What better way to break up a week than a trip to a new (to us) brewery? That was the thinking when the Open Tab crew selected Settle Down Easy Brewing Co. in Falls Church, VA for a Wednesday in the middle of summer.
Atmosphere
We love seeing the personality of each brewery we visit and how it reflects or blends in with its surroundings. To be honest, I thought we would end up giving Settle Down Easy a lower score here, even if just for the location in Falls Church. Yes, it’s further east in Northern VA and in a more congested area, but that also got us thinking. That’s why it’s not only a great location but a great name for a brewery. People can stop here after a long day at the office to grab drinks with their friends and quite literally settle down easy. It also goes to show why it was so busy for a Wednesday. Additionally, it turns out that every Wednesday is trivia night and they seem to have other events on their calendar as well. The trivia game was being played on a large television screen which leads us to believe it must be a popular spot to view major sporting events. There was even a stack of games by the door that patrons could pick up and bring to their tables.
The taproom of the nano brewery wasn’t large nor small, but it was just the right size, with the brewing tanks visible in the back. Despite a full house that evening, we didn’t feel crowded at all and mostly had the long table to ourselves. We wanted a brewery that we could get dinner at and Settle Down Easy fit the bill since it conveniently has a taco stand within the premises. The tacos are provided by El Tio through their partnership with the brewery. This tasty food at a reasonable price certainly gets a few points.
Atmosphere Rating: 4.5/5
Service
The service we received was well-above average. The cordial bartenders even bussed our tables making sure we would never have empty glasses in front of us for long. They also took our orders at the table so we wouldn’t have to go up to the bar. It was a nice touch that they had a water cooler with plastic cups, too. Many places don’t think about that, but it’s nice to stay hydrated when you’re drinking more than one or two beers.
The service from the folks at El Tio was just as good and they quickly brought our food out.
Service Rating: 4.6/5
Taste
The beers on tap were a true variety, not heavy in any one particular kind. Marcus and Andrew especially liked the White Liar Belgian Witbier (5.1% abv, 16 ibu) noting its refreshing and crisp taste with hints of orange. Greg was in the mood for something different from his usual IPAs and found The Floor is Guava (4.8% abv, 19 ibu) to be the perfect find. It was a guava gose-kettle sour that was really fruity without being overpoweringly sour. Cool name, too. Other favored beers were the No. 1 Dry Hopped Kolsch (4.75% abv, 20 ibu) and the Bourbon Barrel Porter (8.3% abv, 25 ibu). Marcus kept describing the taste of the kolsch as “bourgeois and entitled” which makes sense considering Settle Down Easy describes it as a sessionable beer with a unique hop aroma.
Settle Down Easy has an extensive tap list that is in constant rotation. One of the things that we noticed was that no two beers were too similar to each other. They seemed to have focused on getting all different kinds. Can’t wait for another visit next time we’re in Falls Church!
Taste Rating: 4.2/5
Final Rating: 4.4/5
Explore our other Brewery Bulletin reviews featuring Mustang Sally Brewing Company and Fair Winds Brewing Company.
Open Tab - Your favorites on tap 