Now Open for Business... Tin Cannon Brewing Company

In case you missed it, because you were too busy with your Black Friday shopping or were still in a food coma from Thursday, a new Virginia craft brewery opened yesterday in Gainesville, Virginia – Tin Cannon Brewing Company. And because I’m the intrepid hunter of craft-brewed deliciousness and shenanigans (and because I had nothing else to do), I braved the cold and made my way out to Gainesville for some new beer.

And just so I can be sure I don’t bury the lead, Tin Cannon makes some pretty delicious beer, and you should go check them out when you get a chance. They’re located off of Limestone Drive, not too far from Jiffy Lube Live.

Tin Cannon is a small brewery (only 2 bbl per patch) that is located in an industrial/office park location. They had seven beers on their flight for opening day which included two blonde ales, a chili beer, a black IPA, a dunkelweizen, a peanut butter porter and a winter warmer. Their staff was very friendly and welcoming, and the tap room was filled with thirsty patrons and an excited opening day buzz.

The tap room itself is warm, welcoming, intimate and fun. They have a stamped copper bar top which looks amazing and retro looking pendant lamps hanging from the ceiling that give off a golden glow. The artwork is pretty cool too – all made from used shipping pallets. There’s plenty of seating and you can even see into the brewing side of the operation from your seat. I didn't get a chance to pop back and take a look around in the brewing side, but I did notice the fermentation room door with the old “Intel Inside” logo that had been changed to read “Beer Inside.”

Co-owners and brew masters John Hilkert and Aaron Ludwig

The core four beers include a blonde ale called Virginia Blonde (it’s called Belgian Judy on the website and is identified as a Belgian blonde ale), their Busted Pipe Black IPA, their unkelWeizen (dunkelweizen) and their Vaughn’s Peanut Butter, which is a peanut butter porter. At first glance, this seems like a very unusual flight of core offerings. First of all, a black IPA is not generally found in a core flight, especially if a basic IPA is not there too. Peanut butter porters are also unusual for a core flight and would typically be reserved for a seasonal or other rotator series. All of that being said, I thought their core beers were all very solid. The dunkel was attentive to style, and being that it’s not a style of beer typically found around this neck of the woods, it was all the more appreciated. The black IPA was perfectly balanced between hops and malt. The peanut butter porter was also well balanced, which I was very pleased to learn because most peanut butter porters go too aggressive with the peanut butter.

Also on flight was a winter warmer/holiday spice beer called Honey We’re on a Date. They’re calling it a winter warmer, or at least that is the indication on their website and Untappd – this beer is really tasty, but a bit tricky to figure out. It’s cloudy, and has phenolic banana and clove notes, so it has the look and feel of a hefeweizen. I suppose there are other spices in there too, and technically a winter warmer can be whatever you want it to be as long as you use those “holiday” spices. Again, great beer, but a mystery wrapped inside of an enigma, and juxtaposed to a conundrum.

When you are this close to a line of cannons, make sure you bring hearing protection

Then there was the Breakfast of Champions, which is the first in their “experimental” series. This beer is labeled as a chili beer, and rightly so because the chipotle peppers dominate the beer through and through. According to their tasting notes on the website, this beer was brewed as an amber ale with bacon and chipotle peppers – I would have to drink it again to see if I can pick up the bacon, but it is definitely out-shined by the peppers. I thought the beer was tasty, but just like with most chili beers, I don’t think I could drink two of them in one sitting.

There was also a second blonde on the opening day roster, which one of the owners identified as a “California Blonde.” I suppose this means that it is an American blonde by style as opposed to a Belgian blonde. He explained that this second blonde was created while adjusting mash temperatures… which would explain the change in sweetness. Either way, it was good, and I actually liked it a little bit better than the Virginia blonde.

One glaring issue that immediately became a problem is Tin Cannon’s occupancy, which apparently is 50 people. The tap room isn't very big, but 50 people aren't very many, and I imagine they will routinely have a scenario where they are turning people away or asking them to be patient. Do the workers count against that number too, or is it just the patrons? What about any live music that Tin Cannon may potentially want to host? Yesterday, they had a lot of people standing around outside in the cold, waiting for their turn to come in and drink. Fortunately, Tin Cannon’s friendly staff was able to keep people informed and in good spirits, and even started a waiting list so people could wait in their cars and be called on their cell phones when it was their turn.

Really cool idea for tap room art

But other than that small hiccup, I’d say Tin Cannon has a great brewery going on this their second day in operation. It is evident that the brewers care and really want to build a lasting business in their community. It is also very obvious that they know how to make beer and are both committed to brewing classic styles and willing to live on the wild side. The staff is made up of good people and the atmosphere is inviting. You should definitely check them out when you get a chance, particularly if you live in Gainesville or the surrounding Northern Virginia area. Drink local and support your local small businesses!

Here’s to craft-brewed happiness… Cheers!