Editor’s Note: This sponsored column is written by Nick Anderson, beermonger at Arrowine (4508 Lee Highway).

Last week I sat down with some of the Arrowine staff (including Katie, a.k.a. Your Cheesemonger, who has some amazing insights regarding the cutting of your cheese — you guys should ask her to tell you about it) to try out some beer and cheese pairings.

In the name of experimentation, we were slightly haphazard in the selection of cheeses and beers — we were looking to be surprised one way or the other by the results we had. Not that we weren’t looking for beers that would pair well but as you’ll see, a couple selections fell into the “I wonder what would happen if…?” category. First, a quick rundown of the cheeses we had to work with:

La Tur: An old favorite of mine and popular at Arrowine, La Tur is a three-milk (cow, goat, and sheep) soft cheese from Bosia in the Piedmont region of Italy. While its aromatics are a little funky (especially as it warms up), on the palate La Tur is very mild with the tang of the goat’s milk keeping it from feeling too rich.

Manchego Artequeso: Classic Spanish sheep’s milk cheese aged for about nine months. This sharp, dry, mild, relatively young Manchego can make for a tricky pairing subject.

Challerhocker: A popular cheese at Arrowine, Challerhocker is a washed-rind cow’s milk cheese that is semi-firm in texture. I find Challerhocker to be salty with bold, earthy flavors but not so salty that it isn’t a good ‘base’ to play other flavors off of it.

Valdeon: An intense Spanish blue cheese, Valdeon was the one I was looking forward to the most. I’m a big bleu cheese fan, and Valdeon pack a big punch for those who enjoy it like I do. The vein of the Valdeon is hot, with a strong, spicy presence on the palate.

Here are the beers we tried with them, with notes on how they were on their own as well as with the cheeses:

Boulevard Tank 7 Farmhouse Ale: This Saison-style beer from Kansas City is hoppier than a traditional Saison, but manages to be crisp and flavorful without losing its balance. The spicy finish would lead you to think it’d be a great choice for a pairing—and you’d be right. Tank 7 matched with La Tur was the group’s pick for best pairing of the night; with the beer and cheese allowing each other’s best characteristics to shine. It seemed like Tank 7 went well with all of the cheeses — even the Manchego, which proved to be the most difficult cheese of the night.

Leipziger Gose: Gose is a style of Wheat Ale made using coriander and salt. With an alcohol level usually clocking in somewhere in the 4-5% range, think of Gose as a precursor to Belgian Witbier. I thought the citrus character, spiciness, and subtle salinity of Gose would work well with the Manchego, and cut through the richer La Tur and earthy Challerhocker — and boy, was I wrong. Pairing the Manchego with the Gose just brought out the salt in the beer and the intense sharpness of the cheese. The Leipziger played a bit better with the Challerhocker, but in the end this was the one beer that really didn’t go over well with any of the cheese selections. I still love it on its own, however, and think with the right seafood or even a salad with fruit and crumbled goat cheese it would be right at home.

Blue Mountain Maggie Maibock: I’ve been really enjoying this Virginia brewery’s take on the classic German strong Lager style, and thought it would make a good match for the Challerhocker. In practice the rounded mouthfeel and slightly sweet malt character of the Maibock did work, but the Challerhocker cut through on the finish in a way that just sort of threw everything out of whack. Something more mild, like Beaufort, would likely work better with the Maggie Maibock, though I did like it with the La Tur as well.

Maine Beer Company King Titus Porter: By now I think everyone knows how big a fan I am of Maine Beer Company’s work. As much as I love their Pale Ales, it’s the King Titus Porter that I think demonstrates the young brewery’s abilities the best. Rich, boldly flavored, acidic, sweet, roasty, subtle, and smooth all at the same time, Titus was my pick to play off of the Valdeon. While the heat from the blue cheese’s vein found balance with the malty Porter, the saltiness of the Valdeon was too much—a slightly creamier bleu or a richer dark beer would have made for a perfect pair. I liked what Titus did with the other cheeses too, though it was a bit much for the La Tur.

Alvinne Cuvee Freddy: Freddy was my wildcard; I love trying Sour Ales with food, and thought this would be a fun little experiment. Cuvee Freddy is a blend of Alvinne’s Flanders Red Ale with its Stout, which is then aged in barrels for 8-12 months. The result is sour and acidic for sure, but the malts from the part of it that was a Stout mediate that acidity just enough that it isn’t overwhelming. It took Katie and some of our other staff who were less familiar with Sour Ales a moment to get used to the beer, but overall it was the most interesting beer of the night pairing-wise.

