American Craft Beer Week: How To Celebrate In Vienna

VIENNA, VA — Eighty-five percent of adults age 21 or older, as the Brewers Association puts it, live within 10 miles of a brewery. It's even closer for Vienna residents, who have Caboose Brewing Company along the W&OD Trail and in Merrifield.

With Caboose Brewing Company in town and a handful of others nearby, the Brewers Association is urging craft beer drinkers to support local breweries as American Craft Beer Week approaches. The 15th annual weeklong observance will run from May 10-16 this year.

Craft Beer Week at Caboose Brewing Company will feature growlers at half price for a different beer each day:

• Monday: Wanderlust Kolsch
• Tuesday: Clara Grisette Farmhouse Ale
• Wednesday: Big Top Rye Lager
• Thursday: Bienvenidos Mexican Lager
• Friday: High Tide Imperial Pilsner

At Caboose Commons in Merrifield, the brewers are planning to add a variety of new flavors during American Craft Beer Week.

"Our brewers are doing a bunch of sixtels and kegs of beers that we already have and adding something fun to them, whether it's figs, spruce, or something like that," said Derek LaMarr, front of house manager at Caboose Commons. "We're giving them the go-ahead to experiment and basically surprise us."

Even beyond Craft Beer Week, there's good reason to support Caboose Brewing Company. The locally-based brewing company has dog-friendly outdoor dining at both locations, indoor dining, and food and a coffeehouse at both locations. The Caboose Tavern in Vienna recently celebrated its sixth anniversary. Caboose Commons in Merrifield opened in 2018.

Other breweries in the area to check out during Craft Beer Week are Settle Down Easy Brewing Co. (closed Mondays) in Falls Church, Chubby Squirrel Brewing Company in Fairfax, Ornery Beer Company in Fairfax, Solace Outpost in Falls Church and Audacious Aleworks in Falls Church.

Newer releases, discounts and other creative ideas will be offered at craft breweries across America this year as well, the Brewers Association said in a statement.

American Craft Beer Week in 2021, which takes place 14 months after the coronavirus pandemic began its significant financial impact on local businesses nationwide, presents a prime opportunity to support local brewers, association officials said.

“America’s small and independent craft breweries have faced many hardships over the past year,” Brewers Association marketing director Ann Obenchain said in a statement.

In recent decades, craft beer has become the more popular choice for Americans. Craft breweries in the United States date back to the late 1970s, the first opening shortly after President Jimmy Carter signed legislation that made home-brewing legal in 1978.

Now, craft breweries are opening in communities across America. Small and independent brewing companies accounted for 40 of the top 50 top producing craft brewing companies in 2020 based on beer sales volume, according to the Brewers Association.

Even as in-person craft beer consumption and unique local events were shut down for months following the pandemic’s start, craft breweries in the country provided more than 138,000 full- and part-time jobs in 2020, according to the association.

Breweries like Caboose Brewing Company felt the impacts of COVID-19 restrictions. In the early months of the pandemic, breweries and other food and beverage establishments had to shut down in-person dining and drinking.

In response, Caboose Commons ramped up its canning process to make beer available for curbside pickup. Their brewers also started stockpiling beer in barrels.

"We've been barreling beers and we've been doing funky, weird beers and just experimenting," LeMarr said. "We're releasing way more cans than we probably would've if it wasn't for the pandemic. ... Our new head brewer, who got the position over the pandemic, is going wild."

Now, with COVID-19 restrictions eased in many areas, 2021’s American Craft Beer Week “is about more than just delicious craft beer,” Obenchain said.

“It’s about community and showing support for hometown taprooms, brewpubs and breweries,” she added.

This story includes reporting from Patch editor Michael O'Connell.