ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA

At Pentagon Row in Arlington, Virginia, NIGHTHAWK BREWERY & PIZZERIA recalls a pristine mall-bound malt shop or bustling sportsbar as much as it does a snazzy ’90s themed pizza place. Specializing in thin Midwest Tavern-styled pizza pies and stylistically straightforward brews, Nighthawk’s strategic partnership with nearby Aslin Beer Company came to fruition springtime 2022 when this sizable 10,000 square-foot project was completed.

A 400-seat indoor-outdoor pizza hall with spot-on basic draught brews “reminiscent of Old World working class beers,” Nighthawk also serves cocktails, ciders, wine and hard seltzers. The white-tiled pizza cafe features a 40-plus seat middle bar with multiple TV’s and 24 tap handles connected to the brew tanks via bright red industrial pipes. Tan wood community tables and orange metal chaired tables surround the central bar.

Nothing too fancy, but ultimately rewarding, each pint-size brew hit the mark on my March ’23 dinner stopover.

Easygoing helles lager, Backwards Walk, draped sunny grapefruit, orange, pineapple and mango tanginess plus light wood tones over dry pilsner malts.

Creamier than most hefeweizens, Nossing! (Lebowski) let stylistic banana-clove sweetness pick up lemon meringue tartness and mild herbal whims above its honeyed Graham Cracker base.

Spritzy lemon juicing seduced Babe Lemon Kolsch, a slight variant given lightly spiced agave nectar cologned perfuming to sweet grain-floured pilsner malts.

Dry cream ale, Blue Pickup Truck, let herbal lemon candied sourness wallow in the grassy hop stead.

Peanut buttered brown chocolate sweetness pervaded Peanut Brittle Stout, spreading candy-sugared pecan, almond and peanut goodness along its vanilla marshmallowed Graham Cracker bottom.