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Over the past few years, DC breweries have really been coming into their own and are now on an upswing. Still, DC is more of a brewpub-inhabited area. There’s a pretty good amount of them, with the likes of Capitol City Brewing Company, Gordon Biersch, and the newest addition to the scene, Bluejacket, all having solid reputations around the city. They all make quality products, no doubt, but I’m going to discuss my favorite beers from straight-up breweries for this article.
And a forewarning for hard-nosed boundary folk – two of the breweries technically reside outside of the District lines. However, they’re still considered part of the DC metro area, so hopefully you can forgive me.
Face Plant IPA – Lost Rhino Brewing Company
Lost Rhino’s Face Plant IPA is a welcomed deviation from a world overrun by hopped-out IPAs. It’s not going to distort your face due to bitterness, and as a former hophead (well, not necessarily former, it’s more that I’m over ultra-hoppy brews), I think it’s quite a drinkable IPA. In an effort to try and validate my point, I’d say it’s mild enough to chug. Not that you’d want to chug an IPA per se, but regardless, I think it is quite crushable, mainly because it starts with the bitterness and is subtly capped by a nice, almost floral finish. The nose is also much more aromatic than hoppy, which I am genuinely grateful for!
Port City Porter – Port City Brewing Company
You know I had to include at least one beer from my hometown brewery, the Port City Brewing Company. And that beer, my friends, is the Port City Porter. What a nice sounding name, eh? The Port City Porter. Rolls off the tongue quite nicely. And it’s also a damn good beer. However, I may be a bit biased because I love porters. Especially now that it’s getting cold outside, it’s prime time for dark, malty, and sometimes chocolaty brewskies. There’s just something about dark beers that pair so well with frigid temperatures – and if it’s snowing out, my goodness does it feel right. Port City’s contribution to the world of porters does not miss a beat. This fine beverage clocks in at 7.2% ABV, but let me assure you, it does not taste like it, even remotely. If I can be frank, it’s the only porter I’ve ever been inclined to throw the term “session” around. Yea, that’s right, a session porter. If that doesn’t ignite your craft beer Spidey senses, then I don’t know what to tell you!
El Hefe Speaks – DC Brau
Before I discuss my third favorite beer from the DC area, let me make one thing clear – I do not usually enjoy wheat beers. I think they’re too light, generally citrusy, and ultimately unsatisfying. But that was before I drank the limited-release German style hefeweizen from DC Brau, a beer they chose to call “El Hefe Speaks.” The creation of this brew could teach members of Congress a thing or two, as DC Brau collaborated with Chris Frashier and John Solomon, two men who’ve been a part of the DC beer community for years. Who would’ve thought that working together amicably could create such great things! And let me tell you, this is one collaboration that does not disappoint. German Tettnang hops and the Weihenstephaner yeast strain combine to make a refreshing, drinkable hefe, and the can has an awesome design to boot. How could you not like a boombox-faced person screaming into microphones? I know I do.
