Fair Winds Brewing Company

Good little brewery tucked away in a business park in Northern Virginia, just 30 minutes or so outside of DC. The Brett Saison and Kölsch are both tasty. Very 'locals know about this place' kind of vibe. Only one sticker, but it was free.

Been here a couple of times. Place is chill, industrial type. Beer is good but not outstanding. They had one barrel aged at the time, they unfortunately run out of, maybe that was a good one.

Nice brewery. I've been here a few times for work social. There are plenty of tables available indoors and a couple of outdoors. The beers are great, especially Howling Gale IPA. It would be nice if they serve finger foods go with the beers. There's a taco food truck outside that I haven't tried.

Came here for a date day on a Saturday. It wasn’t too crowded around 1 PM. The Raza Mexican food truck was delicious! Highly recommend the pollo quesadillas. It’s nice they have an outside and inside section. A lot of great selection, really liked their Kolsch. They are dog friendly inside and out which is fine until the dogs start barking 😅. Only thing that kills the mood are the screaming kids but when they weren’t there, it was still a cool spot!

Pretty cool place with indoor and outdoor seating. Usually has a food truck. Been here a couple times. They don't have a huge parking lot but there is some street parking. Decent amount of beers on tap. No flights but you can get 5 oz pours. We came here on a Sunday and I do like it here because it is dog friendly inside and out. Order at the bar and sit wherever. They had food serving inside this time and the food was delicious. I often get the High Barbary Amber Lager and my boyfriend got the LortonKenny Light Lager. I love the Amber Lager. It's flavorful, balanced and crisp. The light Lager was easy to drink and also a great light beer. We tried the Barrel Aged Ghost of the Mariner as well. That was really good and had a great espresso flavor. Beer and atmosphere are great but sometimes the bartenders aren't very friendly.

This is a nice brewery!! I finally made it here. Parking is challenging if you want to park in the front. I parked in the back. I don't usually drink alcoholic beverages, and was happy that they have soda. There us a small patio outside, and it is dogfriendly. When I was there on Thursday, there was a young lady selling BBQ food.

Great local brewery with well crafted beers. Industrial design open space that can get noisy with large crowds. Well made T-shirts with quirky but cool graphics.

This brewery has a very relaxed vibe. Extremely dog friendly. Industrial style interior with some great wood accents. Stool seating at high top tables only. We tried the IronMaster a Hazy that has a floral bouquet with a hint of citrus I didn't think it was bitter 11 IBU. The Homeport Stout was smokey and smooth. Standard stout profile. Howling Gale IPA a West Coast 80 IBU with double dry hops that is bitter and citrus forward. On our visit Natural Red Catering was available inside the brewery. The Brisket was AMAZING! The side we ordered was the Mac and Cheese, our 9 year old said the side was creamy but not too rich. She gave it an 8 out of 10! We are definitely coming back here!

I stopped in the other day for a beer with friends. It is a lovely open space with great beer. I had the Howling Gale IPA and found it smooth and delicious. Service was quick and helpful and La Raza food truck made some nice tacos al pastor to go with the beer. It is a little off the beaten path but worth the trip!

New to us brewery and what a great find! It's pretty spacious, large bar with lots of seating options. I believe there was even a cornhole competition happening in a large room next to the main bar area. They have a diverse menu of beers and while there was a food truck, we didn't get a chance to try it by the time they left at 8pm. They are very family and dog friendly, both allowed inside and not just out on the patio - haha I opted for a flight which is something I love to do when trying a new brewery, so I can try a multitude of their beers at once. All of them were great! I'm not certain if it is entirely women owned/operated, but it was that night and I loved it!

Poor service. Serving staff does not rinse glasses or pay attention to customers who are sitting at the bar. The last several times I have been here, I had to flag someone down because the servers were too engrossed with each other to notice someone sitting at the bar for many minutes without a beer. It used to be a lot better. There are so many simple things they could do to improve but they seem unwilling.

This place is really tucked away. Beer is really solid. Super dog friendly also. Didn't stay long as I came after work and had an early day the next morning. Was a little concerned that the Uber/Lyft wouldn't pick me up as this place is so tucked away but they did.

