Woodbridge / Lake Ridge Beer - Ornery Beer Company Public House

Ok… If you are ever in a situation where you are playing local trivia and the following question is asked: “What is the first brewpub established in Prince William County?”  I have the answer for you!!  It was and is Ornery Beer Company and Public House.  Located adjacent to Opitz Boulevard in the Potomac Festival (click here for map) shopping center.  The county’s first brewpub opened in August of 2015 and I was glad to have visited that opening week to sample some of the beers and food.  As I sit here typing out this blog post some things have changed since that opening week.  For instance, the area where my wife and I sat that opening week is now a dartboard area for patrons and PWDA (Prince William Dart Association) members to throw a few… darts and beers that is.

The atmosphere is a little strange for me.  One section is all booths and tables.  Another section is booths and high-tops plus the front end of the bar.  You got a jukebox, golf game and the dart section close to the restroom.  In the back you have the back side of the bar and a ‘lounge’ section with leather couches and coffee tables. And behind those couches and a steel pipe enclosure you have 5 stainless steel tanks of magical elixir… beer!  They also have a ‘beer garden’ where you can sit outside and enjoy a came of big block Jenga, watch a ball game or toss a few bags of cornhole.  The whole place has TV’s everywhere showing a variety of sports on any given channel.

They are open 7-days a week and for six of those days they are open until 1-AM and the kitchen open until 12-AM!!  This is a big plus for me.  I did not really know this until I started researching the establishment.  My wife has a schedule where she may not get to eat dinner and does not get off work till 10-PM.  Nice to know we have an alternative place to grab a bite to eat other than late night Taco Bell!  The kitchen they describe as a “scratch kitchen” where they strive to serve a “polished pub” menu to pair with the various beers they produce in-house.

Being a restaurant, they serve it all, starters, soups / salads, entrees, flat-breads, sandwiches, burgers and even something sweet for the end of the meal.  The have wine on tap for those in the party that do not want to drink beer.  They also have a full bar where you can order up your favorite cocktail or just order up a nice libation over ice or straight up to sip on.  The even offer a tasting flight of four 1oz pours of Virginia produced liquor such as Bowman Small Batch Bourbon, Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye or Wasmund’s Single Malt!  Don’t worry, they have VA produced Gin and Vodka as well as VA produced hard ciders, but really it’s all about the beer.  Right?

So lets talk beer!  To start off, order a flight to see what you really enjoy; you get six 4oz pours for $10, however that price may deviate a little if you order one of their premium beers.  The offer beer in 8oz, 16oz pours and a 64oz growler.  The average price for the 8oz pour will run you around $3.75 while a 16oz averages to $6.55.  Want to take a growler home?  The average price for the 64oz growler runs about $19.90.  Hold it!!  What the heck!?  What if you don’t want to take home 64oz?  No worries, if you have your own 32oz growler they will fill it up with your favorite for half the 64oz price.  They just do not sell 32oz growlers onsite.  They also offer a ‘Cask Conditioned Ale’ which changes throughout the week.  You may ask yourself, what is ‘cask conditioned’?  It is the method the British used to store and serve ale before the invention of refrigeration we now all enjoy.  As such the beer is not carbonated like regular draft or bottled beer, instead is receives a natural carbonation, gently and over time due to further secondary fermentation it receives while being stored in the casks.  The beer is served at the same temperature you would normally find in a cellar; 48-50 degrees. Very cool and unique to find in our area.  Disclaimer: All average prices were based off the posted price and number of available beers at the time of this review and subject to change.

Want the beer a little cheaper?  Well you will need to come in between 3-7, Mon-Fri for their Happy Hour.  The daily happy hour will knock $2.00 off of those 16oz pints and they have selected appetizers that they offer for 50% off (changes daily).  They also have $10 growler fills on Mondays, and Thirsty Thursdays where you get happy hour beer prices from 11-AM to 9-PM.  That is a pretty good deal!  If you like the beer that much and you plan of coming back on a regular basis, you could join their beer club; ‘Club Ornery’.

