WWBG

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 David Birks, General Manager and buyer of Downton Crown Wine and Beer.

It was only a year ago that esteemed homebrewers Scott Janish and Mike Tonsmeire signed a lease on a building in Columbia, Md. That space now holds the production brewery and tap room for one of the hottest breweries in our area, Sapwood Cellars.

As this weekend’s New Years Eve festivities approach, most of you are going to buy a nice bottle of champagne or sparkling wine to celebrate the New Year.

Usually I would go in depth of what champagne exactly is, the process of making champagne and all the different types of champagne, but I will save that for another time. For simplicity purposes I’m just going to write up a quick guide that should ease you into buying a nice bottle to pop open for your celebration.

As the brewery scene becomes more and more hyper localized, there are a select few that transcend that and reach national appeal. Founder and head brewer Adam Goodwin has had his hand a couple of these breweries on his way to opening up Charles Towne Fermentory (CTF) in 2016.

Picking up experience from Tired Hands Brewing, Philadelphia, and as founder and head brewer of Trillium in Boston, Goodwin, alongside partner Justin Slotnik, started his own project to focus his beer around quality and simplicity. They set up shop in the the old Lyerly’s Dry Cleaning building brewing on a 15-barrel system, which is a major scale reduction from Trillium, who houses 30 barrels at just one of their locations. Reason being, smaller production scale gives Goodwin the freedom to experiment more, while still allowing his large production experience to shine through.

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We are now serving lunch full time! Whether you’re on a limited time schedule, or enjoying a leisurely day, we offer great food, service and atmosphere. Hours are below.

We are now serving lunch full time!

This week’s new beer arrivals include Hardywood Park Craft Brewery Bourbon Barrel GBS, Bell’s Brewery Lampshade DIPA, Maine Beer Company Fall Coffee Stout and many more! Full list of arrivals can be found in the link below.

This weekend at Dominion Wine and Beer includes great draft features for pours and crowlers, plus an irresistible pairing special featuring our delicious Certified Piedmontese tenderloin!

On tap now or tapping soon are;

New beers include Solace Brewing Company Buzz Magic Double IPA, @birds fly Birds Fly South Ale Project Radio Silence Pale Ale, Mast Landing Brewing Company Little Choppy Hoppy Session Ale, and many more! Full list of arrivals in the link below.

This week’s featured brewery is Aslin Beer Company!

Dominion Wine & Beer is thrilled to announce that our brand new wine & craft beer bar is OPEN! The new addition is located directly above our existing retail bottle shop in Falls Church. At Dominion, you can enjoy a great meal, pint of craft beer or glass of wine plus shop the areas best selection of beers and wines to take home.

We’re still in our soft opening phase and would like to thank everyone for the incredible support shown and feedback given during our first few weeks.

Solace Brewing Company opened it’s doors just over a year ago in Sterling, VA. You may remember our article from last year about them.

Saying that they had a good first year is an understatement. We knew something special was in the works, and their liquid was proof. Now the proof is in the numbers.

Looking through a wine aisle or a wine list, you may have spotted the words “natural wine” on a bottle or description. Natural wines are becoming more and more prevalent in wine stores and restaurants, and it is important to know what “natural” really means in the wine world.

What is Natural Wine?