Solid tucked away local spot. Plenty of high top seating and some outdoor space and a big garage style door that is open for nice weather. Big pro is dog friendly, also family friendly. Good range of beers on top and some were sold out so you know they're fresh and have locals come They have TVs for sports games, rotating food trucks, and scheduled entertainment from music to trivia and even comedy Overall really enjoyed our time. Very laid back and friendly, don't expect anything over the top but do expect friendly banter from nearby tables

Stopped in after passing daily. Dog friendly, diverse menu, and on site food truck! Staff was informative and nice to talk to, the atmosphere is relaxed. Kids, babies, pets, families, a nice brewery for everyone. Also, a few TVs with March Madness playing

I don't drink, but I met up with friends here. The weather was reasonable so they had the garage door open to the patio seating area. Everyone was pleasant. I bought some food from a vendor they had on site that night. They allow leashed dogs inside and on the patio, which was nice.

Cool place! Had beers that my bf enjoyed and had a lady selling bbq for food options. Bbq was good as well! Bonus for being dog friendly

Good beer and service and Food trucks. Really want to hang out here more but always smells and feels like a men's locker room.

This was the best brew spot I found on my visit to the area. Spacious, indoor and outdoor seating, friendly service, plenty of good beers to choose from. Food was available although a limited barbecue type menu. I enjoyed it and would visit again.

Very nice space and great service. The beer was so so, have definitely had better but wasn't bad!

14 different beers available today. Always have new ones every few months. Almost always have a food truck outside. A few "events a month. They have no food service, so this review is about beer and ambitious

I came here when bars began re-opening after the Covid shut downs. Masks are required when you order at the bar. Outside seating was available and tables were well spaced apart for groups of friends to hang out without feeling like your group's personal space was being "violated". The bathrooms were clean, but I can't remember if hand sanitizer was provided. The staff wore masks and gloves. Respectable. Overall, not a bad brewery. I tried the Apricot Mango Lime-Kettle Sour and Boiler Room Red-Red Ale. Both tasty for a hot summer Friday afternoon. Will I go back? Indeed.

Pretty cool place with indoor and outdoor seating. Usually has a food truck. Been here a couple times. They don't have a huge parking lot but there is some street parking. Decent amount of beers on tap. No flights but you can get 5 oz pours. We came here on a Sunday and I do like it here because it is dog friendly inside and out. Order at the bar and sit wherever. They had food serving inside this time and the food was delicious. I often get the High Barbary Amber Lager and my boyfriend got the LortonKenny Light Lager. I love the Amber Lager. It's flavorful, balanced and crisp. The light Lager was easy to drink and also a great light beer. We tried the Barrel Aged Ghost of the Mariner as well. That was really good and had a great espresso flavor. Beer and atmosphere are great but sometimes the bartenders aren't very friendly.

While my wife and I came here for the food truck, we enjoyed a few beers. Even though they didn't have flights, they did have 5-ounce pours so you could make your flights. They had a nice variety of beers, and while I was unfamiliar with a west coast IPA, I gave it a shot; while it wasn't my favorite, I would still drink it as it wasn't bad. The place does get busy, and while we did have to wait a few minutes to snag a spot along the wall, it was worth the wait.

Me and my girlfriend wanted to grab a beer or two and this one was somewhat nearby. We've been here before but only to grab food because they have food trucks that park here sometimes but there wasn't this time (Sunday night). Parking is decent, street parking and some spots around the building. Good amount of seating but it was expected since we were there an hour and a half before closing. We got the Fruit Punch Tart and the Broseidon to start and sat out front in their patio. Nice and spacious and loved the lights they hung up. The Broseidon was a little sweet and tart, pretty refreshing. The Fruit Punch tart was a solid sour, not too tart and I tasted pineapple. We also got a Blackened Seas (a red wine barrel aged porter). Could definitely taste the red wine but was pretty smooth. I would love to come back during the day and hopefully when a food truck is there too because we could've used it. Also note, when coming in be careful with that one way tunnel.

This brewery would be much more enjoyable to visit if they would install some sound panels indoors. Very loud and can't hear someone speaking next to you.

Love this place. The beer is excellent and the staff is very friendly. The Tap Room is also roomy with plenty of seating. Oh...it's also close to my house! Cheers!

Delicious food and delicious beer! There is catering on the right side when you walk in. They have different food on certain days so check the website if you are going there to eat something along with the beer.

Love Gohst of thMariner. Great little brewery with a large selection and reasonably priced growlers.

Nice brewery perfect for your dog with delicious food vendors. While there's plenty of space inside, I enjoyed the open outdoor space and can't count how many dogs I saw, they were all friendly and well-behaved. The bartenders were really nice and swiftly served us. My husband enjoyed his Stout. I wish there were ciders, wine, or other options for people like me who don't like beer. I understand that it's a brewery though. The best part of the brewery is the food trucks over the weekend! I love the rotating vendors here especially BricknFire. The Neapolitan pizza is scrumptious with pillowy crust and great flavor. Highly recommend stopping by for a beer and some food!

