Day Trip Out of DC: Wheatland Spring Farm + Brewery

This past weekend, we took another day trip out of DC to a Loudoun County, Virginia brewery, this time to Wheatland Spring Farm + Brewery. We took this day trip to celebrate Adam’s birthday and, while I tried to find somewhere fun to go, he’s the expert on finding great breweries and spots out in Virginia and Maryland. It’s a team effort — he finds the locales and I write about them!

Day Trip Out of DC: Loudoun County Brewery Afternoon

So, by now y’all know that I love a quick jaunt out of DC. I used to love weekend getaways, but now, in the new normal of the pandemic, a day trip often seems more accessible (I even included them as a tab on my blog now!). You can spend 6-7 hours, including travel, getting out of the city and feel as if you’ve escaped to a world away. It’s seriously crazy how rural and relaxing the landscape is just a short drive from the District.

Each time we venture out to Loudoun County, we discover more and more breweries, which are perfect for getting away from the city and getting away from people. I swear, on each drive, I’m wishing we had hours more to pop in to every single one we see. You could drive out 66 West with one specific destination and easily find 3-4 more breweries that won’t add more than a few minutes to your travel time, just by watching the signs on the road.

An Afternoon at Wheatland Spring Farm + Brewery

On this particular trip, we visited Wheatland Spring Farm + Brewery, a 30-acre working farm out in Waterford, Virginia, where they brew their beer in that old barn you see above.

At Wheatland Spring, they have both seasonal and year-round brews. I ordered the Carter’s Nitro Stout (I’m a sucker for a nitro) and Adam ordered the Du Terrain Brett Grisette. I was driving, but obviously the birthday boy could indulge in a few more, so, we ordered a bottle of Good Days to Come (which, in retrospect, maybe Adam chose as a nod to the year ahead?), which was a fermented citrus wit. If you’re picking up, they have cans and bottles available for order through their website.

This small agricultural farm provides lots of shaded areas to sit down and enjoy your beer. We easily could have spent all afternoon sampling all the beers had we not had to drive back.

We had eaten already when we arrived, but the food smelled delicious…there was a roast beef sandwich that kept being brought out and I was almost tempted enough to indulge.

Wheatland Spring Farm is open 12-6 PM Wednesday and Thursday, 12-8 PM Friday and Saturday, 12-6 PM Sunday, and closed on Monday and Tuesday. You can make reservations (which I’d highly suggest!) here. I get into the social distancing precautions in the next section!

Also, they have a cottage bed and breakfast that looks super charming for those who would like to plan a weekend getaway.

Wheatland Spring Farm + Brewery COVID Precautions

So, how was Wheatland Spring Farm + Brewery handling COVID precautions? Honestly, they did an awesome job. This was the first DC area brewery (or winery for that matter!) that we’d visited and stayed for a drink at since the pandemic started. We’ve done pickup from breweries just to get out of the city, but we’d been apprehensive about actually sticking around for a drink. Wheatland Spring Farm put all those anxieties to rest (though I can’t vouch for other breweries, so always check policies ahead of time!).

They were doing “crop-side pickup” for those who’d rather take and go, but, for those who wanted to hang out, there was plenty of space to spread out and there was a fabulous system in place. They clearly realize you can’t leave social distancing to chance.

You make a reservation ahead of time and can specify the exact spot you want on their outdoor property. I chose whatever’s available, which ended up being the biergarten. I would have opted for the “meadow” had it been available, but, now that I’ve been there, I realize that the biergarten is just as socially distanced as the meadow spots. You’re easily 12-15 feet away from other tables, assuming all are full. If you really want privacy, there are tables that are isolated across the property (those were booked).

Once you arrive, they immediately check you in and take you to your spot. You can then either order beer via a QR code (the folks that make QR codes must be thinking their lucky stars for their pandemic resurgence) and online ordering system or you can place an order at their barn window, while wearing a mask, of course.

We felt like were so far from other patrons and that the system was so perfectly run that things were super safe. I would 100% go back and would recommend it to anyone looking for a socially distanced afternoon.