Forge Brew Works

The environment of the brewery is great. The atmosphere is very family friendly. The abbey ale and strong 11% Belgian strong dark ale might improve with barrel aging. It is my feeling that the beers are a little hop heavy across all offerings.

Very fun place! IPA and Blond Ale are among the best. Can get food delivered are bring your own.

Came here to visit the brewery scene in the area. Good selection with 22 beers on tap, but off flavors in the beer make me not want to come here again. The Abbey is very tart, the IPA tastes Belgian, the double IPA is too sweet and does not have much hop aroma. The elder gods ale was actually not bad although I wondered if the phenolic as came from smoked malt or is an off flavor. The drone of the food trucks generator was annoying. No reason to come back.

Recommend Elder Gods a great Belgian ale. Bring your own food or order delivery. A lot of other great beers too.

No-​nonsense local craft brewery. Wish we had known that there was no food (and nothing open within walking) when we went the first time because when we walked in we immediately knew we’d be trying everything and would be there a while. Oh well.
Good stuff, chill atmosphere. Happy to see a crafter in these parts. We also took a reasonably priced growler home of our fave.

Forge has awesome beers, especially with respect to their ales and porters. I’ve been there several times, and each time I get a beer and walk away with a full growler. There’s usually a small, often diverse crowd, more akin to what you’d see at a DC bar, but everyone seems down to earth. They also allow (well-​behaved) dogs, which adds to the good vibes. The huge chalkboard with all the beers listed, placed over the line of taps, is a really nice touch, and is definitely the focal point. This is the type of place we need more of in the Springfield/​Burke/​Lorton area.
Also, for first-​timers, don’t worry about the fact that it’s in an industrial park, this is par for the course for on-​premises brewpubs (Lost Rhino is the same way).
Bonus: I’ve seen a food truck parked out front a few times.

Ahh… back to old faithful. After visiting Port City brewery I realized what I loved so much about Forge: the people are laid back and the atmosphere is chill, AND dog-​friendly. One of the workers even informed me they’re doing a kind of «yappy hour» starting soon where owners can bring their dogs and drink centered around the dogs. Coming here with the open garage door in the summers is the best. I’m really opening up to different types of beer and am currently loving their Kelsenator, which has a mixed berry type of tannin flavor in a stout finish. Best local brewery!

Do you ever walk into a place and receive a greeting so hearty and welcoming you know you’re not going to want to leave? Yeah, well that is exactly what happened to me walking into Forge Brew Works Sunday afternoon.
My husband and I were greeted by a big booming voice upon walking in the door and an invitation to try their newly released Saison de Wit. Turns out the greeting came from none other than Rory: one of the brewers, and he could not have been any more awesome! As for the beer, well, he has a right to be proud of himself!
We did as we were told and started with a glass of the saison, which was phenomenal. Then I moved onto a sampler of four: the Belgian Blonde, the Farm House Ale, the Roggenbier, and the Sitobine. All of which were good, with the Farm House Ale being my absolute favorite. I could drink that stuff all day! Then I tried the Abbey Ale, the Kelsenator and the Dortmunder Lager. All good also.
Sadly they were out of the Stout that I really wanted to try.
Although when we first walked in it was just my husband and I, things picked up around 2pm when people starting filing in and the place filled up. I have to say though, I really loved having the place to ourselves for a little while and having the privilege of chatting with the staff and a couple of other patrons. Turns out, FBW is a really chill place that makes great beer and has awesome people flock to it!
Things to note:
+They do not serve food, but you can bring you own
+They get food trucks (see their Facebook posts) and also allow delivery to the brewery (they have a pizza menu if you want it)
+They are dog friendly
+They have trivia every week
+They are just all around awesome

