Washington DC

So, I'm headed to DC in a few weeks. Any must-visit breweries? Brew-pubs? Beer bars?

I'll only be there for a few days and will be relying on public transit and/or taxis.

Dogfish ale house, or restaurant.... Whatever they call it. There is one on the west side of the river - in Falls Church.

I'll post back if I can remember the other joints I have loved.

Pizza pardisio!!! Go downstairs....awesome beer selection and a few I'm cask. In the morning go to baked and wired and get a coconut cup cake.... Fricken amazing!

Breweries: DC Brau and 3 Stars. Port City in Alexandria, VA, is a good one if you're willing to take a 15-min cab ride.

Bars: Churchkey and Meridian Pint are my favorites. Check out their beer menus online. They both have decent food, too. Yum.

the black squirrel is a great beer/food bar

I think Churchkey at 14th and Rhode Island was one of the best accidental discoveries I have ever made. They advertise 555 unique labels with 50 draft and 5 cask at any time. They also offer 4oz servings so you can try a whole bunch on a budget. Their bar food is also fantastic. I always leave happy when I end up there.

http://www.churchkeydc.com

Whenever I visit DC I always make a trip to Mad Fox which is just outside the city. Awesome beer which I highly recommend!

Got to DC today. Turns out Churchkey is just a couple of blocks north of my hotel! Unfortunately it doesn't open until 4:00! Currently sitting at Logans - a decent enough restaurant. Had a Great Lakes Dortmunder Gold and a Flying Dog ipa and a slightly overcooked burger. Will have to check out Churchkey later tonight.

JLem said:

Got to DC today. Turns out Churchkey is just a couple of blocks north of my hotel! Unfortunately it doesn't open until 4:00! Currently sitting at Logans - a decent enough restaurant. Had a Great Lakes Dortmunder Gold and a Flying Dog ipa and a slightly overcooked burger. Will have to check out Churchkey later tonight.

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Churchkey is pretty cool, but I don't remember what their selection of the local brews is like. If you can find your way to the Adams Morgan neighborhood (any cab driver will be able to get you there), there are a number of bars that have some of the small local brews on tap. Bourbon usually has a 3 Stars brew on tap. Mellow Mushroom has a Chocolate City beer on tap (I was there yesterday). And I think Smoke and Barrel usually has some local beers too.

If you are a porter fan, 3 Stars Brewing's flagship beer is its Polemic Porter. I am not a porter fan, but most people who are that I have talked to love it.

JLem said:

Got to DC today. Turns out Churchkey is just a couple of blocks north of my hotel! Unfortunately it doesn't open until 4:00! Currently sitting at Logans - a decent enough restaurant. Had a Great Lakes Dortmunder Gold and a Flying Dog ipa and a slightly overcooked burger. Will have to check out Churchkey later tonight.

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I recently discovered The Pig restaurant, which is across the street from Churchkey. They usually have something from DC Brau, 3 Stars, and Devil's Backbone on tap.

I meant Pandemic Porter from 3 Stars.

I hit churchkey last night. Pretty impressive selection. I tried a couple of cask selections from Mad Fox (Leaded, an oatmeal stout, and Hardly, a bitter) and an IPA from DC Brau (Corruption?). I notices a couple of beers by 3 Stars (one was a saison with peppercorns).

Not sure where i'll hit tonight - maybe back there or perhaps Pig (thanks for the suggestion). Not sure I'm up for venturing too far (I'm just down 14th st a few blocks so it's easy).

JLem said:

I hit churchkey last night. Pretty impressive selection. I tried a couple of cask selections from Mad Fox (Leaded, an oatmeal stout, and Hardly, a bitter) and an IPA from DC Brau (Corruption?). I notices a couple of beers by 3 Stars (one was a saison with peppercorns).

Not sure where i'll hit tonight - maybe back there or perhaps Pig (thanks for the suggestion). Not sure I'm up for venturing too far (I'm just down 14th st a few blocks so it's easy).

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Sounds like you had a good first night! Just FYI -- Churchkey normally gets slammed on the weekends, so you should head over early. I've had the Peppercorn Saison at the brewery tasting days. It is worth checking out.