Our Story

Aaron Ludwig and John Hilkert met through their children. The boys were in the same Sunday school class and liked to get together and play. Aaron was a home brewer who had a professional set up at home - a brew room, all electric equipment (that he built from scratch) - the works. John had been brewing in his garage, having been banished from the kitchen after a boil over (or two). John's wife suggested that he contact Aaron and maybe they could brew together. Thus, it all began.

​Aaron and John were passionate about creating new and unique beers. Any style was open to interpretation. Historically, Aaron brewed more traditional styles, while John liked to veer slightly off of the classic path and push style guidelines to the edge. Together, they made some great brews.

​At Tin Cannon we're continually experimenting with new ideas. Of course, it takes great consideration to design a style that pushes the limits, and we don't make changes just for the sake of being different. When it comes to our beers we look for ingredients that complement and contrast certain flavors. We immerse ourselves into the selection of the finest raw ingredients, artfully adding a pinch of this and a pound of that, to create a product that reflects both our skill and imagination. Tin Cannon's craft beers are passionately and artfully created, crafted, kegged and served onsite in our Gainesville, Virginia brewery / taproom.

Our Name

Ever said anything "tongue in cheek"? We have...

​An ode to our area's past: We are located in an area of tremendous Civil War heritage. Just drive down Route 29 through the Manassas Battlefield and you will see memorials, 1800s era structures and of course, cannons.

​A nod to humor: Ever fired a weapon? What was it made of? Guaranteed it wasn't made from tin or you wouldn't be reading this. Moreover, before calling beverage cans "aluminum cans", they were known as "tin cans".

​When discussing the 2 barrel brewhouse design, Aaron (the engineer) drew up a sketch on graph paper. After showing it to John, John said that the vessels looked like soup cans - and people would call us the "soup can" brewery. They laughed about it and then said, "like the old tin cans from back in the day." With the help of several beers, that idea morphed into "Tin Cannon."