Burgeoning Brewing Scene in Our Nation's Capitol

UPDATED VERSION IS HERE

Version 9, as of May 3, 2012

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 Building. 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! <<

Here is a summary of changes from the previous version, published Dec 3, 2011:

·         Total venues up to 142 from 126.

·         Added 16 breweries.

·         Updated 12 breweries.

·         Processed 39 comments.

·         These contributors were helpful: BeerMe.com, Keith Chamberlain (10); On Tap Online, Dan Brown (9); Chuck Triplett (6); bob (3); Martin Morse Wooster (2); All We Can Eat (1); ARL Now, Dan Brown (1); DC Beer, Dan Brown (1); deathblossom (1); John, Chuck (1); J.T. Thomas (1); Mike Horkan (1); Tammy Tuck (1); and Unknown (1).

While I am mainly interested in LOCAL brewers, the list includes some categorized exceptions:

·         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 arbitrary 100-mile radius and 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 currently brewed using facilities at DOG Brewing. "Currently Open" means a physical place you can go and visit, like DOG Brewing. Look for Stillwater under "Coming Soon."

A. CURRENTLY OPEN BREWERIES AND BREW-PUBS (LOCAL)

·         3 Stars Brewery, Washington, DC

·         Barley and Hops Grill and Microbrewery, Frederick

·         Battlefield Brewing at The Pub, Fredericksburg, VA

·         Baying Hound Aleworks, Rockville, MD

·         Blue & Gray Brewing Co, Fredericksburg

·         Brewer's Alley Restaurant & Brewery, Frederick

·         Brewer's Art, Baltimore

·         Burley Oak Brewing Co., Berlin, MD

·         Capitol City Brewing Company, Arlington  (now brews for all Cap City locations)

·         Chocolate City Brewing Co.,  Washington, DC

·         Coastal Brewing Dover, DE (Old Dominion and Fordham brands)

·         Corcoran Brewing Co., Waterford, VA

·         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, Bel Air

·         DuClaw Brewing Company, Bowie

·         DuClaw Brewing Company, Hanover

·         Ellicott Mills Brewing Company, Ellicott City

·         Evolution Craft Brewing Co., Delmar, DE

·         Flying Dog Brewing Regional Brewery, Frederick (Corporate HQ in Denver)

·         Franklin's Restaurant, Brewery & General Store, Hyattsville

·         Growler's of Gaithersburg

·         Heavy Seas Beers, Baltimore (Clipper, Pyrate, and Mutiny lines)

·         Holy Brew, Leesburg, VA

·         Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant, Wilmington, DE

·         Legend Brewing Company, Richmond

·         Lost Rhino Brewing Co., Ashburn, VA

·         MacDowell Brew Kitchen, Leesburg

·         Mad Fox Brewery, Falls Church

·         Port City Brewing, Alexandria

·         Pratt Street Alehouse, Baltimore

·         Red Brick Station, White Marsh, MD

·         South Street Brewing, Charlottesville

·         Starr Hill Brewing Company, Crozet, VA

·         Sweetwater Tavern, Centreville

·         Sweetwater Tavern, Falls Church

·         Sweetwater Tavern, Sterling

·         Vintage 50 Restaurant and Brew Lounge, Leesburg

B. CURRENTLY OPEN BREW-PUBS (LOCALLY AVAILABLE BUT NOT LOCALLY OWNED)

·         Chophouse & Brewery, District, Washington, DC

·         Gordon Biersch, McLean

·         Gordon Biersch, Rockville

·         Gordon Biersch, Washington, DC

·         Hops Grill & Brewery, Alexandria

·         Rock Bottom, Arlington

·         Rock Bottom, Bethesda

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

·         Capitol City Brewing Company, New York Ave

·         Dogfish Head Ale House, Fairfax

·         Dogfish Head Ale House, Falls Church

·         Dogfish Head Ale House, Gaithersburg

·         DuClaw  Brewing Company, BWI Airport, Southwest Terminal

·         Fire Station 1, Silver Spring (outlet for Red Brick Station)

·         Gordon Biersch, Dulles International Airport (IAD-Terminal D, Gate D14)

·         Gordon Biersch, Ronald Reagan National Airport (DCA-North Pier)

·         Lee's Retreat, Fredericksburg (outlet for Blue & Gray)

·         Old Dominion Brewhouse, Hyattsville (Outlet for Coastal's Old Dominion line)

·         Old Dominion Brewhouse, Washington, DC (Outlet for Coastal's Old Dominion line)

·         Pub Dog Pizza & Drafthouse, Columbia, Maryland (outlet for DOG)

·         Pub Dog Pizza & Drafthouse, Federal Hill, Baltimore (outlet for DOG)

