Editor’s Note: This biweekly column is sponsored by Dominion Wine and Beer (107 Rowell Court, Falls Church). This week’s Guide is written by Arash Tafakor of Dominion Wine and Beer.

We’re quite impressed with Commonwealth, and have been for a while.

Since we opened Dominion Wine & Beer over 5 years ago we haven’t seen a brewery take Commonwealth’s approach to distribution. Some lucky breweries don’t ever have to sell their beer to a distributor, meaning their beer is not available in local craft beer stores.

They have enough demand to sell their beer straight out of their brewery and people will wait hours in line for those brews. Most breweries strive for that goal, but Commonwealth went about selling their high quality beer just a bit differently.

Since opening up in Virginia Beach, Virginia in 2015, founders Jeramey Biggie and his wife Natalie have created a craft beer distribution method rarely seen before.

So what makes Commonwealth so unique?

Their model is to brew the quality of beer people typically wait in line at breweries for, but predominantly distribute it to local stores and restaurants in Virginia, Maryland and D.C. On average, every two weeks, like clockwork, Commonwealth will distribute 4-6 new unique beers into our area.

Never have we seen something like this in distribution. With all of that said, Commonwealth has become an incredibly strong brand for us, as well as many others in the area.

Another unique quality Commonwealth brings is their creativity when it comes to the beer itself and the beautiful artwork and design of the labels they put on their cans. With the help of a self described “strategic drinks packaging design agency that builds creatively rare, commercially right brands” called Thirst Craft out of the United Kingdom, founder Jeramey Biggie gets exactly what he asks for.

“I want to visually see the flavors I taste in the can.” You can see some examples of this artwork on their Instagram page found here.

Next time you’re in your favorite bottle shop, make sure to check out what Commonwealth beers they have in stock. You will not be disappointed.

At Dominion Wine and Beer we will always have their most recent release of fresh Commonwealth brews.

Editor’s Note: This biweekly column is sponsored by Dominion Wine and Beer (107 Rowell Court, Falls Church). This week’s Guide is written by Arash Tafakor of Dominion Wine and Beer.

On Friday May 3 at 5 p.m. our friends at Väsen are releasing their canned beer for the first time!

Väsen Brewing started making their brew in Richmond, Virginia in 2017. Since then they have focused on “combining the experimental spirit that defines American craft beer with the rustic and funky flavors of Belgian farmhouse and sour ales.”

Their inaugural run of three beers will be available Thursday at the brewery — first spot to retail is right here at Dominion on Friday. The ultra-fresh new cans, days young, dropped at our door!

Available in cans by mid afternoon Friday are:

Nörse Double IPA

“This double-dry-hopped 8% ABV DIPA was conditioned on Citra, Mosaic and Amarillo hops to produce a complex, well-rounded hop character with hints of grapefruit, tangerine and pine. Traditional Norwegian Kveik yeast from a farm in northern Norway contribute complex aromas of orange peel, peach and white pepper, which combine with rich brown sugar and honey to balance this moderately bitter farmhouse-style ale.”

Guava Otter 

“A Virginia Craft Beer Cup award winner. This funky, 5.5% ABV sour ale was conditioned on guava to impart bold tropical flavors. Salty. Sour. Delicious.”

Läger 

5.1% ABV, malty, smooth and delicious. Our European-style lager combines the finest malts from the U.S. and Belgium with noble German hops to create a refreshing golden draught with a remarkably clean finish.”

On tap Friday by 5 p.m. All 3 can release beers, plus:

• Northern Equinox Hazy IPA
• Hefeweizen
• Mango Tango Otter Mango/Tangerine Gose
• Whiskery Walrus Buffalo Trace BA Stout

Come out Friday, grab some ultra fresh cans, enjoy a great list of drafts and hang for happy hour or dinner! We’ll be the exclusive retail spot with these cans through the weekend. Cheers to Väsen and their inaugural canning run!

For more info on Väsen, check out their Facebook page and website.

Anyone in Tysons missing the old O’Malley’s Pub at the DoubleTree Hilton in Tysons might be pleased to go back and find a new bar in its place.

The new “Tysons Social Tavern” at 1960 Chain Bridge Road opened last Friday (April 5). So far, manager Joanna White said the business has mostly been driven by hotel guests, but as the bar and restaurant gets its footing it will start reaching out to the community at large.