Most of the beer here is solid, with the exception of the pale ale, which was, quite frankly, funked. Not sure if they had the tap line switched with the farmhouse ale or something, but this tasted nothing like a pale ale should and had a slight sour taste. I would have liked it quite well if they’d called it a saison, but a pale ale it was not. Anyway, all of the beer is good drinking and much better than most of the beer coming out the DC Metro breweries, but still nothing exceptional. If you want really good craft beer in this area, you need to go to Baltimore.
But I have to say, I am annoyed people are not holding this place more accountable for the ridiculous prices they charge. This is a brewery in an industrial setting with lousy amenities and ambiance. No food, no wait service, no outdoor seating (indoor seating is sparse and wanting) and a shared bathroom. Are we supposed to think we’ve found the the cave containing the holy grail of hops and barley and therefore all is excused?
The staff are super cool and friendly, so that’s great, but I’m just really over the fact that they’re charging 6 – 8 $ for a 10oz snifter of beer. I will not be going back until I see prices lowered, so I hope you, FORGE, are reading this review.
The beer culture around here is just not doing it right. Beer is not supposed to be an ultrapremium commodity for wealthy young urbanites. If you’ve ever spent time on the West Coast, you know how breweries and craft beer are accessible and enjoyed by everyone.

Had a flight mostly IPAs and DIPAs. I was impressed by the selection. Hands down a great local brewery with much potential. If you’re into DIPAs, try the Rory Rye!

The beer is amazing. We also had a great time playing trivia. Everyone is super friendly. The food truck was German and my schnitzel sandwich was wonderful. The atmosphere is comfortable– there are dogs and kids and beer.

Can’t speak to the beer because I’m not a beer fan, but I can speak to the service and atmosphere.
IT’S PRETTY AWESOME
Very approachable, attentive, knowledgeable folks at the front. I always get this anxiety in bars because I don’t like having to shout down a bartender or make large gestures with my arms, but this was definitely not the case even when it was weekend-​crowded. They were more than happy to offer their advice for beer skeptics and newbies, too.
The atmosphere was wonderfully casual and easygoing with high ceilings and a lot of natural lighting. They don’t have a chip on their shoulder about bringing your own snacks and food which is great and I think effectively puts everyone at ease.
Oh, and I loved their music choice. Sounded like a 90s alternative mix while we were there; definitely was digging that.
SOME DRAWBACKS
There was one point where they threw open the garage door (basically half of the front wall) and let in a lot of cold air which was uncomfortable for a while but I’m sure they did it with good reason (it was getting a little crowded).
Their bathroom could use a little work, though. I think it’s weird that it’s a single stall-​room sticking out of the side of the mingling area… And although it was well-​stocked in there, it could have used a little maintenance with so many men and women going in and out over the course of the day. A place for jackets would be nice, too, unless I missed that somewhere!

Love this place! Am so happy there is a dog friendly brewery close to our house. Anyways, we went on a Saturday night (trivia night) with our dog in tow. Place was pretty bustling and everyone was really friendly.
We tried tasters of 5 beers. They were all really tasty, and at $ 2.50 to $ 3.00 a pop, reasonably priced. Ended up getting a growler of the Abbey Ale to take home.
Can’t wait to try more of their beers.

I didn’t even know a brewery existed so close to where I live but I am glad I know of it now. Recently one of my friend had her birthday party here and I got an opportunity to check out this place. It is located in the industrial part of Lorton and upon pulling up I thought I was at the wrong place. From the outside it looks like a bunch of warehouses. This place is by no means fancy, upon stepping in you will feel like you stepped into a warehouse, cinderblock walls with fluorescent lighting and a couple of tables scattered around the place. But don’t let the ambiance deter you from the great beers they brew. I had the chance to try out the Belgian blonde and the Roggenbier. Both of them were very good. The prices vary but a taster is ~$ 3 and a glass is ~$ 7. The bartenders are friendly and the atmosphere has a chill vibe to it, you can avoid the standard pretentious crowd you get at the bars. I am a fan!
Now they don’t serve food here, but they allow you to order takeout and have it delivered to their place. They are also animal and children friendly. While I was there I saw children sitting on the ground playing games on their iPads while the adults enjoyed their beverages and two dogs just chilling in the corner. It seemed like this brewery is pretty well known, during the time I was there the place was always fully and never empty. Once again I would like to stress that I am a huge fan and I would highly recommend it!