I personally wanted to see what it would do with the Valdeon, and that turned out to be my own favorite match of the evening. The sour and salty flavors found harmony, which didn’t surprise me all that much; out of all the beer and cheese on the table those were the two that I would have wanted to take home to have together. Cuvee Freddy also showed well paired with the Manchego, which I didn’t expect, and its acidity and raisin-like fruit notes brought something new out of the La Tur.

Next time you’re looking to do something a little different than the standard beer tasting, think about picking up some cheeses and meats to see how they pair up. In many ways beer pairing is easier to accomplish that wine pairing, and different combinations can open your eyes to new beers or aspects of familiar ones you may not have noticed before. Let’s see some of your favorite beer pairings—beside pretzels or mixed nuts (which I love too). Until next time.

Cheers!

Nick Anderson maintains a blog at www.beermonger.net, and can be found on Twitter at @The_Beermonger. Sign up for Arrowine’s money saving email offers and free wine and beer tastings at www.arrowine.com/mailing-list-signup.aspx. The views and opinions expressed in the column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of ARLnow.com.

Community discussion guidelines: Our sponsored columns are written by members of the local business community. While we encourage a robust and open discussion, we ask that all reviews of the businesses — good or bad — be directed to another venue, like Yelp. The comments section is intended for a conversation about the topic of the article.

Heavy Seas Alehouse to Open in Rosslyn — Baltimore brewer Heavy Seas plans to open a restaurant at the newly renovated 1501 Wilson Blvd in Rosslyn. So far, the existing Baltimore location is the only other Heavy Seas Alehouse besides the one planned for Rosslyn. The restaurant is expected to open by the end of this year. [Washington Business Journal]

Army Ten-Miler Registration to Begin — Registration for the Army Ten-Miler opens at midnight on Wednesday, May 15. This year, 35,000 spots will be available for the October 20 race, instead of 30,000. General admission entries sold out within nine hours last year. [Army Ten-Miler]

Local Eighth Grader Named State’s Top Female Orator — Swanson Middle School eighth grader Dorothee Mulumba won the Virginia State Oratorical Contest on May 4. In total, her scholarship winnings from the local, regional and state competitions add up to $3,000. [Sun Gazette]

McDonnell Signs Transportation Bill — On Monday, Gov. Bob McDonnell signed the transportation funding bill into law. The law cuts the state’s 17.5 cents per gallon gas tax and raises the state sales tax from 5 percent to 5.3 percent, in addition to adding a $64 registration fee for hybrid vehicles. [Washington Post]

Flickr pool photo by Mark C. White

Crystal City Wine Shop — a for-profit business owned by the nonprofit Washington Wine Academy – will open a 1,500 square foot store at 220 20th Street S., in the former Revolution Cycles CityHub space. The store will carry 300 different wines and 150 types of beer, according to Washington Wine Academy president Jim Barker.

In addition to selling wine and beer, the store will “focus on educating people through tastings and events,” Barker said. Like the current store at 401 12th Street S., the new location will hold wine and beer tastings on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

Barker says he hopes to open the new store at some point this summer, possibly in August.

Even though the two stores will only be a few blocks away from one another, Barker says he believes having a new store “in the heart of Crystal City” will help attract new customers who don’t necessarily want to walk to the existing store, on the north end of Crystal City.

Barker said the Whole Foods Market set to open a block away from the wine shop’s 12th Street location in 3-4 years is “obviously a concern,” but thinks that there’s room for both businesses. He pointed out that the apartment building in which the Whole Foods will be built will add residents to the area, and that the new Boeing headquarters will also add to Crystal City Wine Shop’s base of potential customers.

Photo via Google Maps

Editor’s Note: This sponsored column is written by Nick Anderson, beermonger at Arrowine (4508 Lee Highway).

A few weeks ago, I came down with (for me) a very rare case of the flu. Now that I’ve shaken it off and resumed normal breathing function, I’ve suddenly found myself with a backlog of beers in my refrigerator that I need to try. I know, we should all have such problems, but what struck me was how quickly these beers amassed themselves, and where they were coming from.

