The Great Woodbridge Brewery Bust!

Holy Beer Bust Batman!  There have been big but sad changes with the Woodbridge / Lake Ridge beer scene in this past 1^st quarter of 2018 and more may be on its way.  Is it something in the water?  Maybe it is the beer… I don’t know but I do know the local beer scene in this area is shrinking!

We saw Heroic Aleworks close early this year in January and then a surprising announcement came out from Ornery Brewery and Public House in March that they to would be closing.  While we did have some advanced notice that Heroic was closing, Ornery only gave us a week notice.  It is no fault of Ornery’s management that they gave such short notice, but a deal could not be worked out with the landlord and they had no choice.

The last week of Ornery was one where the place was packed most every night.  It is a shame they didn’t have more of that support before the closing announcement!  If they had, we could all be there now enjoying a Pacific Wave’s IPA or some of their other beers.  The last open night they had was great.  Lots of folks filling up growlers (4 for me) and drinking as much beer as they could before it was gone for good.  (See picts below)  They did run out of a lot of their inventory that night as well as food… sigh… I will miss their burgers for sure.  They had some other brewers come by to wish them well such as Brew Republic, Waters End, past owners of Heroic and more.  But let’s not give up all hope as Ornery’s owner and backers are looking for a new location to open.  Let’s hope they get back…. And soon!  Going to be a hot summer and we all need cool beer!

What now?  What do we do here in the Woodbridge / Lake Ridge Area?  With Heroic and Ornery shut down the only brewery in East Prince William and in the Woodbridge area is Brew Republic.  On the West Side of Woodbirdge but mainly in Lake Ridge we have Waters End.  And in between both areas… right in the middle… is Growling Bear.  However, it is said that Growling Bear is looking to move shop.  Not close, but they are looking to move out of the area or even out of state, towards North Carolina.  We won’t have a definitive answer for Growling Bear though until later in the year and they decide what to do when their lease comes up.

So, for now we are down to three breweries which I hope you all get a change to visit more often now… since our choices are dwindling down 😊.  If you like Brew Republic, keep an eye out for them when you go out to dinner.  They are getting into more and more establishments with their beer.  Just here lately you can now find them on the menu at Clyde’s in the DC metro area as well as Old Ebbitt’s grill in DC.  You can find them in other locations and in local stores such a Wegman’s, Total Wine and more.  Check their website for all their locations.  If you like Waters End… yes they have been having an inventory problem as of late.  To many of you really like their beer!!  But inventory is coming back up, they are about to do some barrel releases, they have a collaboration or two going on.  Also, their new fermenter will soon be installed and put to good use making more tasty beer.  Lastly, if you like Growling Bear, I don’t see any events coming up on their site, but they are still pouring the bear… I mean beer… and I need to get by and try the “Rabid Edition” of their Rampaging Bear and the “Polar Bear Vanilla Cream Ale,” which sounds more like desert than beer but does sound good. 

If you have not been to any of these breweries or haven’t been in a while…. GET THERE!!  We had TWO breweries close here in the first quarter of 2018!  Who the Hell knows what is going to happen this or next quarter.  Next thing you know one of these others may be closing and you will finally show up asking what happened.  The only way to keep that from happening is to DRINK LOCAL!  Enjoy your local brewery and take the time to visit them more often.

Oh… and if there are any Ornery Mug Club Members out there looking for a new club to join… I would highly recommend joining the club over at Waters End!  They regularly open up on their closed days for just members to try out new beer releases and have great benefits and many member hang out there on a regular basis to discuss local happenings, food and of course…. BEER!  Come give them a shot!

NOTE!  I have heard that Brew Republic will be serving Ornery’s award winning Kölsch and that Forge brewery is brewing a batch of Ornery’s Pacific Waves IPA!!!  YAY!  Also, Ornery is still showing up at various beer events so hope to see them in a new location soon!