| Overall
Average User Rating |
| Beer Quality |
Beer Selection |
Food |
Service |
Overall |
|
Great
|
Great
|
Good
|
Good
|
Good
|
|
|
Review Page:
[
1
]
[
2
]
[
3
]
[
4
]
[
5
]
[
ALL
]
|
Individual User Reviews |
|
|
Beer Quality |
Beer Selection |
Food |
Service |
Overall |
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
|
Closed early January 2006; no signs of reactivation at this point. Website points to a wine-tasting site now.
|
|
Write Your Review
| Reply
to this Review |
Report Review |
Alexander D. Mitchell IV,
Baltimore, MD
(09/15/2006) |
|
|
Beer Quality |
Beer Selection |
Food |
Service |
Overall |
|
Great
|
Great
|
Great
|
Great
|
Great
|
|
Officially their last night will be New Year's Eve; however, they're inviting people to help them drain the tanks on Saturday, January 7th from 5:00pm to 9:00pm. All you can drink -- $10 for Mug Club members, $15 for non-members.
|
|
Write Your Review
| Reply
to this Review |
Report Review |
Gregg Wiggins,
Arlington, VA
(12/29/2005) |
|
|
Beer Quality |
Beer Selection |
Food |
Service |
Overall |
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
|
From an email to their Beer club members (not me): "Founders' is closing operations at 607 King Street on December 31, 2005 due to losing our lease."
|
|
Write Your Review
| Reply
to this Review |
Report Review |
Paul E. Milligan,
Columbia, MD
(12/22/2005) |
|
|
Beer Quality |
Beer Selection |
Food |
Service |
Overall |
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
|
From an email sent to their Beer club members (not me): "Founders' is closing operations at 607 King Street on December 31, 2005 due to losing our lease."
|
|
Write Your Review
| Reply
to this Review |
Report Review |
Columbia, MD
(12/22/2005) |
|
|
Beer Quality |
Beer Selection |
Food |
Service |
Overall |
|
Good
|
Great
|
Good
|
Good
|
Good
|
|
Sad note. I understand Founders is closing as of year end. Hopefully a brewpub will replace it.
|
|
Write Your Review
| Reply
to this Review |
Report Review |
Alexandria, VA
(12/22/2005) |
|
|
Beer Quality |
Beer Selection |
Food |
Service |
Overall |
|
Awesome!
|
Great
|
Awesome!
|
Awesome!
|
Awesome!
|
|
I attended the Beer Dinner on October 26th 2005. Absolutely Wonderful! I'm a regular customer at this Brewpub and the beer, food, and service always range from Great to Awesome. For the Beer Dinner, everything was Awsome! My compliments to Barbara (Brewer) and Stephen (Chef) for their excellent work! Don't miss the Dunkel Weiss, Oktoberfest, and Porter--all Awesome!
|
|
Write Your Review
| Reply
to this Review |
Report Review |
Curt Brewer,
Colorado Springs, CO
(11/04/2005) |
|
|
Beer Quality |
Beer Selection |
Food |
Service |
Overall |
|
Great
|
Good
|
Great
|
Great
|
Great
|
|
The kolsch and American Pale Ale were very good.The blackened tuna club and cajun ribeye steak were excellent. A great stop whenever in the DC area.
|
|
Write Your Review
| Reply
to this Review |
Report Review |
Ed Santeramo,
Orr's Island, ME
(09/15/2005) |
|
|
Beer Quality |
Beer Selection |
Food |
Service |
Overall |
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
|
Bill Madden has left the building. Translation, the brewer has left for other pursuits. Damm, he is probably one of the most gifted brewers on the East Coast. I just hope that he can find a suitable venue.
|
|
Write Your Review
| Reply
to this Review |
Report Review |
steve,
arlington, VA
(08/02/2005) |
|
|
Beer Quality |
Beer Selection |
Food |
Service |
Overall |
|
Good
|
So So
|
N/A
|
Good
|
So So
|
|
stop if you are near. don't make a special trip
|
|
Write Your Review
| Reply
to this Review |
Report Review |
gene,
bloomsburg, PA
(06/21/2005) |
|
|
Beer Quality |
Beer Selection |
Food |
Service |
Overall |
|
Good
|
Great
|
Good
|
Great
|
Good
|
|
Located in charming Old Town Alexandria, Founders is a nice place to stop for lunch or dinner and sample some of their hand crafted beers. I was a bit disappointed their sampler did not include all the beers on tap. For some reason, they did not include their seasonals as part of it. They had a Raspberry Blonde on tap which I never got a chance to taste. The Scottish Ale was really good though. Had a bit of a bite to it. The food was not expensive and in the lines of TGIFs or one of the other chain restaurants. I liked it, not outstanding, but good enough to stop in and try. Friendly service and a decent atmosphere.