·         Ram's Head Roadhouse, Annapolis (Outlet for Coastal's Fordham line)

·         Ram's Head Shore House, Stevensville (Outlet for Coastal's Fordham line)

·         Ram's Head Tavern, Annapolis (Outlet for Coastal's Fordham line)

·         Ram's Head Tavern, Savage (Outlet for Coastal's Fordham line)

D. COMING SOON (LOCAL)

·         Adroit Theory Brewing Company, Sterling, VA (2012 or 2013)

·         Beltway Brewing, a brewery for hire, coming to Loudon County in late 2012

·         Bluejacket, aka NRG's Brewery and Restaurant at the Yards

·         Cabinet Artisianal Brewhouse, Alexandria

·         Hellbender Brewing Company, DC

·         Logan Shaw Brewing Company,  Washington, DC (will brew Logan Shaw and Wild Goose brands)

·         Low Brau DC

·         Robert Portner Brewhouse and Beergarden, Alexandria, VA (Portner's great-great-grandchildren plan a revival as a brewery incubator. Coming in 2012).

·         Stillwater Artisanal Ales, Baltimore (currently contract brewing at DOG)

·         Washingtonian's Brewing Co., Washington, DC

E. CURRENTLY OPEN (ROAD TRIP!)

·         Blue Mountain Brewery, Afton, VA

·         Devil’s Backbone Brewing Co., Roseland, VA

·         Eastern Shore Brewing, St Michaels, MD

·         Hardywood Park Craft Brewery, Richmond

·         Mad Hop Brews, Ellicott City, MD

·         Monacracy Brewing, Frederick, MD

·         River Company Brewery, Radford, VA

·         Ruddy Duck, Solomons Island, MD

·         St George Brewing Company, Hampton

·         The Flying Barrel BOP and Homebrew Shop, Frederick, MD

·         Williamsburg Brewing Co., Williamsburg

·         Wolf Hills Brewing Company, Abingdon, VA

F. COMING SOON (FUTURE ROAD TRIP!)

·         Bedford Alehouse, Bedford (near Roanoke)

·         Charm City Brewing, Baltimore

·         Milkhouse Brewery, Mt Airy, MD

·         The Raven, Baltimore

·         Union Craft Brewing, Baltimore

G. FONDLY REMEMBERED LOCAL BREWERIES OR BREWPUBS (Chronological)

·         Consumer Brewery (1896-1904, became Arlington Brewery)

·         Robert Portner's Tivoli Brewing Co., Alexandria, VA (Closed in 1916--possibly being revived?)

·         Arlington Brewery (1904-1920)

·         Olde Heurich Brewing Company (1872-1956)

·         Queen City Brewing Company, Cumberland, MD (1901–1976)

·         National Brewing Company (National Bohemian) (1885-1978)

·         British Brewing Co., Glen Burnie (1988-1992), sold to form Oxford Brewing

·         Potomac River Brewing Co., Chantilly, VA (1993-1998)

·         Brimstone Brewing Company, Baltimore, then Frederick (1994-1998)

·         Blue-N-Gold Brewery, Arlington (1996-1998)

·         Virginia Brewing Co (Bought by Founders in 2000)

·         Sisson's Restaurant and Brewery (1979-2002) sold brewing equip to Mountaineer

·         Founders Restaurant & Brewing Co, Alexandria (Closed 2002)

·         Virginia Native Brewing Co., Alexandria  (1998-2003).

·         Baltimore Brewing Co., aka DeGroen's (1989-2004)

·         Bardo Brewing (Closed 2004)

·         Rock Creek Brewing, Richmond (1996?-2005?)

·         Capitol City Brewing Company, Baltimore (Closed 2007)

·         DuClaw  Brewing Company, Fells Point, Baltimore (Closed in 2009)

·         Fordham Brewing Co (Bought 2009 by Coastal Brewing)

·         Frederick Brewing (Bought by an Ohio brewery that itself was bought by Flying Dog in 2009)

·         Old Dominion Brewing Co (Bought 2009 by Coastal Brewing)

·         Oxford Brewing Co., Linthicum  (1992-1998, then part of Clipper City 1998-2009)

·         Wild Goose Brewery (Cambridge > Frederick > Flying Dog > Closed 2010 and sold recipes to Logan Shaw)

·         Clipper City (reorganized in 2010 as Heavy Seas Beers)

·         Capitol City Brewing Company, Massachusetts Ave (Closed Jul 2011--possibly reopening in Union Station?)

·         Shenandoah Brewing Company, Alexandria  (Closed June 2011)

H. GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN NON-LOCALLY OWNED BREWERIES OR BREWPUBS (Chrono)

·         Dock Street Brewing (1994-1997)

·         John Harvard's Brew House, Washington, DC (1997 - 2006)

I. ONCE ROAD-TRIPPABLE BREWERIES OR BREWPUBS NOW CLOSED (Chronological)

·         Globe Brewing Company (Arrow Beer) (1748-1963)

·         Chesapeake Bay Brewing Co., Virginia Beach (1982?-1989?)

