Fair Winds Brewing

Another winner for the microbrew business! This one is especially close to me, so it could be dangerous…
The tap room is located in an out-​of-​the-​way nook of an industrial park; my car GPS wasn’t any help but Google Maps found it situated in the building’s corner, facing the road. Fair Winds only opened in March 2015. The tap room is decent; they have a single TV and a few sets of tables/​stools in front of the bar. Food trucks are usually available, but if they aren’t available you can order from the big binder full of food vendors who deliver.
If there is a style that Fair Winds focuses on, it would be ‘approachable IPAs’. While the brewmaster is an admitted hop-​head, he knows not everyone is a fan of the bitter so there’s plenty of others to choose from. A flight of 4 tastings is $ 10; growlers were going for $ 15. During my visit they had 8 beers, 4 of which were ‘flagship’ brews. Being the detail-​oriented person I am, I couldn’t help but sample all of them (oh, the troubles I go thru for my readers!). In fact, the owner was on hand and was kind enough to talk me thru my tasting and explain what I was drinking.
Special note: They had a «Ron Burgundy» theme going on during my visit. Since that’s one of my favorite movies, my review might be a bit biased.
Flagship brews:
Siren’s Lure: 7.2% Hoppy Saison, Belgian IPA style; by far my favorite of the day, and one of the favorites of the past several months. It’s characteristics changes from the point it hits your tongue to the end of the finish. Little fruity but not overly so. I can see why they won a Gold recently.
Sessions Of The Abyss: 4.5% Session IPA. Lower IBUs so I enjoyed it better than most IPAs but I’m not typically an IPA guy.
Howling Gale: 7.2% Regular IPA. See above, although I liked the Sessions a little better. Slightly banana nose.
Quayside: 4.5% Kolsch. Not bad; I don’t see many Kolsch styles in this area so I don’t have a good basis for comparison, but I’d drink it again
Non-​Flagship beers:
Blackened Seas: Cherry IPA. I had two versions of this; on Nitro and without. I LOVED the Nitro version; it gave it a much bigger mouthfeel. Oddly enough I didn’t get any fruit, despite the name.
Red Lead: 6% Red Ale. Pretty good; I didn’t catch much of a nose on this one.
Sessions Of The Abyss Blackberry: Again, I didn’t get any fruit from this beer despite the name.

So it may seem odd that I am writing a review for a brewery and not reviewing their actual beer selection. But I don’t like beer. I am reviewing the business itself.
My husband’s running club (plug for the Kingstowne Striders) has stopped here after some of their weeknight runs. We have seen them have trivia (it seemed pretty hard, we didn’t play), and music, and beer. You can bring your own food, and people seem to like it there.
So, when I needed a place to throw my husband’s 30^th birthday party, I made an arrangement to have a portion of the brewery sectioned off on a Friday night. It was perfect, we had the whole section behind the bar to ourselves, we ordered pizza, brought chips and cupcakes, and my husband got his fair share of beer out of it. The staff I emailed with and the staff that was there that night were really all very helpful, grateful for the business, and really flexible. The room is big, and it was a fun night.
My husband likes their beer, all the people at the party seemed to like their beer, and you can bring in soda or water or whatever for people in your party who don’t want beer. So, if you need a venue for a casual group– it’s really an easy way to do it.

Great atmosphere, but the beer was just okay for my palette. It doesn’t mean you won’t like them. The prices were comparable to other local craft breweries. They do offer a military discount which is nice, and they have discounts on Wens –half price growlers!
I’ll go back, hoping for beer that matches my liking.

The beer is ok. We just came to say we did once. The no dog policy is weird for NoVa breweries. We don’t usually go places where our is not welcome. Dogs are always welcome at Forge Brew Works.

Excellent craft brewery with a delicious Kölsch that comes incredibly close to the German original. Relaxing atmosphere, friendly and knowledgable staff. Go check it out, I can’t recommend them enough! ½ Growlers every Wednesday, too.

Remarkably solid business model combined with excellent service and delicious beer make Fair Winds the best part of the «Lorton Beer Trail» (Sorry, but that term still cracks me up)
Came into Fair Winds for a birthday party, with all of the hassle; needed shelter for an ice cream cake, asked them to open the doors, and let a small child rampage. The staff took it in stride, maintained great attitudes and smiles, and recommended tasty brews. Truly a great place for large groups and the fam, and the enormous garage doors make it a great place on warm days/​evenings.
Thanks for a great experience, Fair Winds.

Delicious beer at a reasonable price! I tried each of the beers they brew and not one let me down. The owner came out and met with us and welcomed us to the brewery. If you want a delicious beer in a relaxing atmosphere, this is the place to go!

