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ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Crooked Run Fermentation has secured a building permit for its Del Ray taproom and says an opening date is approaching, co-founder Jake Endres wrote in a Substack newsletter Friday.
The permit, which Endres described as the biggest obstacle to opening on time, came in under the 90-day wait his permit expediter had projected. "One mistake and you go to the back of the line again," Endres wrote. He credited co-founder Leland "Lee" Rogan for getting it across the finish line.
Construction is well underway at 2003 Mount Vernon Avenue, the former home of neighborhood dessert shop Dolce & Bean. Rogan and contractor Jose have completed the walk-in refrigerator, repaired a significant floor sag using self-leveling concrete, and retiled the space. A 12-tap Euro-faucet draught system is being installed through Veteran Draft. Menu boards are being produced by Jules, the brewery's Leesburg manager.
Endres said the interior design process took an unexpected turn after an outside designer he hired fell short on execution, leaving him to spend more than 100 hours sourcing furniture, lighting, and décor himself. Monica Alford, an Alexandria native and style consultant who has worked with the brewery on marketing, provided guidance throughout. "I think overall it was a good experience," Endres wrote, adding that the crash course in design will inform future build-outs, including a planned remodel of the Leesburg location.
The food menu will center on chicken tenders — marinated in a buttermilk and hot sauce brine for 12 hours, double-dredged, and fried to 165 degrees. They will be gluten free and served with a house-made hot honey mustard. Endres said his benchmark for fried chicken is Popeye's. "Otherwise, what are you doing?" he wrote. The small kitchen will be supplemented by centralized prep at the brewery's Sterling production facility.
Crooked Run signed its lease for the 800-square-foot space in May, later than the January target the company had originally set. The brewery filed for an ABC license at the Del Ray address in March, as The Alexandria Brief first reported. Crooked Run currently operates taprooms in Leesburg, Sterling, and Washington's Union Market District.
"We've gotten to know a lot of the Del Ray community in our comings and goings already, and it seems like people are genuinely excited for us to open our doors," Endres wrote. "We can't wait."
Ryan Belmore
Ryan Belmore
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