Solace Brewing Company

What Solace Brewing Company does

Solace Brewing Company is a privately held craft brewery founded in 2017 and headquartered in Sterling, Virginia, operating a taproom-led, direct-to-consumer model in the greater Washington DC metropolitan area. The company runs three tasting room locations—the Sterling production brewery, a Falls Church location (acquired from the former Mad Fox space), and the Solace Outpost in the Navy Yard neighborhood of Washington DC—and supplements them with a seasonal summer farm-brewery pop-up at Halcyon Watson in Leesburg.

The brewery produces a portfolio anchored by its signature Partly Cloudy IPA, with newer SKUs including Bump and Run IPA (released March 2025) and Avanzada Mexican Lager (released April 2026). Annual production capacity is 5,000-6,000 barrels, expanded from an earlier 3,000-4,000 barrel range. The technology stack is limited to standard SMB SaaS tools—SkyTab for online ordering, Tripleseat for private event management, and Google Calendar for scheduling—with no proprietary AI or automation capabilities.

Solace generates revenue through draft beer sales at its taprooms, packaged beer (crowlers, cans, growlers), keg sales to wholesale accounts, on-site food service (a kitchen was added at Sterling in August 2024), and private event hosting. The company is led by co-founders Drew Wiles, Jon Humerick, and Mike Arms and operates with a team in the 11-50 employee range (approximately 12 confirmed team members across locations). The business model is intentionally DTC-heavy, with community programming (trivia nights, recurring events, partnerships) used to drive taproom traffic and repeat visitation.

Name

Solace Brewing Company

Legal name

Solace Brewing Company

Website

https://solacebrewing.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Solace Brewing Company is a Sterling, Virginia-based craft brewery operating three DC-metro tasting rooms (Sterling, Falls Church, Navy Yard) plus a seasonal Leesburg farm pop-up, producing 5,000-6,000 barrels annually for direct-to-consumer draft, packaged, and keg sales, with on-site food and private events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Craft Brewing

NAICS

Breweries (312120), Breweries (31212), Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (722410), Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (7224), Beer, Wine, and Liquor Retailers (44532)

SIC

Malt Beverages (2082), Beverages (2080), Wholesale-Beer, Wine & Distilled Alcoholic Beverages (5180)

akta.pro primary industry

Microbreweries & Craft Breweries (THAFALAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Craft Beer Bars & Taprooms (THAFAEAG), Beer, Brewery & Craft Beverage Tastings (THAJAGAE), Craft Beer Retail & Bottle Shops (Off-Premise) (CRANAAAC)

Keywords

• Craft beer production
• Brewery tasting room
• Craft beer retail
• On-site food service
• Private event hosting

Headquarters

HQ city

Dulles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. On-site Beer Sales: Draft beer, canned cocktails, and NA beer sold directly at tasting room locations. Happy hour promotions Monday-Friday until 5PM and Sundays all day with $2 off draft beer and wines by the glass.
2. Packaged Beer Sales: Canned beer sales including 20% off on Sundays. Online ordering available for packaged Solace beer.
3. Growler Fills: Fill 32oz, 64oz, and 128oz growlers. Half-price growler fills every Wednesday. Growlers available for purchase if customers forget their glass.
4. Keg Sales: Sell 1/6 barrel kegs from tasting room with $100 refundable deposit.
5. Food Sales: Full food menu at Sterling location including burgers, bowls, brats/dogs, pizza, shareables, kids menu, and desserts. Kitchen opened August 2024.
6. Private Events: Private event bookings for groups over 20 people at Sterling and Falls Church locations. Falls Church has dedicated Brewers Room and Game Room spaces. Complete brewery buyouts available.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Solace Brewing Company is an independent craft brewery that operates three company-owned tasting room locations (Sterling, VA; Falls Church, VA; and Navy Yard, Washington, D.C.), where it brews, packages, and serves its own handcrafted beers on-site alongside a food menu. The company sells packaged beer for off-premise consumption via cans, growler fills, and keg orders, and rents its tasting rooms and outdoor spaces for private events and community programming such as trivia nights and yoga sessions.

Product overview

Solace Brewing Company is a craft brewery operating as a single unified brand with multiple taproom locations (Sterling VA, Falls Church VA, Navy Yard DC) and a seasonal farm brewery pop-up. The core product offering consists of handcrafted beers brewed on-site including flagship IPAs like Partly Cloudy and Lucy Juicy, seasonal releases, and collaborative brews. The Sterling location features a full kitchen (opened August 2024) serving food alongside beer. Additional revenue streams include growler fills, keg sales, gift cards, private event bookings, and gaming (Golden Tee). The Solace Farm Brewery Pop-Up at Halcyon Watson represents a seasonal sub-brand bringing beer, wine, food trucks, and entertainment to Leesburg on select weekends.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Solace Outpost: Secondary location brand for Falls Church and Navy Yard locations.

