Washington, DC visit

[BrainBeerBrewer]

So I will be in DC for a conference in the middle of November, are there any must-see places for beer lovers? I am already planning on visiting a Dogfish head Alehouse, and maybe the brewery if it's worth the extra 2 hour drive.

Also, are there any locally available beers that I wouldn't be able to get in Ohio that I could bring back or try?

Finally, any advice of the touristy kind would be appreciated.

Cheers!

 

[jeepinjeepin]

Don't buy a ticket to the double decker tour buses. You will sit in traffic then get off frustrated. Take the metro to get close then walk the rest. If you are looking to get into the White House email your Senator today to request tickets. There are the Washington and Lincoln Monuments and the Vietnam Memorial Wall. Also there are the new WWII Monument and 9/11 Pentagon Memorial. The National Archives and Smithsonian Museums are neat too.

 

[delmeric]

churchkey in logan circle is the best beer bar in the area http://birchandbarley.com/documents/CKDRAFTTUESDAY10-18-11.pdf

rustico in alexandria and in arlington also have great beer lists

local beers to bring back
dc brau
port city, i prefer the porter, they're based out of alexandria

good luck and have fun!

 

[GLWIII]

I assume you are talking about the DFH in Gaithersburg? Stopped in about two years ago and it was really good. The beer speaks for itself, but I also thought the food was excellent.

For local brews the one I am certain to hit every time I am in DC is Old Dominion. It's attached to the DC Convention Center. I'm a real fan of their Oak Barrel Stout and it is no longer distributed in Ohio where I'm located, so it's a must stop for me when I'm in DC on business. If you are going in to Dulles they also have a brewpub in coucourse B.

 

[jeepinjeepin]

I didn't try any Old Dominion when I was up there last weekend. It was a visit sister for her birthday/sightseeing for my wife and mom (2 different people for y'all freaks here) type of trip instead of a find me good beer trip. I did see it in the grocery store though.

 

[doc_rob]

There's the Bier Baron in DC (formerly the Brickskeller) http://www.bierbarondc.com/
Also RFD near the Verizon center, although I've never been to either. There are a few new breweries in DC, DC Brau, 3 Stars and Port City, although, again I've never tried any of that.

If you end up across the river in NoVa (where I am), Sweetwater Tavern is awesome as is Mad Fox Brewing. There's also a Gordon Biersch in Tysons and a Rock Bottom in Ballston. The Dogfish Head Alehouse in 7 corners has MyLHBS across the street and Mad Fox is just down the road from there.

Sweetwater tops my list just because the food is so damn good.

 

[neomantra]

If you're staying downtown in DC I wouldn't bother making a trip clear out to Gaithersburg for DFH. It's good, but there are a TON of great places in town that are metro accessible with great selections. If you have an entire day to wander, I highly recommend this bar crawl I mapped out: http://g.co/maps/7m3hu. Look up the web sites of any of those places and you'll see their beer lists are all amazing.

The crawl is an awesome way to see DC if you're visiting. I've taken several visiting friends on it and they loved it. Take the red line metro to Dupont Circle and walk the rest of the way per the map. You get a great flavor (pun intended, har har) for what DC is like because you're walking around instead of being underground on the train, plus you skip sitting in traffic as jeepin mentioned. There are more decent beer bars in the area but you might die if you try to hit any more than what I listed in a single day ;-) However if you get through all of those early in your trip or want recommendations for other parts of town let me know.

As for breweries, DC Brau and Chocolate City are local, but I have no clue if either offers tours or anything. I've seen DC Brau at several bars though so you can try it at least. Their Corruption and Public ales are both fantastic (pale and IPA). I didn't care much for their belgian pale...name is escaping me.

Flying Dog has a brewery out in Frederick, MD (about an hour north of DC) but I think they had to stop doing tours as well due to some funky MD law that says you can only serve such a small amount of beer at the brewery that they decided it made it pointless for them to do tours at all. Pretty sure they're lobbying to have the law changed but who knows how long that'll take, if it happens at all.

 

[g-love]

I was just in DC this past weekend and ChurchKey is a must. They have a killer selection in bottles and a wide selection on tap. You can get 4oz pours too, which is great if you want to try many different beers. Have fun, I love DC!