I had purchased a handful of limited run beers and new arrivals I wanted to try when I was feeling better (Great Lakes Rye of the Tiger; a pair of Stone Enjoy By 5.17.13 IPA bottles since I’d missed out on the last run) but for the most part the beers populating my fridge were coming from friends who had recently been traveling, and from distributors who wanted me to try new products they were representing in Virginia.

Unlike wine distributors, who come see restaurateurs and retailers every week with wines to sample and (hopefully) sell to them, beer distributors have been notoriously tight when it comes to ‘trying before you buy’. Over my career I’d found the experience of trying to get a sample of a new arrival before buying it for my job to be like pulling teeth. The attitude of beer distributors seemed to be “Look, if you’re not sure about buying this we’ll just sell it to someone else — we don’t need to let you try it”.

The growth of the craft beer business has changed the way things work in a very short period of time. There’s been a lot of chatter about the “wineification” of beer; that beers have become too pricey, or exclusive — but it’s in how distributors are handling new arrivals and competition that I’ve really seen the beer business become more like the wine side. Today there is such an influx of new breweries along with new beers from established stars that distributors who handle craft beer are having to fight for shelf space that was easy to fill even just a few years ago.

For retail and restaurant buyers, this is a very welcome change. I’m lucky enough to have found a love for craft beer in the late 90s, which scarily enough is a long time for someone in my position. I have a good library of tasting notes and experience to draw from when I consider new beer arrivals: meaning that at this point, I have a good feel for a breweries tendencies and often feel comfortable enough bringing in new offerings without feeling a need  to try them out beforehand.

I meet buyers these days who are younger, of a generation stepping into a market of seemingly endless options, and I have no idea how they do it. I couldn’t imagine doing this job while learning the basics like many of the folks out there are. It’s a testament to their talent that so many places in our area have great craft beer selections, but it also makes it more important than ever that distributors provide samples so that they might broaden their own vocabularies to better shape their craft beer programs.

This all leaves me where I started: with a mess of beers that I am completely unfamiliar with. Many soon to hit shelves in our area; some likely never to; and a couple beers I picked up walking around DC the other day that aren’t yet available to us in Virginia (DC Brau/Ska Brewing Taster’s Choice and Mother Earth Windowpane Series Double Wit Raspberry if anyone’s curious — they can be found around town). I’m going to invite some friends for a couple bottle sharing evenings, and get my notebook out to decide on what I’d like to carry or pass on.

The bigger point is that even after all these years, there is still so much to discover. If you’re the type who is waiting for one or two breweries to come to Virginia: don’t stop asking, don’t stop hoping, but don’t miss out on the amazing diversity of beers coming to our area from all over the country and the world right now. There is always something new to try, and that has never been more true for beer geeks in this area than it is right now. Until next time.

Cheers!

Nick Anderson maintains a blog at www.beermonger.net, and can be found on Twitter at @The_Beermonger. Sign up for Arrowine’s money saving email offers and free wine and beer tastings at www.arrowine.com/mailing-list-signup.aspx. The views and opinions expressed in the column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of ARLnow.com.

Community discussion guidelines: Our sponsored columns are written by members of the local business community. While we encourage a robust and open discussion, we ask that all reviews of the businesses — good or bad — be directed to another venue, like Yelp. The comments section is intended for a conversation about the topic of the article.

The event’s 2013 moniker: “A Royal Ball.”

Now in its 9th year, the Testicle Festival will again be held at the Arlington American Legion Post in Virginia Square (3445 N. Washington Blvd), from 6:00 to 10:00 p.m. on Saturday, May 18. Tickets are $25 online or $30 at the door. Attendees must be at least 21 year of age.

The price of admission will buy you “all the Rocky Mountain Oysters, beer and Crown Royal you can handle,” organizers say. Entertainment will be provided by the Will Gravatt Band, while the testicles will be fried by Frank McGraw, who’s billed as “Montana’s most famous ball chef.”

“Coming to us straight from the original Rocky Mountain Testy Fest at Rock Creek Lodge outside of Missoula, Frank’s tasty recipe has an authentic zest that helped set a record last year for most pounds consumed,” according to the Montana State Society website.

Last year festival-goers in Arlington consumed 110 pounds of bull and bison testicles, 84 liters of Crown Royal and 1,500 cans of beer. The 2012 theme was “Legends of the Ball.”

Editor’s Note: This sponsored column is written by Nick Anderson, beermonger at Arrowine (4508 Lee Highway).