Gosh! This is such a cute brewery and it's so close to home. I know about this place because my Fitness group holds a workout here every Friday evening. Check it out. So, we came on an early Sunday for the purpose of trying their beers and checking out their food vendor, Natural Red Catering. The brewery staff was awesome. They suggested some beer for our "planks". I am not a hoppy beer drinker and most of their beers were hoppy. I did enjoy their more popular brands(2 of them). The QUAYSIDE KOLSCH was one of the milder ones. The rest were more of my hubby favorites. Our trip to check out the BBQ caterer was good. Some of the food was good but I probably wouldn't drive out here for the food. The portion on the sandwich was small and they only offered 1 type of sauce. The scary part was the guy serving the food was touching the chips with his bare hands and then collecting money with the same hands. Needless to say, I didn't ordered their nachos. I learned that they host a food truck almost everyday. Fun food, beer and TV's all inside of a strip mall brewery. The space is large, there's seating around a bar and quite a few bigger tables.

Awesome beer, friendly staff, and dog friendly. Love coming here for a few drafts and Togo beer!! Hibah is awesome behind the bar too

Great beer, lager and stout selections. Friendly and helpful bar people. Food was from a food truck parked outside, and was excellent. The brew house is dog friendly, which worked pretty well. Fair Winds has become a go-to brew pub for my friends and me.

They are open during covid19 however you are required to wear a mask entering. There is outside seating as well as food trucks. It's a lively place music going and the crowd is fabulous not to many during this time and they are seated apart. Very industrial inside which I love for a brewery! My kolsch was pretty good can't say light and citrusy. The inside does open up so there's fresh air circulating throughout. It's some good beer here brewed locally! So please I encourage you to get out and support our local breweries! They need us and let's be honest here we need them

Great taphouse and brewery! Friendly staff and lots of delicious beer. If you're looking for food, there is a rotating food cart nearby.

Virginia's penchant of handcrafted beer is comparable to any other state. This is one of them that has a great selection of suds. That's why you're here right? We stopped here for some brews on the way home. They offer a beer sampler where $10 gets you 4 tasters (4-5 oz each) which isn't bad. Or just pick up a pint of whatever is avail on tap. The Ocktoberfest and the east-coast IPA were good ones. I would've tried more but I was already quite buzzed. The setup inside has tables and board games for kids and there's a food truck right outside. Sometimes they sell popcorn as well. But beer is king and rules over everything else. Location might be tough to find since it's in a corner area of some office strips. I'm sure people who work there don't mind taking a few "breaks" and stopping here! If you're in NOVA or DC, you've probably seen their beers at grocery stores and convenience stores. Coming here you can see first hand what they do with a beer tour or taste what's coming up. Take advantage!

I met a friend here last night around 7:30 for beers. It was a Thursday night and it was HOPPIN! I was surprised, as it's sort of in the middle of nowhere (which I love as I live in Springfield and I feel like this place is one of our best kept secrets). I had a High Barbery (their amber lager) and a Blackened Seas (seasonal-a stout style beer with black cherries). Both were wonderful. We ordered at the bar, opened a tab, and then stayed at our table and went to the bar when we wanted another drink. Staff was friendly and the atmosphere is fun and chill. Kudos for this place also being a veteran owned business. I'm so glad this place is my local brewery. Makes me proud to be a resident of this area.

Brandon was a knowledgeable bartender, he make sure we were satisfied with our tasting as I was our fist time there. We both have different taste of beer as I'm mostly wine drinker. After ordering out beer flight he still gave us a few of his favorite tastings after discussing our preferences and he was right on que. My favorite is the anniversary ale 2018 and my girlfriend the Vienna lager. Of course we went home with a growler!!! The ambient was so chill, we are planing on coming back with more friend to enjoy this chill brewer

Brewery stop number two! After our visit to New District, we headed here for more beer. This is a really beautiful space in an otherwise nondescript office park. Unfortunately, my group isn't into hoppy beers. This place is heavy on IPAs. We settled on a kolsch and a hop forward saison, which happened to win an illustrious award in the NoVa craft beer scene recently. You can purchase popcorn here as well. There was a food truck outside, which I assume is normal on weekends due to the big crowds. I love the Yelp 20% off in first visits. The staff was friendly, and celebrities like Jay Cutler have visited Fair Winds. Pretty cool!