 

[BrainBeerBrewer]

Thanks for the quick replies! I will definitely get to Bierbaron as it's been recommended elsewhere as well. I am technically on business so I am not sure a full day's pub crawl is a good idea.

 

[JeepDiver]

It was a visit sister for her birthday/sightseeing for my wife and mom (2 different people for y'all freaks here) type of trip instead of a find me good beer trip. I did see it in the grocery store though.

Your Sister, Mom, and Wife are 2 different people and you call us the freaks?

 

[JeepDiver]

If your in Falls Chruch, the Mad Fox BrewPub isn't bad http://madfoxbrewing.com/

For Tourist stuff, Did this http://www.tourmobile.com/ a few times when I lived there and family visted. Picked up a few new interesting facts each time, and the tour of Arlington is really cool.

 

[jeepinjeepin]

Your Sister, Mom, and Wife are 2 different people and you call us the freaks?

Notice the / ? That would be two people after the /.

 

[moose7710]

I would include Capitol City Brewery in the list. I think there are 2 locations downtown. I'll +1 Mad Fox if you venture out to the Falls Church area. Ive never been to Bier Baron in DC but I've heard good things, so I'll +1 that. Dominion is decent but I've lost a lot of respect since they've been bought out by A. Busch. Hope that helps

 

[artbrau]

I was just in DC this past weekend and ChurchKey is a must. They have a killer selection in bottles and a wide selection on tap. You can get 4oz pours too, which is great if you want to try many different beers. Have fun, I love DC!

+1 on church key near Logan circle, which is upstairs and part of birch and barley restaurant. Well curated and very artisanal beers on tap.

 

[Brewsncrabs]

+1 on Capitol City. Its near the convention center. Good food too.

 

[LAKing]

+1 on the Churchkey recommendation. If you don't go anywhere else to get beer in DC, GO THERE. They have a crazy variety of obscure awesome stuff that is usually amazing.

 

[usfmikeb]

I was just in DC this past weekend and ChurchKey is a must. They have a killer selection in bottles and a wide selection on tap. You can get 4oz pours too, which is great if you want to try many different beers. Have fun, I love DC!

Yep, gotta give props to Churchkey as well, great beer selection.

From a local beer standpoint, I highly recommend trying some beers from Heavy Seas, which are made in Baltimore. They've got some pretty good stuff..

 

[Bigmoose44]

Check out www.dcbeer.com

This should fill your head with anything beer in DC.

 

[MMBB]

Flying Dog has a brewery out in Frederick, MD (about an hour north of DC) but I think they had to stop doing tours as well due to some funky MD law that says you can only serve such a small amount of beer at the brewery that they decided it made it pointless for them to do tours at all. Pretty sure they're lobbying to have the law changed but who knows how long that'll take, if it happens at all.

Flying Dog started doing tours again recently when Maryland law changed in a favorable fashion. They only do tours at 4pm Thursday and Friday as well as two sessions on Saturdays.

http://flyingdogales.com/contact-us/brewery-tours/

 

[usfmikeb]

You have to make advance reservations for the Flying Dog tour, and it is pretty much booked thru the end of the year. I'm waiting for them to open up January's tours, so I can get a Saturday tour in.

 

[neut2004]

I don't recommend Bier Baron. The Brickskeller had sucked, and the new owners haven't improved it much. Definitely do not eat there. In the DuPont area, go to Big Hunt and Pizzeria Paradiso. Around the Verizon center there's Iron Horse, District Chophouse, RFD (don't eat there either), and Matchbox. Near the Convention Center is Brasserie Beck (eat there if someone else is paying). H Street has Grandville Moore's and Smith Common (among others). In Columbia Heights there's a relatively new beer bar called Meridian Pint which has the best selection of American craft beers. ChurchKey gets uber busy in the evening on any night, so get there early. The downstairs is Birch and Barley, with all the same beers, great food and it's not as crowded. DC Brau has tours and 'growler hours' from 1-4 on Saturdays. They don't have cans at retail stores, so growlers are your only take away option. It's a drive to get there as its not close to any metro stop. It's worth it though. Mad Fox is a must if you're in VA. I'm not a fan of Chocolate City beer. Flying Dog and Heavy Seas can be found at most good liquor stores. Have fun!

 

[BrainBeerBrewer]

Thanks again for all the great advice. I will be staying in Alexandria, and look forward to a fun trip!