Dulles South Riding Wine Gets Social With Beer

Thanks to Rob and company at Winestyles in South Riding for yesterday's beer tasting event. That's right, an inaugural craft-brew tasting event at the local Wine store - promoted via local social media (found out about it via Winestyles Facebook Page).



The beers of Avery Brewing were highlighted: Belgian Witbier, Pale Ale, India Pale Ale and Brown Ale. While tasty, my purchase ended up including some titles not found anywhere else in the Dulles South region - Devil Dog and Alpha Dog Imperial IPAs from Laughing Dog Brewery (Pondery, ID) and Bear Republic Racer 5 IPA from Sonoma County Ales (Healdsburg, CA).

Laughing Dog's a particularly impressive set of Ales, given their heritage: "Out of frustration that there weren't enough hoppy beers in stores or pubs, Laughing Dog Brewing was born in 2005 in Ponderay, Idaho. Today, the brewery produces Ales, IPAs, Stouts, and many more, including the hoppiest beer you're going to find anywhere, Alpha Dog."

True to claim, Alpha Dog was an extremely hoppy, bitter offering, worth every swirl, sip and snark and swirl a craft brew connoisseur and member of the Dulles League of Craft Brew Appraisers (quietly rejoicing yet oddly stationed in a DC's Wine Country exurbian wine store) could muster.

Find more great Dulles South beers here at Winestyles, on tap at the South Riding restaurant Vintage 51 Brew Lounge, or at the annual set of Dulles area seasonal brewfests via the NOVA Brewfest crew.

Vintage 51 South Riding - Loudoun/Dulles South's Premier Brewpub and Local Music Scene

Vintage 51 Restaurant, Brew Lounge and Live Local Music



The past 12 years here in the Rt. 50 Corridor/Dulles South exurbia area of Northern Virginia's Loudoun County have been an exercise in waiting - waiting for a real local music scene, waiting for decent restaurants, waiting for more upscale martini bars and brewpubs, waiting for the traffic, schools and economy to improve....Basically, waiting for the Dulles South region (Eastern Loudoun, Western Fairfax and Western Prince William counties) to evolve its entertainment, retail and cultural offerings in the same manner as the Dulles North area already has (i.e. Ashburn).

The wait's over, finally - at least for those in the Chantilly/South Riding area who enjoy professional and local live music, handcrafted and locally-sourced classic American meals in an "urban lounge" setting, and a spectacular selection of custom martinis, Loudoun wines and regional craft beers not seen to date this side of Rt. 15 and the Dulles Toll Road.

Vintage 51 Restaurant and Brew Lounge fully opened recently in South Riding's Market Square, at the intersection of Rt. 50 and the Loudoun County parkway. Vintage 51 is an extension of the very popular Vintage 50 Brew Lounge in Leesburg, already voted one of "Loudoun's hottest new restaurants".

Loudoun's Best Beer
While Vintage 51 in South Riding is currently unable to serve handcrafted brews created over at its own Leesburg microbrewery, it does serve an inspired selection of wines, custom martinis and cocktails, and a huge selection of great beers (in the spirit of the Northern Virginia Brewfest series) from breweries including Clipper City, Flying Dog, and Dogfish Head. We purchased our own custom "Vintage Growler" with Bell's Two-Hearted Ale for some Thanksgiving cheer...

Loudoun's Finest Wines
For the Loudoun wine lovers, the Vintage 50/51 restaurant wine bars offer over 200 wines by the glass or bottle - ranging from international to very local Loudoun winery selections including Chrysalis and Fabbioli Cellars.

Loudoun's Best Live Music
The live music scene in Loudoun County and Dulles South is dramatically improved with the addition of Vintage 51 live performers and local music events weekdays and weekends. We'll provide a lot more information on this Dulles South/Loudoun music scene shortly - last night at Vintage 51, for example, we thoroughly enjoyed the smooth, reggae-infused, heavily-improvised acoustic rock classics by Purcellville's own Miguel Aubertin, a popular favorite and regular around the Loudoun vineyard and Vintage 50 music venues. Sample his music at http://www.myspace.com/miguelandros09.

Loudoun's Hottest New Restaurant
The Vintage 50 and Vintage 51 menus are a savory collection of locally-raised beef, lamb, pork and wild fowl dinners, fresh seasonal vegetables, herbs, fruits and cheeses, creative seafood appetizers, and classically modern, innovative New American comfort food. The "Made in Loudoun" initiative is clearly in play here - from the delicious lunch sandwiches with local ingredients and handmade sauerkraut, to organic meat entrees made with local ingredients from Loudoun's own organic farm at the Fields of Athenry.

Check out the new Loudoun and Dulles South restaurant, brew lounge and live music scene now on a regular basis - in South Riding.