|
|
Write Your Review
| Reply
to this Review |
Report Review |
Ed,
Nutley, NJ
(05/05/2005) |
|
|
Beer Quality |
Beer Selection |
Food |
Service |
Overall |
|
Good
|
Great
|
N/A
|
Good
|
Good
|
|
I stopped by this afternoon, I sampled two beers, the Grand Cru, which was a tasty spiced Belgian style beer, and the 80 Shilling Scotch Ale, which was pretty average. It had a very strong yeast flavor. The service was ok, not great, but we were not in any hurry either. We didn't have any food, so can't comment there. The beer list was pretty impressive in terms of selection. I hope the 80 Shilling just is an off batch, the location is great, and the place itself is nice.
|
|
Write Your Review
| Reply
to this Review |
Report Review |
Chris Ware,
Fairfax, VA
(02/21/2005) |
|
|
Beer Quality |
Beer Selection |
Food |
Service |
Overall |
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
Lousy
|
Lousy
|
Lousy
|
|
Reading these other reviews reminded me of my own visit to FBC. I have gotten nothing but terrible service and so-so food. Tourists beware! The first time I went, my boyfriend and I waited for 20 minutes and NEVER even got waited on. All the employees walked around with their heads down and continued doing whatever it was that they weren't doing. It wasn't even busy. When we got up to leave, no-one even noticed. We wanted to give it a second chance so we made another attempt and went to their Sunday Brunch. We got seated right away, but then it took the waiter ten minutes to acknowledge us. Again, it was not busy that day. They were out of glasses for the orange juice and the food looked like it had been sitting out all morning without getting refreshed. The coffee was brought to the table after 3 times of asking for it and it looked like tea. In closing, I have been telling friends and family not to go there and wouldn't even recommend this restaurant to my worst enemy.
|
|
Write Your Review
| Reply
to this Review |
Report Review |
Alexandria, VA
(02/21/2005) |
|
|
Beer Quality |
Beer Selection |
Food |
Service |
Overall |
|
Lousy
|
So So
|
Lousy
|
Lousy
|
Lousy
|
|
I am embarrassed I took my friends to this place. Not only was the food terrible (frozen, not fresh, fishy tasting salmon for $16.95), the services was worse (sorry you haven't got the beer you ordered 10 minutes ago, the bartender is busy talking to his buddies), the beer was flat and old. Run, don't walk away from this place, it is a disaster in every sense of the word.
|
|
Write Your Review
| Reply
to this Review |
Report Review |
Brian R,
Arlington, VA
(02/16/2005) |
|
|
Beer Quality |
Beer Selection |
Food |
Service |
Overall |
|
Good
|
Great
|
Great
|
So So
|
Great
|
|
My wife & I ventured in looking for good beer and another restaurant to add to our Alexandria favorites list. Our initial impression was not good after waiting 23 minutes for the appetizer to arrive. Then Walt Fleming, the new manager, appeared. He noticed our delay (apparently a process measures order timing and such).After a brief chat our hot crab dip arrived. Excellent. Then the entrees, (rack of lamb and a filet)came screaming hot and cooked exactly to order. World class flavor and texture. Nice presentation. Awesome. My beer glass seemed to stay full too. This demonstration of the importance of customers and the house acceptance of their responsibility will definitely have us coming back.
|
|
Write Your Review
| Reply
to this Review |
Report Review |
Emmett Greenleaf,
Fairfax, VA
(01/09/2005) |
|
|
Beer Quality |
Beer Selection |
Food |
Service |
Overall |
|
Great
|
Great
|
Great
|
So So
|
Great
|
|
I made the trek down to Old Towne Alexandria to sample the wares. FBC, formerly Virginia Beverage Something Or Other, offers about 8 taps, with their usual beers named after the "founders" of Alexandria. During my visit, I tasted Kolsch, Brown Ale, a delicious (and potent - 8.6 ABV) Scotch Ale and a very tasty and hoppy (IBU 65) American Pale Ale; they also had a few wheat beers, but not being partial to that style, did not imbibe. I even got to chat with the brewer, Bill Madden. The Scotch Ale was his first batch at FBC, since leaving Capitol City. Menu looked pretty diverse, and a little above the pub grub offers. The one negative was the somewhat reluctancy of the bartenders to keep my glass filled. Those of us who spend much (too much, maybe) of our time rating BPs, know that one criteria of service is not having to ask for another pint! Nevertheless, the beer was excellent and makes another trip a probability.
