Solace Brewing Company opened its newest outpost in the Ballston neighborhood of Arlington on Wednesday, September 9th, though a staff member tells us the pub’s soft opening was on Sunday, September 6th, the day before Labor Day.
Speaking of labor, sources inform DC Beer that H2 Collective, the owners of El Rey (formerly in the Solace space in Ballston and currently in DC proper with Navy Yard and U Street locations) tried to keep as many people from the former restaurant as possible. H2 are partners in Solaces’ newest outpost venture, as they are in the outposts of Falls Church and DC. Our server informed us that all the staff that wanted to stay on board were currently working at the newly minted Solace. Staff received training at the Falls Church Outpost and for NFL gamedays, the crowds have packed into 4201 Wilson.
Per our server, the soft opening on the 6th, was just a dip of the toe in the water, and the rush that followed was somewhat unexpected. On Sunday, September 13th, when I visited, they had kicked several kegs, a good sign for Solace.
The draft towers at the new Solace Outpost will look familiar to folks who frequented El Rey. With two twelve-draft line towers, ten beers were on offer, with two kegs kicked: 2 Legit 2 Wit witbier and Ballston Lager, a classic amber lager. The beers listed on Solace’s menu are 2 Legit 2 Wit (Belgian-style Witbier), Ballston Lager (Amber Lager), Lil Bit Cloudy (IPA), Artificial Light (Pilsner), Lucy Juicy (Double IPA), Lux Aeterna (Belgian-style Tripel), Mechanical Music (IPA), Partly Cloudy (IPA), Suns Out Hops Out (IPA), and Vibrant Thing (Strawberry Lemon Gose-style beer). Also on draft was Hop Water, with wine and cocktails on offer.
While Solace Outpost Arlington won’t brew on site, many of their beers are coming from the Falls Church Outpost location. Head brewer Russell Carpenter has crafted some excellent beers in the former Mad Fox Brewpub space and many of them are available at the new, Metro-friendlier location.
We have noted that a new space for a well-known brand can do wonders for a brewpub/restaurant concept. Perhaps most notable is the Right Proper Kitchen in the old Brookland Pint space. The steady growth of the RPK concept into a well-executed brewpub-like model has allowed Right Proper’s production brewery to continue to brew bigger batches of seasonals. We hope that Solace will experience the same type of steady business. The fact that Solace’s employees successfully transitioned from El Rey is a good thing. We want more jobs in the beer industry, and we’d love to see some growth for the hometown brands. While Solace’s HQ is in Loudon County, ultimately there is beer brewed in DC sold in Loudon and certainly vice versa.
A pint of Artificial Light, Carpenter’s Pilsner, will run you $8 a glass but a pitcher will cost you $20. Also of note, Tuesdays are half-priced growler nights, so each Tuesday you can get 50% off your 32oz or 64oz Growler Fills of Solace. Events are lined up and we wish the Solace team the best as they add Arlington to their list of Outposts.
