Vintage” restaurants get many of their fresh ingredients from the Fields of Athenry Farm in Purcellville, VA, where, as I understand, everything is grown/raised, organically. Fields of Athenry, is on Snickersville Pike, which is a great motorcycle ride from Rt. 50 west of Aldie to Bluemont on Rt. 7 west of Leesburg.
Enjoy your beers but not before you ride!