|
|
Write Your Review
| Reply
to this Review |
Report Review |
Jerry Boesen,
Gaithersburg, MD
(09/12/2004) |
|
|
Beer Quality |
Beer Selection |
Food |
Service |
Overall |
|
Great
|
Awesome!
|
Great
|
Awesome!
|
Great
|
|
The service at the bar was fantastic. They have really improved their bartenders over the past couple of months. The food has always been up to my standard and they have really added more beers on tap than the previous five. The had eight the last time I was in. As for the comment on the owner's wife, he isn't even engaged so please give truthful comments. All in all, a great place to visit.
|
|
Write Your Review
| Reply
to this Review |
Report Review |
Josh Palmer,
Alexandria, VA
(09/04/2004) |
|
|
Beer Quality |
Beer Selection |
Food |
Service |
Overall |
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
So So
|
Lousy
|
Lousy
|
|
review by "natalie"? ha! don't be fooled people,this is the chef/owner's wife who wasn't even smart enough to change her name. lame. everyone, if an employee has to write a good review, what does that tell you? give it up
|
|
Write Your Review
| Reply
to this Review |
Report Review |
not fooled,
alexandria, VA
(08/29/2004) |
|
|
Beer Quality |
Beer Selection |
Food |
Service |
Overall |
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
|
Bill Madden, formerly the executive brewer of the Capitol City Brewing Co. brewpub chain, became brewer and part owner here in June. This is very good news for Founders; to see why, read the reviews of the 'Cap City' in Arlington, Virginia.
|
|
Write Your Review
| Reply
to this Review |
Report Review |
Gregg Wiggins,
Arlington, VA
(07/28/2004) |
|
|
Beer Quality |
Beer Selection |
Food |
Service |
Overall |
|
Great
|
Great
|
Great
|
Good
|
Good
|
|
Founder's Pub is at 607 King Street in Alexandria. It's not a bad walk from the King Street Metro station.
I hadn't been to Founders for almost a year. At the time, it had just begun its transformation under its new management and name, and I was distinctly unimpressed with a number of aspects of the place.
However, much of that has changed for the better. The staff now seems to know something about beer. They offer only house beers: a kolsch, an alt, a stout, a weiss, a pale ale, and ... one more that slips my mind. My wife and I tried the first three, and they were all quite nice in their different ways. The beer is served chilled but not cold. That is as it should be--although I would have forgiven them for serving it colder on a steamy July evening!
The menu has gone distinctly upmarket. This isn't pub food anymore. Entrees start at about $15 and go up to about $23. My wife had the sea scallops with pesto mashed potatoes and vegetables. I had the blackened chicken pasta, which also included bits of ham, andoullie sausage, peppers, and onions, in a light cream sauce. Both were quite nice. For dessert we shared the stout chocolate mousse. Other entrees available for dinner were barbecued pork chops, a veal chop, the usual variety of steaks, chicken Marsala, and some other things.
The menu also features a large variety of sandwiches and appetizers. It looks like it would be a good place for lunch.
The service was reasonably fast, but we didn't feel rushed, either. The waitress knew about the beers and could make recommendations.
The room is pretty much the same as it was before: all woody and rustic. There is some kind of music playing, but it was easy to ignore. When we went, early on a week night, the dining area was mostly empty. As we left, just before seven o'clock, the bar area seemed well populated. If you do go for dinner, try to get a seat by the window. You get a great view of humanity (and not a few dogs) parading up and down King Street.
|
|
Write Your Review
| Reply
to this Review |
Report Review |
David A. Vandenbroucke,
Alexandria, VA
(07/10/2004) |
|
|
Beer Quality |
Beer Selection |
Food |
Service |
Overall |
|
Great
|
Good
|
N/A
|
Good
|
Good
|
|
Visited twice last month. Beers were surprisingly good, very hoppy pale ale and the kolsch was clean and tasty; obviously learned something from Cap City. Service was competent, although the other servers kept standing around the front door in a weird way; not waiting for customers, just talking and ignoring people. Didn't have food, though it looked good and people seemed to be enjoying it. If the reviewers who gave this a "Lousy" rating are serious, and not just jumped-up eejits who are still pissed about their mug club (guys, it was a different business...let it go), all I can say is that if you think this is a lousy brewpub, you're lucky. And spoiled. This place is good, better than some of the brewpubs in the DC Metro area. You need to get out more.
