This New Year let’s celebrate the ties that unite us: our love of good tea (or coffee!), hearty debates, and that unmistakable wit. Here’s to new adventures, stronger connections, and a 2025 filled with joy, good tidings, and plenty of pints!

Parents of students, friends, family, and pub go-ers alike are encouraged to join us that evening and drive up sales - 10% of dine-in sales between the hours of 6pm and 8pm will be donated directly to Flint Hill Elementary, and this is a great way to give back to our local Vienna community!

So come on down this January and get a taste of the heat!

So, whether you are taking on Dry January challenge, or simply wanting a refreshing alternative, our mocktails are a perfect way to sip smart, and stay social!

On the menu is the Dry Tai, a tropical mix of orange & pineapple juices, jazzed up with lime & lemon, a grenadine layer and a spiced agave syrup to kick things up a notch.

Our Cucumber Nojito is sure to give you a taste of paradise with it's cool & refreshing twist on this classic.  Mint Leaves, cucumbers and limes are muddled together, with just a dash of simple and club soda to balance it out.

Simple, and elegant; That's how we'd categorize the Xpress0% Martini. Notes of vanilla, nutmeg and energizing coffee to invigorate you with every sip!

And last, but not least, let us take you on a walk through the Lavender Fields, a lavender syrup, zesty ginger beer & lemonade combo that's as punchy with flavour as it is soothing.

As well as importing some of the best English & Irish beers we also work with some of our outstanding local breweries. Denizen's Brewery has become a staple behind our bar. From Big Red Norm's Red Ale, which we featured in our Braised Short Rib Pie of the Month back in November to Southside West Coast IPA. This Maryland-proud brewery has decided to team up with us to put their delicious "Lowest Lord ESB" into casks to be exclusively served from our beer engines. Be on the look out early January for Lowest Lord to appear on our hand pumps. 

Why is it called the Lowest Lord? Just like everything Denizen's does, it pays homage to their home brewery's state, Maryland. This moniker pays tribute to George Calvert, 1st Baron Baltimore; best known for his founding of the colony of Maryland, and of being the lowest rank of nobility in Britain.

Leading the pack at the moment and performing much better than Pep or Ange is Tillet X1 managed by Liam Tillet with 1168 points, closely followed by Gettin Slotte in herre managed by Stuart Reid.

My team Smooth Crew continued sliding down the table due to holding on to Erling Haaland way toooo long before finally offloading him last week. It pays to keep an eye on your teams performance and use transfers to swap out players.

The second half of the season should be interesting as Notts Forrest , Arsenal and Chelsea chase Liverpool for the title, with the likes of Bournemouth and Fulham striving for a European place. Maybe some lesser known players performing well would benefit your team.

If you already have a Fantasy Premier League team but haven’t yet joined the H&G league, its not too late. Email info@hawkgriffin.com and ask to be invited to our league. Any points your team already have will follow you."

Steve Harwit-Whewell

Continuing their Christmas tradition, Annie Cates & her husband Dan Maceda, along with Duffy's Hill East in the D.C. Metro area, coordinate, organize, and cook to provide for families in serious need. This year, they raised about $1,200, provided home-cooked meals, much-needed supplies, and Christmas gifts for two families in need.

In your words, how would you describe The Loudoun Irish Players?

Wherever a group of trad musicians is gathered, it’s likely a session will break out.

How did you become the Irish Loudoun Players?

Tony and Leslie met in 2014 in an Irish session, beginning a musical partnership and friendship which has lasted to this day. The group has played at several breweries and restaurants over the years.

Is there anything you want to tell the audience about that maybe you don’t get a chance to say while you are playing? And anything else you might like to add!

It’s fantastic when the audience sings along, stomps their feet and gets up and dances. We encourage it as this isn’t a performance but a community gathering of all involved, being a part of this long tradition.

I get asked all the time,

“You’re not British? Why did you open a British pub?” 

I guess it’s time to fully answer that question.

I grew up on a wheat farm outside of Lacrosse, Washington. After high school, I attended the University of Idaho earning a Bachelor of Architecture degree. In 1987, I participated in a joint architectural study-abroad program with Washington State University to London where I met fellow architecture student and future wife, Julie Baskerville. It was during this time visiting castles, cathedrals, market towns, villages, museums and everything in between that I fell in love with British culture, architecture and of course British pubs. After graduating in 1988, I took a job at an architectural firm in Tysons Corner, Virginia and in 1995, I started my own practice. The next 30 years were a blur of architecture, sports and activities with our kids Khristin and Tommy, Rotary Club, planning and running events in Vienna including Vienna First Night and Vienna Idol, coaching softball at Marshal High School and of course spending time in the UK. In 2018, after years of wondering why there were no British pubs in the area, I decided to retire to design and build Hawk & Griffin. After months of writing business plans, looking for possible locations, negotiating leases, preparing designs and getting permits I began a ten month construction just as the Covid-19 pandemic hit. As luck would have it, we were ready to open the same week that Virginia lifted its Covid restrictions and here we are today.

That's it. the whole sordid tale.

Cheers,

Tom Kyllo