Nick’s Note: Like all of us, I was saddened by the terrible attack in Boston earlier this week. I just wanted to take a moment here in the forum I have to offer my condolences and best wishes to all of the victims, their families, their friends, and loved ones.

Let’s get on with it, then.

The early spring is a great time of year for craft beer fans. The warming weather brings yearly favorites made to refresh and to be shared among friends. There are also some releases in the spring that don’t quite fit in with the expected light Ales, Session beers, and Saisons. One of these is a beer craft fans know to look for as Tax Day approaches — Stone Imperial Russian Stout.

Largely unchanged since its debut in 2000, Imperial Russian Stout (or IRS, because it’s usually released around April 15th) is one of the best examples of the style made in the States. Clocking in at 10.6% ABV and 60 IBU, IRS pours coal black and settles in the glass with a dense, caramel-colored head. The aromas of coffee and cocoa jump out of the glass, with some interesting spicy notes from the yeast strain used to ferment IRS.

On the palate is where IRS sets itself among a sea of bigger, richer, and darker Imperial Stouts. The requisite chocolate, caramel, and coffee flavors that you’d expect in any fuller-bodied Stout are present, but it’s the dark fruit notes of plum and cassis along with hints of anise that make IRS extraordinary. This Imperial Stout also handles its high ABV level differently than most beers of its style. Some Imperial Stouts overwhelm with a rich mouthfeel and lots of heat from their alcohol level, while others strike such a harmonious balance that their palate feel belies the ABV of the beer. Stone takes a different tack with IRS — it has just a touch of alcoholic heat that adds some sharpness to the rich flavor while satisfying the needs of the Big Beer Drinker’s Club.

A newer tradition for Stone is the Odd Year releases. These are versions of their bigger beers with a special ingredient or process applied to them. The Odd Year releases started in 2011 with the Belgo Old Guardian and Belgo Anise Imperial Russian Stout, which saw Stone’s classic Barleywine and Imperial Stout fermented with a Belgian yeast strain with the IRS having star anise added to the tank.

So far in 2013 we’d only seen the Oak-Smoked Old Guardian made with German oak-smoked malt, but with the release of IRS also comes the release of its Odd Year variant for 2013 — Espresso-aged IRS. The addition of “several hundred pound of espresso beans” to the Imperial Russian Stout tanks post-fermentation turns the coffee flavor up to a level that can only be described as grin-inducing to dark coffee fans.

Both versions of Stone Imperial Russian Stout are available on the market this week, but neither will last very long. My advice is that if you see any out there, to do as Stone themselves advise: buy one to try now and a couple more to cellar if at all possible. Both beers will be drinking very well this coming winter and over the next few winters to come.

So who’s an IRS fan out there? What’s your favorite Imperial Stout? Share with us in the comments and if you have any questions, I’ll do my best to answer them. Until next time.

Cheers!

Nick Anderson maintains a blog at www.beermonger.net, and can be found on Twitter at @The_Beermonger. Sign up for Arrowine’s money saving email offers and free wine and beer tastings at www.arrowine.com/mailing-list-signup.aspx. The views and opinions expressed in the column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of ARLnow.com.

Community discussion guidelines: Our sponsored columns are written by members of the local business community. While we encourage a robust and open discussion, we ask that all reviews of the businesses — good or bad — be directed to another venue, like Yelp. The comments section is intended for a conversation about the topic of the article.

The restaurant is kicking off its Third Annual Crawfish Boil series this Saturday, April 20. A spokeswoman for Bayou Bakery noted that chef David Guas is a Louisisana native and has been cooking crawfish “practically since he was in diapers.”

Visitors can purchase boiled crawfish and peel-and-eat shrimp by the pound, along with sides like corn on the cob. Beer specials will also be available. The event is first-come, first-served, and customers may call in to make sure there is still crawfish available.

The patio party begins at 5:00 p.m. and a New Orleans-style jazz quartet will begin playing at 5:30 p.m. It will wrap up around 7:30 p.m. The crawfish boils are scheduled for every Saturday through crawfish season, which typically ends in early June.

Editor’s Note: This sponsored column is written by Nick Anderson, beermonger at Arrowine (4508 Lee Highway).