About 10 – 15 people came out with me here yesterday, and it did not disappoint! I called in advance to let them know we were coming, and Darcy and Martin were happy to host. They were chipper over the phone and answered all of my questions. They said we could order food in from a menu for delivery, bring in our own folding chairs or tables, and come in whenever we would like.
It’s pretty common for breweries in the northern VA area to be in industrial parks (see: Port City), so this factor did not phase me at all. You shouldn’t feel scared! There is plenty of parking here as well, and there are signs to direct drivers. The space is pretty grey inside, but there are a few cool table tops made out of barrels along with stools. The bar is towards the back (you can see it when you walk in), and the menu is proudly posted up above. There is no confusion on pricing or types of beer. There is also a bar along the cement wall to put your stuff or your glasses of beer.
Several of us decided to get four tastings which allowed us to get 20% off the total bill. Otherwise, you can get a la carte tastings that range in price from $ 2.50 to $ 4. I like this option because those who aren’t big beer drinkers can sample small tastes and don’t have to spend a lot. If you end up wanting to drink a lot, it can get expensive, but this didn’t bother me as this is a local place. There were 12 beers on the menu, and my favorite was the imperial rye stout.
This brewery is also open to kids and dogs. I’m glad young couples can bring their kids, but I wasn’t a fan of the dogs. The smell of wet dog /​dog food /​animals would come and go, and after a little while, this was somewhat annoying. I love dogs, but in an enclosed area where smells can linger, I’d prefer for only humans to be allowed.
I think it’s an awesome idea for them to have a delivery menu of food for people to order from. The menu has your basic Italian food — pizza, sandwiches, salads, and desserts. However, you should just bring your own food as that is allowed as well.
Other notes: there is trivia on Saturdays at 6:30 and other specials on different days of the week.
Bottom line: if you’re looking for a casual get together with friends, this is a pretty cool place to get the job done. There are no televisions around like a sports bar, so Forge actually allows you to have real conversations with people.

I enjoy coming to this place a very chill vibe.
Great beer
Great Staff
Can order from a local place

I am a huge beer connoisseur and have been dying to try Forge out for a while now.
First there was almost nobody in there on a nice Sunday afternoon. Tried to strike up a conversation with the server and he didn’t seem too interested. I asked what is aging in the cask barrels and he said he couldn’t tell me, but that it was coming out in a couple weeks. I have never had that sort of response before. Usually brewers/​breweries are bending over backwards to tell you what they have going on.
So, I sat and had a sampler and a full Saison. Beers were around average for their respective style. The best ones being the IPA and the Saison. Was disappointed that the Double IPA was not available.
I would really give a 2 ½ but don’t know how to give a half star on Unilocal.Overall: Beer was decent, but experience was not that great.

This place is an amazing local brewery. It’s in an industrial location but with a great turn out. Lots of amazing beers on tap. You can bring in your own food or order in with no problems. They will give you a bozzelis menu for free delivery. We loved our afternoon excursion

This is such a nifty little place. The atmosphere is so cute and just an overall cool. At first, when I heard it was in a warehouse, I was sketched out, but I’m glad I gave this place a try. I love it :) !
Beer — for a local brewery, their beer is mighty tasty~ I had like a sample/​taster cup of a little bit of what they had. My favorite was the Belgian Blond and Lorton something… And I’m not much of a hoppy IPA fan, but their double IPA (Seaward DIPA) was really freaking good. Their Slake IPA was great too!
Downside to the place is that, they don’t serve any food, but they allow you to order food into their facility.
*Note: Not that their bathroom is important, but I just wanted to mention that it looks like a time machine… I don’t know why, but it does. :)

I’m glad that Springfield and the local area has a new brewery to visit. My husband and I are a little spoiled having the best breweries here in DC, but we decided to venture out to try this place.
As far as breweries go, this is pretty typical with no frills, very little seating and bearded white guys behind the counter. They offers several types but sadly they were out of the two IPAs I wanted to try. We got a flight of everything and my husband ended up getting a pint of something as we socialized with our friends. In honesty, I wasn’t blown away by anything and I have had better, but I have also had much worse. I probably wouldn’t make another trip out there unless they were revealing some new awesome beers.
The beer was good, normal, average brews, though I did not get to try the IPAs, I’m sure I would have enjoyed those.
They also apparently have trivia which is cool. If this were the only brewery close or available to us, then we would go all the time, but for my own personal two cents it wasn’t amazing.
My husband ended up getting a growler and enjoying it at a party later.