White said that while O’Malley’s Pub was popular, when the rest of the DoubleTree was renovated to become a more full-service hotel they were left with a pub that still very much had a late-20th-century vibe.

“We wanted to keep the tavern feel but update it,” White said.

The restaurant offers a range of bar staples, from sandwiches like Reubens and Philly cheesesteaks to meals-to-share, like wings or pizzas. So far, White said the local favorite has been the tavern’s rockfish.

The bar also offers an array of local craft beers, like several selections from Alexandria’s Port City Brewery.

While local nightlife and bar options can still be scarce, Tysons Social Tavern is part of a growing trend of more locally-oriented watering holes to cater to the residential and working communities around Tysons, as opposed to chain restaurants mostly serving mall-goers.

On May 1, White said Tysons Social Tavern is planning to start its Grubhub service to deliver food around the region, which she said will hopefully help boost its profile in the local community.

(Updated 9:30 a.m.) Bars in Virginia can now legally advertise their happy hour specials, so here’s a look at what some of the local bars have to offer.

The law had previously allowed bars to advertise the hours but not the prices, but a lawsuit from Chef Geoff’s in Tysons led to the state legislature to amend the law.

So in honor of Chef Geoff’s success, here are some of the happy hours around Tysons:

• Chef Geoff’s Tysons (8045 Leesburg Pike): Wednesday-Sunday from 3-7 p.m. and all day Monday and Tuesday until 9 p.m. The happy hour specials include $7 wines, $8 cocktails, and $1 off all draft beers. In addition to discounted bar snacks, all pizzas are $4 and burgers are half priced.
• Paddy Barry’s (8150 Leesburg Pike): Monday-Friday from 3-7 p.m. Domestic beers are discounted by $2, with $3 off all appetizers. House red and white wines are $5.
• BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse (8027 Leesburg Pike): Monday-Friday from 3-7 p.m. and from 10 a.m.-12 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. Specials vary by day.
• Eddie V’s (7900 Tysons One Place): Monday-Sunday from 4-7 p.m. Cocktails and wine glasses are $8 and there are discounts on oysters and other small seafood dishes.
• La Sandia (7852 Tysons Corner Center): Sunday-Friday from 4-9 p.m. Margaritas are available normal or frozen from $5 to $7. Tacos are three for $8 and a sampler platter of guacamole, quesadilla, wings, taquitos and Mexican corn is available for $15.
• Gordon Biersch (7861 Tysons Corner Center): Sunday-Friday from 3-6:30 p.m. All beers, wines and cocktails are $2 off.
• Earls Kitchen and Bar (7902 Tysons One Place): Every day from 3-6 p.m. and Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday from 9 p.m.-closing. Most food is discounted and drink discounts vary by day.
• Wildfire (Tysons Galleria, 2001 International Dr): Weekdays from 3-6 p.m. Staff at the restaurant said the restaurant offers half-price appetizers, $7 cocktails and “a couple dollars off” wines and beers.
• ENTYSE Wine Bar and Lounge (Tysons Galleria/Ritz Carlton, 1700 Tysons Blvd): Monday-Friday from 3-6 p.m. Drinks and fries are $5, with a flight of rare wines available for $55.
• Greenhouse Bistro (2070 Chain Bridge Road): Monday-Friday from 4-7 p.m. Cocktails, Pinot Noir and Pinot Grigio for $6. Sangria and draught beers are $5. Appetizers, pizzas and fries range from $5-10.
• Xtreme Wings and Bar (8119 Watson St): Monday-Friday from 3-7 p.m. Staff said all beer and food is 15 percent off the regular price.
• Ten Penh (7900 Westpark): Monday-Friday from 4-7 p.m. A variety of beers, wines, cocktails and snacks are $5.

The Tysons Biergarten also offers a happy hour on weekdays from 3-9 p.m. but the payment system operates differently. Friday happy hours are 3-9 p.m. with a Tyson’s Lager and Eggenberg Pilsner, in addition to a 5-9 p.m. happy hour on all American draft beers, all for $5. On Monday’s, the bar features $2 Lionshead all day. On Sunday’s, it’s $5 Tyson’s Lager from 11 a.m.-9 p.m.