Last week about 6,400 beer professionals converged in Washington for the 2013 Craft Brewers Conference. The CBC is a yearly event organized by the Brewers Association, the trade association that represents the interest of craft breweries in America. The CBC is usually held in San Diego but with BA’s other signature event SAVOR being held in New York instead of D.C. this year, we got to host the Conference instead. The whole week featured speeches, lectures, exhibitions, and some awfully cool events at local bars, breweries, and restaurants…and I missed them all. That’s life in retail for you.

The news coming out of CBC, however, was encouraging for all of us in the industry. The BA released some figures from its upcoming full analysis of 2012, and the numbers show a continued trend of growth for craft beer: there are now 2,403 total breweries in the U.S., an 18% increase over 2011. The volume share of craft beer went from 5.7% to 6.5% and the dollar share of sales went up 17%, compared to the 1% growth of the overall U.S. beer market. Over 108,000 Americans work in the craft beer industry, representing a gain of nearly 5,000 jobs in 2012.

Delivering the CBC keynote address, New Belgium Brewery President Kim Jordan discussed the realities of the growing craft beer world; among those being the importance of keeping quality standards as breweries grow larger, and the inevitable toll that growth along with the ever-rising number of craft breweries will take on resources as varied as hops, malts, staff, and shelf space. “Our influence is outsized for our growth rate” Jordan said; a statement equal parts state-of-the-industry and warning.

For now though, craft beer is on the rise and from my own modest corner of the business I just wanted to say thanks to all of you out there for the amazing growth we’ve seen in Arrowine’s beer department. With more local breweries coming online over the next couple years and the continued growth of already-established ones, I’m excited to see what the next few years bring.

Anyone get out to CBC or any of the beer dinners/tap takeovers/special events last week? Let’s hear about them in the comments; also if anyone has any general beer questions leave them here and I’ll do my best to answer. Until next time.

Cheers!

Nick Anderson maintains a blog at www.beermonger.net, and can be found on Twitter at @The_Beermonger. Sign up for Arrowine’s money saving email offers and free wine and beer tastings at www.arrowine.com/mailing-list-signup.aspx. The views and opinions expressed in the column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of ARLnow.com.

Community discussion guidelines: Our sponsored columns are written by members of the local business community. While we encourage a robust and open discussion, we ask that all reviews of the businesses — good or bad — be directed to another venue, like Yelp. The comments section is intended for a conversation about the topic of the article.

Editor’s Note: This sponsored column is written by Nick Anderson, beermonger at Arrowine (4508 Lee Highway)

A few weeks back while writing about the evolving craft beer market, I mentioned the growing demand for more ‘everyday’ brews; beers that friends could bring to spring/summer barbecues and throw in the cooler for any and all to enjoy. Since then I’ve had more than a few customers come into the store asking which beers I meant in particular when I wrote that, so let me give you a preview of things to come as the weather finally starts to warm up again.

A trend is forming in lower-ABV hoppy Ales, which will only grow more prominent this year. Aside from the always enjoyable Bitter American from 21^st Amendment (dry-hopped English Special Bitter, 4.5% ABV), Founder’s Brewing has finally started shipping its excellent All-Day IPA to Virginia. At 4.7%, it’s probably more accurate to call All-Day a Pale Ale but the IPA name does draw attention. The combination of its light, minerally body with a focused hop character make All-Day pretty irresistible regardless of how it’s classified. Look for All-Day to be available until sometime in September. Schlafly Pale Ale is also now regularly available for those looking for a classic English-style Pale. At 4.4% ABV with grassy hops and clean palate feel, Schalfly Pale can please just about any crowd. Rumors have Devils Backbone packaging the lower-ABV version of its wonderful, balanced Eight Point IPA—appropriately called Four Point IPA—sometime this summer, along with a possible canning run of Striped Bass Pale Ale. In the meantime, I can’t recommend their current short-release sixer The Congo enough. An IPA fermented with a Belgian yeast strain, The Congo exhibits restraint compared to other Belgian IPA-style beers, many of which tend to have either an exaggerated yeast character, hop profile, or both.