|
|
Write Your Review
| Reply
to this Review |
Report Review |
Lew Bryson,
Philadelphia, PA
(06/09/2004) |
|
|
Beer Quality |
Beer Selection |
Food |
Service |
Overall |
|
Great
|
Good
|
Great
|
Good
|
Good
|
|
I enjoyed the beer I had very much. But I was extremely disappointed when my server informed me they were out of three of their five house brews. I found this to be extraordinary. I have never been to a brewpub where they were out of more than one type of beer. Management should make sure this sort of thing never happens again. I am willing to return to give their other brews a shot.
|
|
Write Your Review
| Reply
to this Review |
Report Review |
Daniel Grazier,
Millheim, PA
(03/01/2004) |
|
|
Beer Quality |
Beer Selection |
Food |
Service |
Overall |
|
Lousy
|
So So
|
So So
|
So So
|
Lousy
|
|
So, I've given it some time since my last visit. Wishing for improvement, I found none. This continues to be a sub-par brewpub.
new owner + new name + new coat of paint = small improvement
|
|
Write Your Review
| Reply
to this Review |
Report Review |
unimpressed,
Alexandria, VA
(02/09/2004) |
|
|
Beer Quality |
Beer Selection |
Food |
Service |
Overall |
|
Great
|
Good
|
Great
|
Awesome!
|
Great
|
|
Well, I too was there on Superbowl Sunday. I too had the Amber which I thought was good but not great. I then pretty much had the Pale Ale the rest of the evening and thoughly enjoyed it. Also had the chicken wings and their Pepper Soup; both of which were very good. Staff was great; friendly and accommodating.!
|
|
Write Your Review
| Reply
to this Review |
Report Review |
Bob Morseburg,
Seattle, WA
(02/04/2004) |
|
|
Beer Quality |
Beer Selection |
Food |
Service |
Overall |
|
Good
|
Great
|
Good
|
Great
|
Great
|
|
Okay, I was there with a date on Superbowl Sunday night (Feb.1), had planned on going somewhere else but we walked by and it looked like they were open and having fun, so we tried it.
Now, they had specials that night which were really good, so we tried a few things. She had a hamburger, she said was very good. That was 1/2 price at $3.25. I had a half dozen barbecued wings at only 24 cents each, those were also good. I sampled pints of their pale ale, hefelsweizen and amber beers, again at only $2.50 a pint (nice specials). I would rate the first two as good to very good, the amber was - say - fair to good.
Service was very good, I would say they staffed up for the crowd which was pretty good but not so busy they couldn't handle it. They have a big screen TV and several regular sized ones so the game was visible from just about anywhere you sat. I liked the crowd too - not rowdy but lively. Just right. Ranged from 20-50, with some couples, some groups, some drinking buddies etc.
All in all I rated the place as GREAT and get the happy hour specials if you can from 5-7 pm, and also 12-4 on Saturday and Sunday. $2.50 a pint for their brews is a good deal indeed.
|
|
Write Your Review
| Reply
to this Review |
Report Review |
Dr. Hans Wanker,
Fairfax, VA
(02/03/2004) |
|
|
Beer Quality |
Beer Selection |
Food |
Service |
Overall |
|
Great
|
Good
|
Good
|
So So
|
Good
|
|
Took a few friends from visiting over Christmas to Founders in Old Town. This was my first visit since it was Virginia Beverage Company, and found the atmosphere to still be warm, inviting, and very cozy. I enjoyed three pints of beer including their Winter seasonal weizenbock, their stout, and their pale ale. All three beers were stylistically accurate and very well done examples of their respective styles. The weizenbock was very impressive with those signature clove and estery fruit notes of a good hefe, with lots of big sweet malt heft and alcohol heat. The stout was rich and full and loaded with big dark malt and chocolate malt aromas and flavors, with some nice dry roasty notes as well. The pale ale had really great hop aromas and flavors on a nice malt backbone. I was impressed with the beer here, and it is the GREAT beer that will keep me coming back. Can't comment on the food as I just visited the bar. The only real knock on my visit was the slow to almost non-existant service. The bartender explained because of Christmas break they were short staffed, and she was't lying. The staff was her, and one waitress from what I could see. That being said, this place is well worth a visit if you love good craft beer. I'll be back for sure next time I hit Old Town.
|
|
Write Your Review
| Reply
to this Review |
Report Review |
John T. Sherman,
Washington, DC
(01/20/2004) |
|
| 
