Arlington’s beer landscape has come a long way since Westover Market opened what was purportedly the DMV’s first beer garden in 2009. Since then, the options for suds lovers have expanded to include everything from dog-friendly patios with lawn games and massive outdoor screens to Munich-style beer halls that keep the good times flowing, rain or shine. Tap into these local favorites for cold brews, bites and atmosphere.
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Westover Market Beer Garden
The OG that started it all in our neck of the woods is still true to its roots. Grab a picnic table on the patio overlooking Washington Boulevard and peruse owner Devin Hicks’ ever-rotating tap list for updates on what’s on draft, as well as the pub’s live music schedule. The succinct food menu draws on the adjoining market’s butcher shop, with options such as organic burgers and Cubano sandwiches. At the time of this publication, the brews on offer included Old Rasputin, made in the tradition of 18th century English brewers; the Guava (described as Hawaiian punch in a cider); and a locally brewed Bump and Run IPA, with hints of tangerine, from Solace Brewing. The outdoor beer garden is open Monday-Wednesday, 11:30 a.m.-midnight; Thursday and Friday, 11:30 a.m.-2 a.m.; and Saturday and Sunday 10 a.m.-midnight. Need a keg for your next party? Check the keg list to see what’s in stock. If they don’t have your preferred brew, they’ll order it. And we’d be remiss not to mention the market’s Great Wall of Beer, featuring more than 1,000 domestics, imports and microbrews for sale. It’s something to behold. 5863 Washington Blvd., Arlington (Westover)
Bronson Bierhall
Want to feel as though you’ve been transported to Bavaria? Look no further than Scott Parker’s German-style beer hall in Ballston, where the ample beverage menu includes 15 brews on tap and more than 30 in a bottle or can. Try the Richmond-made Marg Sour, a margarita-inspired beer with lime and orange notes, conditioned on tequila-soaked wood chips; or the Lunch, from Maine, an intensely hoppy East Coast-style IPA. Wine and cocktail drinkers will also find plenty to choose from, from chardonnay to cherry pisco sours. For those who are California sober, the bar also stocks THC seltzers. The adjoining turf patio is dog-friendly and has cornhole. 4100 Fairfax Drive, Arlington (Ballston)
Solace Outpost
When the beer list comes with two drop-down menus (searchable by both style and ABV) you know it’s serious. Visit this Falls Church brewpub, a spin-off of Solace Brewing in Sterling, and pair the beer of your choice with a plate of crispy thighs or a Bootlegger Burger slathered in moonshine barbecue sauce with bacon and onion rings. For hop heads, Solace’s Partly IPA is a perennial favorite. But if you’re feeling adventurous, try a seasonal brew such as athe Sun Kissed Dry-Hopped Summer Ale, accentuated with flavors of orange, Citra and Lotus hops. Pop in for weekday happy hours from 3-6 p.m., or Tuesday and Thursday trivia nights at 7 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays feature live music from 8-11 p.m. 444 W. Broad St., Falls Church
Continental Beer Garden
You’ll find a lengthy and tempting list of adult beverages at this open-air hangout in Rosslyn, which connects to a pool hall with billiards, ping pong, darts and board games. Quench your thirst with local microbrews from Bear Chase, 3 Notch’d and 7Locks, or the light and easy-drinking Continental lager. For something dark in a can, there’s the Hardywood Chocolate Peanut Butter Porter. If hunger strikes, pair your bev with a Nashville hot chicken sandwich or hot pretzel basket. Open Tuesdays-Fridays at 3:30 p.m. and some Saturdays, weather-dependent. 1901 Fort Myer Drive, Arlington
Courthaus Social
The mood is always festive on this covered patio in Courthouse, where the elevated bar food includes options like bourbon-glazed salmon, chopped chipotle chicken salad and five types of bratwurst. Find out what’s on tap here and what’s in a bottle or can here. For a summery brew, try the Sand in Your Suit Nectarine Summer Ale from One Family Brewing in Lovettsville. IPA fans will gladly succumb to 3 Floyds Zombie Dust, while those craving a full-bodied filler may prefer the Speedway Stout, a double coffee imperial. The bar also boasts a sizable allocated whiskey list, plus wine and craft cocktails, including frozen margs and rum runners. Swing by for happy hour deals Monday-Friday, 3-6 p.m., or weekend brunch, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Pups are welcome on the patio. 2300 Clarendon Blvd., Arlington (Courthouse)
Settle Down Easy Brewing
The name is a lyric from the Grateful Dead song “Ramble on Rose,” and music is an integral part of the experience at this Merrifield nanobrewery, where the house suds include a popular dry-hopped kolsch, West Coast IPA and hazy IPA, plus offbeat picks to the tune of a honey-jalapeno ale. Check the calendar for the live music lineup (Dead cover band Great Northern makes frequent appearances), trivia nights and special events ranging from crab feasts and pierogi fests to a flower-arranging workshop with beer pairings. A brand new food menu introduced in June includes seven kinds of locally produced Stachowski hot dogs and sausages, including the aptly named “Friend of the Devil” dog, plus tacos, pretzels and barbecue bowls with “psychedelic chips.” 2822 Fallfax Drive, Falls Church
Starr Hill Tysons Biergarten
Sitting 11 stories high, atop Capital One Center in Tysons, this 5,000-square-foot Starr Hill Brewery outpost is as airy as it gets, with a sprawling turf lawn overlooking an outdoor amphitheater with a massive screen. The draft list is divided by flavor: light & crisp, malty, hoppy, sour, stouts and porters. Just in time for the World Cup are on-theme beers such as Starr Hill’s Can I Kick It light lager, and Tow The Lime Mexican lager. Seasonal brews include the Sun Burn summer wheat ale and Roxanne raspberry American sour beer. The amphitheater stages live music five nights a week. 1805 Capital One Drive, Tysons
Stratford Garden
Reminiscent of an old-school public house, this Falls Church City newcomer has 16 rotating taps dispensing German lagers, Belgian witbiers, Irish red ales, local IPAs and the requisite Guinness stout. Current options include Lawson’s Nitro Stout, Other Half Imperial and Blue Crab IPA, as well as a hard cider. If knocking back a pint leaves you peckish, the food menu includes raw bar towers, charcuterie boards and Iberian tinned fish boards, as well as the standard burgers, truffle fries and chicken tenders for kids. 300 W. Broad St., Falls Church
Caboose Commons
The sail-tented patio at this Mosaic-adjcent brewpub is dog central, so bring your pup (or prepare for the possibility of going home with one if you happen by during a pet adoption event). Grab a picnic table and build your own flight, contemplating offbeat options such as a Vietnamese-style rice lager, strawberry shandy or huckleberry sour, plus standards such as German pils, kolsch and witbiers, Irish red ales and hoppy IPAs. If the weather isn’t optimal, the brewery itself is tucked inside a three-level converted tool rental facility with plenthy of indoor seating. The food menu includes shareable wings, nachos and fried pickle chips, as well as burgers, dogs, avocado toast and healthy-leaning salads and bowls. 2918 Eskridge Road, Fairfax (Mosaic District)
The Boro Biergarten
This NoVA newcomer outside Él Bebe in Boro Park serves shareable bites such as queso and tacos alongside local brews from Solace, Aslin and Port City, and spirits from Open Road Distilling Co. Not a beer drinker? Try the Biergarten Crush (vodka, Chinola Passionfruit, fresh orange, agave and lemon). Stop by for lawn games and happy hour specials Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, 4-8 p.m. Saturdays also bring live music. 8350 Broad St., Tysons
