Trip to Leesburg VA

http://www.beeradvocate.com/place/list/?city=Leesburg&c_id=US&s_id=VA

Leesburg is generally part of the 51st state: NoVa/DC/MD. There have been at least a few strings over the last couple of months where folks have weighed in on the very things you ask about here in the Northern Virginia/DC metro area. At the very least, throw out some suggestions on styles you like, styles you try to avoid, breweries you've heard about, etc.

 

I'm in Central Va (near Lickinghole) so do not get up to NOVA often but BrewLoco is a good bottle shop / coffee shop just outside of town. Loudoun Brewing Co. is a nano that opened a few months back and has been getting really good reviews. Fire Works Pizza and MacDowell Brew Kitchen often has a solid draft list. Outside of that take a 15 min drive to Purcellville. A few breweries there. (Belly Love, Corcoran, Adroit Theory, Old 690)

 

Ocelot is a must hit if you like ipas. Might as well stop by Lost Rhino also since it is on the way. They have some decent sours in bottles occasionally.

 

This will get you started. A load of breweries in Loudon County now.

http://www.cheersva.org/directory/categories/northern-va-breweries

 

I go up there for work a couple of times a year...Fireworks pizza is great food and tap list...the World of Beer in Reston Town Center has goodies...mad fox brewery is good...

 

2nd for Ocelot, kettles and grains (bottleshop), leesburg public house...

 

Here is another good site for Leesburg and surrounding areas:

http://www.visitloudoun.org/trip-ideas/loco-ale-trail#/gallery/recent

 

Leesburg has quite a few good beer options, so I think you'll find lots to like. Generally good suggestions above, but I'll add some/way too many details that might also be helpful. Oh, and how long will you be in the area? Apologies in advance for the wall of text below, hopefully it's helpful!

First off, here's an article that includes a nice map of the DC area breweries:
http://www.washingtonian.com/2016/01/12/70-breweries-around-washington-heres-map/

That'll give you a good visual idea of what's around and how far things are from each other.

Breweries in Leesburg:
Crooked Run - right in downtown Leesburg, in the same little complex as Fireworks. About as nano as you can get, but they make good beer. Everything is worth tasting.

Loudoun Brewing Company - also right in downtown Leesburg, so it'll be easy to walk to if you're already checking out Crooked Run. I haven't visited yet so I can't give you feedback on their beer, but the location is convenient.

Breweries Outside of Leesburg:
Purcellville (15 minute drive west of Leesburg)
Adroit Theory - big, experimental beers, many of which have been nicely barrel aged. With 24 beers on tap, chances are you'll find something that you really like. Prices are a bit higher than most other local breweries, just as a heads up. Worth a visit for sure, though. Also, if you're in town on the 23rd, they're doing a dark beer fest with quite a few beers on tap from other area breweries. Would be a good way to sample from lots of breweries.

Belly Love - their beers are always brewed well and to style, and I've never disliked a beer from them. Great atmosphere, and they have a full kitchen too that churns out quality meals. Their IPAs are on point, as is their oatmeal stout, and this place would make for a good dinner spot.

Corcoran - solid lineup of beers, nothing out of this world, but nothing bad either. I don't frequent them as much, but if you're in the area it's worth stopping in.

Old 690 - similar to Corcoran, just about everything they brew is pretty solid, but I don't frequent them as much. They're close enough to the other Purcellville breweries, though, that it might be worth a stop.

Bluemont (25 minute drive west of Leesburg)
Dirt Farm Brewing - halfway up a mountain, so the views are excellent. Unfortunately I haven't tried their beer (or their food), but I put them on the list because they're about 5 minutes from Bears Den, which is a lodge/campground right on the Appalachian Trail, so lots of hiking available. You can park for the day for $3 and go explore.

Lucketts (10 minute drive north of Leesburg)
Vanish Brewing - they just opened a month or so ago and I haven't had a chance to stop in yet. Pretty cool concept, though, since there's a hop farm and hop processing plant on site, as well as a malt house.

Aldie (20 minute drive south of Leesburg)
Quattro Goomba's - winery/brewery/pizza. They're off on their own, but you could stop there as part of a round about way of getting to the Ashburn area. Solid beers, nothing out of this world but nothing bad either.

Ashburn/Dulles (25 minute drive east of Leesburg)
Old Ox Brewing - super solid beers. Everything they do is to style and they tend to keep things pretty straight forward. Great tap room, and usually there's a food truck on site.

Lost Rhino - about 3 minutes from Old Ox, so if you take the drive out it's easy to visit both. They tend to focus on hoppier beers, although they do have a big imperial stout and a barrel aged stout on tap right now. They also have a line of sours that are worth trying. Small kitchen on site, so it'd be easy to turn this into a lunch or dinner stop.

Ocelot - about 10 or 15 minutes from Lost Rhino. They make bigger, hoppier beers and have also been churning out some sours. There's a BBQ food truck that has taken up residence there, so you'll have some food options.

Restaurants and Bars
Fireworks Pizza - excellent pizza and a good beer list. Just above Crooked Run in the same complex, right in downtown Leesburg.

MacDowell Brew Kitchen - right across the street from Fireworks. Good beer list and solid American food. They also just started brewing their own beer, fwiw.

Döner Bistro - if you like German beer, worth a visit, as they always have good stuff on tap. They're right next door to MacDowell and serve tasty, tasty Döner (like a German version of a gyro).

Leesburg Public House - A few minutes outside of downtown, they serve higher quality American food and have an extensive beer list. Great spot for lunch or dinner.

Bottle Shops
Kettles & Grains - homebrew supplies/brew on premise/bottle shop. They've always got some interesting stuff in bottles, and they're now doing growler fills.

Craft Beer Company - growler fills and bottle shop. 27 different beers available for growler fills, plus a bunch of bottles.

Brew LoCo - homebrew supplies/coffee shop/bottle shop. Smaller but still good selection, and their coffee is great.

 

^^^ Great list, not much to add from me. I would say that if you head to Bears Den there is free parking near the RT. 7 trailhead.

If OP has extra time and wants to drive (or possibly hit it up on the way home) there is hiking at Sugar Loaf Mt. in Frederick MD and several breweries/beer bars.

 

EatYourPinecone covered it perfectly. I'm from Bluemont originally and worked at MacDowell's years ago and it has come a long way and they do brew their own beer now. There is another brewery called B Chord that is trying to open up in Bluemont as well. I would add to the list checking out Harper's Ferry (about 20min from Leesburg) if you are into History and also for some nice hiking/views.