Is there such a thing as a bad brew hike?
Honestly, what could possibly bring down a walk between breweries with good friends? The weather? Maybe. One thing we’ve learned from our trail hikes is that persevering through whatever weather Mother Nature dishes out is part of the adventure. Of course we don’t recklessly head out into any crazy weather. But neither are we to be deterred by the chance of some rain or a little wind chill. And we’re out to prove that brew hiking IS a year round activity!
And so, facing freezing temperatures, we set out on our first brew hike of 2018, our fourth overall. This time in Alexandria, Virginia (ok, technically the first two breweries weren’t IN Alexandria, but for simplicity’s sake, we’re still gonna call this the Alexandria brew hike), covering six miles and visiting four breweries along the way.
We’ve seen a real variety of scenery on our previous brew hikes. Industrial parks are common (and there are always discarded gloves in their gutters), but so are suburban strip malls, and downtown storefronts. But none of our previous hikes has offered the same scenery and historic site, nor been as pedestrian friendly as the Alexandria brew hike proved to be.
We started at New District Brewing Company, which sits near the head of the Washington & Old Dominion Trail and also along the Four Mile Run Trail, so it’s clearly a suitable starting point for the Alexandria Brew Trail. Owner Mike and Kyle gave a warm welcome and guided us through their fine beers, including their Anniversary Ale, celebrating two years of having brought brewing back to Arlington County after a 100 year lull.
It may have been cold out, but the first leg was easy An easy stroll on a fine pedestrian bridge across and less than a half mile later and we were at Capitol City Brewing Company in Shirlington. Cap City led the way in bringing craft brewing back to DC when they opened in the city in 1992, the first post-prohibition brew pub in the city. The pub part was welcome, as we enjoyed a warm bite for lunch along with our beers, including their hearty new Coffee Stout, Fuel. Just what was called for before setting back out into the cold for the longest leg of the hike.
And what’s this, another pedestrian bridge to get us across 395?! Lovely! We thought we might have to Frogger it across the traffic. Nice we didn’t have to try that. From there, the walk along Quaker Lane (VA State Route 402) is easy and scenic, passing envy arousing homes, large tracts of land (oh look, there’s a seminary on Seminary Road!), and even Gerald Ford’s own park. Soon after crossing Duke Street we passed Phoenix Mill, a detour destination on the Alexandria Heritage Trail, which was cool and historic. But this was a brew trail we were blazing, and a brewery we were seeking.
And soon enough, we could follow the crowds as we arrived at Port City Brewing Company. And it was a standing room only crowd inside. Why all the hubbub? It turns out we had hiked right into a clearly popular oyster & beer feast. Still full from our previous stop, we squooze in long enough to slake our thirst (my favorite, an Optimal Wit), and to learn a new Brew Hiker pro tip, check the event calendars to know before you go.
Leaving the scenery of the industrial park, familiar to all brew hikers, what’s this another trail, through a park? Indeed, a fine trail took us into Tarleton Park, onto the Holmes Run Trail, across another fine pedestrian bridge, and into Ben Brennan park, where geese frolicked on the lake under the shimmering sunlit spray from a fountain. It was freaking postcard lovely. And then, a few more fine residential blocks go us to Van Dorn Street and our final stop.
The Portner Brewhouse is the newest brewery on this trail, but also it’s really the oldest. Re-established in 2012, with the brew pub opening its doors not quite a year ago in 2017, but originally founded in Alexandria in 1869, and now brought back for our drinking pleasure by original founder Robert Portner’s great great granddaughters Catherine & Margaret. Our shadows were growing long as the sun set, but we made it before dark, and were soon enjoying a final few beers, a fine dinner, and some local beer history.
Who knows, perhaps we added something to that beer history ourselves. For an area so rich in trails, and now in breweries, brew hiking will no doubt catch on! And while we look forward to continuing our quest to blaze many more brew trails, this one in Alexandria, is already a standout.
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(see all the photos on Facebook)