Sinistral Brewery - Old Town Manassas VA

Have you ever heard somebody say that a  person or an area was “from the wrong side of the tracks”?  This term is one to describe somebody who was from the wrong end of town or an area that was not very safe or popular.  One of the newest breweries to open in Prince William County is not on the wrong side of the track but it is actually right on the side of the track.

Sinistral Brewery in Old Town Manassas opened the week before Thanksgiving in 2017 and is located at 9419 Main Street, across the street from the parking deck near the VRE and two doors down from Philadelphia Tavern.  The location, originally was a gas or ‘filling’ station and garage but has changed ownerships over the years.  However, you still get that vibe when you walk on the property.

You have three different buildings along with a court yard.  The main building is the tap room where you get to sample the different beers they have on tap.  The brewing area is located in the building where once cars were getting their engines worked on and tires changed and rotated.  The courtyard is an area to sit and enjoy the weather with a couple of fire pits for the cooler days and evenings and cornhole when the weather permits.  Another separate building serves as a overflow area with seats, restrooms and even an little ‘porch area’ of its own.

Currently, Sinistral is a 1-barel system that will be soon moving to a 7-barel system.  They should have been at 7 now however the original supplier of their equipment was… to put in delicate terms… shady and ripped off Sinistral and a few other breweries who purchased equipment from them by going bankrupt and leaving the groups without equipment and with no refund.  Did the owners fold up shop and call it quits?  Nope… they busted their asses and got the money together and ordered new equipment while doing the best they could with a 1-barel system.  The new equipment arrived in late January 2018 and hopefully they will be kicking out more beer very soon!

And speaking of beer… that new system is sorely needed as a 1-barrel system can only put out so much and as such there is an inventory problem at Sinistral.  They are doing their best to handle it as best they can with limited hours during the week and by not allowing growler fills…. but the inventory is hit-n-miss.

They have a set amount of beers that they plan to always have, and all the staples are named after their children.  With names like “Jackson’s Fish Taco Lager”, “Carson’s Pale Ale (The CPA)”, “Arden’s Amber Ale (A*3)”, Little Grey IPA” and “Camryn’s Poker-Faced Porter” show that the meaning of family is prominent with the 4 owners of this brewery.... two couples (one from Oregon) who love craft beer and family.  They also make a variety of other beers that they rotate out.

The beer pricing is a little strange.  Most breweries I have been to have a higher price for higher ABV and the higher the ABV then you may only get a 10oz pour instead of a full  12 or 16oz pour.  The folk at Sinistral may serve a lower ABV beer in a 10oz Teku instead of a full 12oz or 16oz pour because of the type of hop they are using.  A little disappointing for me.  I know many brewers that offer full 16oz pours of beers made with hops like Galaxy or Nelson Sauvin for $6-$7.

Sinistral also has a beer or mug club they call their “Hopmonster Club”.  The cost per year is $125 and they only allow 125 members.  So, once the 125 has been reached… that’s it.  Being in the Hopmonster Club you do get some advantages, those being:

• Personalized hop monster barrel mug for use only in their taproom for $5 pints on any of the 5 signature beers they have.
• 1 Sinistral hat
• 1 Sinistral t-shirt
• 10% off crowler purchases & growler fills
• VIP Invitation to specialty beer release events

I'm not really sure why a brewery would limit the number of members their club has.  To me it makes no sense.  I would think you would want more members who would come on a regular basis.... bring friends and spread the word about the brewery.  Maybe if they built more shelves for their custom mugs you could have more members.  Or they could just switch to a bigger pour option / glassware….  But… it’s just my opinion after all and who gives a $@!!% about my opinion anyway?  😊  After all... that is the name of this site is after all! 

So…. There you go folks.  My two-cents on what I have observed at Sinistral Brewing in Old Town Manassas.  Give them a try.  While they are a little out of the way for me I will be going back on a regular basis to enjoy new releases as they come out as well as enjoy siting out in the courtyard this summer, listening to the rumbling of the trains as they pass by.  The staff and owners are also very friendly and nice and make sure their customers are taken care of.  They are more than happy to talk beer and they work hard to have a number of events and live music for their customers.  You just can't beat F'ing great owners who love beer and love their customers.  I HIGHLY recommend that you give them a visit... even if you are not from the area, make sure to add them to your try list when you try our Manassas breweries.

 

As you can see with the 2-Silos post and this post, I am starting to extend beyond the Lake Ridge / Woodbridge brewery scene and more into Prince William County and beyond... so if anybody has any recommendations for a nice brewery for me to try out, please let me know.  I really enjoy getting out and trying out the different beers these local VA breweries bust their butts making.