Capital One Wanted The Perfect Airport Beer. Virginia's Last Rhino Delivered.

Forbes

3 days ago

detail of woman drinking beer while working at the airport lounge
When Capital One set out to create the perfect airport beer for it Virginia airport lounge, it turned to a brewery with scrappy roots and a relentless focus on quality: Last Rhino Brewing Company. The result — Pre-Flight Lager — is a crisp, easy-drinking beer designed to calm airport nerves and satisfy a wide range of travelers, from IPA aficionados to casual light beer drinkers.
The collaboration was a natural fit for Last Rhino founder Matt Hagerman, whose entire brewing career has been about balancing approachability with craftsmanship. As Hagerman explained during a recent visit, making a simple, clean lager isn't just hard — it's a skill honed through years of hands-on brewing, hard-won experience, and a deep understanding of what beer drinkers really want.
Lost Rhino Brewing
Matt Hagerman didn't stumble into brewing. Originally an engineering student, he found himself pulled into beer when his friends couldn't get enough of his homebrew — even if, as he jokes, it was mainly because it was free. After persistently calling Old Dominion Brewing every two weeks for four months, he finally landed a job cleaning floors. "I didn't care because I was in the industry and that's all that mattered," Hagerman said.
From there, he worked his way up through bottling lines, mechanical maintenance, and eventually into brewing. But when Old Dominion sold to Budweiser in the late 2000s, Hagerman knew it was time to build something of his own.
Armed with a finished business plan and a shot of luck, he learned brewing equipment from Old Dominion was for sale. "You have four days to come up with the money," he recalled being told. Without a wealthy backer, Hagerman hustled at a beer festival, pitching investors and eventually securing a critical check just as time ran out.
"I always use the equivalent of like jumping off a cliff and figuring out how you're going to make your parachute on the way down," he said.
That DIY spirit continues to define Last Rhino Brewing, which recently celebrated 13 years of production.
The 'Perfect' Airport Beer
When Capital One approached Hagerman and his team about creating the perfect airport beer for their lounges, Hagerman had a clear vision. Airports are stressful places — flights, security lines, packed terminals — and the beer needed to reflect that reality.
"I wanted a beer that they didn't have to worry about," Hagerman said. "It's easy drinking. They don't want to feel like they're taking a risk on getting something they might not like."
The result? Pre-Flight Lager, a clean, crisp, ultra-drinkable beer that's as reliable as a well-timed boarding call. And while it sounds simple, it's anything but easy to make. "A lot of people don't realize beers like lagers or Pilsners are some of the hardest beers to make because you can't hide behind anything," he explained.
With lighter beers, flaws in brewing or fermentation are much more noticeable. "We wanted something approachable for craft newcomers but still high-quality for beer lovers," Hagerman said.
One of the key ingredients behind the success of Pre-Flight Lager isn't yeast or hops — it's water. Hagerman emphasized the importance of water chemistry, pointing out how many historic beer styles (like those from Burton-on-Trent) evolved because of local water profiles.
"Beer is 98% water, and it's really important to get that right," Hagerman said. "If you're trying to recreate a style, you have to recreate the water first."
Attention to those small details — from the water source to proper lagering times — helps Last Rhino deliver consistency, especially when working with broader audiences who might otherwise stick to domestic beer brands.
Lost Rhino
While Last Rhino's brewing system isn't shiny or automated, that's part of the point. "There's zero automation, but what I like about it is that people can learn on it," Hagerman said. The old-school, hands-on system — affectionately nicknamed "the old submarine" — has been making beer since 1989 and has helped train countless brewers in the region.
Today, Last Rhino distributes across Virginia, D.C., Maryland, and a bit of West Virginia, with plans to expand into North Carolina next. "Hopefully we'll get beer down in North Carolina next year," Hagerman said.
And if you happen to stop by the brewery, don't be surprised to see someone proudly sporting a Faceplant IPA shirt — one of Last Rhino's most popular beers, named for the brewery's adventurous, outdoor-loving spirit. I purchased one myself after a particularly harrowing travel day that inspired this story, although my face plant was in the form of cancelled flights.
Looking back at the journey, Hagerman's commitment to quality and education — not just making beer, but making great beer — hasn't changed.
"I think a lot of people don't understand that beer like Pre-Flight, a Pilsner or a lager, is actually a really hard beer to make right," he said. "You have to put the work in. And when you do, it shows."
In a world filled with hazy IPAs, fruited sours, and milkshake beers, sometimes it's the simplest pint that really takes off.