Burgeoning Brewing Scene in Our Nation's Capitol (v. 4)

UPDATED VERSION IS HERE

This is a great time to be a craft beer fan in the Nation's Capitol! Here's my list of breweries and brewpubs in a 100 mile radius of the Capitol Bldg. Have you heard of all the breweries, brew-pubs, and tied houses below? Have you been to a few to sample the wares?

 >> Comment below about any new discoveries or to share your impressions! << 

While I am more interested in LOCAL brewers, non-locally owned chains are included separately for completeness. I have a short list of tied houses which are retail outlets for particular brewers with no on-site brewing. I also show a list of breweries and brewpubs that are not open but coming soon. I added a select group of current and future breweries and brewpubs outside the 100 mile radius but worth a road trip. Finally, I even included former breweries and brewpubs (both local and non-locally owned) for reasons of nostalgia.

 >> Questions or updates are welcome in the Comments section. << 

Note: some brands you can buy are brewed by contract. One cannot visit the Stillwater Artisanal Brewery, for example, because Stillwater beers are brewed using someone else's facilities (e.g., DOG Brewing). "Currently Open" means a physical place you can go and visit.  


34 CURRENTLY OPEN BREWERIES AND BREW-PUBS (LOCAL)

• Bare Bones Grill & Brewery, Ellicott City, MD  
•  Battlefield Brewing, Fredericksburg, VA  
•  Baying Hounds Aleworks, Rockville, VA  
•  Blue & Gray Brewing Co, Fredericksburg  
•  Brewer's Alley Restaurant & Brewery, Baltimore  
•  Brewer's Art, Baltimore  
•  Capitol Ale House, Fredricksburg  
•  Capitol City Brewing Company, Arlington  
•  Capitol City Brewing Company, New York Ave  
•  Capitol City Brewing Company, Massachusetts Ave  
•  Clipper City Brewing Company, Baltimore (Heavy Seas and Oxford brands) 
•  Coastal Brewing Dover, DE (Old Dominion and Fordham brands) 
•  DC Brau,  Washington, DC  
•  DOG Brewing Co, Westminster, MD (DOG and Stillwater Artisanal brands) 
•  Dogfish Head Brewery, Milton, DE  
•  Dogfish Head Brewings and Eats, Rehoboth, DE  
•  DuClaw Brewing Company, Baltimore  
•  Ellicott Mills Brewing Company, Ellicott City
• Evolution Craft Brewing Co., Delmar, DE   
•  Flying Dog Brewing Regional Brewery (Corporate HQ in Denver) 
•  Franklin's Restaurant, Brewery & General Store, Hyattsville  
• Heavy Seas Beers, Baltimore (Clipper, Pyrate, and Mutiny lines)
•  Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant, Wilmington, DE  
•  Legend Brewing Company, Richmond 
•  Lost Rhino Brewing Co., Ashburn, VA 
• Mad Fox Brewery, Falls Church  
•  Port City Brewing, Alexandria  
•  Pratt Street Alehouse, Baltimore 
•  Red Brick Station, White Marsh, MD 
•  Shenandoah Brewing Company, Alexandria  
•  Starr Hill Brewing Company, Crozet, VA 
• Sweetwater Tavern, Centreville  
•  Sweetwater Tavern, Falls Church  
•  Sweetwater Tavern, Sterling 
•  Vintage 50 Restaurant and Brew Lounge, Leesburg                   

7 CURRENTLY OPEN BREW-PUBS (LOCAL BUT NOT LOCALLY OWNED)

• Barley and Hops Grill and Microbrewery, Alexandria  
• Chophouse & Brewery, District, Washington, DC   
• Gordon Biersch, McLean  
•  Gordon Biersch, Washington, DC  
• Hops Grill & Brewery, Alexandria  
• Rock Bottom, Arlington  
• Rock Bottom, Bethesda  