Those looking for Belgian-styled beers should try the newly released Swing, from Victory Brewing Company. Swing is a Saison that clocks in at 4.5% ABV, with black and Szechuan peppercorns bringing more dryness than spice to its finish. Newly arrived is Saison de Lis from St. Louis’ Perennial Artisan Ales; at 5.0% and brewed with chamomile flowers it’s a great introduction to Perennial’s lineup. Also back in stock right now is Stillwater’s Premium, my favorite new beer of 2012. Another 4.5% Ale, Premium uses two brettanomyces wild yeast strains to make for what may be the funkiest session Ale out there right now. A non-brett version of Premium called Classique has popped up on tap around the area. I got to try Classique recently during Stillwater’s tap-takeover night at Pizzeria Paradiso in Old Town: it doesn’t lack for character and if rumors pan out we may just see some canned six-packs this year. Sour fans: don’t miss out on Timmerman’s Blanche Lambicus—it’s 4.5% ABV, spiced in the manner of a Witbier, and I’m not sure how long it’ll last. Also don’t forget my go-to session beer of choice, the 4.0% Bell’s Oarsman Ale.

Speaking of Bell’s, next week sees the return of the ever-popular Oberon Ale which will keep fans refreshed through the summer; and if everything goes the way it’s supposed to this week, then by the time you read this we’ll be seeing the first shipment of Abita’s Strawberry Harvest Lager hitting area shelves. Last but certainly not least we have Port City’s Downright Pils, one of my favorite new beers of last year and a great example of an approachable craft beer that everyone can enjoy.

So hang on out there; the warm weather will be here soon and there will be a lot to look forward to beer-wise during the spring and summer, even if we find ourselves cursing the heat and humidity before the summer officially starts. Until next time.

Cheers!

Nick Anderson maintains a blog at www.beermonger.net, and can be found on Twitter at @The_Beermonger. Sign up for Arrowine’s money saving email offers and free wine and beer tastings at www.arrowine.com/mailing-list-signup.aspx. The views and opinions expressed in the column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of ARLnow.com.

Community discussion guidelines: Our sponsored columns are written by members of the local business community. While we encourage a robust and open discussion, we ask that all reviews of the businesses — good or bad — be directed to another venue, like Yelp. The comments section is intended for a conversation about the topic of the article.

The new owners of Velocity 5 (2300 Clarendon Blvd) in Courthouse say they’re planning to convert the 200-seat restaurant and bar into “Social Haus,” which they describe as “a traditional beer garden with a modern twist.” They’re hoping to renovate the restaurant soon — a project expected to take several weeks — and reopen it by the end of May.

According to Matt Rofougaran, one of six partners who purchased the Courthouse location of Velocity 5 last month, Social Haus will feature a selection of 100 beers, including 35 on tap. The beers — which will range from local brews, German and Belgian imports and standards like Corona — will be available in bottles or, for beers on tap, in steins and boots ranging from half a liter to a full two liters.

While beer will be the big draw, Social Haus will also offer local and German wines. Specialty cocktails will be on the menu, and Rofougaran said the partners are currently working to secure a machine that will serve frozen Red Bull and vodka cocktails.

The seating new arrangements will be reminiscent of a traditional German beer hall. The renovations will knock down walls inside the restaurant to make way for two large picnic-style tables — “social seating” as Rofougaran called it — which will comprise about 75 percent of the seating inside Social Haus.

Other planned interior improvements include a doubling of the size of the ladies’ restroom. As for the outdoor patio seating, the partners plan to add heating elements this fall, then plan to create a separate outdoor bar next year.

Rofougaran says the owners, who will continue running the restaurant as “Velocity 5″ until the renovations, are also working to revamp the restaurant’s menu and improve the much-maligned food.

“The food menu is going to completely change,” Rofougaran said. “We’re going to have fresh, organic, healthy options. There’s still going to be good burgers and wings and stuff, but instead of having the regular crap, we’re going to have grass-fed beef with no hormones, no preservatives.”

“We’re thinking of the health-conscious people in Arlington,” he added. “People know what they’re eating these days, they’re not eating crap like they used to.”

In addition to the healthier options, a gluten free menu, a Sunday brunch menu, and the improved bar food, Rofougaran said Social Haus will serve German favorites like bratwurst and schnitzel.

Rofougaran says he and his five partners are all Northern Virginia natives who have experience in the restaurant and bar promotion businesses. They range in age from 28 to 33.

“We know what people like,” he said. “We’ve been going out in Arlington ever since college.”

Rofougaran said he and his partners are hoping to gather community input on the plans for Social Haus. They’ve set up a suggestion box at Velocity 5 and, in an unorthodox move, Rofougaran encouraged any residents who wanted to weigh in the plans to call him on his cell phone: 703-856-5613.

Photos via Facebook