American Craft Beer The Best Craft Beer, Breweries, Bars, Brewpubs, Beer Stores, And Restaurants Serving Serious Beer.
We don’t often write about restaurants here at ACB… Food and cooking are hardly our area of expertise and besides it’s all we can do keeping up with the American craft beer scene. That’s why I was a little perplexed when Dorothy Hornbeck invited me out to Northern Virginia to check out a new craft beer restaurant that’s been generating considerable buzz – and to spend some time with the man doing it.
I’d worked with Dorothy in the past and have learned that when she’s excited about something, I needed to pay attention. So I recently headed out to Tyson’s Corner, Virginia to spend an afternoon with Barrel and Bushel’s Head Chef Dan Dienemann – and get his take on craft beer and cuisine.
It turned out to be a fascinating visit… and yes, we drank a lot….but I also learned so much about “craft beer cuisine” while I was out there.
The Man
Dan Dienemann is a rising star among chefs in this region. But like many overnight successes who seemingly burst onto the scene out of nowhere, he’s been honing his craft for over two decades. He’s worked with big name celebrity chefs – players like Michael Mina, Roy Yamaguchi, Don Pintabona, Todd English, and Wolfgang Puck – and he had wonderful stories to share about all of them.
And in spite of his youthful appearance and playful manner, Dan’s clearly done the work. He’s put in his 10,000 hours and it showed in the many dishes food we shared that afternoon.
The Food
Barrel & Bush is all about craft – artisan beers and handcrafted foods. And Dan’s created a regionally-inspired American menu that takes handmade tradition surprising and welcome places. This is cuisine that compliments and is complimented by American craft beer. And the more locally sourced, the food and the beer, the better.
The dishes Dan presented were plentiful and varied. This was a unique rethinking of traditional cooking at its regional best. The Mayo Grilled Cheese used American cheese that’s been aged in Missouri for 180 days. It was paired with Devils Backbone’s award-winning Vienna Lager, and punctuated with a roasted tomato soup that was killer. Another highpoint was his Maryland Blue Crab Roll which melds the Boston lobster roll with Maryland’s beloved crustacean. It was paired with a short glass of Champion’s Missile IPA, a 7% hop-forward pleaser from a Charlottesville brewery that’s doing some exciting things.
The Beer
When I asked Dan if he liked craft beer, he looked at me like I was crazy, and explained that creating foods that work with artisan beer was what Barrel & Bushel was all about. He knows every beer that’s on tap here at Barrel & Bush and he’s constantly rethinking the boundaries of what might work with what.
They’ve 22 taps (and an impressive bottle list) serving up an incredible variety of beers from super-local breweries – the kinds of offerings you don’t commonly see in serious restaurants. They’ve a Kölsch from Mad Fox that’s as good as any that you’d find in Cologne, and a wonderful Peppercorn Saison from 3 Stars that was genius.
And you can get flights of beer that showcase different brewing regions. The Northern Virginia Flight offers four 5oz pours from new breweries like Wild Wolf and Lost Rhino – the Beltway Flight highlighted close in breweries like Alexandria, Virginia’s Port City and DC’s 3 Stars. The Southern Flight addresses the growing craft beer scene from Richmond to the Shenandoah Valley and might even reach into North Carolina on occasion.
You can even take home growler fills… or drink all day in the sun on their airy outdoor plaza.
The Bottom Line
Clearly serious restaurants serving serious beer have arrived in America – and Barrel & Bush deserves its place among them. Chef Dan Dienemann and General Manager Anthony Cavallo, have staked a claim on craft beer and cuisine in northern Virginia – and they are fast becoming a force to be reckoned with.