Nice place, good beer selection and fair prices! First time coming here, and it was nice and quiet. Definitely will need to come back with some friends to enjoy this great atmosphere!

This great new brewery is spacious and has knowledgeable staff that can walk you through the perfect cold tap brew!

Fair Winds will always be our go to place. The beer is tasty, atmosphere is good and the service is great. The staff was amazing this weekend. We hosted a joint military retirement there, and the staff took fantastic care of us. Many of our guests had never been and loved it. Thank you!!!

This brewery is freaking awesome! We brought our toy poodle and corgi here. It is dog-friendly. Dogs are allowed in the tasting room. The bartenders are not only super friendly but also gave my dogs a water bowl and dog treats. A+++ My dogs and I had such a great time. People at the brewery are so welcoming and greeted us and played with our dogs. My corgi couldn't stop smiling and her tail was wagging non-stop. The beers were great. We got two flights. The pours were very generous. The food truck that day had many great options. We picked the portobello platter and grilled chicken sandwich. Very filling and tasty. Overall, Fair Winds Brewing is a must visit. We'll be back soon.

Update: after coming here at least once a month for a year, I've got to up the stars. Obviously it's five stars if I come that often. Look forward to trying more brews and good times at Fairwinds ...... I recently moved very close to Fairwinds and quickly became a regular visitor as there is no downside to this brewery Location - it's in a fairly industrial location, but that is fairly standard for breweries. The actual building is great - very large with lots of different kinds of seating. They have a wall that opens up and outdoor seating during nice weather. They do have toys and it's pretty child friendly during the day and early evening Food - no food is served, but they regularly have a food truck, usually Savory Delicatessen, every night. Also, you can bring food in and I find the bozellis on Alban road the most convenient Most importantly, the beer - my favorite is the golden shellback with the sirens lure hoppy saison coming in second. I haven't had any bad beers here though. Also, they have great specials - $4 pours on Thursday's, discount growler fills on Wednesday's Events - trivia on Thursday's, live music often, and fun events on holidays Dog friendly on the patio/outside area. Overall, this is a great brewery with good beer, friendly staff, and a great atmosphere

Stopped in here after work with a buddy and sat outside since most the spaces were taken up and we wanted to keep our distance. Have to order your beers at the bar. No outdoor heaters, but managed to grab a few hot dogs from Wagon Wheel food truck and beer to keep me warm. Moved indoors when space opened up.

My husband, kids, dog, and I stopped into Fair Winds to meet with our family whom we haven't seen in a few years as we travel down to Florida from CT. This brewery has a comfortable and welcoming vibe, and the staff was very friendly. Even my dog was treated kindly and offered a treat. I tried the Cherry Limeade Sour, which was awesome! My ONLY complaint was there were no board games or anything "old-fashioned" for the kids to do besides play on their devices. But that could be a COVID thing, too. So, if you're bringing kids, pack some games or bring devices. The place is so comfortable, you'll be there a while! While we didn't try it, Wagon Wheel Food Truck was outside, and they looked busy! Great visit after a long touristy day and for spending time with long-lost family. Thanks, Fair Winds!

Fair Winds is a nice brewery with a ton of outdoor seating. The place is ensconced in the beer garden feel, perfect beer aficionados and family alike. They aren't trying to be anything other than a solid brewery, and I like personally like that. Of course, this is not to say that they don't have a varied food truck lineup such as Craft BBQ..yum. However, what pleases me the most about this brewery is that their selection varied and delicious. Today, too many breweries seem to be caught up in the IPA craze and often monopolize their taps for the latest hipster nectar... no thank you. Fair Winds can certainly rock the IPA, but they also serve up some delicious pilsners, lagers, and stouts. In fact, I am certain that any brewery in the area would be happy to claim any of these gems as their own. I strongly suggest that anyone with a love of craft beer put this one on their craft brew dance card as soon as possible.

About 3 miles from the Springfield mall so not far at all. They offer 11 beers to taste, a brewery tour and a food truck out front for when the munchies kick in. It's a good size tasting room and don't be alarmed if you see kids floating around. There family friendly. You can tell that they are in a converted over storage facility. It looks like a pop up shop inside but they hAve been at that location for 2 years so I don't think they are going anywhere!

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.

It's my birthday and I'm extremely hoppy tonight... I know bad pun in a brewery. But that's Fair Winds specially, hoppy beers. Warehouse style brewery, great ambience. Only when it gets crowded, it really gets noisy. Tonight for example 6 of their 10 taps are IPAs. There are some Stouts and a couple of Nitros, but their specially is hops. I did a flight (4x 5oz) of their core beers which consisted of two IPAs, a Saison, and a Kölsch; with the exception of the Kölsch all was hoppy. Food vendor on site tonight with scrumptious Chicken and Pork sliders with potatoe salad. Very tasty!!! Military Discount people; even more reason to visit!!!