While there is no information about ‘Club Ornery’ on the web site, I did ask management about it and got the inside scoop that you would not know about unless you asked!  The annual cost to be a Club Ornery member is $95 and as I have stated in other reviews… They say, “Membership has its privileges” so what privileges are we talking about?

•         20oz Ceramic mug to take home
•         A 20oz pour / mug when drinking at the establishment
•         $3 off 64oz Growler fills
•        10% off ALL food for you AND UP TO 6 GUESTS!! (Wow!)
•        The have a Club Party for all members each quarter and provide the food for their members to snack on while they enjoy their beer.
•         On Tuesdays, Club members enjoy Happy Hour prices on food and beer until 9-PM

If you decide to continue your membership the next year, you will get new mugs with new designs to take home and use in-house.

Now we are back to the same question I have asked myself in other reviews.  Is… it… worth… it?  Again, I have to stress, that membership in clubs like this is only worth it if you take advantage of it by being a regular patron.  My analysis is going to be the same as throughout all these reviews and based off of 4 beers a week.  So, at 4 beers a week and a 20oz pour, you wind up with a ‘free’ 16oz pour which averages $6.55.  Over the month that equals $26.20 in discounts and over 12 months that equates to $314.40 in discounts.  Subtract the initial $95 joining fee and you have a net savings of $219.40.  I can’t subtract the cost of the ceramic mugs the members get for joining because ONLY members get the mugs!  You cannot come and buy a mug!  They are exclusive and for members only… an elite group of folks.  Also with the mugs changing yearly… you get to start a nice little collection.  A bonus for those into collectibles. 😉

Ok… so now we have seen all the good stuff that I know that Ornery Beer Company and Public House has to offer.  Now it’s time to discuss what I don’t care about and what folks who like Ornery might not want to hear.  First, I have to say the price for food is a little up there for a ‘brewery’.  Like in the $$$ range that you would find on Yelp or at an establishment like the nearby Matchbox.  While many of the breweries I am reviewing are ‘breweries that serve food’, Ornery is a more of a ‘restaurant that brews beer’ and they state as much on the top of their own menu.  So, it seems the brewing of beer is not for the brewing of beer itself, instead the brewing of their beer is based solely off the food they come up with to serve. Regardless… I enjoy both their food and their beer but for me it is more of an identity issue.

This leads me to the other things I have issues with.  Get rid of some of the booths!  I know they took advantage and reused a lot of the booths from the former Hard Times Café, but for the prices being charged for food, I would much rather sit at a nice table than jammed in a booth.  Lastly, the ‘lounge’ area.  I would really expect to find this setting at an establishment with a smoky back room where I could sit back and enjoy a nice cigar along with a tumbler of scotch or fine bourbon listening to some nice Jazz.  The other establishment is one you may have seen in movies… where you have a pole in the center of the table that goes to the celling… and I will stop there with that description.  As in all my reviews and blog posts, this is just my opinion, take it or leave it.  I am sure many people like the couches but in my opinion this area would be awesome with more tables to sit around and enjoy great beer and food… hard to eat and drink from those couches.

The employees and members of management I have met here are great.  They really care about what they do concerning customer service and the commitment they have for their food and beer.  On this visit, Katie was my server and has been outstanding!!  Besides serving their own beer in-hours, they are distributing to different establishments in the area so if you see their beer on tap at you local watering hole, order one up!  If you are looking for a great meal and some good food then for sure drop by and have both!  I may have complained about the food prices, but I said NOTHING bad about the food!  Everything I have ordered during my visits has been excellent and I look forward to trying more.

There you have it!!  Another brewery review done and I move further West to my next review; Growling Bear.  Please leave your comments below… you don’t have to log in to leave a comment, there is an ‘anonymous’ option.  Also, get down to Ornery Beer House and Public House.  You will have a good time for sure, and if you don’t… well who gives a S@!#%... It's just my opinion anyway. 😊