We promised to keep you posted as Mud Hound Brewing Company evolved and luckily there is a lot to update you on! Mud Hound is up and running, brewing beer at MacDowell Brew Kitchen in Leesburg, VA. Bob and Russ both paid the location a visit earlier this month and although their paths didn’t end up crossing, they both had the same takeaway: Mud Hound is here to stay.

The occasion was a May special release of Mud Hound’s Mommy Beerest, a nitro cream ale brewed with Jamaican tangelo and Galena hops, and of two variations Mud Hound’s LoCo Breakfast Stout. Russ was most excited about the Breakfast Stout variations, which are Oatmeal Stouts brewed with two different coffees from LoCo Beans (also in Leesburg). One version was made with Brazilian coffee beans while the other was made with Vietnamese coffee beans. We would recommend sampling each before ordering; the Brazilian version was more coffee and bitter tasting which the Vietnamese version was creamier with more of a chocolate taste to it.

Russ arrived earliest and grabbed lunch with the LoCo Breakfast Stout, both of which were delicious. Shortly after, Dan, one of Mud Hound’s brewers, showed up to grab a beer and show off the new digs.

The back bar is still a work in progress, but the beach themed “shack” complete with sand and a boat bar, will be a go to location all summer in Leesburg. Mud Hound has big plans for the back bar. Their current brew system has been moved there from inside the Brew Kitchen enabling Mud Hound to brew to their own schedule rather than relying on the restaurant’s hours. Plans are already in the works to expand the system to a three barrel system, which will allow them to keep their Hefeweizen (Weiz Ass) and coffee stout on tap full time while also allowing for several special brews monthly. June will see the release of a Belgian Tripel aged in Catoctin Creek pear brandy barrels followed up in July with their dIPA, One Night Stand, also aged in the pear brandy barrels.

The beer that surprised us the most was Mud Hound Lager, a lager brewed with honey out at Lost Rhino Brewing Company just a few miles away. Most of us have deep ties to Pennsylvania (including Dan) so when we think lager, we think Yuengling. It looks like Leesburg, VA might be changing its mindset. You might think that lager isn’t special or earth-shattering, but we believe that a very well-made beer is still memorable. Let’s hope that this is brewed on a regular rotation.