We stopped in here to after a Sunday lunch to celebrate a friend's birthday. We opted to taste all seven beers across two flights. Howling Gale IPA (7.2% ABV) Sessions in the Abyss IPA (4.5% ABV) Quayside Kolsch (4.5% ABV) Following C's Pale Ale (5.5% ABV) Blackened Seas Cherry Porter (6.5% ABV) Red Lead Red Ale (6.0% ABV) Ghost of the Mariner Imperial Stout (9.5% ABV) The Cherry Porter and Ghost of the Mariner are Nitro only brews. I loved all the brews except for the Kolsch and the Red Ale - I was not fond of these two brews. Everything else was excellent! We enjoyed all of our beers and the servers were very nice! I've also had their "Kerri's Cure" Belgium Pale Ale - but not at Fair Winds. A number of Virginia craft breweries banded together to help brew Kerri's Cure at Fair Winds - and then those breweries also got kegs of Kerri's Cure - and they all banded together to release it on the same day. The proceeds from the sale of Kerri's Cure were designated to help Kerri, the wife of the brewer at Forge Works just down the road. She was diagnosed with stomach cancer. The cancer claimed her life before the release of the brew bearing her name. I was fortunate enough to enjoy this pale ale at three Virginia craft breweries: Tin Cannon (Gainesville, VA), Old Bust Head (Vint Hill, VA), and Big Bad Wolf (Manassas, VA). All of the proceeds from the sale of Kerri's cure went to pay the medical bills that accrued during her fight with cancer, and anything left over went into a college fund for her son (who is less than one year old). The work that Fair Winds did in leading the charge to help out a fellow craft brewer and to bring the local craft beer community out to drink and support them was heartwarming! My hats off to the folks at Fair Winds! You are honorable and kick ass folks!

Beer was good. Nice place to go for a nice date night without the kids although it is a kid friendly atmosphere.

I don't personally drink beer, but we did come here to meet with friends. There is a yelp check in offer so be sure to use that when you visit. This is a dog friendly venue so expect to see lots of dogs in the area. They had music playing and lots of tables. I also saw people brought games from home and food so this seems like a great place to meet friends. Our group liked the beer flights except they did not like the pineapple one.

Delicious beer. My wife had the Very Berry Tart and I had the Blackened Seas. Both are delicious and my wife loved hers even though she's not a beer person usually. Super friendly staff with a great environment. And, they're dog friendly including letting your pup in the tasting room as long as they're behaved. They don't have their own kitchen, but they do food trucks which I think is a great concept because it allows for rotation of cuisine.

Great spot for a Saturday night hangout. lots of beer choices, coming from your average beer consumer. I'm not a huge fan of dogs and didn't expect so many of them to be there. I would have appreciated a section where dogs were not permitted, since i have allergies. Would have loved for an opportunity to tour. Also would like other available means of entertainment like live music, games on the table... something to spice up the Saturday night. Would have entice my party to stay longer rather than search for another place to drink. The parking was easy, the place wasn't too hard to locate in the dark. I liked the stack of cups next to the water fountains by the bathrooms. Very handy.

Nice little spot close to Springfield/Lorton. Quite for the time we went (around 6pm). Beers were good. I got a flight if the Sirens, bourbon one, red ale and the brown ale? I don't really remember the names of beers. No food. There was a pizza food truck outside. You're allowed to bring outside food while drinking.

Decent beers but they have way too many ipa's that all essentially taste the same. They have a bunch 6% abv ipa's that all might as well be the same thing. Wish brewers would focus more on getting on beer perfect instead of pumping out a bunch of clones of each other w no discernible taste difference.

Tasty affordable beers served by bartenders who know their beer. They can help you decide which one(s) you will like. Better yet, try a flight - you won't go wrong. Fair Winds makes good beer in variety of styles and they name them after nautical or weather events: Howling Gale IPA, Blackened sea , Hells Navigator, Dank & Stormy, Three Buoy's ESB - you get the idea. They are all good. Fair Winds has a large tasting room and they encourage you to come with your friends, play board games, or just visit. Typically families with kids are also there. Limited parking in the strip mall, but you will find a space if you search a bit and go further afield. Food Trucks or food stands available on popular days/times.