Sinistral Brewing Company is situated right along the railroad in Old Town Manassas at 9419 Main St, Manassas, VA 20110. With the microbrewery in the thick of nightlife, we had passed the location many times and were really looking forward to our visit. It certainly did not disappoint.
Atmosphere
Lately, it seems we’re cursed to choosing rainy nights for these taproom outings and the weather this night was worse than the previous. Obviously, this made the spacious outdoor seating a no-go which was a shame. However, the narrow taproom had plenty of atmosphere bolstered by musician Scott Kurt rocking the mic with his covers of everything from the Eagles and Tom Petty to Chris Stapleton and Thomas Rhett. If you look at Sinistral’s online calendar of events, you’re sure to find a night that appeals to you.
We didn’t see the games that a lot of breweries have, but it made sense given that this is a smaller tasting room situated in the heart of old town Manassas. The walls were covered with rustic decor and merchandise was available for purchase behind the bar. Most of the crowd was over the age of 30 – maybe not as trendy for the younger crowd but we had a whole lot of fun rocking out and enjoying the vibes.
Atmosphere Rating: 4.6/5
Service
Multiple bartenders were available and they were all quite friendly and eager to assist us. They were attentive and came by to check on us a couple of times. It was a shame that the weather canceled the food truck plans but they were happy to provide menus of surrounding restaurants. We ordered great food next door at the Philadelphia Tavern to eat in the taproom. The french fries, 4 alarm cheesesteak, and chicken salad sandwich were all delectable.
Service Rating: 4.7/5
Taste
Typically when tasting from a flight of beers (especially when it’s 6!) it’s easy to pick out a clear-cut favorite or at least a top 2 pick. But we kept going back and forth on our favorites because they were all so good! A consensus favorite was the Up North Pear Wheat (5.9% abv). Not too overpowering with the pear flavor, it seemed just as good paired with food as by itself.
There is also a lot to love for IPA fans, and ale fans in general, ranging from the smooth and hoppy Little Grey (6.1% abv) to the more bitter Sinistral Session IPA #1 (5.3% abv). It may not sound like a beer flavor you’d expect but don’t be off put by the name, Jackson’s Fish Taco Lager (4.2% abv) was a lighter alternative and tasted like a good beach beer similar to Landshark. There wasn’t a beer that we disliked in the bunch.
Taste Rating: 4.8/5
Final Rating: 4.7/5
Explore our other Brewery Bulletin reviews featuring Tucked Away Brewing and Eavesdrop Brewery.
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