Photo via Facebook

After testing the waters with a few drink options late last month, the Tysons Galleria location (2001 International Drive) for southern cuisine eatery Stomping Ground is moving forward tonight with an evening food and drink menu.

According to owner Nicole Jones, the new menu and cocktail list will be available in the restaurant every day starting at 3 p.m.

The new snacks are an eclectic assortment of southern dishes, from the rather conventional deviled eggs at $8 to Chicken Liver Mousse at $12. The restaurant’s signature fried chicken buckets — which serves two — are also available for $35.

Cocktails are $12 and cover an array of southern porch and parlor classics, like cucumber tonics (gin, cucumber juice, elderflower, lemon) and rainy ladies (pussers rum, lairds, vermouth, cinnamon, walnut).

Like the newly opened bar at Andy’s Pizza next to Stomping Ground, the menu will include a selection of beers and wines.

Editor’s Note: This biweekly column is sponsored by Dominion Wine and Beer (107 Rowell Court, Falls Church). This week’s Guide is written by Arash Tafakor of Dominion Wine and Beer.

Making beer is no different than cooking food.

Cooking and brewing are no different than a chemistry experiment. Heating, freezing, mixing and blending are all processes used in the kitchen, brewery and the laboratory. So, what happens when two MIT graduates in environmental engineering come together to open up a brewery? An equilibrium of course.

When Ricardo Petroni and Peter Oates decided to open up Equilibrium in 2016 they set out to make better beer than the rest based on “scientific principles focused on balancing drinkability and massive flavor.”

“It’s about achieving equilibrium in each beer,” said Oates.

Did I mention these guys got their PhDs at MIT? Peter Oates literally started home brewing by building his own automated brewing system… making six batches of beer a day… just for fun.

Peter who claims brewing beer is seven eighths science, one eighths art, is part of a new breed of brewers (Sapwood Cellars) that are literally laboratory scientist studying “distributions of thousands of compounds and which one does what and how it effects your sensory profile.”

Sounds good to me.

Since opening, Equilibrium has quickly amassed a huge following in the craft beer community and quite frankly, Equilibrium Brewery is one of the best and most exciting breweries in the game right now.

Currently holding one of the highest overall average ratings on Untappd, world-wide. A widely respected brewery within the industry, with a reputation for producing highly sought after world-class hazy IPA’s, fruited wild ales/sours, stouts and more.

With that said, we couldn’t be more excited to share their work with the DMV this Saturday, March 23 at our sister store Downtown Crown Wine and Beer in Gaithersburg starting at 10 a.m. We will have seven of their canned beers for sale as well as three bottled and seven drafts on tap.

Cans available:

• ‘Photon’ American Pale Ale
• ‘Vulgar Dsiplay of Flower’ DIPA
• ‘MC²’ DIPA
• ‘Intermediate Dance Moves’ DIPA
• ‘Fluctuation Wave’ DIPA
• ‘One Time For Your Mind’ DIPA — Finback Brewery Collab
• ‘Dreamwave Fluctuation’ DIPA — Other Half Brewery Collab

More details can be found here on our Facebook page Downtown Crown Wine and Beer.

Tysons Biergarten is giving locals what may be their last opportunity to order beers from Michigan-based Bell’s Brewery, which recently stopped shipping to Virginia.

The Richard Times-Dispatch reported that the Michigan-based brewery’s departure from the Virginia market stems partly from an unresolved distribution dispute.

Bell’s Brewery, the 16th-largest brewery in the country and the seventh-largest craft brewery, announced on Feb. 1 that it would stop shipping its beer to the entire state after ceasing shipments to the Richmond-area market in December, according to the Times-Dispatch.

The final farewell to the brewery started at 11 a.m. today (Friday, March 15) at the Tysons Biergarten (8346 Leesburg Pike). The event goes until 2 a.m. Saturday.

Here’s what you can order:

• Bell’s Amber
• Flamingo Fruit Fight
• Hopslam
• Lager of Lakes
• Bell’s 2 Hearted Ale
• Expedition Stout
• Kalamazoo Stout

Locals are encouraged to register for the free event.

