Steve Burns
WMAL.com

FAIRFAX – (WMAL) As craft brewers began moving en masse to places like Loudoun County or the central Virginia area, Fairfax County felt left out. At the same time, prospective brewers like Casey Jones were stymied in their efforts to build in the county. Now, after a slight zoning change, the industry is booming in Fairfax County.

“It was kind of a no-brainer to be able to build something in my backyard with such a great set of demographics, with people who both love craft beer and have the disposable income to buy craft beer,” Fair Winds Brewing Company’s Casey Jones told WMAL.

But he ran into a significant roadblock: there was no craft brewery listing in the county’s zoning code.

“I definitely think it was just an oversight,” Jones said.

The County Board of Supervisors changed that last March, and since, five craft brewers have set up shop in the county.

Public officials have been courting the trendy industry over the last decade, trying to reap the benefits of a business that both attracts tourists and keeps money in the local economy.

“Craft beer focuses on tourism and agriculture,” Jones said. “They come out, they tour the breweries, then they’re going to stay on at the local restaurants, and the hotels if they’re going to hit several.”

Unlike a lot of other industries, Jones said he welcomes competition in the form of other nearby craft breweries. The goal, he said, is to establish Fairfax as a bona fide brew trail, competing with the likes of Loudoun County and the popular Brew Ridge Trail in central Virginia.

“We want to make sure that dollars are staying in the local economy,” Jones said. “That’s what drives, I think, all the craft movements, whether they be craft beer, or farm-to-table food, or craft spirits.”

Copyright 2017 by WMAL.com. All Rights Reserved. (PHOTO: CC0 Creative Commons via Pixabay)