·         Globe Brewing (Key Hwy) (1994-1996)

·         Calhoun's, Harrisonburg, VA (Closed 2011)

·         Mountaineer Brewing Co., Martinsburg, WV (Closed Apr 2011)

·         Shooting Creek Farm Brewery, Floyd, VA‎ (Closed May 2011)

J. DYNAMIC REGIONAL HOME-BREWING AND BEER APPRECIATION CLUBS

·         Baltibrew

·         Brewers United for Real Potables (BURP)

·         Chesapeake Real Ale Brewers Society (CRABS)

·         Cross Street Irregulars (CSI)

·         DC Homebrewers

·         Frederick's Original Ale Makers (FOAM)

·         Fredericksburg Area Brewing and Tasting Society (FABTS)

·         Fredericksburg Brewing Insiders  (FBI)

·         Goddard Zymurnauts

·         Libation Association

·         Maryland Ale & Lager Technicians (MALT)

·         Midnight Homebrewers' League

·         Society for the Preservation of Beers from the Wood (SPBW)

·         The Killer Ales

·         The Wort Hogs, Herndon

·         Wootown Brewers, Northern Maryland

By this count, there are (40) currently open local breweries and brew-pubs within 100 miles of the Capitol, plus an additional (24) non-local brew-pub chains and "tied house" brewery outlets with no brewing on premises.  Added to these establishments, we have (10) more breweries and brew-pubs coming soon to this area. Lots of choice, and more on the way!

Going slightly further afield, I highlight (17) 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 (35) breweries or brewpubs no longer in operation, gone but not forgotten.

And while we're at it, let's not forget to highlight the amateur brewers who meet, greet, and compete in (16) local home-brew clubs.

In all, this list highlights (142) past, present and future fresh beer outlets, each an important part of the lively and growing beer scene in the National Capitol Region. Today's brewers are enhancing and extending the American brewing tradition from our Nation's frothy founding to its foam-filled future.

Hoist a pint in support of the burgeoning brewing scene in our Nation's Capitol!  Cheers!

Rock on, DC-Area Brewers!  We're thirsty!

‘The Righteous Mind,’ by Jonathan Haidt

The Righteous Mind: 

Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion

Jon Haidt uses the social science of psychology to explain the origins and future of morality. 

• What binds people together?
• Are people rational or intuitive? 
• Is the news for information or entertainment? 
• Is there one and only one right way, one master moral code? 
• Will religious and political diversity lead us to tolerance and acceptance, or to division and suspicion?

I have heard of other Positive Psychologists, notably Prof. Martin Seligman at U Penn. However, I had not heard of Prof. Jonathan Haidt at U Va until my Uncle mentioned him. Now I cannot wait to read his latest book, The Righteous Mind, and learn more about his philosophy.

Sequence of Events

• April 29. My Uncle shows me his copy of The Righteous Mind. I make note of it and add it to my wish list.
• May 2. I catch author Jon Haidt on the Colbert Report, and text my Uncle.
• May 3. Good email feedback from my Uncle inspires me to introduce Haidt to blog readers with my endorsement.

Central ideas: 

• All things are connected, and 
• Getting along, i.e., maintaining balance, is essential. 

Here are some helpful resources for understanding Haidt:

• Haidt's U Va website http://people.virginia.edu/~jdh6n/ 
• Haidt's TED profile http://www.ted.com/speakers/jonathan_haidt.html
• Haidt's Wikipedia biography http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Haidt
• Haidt's Righteous Mind book website http://righteousmind.com/ 
• Amazon's Righteous Mind book review http://www.amazon.com/The-Righteous-Mind-Politics-Religion/dp/0307377903
• NY Times' (Liberal?) Righteous Mind book review nytimes.com/books/review/the-righteous-mind-by-jonathan-haidt 
• Wall Street Journal's (Conservative?) Righteous Mind book review http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304692804577281311514282028.html

PhilosFX Flags

1337: How to Read and Write "LEET"

Here's another in a series of blog posts highlighting my ongoing attempt to master irrelevant skilz. Or, for those of you who already speak 1337, I should have written,

$k!L2

If you are intrigued or simply want to know more, follow this link to the wikiHow article, How to Read and Write 1337 in 12 steps


Maybe after you read about 1337, some of the vanity plates and Twitter tags you see around will make more sense to you. Perhaps you will even be able to appear hip when texting teens and twenty-somethings.


You're welcome!




PS--The vanity license plate on the BMW at the top of this post says H4X0RZ, or Hackers.

