Coming soon: Bunnyman Brewing, named for a local legend

He lived in the woods by the train tracks in Clifton where he trapped and mutilated rabbits and other animals. He became known as the Bunnyman after he dressed in a bunny suit and murdered two children and hung their bodies from the train trestle. 

Local historian Brian Conley debunks that story, noting there was never an asylum near Clifton and there is no record of the murders. 

In the 1970s, rumors circulated about a man dressed in a bunny suit who threw a hatchet at a car where a couple was parked in the 5400 block of Guinea Road. Conley found 14 reports about similar incidents in the 5300 and 5400 blocks of Guinea Road, usually involving a man in a bunny suit yelling “no trespassing.” The police investigated but never found a “bunnyman.” 

The story, however, captured the imagination of local youths. On Halloween, kids still gather at the “Bunnyman bridge” in Clifton. 

The brewery’s logo and décor feature the Bunnyman – but Gray and Barrett are focusing on the urban legend, not the alleged murders.  

Gray is a battalion chief for the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department and oversees five fire stations in the western part of the county. He has been making beer at home for the past 12 years. 

Barrett is not a home brewer, but has a professional background in product management and has invested in breweries in the D.C. region, including Catoctin Creek and Silver Branch Brewing. They hired a professional brewer, Rob Wieck, to create the beers for Bunnyman. 

Bunnyman Brewing will offer lots of different kinds of beers, Barrett says, including a New England IPA, various stouts and sours, and experimental versions of those beers. There will be 17 unique and nine repeating taps. 

They will also offer beer in cans plus hard seltzer and non-alcoholic beer, which he says is the fastest-growing segment in the beer market. Bunnyman will have a self-pour system, in which customers can buy a card allowing them to pour their own brews. 

Gray and Barrett hope the COVID-19 restrictions will be eased by the time they open. 

“COVID held us back for over a year,” Gray says. During that time, they revised the design to accommodate outside seating by incorporating three large open garage doors and adding a more robust ventilation system. “That wouldn’t have happened without COVID.” 

To comply with Fairfax County’s rules for breweries, they plan to serve a limited amount of food prepared off-site. They’re also planning a “Bunnyman vehicle.”