(Updated at 3:05 p.m.) The Westover Beer Garden (5863 Washington Blvd), which once struggled to stay open under onerous Arlington County regulations, plans to open a second location near Clarendon next year.
The new beer garden will open on the ground floor of the new Garfield Park apartment building (925 N. Garfield Street). It will features a “beer garden and haus,” a “butcher shop with emphasis on local farms,” and an on-site brewpub that will offer “Arlington County’s first local brew,” according to owner Devin Hicks.
The new beer garden will also serve as a music and event venue and will offer food similar to the current location, but with an expanded menu.
“Our present Beer Garden and Haus utilizes the local, grass fed meats of our in-house butcher shop,” Hicks noted. “Menu items include burgers with house-cured bacon, brisket, pulled pork, house made roast beef, corned beef, sandwiches, salads and a vast array of sides.”
The brewpub will initially offer a double IPA, an IPA, a German-style pilsner and seasonal beers, all brewed on-site, according to Hicks. The brewpub will utilize a 10-15 barrel system, he said, and a brewing line may be made available for select local homebrewers. (A 30-barrel system is typical for a new, production craft brewery.)
“Arlingtonians love their beer and… I think the area’s excited about having a local brew,” said Hicks. “We wanted to stay in Arlington and this seemed like the appropriate spot. The area is begging for a venue like this.”
The outdoor beer garden, in the semi-circular area in front of the Garfield Park building at the corner of Washington Blvd and 10th Street N., will have a 122-person capacity, according to Hicks. The venue’s indoor capacity is 210.
Hicks says he hopes to open the new location by March of 2015.