Products and services

• Craft Beer Selection A continuously rotating core and seasonal lineup of house-brewed craft beers (IPAs, DIPAs, lagers, pilsners, pale ales, stouts, porters, ambers, sours, and fruited sours) poured on draft and sold in cans at the company's three tasting rooms for adult consumers.
• Partly Cloudy IPA Signature unfiltered New England-style IPA with prominent citrus and tropical hop character, marketed as a flagship beer for hop-forward craft drinkers.
• Lucy Juicy DIPA Juicy, hazy Double India Pale Ale offering elevated hop intensity and alcohol content over the standard IPA, targeted at craft enthusiasts seeking bolder hop-forward beers.
• Growler Fills & Keg Sales On-site packaging of fresh draft beer into 64 oz growlers and full-size kegs for off-premise consumption at home, parties, and licensed retail accounts.
• Sterling Tasting Room Food Menu Counter-style food program anchored by brick-oven pizzas and complementary bar snacks, served to guests drinking beer at the Sterling flagship location.
• Private Event Bookings Rental of indoor tasting rooms and outdoor patios at all three locations for private parties, corporate gatherings, rehearsal dinners, and community functions, with a flexible BYO-caterer policy.
• Solace Gift Cards Reloadable prepaid gift cards redeemable at any Solace Brewing tasting room for beer, food, and merchandise purchases, marketed as gifts for craft beer fans.
• Solace Farm Brewery Pop-Up Seasonal outdoor pop-up brewery experience at the River Creek Club in Leesburg, VA, offering Solace craft beer, a rotating guest brewery lineup, food trucks, and family- and dog-friendly programming.
• Trivia Night & Recurring Events Programming

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Honor BrewingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration brewing partnership for Backyard Banger West Coast style IPA. Joint product development combining Solace brewing expertise with Honor Brewing.
• Halcyon WatsoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSummer farm-brewery pop-up partnership at Halcyon Watson property (23528 Watson Road, Leesburg). Partnership brings Solace beer to select weekend pop-up events featuring food trucks, live music, and local vendors. Multiple weekends planned for summer 2026.
• Paradise Springs WinecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFamily connection - Paradise Springs Winery in Clifton, VA founded by Drew Wiles' family. Featured alongside Solace beer at Halcyon Watson pop-up events. Cross-promotion opportunity.
• Ocelot BrewingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration beer at opening in 2017 with nearby Ocelot Brewing. Early partnership demonstrating regional brewing community collaboration.
• Red Devils DC (Manchester United Supporter's Club)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerSolace Outpost Navy Yard serves as home of the Manchester United Supporter's Club. Red Devils DC Lager created as signature beer for this partnership.
• Pour House TriviaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerTrivia night programming every Tuesday and Thursday. Pour House Trivia MCs the events with free play, brewery coupons, and prizes for winners.
• Loudoun County Public LibraryminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership for Music Bingo events in partnership with Loudoun County Public Library. Four rounds with different music genres, prizes, free to play.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• DC Brau Brewing Company: Washington, DC-based production craft brewery with broader regional distribution and a taproom. Competes with Solace for DC-metro craft consumers and is among the more established independent craft players in the market.
• Port City Brewing Company: Alexandria, VA craft brewery producing a full lineup of beers with broader regional distribution and a tasting room. Comparable in scale, DC-metro focus, and product breadth to Solace.
• Badwolf Brewing / Tucked Away Brewing: Manassas, VA craft brewery where Solace's lead brewer (Alex Hall) previously worked. Direct regional peer with similar scale and Northern Virginia craft beer focus.
• Ocelot Brewing Company: Loudoun County, VA craft brewery that has a collaboration relationship with Solace (opening beer). Direct local competitor in the same suburban Virginia market with a tasting room.
• Beltway Brewing Company: Sterling, VA-based craft brewery where all three Solace co-founders previously worked. Operates a comparable production-brewery-plus-tasting-room model in the same Loudoun County market, with overlapping customer base and similar scale.
• Mad Fox Brewing Company: Virginia craft brewery whose former Falls Church taproom space Solace now occupies. Comparable Northern Virginia craft brewery model and market overlap.
• Lost Rhino Brewing Company: Ashburn, VA craft brewery operating a tasting room model in Loudoun County. Directly competes with Solace for local DC-metro craft beer enthusiasts and shares a similar event-driven community programming approach.
• Honor Brewing Company: Virginia-based craft brewery that has a collaboration brew (Backyard Banger) with Solace. Competes in the same regional IPA market and shares a craft, event-driven model.
• Old Ox Brewery: Ashburn, VA craft brewery producing IPAs, lagers, and pilsners with a tasting room and small distribution footprint. A direct Loudoun County competitor with overlapping product style and target demographic.

Regional players

• Paradise Springs Winery: Clifton, VA winery co-founded by Drew Wiles' family that co-hosts the Halcyon Watson pop-up with Solace. Adjacent beverage producer in the same regional market, partnering on event programming rather than competing directly.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/SolaceBrewing
• Instagraminstagram.com/solacebrewing
• TikToktiktok.com/@solacebrewing
• Xx.com/solacebrewing
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/solace-brewing-company

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Solace Brewing Company