Thomas Merton's Prayer

This prayer by Thomas Merton speaks to me today. Does it speak to you as well? Do you feel Merton could have written this prayer on your behalf?  If so, feel free to share your comments.

My Lord God,

I have no idea where I am

going. I do not see the road ahead

of me. I cannot know for certain

where it will end. Nor do I really

know myself, and the fact that I

think that I am following Your will

does not mean that I am actually

doing so.

But I believe that the desire

to please You does in fact

please You. And I hope I have that

desire in all that I am doing. I hope

that I will never do anything apart

from that desire. And I know that

if I do this You will lead me by the

right road though I may know nothing

about it.

Therefore will I trust

You always though I may seem to

be lost and in the shadow of death.

I will not fear, for You are ever

with me, and You will never leave

me to face my perils alone.

~Thomas Merton, Thoughts in Solitude.

Before reading this prayer, I hadn't read or thought much about Thomas Merton for many years. In 1983 while a student at Notre Dame, I read his 1948 autobiography, The Seven Storey Mountain. It is still one of the most moving stories I have ever read.

I was instantly taken by this "writer and mystic. A Trappist monk of the Abbey of Gethsemani, Kentucky, he was a poet, social activist, and student of comparative religion."

Merton wrote about his doubts as well as his certitudes. He did not pretend to have all the answers. While a devout Catholic, he showed respect for other religions and honored the common goal of connecting to the Divine through prayer and service.

"Merton wrote more than 70 books, mostly on spirituality, social justice and a quiet pacifism. Merton was a keen proponent of interfaith understanding. He pioneered dialogue with prominent Asian spiritual figures, including the Dalai Lama, the Japanese writer D.T. Suzuki, and the Vietnamese monk Thich Nhat Hanh." 

For more on Merton's biography, read this Wiki entry.

The prayer speaks to me because I, too, am struggling to keep up with life, to understand my purpose, and to see which obstacles in my path are meant to be overcome and which are meant to steer me in a new direction.

H/T: MGW

Bill Samuels' Perfect Mint Julep

Just in time for the Kentucky Derby, May 5th, Chow Bella has published Bill Samuels' Perfect Mint Julep recipe. Mr. Samuels, of course, is the Pesident of Maker's Mark Distillery and producer of Maker's Mark handmade Kentucky straight Bourbon Whisky. In full disclosure, I am a Maker's Mark Ambassador.




Rob Samuels is the grandson of the creator of Maker's Mark Whisky and current chief operating officer of the distillery. 


You would expect a family with such a rich, bourbon-soaked history to know a few good whisky recipes -- and you'd be right. Rob's father, Bill Samuels Jr., perfected his Mint Julep recipe over years of experimentation. The recipe below serves 14-16 people and is perfect for a Kentucky Derby party (which is coming up on May 5). 


Make sure you get to work on your Juleps a day before you want to serve them -- the recipe takes more than a day to make, but the drink is worth every second.

The ingredients:
1 liter Maker's Mark Bourbon
Lots of fresh spearmint
1 cup distilled water
1 cup granulated sugar
Powdered sugar

How to make it:

• To prepare the mint extract, remove about 40 small mint leaves from their stems, then wash and place them in a small mixing bowl. Cover with 3 ounces of Maker's Mark and allow the leaves to soak for 15 minutes. Gather the leaves in a clean, soap-free piece of cotton cloth and vigorously wring the mint bundle over the bowl of whisky. Dip the bundle again and repeat the process several times. Set aside.
• To prepare the simple syrup, mix 1 cup of granulated sugar and 1 cup of water in a cooking pot. Heat to dissolve the sugar. Stir constantly so the sugar does not burn. Set aside to cool.
• To prepare the mint julep mixture, pour 3 ½ cups of Maker's Mark into a large glass bowl or glass pitcher. Add 1 cup of the simple syrup to the Maker's Mark.
• Begin adding the mint extract a tablespoon at a time to the julep mixture. Each batch of mint extract is different, so you must taste and smell after each tablespoon is added. You may have to leave the room a time or two to clear your nose. The tendency is to use too much mint. You are looking for a soft mint aroma and taste -- generally about 3 tablespoons.
• When you think it's right, pour the whole mixture back into the empty liter bottle and refrigerate it for at least 24 hours to marry the flavors.
• To serve the mint julep, fill each glass (preferably a silver mint julep cup) half-full with shaved ice. Insert a sprig of mint and then pack in more ice to about an inch over the top of the cup. Insert a straw that has been cut to one inch above the top of the cup so the nose is forced close to the mint when sipping the julep.
• When frost forms on the cup, pour the refrigerated julep mixture over the ice, add a sprinkle of powdered sugar to the top of the ice and serve.

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