8 TIED HOUSES (FRESH, LOCALLY MADE BEER NOT BREWED ON SITE)

• Dogfish Head Ale House, Fairfax (outlet for Dogfish Head) 
•  Dogfish Head Ale House, Falls Church (outlet for Dogfish Head) 
•  Dogfish Head Ale House, Gaithersburg (outlet for Dogfish Head) 
•  Lee's Retreat, Fredericksburg (outlet for Blue & Gray) 
•  Old Dominion Brewhouse, Washington, DC (Outlet for Coastal's Old Dominion line)  
•  Pub Dog Pizza & Drafthouse, Columbia, Maryland (outlet for DOG) 
•  Pub, Fredericksburg (outlet for Battlefield) 
•  Ram's Head Tavern, Annapolis (Outlet for Coastal's Fordham line)                

7 COMING SOON (LOCAL)

• 3 Stars Brewery, Washington, DC  
•  Chocolate City Beer,  Washington, DC  
•  DC Brau,  Washington, DC  Began brewing March 17, 2011
•  Hardywood Park Craft Brewery, Richmond 
•  Logan Shaw Brewing Company,  Washington, DC (will brew Logan Shaw and Wild Goose brands) 
•  Lost Rhino Brewing Co., Ashburn, VA  opened May 10, 2011
•  Robert Portner Brewhouse and Beergarden, Alexandria, VA (Portner's great-great- grandchildren plan a revival as a brewery incubator) 
•  Stillwater Artisanal Ales, Baltimore (currently contract brewing at DOG) 
•  Washingtonian's Brewing Co., Washington, DC  

5 CURRENTLY OPEN (ROAD TRIP!)

• Blue Mountain Brewery, Afton, VA  
•  Devil’s Backbone Brewing Co., Roseland, VA 
•  St George Brewing Company, Hampton 
•  Williamsburg Brewing Co., Williamsburg    
•  Wolf Hills Brewing Company, Abingdon, VA 

1 COMING SOON (FUTURE ROAD TRIP!)

• Bedford Alehouse, Bedford (near Roanoke) 

16 FONDLY REMEMBERED LOCAL BREWERIES OR BREWPUBS

•  Consumer Brewery (1896-1904, became Arlington Brewery) 
•  Robert Portner Brewing Co., Alexandria, VA (Closed in 1916--possibly being revived?) 
• Arlington Brewery (1904-1920) 
• Olde Heurich Brewing Company (1872-1956) 
•  Oxford Brewing Co (part of Clipper City 1998-2009) 
•  Virginia Brewing Co (Bought by Founders in 2000) 
• Founders Restaurant & Brewing Co, Alexandria (Closed 2002) 
• Baltimore Brewing Co (1989-2003) 
• Virginia Native Brewing Co., Alexandria  (1998-2003). 
• Bardo Brewing (Closed 2004) 
• Capitol City Brewing Company, Baltimore (Closed 2007) 
•  Fordham Brewing Co (Bought 2009 by Coastal Brewing) 
•  Frederick Brewing (Bought 2009 by Flying Dog) 
• Old Dominion Brewing Co (Bought 2009 by Coastal Brewing) 
• Clipper City (reorganized in 2010 as Heavy Seas Beers)
• Wild Goose Brewery (Closed 2010 and sold recipes to Logan Shaw)   

1 GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN NON-LOCALLY OWNED BREWERIES OR BREWPUBS

• John Harvard's Brew House, Washington, DC (Closed 2006)  

By this count, there are 34 currently open local breweries and brew-pubs within 100 miles of the Capitol, plus an additional 15 non-local brew-pub chains and "tied house" brewery outlets with no brewing on premises.  Added to these establishments, we have 7 more breweries and brew-pubs coming soon to this area. Lots of choice, and more on the way!

Going slightly further afield, I highlight 6 current and future breweries that are not far outside the arbitrary 100 mile radius and well worth a road trip.  And because brewing, like any other business, follows a lifecycle, I list 17 breweries or brewpubs no longer in operation, gone but not forgotten.

In all, 79 past, present and future fresh beer outlets that are part of the burgeoning beer scene in the National Capitol Region.

Rock on, Brewers!