Fairwinds is one of the breweries closest to where I live. They are located in an industrial park on Newington Road. Their brewpub is austere but very neat and clean. There are windows in the brew pub that look into the brewing area that has several large stainless steel vats. They had about 10 different brews to select from that included a Kolsch, (hoppy) session, IPA, pale ale, dark ale, stout, and porter. They offer flights with a selection of 4 beers in 4 ounce glasses. They also sell single small and large glasses for consumption on the premises. I liked the Siren’s Lure Session and the Blackened Seas cherry porter. They sell some snacks but do not serve food. They have notebooks with menus from nearby places that will deliver to the brewery. Occasionally a food truck sets up in their parking lot. Currently the only way to take away their beers is in growlers or kegs; they do not currently bottle or can their products. I recommend this brewery to those in the area and will likely return when I’m in the area.

Love this place! CLEAN. Great beers. Food truck out front. Games. Friendly staff. Will be returning.

First time today and loved it! Open layout and very family friendly (had a 1 and 3 year old in tow). Had pizzas delivered and enjoyed the gold metal winning Sirens Lure. Will definitely be back!

Nice beers, but nothing extraordinary. The brewery feels kind of new and stale — like it needs an identity. Kid friendly.

This place gets a 5 star for relaxing atmosphere and set-​up, but a 3 star for food menu options.
The location is perfect for anyone working in the Lorton/​Springfield area looking to blow off steam after a long week. Tucked away near the Loisdale-​Newington intersection, the brewery is located in an industrial warehouse district at the end of a row of warehouses. The layout is open and very cool as they’ve designed it almost like a mock garage with roll-​up doors for when the weather permits… They have corn hole, giant jenga, water pong and other fun activities that go hand in hand with downing a fresh pint.
The staff is friendly, sarcastic, and most importantly, knowledgeable about their trade. Their beer is quite tasty, with decent kölsch and saison options, but their real stars are the red ales, IPAs and stouts. Prices are great for the quality of beer you are getting. The only real limitation to this place is they have nothing besides their brewery items to offer… VERY limited snacks and non-​alcoholic options… but they do allow you to bring food in from outside vendors, so I wouldn’t write them off entirely!

Fair Winds is new to the scene, but they’re already cranking out excellent beer. This doesn’t always happen, and it certainly doesn’t happen by accident.
I’ve been here 3 times so far, and have always had a good time. Recently they had a «BRUTALITY AT THE BREWERY» metal night, which was awesome.
Food trucks are frequently parked out front to serve up grub to patrons. There are plenty of tables, board games and even giant «jenga» to keep you occupied with your friends as you knock back flights or go ham and drink pints.
The pale ales and IPAs really shine here. Bulkhead Brown ale is also very good, especially if you happen to catch it on cask!

I went to Fair Winds with my husband and another couple on 5÷30÷15 on the recommendation of some friends and Unilocalers. I am happy to report neither my friends nor the other Unilocalers let me down.
I really enjoyed the flights of beer at Fair Winds. The price was also very reasonable for a flight. My only suggestion is perhaps instead of having to skip 2 beers on their list for a flight, Fair Winds should offer a flight with all the beers for a little more money.
I loved how clean and relaxed (we arrived early on a Saturday evening) Fair Winds is. My group came prepared and brought some sandwiches and snacks to enjoy with our beer. (I also saw when we arrived a grilled cheese food truck and that somebody was having a pizza delivered.)
The «bartenders» are very cordial, knowledgeable and really seem to enjoy their job. (I find going to a brewery like this is a nice change of pace from waiting in long lines at traditional bar.)
I wanted to thank the owners for putting in ample seating for people to enjoy their product. I have been to similar places and although have always been able to eventually find a seat have had to wait (or have felt rushed to move along) if the brewery was crowded.
In a nutshell I really enjoyed my experience and would not hesitate to go back and invite friends to relax.

If this brewery was located at the Washington Navy Yard, they’d be killing it… like fishing with dynamite. Seriously though, I hope they consider opening up a location there.
Anyway, I’m glad they are near Fort Belvoir. ½ priced growlers on Wednesdays is enough to keep me coming back.
I really like their Hells Navigator.

We stopped in here Sunday after checking out another brewery in the area and had the pleasure of tasting along side of beer guru’s Bob and Ellie Tupper (
).
They currently offer a 4 sample for $ 10 and had 6 or 7 beers on tap while we were there. I tried the Kolsch, the Pale Ale, the Flemish Stout and the Belgian style red.
I absolutely LOVED the Kolsch, I could drink it by the tankard!
Still relatively new on the NOVA craft beer scene, Fair Winds Brewing Co is veteran owned and claims the title of Fairfax County’s largest packaging brewery. The set up is very industrial with clean lines, simple décor, and wide open space that will lend itself well to being crowded. They have a huge tasting bar, several picnic table type seats, some high tops, big roll-​up doors they can open in nice months, and lots of games to play, including a huge Jenga set.
They get food trucks and or allow you to bring in your own since they do not serve anything but beer on the premises. They offer tours on Saturdays at 1,3 and 5 pm. Lastly, their website has a great tracking page that allows you to find their beer locally if you can’t make it in to the tasting room (
).
I can see myself becoming a regular here.