Photo via Facebook

Admittedly, the new Donburi in Tysons Galleria is a little smaller than the Adams Morgan or Dupont Circle locations.

But, for owner James Jang, this smaller location in the Taste of Urbanspace food hall allows him a special opportunity: he can try something new.

With two established locations in D.C., Jang said he’s hesitant to change the menus too much. But soon, Jang says he plans on trying out adding udon, a type of thick Japanese noodle dish, to the Tysons location.

“We’ve just opened here,” said Jang, “so we can be a little more creative with what we try out.”

Like the nearby Andy’s Pizza, the restaurant has also filed for an ABC permit in hopes of being able to serve Japanese beer and sake.

“We’re looking to get the beer on draft if we can,” said Jang. “We might do cocktails as well.”

Jang has owned and operated Donburi for six years and jumped at the chance to join Taste of Urbanspace, a collection of new locations from regional favorites that filled the void left by the high-profile collapse of Isabella Eatery.

For Jang, the opening in Tysons is also a homecoming, though he also said moving back into the area has been a rediscovery of how much it has changed since he grew up in nearby McLean.

“I used to live here,” Jang said. “I went to McLean High School, so this is more of a hometown than D.C.”

The most popular dishes on Donburi’s menu are the karaage salad, a soy sauce marinated chicken with mixed greens, and sakedon, a salmon sashimi that Jang says is the restaurant’s signature dish.

One month after opening, Andy’s Pizza is the go-to spot in Tysons Galleria for a slice of New York-style pizza.

But now that the holiday rush has settled, the restaurant aims to expand its ambitions and become a go-to spot for a craft beer.

“We’re going to have wine, but we’re really excited about the craft beer,” said Emily Brown, who co-opened the restaurant with her cousin Andy Brown, the co-founder of D.C.-based Eat Pizza. “Mostly it’s from the east coast and particularly local places.”

Brown said the idea of using primarily local beers is in keeping with the theme of Taste of Urbanspace, a food hall that opened in early December after the high-profile collapse of the Isabella Eatery. The core concept of Taste of Urbanspace is opening new locations for local favorites.

Andy’s Pizza offers pizza by the slice, from simple cheese pizza at $3.49 to whole pies loaded with a variety of toppings for $18.99. The restaurant also has caesar salads with croutons borrowed from the Stomping Ground eatery next door.

Brown said her cousin’s passion is for pizza, but her true love is the craft beer scene. Her focus is going to be on maintaining a regularly changing menu, bringing in the newest and highest-profile beers from throughout the area.

She compared the beer scene to the sneaker scene, where people regularly line up to check out the newest release. Brown said the same is true in the beer scene, where connoisseurs congregate outside Richmond breweries to get a sampling of the latest batch. It’s that level of expertise and hipness to the zeitgeist that Brown said she hopes to bring to the bar-side of Andy’s Pizza.

Tysons has something of a chronic nightlife problem, and Brown hopes that some of the new drinking choices at Andy’s Pizza and other spots across the Taste of Urbanspace can help turn the mall’s food court into a social scene.

“If you’re coming in for lunch and you’re into beer, we want to have the kind of menu that will have you coming back in after work,” said Brown.

When the new bar comes online is dependent on when the licenses are approved by state regulator. Andy’s Taste of Urbanspace neighbors Donburi, Sen Khao, and Stomping Grounds are all also applying for alcohol licenses.

When you do come in for that first drink, Brown suggests a crisp pilsner would pair well with the pizza.

Caboose Commons, the Caboose Brewing Company’s second location, is holding its grand opening celebration in Merrifield (2918 Eskridge Road) this Sunday, Nov. 18.

The grand opening celebrations will run all day, from 6 a.m.-11 p.m., with live music from local band Some People Call Me Maurice from 1-4 p.m.

Breakfast will run from 7 a.m.-11 a.m., then lunch and dinner from 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Caboose Commons’ dining focuses on locally sourced and mostly healthy options. The restaurant offers a variety of dairy free, gluten free, and nut free options, as well as vegetarian options.

Beer, wine, cider, coffee and tea will also be served throughout the day. The Caboose Commons drink menu includes a variety of ales and IPAs.

The cafe and brewery has been open since September 29 for a “house warming” period. The first location, Caboose Brewing, is located in Vienna.