No Fermentation Without Representation

Location of Origin: 3178 Bladensburg Road NE, Washington, D.C., Washington, D.C. 20018, USA
Date Established: 2009
Category: Independent, Craft, Microbrewery With A Single Facility, And Locally Focused Distribution Within D.C. and Virginia

Founded by Jeff Hancock and Brandon Skall, DC Brau Brewing Company is the nation's capital's first full scale brewing operation since 1956 (during Eisenhower's presidency), when the 500,000 Bbl/yr Heurich Brewery closed it's doors after 62 years of brewing. Heurich was closed because of slumping area sales and eminent domain actions made to create new roads as well as the F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. And it was wasn't until 2009, when Hancock and Skall joined forces, that Washington D.C. would once again be home to a brewery. Operating in a 6,700 square foot warehouse behind a post office and a Dollar store in Fort Lincoln (Washington, D.C.), the brewery has emerged from a pile of red tape to a prolific regional brew house which has rewritten municipal alcohol laws and received many accolades for their exciting beer. Both of the founders have a long history with the beverage industry, with Skall, in charge of the business end, having held management roles at other businesses; and Hancock, DC Brau's brewmaster, who has worked in many other breweries including Flying Dog, and Franklin's Brewery & Restaurant. Aside from bringing the brewing industry back to within DC city limits, DC Brau is known for their award winning beer which is served at many beer festivals around the country. Inspired by brewers who are more inclined to brew hoppy beers (like Sierra Nevada), Hancock and Skall's regular beers are more hopped than typical for the style. The brewery has a wide range of perennial and limited release offerings, as well as some only available on tap. DC Brau is also gaining recognition for canning their beer - a practice that is at a nascent, but important part of development. Canning beer is arguably better than bottling for many reasons, but DC Brau places emphasis on the environmental advantages of canning their line up. According to their website, up to 95% less energy is used to recycle and reuse cans instead of manufacturing new ones from ore. Their spent grains are donated to a local family owned farm (Burnside Farms in Haymarket, VA) as animal feed and fertilizer for a small area used to grow a hops. Though the crop is only big enough for one batch of brewing, the special hops will be used in a special limited run production brew. Today, visitors can take tours and participate in tastings at the brewery, but only after a 2011 effort to give brewers the right to serve their beer on their property. Before the Brewery Manufacturer's Tasting Permit Temporary Amendment Act of 2011, only retail outlets like grocers and liquor stores could give out samples of beer. Because of this and the fact that there hadn't been a brewery in the District in over six decades, DC Brau has also streamlined red tape and Bureaucracy for other area breweries who have also recognized D.C.'s emerging craft beer loving market. The brewery had to seek permission from the Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration to fill growlers on site and sell merchandise like t-shirts and hoodies. So not only is DC Brau earning numerous awards and well deserved attention for their beer, they're changing the law and making it easier for other capital area breweries to follow. Pioneers, if you will... and perhaps the most productive thing in Washington these days.

Reviewed Beer from D.C. Brau Brewing Company


None Yet.

All rated Beer from D.C. Brau Brewing Company

7-03-16 - Penn Quarter Porter Nitro - 3.85, American Porter, 5.50%
*****************
4-08-16 - Alpha Domina Mellis III - 3.74, American Double/Imperial IPA, 8.00%
****************
5-30-15 - Brau Pils - 2.91, German Pilsner, 4.60%
*****************
10-11-14 - The Citizen - 3.32, Belgian Pale Ale, 7.00%
****************
5-31-14 - El Hefe Speaks - 3.36, Hefeweizen, 5.30%
**************
5-31-14 - Maple Syrup Rye Whiskey Barrel Aged NATAS - 3.88, Belgian Strong Dark Ale, 7.50%

6-01-13 - Penn Quarter Porter - 3.94, American Porter, 5.50%
Named for the neighborhood in Washington DC which is home to the theater where President Lincoln was shot, the Penn Quarter is a full bodied, moderately carbonated beer with a good amount of traditional porter tasting notes - semisweet chocolate and dark roasted coffee with a fair amount of delicately hopped aroma and balancing bitter finishing flavor. This beer finishes slightly dry, but with little crispness. This is a dark brown beer with no real shine and a dull glow in light, with a short, but dense foam head. There are some secondary biscuity and sweet nutty notes mixed in. Though this is a year round offering, this is labeled as a "limited release" as it is brewed small batches.
6-01-13 - On The Wings Of Armageddon - 3.18, American Double/Imperial IPA, 9.20%
This is a single hopped (Falconers Flight - proprietary from Hopunion) Imperial IPA which is quite smooth and fruity considering its strength (this is one of DC Brau's strongest ales). This beer is an homage to the restart of the Mayan calendar, which was slated to December 21st, last year. This IPA pours slightly choppy with a thick foam head with a good retention. The flavor is dominated with citrusy hoppy and somewhat fruity notes mixed with semisweet pale and wheat malt which give off some biscuity and banana like notes. There is very little interference from the elevated alcohol level, and this beer finishes fairly dry, and contains a good amount of carbonation.