Wow! What can I say? I had a wonderful time visiting tonight! Drove up and was immediately impressed with with whole look of the two huge bay doors that allow you to see directly into the taproom. When you get inside you’re just so excited to see so much space! Ample seating along the wall and bar with tables and chairs placed throughout. We immediately claimed a spot and went straight to the bar (which is huge by the way) and was met by a very friendly face willing to guide us. We were introduced to five beers on tap and opted for a full flight of four +1 special brew on nitro. When you look around, you can see that everything is well thought out and accommodating to everyone coming in to enjoy the beer. The environment was laid back and we felt comfortable right away. The taproom allows you bring your own snacks/​food, so we did and enjoyed a very nice time just sitting around and tasting all that Fair Winds Brewing had to offer. In the hour or so that we were there, we saw at least two tours of the brewery taking place. The brewery hosts a very impressive system and I will definitely make sure I participate in a tour the next time I go back.
After tasting all the beers, it was evident that sharing a flight with my husband was a bad idea so I went back for a small sampler (5oz) of the Flemish Stout. My tastes for beers has grown a lot over the past year and I can see a pattern where I tend to lean towards the darker, richer, creamier stouts and porters. I hit the jackpot with this one because it was on nitro! OMG… soooooo good! As the designated driver I didn’t get to consume as much as I wanted but was very glad for the growler I brought just in case I found a fav. Filled it up with the Flemish and will be enjoying at home.
I really liked this place. Staff.awesome. Beer… good stuff. Taproom… very cool and welcoming. I think if you live close by and can make this place a regular hang out. do it. Met some folks that come on the regular and they love it and I can see why. So what do I say about Fair Winds Brewing? GO! :)

I’ve been to the brewery twice and each time has been great. Pretty easy to find just south of the newly renovated Springfield Town Center.
I started with the sampler of their four beers and can’t pick my favorite. The Kolsch is crisp & clean. Can’t wait to have a pint again this summer. I’m a hops fan and so are they. The Pale Ale and IPA are great examples of the styles. The Red is a very complex beer with a definite Belgian influence. Has hints of a Belgian Abby Dubbel.
On my second time there they had already added a stout to their lineup. (On NITRO!) Got a growler for St. Patty’s Day.
It’s all about the beer, but the food trucks were great. Different ones each time I was there. Nice to have the variety in the food and beer. I look forward to returning to see the next beer in the lineup.
There is just something fun about enjoying beer in the place it is made. Can’t get better than that.

What’s not to like? A veteran-​owned small-​business making great beer? Sign me up.
Their current lineup features four flagship brews, all of which are solid, if not exemplary entrants into the craft brew landscape. Of singular note is the Running Light Red; in a world of overhopped beers, the malty overtones of the Red is a welcome and unique take. That said, if you’re looking to get your hop on, the Howling Gale IPA is as potent as its name. Each selection is worth a taste.
Fairwinds is doing it right; they’ve got a massive tasting room, and clearly have planned for brewing expansion. Definitely worth a visit and a flight of beers if you’re a fan of beer and local business!

First to review… WOOT! Sorry I’m done celebrating now.
My husband and I were in the area for a birthday party at Flight (a trampoline park). The place was packed with screaming kids, loud music and it was hotter than hell. I had very little patience for my surroundings and was quickly shutting down mentally. So we decided to make a quick detour to Fair Winds. Thankfully it was only 1.3 miles from Flight and just opened the week of ¾/​15. Located in a an industrial park not far from where 95 and Fairfax County Parkway intersect in Springfield. Technically it is in Lorton.
There were two food trucks parked out front — Grand Slam BBQ and Heritage Pizza. That’s always a good sign in my book. Upon entering, I was surprised at the size of the tasting room as it was quite large. A nicely sized u-​shaped bar, two garage doors (is it summer yet?!), and ample seating made up the tasting room. Lots of gray tones, tons of stainless steel, and plenty of wood finishes.
Being opening weekend, it was pretty packed. That didn’t deter us as we marched straight to the bar. We were pleasantly greeted and immediately served. Fair Winds currently has four offerings — Quayside Kolsch, Following C’s Pale Ale, Running Light Red, and Howling Gale IPA. A flight will run you $ 10. We each opted for our own flight. My favorite was definitely the Running Light Red. It’s an American take on a Belgian red. I believe they have a stout (Flemish Stout) coming out very shortly. I will certainly be returning to sample.
Fair Winds is family friendly however don’t bring your dogs as drinks are not allowed outside. The head brewer is Charlie Buettner. Craft beer fans may remember him from Mad Fox.